WhIP

by footfungus

nederlands verhalen over mijn otp

173. Chapter 173

A Girl's Mind is a Dangerous Place

clenastia

Summary:

Natsu wakes up in Sakura's body. It only gets worse from there. Also known as: In Which Natsu has No Idea what to do with Boobs.

Notes:

I wasn't gonna post this to Archive. Was just gonna leave it on and wattpad but I have writers block and this is my chapter-procrastination technique of choice. I hate my brain so much.

Tenroujima-Natsu, mostly cause that's just the easiest place to pull him from, right at the end with Fairy Sphere. I always felt he was the same age as Gray, which the Wiki says is about 18, hence the 'kid' comments later on. Other Fairy Tail characters will make appearances in an AU to this, but as far as Girl's Mind is concerned only Natsu transferred over.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

It starts with a scream.

Or, perhaps more accurately, it starts with Sakura screaming as she comes upon Sasuke's bodiless head sticking out of the ground.

Fresh out of Kakashi's genjutsu, her mind automatically fills in the blood and viscera she knows has to be there, twisting his face from annoyance to pain-filled terror and painting the brown earth red.

She faints.

Natsu's first thought, as he wearily blinks himself into consciousness isn't something he'll ever admit, to anyone.

Gray's hair looks stupider than normal… stripper-pervert…

"...useless flower-head fangirl fainting from a stupid headhunter jutsu…"

Blinking a couple times, Natsu watches Gray's mouth as he grumbles and complains.

Flower-head? ARE YOU MAKING FUN OF MY HAIR YOU BASTARD?!

Hissing sharply, Natsu rolls over, pushing himself to his feet. He stumbles sharply, hands moving up to cradle a suddenly present headache of epic proportions.

Groaning under his breath, he stumbles backwards until he's leaning against a tree, fingers massaging his head as the pain recedes into tolerable levels.

"...Sakura?"

That voice… sounds nothing like Gray's.

And the last thing he remembers…

A dragon. An actual dragon! But…

Violent disinterest. It… he… refused to speak to them in words humans could understand, saw them as less than ants, minor annoyances to be crushed.

That attack… what happened? We all joined together, but… was it enough?

"SAKURA!"

Natsu jerks his head out of his hands, looking back to the person who definitely isn't Gray, buried up to his neck in the ground and looking downright furious. And not Gray's one-more-word-and-we-fight furious, or Erza's someone-is-getting-punished furious, but… the sort of genuine fury you see from enemies, from people who want to hurt you. And the boy is glaring at him.

What did I do? I don't even know how I got here!

"Stop daydreaming and get me out of here before we run out of time on the test!" not-Gray all but hisses, looking rather like he'd be setting things on fire right now if he could move.

Definitely not Gray. Stupid ice-brained moron. Wouldn't know how to light a fire if it killed him! Aaaah what kind of test is he even talking about? He's got some weird mark I've never seen before on his headband, so it can't be some weird Mirajane-illusion for the S-class exam.

What other test is there?! And why am I in it?

"Gaaah!" Natsu scratches his hands through his hair, only for his fingers to snag on something that feels rather similar to not-Gray's headband.

Not-Gray looks very unimpressed with him.

Okay, so… weird headband. Check. Longer hair. Why? Don't know. Uh. He acts like we're in the test together… why do I have a jerk like this as my partner anyway?! Phe. Doesn't matter, gotta get him out, can figure everything else out later…

Natsu walks over, crouching down in front of not-Gray, looking at the dirt. Not-Gray opens his mouth, half-snarling, and Natsu speaks quickly, cutting him off.

"You know any way to get you out of here that doesn't involve slowly digging you out inch by inch? Cause that's not productive to time limits, and you look impatient enough already!" Natsu leans back slightly, smiling, and not-Gray gives him a very weird look.

He takes a deep breath, and when he speaks it's almost civil. "Kakashi-sensei isn't taking us seriously, so it's kinda roomy under the surface… could possibly wiggle my way out but I'd rather not risk straining something if you're awake and capable of helping out."

The stress he puts on capable is so condescending, Natsu nearly gets up and leaves. Biting back a snarl, he nods.

"Gonna walk behind you. Less likely to get the dirt in your mouth that way." he mutters, standing up and walking around the simmering kid. Standing behind not-Gray, Natsu takes a second to look at the dirt, crouches down, and digs. Takes only a minute or so to break through to the empty area not-Gray mentioned, and widen it enough for him to leverage himself out of the hole.

"Thanks," not-Gray grumbles, as he brushes off the dirt, looking as though he's only saying it for sake of manners.

Natsu curls his lip, baring his teeth, but shakes it off. "Don't mention it. We gonna go beat this test or what?" Natsu bounces forward, til he's standing next to not-Gray, and directly in place to see the scathing glare his comment receives.

"You'd only hold me back." not-Gray stomps off, Natsu frozen behind him.

Wh… WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU BASTARD?!

Natsu leaps forward, tackling the kid from behind and shoving his face into the ground. "EAT DIRT YOU BASTARD I'LL SHOW YOU USELESS!"

Not-Gray tries to twist and throw him off, but dammit Natsu is a potential S-Rank wizard and he will NOT BE THROWN OFF BY SOME KID!

Distantly, he notices that his arm is thinner than before, but doesn't quite process it as he gets a proper pin on the kid beneath him, one hand still determined to keep his face in the dirt. Not-Gray stops struggling eventually, and Natsu waits for a moment, staring down at him suspiciously. When not-Gray doesn't suddenly explode to throw him off by surprise, Natsu nods, and stands up, moving to crouch in front of the kid as he pushes himself up.

Not-Gray looks wide-eyed and ridiculously surprised, staring at Natsu like he'd never seen him before.

They stare at each other endlessly, before not-Gray sighs.

"Let's just go. We're still on a timer."

Natsu nearly snaps at him, because dammit that is not an apology! But he takes a deep breath, stands up, and very deliberately walks beside not-Gray, refusing to fall even an inch behind the kid.

Throwing his hands behind his head and linking his fingers, he turns to look at his… partner. Eugh. "We got a plan, or are we just gonna run in there and blow shit up?"

Not-Gray has a sour look on his face for a moment, but takes a breath and answers. "I was so close to getting the bells from Kakashi-sensei on my own," his lips twist back into a snarl, before he continues, "so, I suppose, if you think you can keep him occupied for longer than a second, we might have a chance."

Longer than a- IS THAT JERK STILL LOOKING DOWN ON ME?! Wait- is this some sorta fetch-test? Gotta steal something from a superior opponent? Like that time Erza…

Shuddering, Natsu very deliberately stops thinking, and nods. "Fine! You want me to keep him busy, I'll keep him busy. But you'd better hold up your end or I'll shove those bells down your throat got it!?"

Not-Gray gives him a very weirded-out look, but meh, Natsu's seen worse, so he just keeps walking, following the sounds of someone moving around up ahead. Not-Gray doesn't say anything else, just moves in tandem. They get to the edge of the clearing, and in the middle Natsu sees another kid moving forward to grab… a bento?

Not-Gray goes wide-eyed beside him, then hisses in fury. "Naruto…." he snarls, but before he can move a silver-haired man appears from nowhere behind… Naruto, bells tinkling on his hip, startling the blond boy.

Natsu shoulder-checks not-Gray, to get him moving, and charges forward, moving in for a punch. The silver-haired man -Kakashi-sensei, did that jerk say?- slides away at the last minute, so fast and smooth Natsu stumbles in shock, turns it into a pivot and tries to kick-

Only to miss by a considerable distance, and realize that his legs are shorter.

Thinner arms, shorter legs, some weird headband with a weirder symbol… WHAT THE HELL DID THAT DRAGON DO TO ME?! AGHHHHH!

The sensei offers a wide-eyed blink, just before not-Gray darts in from the side, hands lunging for the bells and-

The silver-haired man catches not-Gray deftly as a shrill ringing goes off behind them.

"Eh? Wait, was that the timer?" Natsu complains, dropping cross-legged to the ground. The blond-haired kid, Naruto, looks up at him and scootches a little closer, smiling.

"Man, you were awesome Sakura-chan! Hehe you totally came to save me huh?" he laughs brightly, one hand scratching at the back of his head, and Natsu gives him a weird look.

Second person to call me Sakura… ARE THEY MAKING FUN OF MY HAIR? GRRRRRR!

"Save you?" not-Gray scoffs, stepping away from the sensei. "We had a plan to get the bells. Since he was distracted with you, it was the perfect time to get in and grab them. Idiot."

"Ahaha, guess we ran out of time though." Natsu complains cheerily, leaning back on his hands. Both not-Gray and Naruto give him weirdly offended looks, and Natsu blinks in confusion. Before he can ask what he said, the sensei speaks.

"Maa, Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan. Were you two planning to work together then?"

Not-Gray-or Sasuke? By process of elimination? Opens his mouth, but Natsu nods. "Yeah, Sasuke was saying something about how he got pretty close one-on-one with you, so we figured if he had someone to help distract you then we'd definitely get them! Mighta worked too, if the alarm hadn't rung…"

"Really? I intercepted Sasuke-kun's lunge rather handily."

Natsu tilted his head, looking at the sensei, confused. "Yeah, but that's cause the time ran out, so you stopped holding back. For stuff like this, aren't you supposed to limit yourself a bit so we have a chance?"

The sensei looked taken aback, shifting his weight slightly as he studied Natsu.

"Maa, so you noticed? Did you have any ideas for how to incorporate Naruto-kun as well then?"

Naruto? I didn't even know there was another kid! Stupid not-Gr-Sasuke, not even mentioning it. Probably another 'weakling who'd only hold him back' or some bullshit… grrrr!

Sasuke shrugs before Natsu even comes up with an answer. "We were running out of time. There was no use in wasting any to look for him. If he wanted to jump in and help..." Sasuke glances sideways at the blond with a disdainful expression, "Well, it hardly matters now..."

The sensei makes a weird face, looking between them.

Natsu shrugs. "Don't look at me. I didn't even realize we had a third person here."

Naruto looks absolutely devastated, so much so that Natsu nearly apologizes. He could practically smell the pain that comment caused, and winces, opening his mouth to say… something, when the sensei speaks.

"Sakura-chan, what do you mean by that?"

Natsu looks back at him reluctantly, and notices something like worry on the silver-haired man's face.

"Uh… I mean… I woke up and saw… Sasuke? With his head sticking out of the ground, but I don't remember how I got here…Sasuke said there was a test, so I just sorta followed him to help, but he never said there was anyone else, and I don't really know where I am… My head still hurts a lot, so maybe I just hit it on something and forgot…"

The sensei looks downright horrified, immediately rushing over and pressing a glowing hand to Natsu's head.

"The genjutsu I used on you should not have been powerful enough to do that. Sakura-chan, I need you to tell me honestly, do you remember anything from before you woke up?"

Natsu grimaces. "My name is Natsu, dammit! Are you sure you guys didn't forget anything? Just cause my hair's pink doesn't mean you can keep calling me after a stupid flower!"

The hand on his head freezes. The sensei then explodes into action, scooping Natsu up before he has a chance to even register the movement.

"Naruto, Sasuke, I need to get her to a hospital immediately. The results of this test will be postponed. Dismissed!"

There's a sound like a cloud of smoke, and a flurry of motion so fast Natsu can't even process it, and suddenly they're… somewhere else.

Immediately nauseous, Natsu hunches in on himself, other peoples' hands quickly finding his arms, head, chest, as the sensei speaks rapidly above him.

The words don't make sense though, his headache all but exploding in his brain, and he throws himself into unconsciousness.

Maybe everything will make sense when I wake up…

…

WAIT A SECOND DID THAT BASTARD CALL ME 'HER'? I'M NOT A GIRL DAMMIT!

Chapter 2

Notes:

Trying to update every Sunday.
Gonna say, this story is pretty slow-build. I honestly thought when I originally wrote this chapter that we'd be back to the plot by chapter 5 and moving ahead at a rapid pace, but I'm on chapter 13 and haven't got as far as I expected, so really. This is SLOW BUILD. Except, instead of slow-build romance, it's slow-build plot. Probably not for everyone. Thanks for reading!

Chapter Text

It smells like… sakura petals?

Natsu groans, draping an arm over his eyes and waiting for the headache… to…

"EH?!"

He bolts upright, fingers poking at the side of his head but that aching stabbing evil that was there earlier… just didn't exist.

Staring wide-eyed at nothing, it takes him a moment to realize that his questing fingers aren't running into any strange headbands either.

Quickly standing up, he looks down and…

"Everything's pretty normal… was that just some weird dream or something?" he looks around for a moment, but there's not much to see, just a field of sakura petals and a little cottage tucked behind the trees.

"I still don't know where I am… and everyone else is still missing…" he looks back at the cottage, and shrugs. "This way, I guess. Maybe someone there will know what's going on."

Somehow, the time it takes to reach the cottage doesn't seem to match the distance it had appeared, one moment he was standing in the fields and the next on the doorstep with only a blurry impression of having crossed through the trees.

Something breaks with the sound of shattering glass as he steps up to the door, and Natsu forgoes all pretense at manners to rush inside.

He gets a facefull of door and a vague impression of a headache for his troubles, stumbling back to glare at the wood that didn't even shift under his force.

"That's… not how doors work. Or wood. The handle didn't even wiggle!" Natsu stares at the offending handle in question, reaching out… It doesn't even turn the slightest amount. No matter how he twists, it doesn't even pretend to budge.

"H-hello? Is someone out there? Inoichi-san?"

A soft, feminine voice comes from within the house, off to the side, and Natsu looks over to see a window cracked open perhaps an inch or two.

Bouncing over, he looks in to see a small, pink-haired girl with bright green eyes looking back.

She stares at him, completely surprised, and somewhat… afraid?

"You-you're not Inoichi-san… who are you? What are you doing in my head?" her nervous stutter quickly turns into something like outrage, and Natsu backs up, raising his hands.

"Your head? This doesn't look like the inside of someone's head… I just woke up here! I seem to be just waking up in a lot of weird places…" Natsu trails off, looking around again.

It's a forest.

And he can smell the sakura petals.

But nothing else. Not the earth, or the damp of a fresh rain, or worms or birds or ants or even the scent of bark. Standing on a porch of wood, and he can't even smell that, just that overwhelming scent of sakura petals.

...This… I never heard of anything like going inside peoples' minds before! I mean, that one guy, Mist or something, could make us remember things that didn't happen, but nothing like this! What the hell?!

"You don't know how you got here? This is my mind! You don't just randomly end up in someone else's head!" Natsu looks back to the girl, her hands on her hips as she glares through the window at him, and scrambles for something to say.

"Uh… hi? I'm Natsu Dragneel, the Salamander of Fairy Tail! It's nice to meet you?" he smiles brightly, offering his hand.

She gives him a weird look, pointedly glances at the mostly-shut window, but relaxes a bit. "I'm Sakura Haruno, a… genin of Konohagakure no Sato. You really don't know how you got in my head?"

"I don't know how I got anywhere! I mean first was that weird test, and the kid with his head sticking out of the ground, now this even weirder place that you say is inside your head and all the smells are wrong and-GAAAH!" Natsu cards his fingers roughly through his hair, glaring at nothing in particular. "I'm still not sure this isn't just the weirdest trippiest dream I've ever had!"

"Wait, you- you saw Sasuke?! How? Why were you in our test, you aren't on our team at all!"

Natsu opens his mouth, prepared to respond to the accusation in her tone, only for an insidious thought to creep through his mind.

"No… no way that-no no no no no Erza would kill me it's gotta be something else…" he backs up a couple steps, looking around the clearing and the cottage and the girl inside with newfound horror, a parade of moments from that test flashing through his mind. Everyone calling him Sakura, the smaller arms and legs, the weird headband and long hair, that bast-Sasuke's surprise and the blond kid's hurt… the sensei's comment of 'her'...

"I… I'm in your body?" Natsu stutters, as horror begins to creep down his spine. He quickly looks down at himself, but nothing's changed, he still looks normal, he's not suddenly in a dress or something-

"WHAT?!" Sakura's scream of fury rends the air, startling Natsu, and he snaps his head up, looking at his companion to see her pressed up against the window, looking fit to murder. "What do you mean, in my body?! You're a guy! Yo-you sick pervert!"

"I am not! As if I want to be in your body anyway! It's tiny!"

"I'm normal height for my age thank you!"

"You're a midget!"

Natsu crosses his arms, glaring down at her, and Sakura's eyebrow twitches violently. Taking a deep breath, she steps back and closes her eyes, calming herself down.

"Okay," she starts, and Natsu relaxes slightly when it's clear she's done picking a fight, "you're in my body. You don't know how you got in my body. I don't know how you got in my body. Neither of us want you in my body. How do we fix this?"

Natsu grimaces and drops to sit down, propping his elbows on his knees as he glares at the window.

"I don't really know much about this mind stuff… but I guess if we got that stupid window open, something would happen right?"

Sakura shifts, contemplating the frame. "I'm stuck in this cabin. I know enough about mindscapes to know if you're stuck in a certain place, it normally means you are either in a coma or kept from being able to fight back while someone else possesses you… normally that involves something more obviously restraining, like chains or prisons. Things the mind instinctively recognizes as traps. Ino gave me a whole lecture on it once… So I guess the lack of that means this really was an accident, and I just got stuck in my mindscape's heart. And you can't touch my 'heart', or my memories, but have full access to the 'field', where the connections to the senses and the body are… If I could get out of here, that definitely would let me control my body again, but you'd still be in my head. I don't know where your body is, or any techniques that would put you back in even if we found it…"

Natsu shifts, leaning back on his hands. "Ehh, you know a lot about this! Does everyone have this heart and field stuff?"

Sakura smiles a little awkwardly. "Well I'm friends- used to be friends with Ino. Her family specializes in mind jutsu, and she used to talk to me all the time about the stuff she learned… she didn't teach me her techniques or anything!" Sakura waves her arms in front of herself, as though to ward away the very idea, "but we'd debate the theories and stuff that her family taught her a lot. All mindscapes have a 'heart', where your memories are stored as physical objects, and a 'field' where different things represent different senses. Like, the most common is a lake that represents sight, everyone usually knows that one. If you're in someone's head and you find a lake or body of water, looking through it lets you see what they're seeing. Some people have additional places in their mindscapes, but Ino didn't really say anything other than that they exist…"

"Huh. That's pretty neat. Why aren't you friends with that Ino person anymore? Sounds like you guys were close."

Sakura glares, crossing her arms and looking away from him. "We're rivals now!" she exclaims loudly, trying to look determined.

Natsu thinks of Gray, and Erza, and even Laxus who after everything, came back to help them when they needed it.

"In my experience, the best rivals are also your friends!" he offers, and Sakura winces, opening and closing her mouth as she struggles to speak.

"I-I… well… I mean, it doesn't matter as long as you're stuck in my body cause I can't be friends with anyone like this! So let's worry about that first!" she exclaims, hands on hips, but still looking terribly unsure of herself.

Natsu shrugs, standing up. "Alright. So, I know you guys were in the middle of some kind of test when this happened. I was too! Or. I mean, the test kinda got gate-crashed so I don't think it was going anymore, but… something has to have happened to one of us to do this, yeah? Where is this Konohagakake place anyway? Is it even in Ishgar? Or is it somewhere even further away than that…?"

Sakura stares at him in confusion. "What's Ishgar? And it's Konohagakure you idiot!"

"Eh?" Natsu feels dread creeping into his stomach again, even as he brushes off her correction. "It's a large peninsula filled with loads of smaller countries. I'm from Fiore myself, or, I mean, that's where Fairy Tail is based and I live there now anyway. I know it's not the biggest continent in Earthland but I'm pretty sure you have to have at least heard of it!"

Sakura shakes her head, biting at her lip in concern. "I've never heard of any of those places… Konoha is an independent city-state in the Land of Fire, which is part of the Elemental Nations. And even if the names sound a bit similar, our planet is called Earth, not Earthland!"

"So… this is like Edolas then?" Natsu asks nervously. "There wasn't anything like an Anima to bring me here though…"

"What's Edolas?"

Natsu sighs. "A totally different world. We got there by going through an Anima once, but the Anima was destroyed so I don't know how I'd have gone to a different world again… but I don't know any of the places you named either! Gaaah, how am I supposed to get home like this?!"

"A...nother world…" Sakura drops suddenly, her legs giving out from under her. "That can't be real… if something like that existed, surely someone would know by now. Y-you shouldn't even be able to speak the language! Why would different worlds speak the same language that doesn't make sense!"

Natsu shrugs, leaning against the guardrail surrounding the porch. "Maybe since you know the language, and I'm in your body, I just instinctively know? I'm not sure, I never thought too hard about it before when we went to Edolas either. Don't really think it matters anyway. We can talk to each other, don't need to question why."

He tosses her a grin and a peace sign, and Sakura groans, rolling over to bury her face into the rug covering the cabin floor. She lays there a moment before sighing and getting up.

"Okay, fine. So you're probably from another world-or just crazy-"

"Oi!"

"-and you're stuck in my body, with no idea where yours is or how you got here. Great. Lovely. Can you tr-"

"Whoa!" Natsu trips backwards as the guardrail disappears from behind him, only to reappear a moment later as he lands on the ground. "What the hell?!" He glares up at the offending guardrail, standing up and poking at its suddenly-solid form.

"I-I think you're waking up." Sakura offers nervously, pressed up against the window again.

"Oh." Natsu relaxes, brushing himself off and striding back to the porch.

"Wait no! I can't wake up! I'm still stuck in your body!" Rushing to the window, he tries to leverage it open.

Sakura grimaces, but doesn't move to help. "I don't think there's anything we can do to fix it though…"

"NO YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT IF I HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM?"

"Wha- I don't-" Sakura's eyes widen, horror spreading across her face as she realizes. Jumping forward, she gets her fingers in the gap and tries to help him pull the window up, but it doesn't budge, doesn't even give the slightest amount, and Natsu keeps going insubstantial as their body tries to wake up…

"It's hopeless." Sakura sighs, leaning her head against the pane.

"What, no, don't say that, you don't understand if Erza ever finds out about this I am so dead you've got to get out here, now, I don't want to die!"

Memories flash behind his eyes, that one time Erza came back from a mission and went straight to the onsen, and he rushed over without thinking to fight her… shuddering, he pulls harder, only to fall backwards again as the window turns to mist beneath his fingers.

"Look, I don't like it any more than you do, this is my body we're talking about here! But we can't do anything right now! So… just when you wake up, try and pretend to be me, and hopefully we'll figure something out later!"

"Pretend to be you? I don't even know what you're like, or what you do! How am I supposed to pretend?" Natsu shakes his head, kicking at the cabin wall.

Sakura shifts nervously, then starts trying to list everything she can think of. "Well, I like the color pink, and I'm rivals with Ino of course, I don't like Kiba much cause he's so loud but Akamaru is adorable, I love reading and I study a lot, I'm on a diet so you can't eat too much, I don't really wear a lot of makeup so don't try and figure it out, no one will really notice, except maybe Sasuke-kun, he notices everything, oh no, what if he thinks I don't care anymore if I let myself go, wait you definitely have to learn-"

"Wait. Why on earth would that guy even care about your makeup?" Natsu tries not to be too horrified. There's no way she expects him to-to actually-
"It-it's not like he cares about the makeup! But how will he know how much I care if I don't always look my best? I don't use much so it's okay, it won't be hard for you to figure out, I'm pretty sure I still have books on the basics in my room-"

Natsu backs away from the window, shaking his head. "No. No no no, you can't seriously be saying- a crush, on that- you want me to pretend- a-absolutely not, he's a brat! No way in hell!"
He turns around and bolts, barely noticing as the guardrail wisps away, Sakura yelling something behind him. Then he trips on nothing, as the ground falls away, everything spinning wildly, until-

Blinking slowly, Natsu grimaces at the light stabbing into his eyes, and the suddenly-present throbbing in his skull that reminds him of the awful headache he had before he ended up in that weird mindscape place…

"Sakura-chan? Are you alright?"

Natsu's eyes take a few moments to focus enough to see the masked face of… Sakura's sensei, and three other people he doesn't recognize. Groaning, he drapes his arm over his eyes, ignoring the pull of some sort of line as he moves.

Why couldn't this all have been a dream?!

"Sakura-chan?"

Natsu bites his lip, suppressing the urge to just scream and light everything on fire.

If Lucy were here, she'd know how to deal with this. Dammit all…

Bracing himself, Natsu shifts into a sitting position, leaning against the headboard and properly taking in the hospital room - the sensei, sitting by the bed, two people standing on the other side, and a nurse scribbling something on a board at the foot.

Time to face the music.

Let's hope it's better than Gajeel's.

Chapter 3

Notes:

Would just like to make it clear that there are no pairings planned for this fic – Ino and Sakura both still have crushes on Sasuke, that will be mentioned of course, and Naruto has a crush on Sakura, but actual relationships/pairings, no. There will be three books in this series, but honestly I don't see any romance happening even in book 3, which will be shippuden/4th war arc. Mostly saying this to avoid misinterpretation of Natsu's worry about Sakura. He's a compassionate (if sometimes idiotic) guy who's definitely feeling guilty for accidentally cutting Sakura off from all her friends, and for a while is going to be the only person she can really talk to. Even if there are pairings later on, it WON'T be Sakura/Natsu. They'll become friends, but that's it. Thanks for reading!

Chapter Text

"M'name's not Sakura." Natsu grumbles obstinately, before the sensei can even open his mouth to query how he feels. He crosses his arms across his chest, watching as the… IV line?... stretches tautly with the movement.

Sakura's parting words haunt his mind, that-that unspeakable… crush she has on her jerk of a teammate that she expects him to act out?! He really has no clue what kind of world he's in, still isn't sure how he ended up like this at all, but even if lying low and pretending might be safer, there's no way in hell! So he decides to go straight for the truth, legs drawn up defensively and fingering the needle in his arm in case he needs to make a run for it.

The sensei speaks before he has a chance to make his grand declaration.

"Maa, Sakura-chan, the medics have thoroughly checked you over. There might be some lingering confusion, but it'll pass shortly. Your headache should already be fading. Now, could you tell us what the last thing you remember is?"

Natsu scowls, headache only slightly reduced from before, but answers.

"I was in this weird place with loads of trees and a cabin! There was a girl there, who I'm pretty sure is actually Sakura-chan, and she said we were in her mindscape. I dunno why I'm stuck in her body! We were trying to figure it out before you lot started trying to make me wake up, so we didn't get anywhere! And my name is Natsu! Natsu Dragneel! So stop calling me Sakura!" He hunches a little more over himself, watching Sakura's sensei carefully, but the only reaction the man has is to go very still, emotion bleeding from his face as he takes a posture that's too relaxed to be trusted.

Natsu's fingers curl a little more firmly around the IV line, as he reaches inside for his magic. The energy he grabs feels a little weird, different, and he passively wonders what Sakura's natural specialization is even as he tries to figure out how likely it is that he's going to have to fight his way out.

The grey-haired man jerks his head to the door, ordering the nurse from the room. "Please fetch Inoichi-san."

Natsu recognizes the name as what Sakura called out when she first realized someone was in her mind - that clan of mind-technique users? 'Inoichi' and 'Ino' are similar enough… He and the grey-haired sensei stare at each other, all but ignoring the two other people in the room, who alternate between concerned looks towards Natsu and glares at Kakashi.

Something gets progressively more annoyed in the sensei's face as Natsu stubbornly refuses to budge from their staring contest, even though nothing seems to physically move. Natsu bites back a cackle, keeping his eyes locked on the one across from him, determined not to lose no matter what.

Both of them look up simultaneously when the door opens, admitting a tall man with long blond hair and weirdly pupil-less eyes.

"Hatake-san." the man steps next to Natsu's opponent, offering a questioning glance to the other.

The sensei - Hatake? - only, I thought his name was Kaka-something…- gestures to Natsu. "They say that their name is Natsu 'Duragu-neeru', that they're stuck in Sakura-chan's body, and have no idea how they got there. I was hoping you could… take a look? Figure this out? Before Sakura-chan's parents murder me, if at all possible." Hatake offers a sunny eye-smile, and the blond - Inoichi-san? - shakes his head in what is clearly exasperation.

Natsu watches with narrowed eyes as Inoichi-san settles at the foot of the bed, meeting his eyes casually.

"Well then, Natsu-san, is it? I am Inoichi Yamanaka, of the Yamanaka clan. If you don't already know, my family specializes in mind techniques. I would appreciate your permission to enter your mind in order to understand what has happened here-"

"Yes, please!" Natsu interrupts, before he can go on. "How fast can you do it?" He relaxes his grip on his (Sakura's?) magic, uncurling from his tensed position and releasing the IV line as he leans forward.

Inoichi looks very taken aback, and something like suspicion flits across his face, almost too fast for Natsu to recognize, before he turns to sit cross-legged on the bed, facing Natsu. "Right now, if you're willing. Please simply look me in the eyes and stay still."

Natsu does as requested, and Inoichi-san makes an odd hand-sign, before Natsu once more feels the sensation of weightless falling. He closes his eyes, and when he opens them they're back in the clearing where he first woke up before.

He stretches, enjoying the (however temporary) feel of his own body. "Still smells so fake here…" he grumbles as he relaxes. "Anyway, Sakura-chan's this way." he offers with a wave as he starts walking forward, completely unaware of Inoichi's blatantly shocked staring.

Inoichi's heart pounds at the sight of the adult male stranger inhabiting the body of his daughter's best friend, adrenaline curling through him, and it takes a moment to realize that 'Natsu' is walking off without looking back. He catches up quickly, carefully masking all suspicion, and falls into step beside the pink-haired man.

Once again, Natsu notices, the walk to the cabin is… strangely paced. Quick without feeling quick, instant but with the impression of time passed. He shakes off the thought, marching straight up to the cracked-open window.

Sakura sits on a bed inside, cradling a photograph in her hands as she looks down somewhat sadly. Something twists inside Natsu, as he wonders if it's his fault - if maybe she's missing her friends because of him, because of this situation.

Shaking off those feelings, Natsu points through the window while turning to look at Inoichi. "Get her out." he demands, ignoring the ghost of Erza's presence chiding his manners. Sakura looks up at his voice, takes a moment to notice his companion.

"Inoichi-san!" she cries, clearly relieved, as she leaps forward to the window, only taking a moment to set her picture down facing away from them.

Inoichi steps forward, forcing Natsu to move back a bit, taking Sakura in with equal relief.

"You're alright, Sakura-chan." he breathes, tension draining out of him as he looks at her clearly-unharmed self.

Sakura gives him a confused look. "Yeah? Of course I am. Honestly, I think Natsu-san is more traumatized by this than I am, he was freaking out about someone named 'Erza' killing him or something… I suppose it was too much to expect he'd actually be able to pretend to be me convincingly, huh? Are you here to get me out then?"

Inoichi looks taken aback, glancing towards Natsu for a moment. "Ah, he actually didn't even try. Just insisted that he wasn't you until Hatake-san took him seriously, I guess. So he isn't forcibly possessing you?"

Sakura shoots a glare at her fellow pinkette, but quickly turns back to Inoichi to try and explain. Natsu sits up on the guardrail, determined to just… wait patiently while they talk. In the background, Sakura explains everything they talked about, their different lands and continents, Natsu's story about being in a test that was attacked, everything they tried to get her out. Natsu sort of drowns her out, calling up his magic to make fire dance over his fingers.

It answers immediately, feeling completely normal, not that weird sort of energy that responded back in the hospital, and he stares at it curiously as the fire flickers and responds the way it always does.

So weird… why would it feel the same here, but different out there? I'm still in her body, right?

"Wha- that's… that's not possible, right Inoichi-san?"

Something in Sakura's voice sounds extremely nervous, and Natsu looks up in concern, fire fading into nothing above his palms. But it's him Sakura is staring at, wide-eyed and confused, even as Inoichi-san looks on with professional curiosity masking a hint of worry.

"Eh? What're you talking about?" Natsu asks, turning to face them.

Inoichi frowns. "It has long been held as impossible to use chakra in someone else's mindscape. Techniques can be used to enter the mindscape, and if a person enters their own mindscape they can affect it with their own power, but a possessing entity cannot access their powers while in someone elses' body or mind. This… I'm beginning to believe Sakura-chan. Something unprecedented has happened here… Please give me a moment."

Inoichi walks away from the window, first heading into the forest, touching trees, bending to feel the grass, putting his hands on everything he comes across. He quickly disappears from sight, and Natsu turns back to his hopefully-temporary companion.

Sakura looks up at him, shifting nervously. Natsu hops off the rail and moves back to the window. "What's wrong?"

Sakura bites her lip, looking at his hands. "Could… could you do that fire thing again? I've never seen jutsu like that…"

"Sure." It takes barely a thought, and fire is licking at his fingers again, dancing up and down his hands. He sort of wonders what would happen if he just… calls on as much as possible and punches the window, but he doesn't know much about this mindscape thing, doesn't know anywhere near enough to say whether or not it would hurt Sakura-chan, so he doesn't, just plays with the fire as Sakura looks on with fascination.

Huh. It's really been a long time since I've done this… The last time must have been… back before Lisanna was taken to Edolas, when we were still kids… heh.

Natsu cracks a grin, remembering how fascinated Lisanna would be, the way she'd stick her hands in the fire and giggle when it didn't burn.

Things sure are different now… we've all grown up.

...I hope everyone is okay…

They don't really talk, Sakura merely watching, pressed up against the window, as Natsu makes the fire take different shapes. A dragon, shaped like Igneel, gliding through his fingers, a chibi-Gray, with a chibi-Erza forcing him into a shirt, tussling across his palms.

The Igneel-dragon slowly shifts, snout becoming more rounded, flames swirling into tribal designs almost without Natsu's input, the chibis of his friends disappearing, and he looks down at the fiery version of the dragon that attacked them, mouth gaped open in a soundless roar.

His fingers close suddenly around the flames as he jerks his head up, trying to ignore the pounding of his heart and the resurgence of the desperation-terror-determination that he'd felt before everyone tried to cast that spell. He hopes it worked, tries not to consider the possibility that it didn't, and mostly just wishes he were back home and could know for certain if his friends were safe or not.

Sakura watches the trailing wisps of flame rise from his closed fists and fade into nothing, and by the time her eyes follow the whirls of lingering smoke up to his face, she finds Natsu's lips turned into a wide grin.

"So!" he exclaims, shaking off the melancholy with the single-minded determination only he could manage, "what was that picture you were looking at anyway?"

Sakura blushes, stumbling back, hand raised as though she wanted to punch him. "I-It's none of your business! Everything in here is my memories, they're personal!"

Natsu laughs, leaning against the wall to the side of the window. "Well yeah, but you looked pretty sad, right? Is it a sad memory? Because you shouldn't be worried about seeing your friends again. Inoichi seems like a competent guy, he'll fix this. And if he doesn't, we'll… just figure it out on our own. So you shouldn't be worrying about stuff like that."

Sakura glares at him, blush still highlighting her cheeks. "None of that makes it your business!"

"Ah, apologies, am I interrupting?" They both turn to look at Inoichi's voice.

The blond walks up the steps to the porch slowly, fingers touching the railing, brushing the door Natsu tried to bust down the first time, twisting the handle slowly.

Sakura waves away his apology, but something dark settles in Natsu's gut at the look on the Yamanaka's face.

Whatever the taller blond has found, it doesn't seem to bode well for them.

"Inoichi-san?" Sakura queries when the man doesn't respond. He looks up, offering her a reassuring smile.

"Just give me another minute or two to walk around the cabin, Sakura-chan." she nods, and both the pinkettes wait in tense silence as their companion walks around the porch and out of sight.

It's another few minutes before he returns, coming from the other direction, and Natsu steps back as he moves to inspect the window, feeling out all its nooks and crannies.

Sighing, Inoichi steps back himself, offering Sakura an apologetic look.

"I haven't been able to find any oddities in your mind, Sakura-chan. There's no bridge linking your mindscape to Natsu-san's, no sign of any other mindscape at all despite the fact that he must have one. It is possible your minds are joined at the 'heart', but there's no way for me to enter your cabin without potentially killing you both… I'm afraid that for now, you may simply have to bear with this." he shifts uncomfortably for a moment, before continuing. "I must ask if there's a possibility you two are related? It is very rare for two mindscapes to bridge within the 'heart', even when the possession is willing. Familial resonance is the largest exception to this."

Sakura opens and closes her mouth, lost for words at being told there was no solution.

"No way in hell!" Natsu responds to Inoichi's query with a tone that brooks no negotiation. Vaguely recalls that while Sakura explained that he was from a land she'd never heard of, she never did mention the 'different worlds' part of the equation.

Thinking of Edolas though, and the way everyone had counterparts that were them but different, Natsu wonders if there's a more indirect relationship like that. He shakes his head, deciding that it doesn't matter.

Inoichi offers him a bland stare. "What other explanation would you have for this then, Natsu-san?"

"I dunno, but there's no way we're related! Just cause we've both got pink hair doesn't mean anything! If we went by that logic I'd be related to Sherry and that weird Grimoire Heart girl too! No way!"

Sakura nods stubbornly, arms crossed, through the window. "Yeah, I'm certain we aren't related, Inoichi-san. But… I suppose I can look around the cabin some more. There's a couple more rooms in here that I only really stuck my head into…"

Inoichi shakes his head. "I don't think that's a good idea. Neither of you know where Natsu-san's body is, and you say he was being attacked shortly before this happened. If you ended up in his mindscape by accident, who knows what situation you would wake up into. I don't know if you would be able to return to your body if something happened in that situation, so for now it's best if you don't do anything." Sakura scowls, prepared to deny his orders, but he continues before she can speak. "Perhaps, at this point, the best thing to do would be for me to teach Natsu-san more about mindscapes and my clan's techniques - he can use chakra in your mindscape for some reason, if he knew more about how places like this worked, it's possible you two could work out a solution for yourselves. At the very least, with some of the deep meditation techniques my clan knows, he might be able to get back into his own mindscape, or shake loose the doors to your heart so that you aren't trapped in there."

"B-but…" Natsu stutters, shifting awkwardly. "We don't know how long that would take. I… How am I supposed to do that? Just… live in Sakura-chan's body, even though she's a girl? What about… showers and stuff? I'm not really good at learning complicated stuff, if it takes weeks then how am I supposed to deal with that? There's got to be something you can do."

Sakura grimaces, wrapping her arms more tightly around herself in discomfort. Inoichi looks between them, apologetic.

"I know this situation isn't ideal, Natsu-san, Sakura-chan. But even so, there's nothing I can do. I'm not willing to risk Sakura-chan's life trying to break into her 'heart' by force. I will explain everything to your parents personally, Sakura-chan. And I am a therapist. If either of you need help dealing with this, I will talk with you whenever you need. But for now, you will simply have to deal with it until a solution can be found."

"Easy for you to say." Natsu scoffs, crossing his arms and glaring. "You're not the one stuck in a 12-year-old girl's body. No offense to you, Sakura-chan."

"None taken…" she spits out, glaring at Inoichi.

Inoichi sighs. "It's not something I enjoy saying either, you know. We'll inform both your sensei and the Hokage of this, and we will find a solution. Please just bear with me, Sakura-chan."

Sakura opens her mouth, likely to tell the blond exactly what he can do with his apologies, but Inoichi cancels the jutsu, yanking himself and Natsu out of the mindscape before she can utter another word.

Natsu glares, and the Yamanaka sighs again, before turning to the rest of the room.

"Hatake-san, please go and schedule a meeting with the Hokage. Haruno-san, if you and your wife would come with me a moment…"

The two people who must be Sakura's parents send one last glare to the silver-haired sensei, before following Inoichi-san into a side room.

The sensei then turns, looking down at Natsu, and smiling.

"Maa, Sakura-chan, Natsu-chan, it'll be alright. Don't worry." the sensei drops his hand onto Natsu's head, ruffling his hair, before vanishing into a puff of smoke.

Natsu vaguely thinks that he's never wanted to punch someone so bad in his life.

"What have I done to deserve this?!" He cries, collapsing back into the bed.

He stubbornly ignores the visions of explosions and property damage that haunt the back of his mind in response.

Chapter 4

Notes:

As far as Inoichi's characterization goes, it has admittedly been a couple years since I seriously watched Naruto, so I could be a little off. But I'm sorta using the (fanon?) principle that it is impossible to lie in a mindscape. So everything that Sakura did tell him, he knows is true – especially since she's the kind of girl who will repeat things word for word when being questioned by an authority. As such, his first priority – ascertain Natsu is not a threat – is already handled. It just made sense to me that his next step would be finding a way to remove Natsu, and only after he realizes it's impossible will he try and gather additional information, especially since Konoha as a whole will have to live with a stranger's presence for a while. Only, since I didn't really write from Inoichi's point of view, it may not have come across too well.

Also, I've been slowly building out some pre-Lucy jobs and events to add backstory/characterization to Natsu. He references a couple in this chapter, and obviously I've mentioned stuff in previous ones. They aren't canon, just sorta flavor-text, but I might actually write them up as one-shots/short stories of their own sometime.

Chapter Text

Inoichi returns before Sakura-chan's sensei does, and Natsu glares at him as he sits in the vacated chair.

"Sakura-chan's parents are understandably upset, and I promised to speak with all three of you together later today. I am aware that it might be awkward for you, you have your own parents-"

"I don't." Natsu crosses his arms, turning his eyes to glare at the hospital blankets instead. "There was only Igneel and he's gone, and NO ONE is taking his place!"

Inochi shifts in his seat, and looks consideringly at Natsu. "You hardly let me finish. I'm not expecting you to treat them like your parents. But you have to understand, you still look like their daughter. Your voice still has the same tone and pitch as their daughter's. Even if you don't treat them like family, they will have a hard time looking at you and seeing a stranger. In all honesty, it would be kinder for everyone to put you in independent housing. However, Sakura-chan was civilian-born. Her parents have already tried very hard to adjust and support her as she joined the shinobi forces, and I don't want to destroy their relationship because of this. Which is why I want to talk to all three of you, together, and hope that we can come to a compromise while we look for a solution to this. Do you understand?"

Natsu shifts uncomfortably, moving his arms to pick at the edges of the blanket. If Romeo woke up one day, and suddenly there was someone else inside him…

Of course everyone would come together and try and fix it, find a way to help, but… there's no way Macao would want to leave Romeo alone, even if it wasn't Romeo… So… even if he'd rather live on his own, is it really okay…?

Natsu's lips contort into a snarl as the blanket tears audibly.

It's not fair! I didn't ask for this! And now they're saying I have to-!

"Natsu-san."

Natsu jerks his head up, pulled from his thoughts by Inoichi's gentle voice.

"Please understand. It is not that I believe your emotions are meaningless. However, you are not one of my people. And my people are more important. If you truly find the situation intolerable, we can arrange separate housing. But I am going to insist that you at least try. For Sakura-chan's sake, if you can't do it for her family's." Inoichi's eyes narrow sharply, the first severe expression Natsu has seen cross his face. "You are the interloper here. If there were even the slightest doubt against this being an accident, you'd be in a cell right now, not a hospital bed. I am already going to have to justify my decision to the Hokage. If you are not willing to compromise with me, you will only be making this harder for both of us. Are we clear?"

Natsu bites back his first response and nods jerkily. "Yeah I gotchu. When's this meeting thing supposed to be anyway?"

Inoichi's posture relaxes as he chuckles. "For all that this isn't a normal situation, it is not an emergency. To expect Hokage-sama to drop everything in a heartbeat for something that can wait is very presumptive. Though I would expect Hatake-san to be back around shortly."

Natsu nods again, sliding back into the mattress and staring up at the ceiling. Inoichi says nothing else, and they both sit in silence.

...problems you can't just blow up are the worst. At least when we went to Edolas we knew what we were doing!

Sorta.

"Hngg…" Natsu grumbles, rolling over to his side to stare out the window. Everything looks so odd, compared to home. Something like loneliness curls through his chest, and Natsu clenches his fists around the blankets.

Stupid! I've been on my own for longer than a day before! This is nothing to get upset over!

The door opens and Natsu bolts upright, exclaiming in relief. "Finally!"

Hatake laughs, leaning against the doorframe. "Someone's eager." he turns to Inoichi. "Hokage-sama asked that we give him ten minutes, then he'll be ready to see us."

"You waited to speak to him directly?"

Hatake shrugs, as a nurse slips past him to start pulling the IVs out of Natsu's arm. "The secretary asked me the reason for the meeting, but I don't want to spread this around until Hokage-sama has his say, so I waited. I hope that wasn't a problem for you?"

Inoichi chuckles, as Natsu all but throws himself out of the bed. "Not at all. It may well be better this way. I just know how much you hate dealing with such official procedures."

Hatake pulls up an air of supreme affront, actually sniffing like one of those stuffed-up nobles who act like they've got dirt under their noses. Natsu laughs, cutting off the sensei's retort, and the silver-haired man's face contorts into a smile under the mask.

"See? Someone appreciates my humor." Hatake gestures, as Inoichi moves to join them and walk out of the hospital.

"You do 'stuck-up noble' better than half the nobles I've seen!" Natsu exclaims, throwing his hands behind his head as they walk. "Of course it's funny!"

The sensei offers a slow blink of surprise. "Maa, you work with enough of them and you just start doing that to see how angry and unnerved you can get them. It's great fun. I get lots of practice."

"Heh, I got banned from jobs with noble clients - apparently there's no such thing as a 'good reason' to blow up their mansions. Which is stupid, cause it's not like I blew it up on purpose!" Natsu glares in offense, and the sensei laughs.

"The entire mansion? I've seen the size of those things. That's a lot of property damage to claim as accidental." The silver-haired man's tone is impressed, but something feels suspicious. Natsu turns to stare intently at him, but can't figure it out.

"Tch. Look, how was I supposed to know they had ALL their fireplaces lit? It wasn't even cold out! And the stupid bastard I was fighting kept saying something about how he knew everything I was gonna do before I did it, and I was just so done with it, you know? So I just called up all the fire I could and overwhelmed him! Doesn't matter if he can see it then! Only there was so much loose fire in the mansion, that I destroyed the whole thing! I didn't mean to!" Natsu drops his arms, crossing them firmly as he silently dares Sakura-chan's sensei to contradict him.

Something about the impressed look on the man's face changes, and Natsu realizes what felt so suspicious before.

He was faking it! But now he's not?

...He milked me for information and I fell for it!

"Pretty brutal way to kill somebody." Hatake offers mildly, with a curious head-tilt.

Natsu trips.

"Wha- no way!" Pushing himself off the ground, Natsu shakes his head violently. "I didn't kill him! Why'ould I do something like that?"

The sensei stares at him in obvious confusion. "...That much fire would definitely burn a man alive."

Natsu shrugs, and starts walking in the direction they'd been heading before. "If I don't want my fire to kill someone it's not going to. I'm the one who controls it after all!"

Out of the corner of his eye, he watches Hatake and Inoichi trade speaking glances, and bites at his lip to keep from grimacing. The rest of the walk is conducted in silence, and Natsu fights not to grimace at the feel of his companions' considering stares.

A couple words are exchanged between Inoichi and a woman who looks like a secretary once they get inside, and they only have to wait a minute before they're given permission to enter a big open room with a desk at the back.

The old man behind the desk has a presence that fills the room, demanding attention like Makarov in his titan form, making the wide open room feel so much smaller.

But that's where the similarities stop, and something like trepidation curls through Natsu as he looks at the man. His presence may feel a bit like the guild Master's at his grumpiest, but there's something missing, some lightness, or friendliness, or something, something that's supposed to say "I'm annoyed but the worst I'll do is thump ya!", and Natsu gets the feeling that this man, this Hokage, would strike to kill if he thought Natsu a genuine threat.

Natsu gulps, and thinks that Inoichi's warning holds a lot more weight than he thought it did.

In the back of his mind, Natsu wonders if Sakura's body would be able to keep up, if it came to blows. He tries to ignore the feeling that it wouldn't, that he'd be lucky to run away, nevermind fight.

There's a suspicious lack of chairs in the office, and Natsu doesn't know whether to be grateful or concerned. Hatake immediately moves to lean casually against the wall, as Inoichi-san strides to the center of the room. Natsu can't manage 'unobtrusive' even on his best days, but he gives it a shot, lurking just to the side of Inoichi and trying to look as non-threatening as possible. Every one of his instincts screams about how dangerous this man is, and Natsu finds himself somewhat relieved to be in Sakura-chan's body for once, because her soft, childish face and slight body is so much more innocent than he could ever manage with his muscular frame and the scars on his throat.

Inoichi-san offers a curt bow to the Hokage once he's within a few feet of the desk, and Natsu awkwardly follows suit, and stubbornly refuses to check out the room any more than he did walking in.

"Inoichi-san."

The Hokage's voice is softer than Natsu expected from a man with such a great presence, but his blond companion doesn't react except to respond.

"Yes."

"I wonder why you wouldn't classify the unwilling possession of one of our shinobi to be an emergency deserving of my immediate attention."

Inoichi-san flinches subtly at the censure in the Hokage's tone, and Natsu bites his tongue on a retort that really would not help.

The blond doesn't let it bother him though, responding smoothly. "After entering their mind, I spoke with both Sakura-chan and Natsu-san. I have ascertained that this was entirely accidental. They bear certain physical similarities that have lead me to-"

"Just cause both our hair is pink doesn't mean we look anything alike." Natsu grumbles under his breath, though Inoichi continues smoothly as though he weren't interrupted.

"-consider the possibility of familial relation. Natsu-san has been entirely non-hostile and willing to cooperate entirely to resolve this situation - as I understand, he would rather return to his home, and is in agreement that this be resolved as quickly as possible. As such, even after I found that the possession is unusually well-anchored, I saw no reason to interrupt more important matters by classifying this as an emergency."

The Hokage shows absolutely no emotion, calmly lacing his fingers as he stares at them. "Even if that is true, I would not expect one of my chief T&I agents to be so lax with our security."

Inoichi doesn't flinch, only inclines his head slightly. "Natsu-san has no knowledge of the Elemental Nations. Sakura-chan mentioned that his nation was called Fiore, and that he had not even heard of Hi no Kuni, much less Konoha itself. As such, as far as security from our enemies is concerned, he is no threat. You know as well as I that the outer continents have never seen fit to bother with us. Steps can be taken once we actually come to a solution if security is still a concern at that time, but for now it would be needlessly excessive."

"I notice that you address Natsu as masculine."

Natsu's fingers twitch at the blatant snub, but he refuses to let them curl into fists. The Hokage's eyes follow the motion anyway, before returning to Inoichi's face.

"Natsu-san is an adult man. He wishes for a quick solution as much for Sakura-chan's sake as his own desire to return home. I believe he would rather see this handled before it becomes necessary for him to take a bath." Inoichi's lips curl into an amused smile, and Natsu turns to glare fiercely at his unwelcome spokesman.

He stumbles as the presence that filled the room unexpectedly lightens with the sound of the Hokage's chuckles.

"I see. My condolences, Natsu-kun. I assume, Inoichi-san, that his continued presence means that this possession is too thorough to be dispelled safely. What have you decided to do to resolve this?"

Natsu stares suspiciously at the Hokage. He can't even find the slightest trace of that crushing presence, even the slightest hint of the old man's willingness to kill him if necessary, but stuff like that doesn't just disappear! If he hadn't felt it before, he'd swear the old man wouldn't even hurt a fly!

Something sharp and uneasy curls through Natsu's stomach, and he wonders if everyone here can act like that, if even Inoichi-san and Hatake could be willing to kill him if necessary but just don't show it…?

Even my instincts feel like he's safe… but clearly…!

"I'm afraid I could not even find the bridge that joins his mindscape with Sakura-chan's. We spent the entire time within her Field. It is possible that the bridge is located in her Heart, but Sakura-chan herself is trapped in there, with no way for her to get out or us to get in, and I am leery of allowing her to investigate herself when she has no training in the arts to protect herself should there be any issues. As such, I have extended an offer to teach Natsu-san some of my clan's techniques, in the hopes that he could learn to use them, and even perhaps teach them to Sakura-chan. I feel that in this situation, the only safe way to handle it would be to instruct them on how to safely resolve it for themselves, rather than risk both their lives trying to fix this as an outsider."

The Hokage's eyes narrow, though the crushing weight of his presence remains absent. "You would teach secret, clan techniques to one not among our people. Even if he holds no allegiance to our enemies, could you be truly certain he would not take advantage of this? That anyone else would not take advantage of this should they learn of it?"

Hatake butts in before Inoichi can respond. "It's especially concerning if he takes to the field as well - after all, unless we want to make an exception for Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun and allow them to operate as a two-man team, Natsu-kun will have to take missions with us. Even if your solution is what's best for them, I admit it doesn't look too good for Konoha as a whole, Inoichi-san."

"I understand these concerns. But, considering the political background of the current Team 7, Natsu-san taking the field is no more dangerous than allowing Sasuke-kun or Naruto-kun to do so. Whether two members or three are high-profile targets, the amount of protection Konoha would provide the team remains the same. Beyond that, Natsu-san has not, in any of my interactions with him, given me the impression of someone who would carelessly or selfishly squander clan secrets. Nor does he give me the impression of having any desire to work with interrogation or infiltration, the two places my clan techniques are most highly used - even if we parted on unpleasant terms, I do not see him attempting to use such techniques against us. It is not in his nature."

...listening to Inoichi-san's defense of him, Natsu thinks that now is perhaps not the best time to mention that one infiltration job he took, back before he was famous enough as the Salamander to not be able to get away with them anymore.

Though, admittedly, it's not like the job was difficult. It's surprisingly easy to convince people you're a criminal when you already like to blow things up. The Magic Council gave him so much grief after that job, the property damage was through the roof, more than triple what he usually does as a member of Fairy Tail, and there might have been some burns and broken bones here and there, but he paid for all the medical bills and damages dammit!

Natsu bites his tongue before he can start complaining about their completely unnecessary investigations, they were the ones who sponsored the job! It was ridiculous!

The Hokage sighs, interrupting Natsu's inner grumbling. "Very well, Inoichi-san. As they are your clan techniques, I will trust you with this. Please keep me updated on any progress. Kakashi-san, shall I take your words to mean that you plan to pass Team 7?"

"Kakashi!"

Everyone looks sharply at him, as Natsu turns to point at the man.

"Eh? I mean, I just couldn't remember your name for the life of me! I was like, it's gotta be Kaka-something, but I couldn't remember. That Sasuke kid called you Kakashi-sensei!"

"Haha, yes, that's correct, Natsu-kun. I am Kakashi Hatake, the Jonin-sensei of Team 7. Admittedly, Hokage-sama, I get the feeling that if it had been Sakura-chan instead of Natsu-kun, they wouldn't have technically passed my test. None of them actually guessed at its true purpose after all. But Sasuke-kun was willing to work together with Natsu-kun, they did say they would have included Naruto-kun if Natsu had realized there was a third team member, and I think that refusing to pass them at this point might cause more problems than it's worth… I suppose I'll just have to take everyone's training a bit more seriously than normal to make sure they're actually ready. So, I suppose you can record this: Team 7, pass." He says the last words with a bright voice that's blatantly fake, and Natsu gives him a suspicious look. Behind him, the Hokage sighs in clear exasperation.

"Very well. Please let me know how your team takes this news, then. I will speak with them myself if they have a hard time accepting this situation. Please note that due to the unusualness of this situation, your team will not take any out-of-village jobs without my direct approval - please do not request any while someone else is manning the missions desk."

Kakashi nods, offering a sharp bow. "Of course, Hokage-sama."

"Then you're dismissed. For now, keep this on a needs-to-know basis."

"Of course." Inoichi offers his own bow, and Natsu follows him as he turns to stride out the door.

"Hatake-san, Natsu-san, please join me for lunch. If Natsu-san is going to be taking Sakura-chan's place on Team 7 until this is resolved, then I'd like to speak with both of you while we work out schedules. We can also take this as a chance to inform Natsu-san of the particularities of his position and hopefully ask some questions of our own?"

The expression on Inoichi-san's face as he looks at Natsu makes the pinkette feel like it's not quite a suggestion, and Natsu gets the feeling that everyone else thinks this is going to be a very long-term situation. Grimacing, he sticks his head in the air.

"Only if you're paying!"

Hatake- Kakashi? Should probably call him Kakashi, Natsu muses, laughs a bit. "Maa, I think Natsu-kun has the right idea. If you're going to host a meeting, you have to provide the food, Inoichi-san."

Inoichi casts a mild glare at both of them, which Natsu meets with stubborn determination. The blond huffs a laugh of his own, and concedes.

"Very well. Please have mercy on my wallet."

Natsu hopes the menus include prices on them in this strange world, because he's going for the most expensive food possible and no one is going to stop him!

Chapter 5

Chapter Text

Inoichi leads them to a place called Yakiniku Q, and Natsu's mouth waters at the scent of barbecue. The place is fairly busy, though not quite at peak, and there's little delay in being seated at a table.

Menus are handed out, and Natsu spreads it open immediately, already looking for a price column. The language is as easy to read as it was to understand, even though Natsu knows the characters don't look like anything he's seen back home. He chalks that up to proof that he's just using Sakura-chan's grasp of the language, and returns to carefully perusing his options.

"Nothing's on fire…"

Natsu doesn't feel especially surprised, since there wasn't any fiery food in Edolas either, but something about it is still a little disappointing, and he props his chin on the table and stares at the menu as though it will change for him.

"I'm fairly sure that's a good thing, Natsu-san." Inoichi offers, looking over at the pinkette.

Natsu groans. "I meant the food! Do you guys not have fire chicken or anything like that?"

"I'm not certain what that is. Chicken spiced hot enough to be described as fiery?"

Natsu sits up to stare at Inoichi. "No way! It's chicken that's just on fire. It's actually pretty interesting to make, cause you gotta light it on fire without actually burning it to a crisp, I think Mira had some special technique to do it… cause it never tasted like it had lots of oils on it or anything…" Natsu stares blindly as he tries to remember exactly how it was made, but it's been so long since he even cared, he usually just bought it without thinking anymore…

"People actually eat something like that?"

Inoichi's words break Natsu out from his daze, and he shrugs. "Mostly just me honestly! Since I can eat fire an' stuff. Though there are a few places that actually serve it even outside the guild, cause you're supposed to put the fire out with the special sauce it comes with, and apparently it makes some really cool flavor! I wouldn't know, I just eat it while it's still on fire, but Lucy said it was a delicacy to most people and she'd know stuff like that. I guess it's probably a good thing though, cause I don't know if Sakura-chan's body can eat fire… she seemed to think my fire tricks were really odd, you know? But they're pretty much baby exercises to teach you control, they aren't that special…"

"A kekkei-genkai?" Kakashi muses, setting down his menu and looking up at him.

Bloodline… limit?

Natsu shakes his head violently. "No way! Anyone can learn really! I mean, it gets more dangerous the older you are when you start, Igneel said something about how older bodies don't adapt well to techniques that change your organs and stuff, I wasn't paying too much attention, but anyone who starts young enough can learn! I dunno with Sakura-chan though, cause mostly I still feel like me, right? I didn't even realize anything was odd with my body until I tried to kick you and my leg fell so short! So, it's probably not safe to just assume I could do everything I'm used to, since I can't really tell anything's wrong unless I actually look at myself…"

Kakashi and Inoichi exchange glances, and Natsu glares at their blatant show of leaving him out of the conversation.

"Ah, I hope I'm not interrupting! May I take your orders now?"

"Yes, my apologies! This will all be on one tab, miss." Inoichi rattles off his own order in a tone that implies he's ordered it many times before, and Kakashi follows suit, taking his own time.

"And you, miss?" The waitress asks kindly, pen poised to write. Natsu fights to smile at her instead of scowling. "I'd like the Harami, along with amazake!" he offers brightly, and the waitress freezes, staring at him.

"Ah… that is… you realize that Harami is meant to be shared between multiple people?" The waitress shifts, looking over the table, and Natsu just grins.

"Don't worry! I can eat it! Those guys can have their kid meals if they want, but some of us have appetites!"

"V-very well then. Please look forward to your meal!" The waitress bows, walking towards the back. Inoichi quickly turns to glare at him.

"Natsu-san…"

The blond's attempt at a reprimand is cut off by Kakashi's laughter, as he hides behind a book. "Oh dear. I think you've been had, Inoichi-san." The sensei's eye curls in a smile from above the cover.

"Don't you think that's a bit rude, Natsu-san?"

Natsu shrugs, leaning back in the seat. "What do you mean? I'm just hungry!" he offers the mind-walker his brightest grin, and the man groans, dropping his face into his palms.

"So," Kakashi offers idly, flipping a page in his book, "the people in Natsu-kun's home must be a very peaceful people, if they have the time and energy to practice using chakra techniques for cooking instead of combat. Is Natsu-kun's tendency towards missions unusual then?"

Natsu gives the man his most confused look. "Whether you got… chakra, or not, everyone's good at different things! I'm good with fire! I don't always go on hunting jobs or bounties, sometimes people hire me for demolition. The master said something about how if I was gonna blow stuff up anyway I should at least get paid for it, so when people need something destroyed so they can build on top of it or something, I get those sorts of jobs too. Levy can fight, but she's super good with languages! So she gets lots of translation or code-related jobs, and sometimes even like, curse-breaking and stuff. So why wouldn't there be people who are just really good at using their power to cook or something? Supposedly, in Desierto, there's a place with a lady who makes teas infused with her power for all sorts of neat effects! Like, there were rumors that some of them could even make you heal faster. It wasn't fast like Wendy's abilities, but some professionals apparently ran a bunch of tests that confirmed she had that sort of power! Levy told everyone when she first heard about it, cause she thought it was such a unique ability. So of course the people who are good at fighting fight, and everyone else finds stuff they're good at, too. That's how it should be everywhere, right?"

"Hmm. It must be a strange land you're from, where bounty jobs don't always mean killing and someone can learn how to brew tea with chakra if they want. Here, the only people you'll find experimenting like that are those that are retired from injury, not wanting to give up chakra entirely. How odd." Kakashi muses lightly, still turning pages in his book at an even pace.

Natsu gives him a suspicious look, then turns to Inoichi-san. "Are you guys seriously like that? Everyone with chakra is just… conscripted into your army or something?"

Inoichi looks taken aback for a moment. "No, Natsu-san. Ah, thank you." He nods to the waitress who sets down their drinks, promising to return shortly with the food. "If we forced people to join our military, they'd be far more likely to betray us - no one conscripted against their will would make for a good person to trust your back to. However, we do not offer any instruction at all to those who refuse to enroll. If you are not a shinobi, or involved in our administration in any way, then it is better to refuse to teach you anything. After all, if you teach a clansman techniques, and then they decide to become a merchant or something, travelling around the world, who is to say what they might do with the techniques they've been taught? No, anyone who chooses not to enroll in the academy is left to live as a civilian, or attempt to figure out stuff on their own, which is of course, highly dangerous and prone to leaving dead bodies." The man shrugs as though that's all there is to say on the subject, and Natsu pulls his hand away from his drink, struggling to swallow back bile.

"But m-chakra is a part of us. Anyone who has it, who uses it, it's- you can't just- refuse to use it? It's part of who we are. Making people choose like that… it isn't even a choice! Loads of people who want nothing to do with fighting would join anyway just because anything less would be denying what you are! That's wrong!"

Inoichi offers him a confused look of his own. "I've never noticed any such thing in anyone who hasn't already had years of practice with chakra."

"Mm. With the exception of… certain people, who have so much chakra they all but have to use it, it is rather unheard of. Even among kekkei genkai clans, it is rather rare to have anyone who feels that they must use chakra, without any prior training. I wonder how Natsu-kun came to such a conclusion?"

Natsu looks between the two older men, biting back his worry.

I… already sort of wondered if I could still use magic like normal here… it shouldn't be so surprising to learn that chakra isn't just a different name for magic but a different energy altogether. In the hospital, Sakura-chan's magic felt so odd when I tried to grab it…

"Natsu-san?"

"Yeah?" he jerks his head up, meeting Inoichi's eyes as the man levels a considering gaze on him.

"You seemed lost in thought."

Natsu shrugs. "You guys are weird. I didn't even want to be here in the first place, but now I want to stay even less. Can we just talk about how to fix this already?"

Inoichi sighs. "Natsu-san… I really don't think this is going to be as quick and simple as you hope. Even if we could get lucky and find a breakthrough, there's no certainty of that. Better to prepare as though this will take a while, and be pleasantly surprised if it's quick, than to go straight to searching for solutions only to struggle to deal with long-term problems as they occur. As such, there are some things about your position that you need to be aware of."

Natsu crosses his arms, leaning back into the booth. Inoichi pauses as the waitress comes back with their food, and they all take a moment to divide it up.

The table descends into silence, Inoichi letting his comments go as everyone digs in to eat. The food is actually pretty good, and Natsu devours it with gusto. It feels like he hasn't eaten in days, and he half-wonders if the reason Sakura-chan is so tiny is because she doesn't eat enough.

The food runs out way too soon, and Natsu finds himself oddly torn between feeling bloated, and still hungry.

"Is… is this normal?" he asks, looking up at Inoichi to find the blond staring at him with a truly unusual look on his face.

"S-Natsu-san?"

"I mean… I'm still hungry! But I also feel like I'm going to be sick if I eat anything else! That's never happened to me before! Usually I can even eat more than that…"

The blond turns considering, carefully pondering his question. "I've never heard of such an occurrence… perhaps it is something that will settle with time. If you're used to eating quite a bit more food, where Sakura-chan isn't, then maybe your mind just expects you to still be hungry even though you aren't, so you're ending up with mixed signals. If this situation goes on for so long, I'd expect such a symptom to disappear after a week, no more than two."

Natsu nods lethargically. "Good to know… so let's just talk about that stuff you mentioned before…"

Inoichi nods, turning to look at Kakashi. "Is something wrong, Hatake-san?" Natsu cracks open an eye, to see an oddly guilty look on the silver-haired man's face.

"Ah, I actually completely forgot until I saw Natsu-kun just now… I'd told my students before the test to skip breakfast, and of course Natsu-kun went to the hospital without lunch… this will have been the first meal Sakura-chan ate all day. If I'd realized sooner, I'd have at least made sure the hospital provided something light. My apologies."

"Oh!" Natsu's face lights up in comprehension. "No worries. Honestly I didn't even realize how hungry I was until the food was right in front of me anyway…"

Kakashi nods, and Inoichi turns back to look at the pinkette. "It's quite obvious by what you said before that we come from completely different cultures. As such, I feel you need to understand - ours is a mercenary society. It is not unusual for people to take jobs specializing in information gathering, like myself, or assassination, like Hatake-san." The silver-haired man offers a cheery wave that feels out of place against Inoichi's declaration, and Natsu fights to keep from tensing up. Have I ended up in some sort of cultish yami guild?! "Children, and especially new graduates like Sakura-chan and her teammates, are not expected to decide on a specialization. They take a wide variety of easier, D-rank jobs until they earn promotions, after which they are usually encouraged to specialize. A jack-of-all-trades may be useful sometimes, but often for a village as large as Konoha, it's far better to have a team of specialists than just one person who's good at everything. Are you following?"

...not just a yami guild, but a yami guild that takes D-rank jobs?! Is this secretly hell? I thought places like that were all like, S-rank murders and stuff!

"Uh… you don't seriously expect me to do D-ranks, do you?" Kakashi chokes on a laugh, burying his face into his book, as Inoichi stares at him in exasperation.

"That's what you decide to focus on?" The man sighs, consciously releasing tension from his shoulders. "Our village operates in three-man teams, Natsu-san. Unlike some others, we heavily prioritize teamwork, so it's rare to find a Konoha team with less members. Even if it turns out that you maintain all your strength in Sakura-chan's body, which I doubt you will as such a thing is not common in possessions of any sort, that would not change the fact that her two teammates, Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun, are both twelve-year-old children with no true combat experience. So yes, you will be taking D-rank jobs alongside them until all of you are seen as strong enough, as a team, to take harder jobs. That will, of course, be decided between Hatake-san and Hokage-sama."

Natsu turns to glare harshly at the table. "Why me?" he mutters, trying to light it on fire with his eyes. Sakura-chan's m- chakra shifts about at his intense focus. "Dammit I was in the S-class trials, I don't wanna go back to the basics!" Natsu's head drops suddenly, only barely missing his plate to smack lightly into the table, and he groans against the unyielding wood. Above him, Kakashi and Inoichi exchange another speaking glance, before the silver-haired man reaches over to poke the top of his new student's head.

"Maa, Natsu-kun, it's not so bad. I'm stuck in the same boat after all!"

Natsu shifts to prop his chin on the table and stare up at the man.

"I'm serious! I'm listed as an S-Rank threat in the bingo books of every country on the continent! And instead of taking all sorts of fun jobs, I'll be babysitting a couple brats through the most boring D-ranks imaginable! So you won't be suffering alone~!"

Natsu tilts his head against the wood at the sensei's statement. "Wait." he sits up fully, looking at both his companions. "You guys… seriously put S-Rank people into a mentorship position? Isn't that… I dunno, poor allocation of resources?"

A look of surprise crosses Inoichi's face. "Ah, you know, most people don't realize that. Admittedly, not every Jonin put on teaching rotation is S-Rank like Hatake-san, though more are than you'd first think. After all, the children are our future. Leaving them in the hands of weaker shinobi only means they're likely to be killed before they can ever become strong men and women in their own right. You can't teach someone by smothering them, so entrusting them to teachers powerful enough to deal with any threat and also be able to do so while protecting others… that's the best way to make sure your children grow strong enough to see the future. So perhaps in the short-term, taking strong shinobi like Hatake-san out of rotation seems like a waste, but it more than pays off in the long term, when the children grow up and come to stand as S-Rank shinobi in their own right."

"...You guys must have a lot of S-Rank shinobi to be able to afford such a thing." Natsu offers, once more pushing down the worry that crawls through his chest.

"We are one of the largest shinobi villages in the Elemental Nations. It goes without saying that we can fuel no few number of teams full of S-Rank shinobi. Obviously, I'm not going to give you any names. Not every S-Rank manages a bingo book listing, and we like to keep it that way."

...definitely got myself stuck in a yami guild.

Just.

A city-sized one? Gah, what even is this place?!

"S-so, why did Sakura-chan want to be a shinobi?" Natsu asks, wondering if he truly wants to know.

Inoichi shrugs. "You'd have to ask her. While she and my daughter are friends, I do not believe Ino ever asked, though I do know that many civilian-raised children, like Sakura-chan, believe that being a shinobi is an exciting job. Most of them don't realize the truth of our kind of work until the conditioning classes at the Academy, and most drop out after that. Why Sakura-chan stayed… well. Whatever reasons she has, I would not know them. Anyone can drop out of the Academy, though you're usually looked at a bit more suspiciously if you drop out in your last year than if you choose to do so before then."

"Are you going to expect me to kill people?"

"What would you do if I said yes?"

Natsu freezes, staring at the man. I didn't expect him to be so willingly blatant about it… he's not even going to dance around the subject, huh?

"You guys… aren't my people. Just like you said, right? I'm not one of your people, but you aren't one of mine either. I'm not going to kill for you. I'd never be able to face my friends back home if I did something like that. I'll protect Sakura-chan's friends for as long as it takes us to find a solution to this, but I'm not bloodying my hands for you. If you've got a problem with that, then we'll just have to find a way to fix this! If Sakura-chan joined knowing she'd have to kill, then that's on her. I won't do it. I'll help, I'll do whatever I need to look for a way back, I'll learn whatever you have to teach me, but I'm not killing."

Inoichi stares at him, unblinking, and Natsu matches him stubbornly. Eventually the man sighs. "I think you'll find, in our world, that protecting someone without killing anyone else is a very difficult thing to do. But I suppose you'll learn the hard way, if you remain here long enough. And if you don't, it's hardly an issue. Perhaps we'll save more thorough discussions of our respective cultures for some other time though. For now, I believe we need to address what will happen with the rest of the day."

Kakashi enters the conversation smoothly, once again idly turning pages in his book. "After we're done here, I plan to seek out both Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun, to inform them that the test was passed, and that we'll all meet first thing tomorrow morning for a meeting. I would prefer if Inoichi-san could make it, to smooth over any initial difficulties in convincing the two of Sakura-chan's unique situation."

Inoichi nods. "If you could meet Natsu-san and I at Sakura-chan's house after you pass on the message to your other students, that would be appreciated. Mebuki-san is a very… determined woman, and I'd certainly appreciate a second presence as we have more thorough discussions with her and her husband."

Natsu grimaces, once more uncomfortable at the idea of… parents, people who looked at him like he was their kid, at someone not Igneel trying to… Sitting up, he focuses on Kakashi's dramatic faces as the man attempts to talk Inoichi-san out of it, pushing aside everything else.

Eventually Kakashi agrees (with surprising reluctance) to meet up at the Haruno household that evening. Inoichi sighs with dramaticized relief, then turns back to Natsu. "That's that settled. I suppose that leaves only deciding on schedules for you to start learning the basics of mind techniques, and… well. Everyone else."

"Everyone else?" Natsu queries, avoiding the thought of techniques for now.

Even if they're useful and for a good reason, I'd still rather fight any day than use weird mind powers like Warren or that Misty guy!

"Hokage-sama has requested that this remain on a need-to-know basis. However, Sakura-chan has quite a few classmates, Academy teachers, and possibly even shopkeepers who would all be rather suspicious at the thought of her suddenly insisting upon being addressed by a new name. As such, we need to address this."

Natsu crosses his arms. "Wouldn't all those people also be suspicious if I don't do my makeup and coo over boys or something too? I know Sakura-chan said something about a crush, you gonna ask me to fake that so no one gets 'suspicious'?" he glares, daring Inoichi to say yes.

"Ah, that's true, but a sudden behavior change isn't always unusual after a genin exam. It's considered the final test of whether you can cut it to be a shinobi. Some people drop out, others undergo changes, usually a steady determination to do better and take life as a shinobi more seriously. Dropping a crush and worrying less about appearances are both somewhat normal behaviors for kunoichi who have had a sudden reality check on our world. Going by an entirely different name, however…"

Natsu grimaces. "I don't want to go by a different name! And it's not like Natsu is exclusively a boy's name, so couldn't we just find some sort of excuse?"

"Sakura-chan was born in spring. So unless you're saying you'd like to call yourself Haru…"

"Might be better than Sakura." the pinkette grumbles.

Inoichi sighs. "I am not saying that you should exclusively adopt the name Sakura. However, at least in public, in order to avoid issues, it might be best-"

"Maa, Inoichi-san. I do agree with you, for the most part. However, I do think you're failing to take into consideration Sakura-chan's teammates. Sasuke-kun might not be much of an issue, but Naruto-kun is very fond of Sakura-chan. I don't know if he would appreciate being forced to address a stranger by her name, once we explain things to him. So perhaps we should instead look for a believable excuse? Unless, of course, you're the one volunteering to explain to Naruto-kun why he'll have to address Natsu-kun as Sakura even when he's not her?"

Inoichi groans, slapping a hand across his eyes, as Natsu grins at the sensei. At least someone has sense here!

"Fine. We can brainstorm later, with Sakura's parents. If anyone could come up with a reason as to why Sakura-chan might suddenly change her name, they would. And you and I will have to discuss mission and training times, before I can work out when would be best to work on teaching Natsu-san my techniques, so… let's pay and head out, I suppose."

"You won't be having your clansmen do it?" Kakashi questions, as the blond pulls out his wallet and counts out the money, offering a mild glare to Natsu as he lays it on the table.

"No. None of my clansmen would be willing to do it without the full story, and at this point in time, I would prefer not to tell more people than necessary, even though I'm certain Hokage-sama would permit it. I'll be teaching myself, at least until we know a little more about the situation here. Shall we go?"

Kakashi nods, standing up. "I'll see you two at Sakura-chan's house then. For now, I've got some brats to hunt down…" sighing, the silver-haired man strides off, book casually in front of his face.

"Let's be off then, Natsu-san."

Natsu nods, standing up, grimacing at the discomfort of his still-bloated stomach, and follows the blond out the door.

Maybe if I walk really slowly, I'll find an excuse to talk my way out of this…

Walking slowly does not help with finding excuses. Natsu stares up at the door with trepidation, feeling entirely unprepared for talking to someone's parents.

Maybe if I just treat them like Macao?

...somehow I don't think that would work.

Natsu glances up to see Inoichi about to knock. "W-wait!"

"Hmm?" The man hesitates, hand still poised against the door, and turns to look at the pinkette.

Natsu scrambles for an excuse. "Uh… shouldn't we… wait for Kakashi to get here? He might try to ditch if we don't, after all!"

Inoichi raises an eyebrow, looking down at him. "True enough." he says, with a tone that makes it clear he knows exactly what Natsu is doing.

Natsu laughs nervously, stepping away from the house and sitting down on the edge of the road. Inoichi joins him after a moment, tilting his head to stare up at the slowly-appearing stars.

"Why do you want to avoid speaking with them? They aren't your parents, and no one is expecting you to treat them as such."

Natsu hunches over, elbows on knees and chin resting in his hands, staring at the edge of the road. "Doesn't matter how I treat them. They're still gonna treat me like their kid. And- it's not like I don't- understand. Macao has a kid, back home, I know how parents work, but- some of the older people tried to take me in, when I first joined Fairy Tail. Don't leave a kid to fend for themselves, I guess. But really, it just felt like they were trying to replace Igneel. I was strong enough to take care of myself! I could run jobs and pay for my own living, I didn't need someone else to take care of me! And I proved it, to all of them! And now you're saying I've got to just… go back to letting someone else take care of me, and I get it, I know exactly how Macao would react if this happened to his kid, but I don't… I don't want to. I made it on my own once, when I was actually a kid, younger than Sakura probably. I don't wanna rely on someone now!"

"Perhaps you shouldn't look at it like that." Inoichi offers mildly, still unmoving as he looks up at the sky.

"Then how should I look at it?" Natsu grumbles, dropping his arms to play with a rock.

"You've already proven, to yourself as much as to your friends back home, that you can make it on your own. So what shame is there in letting someone else provide for you now that you know you can do it without them? Even if you let someone help you here, it doesn't invalidate what you've done before. And as you said. You understand how it would make them feel, so don't think of this as doing it for your sake - think of it as doing it for theirs.

"And I know you may not like having them treat you like a child at all, much less their own, but… they're civilians. They aren't as good at handling situations like this as Hatake-san and I are, and even I've sometimes found myself thinking of you as Sakura. I believe I've caught myself before you noticed, for the most part, but the better anyone knows Sakura-chan, the harder it will be for them to look at you and see you for yourself. That's something you're going to have to live with for as long as you're here. Admittedly, the longer you stay, the more people will get used to thinking of you as yourself, instead of Sakura-chan, but I don't believe any of us want you here that long. So, you're the one who's going to have to get used to this. Perhaps in some ways, living with Sakura-chan's family will help with that, even if you will find it uncomfortable."

"I guess…" Natsu grabs a fistfull of dirt, watching it seep out between his fingers. Inoichi lapses into silence as Natsu repeats the action again and again, wanting to call out his fire, but not wanting to deal with it now of all times, if it decides not to work right with Sakura-chan's chakra.

Kami-sama but I want to burn something. Run to the edges of the world and find my own way home instead of relying on these people…

But that would be so unfair to Sakura-chan. If I had to get stuck in another world, why couldn't I be in my own body while I was at it! Then I wouldn't have to worry about someone else…

Natsu's fist clenches around the dirt, compacting it into a ball, and when he withdraws his fingers, it drops to the ground and breaks into a dozen pieces.

"Kakashi's here…" he mutters, and Inoichi's head jerks down in surprise, eyes wandering until the silver-haired man steps out of the shadows and they lock on him.

"I was being silent." the sensei offers, and Natsu sighs.

"You're upwind. An idiot could smell the dog on you from half a mile."

"Sakura-chan doesn't have enhanced senses." Natsu looks up at Kakashi for the first time, and shrugs. Inoichi interjects smoothly as he stands and brushes himself off.

"That's actually not all that surprising. Yamanaka tend to have a heightened sense of touch compared to the average person, for a variety of reasons. Even when we're in someone else's body, this tends to transfer at about 80% of our capabilities. Not quite as good as when we're in our own bodies, but usually still more than most people have. It's believed to be because enhanced senses are often less about the actually sensory capabilities themselves, but how your brain processes what's already detectable. Most people naturally filter their sensory input to prevent overload, but some people are born with one or two senses unusually heightened, because they're capable of handling it better than most others. So when you possess someone else, you tend to keep that particular ability, though people with truly extraordinary senses sometimes develop chronic headaches in the bodies of other people who can't quite cope with the strain."

"Ooh? How interesting. Are you getting up anytime soon?" Kakashi glances down pointedly, and Natsu scowls at him.

"Tch."

Natsu stands up crossing his arms as he turns to face the door. Inoichi raises an eyebrow at his dirty backside, before giving it up as a lost cause and turning to knock on the door. Natsu grimaces, wishing Kakashi had taken longer to show up.

Gonna have to get this over with eventually though…

The door opens so quickly that it's obvious Sakura-chan's parents were waiting for them.

"Inoichi-san, please come in." The woman -Mebuta, or something? Natsu doesn't even remember what Inoichi called her back then- ushers the blond in with a smile, casting a glare at Kakashi as he follows, before turning some confused, unreadable look onto Natsu as he trails in behind the others. Her eyes fixate on the dirt covering his hands and clothes, and Natsu sends his own glare, daring her to say something. She purses her lips, turning to close the door as he slides off Sakura's sandals.

He follows Kakashi and Inoichi into a room with numerous chairs while Sakura's mother offers them refreshments, and finds himself standing awkwardly in the entrance as they both greet Sakura's father and take seats.

Staring at the man whose hair is merely a darker shade of pink, Natsu finds himself wondering what his human parents might have looked like. Did his hair come from his father, like Sakura's did? Or his mom? O-or a grandparent?

It doesn't matter. I never even knew them, Igneel is the only one I want! I'll find him, no matter what!

"Natsu-san?"

Natsu jolts out of his thoughts at Inoichi's mild call, to find his fingers imbedded in the frame of the entryway dividing the rooms. He slowly uncurls them, staring at the fractured wood and a splinter he hadn't even realized had wedged into his finger. He pulls it out, wiping the welling blood on the hem of Sakura's dress, and stiffly walks over to sit on the sofa next to Kakashi. The man gives him a glance, but Natsu ignores it, drawing up his legs and wrapping his arms around them as he stares out at everyone over his knees.

Inoichi sighs. "I apologize. If the repairs to the wall are unduly expensive, we can offer compensation."

Sakura's father laughs, waving it off. "We make more than enough to afford some minor repairs. Please don't concern yourself."

Inoichi nods, waiting a moment as Sakura's mother comes in with cups of water for everyone. Kakashi grabs the one she tries to give Natsu, and the woman gives the two of them an unreadable look before moving to sit next to her husband.

"Well, I suppose now we should get down to business." Inoichi takes a sip of the water, then sets the glass on a small stand next to his chair.

The sound of the shifting water gives Natsu an unpleasant sensation in his gut, and he pulls his legs closer and tries to ignore the feeling. Kakashi sets both cups down without drinking, as Sakura's father sighs.

"You explained a little bit, but I admit to still being somewhat confused, Inoichi-san. You said that due to unusual side-effects of a jutsu, someone else ended up trapped in our daughter's body and that you could not force them out without hurting her, but… I was a genin for a time, before I was permitted to leave the corps. I've never heard of such a thing before."

Inoichi nods. "That's the most basic summary, though admittedly even I don't fully understand the exact circumstances here. As far as I can tell, Natsu-san is from the Outer Continents. He says he was in an exam, and used an untested defensive jutsu to block a powerful attack. When he regained consciousness, he was in Sakura-chan's body in the middle of her genin exam, half a world away. I have used my clan's jutsu to enter Sakura-chan's mindscape and speak with her and Natsu-san together, and neither of them have any idea how this might have happened. Due to Natsu-san's appearance within Sakura-chan's mind, and his own vivid pink hair, I wondered if perhaps you had any extended family, which could offer at least a partial explanation for this, which I believe I asked you to look into. Whether you do or not… well, the truth is, it doesn't give this situation much more clarity regardless. Please be assured, we do plan to do everything we can to resolve this as soon as possible. Even Natsu-san is uncomfortable with the situation, so we will all be cooperating fully with each other in order to come to a quick solution. However, we are dealing with unusual technical side-effects, so… hope for the best but prepare for the worst, as they say."

Sakura's father seems to age a decade at the blond's words, leaning back against his chair in exhaustion. Her mother shifts uncomfortably, looking around the room with a tight expression on her face.

"And what do we do until then?" The woman eventually asks, glancing at Natsu before looking away just as quickly. Kakashi leans forward, pinning his eye on her.

"We plan to have Natsu-san continue to work with Team 7 in Sakura-chan's place for now. Hokage-sama has agreed with this. What you do is up to you, but as this is on a need-to-know basis, it would be easier for everyone if Sakura-chan did not appear to suddenly move out when quite a few people know you don't have a poor relationship with each other. We would like to hope that once we find a solution to this, Sakura-chan could simply return to her life with as little adjustment as possible, but if it would be too much for you, we can try to arrange alternatives."

Sakura's father shakes his head, nearly before Kakashi finishes speaking. Natsu shifts uncomfortably as his bladder continues to complain.

"I… this is truly an unusual situation, but… Sakura is our daughter. We can make it work, somehow… Do we know where to start with fixing this?" The man looks at Natsu, clearly not as troubled as his wife, and the pinkette shifts again, grimacing.

"Inoichi-san said something about teaching me clan techniques, to see if maybe it'd be safer for me to undo this myself than leaving him to try and do it by force…" Natsu shifts again, dropping his arms and curling his legs under him, and Sakura's father starts to look worried.

"Is something wrong? You seem more uncomfortable than just nerves would imply." The man stands up, prepared to walk over, and Natsu flinches.

"I'm fine! It's not important! Let's just figure out some way to convince everyone that Sakura-chan would believably change her name so I don't gotta deal with that and then I can go to bed and hope this was just a weird dream!"

Inoichi looks over at him, then groans. "You have to go to the bathroom, don't you?"

"I DON'T!"

"Natsu-san-"

"I said I don't so I don't! Let's just move on to the important stuff already!"

"I don't understand," Sakura's mother says, "It would only take a minute or two. What's the problem?"

Kakashi sighs, as Inoichi shifts uncomfortably, and decides to take the heat. "I believe you might have missed it, but… Natsu-kun is a boy. I believe he doesn't even know how women are supposed to function-"

"Of course I know how, I'm not an idiot! I-I j-just- I'm not a pervert dammit!"

Sakura's parents both freeze, her mother looking increasingly horrified as all emotion bleeds off her father's face, and Natsu bites at his lip, arms curling tight around his torso.

"R-right." the elder pinkette shifts his weight, looking down with an oddly blank face. "Right. That- that does complicate things, doesn't it."

"Kizashi!" Sakura's mother stands up, grabbing at her husband's arm, and he turns to face her.

"Dearest please. We can freak out about this later. For now, let's just… be practical. Practical." The man begins to look quite out of his depths, even as he attempts to hold it together, and Natsu winces.

Whose idea was this…? I swear, when I find out who's responsible I'm gonna beat them so hard they'll wish they were dead!

"B-but-"

Kizashi puts his hands on his wife's shoulders, guiding her back down to her chair. "We'll… have a proper freak-out about this later. Promise. For now, let's just… deal with it. Okay?"

"Okay…" the woman nods, gripping the armrests of her chair and taking deep breaths. Kizashi turns back to look at Natsu.

"You're going to have to deal with this as well, you know." The man offers mildly, and Natsu flinches. The man sighs, then moves forward to grab Natsu's arm and pull him off the couch.

"Come along. The bathroom's this way."

Natsu follows in numb horror as the man leads him by the arm to a small room down the hall.

"Do I have to…?" Natsu asks softly, staring at the open door uncomfortably.

"Funnily enough, your disgust actually makes me feel better about this, Natsu-kun. I can only imagine how it must feel, but someone as upset as you isn't going to take advantage of my daughter in any way. And besides. If you wet yourself, you're just going to have to take a shower instead. Which is worse?"

"Doesn't make me fell better…" the pinkette mutters as he walks unsteadily into the room and closes the door behind him.

"What have I done to deserve this…? Whatever it is I swear I am so, so sorry."

Natsu waits uncomfortably for a moment, but his apologies don't magically fix the issue, and he groans before slowly inching closer to the toilet.

Even having to hug Gray is a better fate than this!

Natsu closes his eyes, taking deep breaths. When he realizes he's not going to calm down at all, he groans and awkwardly hikes up the dress.

Faster I do it faster it's done and hopefully it'll never happen again!

...please don't make me do this again.

Grimacing, Natsu goes about the business as quick as he can, all but bolting to the sink to scrub his hands after, blushing and awkwardly refusing to look at the mirror.

Please, never, ever again!

He can just tell his face is still beet red as he opens the door, and Kizashi snorts softly as he sees Natsu walk out.

"Shall we then?" The man offers, and Natsu finds himself unexpectedly grateful that he doesn't say anything else. Nodding, he quickly follows the older man back to the living room, and by the time he sits back down, he feels like the blush has mostly faded.

"So," Kizashi starts as he takes his seat and grabs his wife's hand, "I believe you said something about names?"

Inoichi glances at Natsu, but nods without saying anything to him. "Natsu is uncomfortable with the idea of responding to Sakura-chan's name, but if we don't want people to wonder what's going on, he would have to. However, Hatake-san pointed out that his other students might not like addressing a stranger by Sakura's name, so we hoped that as her parents you might be able to find a justifiable reason for Natsu to use his own name?"

Kizashi and his wife look at each other a few moments.

"I'm not really sure," he eventually says, turning to look at Natsu. "If you were hoping for a convenient idea like a shinobi relative to look up to, I'm afraid I don't have any. And of course, you know Sakura-chan was born in March. If it was just the highly feminine nature of 'Sakura' that bothered you, Natsu-kun, Haru would likely be acceptable as a nickname, both because of its similarity to our family name of Haruno and because of the season of Sakura's birth."

Natsu shakes his head, sighing.

"It's my name, I don't just want to give it up! Haru, Sakura, it's all the same! Someone who isn't me! And, even if people find it weird, are they really gonna think it's something like possession? Why would that be anyone's first guess? They'll probably just think Sakura-chan went crazy or something, which, sure, isn't too nice for her, but it's not a big deal in the long run right?"

Inoichi leans back in his seat. "I think, Natsu-san, that you underestimate how paranoid many older shinobi can get."

"But Sakura-chan doesn't know many older shinobi!" Natsu interrupts. "You said some shop keepers, teachers, and mostly other kids! So, anyone older we meet… I'll be their first impression, right? I mean, when we fix this, there won't be any reason for you guys not to come clean, so Sakura-chan won't have any issues either. Why do I have to change?"

"H-he has a point." Sakura's mother offers, still looking rather uncomfortable. "I'm not really sure I'd like to address him by my daughter's name, either, even if it would invite less questions. Besides, if we as her parents support her sudden desire to change her name, I don't think many people would question it. Ino-chan might, since she knows Sakura so well, but I would be surprised if you could hide this from her for long anyway."

Inoichi closes his eyes in clear exasperation, as Kakashi chuckles.

"Well, that's that." The sensei offers, emptying his water so smoothly Natsu doesn't even catch a glimpse of his face. "Is there anything else we'll need to address here? I know Natsu-kun is a little uncomfortable at the idea of living here, but that is something I hope the three of you can work out between yourselves…"

"Will there be any way to speak to our daughter?" Kizashi asks suddenly, looking at Inoichi.

The man nods. "Repeated mental delving can strain younger minds, especially ones not equipped to handle it, as well as multiple people, but if Natsu-san were willing, we could easily set aside some time every week for me to assist. It wouldn't be safe to take both of you at once, but it is possible."

Natsu shrugs. "Don't really mind," he mutters, "'s not like it'd hurt or anything."

"Thank you, Natsu-kun." Natsu shifts uncomfortably at the sincerity in Kizashi's voice. "Then, I don't think there's anything else that needs addressed right now. Perhaps I'll show Natsu-kun to...his… room, and if we think of anything else, we can arrange some time to speak with you?"

"You know my door is always open, Kizashi-san, Mebuki-san. I am more than happy to offer my services as a therapist whenever I have time, if you need. You know how to reach me." The blond stands up, offering a small bow to the Harunos, then turns to Natsu. Something like panic boils in the pinkette's stomach as the blond offers his farewell. "Please have a good night, Natsu-san. I will see you tomorrow."

"Y-yeah, you too."

Natsu has a feeling that it will actually be an uncomfortable night, but tries to keep it from showing as he follows them to the door, to avoid being alone with Sakura's parents as long as possible.

They get to the front door far too quickly for his liking, and Kakashi chuckles as he turns to bid farewell.

"Maa, Natsu-kun, it's hardly the end of the world. Relax!" He reaches out, ruffling Natsu's hair, and the pinkette slaps his hand away, sputtering.

"Oi!"

Kakashi laughs again, disappearing in a flurry of leaves before Natsu can retaliate. Inoichi bows again and takes his leave, and Natsu finds himself standing awkwardly in the hallway, looking at the rest of the Haruno family with trepidation.

I swear, if I survive this I'll leave offerings at every shrine and alter I can find!

And never tell Gray, for as long as I live.

Ever.

Kami-sama, please don't let Gray find out.

Chapter 6: Interlude I: Kakashi

Notes:

Two versions of this interlude were written, the first one so awful I was told to scrap and rewrite it. I did rewrite it, but I didn't scrap it cause I was a bit attached to how I wrote Gai in that, so the old crappy version got put in its own story file on . It'll get its own story file here too.

I have a bit of a pet-peeve of renaming characters in crossover/gender-swap fics, cause a lot of the time it feels like writers do that, and then practically turn the character into a self-insert, to the point where if I'd read it without reading the story summary first I wouldn't even know who it was, so that's a trap I'm a bit leery of falling into. I'm still a bit scarred by one absolutely BRILLIANT Harry Potter fanfic, except you will never ever EVER convince me that main character was supposed to be Harry. The story was good. The characters were good. They were not, in ANY way, Harry Potter. But, even though I don't want to change Natsu's name, I will still try to address his decision realistically in the story itself. Even if it's a little more complicated, I suppose I'm more comfortable like that.

Chapter Text

Kakashi walks out of the restaurant casually, idly turning the pages of his book and giggling at the illustrations. Natsu's chakra gets dimmer as he walks away, until he can no longer sense the pinkette. He breathes out in relief, slowly closing his book and tucking it away in his vest. It's rather unusual, the feel of that chakra. It feels like Sakura's, only something else seems to flow around it, sometimes mixing, sometimes clashing… Sitting next to it for so long, trying not to flinch every time the energies collide with each other, Kakashi is glad to be away from it. After all, despite Inoichi's lack of accusation, Kakashi knows enough about mindscapes to know the situation is at least partially his fault. That genjutsu may not have caused the possession, but Sakura did pass out, retreating into herself to avoid the trauma.

And then she got stuck.

If I hadn't done that, at least she might be the one in control.

Well. I always did say I'd make an awful teacher. As if I could ever live up to Sensei's legacy…

He sighs, coming to a stop in the middle of the road, ignoring the glares of the people around him as they move to avoid him. "So. What to do now?" he muses aloud, revelling in the looks the civilians shoot him. He brings his hand up to rub at his chin in a contemplative manner, offering a wink to a young lady who shakes her head in disbelief.

"I suppose I should go speak to my other students… but where's the fun in that! Maybe I could get Genma to take me out for dango…"

"Not a chance."

"Genma! Just the man I was looking for!"

His fellow Anbu gives him a look, and Kakashi doesn't need to have known the man for years to tell it said 'what task are you procrastinating this time'. Kakashi grins widely, offering a casual shrug. "I have no idea what you're talking about. So, about that dango…"

Genma shakes his head, lips curling into a smile around his senbon. "Gai made it back to the village about an hour ago - I believe the Sandaime was annoyed with you over something, because he immediately told Gai-san that you passed a team. He's been running all over, looking for you. You owe me one for the warning."

The man offers Kakashi a casual wave, leaping up to the rooftops and disappearing from sight. Kakashi's shoulders droop, and he groans dramatically. The people closest to him edge away nervously.

...Even if he agrees that this is my fault, encouraging Gai like that is going too far! I'll just have to be four hours late to the next meeting…

Probably best to go seek out the bratlings now, or Gai might actually catch up.

Kakashi offers one more dramatic sigh, just for kicks, before he shunshin's to the Uchiha compound.

The complex is as unpleasant as ever, hollow and empty and devoid of life. His left eye almost seems to throb as he walks through the derelict streets, but he's long-since used to such phantom sensations. On good days, he likes to pretend it's Obito's emotions bleeding through as he watches from the Pure World, but mostly it's just annoying.

He finds Sasuke rather quickly, practicing Taijutsu forms in one of the independent training fields. He settles himself, leaning against one of the posts for kunai practice, pulling out his book again. Sasuke doesn't even notice as the pages rustle, continuing to drill his kata.

Form's… decent for a genin. I think. Better than that girl on Gai's team at any rate, and Gai doesn't seem worried about her. Focuses too much on offense, he's nowhere near fast enough to be fighting with that style.

Will have to work on that.

Kakashi giggles at a very erotic illustration, and Sasuke still doesn't notice his presence.

...should probably start with situational awareness.

I honestly think I'm feeling second-hand humiliation here.

How odd.

Kakashi continues to flip through the book, reading some of his favorite passages, and always giggling over the artwork, but it still takes until Sasuke stops for a break before the Uchiha notices his company.

The boy steps back in shock, hand reaching for his kunai pouch, before he forces himself to relax.

"Sensei." he says curtly, crossing his arms and staring at Kakashi.

Kakashi grins, though he knows Sasuke can't see, what with the book being in front of his face. "Maa, Sasuke-kun. I've been here for twenty minutes now, and you're only just noticing? Seems like I have my work cut out for me, if this is what I've got to work with."

Sasuke bristles, like a wet cat. Kakashi giggles. "What do yo-" He bites back his accusation quickly, as he realizes what Kakashi implied.

"We passed then?"

Kakashi puts his book away and offers a slow clap. Sasuke's eyebrow twitches gloriously. "Took you long enough to figure it out," he offers, just to watch his student's face spasm, "but yes. Team 7 has been provisionally passed as a genin team under myself - please meet at the bridge at 8 am tomorrow morning so that we can discuss the circumstances the team will be operating with in the future."

Sasuke crosses his arms, staring intently. "Is this about Sakura?"

Kakashi isn't all that surprised. With how… distinct… Natsu's personality is, he rather expected Sasuke to realize what was going on considering the amount of time they spent together. "Hmm, close enough, I suppose." He says though, just for fun. "You'll understand tomorrow. IF you show up on time, anyway."

He chuckles darkly as Sasuke glares at him, fully aware of the hypocrisy. The blackette opens his mouth to say something, but Kakashi doesn't stick around to listen, quickly disappearing in another shunshin.

He stops in the main market square, sort of considering browsing the wares and taking his sweet time in the hopes that Inoichi will get tired of waiting for him, but a distant cry of "Where are you, my rival?!" has him grimacing, and taking a second shunshin to the street he knows Naruto's apartment is on.

I don't think just being extra late is enough payback for this…

Kakashi knows he's got at least a few minutes to stall, Gai prefers his own physical strength to run, and not the chakra-enhanced speed of a shunshin, so it'll be a bit before the green-clad man makes his way over to this section of Konoha, so he pulls his book out again, meandering toward his destination.

The apartments are rather empty, not many people willing to live so close to his blond student, but Kakashi appreciates the silence as he walks up the stairs, Naruto's chakra a literal beacon growing brighter with every step. He reaches the door almost too quickly, but doesn't let himself hesitate before he knocks.

The door flies open before he even pulls his hand away, the blond must have been standing there just waiting, and Kakashi bites back a laugh at the imagery.

"Sensei!"

Kakashi sidesteps and Naruto crashes into the wall, unable to stop his tackle fast enough. This time he does laugh, and the blond blushes sharply before physically shaking himself.

"How's Sakura-chan, is she okay? Did you guys get to the hospital alright, did they fix her, what even happened, when can we visit-"

"Maa, Naruto-kun. If you don't give me a chance to answer, I might wonder if you want to know at all."

The blond shuts his mouth so quickly he bites his tongue. He yelps, slamming his hands over his mouth as his eyes water, refusing to blink as he stares at Kakashi, and the man snorts a laugh, affecting to ignore his student's distress as he turns and walks into the apartment.

He finds a seat, shoving the scrolls in it off onto the floor, and Naruto glares, still not speaking as Kakashi makes a show of situating himself and getting comfortable. When he looks up, Naruto is still pressing his lips together, and he chuckles again.

"Take a seat Naruto-kun." He barely waits a moment for the blond to settle down, before he continues. "First, congratulations! You passed."

"Wait what?!" Naruto blurts out, eyes wide. He shuts his mouth again, staring suspiciously at Kakashi.

The sensei merely nods. "Of course. Team 7 will meet up at 8 am tomorrow morning for a team meeting. I will explain the details of Sakura-chan's situation at that time."

"Will she be there? Can I see her? Did that bast- Sasuke say anything? He was with her longer, did he do something? I'll punch him-"

"Maa, Naruto-kun, don't get carried away. Sasuke-kun had nothing to do with it. Inoichi-san will be there to help explain things, I'm sure you can wait until then."

Naruto groans, sliding out of his chair and onto the floor, where he sprawls dramatically. Kakashi fights not to roll his eyes. "You're not going to tell me anything at all."

"Of course not," Kakashi offers cheerily, "after all, that's what the meeting is for. Why would I go through the effort of saying it twice?"

He stands up, making a show of brushing himself off, but Naruto just gives him a confused look as he pushes himself into a sitting position.

Sighing at the wasted effort, Kakashi slides open the window. "Well, I've got places to go and people to see, so ja ne!"

"Wha-wait!"

Kakashi laughs, flipping from the windowsill to the roof and bolting, Naruto's cry echoing behind him.

He doesn't quite move at a leisurely pace, but he hardly rushes to Sakura's house, taking a few unnecessary detours anytime something bright green enters his line of vision. It's practically full dark by the time he draws close, and he lets his shoulders droop in disappointment to see Inoichi and Natsu sitting on the side of the road, clearly waiting on him. Natsu's head snaps up even before he reaches casual hailing distance, the pinkette announcing his presence, and Kakashi mourns the loss of his last chance to disappear.

"I was being silent." he says, affecting a mild tone as he studies the person who will act as his student.

Natsu responds as Kakashi has come to expect, not quite Naruto's level of brash, but certainly close enough to compare them. "You're upwind. An idiot could smell the dog on you from half a mile." Something about his new student is still rather tense, and Kakashi decides to humor the pinkette's clear desire to stall for time, turning to Inoichi to continue the conversation.

The look on Natsu's face as Inoichi mentions the headaches that can sometimes come with enhanced senses makes Kakashi wonder if it's still bothering the boy, but the pinkette makes no comment on it.

Inoichi turns to knock on the door, and once again it opens very quickly. At the very least, Mebuki waits until Inoichi is done knocking to open it, though perhaps, unlike his blond student, she was not waiting two steps from the door - the settee in the foyer with its slowly-expanding indent proves him quite right, and Kakashi smirks to himself as he moves forward to make himself at home, Natsu shuffling awkwardly behind him.

And here I thought Sakura-chan would be the least complicated of my students.

Chapter 7

Chapter Text

Sakura-chan's mother stares at him uncertainly a moment, then goes back into the sitting room and starts gathering up the cups to take to the kitchen just visible on the other end of the hallway. Kizashi waves a hand, smiling.

"I promise we don't bite." he jokes, waiting for Natsu to approach before turning and walking through the sitting room and then away from the bathroom, towards a stairwell. Natsu follows a little uncertainly, not quite sure what he's supposed to say to these people. Kizashi pushes open a door halfway down the hall, striding in without hesitation. Natsu follows, entering a room with a bookshelf next to a desk, filled with scrolls and books alike, a dresser, and a makeup table that he stares at suspiciously as he skirts around to where Kizashi is standing half-in a closet, rummaging around.

"Aha!" the man cries, stumbling back with a rumpled outfit. He tosses it lightly, and it all but lands directly into Natsu's arms, without the younger man even having to move.

"I'm not quite sure what sort of sleepwear you prefer, Natsu-kun, but this is something we bought for Sakura for one of the Academy's camping trips, since she didn't want to ruin her nicer bedclothes sleeping in the dirt. It should still fit, the last trip was only two months ago. Are you going to need anything else tonight?"

Natsu looks down, picking through the clothes to find a deep red shirt, long-sleeved and soft, and a pair of black pants of the same material.

"Sakura-chan didn't seem like someone who liked dark colors…" Natsu says, tossing the clothes on the bed and pulling off his dress.

Kizashi groans, and when Natsu glances over the man is leaning against the doorpost, hand draped over his eyes.

"Huh?"

The older man cracks an eye open at Natsu's confusion, and sighs. "You're going to have to be more careful about that in the future, Natsu-kun. It's not really appropriate for a girl to just take her clothes off like that."

"But you're her father, right? So why would it be a big deal?" Natsu has to sit down to figure out the straps on Sakura's kunai holster, but it slides off after a moment and he tosses it over to land on the desk. It clatters, and Kizashi winces.

"Oh this is not going to be easy…" the man mutters, coming over to sit in the desk chair as Natsu pulls off the undershorts Sakura was wearing and puts on the sleepwear. Everything does fit, even if it's weirdly soft and not what Natsu is used to, and the pinkette rubs at the hem of his sleeve, wondering what it's made out of to feel like that.

He looks up when weight settles on the bed, Kizashi holding Sakura's kunai pouch in his hands, holding it out to Natsu.

Natsu glances at it, then back up to the man who joined him unexpectedly. "What're you doing?"

"I understand you don't have any shinobi training, Natsu-kun, but at the least, you should still take care of Sakura's weapons." He drops the pouch in Natsu's lap, grabbing a case off her nightstand.

Natsu looks down at the pouch, reaching in to pull out one of the weapons. It doesn't seem as well-made as Erza's swords, or perhaps just not enchanted to withstand wear, with how beat up it looks.

"Do you know how to do it?" the older man asks, whetstone in hand. Natsu shrugs.

"I've never done it myself, but Erza used to do it a lot, back when she was younger, before she could afford the nicer weapons that didn't need it. I mostly just fight with my body though, I wouldn't know how to use one of these anyway. They look so beat up, too. Wouldn't Sakura-chan want to buy new ones instead of using these, later?"

Kizashi nods easily. "We promised to buy Sakura a new set if she passed her final exam, but I think it would be better if you kept these for now. That way you can practice with an old pair, instead of ruining a new one."

"P-practice? I don't need these!" Natsu drops the pouch back into his lap, crossing his arms as he faces Sakura's father. The man shakes his head, dropping the whetstone between them and settling back against the wall.

"We'd all like a fast solution to this, Natsu-kun. But I don't think you realize. Inoichi-san is one of the greatest masters of mental techniques in the entirety of the Elemental Nations. If there were a quick solution, it would already be done. As such, it's really better if you learn everything you can. The number of people in this world good enough at Taijutsu to fight exclusively with it is very small. Kunai are a staple for a reason - if you can get close enough to punch someone, you can get close enough to stab them, and the latter is always more effective, more likely to get you out alive, end the fight fast and get you back to safety than the former."

"But I don't want to kill people!"

Natsu grimaces at how Sakura's softer voice turns that statement nearly to a whine, as he twists around and stares at the man sitting beside him. "Erza's good enough not to kill with her swords, but she works so hard to be that good, there's no way I could equal her, I don't want to use weapons, I don't know how to control them like she does! I know Erza has killed people, back when she escaped that place, she always smells a little like blood, most people who've killed do, but I don't… That's not something you should do if you have any other choice, that's not something I want to do, when I've always been strong enough not to…"

Kizashi sighs, reaching out to ruffle Natsu's hair. "It's rather hard to see your face like that… this really will take some getting used to, won't it?" The man muses, as Natsu tenses under the man's hand, pulling away. He yanks out Sakura's headband that he'd forgotten about until Kizashi's hand brushed it, setting it on top of the kunai pouch. The man's face flickers with upset, though he masks it quickly, and Natsu bites back a grimace.

He hadn't meant to hurt the man, but…

This entire situation sucks. Dammit!

Kizashi gathers himself quickly enough, carefully looking away from Natsu for a moment as he speaks. "It'll be a while yet before your team is sent on any missions against other humans. But even so, isn't it better to know a skill and not need it, than the reverse?"

"No!" Natsu crosses his arms again, staring down at the pouch and the kunai and headband laying atop it. "I don't want to have a skill like that! I don't want to need a skill like that! They don't even want me leaving the village, that Hokage guy said something about needing his direct approval before we were even let out of the gates, so it doesn't matter! I shouldn't have to learn how to kill someone just in case I need to kill them. Why is this world the kind of place that would require something like that? It's not right!"

Kizashi reaches over, dragging Natsu against him in a half-hug, and Natsu snarls, trying to push away, but the man doesn't budge. Doesn't pull him any closer either, but it feels like every hair on Natsu's body is standing on end, and he leans tensely against the other man, entirely unequipped to deal with Kizashi's actions.

"That really bothers you, doesn't it? I suppose, to those of us who live here, it's such a normal part of life, even most civilians don't bat an eye at the existence of shinobi, even if they sometimes think of us as monsters or evil. I couldn't handle it, asked to retire shortly after my first kill, but even then I understood it was necessary - kill your enemies before they killed your friends, I was just not strong enough to do it myself… The land you come from, I wonder what it must be like, where something like death isn't necessary to protect the ones you love. But, Natsu-kun, I don't think you'll be able to live like that here. Any enemy you leave alive behind you is someone who can stand up again and kill your teammates after you've turned your backs. Any man you leave unconscious is just a man who may seek to retaliate for his wounded pride, hunting you down to take revenge. I won't say that you have to throw away your morals, but… at least understand that this world isn't the kind of place that will treat you well for refusing to. You should learn how, and if you're lucky, you'll never need the knowledge. If you're lucky, you'll go your entire time here without having to feel the sensation of blood on your hands. But, if you aren't… at least if you choose not to kill, at that time, you'll be choosing so because you have a choice, and not because you can't do anything else. I don't want my daughter to die because of you, but at the least, if you're going to kill the light of my life do it on purpose so I can hate you fairly."

The man's fingers tighten harshly on Natsu's arm, and the pinkette finds himself frozen at how blatantly he said something like that, unable to shake the older man off even as his grip becomes painful.

"I-I…" he bites his tongue at the stutter, unsure of what he even wants to say, what he even could say to a declaration like that, and Kizashi's grip disappears suddenly as the man stands up and walks to the door, Sakura's weapon pouch and headband whisked from Natsu's lap and settled gently on the desk.

"Good night, Natsu-kun." he offers, and closes the door behind him, leaving Natsu to sit uncomfortably on the bed, staring at the door, so far beyond uncertain he feels almost numb.

Voices start up, Sakura's parents talking to each other, about him, and he can hear every word, as Sakura's mother cries and her father reassures his wife, and Natsu can't stand it, swiping the pillow and blanket off the bed, climbing out the window and up to the roof, thankfully far enough away that all he can hear is voices without individual words as he closes the window behind him, and it only takes him a few minutes to find a comfortable spot where he's certain he won't fall and settle down, pulling the blanket over his head and praying to every god he can think of that he'll wake up back home, with Erza and Lucy and Gildarts and even Gray.

If he dreams, he remembers none of it, only an impression of warmth and comfort that fades with the rising sun.

Wha-? Where…?

Natsu sits up blearily, rubbing his eyes as he tries to piece together why he's woken up damp. It takes him a moment, shifting to look around and realize he's on a roof, before the previous day rushes back to him.

"Dammit!"

He falls backwards, laying spreadeagled on the roof and staring up at the dawn sky, anger burning fiercely, at the world, at himself, at whatever ridiculous magic caused this situation.

"I didn't even talk to Sakura-chan this time… I wonder if there's anywhere to catch something to eat. Man, why couldn't Happy be here too? He could totally scout for me-"

"Natsu-kun?"

"Eh?!" Natsu bolts up, crawling to the edge of the roof and looking down.

Kizashi stares up at him from Sakura-chan's window, eyebrow raised in question. "Did you sleep up there?" he asks, sounding amused, and Natsu grimaces.

"I prefer sleeping outside, there's nothing wrong with that!" turning around, the pinkette gathers up Sakura's blankets and pillow, trudging back to the window. Kizashi ducks inside, and it only takes Natsu a moment to figure out how to get back in without dropping anything. There's a stack of clothes on top of Sakura's dresser, Sakura's kunai pouch and headband on top.

"I'm afraid Sakura isn't much for boys' clothes, if her dresses bother you my wife got permission to take today off, so you should be able to go shopping with her if you need. For now, I put her clean laundry up there for you so you don't have to look for everything. Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes."

Natsu finds himself quickly standing alone, arms full of blankets. He drops them on the floor after a moment, turning to grab the clothes and walk out of the room. There were a couple doors on the second floor, but he knows which area Sakura's parents were talking in before, so he avoids that one, opening the others until he finds a bathroom.

He gets his first look at Sakura outside a mindscape then, staring at himself in the mirror in his sleep-rumpled clothes, bright green eyes looking back at him from under messy pink hair that's nearly as wild as his usually is and quite a bit longer.

He closes the bathroom door with his foot after a moment, setting the clothes down on the counter and offering the toilet a vicious glare before he reluctantly walks over to it.

He looks at the shower a moment, after he's finished, but grimaces and turns away, shuddering. "...let's not." he grumbles, pulling off the sleepclothes and taking a moment to be grateful that Sakura-chan is shaped nothing like Lucy.

Not that there's anything wrong with Lucy! But there's no way changing clothes can be that easy for her… she takes so long to get ready all the time!

It doesn't take too long to figure out how to put Sakura-chan's outfit back on, black shorts first, then the dress. It takes a couple tries to rewrap the bandages and attach the kunai pouch to his leg, and Natsu is still nowhere near comfortable with the idea of using it, but… somehow, something about Sakura-chan's body feels off balance without it, like she's so used to wearing one that nothing feels right, even to him, without it.

And then all that's left is a headband he doesn't want to wear, and hair he'd really rather cut off than deal with but…

This is Sakura-chan's body… it'd be really rude to cut all her hair without even asking. So maybe… pull it up like Erza does sometimes?

There's no brush in the bathroom, but when Natsu shoves the headband into the kunai pouch and takes the sleepwear back to the bedroom, he finds one in the drawers of Sakura's vanity, surrounded by all sorts of weird hair things that he ignores, shoving them around until he finds a simple band buried in the very back.

He never realized how hard brushing hair could be.

At one point he yanks so hard against a knot that he rips out strands of hair, biting back a yelp, but no matter how many times he tries, the brush always gets tangled and he's half a second from just giving up and cutting all her hair off anyway when Sakura's mother knocks on the door.

"N-Natsu-kun? Breakfast is ready…" Natsu growls, barely even recognizing the nervousness in her voice as he glares into the mirror of Sakura's vanity, brush so thoroughly tangled in her hair that even after he lets go it just hangs from the side of his head.

"Natsu-kun?"

The woman opens the door, and Natsu meets her eyes through the mirror with a glare as she stares in horror at the mess atop his head.

"O-oh, here, let me-"

"I'm fine!" Natsu snaps, crossing his arms and looking away from the reflection. He doesn't need help, he'll figure it out on his ow-

Her fingers pressing against his scalp take him by surprise, and his eyes jolt back to the mirror. She's working out the hair around the brush, detangling it inch by inch, and something about looking into the mirror, seeing Sakura's childish face look back as the older woman extracts the brush with extreme care cause an unusual emotion to curl through his chest.

"I don't know your name." He says eventually, trying to avoid thinking anymore about the odd sensations.

"Oh." she smiles at him over Sakura's head in the mirror, fingers still moving smoothly, and at last the brush falls free. "I'm Mebuki, I apologize for not introducing myself sooner." She hands the brush back to him, and Natsu stares at it even as he closes his grip around the handle.

"If you would rather do it yourself, long hair is easier to brush if you start at the bottom and work your way up." Mebuki offers, and her hand moves toward the top of Sakura's(his?) head, before she pulls it away with an uncomfortable look and walks out of the room.

Natsu shifts uncomfortably on the stool for a moment, glaring at the hairbrush as though it were the root of all his problems, before taking her advice and brushing from the bottom. It works much better, the second time around, and eventually Sakura's hair doesn't look like his at all, neat and straight and smooth, and somehow Natsu finds it upsetting.

Grimacing, he grabs the hairband he found earlier, trying to pull Sakura's hair up in a tail like Erza's done before. He gets it fairly good the first time, but Sakura's bangs slip out, falling in front of his face, and he pulls everything out and tries again.

It takes a few goes, before he manages to set the tail high enough on his head that Sakura's bangs reach the band and don't slip out. He shakes his head vigorously a couple times, but all her hair stays, and Natsu sighs in relief.

He walks downstairs after that, following the smell of food more than any remembered path. He nearly hesitates in the doorway, but dammit he is Natsu Dragneel and he is not afraid of eating with Sakura-chan's parents! He marches up to the table and starts grabbing food almost before he sits, stubbornly ignoring the uncomfortable feeling, because it's nothing like eating food in the guild, or even on missions with the rest of his team, but Natsu refuses to acknowledge the difference, saying hello around a mouthful of food as he settles everything on his plate.

"You put- your hair up?" Sakura's mother asks curiously, and Natsu shrugs, suddenly uncertain as to why he did. It hadn't bothered him too much yesterday, hanging loose, but…

Did I get so sentimental I decided to copy Erza?

He fights back a shudder, shoving more food in his mouth as a distraction, and it's actually pretty good. Not the best he's ever had, but Mebuki-san isn't a bad cook, and Natsu tells her as much after a moment, between bites.

"Thank you."

Natsu stares oddly at the blush on her cheeks, but decides to ignore it and go back to eating. Kizashi finishes first, and puts his dishes in the sink before saying goodbye, leaving Natsu and Mebuki to finish in stilted silence.

Like the day before, Natsu finds himself feeling both full and hungry at the same time, like his body can't make up its mind, and for a second he wonders what would happen if he just kept eating, if the feeling would go away.

Mebuki grabs his empty plate before he can, sweeping it away with her own to place in the sink, turning back to pack away the leftovers into the fridge, and Natsu finds himself unsure of what to do now, what to say.

He's quickly saved by a knock on the door, just as Mebuki puts down a washcloth to clean the table, and Natsu jumps up, rushing over to answer it before she can move. Kakashi is the one standing outside, shoulders in a relaxed slump and orange book present in front of his mask.

"It occurred to me," the silver-haired man muses idly, "That you actually have no idea where the bridge is. So, I decided to be nice and escort you. Wonderful, ne?"

The man offers him a cheery smile from behind his mask, and Natsu gives him a suspicious look, even as he bends down and puts on Sakura-chan's sandals.

"Works for me." He mutters back, hesitating a moment before calling a goodbye to Mebuki and stepping out of the house. He closes the door before he can hear her response, leaping ahead and walking off in the direction he remembers coming from, before.

Kakashi catches up after a moment, taking the lead seamlessly as he heads more toward the outskirts of Konoha, toward the walls. Natsu follows easily, hands linked under his hair as he takes in the sights of the city waking up and coming alive.

At least it's pretty. He muses idly as the bridge comes into sight, Inoichi and the two kids from before coming into view. The younger blond waves energetically, and Natsu waves awkwardly back.

This is gonna suck, isn't it?

Chapter 8

Chapter Text

"Sakura-chan you're okay!" The blond exclaims as they get close, leaping forward with arms spread. Not wanting to shove the boy away, Natsu grabs Kakashi's arm and drags him over. The man smiles indulgently as the orange-clad kid's arms wrap around him, and Natsu backs away with a suspicious look, moving to stand next to Inoichi.

"Maa, Naruto-kun, I think you missed."

"Geh!?" The blond lets go of the older man as if burned, stumbling back. "S-sensei!" he flails a bit, turning around to look at Natsu. "Sakura-chan are you okay? Did the jerk do anything to you, Kakashi-sensei said he didn't but what does he know, he wasn't there, are you feeling better-"

The black-haired kid grunts, staring suspiciously at Natsu, and the pinkette sighs.

Inoichi steps in to spare him from coming up with an answer, settling himself comfortably on the grass at the foot of the bridge. "Sakura-chan's unique situation is actually what we want to talk about. Please settle down, Naruto-kun."

There's something a bit… apprehensive in Inoichi's voice as he speaks to the blond, and Natsu looks between them a moment.

"Is something wrong with him, Inoichi-san?" The elder blond looks at Natsu, but the pinkette just continues. "You seem like you don't want to tell Naruto-kun what happened, you seem worried. So… is something wrong?"

The Yamanaka sighs. "It's nothing you need to concern yourself with - Naruto-kun is just somewhat unpredictable when it comes to bad news."

"Bad news? Is Sakura-chan dying? Sakura-chan, you can't die we just became a team- gurk!" Naruto cuts off suddenly as Kakashi aborts his lunge by grabbing the back of his jacket.

"No one is dying, Naruto-kun. Please let us explain before you start jumping to conclusions, ne?"

"Whatever happened before still isn't fixed, then." Sasuke muses, staring intently at Natsu. Natsu meets his eyes, glaring right back. Kakashi groans from off to the side. Inoichi pinches the bridge of his nose.

"Accurate enough. Please allow me to finish before interrupting. Due to some unusual jutsu interactions, Sakura-chan is currently being possessed-"

"WHAT-" Kakashi seamlessly covers Naruto's mouth, entirely nonchalant. Sasuke breaks their glaring match to stare, wide-eyed, at Inoichi and Natsu grins at the victory.

"-and, at this time, we haven't found a way to remove the possessing entity. Unfortunately, Sakura-chan is not able to take control of her body, but a thorough investigation has been performed, confirming that the possession is entirely accidental. In order to keep this situation from being widely known, Natsu-san will be working with Team 7 until we can find a way to reverse this and return him to his home. Please feel free to take a few minutes and ask any questions you may have. Hokage-sama has also agreed to make time to speak with both of you, if you wish."

"There's a guy in Sakura-chan's body?!" Naruto leaps up, finger pointing accusingly at Natsu, but Sasuke cuts in before he can respond.

"Do you really need to look for a solution? He's already proven himself far more competent than Sakura ever was."

The air practically shimmers with Naruto's fury, both Kakashi and Inoichi straightening into ready positions as the younger blond lunges forward, punching Sasuke solidly in the face before the blackette can stand. Natsu grins and nearly challenges the other boy to a fight to see whether that feeling is more than just an aura, to gauge just how strong the other boy really is, before he remembers that he has no idea what Sakura's body can handle.

Dammit, this is so much worse than Edolas!

"Don't be stupid, dobe! You saw how s-he moved against Kakashi-sensei. Why would you want that useless fangirl instead of someone who can actually keep up - or did you just like having someone worse than you on the team?"

"Don't you dare talk about Sakura-chan like that you-"

Natsu steps between them, ignoring Naruto's building aura, the air burning slightly red as he faces Sasuke. "That useless fangirl has parents, one of whom cried herself to sleep because of my presence. Even if I didn't have friends waiting for me back home, I'd want to leave as soon as possible for that alone! What, are you so concerned with power that you don't even care about the friends and family who have a stranger wearing Sakura-chan's face? Are their feelings worthless to you in your desire to have a competent teammate? Sakura-chan looks up to you, and I honestly have no idea why, but couldn't you just use that to encourage her to be better - or do you just not want to put in the effort to help her because she's 'beneath you'?"

Naruto's aura vanishes, but Natsu doesn't turn to look, glaring at Sasuke. Something vulnerable flickers across the blackette's face, almost too fast for Natsu to catch, before the other boy's face twists into a fierce glare of his own, refusing to give an inch. They stay like that, locked into a glaring contest, that Natsu refuses to lose on principal, for nearly a minute until Naruto interrupts.

"I-is Sakura-chan alright?"

"Pretty pissed," Natsu says, shrugging without breaking eye contact, "right at the end before Inoichi-san pulled us out of the mindscape, she looked like she wanted to hit something really badly, but she isn't hurt or anything. Just stuck."

"Can… we talk to her?"

"Yea-"

"No."

Natsu blinks, turning to face the older man. "But, you said, to Sakura-chan's parents, that you could bring them into the mindscape so they coul-"

"It's more dangerous to bring shinobi into a mindscape than it is civilians-"

"That can't be true, cause you said no one can use chakra in a mindscape - so it shouldn't make a difference."

"It isn't possible." Inoichi's tone is firm, unyielding, and he stares intently at Naruto as he says it.

The younger blond looks fit to argue himself, for a moment, until realization dawns across his face. Something painful and sad takes over, until he straightens, scratching the back of his head as he laughs. "Ahaha, that's alright, Sakura-chan probably wouldn't want me in her head anyway, she always complains that I'm too loud, and headaches have to be even worse when you're stuck inside them!"

Natsu looks between the two blonds, eyes narrowed.

Something's up! He was worried earlier, and neither of them were anywhere near as tense when they found out I was possessing Sakura-chan as they were when Naruto got angry… And now everyone's acting like it's normal that Naruto wouldn't be allowed to see Sakura-chan?

"Natsu-san."

The pinkette looks up, trying to look as innocent as possible. "Yeah?"

Inoichi's pupiless eyes stare heavily at him. It's a lost cause, but Natsu smiles brightly anyway, throwing his hands behind his head. "What, you wanna have a staring contest?"

"Please don't go prying into matters that do not concern you." The man says eventually, looking every inch like the guild master at his most exasperated. Natsu's grin widens, and he wonders how long it'd take to get Inoichi to set things on fire.

"That's creepy."

"Eh?" Natsu looks over at Naruto, who has an uncomfortable look on his face.

"Sakura-chan never smiles like that! It looks so weird!" He points when he says it, as though Natsu could turn and look at his own face.

The pinkette shrugs, dropping his arms. "So?"

"So you shouldn't do something so creepy!"

Natsu blinks, tilting his head as he stares at the kid. "I should just… never smile? Aren't you being a little unrealistic there?"

"A-at least smile more like Sakura-chan does! 'Ttebayo!"

Tte...bayo?

"Idiot." Sasuke scoffs, and Naruto turns around, already spoiling for a fight. Kakashi looks up to the sky as though praying for patience.

"Well. At least I can sleep easy knowing I was right, and that none of you would have passed the test if Natsu-kun hadn't been here."

"Wha- don't be ridiculous! Of course we'd pass, Sakura-chan is the best-!"

"Tch. I could have managed-"

"You're both missing the point." Kakashi cuts across their protests, arms crossed as he stares them down. "The bell test is about teamwork. None of you are good enough to get a bell from me on your own. Even if I'm holding back, none of you are that good. The entire point was that I held back enough that if you worked together, you'd have a chance. I don't know exactly what Natsu-kun did to make you acknowledge him, Sasuke-kun, but I know Sakura-chan would not have done it. Naruto-kun, of course, leapt straight into a fight with me, without even looking for his other teammates. In all honesty, the only reason I passed you all despite knowing you deserved to fail, is because I didn't want to deal with the headaches of figuring out what to do with the three of you. The Academy won't take Naruto back, no matter what I said. And as the only other person in the village with a Sharingan, I'd be forced to deal with you eventually anyway, Sasuke. You only passed because it was too much work to fail you. Are we clear?"

Naruto shuffles guiltily, eyes flickering between Natsu, Sasuke, and Kakashi, before settling on the ground at his feet. Sasuke looks away, refusing to look at anyone.

The sensei lets the silence drag on, tense and uncomfortable. Natsu looks between Sasuke and Kakashi.

"What's a Sharin-whatsit anyway?"

Inoichi makes a suspicious noise that sounds like a stifled laugh. Kakashi glares mildly at the pinkette, before sighing.

"A Kekkei genkai dojutsu exclusive to the Uchiha clan - one of my eyes is transplanted, and it's widely expected that when Sasuke-kun activates his family's technique, I will tutor him in how to use it effectively. Now," the silver-haired man glares severely, cutting off Sasuke before the blackette can do more than open his mouth, "here is what is going to happen: tomorrow morning, we'll meet back up at this training field. I will take time to test each of you individually to see what I'm working with, and we will run teamwork exercises the rest of the morning. I will provide lunch, and in the afternoon we will run D-rank missions - I don't care if you don't like it Natsu-kun, it is not negotiable - after which you will be free to go. This will be our schedule for the near future, until you prove to me that passing you wasn't a mistake. I will not teach you anything until you prove that you can work as a team, and do it well. If you want to learn jutsu, or get higher-ranked jobs, or anything else, you will prove to me that you deserve it. Are we clear?"

An intimidating presence builds around Kakashi as he talks, and though it lacks the Hokage's lethal edge, Natsu gets the feeling that's only because Kakashi is deliberately suppressing that edge.

"You can't hold us back like that forever." Sasuke says, eyes narrowed, and Kakashi barely glances at him.

"Actually, I can. Due to Natsu-kun's presence, Hokage-sama has said that Team 7 will not be permitted to leave the village without his personal approval. All I have to do is say that you are unfit for out-of-village missions, and he will let me hold you back, at the very least until a solution is found to return Natsu-kun to his home. I suppose if you really don't want to work together, you can just try to wait it out. But I don't think you're patient enough for that, Sasuke-kun."

"B-but… what about Sakura-chan? Won't she fall behind?" Naruto shifts uncomfortably, staring at Natsu even as he still looks somewhat guilty.

"Unfortunately, not much can be done about that." Inoichi interjects. "I will, of course, be working with both Natsu-san and Sakura-chan as often as my duties allow in order to resolve their situation, and some things, like tactics, can be taught to Sakura-chan while we are within her mindscape. However, no matter what we do, there will likely be a gap in skills once Sakura-chan returns to us. Don't let that stop you from doing your best in the meantime - Hatake-san is, after all, famous as the man who has mastered one thousand jutsu. He is one of our village's best, and if you prove yourselves, you'll find there is quite a bit he can teach you. I would even think that Sasuke-kun would be especially interested in learning from him, and it surprises me that you act as though you are not."

Inoichi offers a mild look to the Uchiha, who scoffs. "What's so good about him? He barely seems to take things seriously."

"Well," the Yamanaka muses, "He is one of the best assassins Konoha has to offer. For someone who has claimed, in all his therapy sessions, that he intends to become a hunter-nin at all costs, I would think that you'd be a little more interested in someone with such a skillset."

Kakashi throws the man a betrayed look. "Inoichi-san! You're ruining all my hard work!"

"I would not call your attempts to make everyone think you're an incompetent pervert 'hard work', Hatake-san. Unless, of course, there's an explanation for that you'd like to talk abou-"

"Ah, I believe we're getting off-topic."

Kakashi smoothly turns to face his students again, this time including Natsu in his gaze as he addresses them.

"I understand that you don't like each other. While most shinobi do come to think of their teams as a family, not every single one is like that. However, whether you feel that way or not, you will keep in mind the one, most important rule any true shinobi of Konoha should follow." He takes a moment to make sure he has their attention, and speaks with a grave sort of finality. "Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are less than trash."

He lets the silence linger after that, and Natsu finds himself respecting the conviction the sensei holds to those words.

Someone who believes in something like that… even if he does kill people for a living, someone like that can't be all bad.

"Now," Kakashi says after another minute of silence, "Unless you have any other questions, I think we'll leave it at that for the day. Natsu-kun, I'll take the time to show you around to the places you'll be visiting most commonly while you're here so that I don't have to keep picking you up. Inoichi-san, thank you for your assistance."

Sasuke turns and walks off, even as Inoichi offers to speak to Team 7 if they need it, and Natsu stares at his back a moment, before Naruto tries to speak.

"I-"

The blond cuts himself off, looking between Natsu and Kakashi. The sensei sighs, reaching over and ruffling Naruto's hair.

"Probably best if you take some time to think about everything, Naruto-kun. Inoichi-san can walk you home and talk to you a bit more, if you'd like. Natsu-kun?"

Naruto looks a bit indecisive at Kakashi's words, staring at Inoichi as though he isn't certain he's welcome, and Natsu doesn't think of himself as an especially curious person, he wouldn't define himself like that, but something just feels wrong about the situation.

If I'm gonna be stuck here, then I'll figure that out! He's one of Sakura-chan's teammates, so at the very least she deserves to know if there's something wrong!

...there's just something I don't like about this. It just means I'll have to be careful.

Ugh.

"Well then, Natsu-kun?"

The two blonds are walking off together, and Kakashi turns to leave as soon as he has the pinkette's attention.

The sensei leads him through the village, pointing out landmarks for navigation, and Natsu does his best to commit everything to memory. They cross the administration center, the main gates and the secondary gates used for outside missions that don't involve client escort, a selection of training fields Kakashi favors, and even where Naruto and Sasuke live, though Kakashi only guides him close enough to point out the buildings. Then they turn towards Sakura's house, though Natsu hesitates before going in.

"Something wrong?" Kakashi asks, book comfortably in front of his face now that he doesn't have to keep an eye out to avoid any… awkward conversations during the tour.

Natsu grimaces, debating asking (wouldn't want to tempt fate…), but goes ahead after a moment. "You guys don't have a train station?"

"Hmm? Odd question. We do have trains over here, but they aren't favored, and are almost never used by shinobi. It's all but impossible to secure them properly, too easy to sabotage them, and of course, no shinobi village is going to have a station leading into it, that would be disastrous. Why do you ask?"

"O-on second thought, can I live here forever?!" Natsu exclaims, an idle daydream of Fairy Tail setting up shop in this world that doesn't use trains and showing these shinobi villages how a real guild operates, beating everyone up until they stop all the killing and get rid of all the yami-guild vibes crossing through his mind.

Kakashi laughs, shaking his head in blatant amusement. "Not fond of them?"

"They're awful!" Natsu clutches his stomach, he swears he can feel the nausea just thinking about it!

"Well, can't say I disagree with you there. Have a good day, Natsu-kun." Kakashi pats his head, before disappearing in a flurry of leaves, and Natsu is about done with being treated like a kid, but Kakashi is gone and now he's got to deal with Sakura-chan's mother…

Sighing, the pinkette opens the door, slipping off Sakura's sandals and sort of wondering if maybe he should just turn around and explore on his own.

"Sak- Natsu-kun, is that you?" Natsu flinches at the way her voice just drops, as he calls back a confirmation, taking a few steps forward. He stops when she turns the corner, bag on her shoulder.

"Did you want to go shopping now?"

Natsu nearly says no, he hardly minds Sakura-chan's clothes, they're easy to move in and that's all he really cares about, but something stops him, and when he takes a closer look at Mebuki, he realizes.

She really wants to go out shopping… I didn't think she was that comfortable around me? Ugh, girls...

Turning back around, Natsu slips the sandals back on. "Works for me! What sorta stores do you guys even have around here, anyway?"

He tries to pay attention as Mebuki starts to explain Konoha's shopping district, and the stuff they sell, but he's never had much attention for stuff like that in the first place and she knows so much, goes into so much detail, Natsu feels like his brain is going to melt just trying to understand it. Why anyone knows so much about stores is beyond him, and he quickly finds himself only paying attention with half an ear as he instead watches the people running around on the roofs.

This is going to be a long, long day.

Chapter 9: Interlude II: Shopping

Summary:

Natsu goes shopping. It... doesn't end as terribly as expected.

Chapter Text

Shopping with Mebuki-san is… nothing like Natsu expected.

Maybe because she didn't just buy a bunch of stuff and make him carry all the bags until he felt like he was being crushed beneath their weight – or maybe because she kept forgetting who she was shopping for, would pull out pretty dresses and casual skirts before looking at him and remembering.

Natsu feels more and more like a jerk with every dress she puts back, even though she does her best to play it off as nothing.

"You're not as eager as I thought you'd be." Mebuki comments, as they walk from one store to another. Natsu shrugs, peering at the windowfronts.

"I dunno, I mean clothes are clothes. If you can fight in em, that's really all that matters to me. And with how worried Inoichi-san was about my name, I sorta figured changing Sakura-chan's wardrobe might be going too far, specially since it's not too bad for fighting."

Mebuki stops a couple feet from another clothing shop – Natsu hadn't liked the material the clothes at the last one were made of at all – and sighs. "I… suppose you're right. I just thought-"

She cuts herself off, glancing at Natsu then quickly away. The pinkette steps forward and offers her a curious look. "Thought what, Mebuki-san?" He keeps his voice low – not fond of the idea of calling her 'kaa-san', but Natsu knows it wouldn't do to be seen addressing her by name. Sakura-chan's soft voice makes speaking quietly rather easy – almost too easy, because the first time he spoke quietly, Mebuki-san hadn't even heard him.

She shifts uncomfortably for a moment, then takes a deep breath. "I simply thought that it would be… easier if you didn't look quite the same as- well. I just."

"Oh!" Natsu laces his fingers behind his head, backing into the shop they'd loitered before with a grin. "Well, in that case, this place actually looks like it's got decent stuff, unlike the last one! Look, I think I see something black over there!" Natsu spins around, darting forward to pull it off the rack and hold it up.

That's… the style of shirt Sasuke wears! Ugh!

Natsu all but slams it back onto the rack, tossing a "not that one!" back to Mebuki as he pokes around the other clothes in the shop.

In the end, even Tatsu-san's Tailory doesn't have anything Natsu likes, and he groans as they walk out the door. "Does any shop in this city have decent clothes? Why are they all so weird?"

Mebuki chuckles, leading the way to a dango stand. "Perhaps it's Natsu-kun whose tastes are odd – we've checked out pretty much every major shinobi outfitter in the central market after all."

Natsu scoffs as she places an order, and it's only a couple minutes before they find a place to sit with a large plate of dango between them.

"Nuthin wrong with my tastes," he mutters around a mouthful of food, ignoring the look of horror on Mebuki-san's face, "s'not like anyone ever says anything back home 'bout it. So you guys are definitely the weird ones!"

"Well, what do you usually wear then?"

Natsu goes to respond, then looks down at his (Sakura's?) chest. "Uh… she's… flat… enough?"

"Absolutely not." Mebuki-san points a dango stick into his face, tone utterly final. Natsu leans back a bit, and she settles the stick onto the empty pile to grab another.

Natsu watches her warily for a moment, until he's certain she won't try to stab him. Grabbing a fresh stick of his own, he returns to eating.

"Well, we can try Mikki's next. They're a little further away, out of the main marketing district, but perhaps there will be something more suitable over there."

"Sumthin wrong with em?" Natsu asks, stuffing the rest of the dango into his mouth.

Mebuki narrows her eyes at him, and Natsu vaguely remembers Lucy chastising him for talking with his mouth full, but she's not Lucy, and it's not like Natsu ever listened to his teammate about stuff like that anyway – 'slong as Erza's not around… brrr!

"The craftsmen's district is a bit pricier than the main market district, since they do a lot of personal and customization work. Their off-the-rack options are still rather fair in price, so it's not a concern."

"Huh. So there are places like that here, too."

"Mm." She waits a moment, letting Natsu grab the last stick of dango, before gathering the trash and moving to throw it away.

They walk to Mikki's in silence, Mebuki-san keeping a surprisingly brisk pace for a woman everyone referred to as a civilian.

Maybe she works out so she can keep up with her daughter?

The shop is a couple minutes away from where they ate, and Natsu takes one look at the place and decides he likes it. They've actually got options, a variety of styles that seem made to appeal to anyone. Mebuki calls a greeting as she walks in, and the man behind the counter sits up.

"Ah, Mebu-chan! Little Sakura grown out of her previous set already?"

I take it back. I don't like this place at all!

Natsu bristles, but Mebuki cuts across any response. "Actually, since s-she graduated, we decided to buy her some new clothes in celebration…"

"Still nervous, huh?" the man offers Mebuki a consoling smile. "It's alright, she's a bright kid. She'll do fine. But if it's a new look you want, Sakura-chan, I've got just the thing! Right this way!"

"I've been experimenting with some new styles of qipao, this one here, well, it's probably a bit too long to fight in, but boy is it a looker! Interested?" The man spins around, holding up a near-floor length dress, and Natsu can't help the look of revulsion at the rainbow flowers patterned all over the cloth. The shopkeeper notices his expression and chuckles.

"Not for you, eh? You really should try some colorful ones sometime, they'd look so good on you! But if it's simple you want, I suppose…" the man turns around, rustling through a stack of similarly-cut dresses.

"Aha!" He holds something aloft, but tucks it behind him as he spins back around to face Natsu and Mebuki-san. "Now, this little beauty is a bit shorter than what you've currently got Saku-chan, but that shouldn't be much of an issue. Behold!" He whips the dress around with a flourish, holding it up for admiration.

"…"

Natsu feels his eyebrow twitching as he looks at the bright pink outfit with black petals scattered near the bottom.

"A-absolutely not! That's way too pink!" He chokes out, desperately looking around for better options. His eyes land on something black and white and he lunges without even bothering to look closer, fingers desperately closing around the familiar colors before some other monstrosity can be presented.

"This! This is fine, right?"

The man sighs, and somehow manages to sound heartbroken. "I suppose… really though, Saku-chan, are you sure you don't want to try something a little more lik-"

"I'm sure! I'm absolutely, totally sure! M-maybe next time!"

There will never be a next time. Natsu thinks, watching the man gather up the outfit, as well as a couple similar ones, and walk to the register. He packages them up while Mebuki counts out the payment, and Natsu isn't quite sure how the monetary system here works, but the price doesn't seem too unreasonable.

The pinkette grabs the bags as soon as the shopkeeper finishes putting everything inside, giving the older man a suspicious look. Somehow he just knows the man can't be trusted.

"It's alright Saku-chan, I promise I didn't swap one of them out at the last minute this time!"

This time?!

"Thank you for your assistance, as always, Mikki-san." Natsu turns to stare at Mebuki as she offers a polite bow, and quickly darts after her as she leaves the store.

"Can we never go there again?" he asks, as soon as he's sure they're out of earshot, and Mebuki laughs.

It's the first time she's done so since Natsu met her, which might not have been too long ago, but with how nervous and upset she's been the whole time… Natsu grins himself, swinging the bags idly as they turn towards the house.

I guess today didn't suck as much as I thought it would! Even if Inoichi-san was acting so suspicious about that Naruto kid…

I wonder what's for lunch?

Chapter 10

Chapter Text

The blankets Natsu left on the floor that morning are gone, a new set laid out on Sakura's bed, sleepclothes nowhere to be seen. Sakura's outfits are still laid out on top of the dresser, where her father left them, and Natsu pulls out the new clothes to add to the pile.

He stops quickly, unfolding the… qipo?... as something catches his eye. The outfit isn't entirely black and white as he first thought, because when he looks closer, there's a golden trim running around the collar and the hems - not very thick, but easy to see up close, and it feels so oddly like home, looking at those colors, that Natsu has to fight back a very unusual urge to hug it.

The other two outfits are the same, the white patterning merely a different design between all of them. Natsu carefully puts all the clothes up, and shoves the bags into the tiny trash can by Sakura's desk, only to find himself at a loss of how to spend the rest of the day.

Downstairs, he can hear Mebuki moving around pots and dishware, likely to cook lunch, and Natsu finds himself uncomfortable at the idea of eating with her, just the two of them in this house, especially after spending all morning together.

Don't parents usually give their kids some kinda allowance? I think I heard someone say something like that once… I could get my own lunch somewhere.

Hmm…

Natsu stares about the room thoughtfully, trying to figure out where Sakura-chan would keep her money.

"This'd be so much easier if I could just ask… tch!"

Grumbling to himself, the pinkette starts poking through the desk, but finds nothing more than a whole lot of notes and writing utensils, including what looks like a calligraphy brush. Under the bed is a lost cause too, some oddly mishappen orange stuffed animal shoved in the very corner, a crudely written 'happy birthday sakura-chan' note still pinned to its forehead. Natsu sticks it on the pillow, note and all, before turning to the closet.

A whole bunch of odd things are in there, shoes clearly not meant for fighting arrayed on a rack in the corner, two different sleeping bags on a shelf up top, lots of skirts and dresses that look more like frilly bags than anything else, and a bedroll attached to a pack sat right in front.

Natsu digs through the pack, which is apparently a mission bag, with a med kit, spare clothes, and lots of spare weapons that he pushes aside awkwardly as he continues his search.

Jackpot!

At the very bottom of the bag is a purse, and Natsu holds it up triumphantly for a moment after he fishes it out, before sticking it in the pouch on his leg.

Now for food!

Moving to the window, Natsu quickly slips out, closing it behind him, then drops himself to the ground, ignoring the flash of pain from his ankle.

Sakura-chan's not in terrible shape though. Maybe she just doesn't jump off high places much? Or maybe she lands differently. That'd get annoying way too fast! Ugh…

Natsu turns and heads back towards the market district, planning to follow his nose to whatever smells best after he gets there. A few people give him odd looks as he walks, but it isn't until a kid Naruto and Sasukes' age walks up that he realizes why.

"Oi, Sakura! What happened to your shoes?"

Natsu freezes at the voice, turning slowly to see another kid standing there with a dog on his head, staring at the pinkette's feet.

Act like Sakura act like Sakura dammit I don't know how to act like Sakura!

"Uh- ehehe, well that is…" Natsu nearly offers the boy a bright grin, before he remembers Naruto's complaints and tries to settle for Lucy's 'i'm-really-content-right-now' smile instead. "I… snuck out my window?" Natsu eventually offers, edging backwards as he speaks.

The dog kid's eyes narrow. "You're bein' weird. Somethin' up?"

I knew this would never work!

"Weeeeeeeell," the pinkette drawls, stalling for time as he scrambles for an excuse, "I was going to… uh… havelunchwithNaruto?"

The brown-haired boy stares silently, and Natsu feels dread start to coil through him because clearly that was NOT the right thing to say! The kid cracks a grin after another moment though, scooping the dog off his head and laughing a bit.

"Your mum never was comfortable with him, was she? Still, you're a shinobi now! At least sneak out with your shoes!" Natsu nods, smiling uncomfortably, and changes direction toward the building Kakashi had pointed out as belonging to Naruto.

The other kid jogs to catch up, walking alongside Natsu, and the pinkette bites back a groan.

"Huh. I didn't know you knew where he lived. Don't you, like, not get along with him?" The dog is in the front of his coat now, staring up at Natsu far too intelligently to be normal. The pinkette offers the creature a shaky grin before looking back up at the boy.

Do I smell different than Sakura-chan? Or am I just doing that badly that even a dog can tell something's not right...

"Kakashi...sensei made sure to show me. He seems to care a lot about teamwork, so..." Natsu shrugs, taking longer strides and biting back a grimace as he steps badly on a rock.

Where's a distraction when you need one, honestly!

"Huh. Really? Kurenai-sensei didn't do that with us, though I guess it isn't too hard to find Hinata or Shino if I want, since I just gotta go to their clan compound… guess it's true neither you or Naruto have a place like that. That his place up there?" Natsu nods, and then sags in relief as the brunette waves and turns to head a different direction. "Try not to break Naruto's skull when he annoys you!" he calls, and Natsu waves back, before quickly ducking into the building before someone else can speak to him. He waits there for a minute, until the sounds of the other boy's footsteps and his dog's barks fade completely and turns to walk back out the complex door.

Footsteps race down the stairs behind him as he opens the door, and someone crashes into him from behind, sending Natsu sprawling into the road, the other person landing heavily on his back.

"Whaa?" the pinkette groans, pushing himself up and rolling, causing the other person to fall to the side, and Natsu blinks as he recognizes the attacker.

"Na-ruto?"

"Eh? Sakura-cha-" The blond cuts himself off, eyes narrowing. "What're you doing at my place?"

Natsu sighs, standing up and offering the blond a hand. Naruto takes it suspiciously, but lets the pinkette pull him to his feet. "I was going out for lunch, when some kid with a dog approached and started talking to me. I don't have any idea how to act like Sakura-chan, and I'm not supposed to tell anyone… it was so annoying! So I said I was planning to have lunch with you, and then he walked me here, and then you showed up."

"Kiba did? Huh, I didn't realize he knew where I lived. I was actually planning to get ramen, unless Sak- uh, Natsu wanted to go somewhere else?"

Natsu shrugs, commiting the name to memory and doing his best to look like he doesn't want to just fight something until the world starts making sense again. "Ramen sounds good," he offers, when Naruto continues to stare at him. "You'll have to lead, I don't know where to get something like that around here."

"Sure thing!" Naruto quickly bounces ahead, leading the way as he eagerly talks about ramen being the best thing in the world.

"Was becoming a ramen chef your second choice if you didn't make it as a shinobi?" Natsu offers teasingly during a drool-filled pause in the one-sided conversation.

"Wha-? No way! I'm gonna be Hokage no matter what, I don't need a second choice!" the blond crosses his arms, sticking his nose in the air and refusing to look at Natsu, acting as though he spoke blaspheme.

"You wanna be like that weird old guy?"

"Weird old- jiji is awesome, why're you calling him a weird old guy? Even though he is old I guess… but that just means he'll have to give me the hat sooner!" Naruto pumps his fist in the air, seeming to have completely forgotten about the question he'd just asked. Not exactly wanting to talk about how the blond's 'jiji' is an imposing killer, Natsu glances around, eyes landing on a place advertising itself as Ichiraku Ramen.

"That the ramen shop? Seems pretty small." the pinkette offers, and the blond snaps out of his daydreams.

"Yep! That's the place. Hey old man, it's your favorite customer!" Naruto's voice raises at the end, even before he walks up to the counter and takes a seat, Natsu joining him only a second behind. The chef is a rather happy fellow who doesn't say anything despite the two other customers standing up and walking away after they notice Naruto's arrival. It's another piece of oddness that Natsu commits to memory, though the blond doesn't pay any attention to the people who walked out, already rattling off his order to the dutiful chef.

"And what would you like, miss?" the man asks, turning to Natsu once the blond is done, and the pinkette find himself once again uncomfortable.

"The tonkotsu?" he offers after a moment of looking at the menu.

"Of course! Ayame-chan, orders!" The man sweeps into the back, brandishing the list as he goes.

"He called you miss." Naruto says after a moment, in a tone clearly trying to be quiet and failing. Natsu shrugs, pushing aside the discomfort that tries to sprout.

"Can't really help it, since everyone wants to keep this situation quiet. It's not too hard to ignore, anyway! S'not like I pay attention to what people call me or anything."

"Is it really that easy to ignore? When people call you something you aren't…"

The cook is blatantly eavesdropping, only half-hidden by the cloth separating the front from the back, but the melancholy in Naruto's voice inspires Natsu to answer anyway.

"Well, it's not like they know me. So why should I care what they have to say? Sure, I know there're people who don't like me too much, the Council hates my guts and tend to have a new insult every time I meet 'em, but their opinions aren't important. Cause I have friends and family who know who I am, and they're the ones who matter! So if other people say things about you that aren't true, just ignore them. Pay attention to the people who know you, and not the strangers who judge you without even trying to learn! That's what's important!"

Naruto stares, wide-eyed for a moment, before laughing. "Hehehe, I guess that's true! So what is Natsu's opinion then, if we're going to be teammates for a while?"

Natsu leans against the counter, propping his chin in his hands. "I dunno. Inoichi-san and Kakashi-sensei both got pretty worried when you punched Sasuke, and Inoichi-san gave me that weird look when telling me to leave stuff alone, but I don't like the way he talked to you! So I'm gonna figure out whatever secret you guys are keeping, and decide then! For now, you're just another kid I guess."

Naruto shakes his head as the chef sweeps out with the first bowls of ramen. "It's really not important… so you should forget about it! Dattebayo!" he digs into his food immediately after, and Natsu joins him.

The ramen is amazing, and Natsu finds himself staring mournfully at the remainder of his fourth bowl, regretting Sakura's appetite more than ever as he struggles with feeling full enough to puke and still ridiculously hungry.

...can I train Sakura-chan's body to eat more? This is so annoying!

"Eh? Are you gonna finish that, Sakura-cha- Natsu?"

Natsu shakes his head awkwardly from where it lays on the counter, and slowly pushes the bowl over with one finger. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Naruto give him a weird look while picking up the bowl, but Natsu doesn't react.

The blond, who had eighteen bowls, finishes the remainder of Natsu's fourth with gleeful abandon, and the pinkette feels inexplicably sick just watching.

"Not fair." he grumbles as he shoves himself up, fishing out Sakura-chan's wallet from the kunai pouch. Natsu only realizes after he pulls out the money that he has no idea how to count this world's currency, and the pinkette groans, forehead thudding heavily onto the wood.

I bet Lucy could figure this out! Ugh I'm gonna have to get someone to explain it all…

"Eh? You pulled out way too much! W-why do you even have so much, we haven't run missions yet!" Natsu rolls his head to the side, watching as Naruto counts out what he can only assume is enough for four bowls. The blond shoves everything else back in, handing the wallet back to Natsu with an expectant look on his face.

"I dunno. Figured it was allowance, most parents do stuff like that for their kids, right? Isn't that where your money comes from?" Natsu's paying more attention to putting away his wallet than he is to his companion, and almost misses the sadness that crosses the blond's face. Naruto covers it up quickly, but his scent feels upset, and Natsu stares uncomfortably at his companion.

"Ehehe, I don't have any, dattebayo! I get my money from the orphan's fund, but now that I'm a genin, I'll stop getting that so hopefully the missions pay well. I suppose you don't need 'em, huh?" Natsu shrugs, turning to walk in a random direction.

"I'd rather have my own money, but D-ranks are the worst! I don't know what they're like here, but back home they're absolutely miserable! It's stuff like 'please find my lost kitty' or 'give this letter to Sasajima-san, but I don't know where he is so you'll have to find him yourself' or 'please buy this book for me, I'm too old to be travelling' and you don't get to fight at all it's so boring!"

"B-but! What about rescuing princesses, or fighting off evil bandits! Or super-secret courier missions through the heart of Iwa? I can't be Hokage if I'm just catching cats!"

Naruto stares in horror at Natsu, and the pinkette pats his back consolingly. "I have no clue where Iwa is, but I'm pretty sure any jobs that involve the royal family are automatically S-Rank because those guys like to feel important or something. Bandit hunting jobs aren't much of a thing back home, since guild raids are more common, and those are solid B-rank or higher. Sometimes a small group of thieves or something might be a C-rank, though."

"U-unfair…" Naruto groans, entire body slumping in dejection. Natsu nods sadly, then straightens to dramatically shake his fist.

"I can't believe I'm being downgraded like this! Even if I'd failed the S-class exam there's no way the master would have put me onto D-rank jobs, this is just too cruel!"

"Maybe we could convince sensei to change his mind?" Naruto asks hopefully, but Natsu shakes his head.

"He sounded pretty serious about the teamwork requirement. I get the feeling it's gonna be a while…"

"Tch! Just because Sasuke's a jerk, dattebayo!" Naruto throws his hands behind his head, lacing his fingers together as he looks around. "Where're we going anyway?"

Natsu shrugs. "I'm just walking in random directions. Kakashi showed me the big places in the city, but I want to be more familiar with it, since I might… be here a while." he spits the last part out reluctantly, glaring at nothing in particular.

"O-oh." Naruto shifts uncomfortably, clearly as dissatisfied with the idea of Natsu's continued presence as the pinkette himself. "If we keep going this way, we'll end up at the Academy's camping field."

"Is that just what it sounds like?"

Naruto nods. "Yeah, the Academy has a three-night camping trip later on in school, where everyone learns more hands-on about what's edible and what isn't n'stuff like that. I wasn't allowed to go 'cause- of some reason, I never asked, but Sakura-chan was pretty upset after that trip, saying something about bunnies."

"Oh." Natsu stops, staring at the trees he can see in the distance.

Bunnies, huh? And back then, Inoichi-san mentioned conditioning classes… guess they wouldn't have eaten the rabbits after, either, cause killing for food is different than killing to kill.

Shaking off his thoughts, Natsu turns and starts walking a different direction. "What's this way?" he asks idly, stretching his arms above his head as he moves.

"Dunno, but if you walk far enough you'll hit another training field eventually. One of the public-use ones that anyone can visit and aren't reserved for teams to use."

"There's fields like that?"

"Yeah, I got thrown out once for using a shinobi-only field, lots of them are reserved like that, not to specific people but just to 'anyone with a headband'. But there are a few public fields for people who want to be shinobi to practice their taijutsu or kunai and stuff while in the academy, if they don't have a clan field to use instead. They're not as nice though." The blond pouts, crossing his arms over his chest and managing to look quite sulky. Natsu laughs.

"O-oi! I'm serious, the public training fields are awful, I'll prove it to you!" Naruto grabs his arm and breaks into a run, and Natsu nearly trips until he adjusts to the blond's pace.

The pinkette quickly finds himself struggling to breathe evenly, Sakura-chan's body so clearly unused to what is practically an extended sprint, and Natsu snarls breathlessly, stubbornly keeping pace and maybe slightly regretting his lack of shoes now.

Short breath turns slowly to a crawling pain down his sides, like the world's worst stitch, and even if he doesn't want to Natsu begins to think he'll need to slow down or risk damaging his body - Naruto guides him around a corner then, hand still clasped around his arm and Natsu stumbles to a stop, relieved at the sight of the field the blond was clearly leading him toward.

Naruto's right, this place is a dump!

Taking a moment to simply stare at the field as he catches his breath, Natsu finds himself gaping in horror.

"H-how…"

"I know right! No one ever cleans them up, look at this!" Naruto bounces ahead, and Natsu hates him maybe just a little for having such boundless energy despite sprinting the whole way there, but takes a few steps forward anyway to see. The blond bends down, picking some things off the ground, and spins around to show them off. "Broken shuriken pieces! And broken glass, and some civilian's smelly sock! Even though they're the only training fields non-clan kids can use unless they got friends, they're complete crap! Every now and then you find something worth selling in em, but that's so rare! So of course I kept trying to use the reserved ones, they're actually nice! S'not like anyone would let me use theirs after all…"

"I-I wouldn't want to use a field like this either…" Natsu stares in disgust at the sock Naruto is still holding like it doesn't reek of vomit and sake from ten feet away, nevermind how it must smell so close to the blond's nose! Shuddering, the pinkette takes a few steps back. "Why would they take such poor care of the place?"

Naruto shrugs, finally tossing the stuff back onto the ground. "I dunno really, I never thought about it much. Maybe they just have too many training fields, and decide to only clean the bigger ones? Who knows, dattebayo! This one's not as bad as most of them are though, if you wanna practice a bit." The blond looks very hopeful, despite the fact that he didn't seem to like the fact that Natsu took Sakura-chan's place before, and the pinkette has no idea what to make of it.

When Natsu takes too long to respond, that hopeful look fades into unsurprised disappointment that Naruto quickly wipes off.

"W-well, I guess I did sorta invite myself along, overstayed my welcome huh? Maybe next time, S-Natsu-kun!" the blond waves cheerily, but he smells so upset the dichotomy nearly makes Natsu sick -or maybe that's all the running, Sakura-chan REALLY needs to work out more!- and before he can really think about it, the pinkette reaches out and grabs Naruto's wrist.

"It's not that," he says, and scrambles for a polite way to say 'I just don't want to learn how to kill people' before taking another look at the field -away from that confusing expression- "I just don't want to kill myself!"

"Eh? What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto doesn't try to shake his grip at all, and Natsu ends up letting go himself, stepping back further from the training field, pointedly glaring at it.

"I'm pretty sure you can get some sort of poisoning from stepping on broken stuff like that!" he protests, curling his toes in the dirt of the road.

Naruto glances down, and his face freezes comically in surprise.

"You're not wearing shoes?!"

A flock of birds take off, startled, from the treetops, and Natsu watches as they whirl through the air.

I really should have just left through the front door…

"Sakura-chan you can't do that, it's dangerous, what if you cut yourself, I didn't even realize if I'd pulled you into the grass you could have been hurt oh kami-sama why didn't you say something-"

"I'm fine, Naruto-kun." Natsu eventually interrupts, looking down to meet the other's blue eyes. "But I'm not stepping into that training field for anything, so I'm gonna have to say no to that trainin-"

"I can clean it all up!" Naruto blurts suddenly, throwing his hands together into an odd shape. "Kage-bunshin no justu!"

Natsu blinks, stupefied, as what must be over forty Narutos pop into existence. The original points his hand forward like a commanding general. "Let's clean up this field!"

A resounding 'hai!' echoes back from the small army of Narutos, and Natsu finds his eyes glued to the scene, unable to look away as they carefully scavenge the field, even digging it up to search out every last shard of metal or glass or even unusually pointed twig, until the entire place is spotless and a large pile of junk holds sway over the furthest corner, far enough away to pose no threat to anyone.

"We did it boss!" one of the odd duplicates cries, pumping its (his?) fist in the air, and the others let out a ragged cheer before disappearing one by one.

Natsu vaguely wonders if he passed out from trying to run too far and this is just a very weird dream, but Naruto grabs his arm and pulls him with a firm grip onto the torn-up grass, and it feels too real to be a dream.

What sort of weird magic do they practice here?!

"See? Don't worry, we checked it over super good, so nothing should hurt you! I'll even take off my shoes, that way it'll be even!" Naruto babbles, hopping on one foot to remove his shoes one-handed, the other still grabbing Natsu's arm.

Tossing them over his shoulder, Naruto lets go of Natsu's arm in order to turn and face him, grinning brightly. "We can spar, right? I've never had a sparring partner, 'cept during the academy lessons and those don't really count, if you stepped even a little out of the circle you lost it was annoying! We can do something else too if you don't want to spar, anything's fine with me dattebayo, ahahaha!"

Oh.

He's lonely.

Natsu feels a bit like an idiot for taking so long to realize, it's not that Naruto suddenly forgave him for possessing Sakura-chan, it's that Naruto wanted to spend time with someone, and didn't care if that person had to be Natsu- the pinkette still feels annoyingly exhausted from the run to the training field, but Sakura-chan's body isn't going to get better by itself, so he offers the blond a smile.

"A spar's fine with me." he says, taking a few steps back and shifting into a ready position, taking every moment he can to recover under the guise of waiting on the blond to make the first move.

He can't quite help the expectant grin that crosses his face though, because Natsu has wanted to punch something for two days now and nothing is going to take this chance from him, even if he does have to keep it 'sparring friendly'.

Naruto leaps forward with an eager cry, impatient to the core, and Natsu moves.

He can feel the weakness of Sakura-chan's body in the sluggish response, in the pain of his knuckles when he lands a solid punch against the blond's sternum, in the way his torso did not appreciate that twist, but Naruto recovers quickly, launching a counterattack, and his body's weakness ceases to matter in the thrill of a fight against an opponent who just will. Not. Stay. Down. no matter how many times Natsu hits him, because the blond has stamina for days, but no form whatsoever. Natsu can't help wasting precious breath to laugh, because he loves fighting, but he loves fighting most when it's fun, when no one is in danger of dying or being seriously hurt, and it's been far too long.

He moves nearly on instinct, his body's protests a distant thing as he dances through blows and lashes out with solid punches and kicks of his own losing himself to the adrenaline and that unusual place where only action and reaction matter, and everything else is a distant, ephemeral worry.

The punch that makes it through his guard after so long -something in his leg is burning shitshitshit must have pushed too hard- comes as a complete surprise, colliding sharply with his chin and Natsu's teeth just barely miss his tongue as his jaw snaps shut from the impact.

Suddenly he can't breathe, or maybe can't get any air despite breathing? Natsu feels himself panting, the sky swirling around him as someone -Naruto, Naruto's the one who's here- screams "Sakura-chan!", but Natsu definitely pushed the girl's body too hard, dizziness overwhelming his senses as he spins down, down, down.

And then all he can smell is sakura petals.

Chapter 11

Notes:

A/N: Lemme tell you, 100% of last chapter WAS NOT PLANNED. INCLUDING the ending. The next mindscape visit was supposed to be in Inoichi's first lesson. But I already had a thing in my head where Natsu would visit the mindscape every time he fell unconscious and the idiot just HAD to ignore all my plans and do so last chapter. And people always used to wonder why I hated writing summaries as a kid/in school.

There is no such thing as a summary that survives the finished product. Every time I write one it only ends up half accurate. I literally had to REWRITE this story's summary because Natsu derailed my first plot three chapters in. Thanks Natsu.

My sister refuses to believe that characters can and DO write themselves. She seems to think that as the author I can just make them stick to my summary. I do not know how to explain to her. I START WRITING NATSU AND THEN EVERYTHING JUST FLOWS. THE WRONG WAY MAYBE BUT STILL FLOWS. STORY FLOW GOOD. STORY NOT FLOW BAD. LET STORY FLOW EVEN IF NOT WHAT EXPECTED.

There. My best attempt.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Natsu opens his eyes slowly, taking in the pink canopy that is quickly becoming familiar. There's no sun in the sky of Sakura's mind, just an omnipresent light that doesn't fade or change, the shadows all in the same place all the time and it's a wonder Natsu ever thought this was the real world, when he first woke up here.

The pinkette pushes himself up after another minute, rising smoothly to his feet, and once again all the pain he felt before is entirely gone, not a trace to be found. Natsu turns to head toward Sakura-chan's cabin, only...

"Eh?! W-where is it?"

The pinkette freezes barely two steps in, because ahead of him is a thick cluster of trees, some of the trunks interwoven with each other, a near-impenetrable border. He spins around, but the trees are like that on all sides, tightly pushed together, in a way no real trees could be and hope to live.

"What the hell?" the pinkette mutters, walking up to the wall of trunks and running his hands over their smooth wood. If there's any bark present, he can't feel it, an odd lack of texture real trees should have is all that exists under his questing fingers.

He turns back toward where the cabin should be, and the trees are… slightly further apart, enough that he could maybe squeeze between them if he tries, as clear a path as anything in this unreal place. Natsu sighs, taking off his scarf and vest and tying them securely around his hips so they don't get snagged and pulled off, before twisting sideways and sidling through the trunks.

The wood should scrape, Natsu knows, as he forces himself between two more tightly-packed trunks, that he should be covered in scratches. All there is, though, is a quick phantom pain that fades almost before he processes it, until the next branch or closely-packed trunk, repeating in an endless cycle.

Natsu finds himself wondering how much damage it might do to Sakura-chan if he lights the entire forest on fire.

His magic bubbles inside him, as wild and powerful as ever, almost taunting him with how accessible it is in this place, when he can't even feel it in the outside world, only Sakura's odd, strangely-heavy chakra.

Muttering curses under his breath as the trees become impassable again, Natsu turns slowly, peering into the forest until he finds the new direction this... path... heads.

"If you can even call it a path! Paths are supposed to be flat, seriously, what in the blazes is this!?"

Shoving his way through the newest batch of trees, Natsu finds himself wondering why Sakura's mindscape changed in the first place.

"It doesn't make any sense." he mutters under his breath, pushing a pink-laden branch out of his face. "I mean, sure, I don't know shit about this mindscape stuff in the first place, but I'm pretty sure this can't be normal! If I didn't know better I'd say these stupid trees were angry at me!" Natsu kicks the trunk of the nearest tree, earning another ephemeral impression of pain against his foot and not much else. Groaning, the pinkette drops his forehead against the trunk and focuses very heavily on the fact that burning down Sakura's mindscape is a Bad Idea.

"Okay Natsu, let's think this through," he mutters, taking a deep breath, then letting it back out slowly. "The first time we ended up here, it was cause of that killer headache that Inoichi-san thinks is because Sakura-chan's body can't handle my enhanced senses. Or maybe the headache was from my sudden presence. Who knows!" Natsu spins around, leaning his back against the trunk and looking up at the pink canopy above him. "And then, of course the second time I came with Inoichi-san. And I still had a bit of a headache, but that was it."

Natsu scowls up at nothing, thudding his head against the trunk.

"This time I was just sparring! And sure, maybe I forgot Sakura-chan's body was weaker than mine, but I don't understand how this happened! Ugh, this isn't helping!" Sliding to the ground, Natsu props his arms on his knees as he leans back against the trunk.

The forest is carpeted in sakura petals, but as long as he's been here, Natsu's never seen a single blossom fall.

The pinkette groans at his wandering thoughts, thumping his head against the trunk again in exasperation. His eyes trace back up to the canopy above his head, interlocking branches making veins of brown against the soft pink.

An idea strikes him suddenly.

Maybe if I… climb the trees?

Suddenly determined, the dragon slayer surges to his feet, spinning around to look at the tree he'd been leaning against. The lowest branches are out of reach of his arms, but the trees are packed so close together…

Walking around the trunk, Natsu finds another tree pressed close to the first, and he quickly wedges himself between them.

"Not much room to maneuver," he grumbles as he lifts a leg and presses it into the tree's trunk. The lack of bark is a blessing and a curse as he struggles to ascend. His shoes find little purchase, constantly slipping off the trunk if he lets back on the pressure even a bit, but his back glides smoothly up the opposing tree, nothing to snag on and halt his progress.

And once again, for the first time in this trip into Sakura-chan's mind, time… slips. It takes an age, or maybe an instant, some sensation of time passing and yet no time at all, before Natsu finds himself steadily perched on a branch, looking down at the forest floor from above. Time… hesitates… while Natsu looks down, is the only way to describe it ahesitationlikeadrawnbreathwaitingforrelease, before resuming its odd tempo when he turns to continue his ascent.

The tree is far taller than it looked from the ground, far taller than any tree has a right to be, and time remains an unusually tight band about him, leaving the pinkette to wonder if the tree is unusually tall or if he's just moving unusually slowly?

But time hesitates when he looks down again, and there's no ground to be seen, just endless branches of pink and brown aflickerofsomethingdancingbetweentheveins.

Only it's unstable somehow, trembling and shaking even as he feels perfectly steady itsthumpingpulsingandeyesstareupbutwhywhyarethereeyesinthesea, and Natsu jerks his gaze back to the branches above him, strangely worried about what would happen if he stares too long into the pink sea beneath him, and its pulsating instability, hungry somehow, though he couldn't say how he knows that ashadowdoesitlookslikesomeoneheknowsbutwhohecannottell.

He doesn't look down again, doesn't hesitate or take a break, climbing with a fierce determination, up and up and up and up andupandupandupandupandup until, suddenly…

Natsu isn't sure when he stopped climbing trees and started swimming through petals dotheymakefacesinthedeep, and he's even less sure when those petals slowly turned to pinkish water butnotbloodheknowswhatbloodlookslikeanditsnotthis- he chokes on the next breath he takes drowningdrowningdrowningbuthesneverdrownedbeforehashe, and that's when he notices - he breathes out, trying to expel the water and swims faster, ignoring the urge to breathe because if he doesn't feel pain surely he won't feel suffocation, but something feels tight in his chest, and time still slips unsteadily around him - has he been holding his breath for an hour? A minute? When did the trees become water, anyway, or has it always been like this and he just didn't realize- theshadowlikesomoeneheknowsisstillthereisitfollowinghim?

The water turns to a normal shade of blue the moment he breaks the surface - or perhaps he only notices the change in color after he's above it? Or maybe it was always blue, and his vision was just overwhelmed by the sea of pink he saw before...

Time evens out into something stable and measurable again, and Natsu treads water as he looks around, breath coming easy as though everything before never happened. Already the clearing and the forest and the water blur together, one hazy recollection of pink, as Natsu's eyes finally land on the cabin he knows he was looking for.

It's about time!

The pinkette turns toward the building, swimming across the lake and pulling himself out. He goes to shake himself off, but the water is already gone, and when he turns back around the water is perfectly clear, yet black at the same time? in a way that unsettles him too much to contemplate- but why? istheresomethinghesforgetting?- and he quickly faces the cabin again, breaking into a jog until he reaches the porch.

Somehow, when he looks into the cracked-open window, the insides of Sakura's cabin are darker than normal, though they slowly brighten as he watches. The girl inside is rubbing her eyes blearily as she sits up, blankets sliding down her shoulders with the movement. She takes a moment to stretch her arms out, yawning widely, before she begins to look around the cabin. Her eyes land on Natsu after a couple moments, and her pajamas turn into her normal outfit more quickly and smoothly than any requip Erza's ever done, as she hops out of bed and bounces over to the window.

"Natsu!" She comes to a stop just steps away, hands clasped behind her back as she leans forward a little. "You're back! Have you guys found a solution?"

Natsu shrugs, leaning against the porch rail. "Not yet, that I know of. I just ended up here again after screwing up a spar."

"A spar? With who? Was it Sasuke-kun? Oh, did he catch me dramatically as I fell, he must have been so worried-"

"Uh." Natsu can't help but interrupt, desperate to stop her. "N-no, after Inoichi-san spoke to your team, tha- Sasuke went home. Your uh… mom dragged me shopping, because she said it was easier to look at me if I didn't dress like you or something, and after that I somehow got roped into hanging out with Naruto… but when we were sparring I forgot that your body isn't as strong as what I'm used to, and I pushed too hard and passed out… And then I was here."

"You let me get caught by Naruto-baka?! What would Sasuke-kun think if he saw…" Sakura shuffles nervously, and Natsu can't think of a single girl he knows who acts like this, the other girls in Fairy Tail were nothing like Sakura-chan at twelve-

Though.

On second thought.

Erza and Mirajane, sparks flying between their eyes, and all Natsu can feel is a sense of pervading DOOM, a creeping dread like the certainty of his eternal torment lurking in the shadows between them, and it doesn't matter WHO wins that glaring match because he can't even try to guess which one is worse than the other and he's so dead either way-

They both turn to look at him, and Natsu's never really wondered what a deer feels like before Igneel swoops down, but it's gotta be something like this, he knew he shouldn't have listened to Happy, that traitor cat flew off and left him alone-!

On second thought, twelve-year-old Sakura is much better than the alternative, and he'll take all the fangirling she can dish out, because it could be so much worse, she could be like…

"Brr!" Natsu shudders intensely, a cold draft down his spine, he doesn't even want to finish the thought, as though Erza's shade might creep out from between the trees to unleash divine judgement against him for such a thing.

"Ah? Natsu-san? If it's cold, shouldn't you put your scarf back on?"

"Eh?" Natsu glances down, to see his vest and scarf tied around his waist. There's a vague impression of a memory in his head, of tying them like that to keep them from getting pulled off, but the dragonslayer can't remember why for the life of him, just a blurry impression of pink. He quickly puts everything back on like normal, even though he wasn't cold, because he has the vague impression he saw something he wasn't supposed to see, and the proof needs to vanish, now, quickly beforebeforebefore-

"A-are you okay?" Natsu looks up, feels his hands trembling from where they hold his scarf, secured around his throat once more, and he can't quite remember why.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he says, dropping his arms to cross them over his chest, "guess it's just cold here. Anyway, I'm not sure what we can do, 'cept wait to wake up, or for Inoichi-san to come I guess. I'm not sure how to get out of here on my own…"

Sakura looks at him doubtfully, genuine worry on her face, maybe something more potent, but Natsu can't, for the life of him, guess what's troubling her even though it almost looks like fear, but why?

Her face clears after a moment though, and she drags over a chair, settling into it easily. "So, you went shopping with kaa-san? How is she, is… is she okay? She was always so worried about me becoming a shinobi, this must be so hard for her…" Sakura bites her lip, looking down at her lap, fingers twining around each other in clear nerves.

Natsu leans back against the rail again and shrugs. "She… she's not taking it as well as your dad, that's for sure. But she's… she's strong. I don't think I could have handled it half as well in her place. Though I'm pretty sure dragging me to that Mikki's place was her own form of revenge…" the elder pinkette shudders violently. "Never again…"

Sakura laughs, bright and easy, and she definitely got that from her mother.

"He is a bit crazy, isn't he?" she says between giggles, and Natsu makes a face at her that only makes her laugh more.

"So what did you get?" she asks, after she calms down, and Natsu stops scowling.

"Honestly I don't mind your kipo or whatever that much, they're pretty easy to move in and that's good enough for me. And Inoichi-san and your hokage-guy want to keep this all hushed up, so I just got some in different colors." Natsu waves one of his arms downward, encompassing his outfit, "These, since they're the colors I usually wear and it just… felt familiar. Heh, that sounds so pathetic to say out loud!"

Sakura smiles. "I wish I could see them, Mikki's a crazy old man but all his clothes are so beautiful!"

Natsu side-eyes his companion, making a face. "Beautiful is not the word I'd use to describe the monstrosities he tried to pass off as acceptable clothing! I'm just lucky I found something remotely tolerable in that rainbow… vomit!"

Sakura laughs again, covering her mouth with her hand. "It's not that bad, Natsu-san! He just has colorful clothes to match his colorful personality!"

"Oh? You like going there a lot then? I should send him a thank-you letter then!"

"I-I didn't say that! Y-You'd have to deal with him more too then!"

"Ah, but not for the rest of my life!"

"An-y-waaaaaaaaay," Sakura drawls, arms crossed as she stubbornly changes the topic, "do you think if you picture the outfits they might show up?"

Natsu shrugs. "Maybe, but they'd probably look awful on me. Pretty sure guys like me don't look that good in tiny dresses."

Sakura stares at him for a moment, clearly not comprehending, before she bursts out laughing so hard she tumbles off the chair.

"O-oi!" Natsu stumbles up to the window, pointing at her dramatically, "I'll have you know I actually can look good in a dress dammit! Just 'cause your style is weird doesn't mean I look that ridiculous! Sakura-chaaaaaaan!"

It takes ages for the girl's laughter to die down, and Natsu glares at the window that stops him from wrestling her into silence as though it's an offence against life itself until the twelve-year-old finally composes herself enough to sit back up.

She takes one look at him and starts giggling again, and Natsu has never understood the Master's expression of looking up to the heavens and sighing the way he does right now, because it feels like the only reaction he could offer that suits the situation he finds himself in, waiting through three more rounds of giggle-snorts before the younger pinkette finally manages to compose herself.

"Sooo," Sakura says, mischief in her voice, and Natsu knows what her next words will be before she speaks them, "You've worn dresses before? As yourself?"

He groans, fighting the urge to just bury his face in his palms. "You try teaming with Erza… 'oh Natsu, I need someone to model this for me real quick, I have to see how it falls on a real human, this mannequin isn't good enough, hold still would you,' and then she smiles like the king of hell himself and what was I supposed to do? Say no?! She'd beat me to a pulp and then hang the dress off my semi-conscious body! And then she'd take blackmail pictures as punishment for refusing! It was just better to go along with it!"

Shuddering, Natsu pushes down the memories, as deep as they can go. Sometimes Natsu thinks that even if he managed to beat her in a fight she'd still find a way to terrify him.

"She was your teammate?"

"Is." Natsu corrects Sakura firmly, refusing to even consider the idea that Fairy Sphere hadn't worked because surely they're all safe, I just got swept up in the magic somehow, they're safe they have to be-

He shakes the thoughts off, choosing to distract himself by talking. "I mean, in Fairy Tail we don't have concrete teams, anyone can pair up with anyone they want, if a certain job might require a different skill set, but the four of us formed a semi-permanent team, me with Erza, Lucy, and Gray. And Happy, of course. Happy's a cat, and he's my partner! But for everyone else, Lucy's pretty smart, and she was practically nobility or somethin', I was never sure on the details but I know she was really really rich at one point, so she knows all sorts of cool things the rest of us never even heard of, and Erza's strong of course, but she's also super versatile. Her fighting style can accommodate just about anything, she's got a weapon for all occasions really! Gray is… Gray." Natsu scowls, but Sakura-chan looks so curious, genuinely interested in his friends, and it's not like the ice-pervert is here to listen anyway, so…

"Gray is… better at long-range fighting than I am." Natsu grimaces, crossing his arms. "Erza can fight at all ranges but she prefers close, and Lucy-chan's mostly a support-type, cause she summons, but she can hold her own if she has to, and I'm a close-to-mid I guess, but Gray's more mid-to-long, so he's… useful. I guess. Even though we'd totally be fine without him stripping all over the place the stupid icy pervert." Natsu's words devolve into a grumble, and he feels a deep need to scrub his mouth out because saying nice things about each other is not what they do dammit!

Sakura's leaning forwards, elbows on the windowsill and chin in her palms though, smiling a bit. "They sound pretty awesome. I wish we'd got someone other than Naruto-baka on our team, then maybe we could be like that too…"

Natsu nearly says that Sasuke's the one that'd need to be replaced, but he stops himself.

"Why does everyone hate Naruto-kun anyway?" he asks instead. "I hung out with him today, and he's… nice. Lonely, honestly, but even Kakashi-san and Inoichi-san seemed kinda worried around him, and when we went to lunch, the other customers got up and walked away when he came in! I don't get it, he doesn't seem like he's that bad, even if he is a bit careless."

Sakura sits up, arms dropping, and she looks… confused.

"I… don't know. Kaa-san doesn't like him too much, and even tou-san was a bit nervous when I said he'd be on my team… I hadn't really thought about why… I just find him annoying because he keeps asking me to date him no matter how much I say no! He just asks and asks and asks and he never leaves me alone!" She crosses her arms with a humph, and Natsu feels an intense sensation of deja vu.

"But… doesn't Sakura-chan do the same to that Sasuke kid?"

Sakura opens her mouth, outraged, as she surges from her seat.

She closes it without saying anything, shuffling and looking anywhere but at Natsu as she stutters.

"S-Sasuke-kun's never said no to anything though… so it's different!"

Natsu looks at her oddly, because it doesn't seem different, but what does he know about girls anyway! Shrugging, the elder pinkette leans back against the railing. "If you say so, Sakura-chan. Anyway, wanna play a word game or something to pass the tim-"

Natsu yelps as the railing disappears behind him, Sakura-chan's mindscape flickering insubstantial around him, and once again he finds himself falling down, down, down.

He wakes up to burning pain in his leg, hands that hurt like he pummeled them into concrete walls for an hour straight, and Inoichi's disappointed face staring down at him, haloed by hospital-bright lights.

Natsu does the only thing that seems even remotely appropriate in that situation.

He punches the long-haired blond full in the face.

Inoichi stumbles back, clutching his nose, and Natsu's already-abused hand screams a litany of curses at his impulsive decision-making, but the pinkette finds himself strangely satisfied. As if he's gonna lay down and let Inoichi lecture him, just like that!

Pity I didn't manage to break his nose… maybe he'd have to take time getting it healed and I coulda snuck out…

Rolling his eyes to stare at the ceiling, the pinkette does his best to drown out the world. If he can't sneak away, at least no one can force him to listen!

Hopefully.

…

There's no way techniques exist that could do something like that, is there? Ehehehe….

Notes:

A/N II (totally skippable unless you really wanna know where that first bit came from): Whoooo-boy. If this chapter was 100% unplanned, then the INTRO to this chapter was like, 200% unplanned. It all started like this:

I started by describing what Natsu was seeing, mostly to write while also stalling for time as I scramble to figure out how this chapter's gonna go. Then I wasn't sure what else to describe without boring everyone, so I had Natsu stand up and head toward the cabin. And then my brain was like: Natsu runs into a wall of trees. And I was like. Wait. What? WHY? And my brain refused to budge, so Natsu runs into a wall of trees. And I was sorta like, maybe Natsu started at the edge of Sakura's mindscape, and that's what the outsides are like? So he just needs to go the other way? And that seemed fun, I could build some interesting mechanics off of that later, but nooooooo my brain/muse/WHATEVER wasn't satisfied, and demand the OTHER side be a wall of trees too.

And I was like. WHY? But anyway, I rolled with it, sorta wondered if maybe Sakura wanted to be alone so Natsu was being blocked from her heart, and eventually the trees would just part into the cabin. So I had Natsu go through the trees.

Only, my brain/muse/writing-half-of-my-soul decided that was not what was going to happen. And so it was like, make Natsu climb the trees to look around

And I was like, okay, that makes sense, let's do it.

And then the time-slipping happened and I was like. WHY?

And my brain/muse thing was like 'time always slips when Natsu's going the right way'. And I was like, yeah, sure that makes sense, good idea.

And then Natsu looked down, and my brain was like. Okay. Destabilize everything, looking-into-the-abyss style. And I was like (you can see where this is going) W H Y?!

But I did it. And then my brain was like 'okay, now Natsu is gonna swim up until he breaks through a lake and then he'll find the cabin' and I was like FINALLY YES PLEASE.

Only then it was like 'but first he's gonna swim through petals'. I didn't even ask why that time, I was so done with my wanna-be-muse. And when he FINALLY got out of the water, my brain was like 'now he's gonna look back and be scared'. And then I was like WHY again because HOW ELSE DO YOU RESPOND TO THAT? But I did it, cause I figured maybe my subconscious had an idea that was just trying to make itself known.

So la dee da, Natsu makes it to the cabin and starts chatting with Sakura. Sakura comments on the fact that he isn't wearing his vest and scarf like normal, so I have him put them back on. Brain/Muse suddenly goes 'Natsu puts it on as fast as possible because there cannot be proof'. And I was like. What the !%#&? Proof of what, nothing happened!

And my brain was like.

Go back and add things! Because there cannot be proof!

And I was like… why.

Not even a capital why, just a lowercase why because I was that done with my muse's shit.

But I went back to the intro, specifically to the part where Natsu looks down and everything's unstable, and I added in the italicized word vomit. It just came to me. Suddenly. I just knew what I wanted to add, and how I wanted to add it. Then I hopped around that whole intro, adding some new word vomits, rephrasing a few things, and now instead of Natsu just being generally confused with Sakura's mindscape, we have trippy nightmare fuel.

Some plot ideas are popping around my head now to work with from this too, so this won't be the last we see of that, but it won't affect Natsu in the waking world I don't think. He CERTAINLY won't be having like, psychotic episodes or anything. I don't like those sorts of clearly-contrived-ways-of-crippling-characters-for-plot-convenience. But we WILL be seeing more of this.

Now if only I knew EXACTLY what was going on… instead of relying on vague impressions…

Sorry for making you guys think this chapter was 1200 words longer than it really is. But I figured at least one person might be curious as to where that intro came from, and I want you guys to know that your guess is as good as mine.

So yep. Normally I'm not much for 'going on about my muse' and all that, but this chapter reminded me why people normally give their muses names and stuff.

I used to call mine Darky, back in my self-insert and OC main character days. Over a decade ago.

Gods I feel so old.

Thanks again for reading, and double-thanks if you sat through this extra-long author's note. I won't make this a regular thing, I just really felt the need to explain how this chapter happened.

Chapter 12

Chapter Text

It doesn't take Inoichi long at all to realize Natsu is ignoring him, and the blond heaves an unusually loud sigh and stops speaking.

He doesn't do anything else though, and Natsu finds himself strangely disappointed.

The master would have at least whacked me with his staff! Ugh!

"Natsu-san. Would you mind explaining your behavior?"

Inoichi speaks as soon as Natsu stops ignoring him, his tone firm and emotionless. The pinkette sends him a confused look from under his blankets.

"I don't get why you gotta lecture me. We were just sparring, there can't be rules against that! We even used that public field, even though it had to be cleaned up first!"

"And I suppose you tried to use jutsu? Or perhaps made Naruto-kun do so?"

Natsu sits up suddenly. "What, no! It was just physical, nothing else! I just pushed Sakura-chan's body harder than it's used to, so I passed out…"

"Really?"

The blond's tone is entirely unbelieving, and Natsu's confusion only grows.

"I don't get it, what do ya want from me? Nuthin else happened!"

Inoichi cocks his head to the side, studying Natsu, and the Dragon Slayer fights the urge to bare his teeth.

Some tenseness slowly bleeds from the blond's shoulders as he rubs at the bridge of his nose. "I was called here shortly after Uzumaki dropped you off. When you did not respond to any traditional tests, I assumed you had returned to Sakura-chan's mindscape. However, something rather unusual happened when I tried to follow. Are you certain that neither yourself nor Naruto attempted anything unwise?"

Natsu stares, feeling like an idiot.

Of course it's Naruto-kun they're worried about. Everyone's strange behavior around him… I should have realized before.

"I dunno what you're talking about. Nothing weird happened in there, Sakura-chan and I just hung out like normal til you dragged me away!"

The pinkette speaks boldly, shoving aside thoughts of that still lake and ignoring the feeling of missing pieces, something important dancing just past his fingertips as he meets Inoichi's eyes with an even stare.

He'd like to trust them, Inoichi-san and the others, but this entire city is a yami guild and everyone is so oddly biased against Naruto, that he bites the urge between his teeth and does his best to ignore those memories.

Heh, what is there to ignore! I honestly don't know what happened!

Inoichi stares at him suspiciously, and Natsu wishes he were a better liar. He flops back into the bed, curling into the blankets before rolling to his side to face the blond.

"Look," he mutters, trying to pull off Wendy at her sleepiest, blankets tugged to his chin as he stares up at the man and taking full advantage of Sakura-chan's age, "we were really just sparring. I got a little carried away maybe, started moving on instinct even though Sakura-chan can't handle that, but Naruto didn't do anything 'cept kick me in the face. Yeah?"

Inoichi sighs, smiling slightly even as he takes on a chiding tone. "Natsu-san, you're a thousand years too young to even dream of manipulating me like that. Now, is there anything odd that happened while you were in the mindscape? If something is changing, it could help us figure out what happened and how to reverse it."

Natsu pouts, crossing his arms under the blankets. "Che."

Inoichi merely stares at him though, waiting. Natsu sits back up, swinging his legs out from under the blankets and kicking them back and forth off the edge of the bed. "Naruto didn't do anything." He says, just to be stubborn, glaring at the older blond.

Inoichi groans, pulling over a chair and sinking into it. "Is that why you tried something so ridiculous? Haa, I suppose Hatake-san doesn't have to worry how you'll work with the team if you're already so protective. Please just tell me what happened, Natsu-san."

"I don't know."

Inoichi's eyes narrow into a sharp glare. "Natsu-san-"

"I'm serious!" Natsu braces his hands on the edge of the bed, refusing to respond defensively. "I know I forgot something. The first thing I remember in the mindscape was crawling out of the lake. And I don't know why I was in the lake instead of a clearing like normal, the lake is just the first thing I remember. Cept I know something happened before the lake. But I don't know what. I literally don't remember. Sakura-chan and I talked for a little, and then you woke me up. That's it!"

Inoichi 'hmms', settling back into the chair as his eyes drift unfocused. Natsu waits for a moment, but the blond doesn't look up, and his leg still hurts. So, carefully, the pinkette slips off the bed and stands, bracing himself against it as he shifts his weight slowly.

Everything burns, his arms and back and legs from top to bottom, his feet hurt, his hands still feel like he lost a fight with a wall, and Natsu stands still for a full minute, breathing through the pain and trying very hard not to be uncharitable toward Sakura-chan.

Spirits but it all burns!

He takes a tentative step, and Inoichi's eyes drift towards him, but Natsu doesn't go far, just away from the bed so he can try and stretch - the blond goes back to thinking, clearly turning over something in his head as Natsu braces himself on the hospital nightstand to stretch out his muscles.

I can't remember the last time I had to do this! Ugh. Next time I spar, I'll have to stretch first... Sakura-chan isn't conditioned to fight any time with no warning...

How annoying!

Absolutely nothing feels better by the time Natsu finishes going through the most basic stretching routine he knows, and he finds himself falling back onto the bed panting by the end of it.

Inoichi's head enters his line of vision, looking down at him. "Could you describe the lake you came out of?" he asks, and Natsu grimaces, struggling to stabilize his breathing.

"I... dunno. Blue- black? Black then blue? Deep... endless? He...heh."

"A black lake wouldn't be all that odd... lakes and other sources of water are a mindscape's favorite way to portray the sense of sight - sometimes in possessing cases, the original host will be chained by the water, so they can see what is happening outside their body. Lakes aren't often used to symbolize the subconscious though... usually the sky, a basement, or a set of underground tunnels represent that. Lakes are deep, and murky, the sort of subconscious you don't see on mentally healthy people for the most part. But perhaps..."

The blond trails off, hands resting idly on the rail of the bed as his eyes once more stare off distantly. Natsu waits a moment, taking the time to finally even out his breathing, before looking at the older man. "You got an idea?" he asks from his sprawled position.

Inoici blinks down at him, frowning. "It could be possible that you initially woke up in your own subconscious - that's a very difficult thing to do, and sometimes dangerous if you get trapped there, but it is entirely possible. I don't know why you would forget, however. That is unusual no matter what. The events that take place in a mindscape are usually more imprinted in memory, not less. But perhaps the bridge between yourself and Sakura-chan is located in the lake of her field, so you traversed from your own subconscious through the bridge and into her mind... I couldn't say for certain but it seems possible. It will be interesting to see what happens when we go back into the mindscape together for your first lessons later this week."

Natsu shrugs, shoulders contorting awkwardly from his splayed position. "Sounds good to me. Can I go yet?"

Inoichi sighs. "I'll tell the nurse you've checked out. It's a bit past dinner, but I'm sure the Harunos will have left something out for you, if you know the way?"

Natsu pushes himself up while muttering an assent. His legs are just as displeased to hold him up as they were before, but the pain isn't unbearable. Contrary to popular belief, the dragon slayer does know what 'too far' is, and while he certainly hit it before, as long as he takes it slow he knows he can make it home without making anything worse.

Once he's certain he's steady, Natsu offers a nod to Inoichi and strides out of the room as smoothly as possible. It only takes a moment to orient himself after he leaves the hospital, that weird face-mountain -some sort of monument, I think Kakashi-san said?- making it very easy to find the way as he sets off for Sakura-chan's home.

He doesn't see any of the admittedly rather few people he knows in this world on his way back to the house, nor does anyone new hail him as he makes his way across the streets. He looks up the entire way, staring at the power lines and the rooves and the people who cross them, because one look at his still-bare feet near the beginning of his journey has made it quite clear he needs a shower and Natsu doesn't want to think about that, so he ignores it quite stubbornly.

It takes far too little time for him to actually make it to Sakura-chan's house however, and the reality that his feet aren't the only part of him quite filthy shoves itself to the forefront of his mind. He stands there on the front step for minutes, staring at the handle and trying to convince himself that showers are optional, not necessary. It doesn't work, and the pinkette reluctantly reaches out to turn the handle.

It barely turns at all, the sound and feel clearly that of a locked door, and Natsu glares at it. "Wha-? Dammit, after talking myself into all of that, you're locked?! You stupid door!" The pinkette kicks at the wood before he can think better, foot colliding with a sharp 'thunk!'.

Calf and ankle and toes all explode with pain near simultaneously, and Natsu tumbles backwards to fall in the dirt, curling his injured leg in.

"Dammit dammit dammit dammit I can't believe I did that ouch ouch crap!" mumbling under his breath, Natsu tries to massage his foot and reduce the pain, hissing curses under his breath at each new spike of agony. "'s mother was hellspawn- stupid door who made it anyway- I'm gonna punch them so hard their ancestors feel it, the bloody-nosed-"

"Natsu-kun?"

The pinkette looks up, meeting the eyes of Kizashi-san as Sakura's parents stick their heads out the now-opened door.

"Ah!" Natsu slowly lets go of his foot and stands, doing his best not to grimace at the fresh burn of stretching muscle. Kizashi looks him over and raises an eyebrow.

"Have you really been out all day without any shoes?"

Natsu shrugs, and the older man shakes his head. "You're going to track dirt through the house like that, Natsu-kun. Wait a moment." Kizashi steps out of the house as Sakura-chan's mother goes back in. "Are you quite alright?"

"'m fine." Natsu mutters inattentively as he stretches his aching foot. "Just sore."

"Well, after you scrub down, feel free to soak in the bath - I believe there are some bath solutions in the cupboards designed for sore muscles. We'll make sure to leave some dinner out on the table for you after."

"Uh- but..."

Somehow, despite coming to the conclusion that it was necessary, hearing Kizashi-san speak so frankly of it makes Natsu uncomfortable. The older man just reaches out and ruffles his hair, smiling.

"It's alright, Natsu-kun. I already said before. You have not struck me as the sort of man to take advantage of my daughter. I know her quite well. She would be far more furious at the idea of you sleeping in her bed like that than she would with the knowledge of you taking a shower to clean off. Ah." Kizashi strides forward, taking a pair of old, ratty slippers from his wife, who offers Natsu an uncertain smile before darting back inside.

"Here you go!" Dropping the slippers on the doorstep, Kizashi goes back inside, gesturing for Natsu to follow.

The younger pinkette follows, stepping into the shoes and shutting the door behind him.

"Those slippers are an old pair we've been meaning to throw out, so it doesn't matter if you use them right now. You know where the bathroom is, of course. Simply go, and I'll meet you there with clean clothes, Natsu-kun." Kizashi offers, already walking off, and Natsu finds himself following, less nervous than before.

Where the upstairs bathroom had just a shower, the downstairs one he used the first time has a showering area and a seperate bath, a divider visible that can be pulled between them. Natsu stares at them reluctantly for a moment, before pulling off his outfit piece by piece, settling the weapons pouch and hairtie on the bathroom counter and dumping everything else on the floor.

Natsu catches a glimpse in the mirror, as he turns toward the shower. Sakura-chan's face stares back, sharp bruise forming on her chin, hair tumbling down her back and around her shoulders, bangs falling over her forehead and into her eyes without anything to hold them back.

She's so skinny I can almost count her ribs!

Natsu jerks his eyes away from the mirror before his gaze can wander any further, all but marching over to the shower and messing around until he figures out how to turn it on. The water comes out cold, but Natsu ignores it as he smells the soap bottles until he finds the one that smells least like Sakura-chan's parents. Grabbing a washrag, he gets to scrubbing, watching the water drain an ugly grayish-brown color as the dirt sluices off.

Kizashi knocks and then steps in, settling the sleepclothes from before on the counter next to the rest of Sakura's stuff, and Natsu glances at the bottles still in his hands.

The man offers him a smile. "Her hair products, she usually keeps them upstairs." he strides forward, settling them on the soap shelf, expertly avoiding the water spray. He leaves just as quickly, shutting the door behind him, and Natsu takes a moment to study the... sakura-scented shampoo and conditioner.

...why, Sakura-chan?!

Silently despairing, Natsu finishes rinsing off the soap and squeezes a large squirt of the shampoo onto his palm.

She's got a lot of hair, so you need a lot of stuff, right? Right!

He pours out two more globs of shampoo before he's satisfied, rinses out the hair, and stares at the conditioner suspiciously.

Never used anything like that before... can't be too important, right? Shampoo's enough, don't need anything else.

Nodding, Natsu turns off the cold water, striding to the cupboards next to the bath and poking around until he finds what Kizashi mentioned.

"If they work..." he mutters, squinting at the instructions before deciding that's too much work. Turning on the water, Natsu makes sure it runs hot and just dumps a large amount of the bottle into the base of the tub.

The tub fills like normal for a bit, but the more full it gets the more it begins to form large amounts of bubbles, which soon start to brush against the lip of the tub. Natsu pushes them down, glaring, though it does little good.

Somehow, when he turns off the water, the bubbles rise above the lip of the tub but don't spill over into the bathroom. Natsu carefully gets into the water, staring suspiciously, but the bubbles mockingly don't shift much, right up against the edges but still inside the tub.

When he sits down, he can't even see above them.

There's no way! They should have spilled over!

Glaring again, the pinkette shifts around, but even the water doesn't splash over the tub, the bubbles moving as though sliding against an invisible wall. Natsu stares, wide-eyed. Lifting his hand, he shoves a tower of bubbles, but they do the same, acting as though Freed put a 'bubbles cannot pass' barrier around the tub.

Natsu feels his lips parting into a grin as he grabs a large helping of bubbles and throwing them. Despite the force, they don't do anything different from the others.

...!

Towling his hair dry as he watches the tub drain, Natsu deliberately avoids looking at the bubble-coated floor.

"Hehehe, in the end I don't think whoever made that tub's script was as good as Freed..." Natsu chuckles nervously as he carefully steps around the bubble mounds. "But at least Kizashi-san was right! Whatever those bubbles were made of has to be magic! I barely even feel sore now!" Laughing, the pinkette takes a moment to just stretch before poking around the clothes that were left for him.

Kizashi knocks on the door as Natsu is pulling on the shirt, so the younger pinkette just makes an affirmative noise as he pulls his arms through.

"Ah, so Natsu-kun is done," Sakura's father says while opening the door, "I just wanted to- what did you do?!"

"Eh?" Natsu pulls his head through the neck of the shirt, looking to the older man. "What do you mea- oh." Natsu follows his gaze to the bubble-streaked floor. "I was gonna... clean it up after I got dressed?"

"H-how?! That- those seals have never failed before!"

"Seals? Are they different from scripts?" Natsu asks idly, pulling his hair up from under the shirt and glaring that the still-sopping strands.

Long hair is apparently much harder to dry than short hair.

Though that could just be the lack of fire and heat.

"Different from...? I don't know! Fuinjutsu-inscribed furniture is expensive. Most of the skilled users who retire from shinobi life get recruited into R&D, so they don't mess around much with day-to-day improvements, this is actually a modification of a more shinobi-appropriate seal, I got a friend to do it for me, how did you break it?!"

Kizashi stares at the bubbles as though he still can't quite believe what he's seeing, and Natsu turns aside, scratching at the back of his head. "I... scripting is something a... friend of mine back home could do, and when I saw the bubbles didn't fall out of the tub it made me think of him, so I decided to... experiment with it? Ehehe, it turns out that if you put the bubbles on your hand and shove your hand over the edge the bubbles will slide right off, but for some reason if you put the bubbles on your head, they won't! From anywhere. So I might have fallen out of the tub and sprayed bubbles everywhere..."

Kizashi turns, staring with wide eyes at Natsu. "You... lunged out of the tub headfirst with a pile of bubbles in your hair?"

Natsu doesn't even have a chance to respond before the older man starts laughing, breaking into large guffaws as he leans against the wall. The younger pinkette cracks his own grin in response, linking his fingers behind his head.

"Well it worked didn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess it did!" Kizashi manages between chuckles. "I'll have to let my friend know, that's an interesting weakness for a seal to have. Go eat dinner, I'll clean up here." Waving idly, he crouches down and starts digging beneath the sink.

Natsu walks easily back toward the kitchen, quickly spotting the food laying out on the counter. He digs in, everything slightly warmer than room temperature as he eats it, but he's more hungry than he is caring about how cool it is.

He finishes quickly, leaving the dishes in the sink and heading upstairs. Sakura-chan's mom is already asleep, he can hear her breathing softly as he walks near her door, and while Natsu does open the window, he curls up on the bed instead of taking everything outside.

He falls asleep almost instantly.

Natsu wakes just after dawn, Sakura-chan's window angled to let the first light of day shine into the room. He blinks the sleep out of his eyes, hugging his- pillow, to his chest.

Happy...

Even in Edolas, I still had Happy and Wendy and Charla with me. It's so lonely here... like waking up with Igneel just gone and having no idea how to find him again... Why am I the only one who ended up here? Even if it was just the other dragon slayers, or just Happy, or just someone...

"Aagh!" Natsu sits up sharply, slapping his cheeks. "Can't think like that! Gotta look on the bright side, it's better like this! After all, if I'm the only one here, I don't have to worry about anyone else! I can protect myself just fine until we find a way home! Right! And to do that, I need to get Sakura-chan's body into shape so I don't die cause I ran a mile or something! Which means training! Heh!"

Bouncing out of bed, Natsu grabs a set of clothes and heads across the hall to get dressed. It still takes a couple tries to put the weapons pouch back on, but he's pretty sure he figures it out faster than last time.

Brushing out Sakura's hair, he's sure, is harder than last time. Somehow, it's twice as matted as before, and takes three times as long before he finally gets it brushed out and pulled up, out of the way of his face.

He goes downstairs after, following the smells of breakfast and the sound of light conversation between Sakura's parents. They look up as he walks in, Kizashi blinking repeatedly.

"Ah, is that what you bought yesterday? Definitely a different look!" he offers around a mouthful of food, ignoring his wife's chiding look. Natsu grins and digs in himself.

"Yeah, it's a bit more like what I'm used to, with colors anyway. Style's odd, but I can fight in it and that's all that matters, so I'll get used to it."

"You haven't looked at it at all, have you?"

"Huh?" Natsu looks up, casting a confused glance at the older man. Kizashi chuckles.

"Nevermind. Will you be out all day again?"

Natsu hesitates, not sure how to respond to small talk, before deciding to just go for it. "Probably? Kakashi said something about training in the morning and D-ranks in the afternoon? Dunno when we'd be done."

"Ah, the D-ranks! Bane of genin everywhere! Good luck with that! Do you need a bento, or will he be providing team lunch?"

Natsu grimaces, glaring at his bowl as he chews. "He didn't say anything 'bout getting us food."

Mebuki stands up at that, heading toward the kitchen. "I haven't put everything away from Kizashi's lunch, so I'll fix one up real quick." She offers, smiling slightly.

Natsu gets out a quick 'thanks' between mouthfuls of food, Kizashi chuckling in amusement as he watches his younger companion devour the meal with impressive eagerness.

"You'll be a bit early if you head over now, you know."

Natsu pauses in his quest to inhale the contents of the table, taking a moment to answer. "Yeah, I know. Probably better like that, since Sakura-chan's body is waaaaaay out of shape compared to what I'm used to! So I'm probably going to have to take a bunch of time to stretch if I don't want to end up in the hospital again..."

"Again?" Kizashi's face pales in worry, and Natsu looks up at him for a moment.

"It wasn't like that, I just sparred with one of Sakura-chan's teammates and went too hard with it and got knocked out, but I was sore pretty much forever until that bath. I don't know what those bubbles were made out of, but it's amazing!"

Kizashi laughs, relaxing into his seat. "Isn't it? It's a family recipe, actually! I keep trying to convince Sakura-chan to learn how to make it, but she always has more important things to do... I swear it saved my life a time or two back when I was in the forces. Next time though, try not to use half the bottle?"

"Ah! Eheheh, sure thing Kizashi-san." Natsu grins sheepishly, before collecting his empty dishes and heading into the kitchen.

"Here, I'll trade." Mebuki offers, handing him a wrapped box while reaching for his dishes with her free hand.

"Thanks!"

He turns around, heading straight for the front door, and takes a moment to slip on the sandals he'd left behind the last time he'd gone out.

Both of Sakura's parents offer a goodbye that he waves back to, as he turns to head over toward the bridge Kakashi lead him to before. All of the previous day's soreness is gone, not even the slightest twinge no matter how he moves, and Natsu can't understand why Sakura-chan wouldn't want to know how to make something that could do that, because he's seriously certain he'd strained something big time and yet everything feels good as new.

I might have to get that recipe myself... even if I'm not good at stuff like brewing and mixing and all that, it's amazing! Maybe I could bribe Lucy with it, she always complains about being sore after fights and stuff… hehe. Maybe I could talk her into going onto one of the fun jobs with me! All I gotta do is learn how to make some bubble bath concoction. How hard can that be?

Chapter 13

Chapter Text

No one's there when he reaches the bridge, and Natsu hurries to set his lunch over by a series of posts that look somewhat familiar, grinning.

"Alright!" Natsu laces his fingers together and stretches his arms above his head as he walks toward the center of the clearing. "Time to see what I'm working with!"

He stops, taking a moment just to breathe, before slowly settling into a relaxed stance. He takes his time going through the stretches, ignoring the urge to jump straight to his regular routine, biting his lip 'til it bleeds as he carefully, methodically, feels out the limits of Sakura's body and conditioning.

Sakura-chan is more flexible than he expected, even if it doesn't make up for the piss-poor arm strength or even worse leg strength.

Natsu's fighting style… taijutsu, Naruto called it?-never relied on katas the way he knows most do, as Dragon Slayer forms are entirely rooted in instinct, and of course a dragon could hardly teach a human specific positions and movements they themselves would be physically incapable of performing. Igneel talked him through a set of very basic katas, more designed to teach him how to safely punch or kick, than to give him a foundation to a style, but Sakura-chan's so old - too old, really, to learn the way he did.

Instincts are as much a matter of the physical body as they are of the mind, and even as Natsu falls into the first form of those basic katas, he wonders if he'll even manage the level of instinctive awareness required to fight at his best when instincts are harder to train the older you are.

I mean, they're practically a yami guild! They teach kids to fight! But… Sakura-chan uses those knives. If she works with them a lot, then on instinct her body would want to grab for them… But I wouldn't. At all.

Natsu gets three sets through the katas before he fumbles, elbow buckling midway through the flip and sending him sprawling across the ground.

"W-wha…?" he stares blearily up at the sky as he slowly moves his arm around, feeling nothing wrong. He sits up slowly, deliberately putting his weight on it to push himself up, but it moves freely. He pokes at the bend of his elbow experimentally. "Let's… do that again." he grumbles, standing up and stretch his arms carefully for a moment.

Natsu runs through the fourth set as slowly as possible after that, paying close attention every step of the way, and smoothly finishes it without any issue.

"Huh?!" Glaring at the grass as though it personally offends him, Natsu runs it again, and finds himself standing back where he started, completely successful.

"Musta been a fluke…" he mutters, and starts back at the first set.

Midway through the flip on the fourth, his elbow buckles again, and the pinkette nearly screams in frustration.

Spitting curses under his breath, he pushes himself upright and glares at the grass again. It doesn't give him any answers, not that he expected it to, and Natsu sighs before starting back at the beginning again.

By the time the b- Sasuke arrives, Natsu has narrowed it down to something he's doing when he runs the full kata quickly but not when he slows it down, or runs just the fourth set quickly, but for the life of him the pinkette cannot figure it out. He's taking a rather reluctant break when Sasuke arrives, cursing Sakura-chan's easily-exhausted body in his mind as he leans against one of the posts and sips at the water in his hand.

The other kid spends a few moments trying not to look at him, before eventually walking over, scowl firmly in place. "You're here early," he says gruffly as he leans against one of the other posts, "what, trying to make a good impression?"

Natsu snorts, spraying water on his lap. "Please. For who? You? Not that it's any of your business, jerk, but I was stretching. You know, that thing people do when they don't want to pull all their muscles?"

"Hn." the blackette gives him a scornful look, like he can't even believe Natsu found it necessary, and it takes everything Natsu has not to just punch his face in.

He settles for ignoring the other boy, steadily drinking his water. Sasuke's scowl deepens, but he doesn't say anything and Natsu decides to take what he can get.

Naruto arrives a bare few minutes later, and bounds right up to them. "Sakura- ah, Natsu-kun! You're out of the hospital! No one told me!"

Sasuke sends him a sharp look that the pinkette ignores, putting the lid back on his water as he stands. "Yeah, I'm fine! They let me go almost as soon as I woke up. Inoichi-san just wanted to ask me some questions first. You okay? Honestly I hit you way more times than you hit me after all!"

Naruto sheepishly ducks his head. "I'm good. R-really, I only hit- Natsu-kun once, so I don't know how much of a spar it was…"

Natsu grins, throwing his hands behind his head. "It's not the number of hits, it's the quality of 'em! Even if you only manage one, as long as you make it count that's all that matters!"

Naruto laughs, still looking a little nervous, and Natsu tilts his head to the side, considering. "Do you disagree?" he asks, and the blond shakes his head rapidly, waving his hands in front of his face. "No no, you're definitely right, it's just-"

Kakashi arrives in a flurry of leaves between the three of them, cutting him off. "Good, you're all here." he says idly, hands in pockets as he slouches between them. "As I said before, I'll be taking some time this morning to test your individual skills, before we start working on teamwork exercises. Sasuke-kun, you're up first. Taijutsu only to start." the sensei immediately strides off, over toward where Natsu had been practicing before, and Sasuke follows quickly with an expression of eagerness. Natsu sits back down, turning to watch.

Naruto shuffles uncomfortably off to the side for a moment, before slowly sitting himself, just as Sasuke lunges at their instructor. Natsu props his chin in his palms, elbows resting on his knees, as Kakashi methodologically strikes through Sasuke's weak points one at a time. The other kid looks increasingly frustrated, as he fails to land even a single hit, and Natsu can all but see his forms falling apart as he gets angrier. Eventually, a hand-strike just below the base of his neck sends Sasuke sprawling into the ground, and Kakashi sighs.

"I won't say you suck," he starts slowly as Sasuke pushes himself up, glaring fiercely, "even though you do, because most genin are even worse, but letting your anger get the better of you like that is only going to get you killed later on, you know. Now, let's start again. Feel free to use your weapons this time, and make sure to use every jutsu you know at least once, ne?" the man gives a curved eye-smile, and even from this distance Natsu can see Sasuke's teeth grinding. He takes his form without saying anything though, and Kakashi once more slouches with his hands in his pockets while he waits for his student to move.

Sasuke takes two quick breaths, clearly trying to calm down, before launching himself back into the fight. Natsu leans forward a bit, curious as to what this chakra stuff looks like in action. Sasuke doesn't oblige immediately, going back in with taijutsu for a few passes before pulling out weapons that he throws as he leaps backwards and then - he twists his fingers into a series of odd forms, handsigns for channeling energy even if they're more complex than any Natsu has seen in action before, before he brings his fingers to his mouth and breathes fire.

Kakashi leaps back easily, dodging to the side and striking towards his student, but the only thing Natsu can do is stare in horror and the smouldering grass, a result of the most horribly inefficient attempt to copy his fire breath he's ever seen.

"E-eh? Sakura-chan, are you crying?!"

Natsu doesn't even attempt to react, hands laying motionless in his lap as he stares, wide-eyed at the charred grass. "T-that was so bad… please… please tell me fire chakra is better than that and that Sasuke just sucks, please tell me that's not the best I'll be able to do…"

"Huh? I mean, I don't really have much to compare it to, but the one time the teme showed that off in class all the teachers were impressed…"

Natsu lists to the side, collapsing into the dirt. "Noooooooo…"

"S-s-Natsu-kun?" Naruto crawls forward, looking down at him, but Natsu can't find the strength to move, or even go back to watching that spar.

That can't be it! T-the teachers must just… not deal with fire much, or maybe they were humoring him, how am I supposed to fight if I can't use my magic and that's the best Sakura-chan's chakra can do?! That took so long, fire's an easy element to conjure, he shouldn't need seven handsigns just to breathe such a pathetic stream!

"Natsu-kun? Are you quite well?"

Natsu blinks slowly, clearing the tears from his eyes as he looks up at Kakashi's face leaning over him. He nearly pouts and says no, because how could that be called a decent fire spell, in what universe is that a decent fire spell, but instead he grimaces and stands up.

"'S it my turn?" he asks slowly, brushing the dirt off his clothes. Kakashi hmms idly, walking back to the grass without a clear answer.

Natsu shrugs to himself and follows. "We'll do it the same as before," Kakashi says casually, "just taijutsu first."

Natsu goes straight into an attack, trying to ignore the bubbling annoyance at the knowledge that, in his current condition, there's no way he'll be able to get the older man to take him seriously. It grates, every single time he sees where Kakashi deliberately holds back, and he almost can't blame Sasuke for getting angry, but this is a spar, and even if Kakashi isn't a friend he's at least not an enemy, so Natsu bites back the emotions and just moves, one attack into another, blocking where he can, where he knows Kakashi is deliberately moving slow enough to test his blocks, and tries not to think about how much harder he could push if he had his own body.

The longer the fight goes on though, the harder it is to think about every move, the harder it is not to fall back on his instincts, and suddenly one of Natsu's punches falls widely short, not even coming close to the one-eyed sensei. Kakashi takes full advantage, slipping under his extended arm with a sharp kick that sends Natsu bouncing across the grass until the pinkette manages to recover, rolling to his feet and trying to ignore the dizzy feeling that overtakes him as he pants for air.

"Mm." Kakashi starts, walking forward as Natsu slowly gets his breathing under control. "We'll have to work on that. When Natsu-kun gets too into the fight, he forgets that his current body is smaller than he's used to. Though, I also get the feeling that the style you're trying to use isn't too well-suited to Sakura-chan." The man tilts his head at him, and Natsu sighs.

"I'm workin' on it!" he grumbles, crossing his arms.

"Maa, you might be better off just learning the forms Sakura-chan has already trained with."

Natsu shakes his head sharply. "No way! My style works just fine, and even if I gotta change some stuff here or there, it's still better! Besides, it's not like we're gonna take any dangerous jobs anytime soon anyway, so I have plenty of time to figure it out!"

Kakashi shrugs. "Suit yourself. Shall we move to the second round?"

He asks it casually, but Natsu groans, and Kakashi gives him a questioning look. "Sakura-chan's… chakra feels way too different from what I'm used to. And I've never really used kunai before. I dunno if any of my techniques'll work."

Kakashi gives him an unreadable look, lone eye placid as he stares a moment. "Well. Give it a shot anyway, so I can see how much work will be necessary, ne?"

Natsu nods, grabbing one of Sakura-chan's kunai and looking at it for a moment. It feels… odd. Both wrong and right in his hand, like something that shouldn't be there but also that he's intimately familiar with holding, and the pinkette fights off a grimace. He swings it a few times, back and forth, and Kakashi makes a choked sound.

"It's not a sword, Natsu-kun." he says, sounding mildly horrified, and Natsu laughs a bit.

"I guess not." He throws it, watching quietly as it misses Kakashi by a wide margin. "I don't think I'm gonna try anything with em this time though."

Or maybe never? He muses idly, ignoring the memory of Kizashi's voice, that first night here in this world.

He'll have to deal with that eventually, he knows. But not today.

He still walks past Kakashi, searching briefly before picking up the weapon and brushing the dirt off before he sticks it back in the pouch. He pauses then, taking a moment to feel at Sakura-chan's chakra coursing through this body, thicker and heavier than he's used to, and he finds himself wondering if the reason Sasuke needed so many handsigns for a fire breath is because the thicker energy doesn't move as easily as his light magic.

"Only one way to find out." Natsu murmurs, and Kakashi raises a curious eyebrow as the pinkette turns to face him. He shrugs the look off, taking a deep breath and stabilizing his stance.

Sakura-chan's chakra moves slower than he'd like as he pushes it, focuses it towards his arm, hand curled into claws as he tries to coat it with fire to give himself talons.

The chakra refuses to move past his skin. He can feel it, flowing just under the flesh, but it doesn't wrap around his fingers, certainly doesn't turn to flame, and Natsu stares at his arm in confusion. He distantly notices Kakashi walking closer but ignores it, turning his hand palm-up as he tries to force the energy out and properly coat his arm with it. It refuses to budge, swirling through the pathways he can feel in his arm but not leaving, just travelling back and forth, around and around.

Kakashi's hand clasps the bottom of his own, and through the point of contact, skin on skin, Natsu can feel… something, he's not sure what, and he has no chance to figure it out as the sensei slices a kunai across his palm.

Natsu barely feels it, physically, as the chakra trapped beneath the skin brushes away the pain almost instantly.

The blade only parts the topmost layer of his flesh, and he notices an odd look on Kakashi's face.

"That's an interesting technique."

"Tch." Natsu grimaces, pulling his hand away and letting go of the chakra. It quickly disperses, flowing normally, and the pinkette studies the thin mark on his hand that looks more like naturally-peeling skin than any wound, save for how straight the line is. "Not what I was going for at all."

"Useful though, wouldn't you say? Though I'm rather surprised… most people who concentrate that much chakra inside their bodies usually end up blowing off their appendage of choice. It's not really made to be used like that," he muses, studying Natsu's relaxed arm for another moment.

"It's so thick and heavy," Natsu complains, twisting his fingers through the air. "It doesn't move anything like it should, and I couldn't get it to go outside my skin at all. It only swirled around and around, and didn't even feel like it was trying to leave like I told it to."

"Hmm… well, if Inoichi-san's theory of you and Sakura-chan being related is true, I think it's safe to say that she doesn't have your kekkei genkai. I suppose I'll have to start at the basics with you, since you clearly have no idea how to use normal chakra. For now, Naruto-kun's turn!" Kakashi's voice turns chipper at the end, as he spins around back towards the other students. Natsu glowers at his back.

"I don't have a… kekkei genkai!" he grumbles, stomping forward and plopping himself back into the dirt at the posts. Sasuke gives him a particularly disgusted 'hn' that Natsu is pretty sure means 'I can't believe how pathetic you are', and the pinkette bristles. Turning around, he glares at his companion while biting back the urge to do something more physical - if Kakashi is going to make them do teamwork exercises later, he probably shouldn't…

Sasuke raises an eyebrow - is he smirking at me?! - and shifts, blatantly turning aside to watch Naruto take his turn against the silver-headed sensei, ignoring Natsu's heated anger. The pinkette snarls, more than ready to just punch him in the face, when Naruto yelps in pain, pulling his attention away from starting his own fight.

Naruto picks himself up, half way across the field and screaming a battlecry as he lunges back towards Kakashi. Watching from the outside, his lack of form is even more obvious. It's nothing like Natsu's, where the lack of form is the point of his form, and it's absolutely, blatantly clear that Naruto is just throwing out attacks without any rhyme or reason. It's brawling, not fighting, and Kakashi absolutely decimates the blond. And yet, just like the day before, Naruto gets up again and again, never staying down longer than a second, acting almost as if the blows don't even phase him.

Natsu's chest is still sore from that solid kick Kakashi landed, and a few other places ache from other blows the sensei landed, while Naruto acts as though he barely even feels them.

Natsu adds one more thing to the list of things that just don't make sense. Because, surely in a fighting-dependant place like this, Naruto's clear resilience would be a good thing, and yet they don't act like that at all.

Eventually, Kakashi clearly gives up on trying to knock his blond student down for good, and just pins the boy beneath his foot, ignoring Naruto's attempts to punch out his leg.

"I don't even know where to start with you." He says, and Naruto drops his arms, staring up at Kakashi. "You don't possess any skill whatsoever, and seem to rely entirely on stamina. If you had any degree of strength to back that up, it might be serviceable, but I'm fairly certain I've met gnats that hit me with more force than you've managed, even when my leg is a wide-open target. I know the academy teaches a standardized taijutsu form. What, did you just think that you know better than them, that you didn't need their forms? Hmm?"

"Huh? Whaddya mean, dattebayo! I learned the forms exactly how the sensei showed me to!" Kakashi scoffs, stepping back and away from the blond.

"Get up and run through a kata then."

Naruto jumps to his feet. "I'll show you!" he shouts, and goes straight into… Natsu would like to call it a kata. Even if he only knows a few basic ones himself, he still prides himself on his hand-to-hand skill, and he'd like to think he knows a thing or two about actual style katas, but…

It really kind of looks like if you took a basic kata, ran through it once, and then asked your very drunk neighbor to repeat it without any chance to practice or warm up.

Mildly, Kakashi raises a hand and gestures for Naruto to stop. The blond looks up, clearly expecting praise for something he's worked so hard towards. Silence descends over the clearing, thick and heavy as Kakashi attempts to address what they've seen, something tense lining his posture. Natsu finds himself biting back fury, though he doesn't quite realize why - until Kakashi calmly asks for the name of the teacher that taught Naruto his katas. The word sabotage flickers unspoken through the air.

Something is wrong with his temporary, blond-haired teammate, Natsu knows, something is wrong with how people treat him, and act around him, and even Sakura-chan doesn't know why she dislikes him. And Natsu thought that was the extent of it - was mostly poking the situation more for his own curiosity and the fact that Inoichi told him not to, and since when does he listen when people tell him no, but now…

Something is wrong with how people treat Naruto, and even if the kid wants to become the master of a giant yami guild, the idea that an instructor supposed to teach him sabotaged his ability to fight makes something burn in Natsu, fierce and sharp.

This team may not be his team and these people aren't his people, but there are some things you don't do, and Natsu is going to get to the bottom of this no matter what.

He doesn't pay attention to them as Kakashi runs Naruto through his jutsu and weapon skill, because he's got a mission, and somehow he doubts he'll be able to punch the answers out of someone.

His shoulders droop in resignation. He needs to plan.

People seem to like Sakura-chan, maybe if he pretended to be her while talking to this… Tachibana-sensei…

That… Kiba kid, I think Naruto said his name was… said Sakura-chan's mother doesn't like Naruto? So I'll have to wait til the next time I can talk to Sakura-chan herself, I don't think they'd help me pretend to be her for a reason like that…

But if I take too long Kakashi-san might get to that guy first… Maybe I can-

Kakashi interrupts, cheerily declaring "teamwork drills!" as he pushes both Natsu and Sasuke forward toward the treeline where Naruto is waiting.

Somehow, Natsu just knows this is going to end in disaster. Naruto looks excited, and Sasuke looks disdainfully confident, and Kakashi is smirking evilly, and right here, right now, Natsu thinks he'd almost prefer to have Erza walk in on him and Gray fighting because at least then he knows exactly how badly it's going to end.

Something about Kakashi-san's smirk is terribly unsettling.

Natsu refuses to tremble as the silver-haired man bounces into the forest, unwilling to give in to the feeling of dread that tries to take over.

Why me...

Chapter 14

Notes:

With this chapter, we're caught up cause chapter 13 is FIGHTING ME SO HARD LIKE I SAID I UPLOADED THIS HERE JUST TO DISTRACT MY BRAIN FROM WRITERS BLOCK. This chapter may also be edited later, cause a reviewer over on commented about a part a little into the chapter where it seems I didn't write too clearly, and ended up giving them the wrong impression with Natsu's actions during the teamwork exercise.
Also writing Naruto's POV was surprisingly fun, I spent the entire time thinking 'ohmygod hes adorable'.

Chapter Text

Kakashi-san comes to a stop once the edge of the treeline can't be seen anymore, spinning around to face them with a cheery eye-smile.

"So!" the sensei claps his hands together, as his visible eye cracks open to look down at them. Natsu's bad feeling intensifies at the innocence on the man's face. "I was going to just have you practice team combat drills, but then I thought, well, that might be too fun and my precious students certainly haven't earned the right to fun yet-" Tilting his head, Kakashi eyes them while slowly reaching behind to pull something out of a pouch. "And so, I thought up something a bit more… hmm, how shall we say… amusing?"

Natsu gets the feeling it's not going to be amusing to them, especially since he can hear the soft clink of metal from whatever Kakashi-san is hiding behind his back as he watches them. Sasuke starts looking properly apprehensive, but Naruto still looks eager and Natsu almost finds himself wanting to protect the kid's innocence from whatever hell they're about to experience.

Kakashi-san's innocent smile turns malicious in an instant, as he bends forward to look them in the eye. "We're going to play tag!"

"Wha- how is tag a teamwork thing?!" Naruto points dramatically, looking insulted, and Kakashi moves-

Quicker than Natsu can track, the sensei blurs around them, coming to a stop to lean against a tree off to the side.

"You have five minutes headstart, you can't leave the forest, every time I tag you you'll be given two minutes to change location before I come for you again, there will be a penalty for how many times I tag you by the end of this. Your time starts now~!"

He finishes brightly, and Sasuke takes off without hesitation. The force of his dash nearly rips Natsu's arm from its socket, the pinkette letting loose a sharp yelp as he stumbles in Sasuke's direction. Two feet of loose chain connect Natsu's right arm to Sasuke's left, and both of them follow the second chain to where it connects Naruto's right to Natsu's left.

The Dragon Slayer can't help but wonder why he has to be the one in the middle, staring in horror at the two boys he's trapped between.

"Four minutes~!" Kakashi offers cheerily, and Sasuke starts, glancing towards their sensei before immediately taking off again.

Natsu curses, grabbing Naruto's hand and trying to keep up with the worst teammate he's ever had to deal with as Sasuke continues to run, uncaring of whether his companions can follow the path he's taking.

The Uchiha glances up, considering a leap, and Natsu snarls. Twisting his hand to wrap his fingers around the chain, the pinkette plants his feet and refuses to budge, just as Sasuke jumps. The force of it nearly unseats Natsu's footing, he lurches forward but manages to tuck his arm back in as Sasuke crashes back to the ground.

Natsu lets go of Naruto's hand, the blond rubbing at his fingers with a weird look on his face which the Dragon Slayer ignores as he takes the few steps necessary to bring him to Sasuke's side.

"Are you stupid?" He stares down, blatantly making eye contact with Sasuke and rather wishing he could cross his arms.

"What part of 'teamwork exercise' involves you running off wherever you want while dragging us behind you, without any rhyme or reason? As though Kakashi isn't good enough to track us with laughable ease, and if you just run fast enough he won't find us?"

The blackette shoves himself to his feet, turning around to unravel the chain before glaring. "You're the ones holding me back."

"Teme! What sorta crap is that?!" Naruto explodes, jumping forward and making a grab for Sasuke's arm. The Uchiha dodges aside, jerking the chain, and Natsu grimaces. "This isn't a race! We're not seeing who's the fastest!"

"We have to avoid Kakashi. I'm avoiding Kakashi." Sasuke crosses his arms, and Natsu finds himself distinctly jealous for a moment.

Shoulda put Sasuke in the middle dammit!

"He's faster than any of us on our own, nevermind chained together like this." Natsu points out, holding out his arms in emphasis. "We'd be better off coming up with ideas on how to avoid him than just wasting our time running whatever direction you find prettiest."

The blackette glares again, turning around and walking. Natsu refuses to move, and he gets a couple of steps before the chain pulls taut again. He turns his head, snarling.

"We can't just sit around." He hisses, and Natsu sighs.

Kakashi ghosts out of the shadows and pats the Uchiha's head, offering a bright, "Two minutes~" as Sasuke jerks around to stare.

It doesn't improve from there.

Kakashi-san takes turns on which person he actually tags, sometimes approaching obviously so they see him coming, Naruto and Sasuke consistently leaping in opposite directions to avoid him, and other times sneaking up to touch one of them unexpectedly. Sometimes he cheerily reminds them how many times they've been tagged as he gives the two minute warning, Sasuke's temper spiking higher with each mocking word.

Natsu is not used to being the voice of reason on a team, he has no idea how to make the bas- Sasuke listen to him, no idea how to get everyone to shut up and cooperate. Sasuke ignores him every time he opens his mouth, and the one (and only) time he asks Naruto to help, the blond starts a fistfight with Sasuke that drags Natsu in as they tangle the chains around himself and each other.

Kakashi tags all three of them that time, brightly informing them it counts as a triple penalty before detangling them and sending them on their way. He calls time on the exercise two rounds later, to Natsu's great relief.

Both his wrists are bleeding by then, his right arm literally dripping with blood, his left only lightly cut when Kakashi whisks them back to the clearing and takes the cuffs off.

Naruto's wrist is completely fine, Sasuke's only red and sore-looking, and the pinkette can't keep a glare off his face as he watches blood drip drip drip off his arm and onto the grass.

Above them, Kakashi sighs.

"That was… a lot worse than I expected. I mean, I expected you all to suck, but congratulations, you've surprised me." His voice is mild, but the censure in it is unmistakable. "Did either of you take even a second to care about what being in the middle was doing to Natsu-kun?"

"Eh?" Naruto turns, confused, right up until his eyes land on Natsu's mangled wrists. "Wha- Natsu-kun! Why didn't you say something?! Are you okay, that's bleeding a lot, do you need the hospital, sensei where are the bandages-"

"Honestly," Kakashi cuts across Naruto's panicked rambling, one hand gently stopping the blond from grabbing Natsu, "ten minutes in, Natsu-kun started bleeding enough that even the worst tracker in the world could have followed your trail. I actually had to cut this shorter than I planned because if I'd kept going, Sasuke-kun's constant violent jerking could well have cut open something dangerous. I don't believe I've ever heard of a genin teamwork exercise having to be cancelled to protect one of the childrens' lives before."

"Tch." Sasuke scoffs, raising his chin. "He should have been using chakra to pad his wrists, that's so basic even Naruto can do it."

Kakashi's deadpan stare somehow manages to convey the complete and utter idiocy of the one he's looking at. Sasuke puffs up in affront, but Kakashi speaks across whatever defence he might have tried to utter.

"Were you not listening, this morning, when it was rather blatantly stated that Natsu-kun is unfamiliar with using Sakura-chan's chakra? Perhaps, if you'd given him a few minutes to concentrate, he could have managed. Did you even bother to look, and make sure your teammates could keep up, make sure they were alright? There would be nothing wrong with Sasuke-kun taking point in such a situation. Uchiha, with or without their Sharingan, tend to have superior eyesight. In a situation like that, where you can't split up or take a proper formation, Sasuke-kun being in front and deciding the course is not a bad idea, as he might see something his companions would not. However, that's not why you did that. You never once looked back, nor did you consider them at all in the paths you chose. Doing the right thing for the wrong reasons is just another way of saying you did the wrong thing, Sasuke-kun."

Grabbing the blackette's arm, Kakashi turns the boy around until he's facing Natsu. "This won't be the last time I have you run that sort of exercise. And if this ever happens again, Sasuke-kun," Kakashi pauses for effect, grabbing Natsu's right hand and holding it up, the pinkette grimacing uncomfortably as the blood slides down his forearm, "I will be writing an official censure against you. Are we clear?"

Sasuke's eyes track the blood as it starts to pool in the crease of Natsu's elbow, gaze unreadable, before he finally nods.

"Hmm. Naruto, Sasuke, go wait by the posts for a few minutes while I take care of these."

Sasuke turns and walks away immediately, Naruto hesitating and dragging his feet as Kakashi slowly settles into a crouch and pulls out a med kit.

"Take a seat, Natsu-kun."

Natsu watches the man work, as he quickly cleans the left wrist and bandages it, before turning to the more heavily-injured right. It stings as he cleans away the blood with a wipe, fingers glowing green for a few moments as he runs them over the wounds. Natsu watches, feeling as Kakashi's chakra flows into his arm, coaxing his own to meet it and heal the wound. It's weird, feeling how Sakura-chan's chakra reacts under his skin as it follows Kakashi-san's directions, nothing and everything like Wendy's healing magic as his wrist slowly knits from the inside out. Similar in how it feels as the healing chakra mingles with Sakura's, but moving so differently from what he expects… A faint pink line traces around his wrist by the time Kakashi pulls back his hand, slightly sore to the touch but undeniably healed.

"Hmm." Kakashi quickly ties off another short bandage, standing up and ignoring Natsu's confused "What?" as he walks back to the others.

"Come on now, chop chop!"

Grumbling, Natsu pushes himself to his feet and follows after the man.

"Now!" Kakashi claps his hands as soon as Natsu steps into the dirt. "Just in case you all got the wrong idea, I don't want you to think your failure was entirely Sasuke-kun's fault. After all, there were enough problems in that performance to go around, no need to let him hog them all." Naruto winces as Kakashi turns his bright grin onto the blond.

"Naruto-kun! Tell me, did you think at all before you started a fight with Sasuke-kun? You've already more than proven you weren't paying attention to Natsu-kun at all, considering your surprise at how much you were hurting him. But surely it must have crossed your mind, even for a second, that perhaps starting a fistfight was a bad idea? Hmm? No?"

Kakashi straightens his posture, looming over Naruto and causing the blond to tremble as he stares up at the sensei. "Sasuke-kun was under the impression that the two of you were holding him back, and that he didn't need you, and so he didn't care to keep track of how you were doing. Naruto-kun… Naruto-kun was ignorant. And that's almost worse. Shinobi live and die by information. For someone who wants to be Hokage, the man who must never be ignorant, must be continuously aware of the conditions of his shinobi, Naruto… well. If this is the best you can do, you'll never hold that seat. And Konoha will be better for it."

Kakashi's entire countenance softens then, and he reaches out to pat Naruto's head as the blond's eyes tear up. "Maa. You can learn to be better, Naruto-kun. But you aren't a good Hokage just by wanting to be Hokage. You have to work for it. Right now, I don't see much working. So you'll have to change that, won't you?"

"R-right!" Naruto grins, hurriedly wiping away the last traces of tears.

Kakashi turns to Natsu then, and the pinkette revels in crossing his arms as he meets the sensei's eye. Kakashi snorts in amusement. "Natsu-kun… did not try at all. Natsu-kun didn't inform his teammates of his injury, nor did he attempt to assert control and get the others to listen to him. Considering Natsu-kun's previous behavior, I rather expected you to get quickly annoyed with Sasuke-kun's actions and start a fight yourself until he chose to listen to you. Instead, you seemed to just wait for something to happen. I wonder why?"

Natsu glances away, shifting his arms to rub at the back of his neck. "I didn't really notice how bad it was until you took off the cuffs… And since this was supposed to be a teamwork exercise, starting a fight felt like the opposite of what I should be doing! And then Naruto-kun started a fight and you were annoyed enough that I thought that meant I was right and we shouldn't be fighting with each other, but I didn't know what else to do."

"It wasn't the fight between Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun that was the problem. It was the result. If this had been anything approaching an actual mission, all three of you would have been dead because of that. Admittedly, the circumstances aren't very realistic. But even so, letting the fight not only injure everyone, but also tangle you so thoroughly that you were all sitting ducks for anyone who came by… a hungry wolf was more than a match for the three of you in that condition, and when a shinobi is reduced to being unable to protect himself from wild beasts he is truly at his most pathetic. I would have been disappointed with you if you'd resorted to fighting without even trying anything else, but Natsu-kun didn't even try to reign in either of his teammates after that first attempt. All three of you have a long way to go." Sighing, Kakashi sags his shoulders and stares up at the sky. "Now, go eat lunch. I'll be back shortly with a selection of D-ranks that you'll be performing the rest of the day."

Natsu goes straight to his bento after Kakashi disappears, plopping into the dirt as he digs in. Sasuke walks away, not looking at anyone, leaving Naruto to shift his weight awkwardly before siddling close to the pinkette and sitting.

"Is… Natsu-kun really okay?" he asks, staring at the bandages, and Natsu shrugs casually, mouth full of food.

"'S'kay" he slurs around his meal, shoveling more food in quick succession. Naruto nods a bit uncomfortably, like he wants to argue, but eventually settles down and leans against the other post.

He doesn't move, playing with a twig that found itself stuck in his spiky hair, and Natsu slowly stops eating to look more closely at his companion.

"You're not getting lunch?"

"Huh? Ahaha, actually I'm not hungry!" Naruto scratches at his head, grinning nervously, and Natsu narrows his eyes.

"Really? Naruto-kun seems to eat a lot though…"

The blond's shoulders droop, and he looks away, refusing to make eye contact.

"I, uh… blew all my money at Ichiraku's yesterday… And since I'm a genin now I don't get the orphan's stipend, so I gotta wait til our first mission pay before I can buy more groceries… but it's okay! I've gone way longer before, I can definitely wait til tomorrow for the pay to go through, it's no big deal!"

Natsu hesitates, staring at the last portion of his bento, before closing his eyes and shoving it over. Naruto splutters, trying to push it back. "I'm fine, I'm fine, I already said that!"

"I'll have dinner tonight, it's no big deal if I cut my lunch a little short. But if mission pay won't be given til tomorrow, that means Naruto isn't going to even eat that much. So finish it. I'm gonna go stretch."

Natsu drops the bento lightly onto the ground and turns to walk away, before Naruto can complain. He still tries anyway, hollering after the pinkette, but Natsu ignores him and goes through a series of basic stretches, carefully waiting until he hears the sounds of scraping chopsticks and chewing.

Kakashi comes back before Sasuke does, a brace of scrolls tucked under his arm as Natsu tries to explain the benefits of stretching to a very confused Naruto.

"But I've never felt anything like that before! Who pulls muscles, that's ridiculous, muscles exist to work so why'd they get hurt if you're just doin' what you're supposed to do?"

Natsu sighs. "I don't know how else to explain it! If you don't take time to stretch you can hurt yourself!"

"But you can't stretch before a fight, so why's it even matter?"

"Well," Kakashi interjects, causing Natsu's face to turn to grateful relief, "you don't actually have to stretch."

"What?" Natsu deadpans, eyebrow twitching.

"Maa maa, let me finish. Chakra flows through our bodies, and it helps to take the strain off our muscles so that we can explode into action at any moment without serious risk of injuring ourselves. For genin, stretching is actually completely unnecessary. Usually not even for chunin. Chakra's natural flow through your body keeps muscles from strain. It's only once you advance beyond chunin that the strain you put on your body begins to exceed what chakra can naturally protect against, and start needing to run through stretching routines more regularly. Even then, it's more preventative care and is considered optional right up until you're either ANBU or start going on regular S-Rank jobs. It's not a bad idea to get into the habit early though, if you're aiming for Hokage." He says the last with a bright smile toward Naruto, who sits back with a thoughtful look on his face.

"So… how do you do it?" He asks, but Kakashi turns away.

"Well! Now that everyone's here, we can get started on missions!" He says brightly, ignoring Naruto's question as Sasuke comes to a stop a few feet away.

"For our first job…" his voice trails off dramatically, as he pulls out a scroll from under his arm with a flourish, "You all will be~ painting Hasai-san's fences!"

"Wha-what?! That's even worse than I thought!" Natsu leaps to his feet, pointing in horror at the scroll as Kakashi waves it teasingly through the air.

"Maa, is that so? Well, that's the job! Now move, chop chop, the faster you three finish this the faster we can move on to the next one!"

Kakashi makes waving motions with his hands, scroll fluttering back and forth. Natsu glares at it, trying to light it on fire with his eyes.

"Where even is this Hasai guy anyway?" Naruto retorts, causing Kakashi to bounce his way toward the street.

"This way, my precious students~!"

Natsu turns his glare towards trying to light Kakashi on fire, with equally effective results.

Sakura-cha… Natsu-kun attacks D-ranks like they're bad guys. The teme makes painting fences look like an insult against him personally, but Natsu-kun wields the paintbrush like a weapon, and the fence the enemy to be stabbed. It sucks, painting fences is nowhere near as cool as rescuing princesses, but Natsu's aggression is way too much!

Naruto bites his tongue, trying to keep the paint even. It's not as fun as graffitiing the monument, it's just boring white, but he's not about to give that grumpy old guy who's supposed to be their client an excuse to cheat their pay just cause of him! He double-checks Naruto's work way more than Sakura-chan's or the teme's, and the blond won't let him find anything wrong with it!

Finishing the last touches on the post, Naruto carefully siddles sideways, moving to get a better angle for the next section.

It's the most boring paint job he's ever done, and Naruto swears to himself he'll be tye-dying the Hokage Monument to make up for it later. Or maybe the shop of that lady who sold him the bad milk? Hmm, choices choices…

His stomach grumbles, and Naruto glares at it.

Shut up!

Sakura-chan- Natsu-kun? GAH IT'S SO CONFUSING!

Went out of their way to give him the rest of their lunch, and no one's ever done something like that for Naruto before, so his stomach should just be happy and stop complaining what if Sakura-chan hears, she'll be so annoyed she'll bop my head again!

It's so confusing. Sakura-chan's so pretty, and she's the awesomest person ever, and she'll definitely go on a date with him when she realizes how much Sasuke sucks, but… but Natsu-kun's Sakura-chan, or Sakura-chan's Natsu-kun, and he's as pretty as Sakura-chan because he is Sakura-chan, but he's not, because he's really strong - not that Sakura-chan isn't strong, she's the best, but Natsu-kun isn't like that, but he's still so nice, just like Sakura-chan, and Naruto doesn't know what to do. Is it betraying Sakura-chan if he likes Natsu-kun too, cause Sakura-chan definitely doesn't want anyone in her body so he shouldn't like Natsu-kun, but then that's not fair, cause Natsu-kun didn't want to be here and is just stuck until that Inoichi guy finds a way to get him home, so it's not bad to like Natsu-kun, right?

"Argh!" Naruto thumps his head into the railing, cause his thoughts are going in circles, and-

"What are you doing over there?!"

"Wha-!" Naruto leaps back, and the old client is swooping down, glaring. "You're supposed to be painting these fences, not making them dirtier! You filthy-!"

"Maa maa, I'm sure it was an accident."

Kakashi-sensei smoothly interrupts the old guy before he can start yelling even more, giving that totally-not-innocent eye smile as he leads the guy away.

Kakashi-sensei is the best. Even when Naruto screwed up so bad during the teamwork test, he just told him what he did wrong and then told him to get better, that he could get better, and that he couldn't be Hokage unless he did get better, which is practically saying that he believes Naruto can do it! And even though Iruka-sensei believes in him, it's different, because Kakashi-sensei told him how.

Naruto peeks a glance at Sakura-cha- Natsu-kun under his bangs, at the bandages on h-his wrists, and one of those is my fault, but it won't happen again! I won't be the reason my teammates get hurt like that again! Dattebayo!

Only, he realizes after a moment, that Natsu-kun is looking back at him.

"E-eh? Ahaha, sorry! Do you need more paint?" Naruto offers, because he remembers every second of that time at Ichiraku's yesterday - how could he forget, it was almost like a date! - and Natsu-kun said he wanted to figure out what Naruto's secret was… But then Natsu-kun would just hate him like everyone else, and Naruto would really rather he just forget! So he holds out the bucket of paint with a bright grin, and Natsu huffs a bit, a weird look on his face before he dips the brush in and goes back to painting.

Only now he's looking like he's thinking, and Naruto would really really like it if he stopped. Dipping more paint onto his own brush, he quickly smooths out the place his head impacted, and starts talking.

"So! What's Natsu-kun's favorite color!"

"What?" Natsu blinks, hand frozen as he turns to stare, and Naruto grins.

That's right! Can't try an figure me out if you're busy answering questions! I'm a genius, dattebayo!

"Well, I mean I know Sakura-chan's is pink! And mine is orange, and the teme over there doesn't talk about stuff like that, but Ino-chan said she thought it was blue, and she usually is right with stuff like that! So, what's Natsu's?"

Really Naruto only overheard Ino telling some of her other friends that, it's not like she'd ever talk to him, but it's probably right regardless, if the way the teme's glaring even more at his post now is any indication.

Natsu-kun shifts a little from how he's sitting, and shrugs. "I guess red's pretty cool. Mostly I just like fire! Which is really a lot of colors, but it's the best so they can all be my favorite I guess!"

"Oh yeaaaaaaaah you cried earlier when Sasuke did that fire jutsu huh?"

Natsu-kun squawks like a bird, dropping the paintbrush as he waves his hands a whole lot.

"W-when you say it like that, somehow it sounds really bad!"

Naruto laughs, handing over his own paintbrush. It's only fair if he made Natsu-kun drop it then he should clean it up, and Natsu gives him a reallyyyyyy suspicious look, but he takes it anyway.

The teme grunts in a way that Naruto is pretty sure means, 'what do you mean, Sakura-chan cried? Did I do something wrong?'

Okay. Maybe Naruto's just projecting a bit, but the teme didn't even act like Sakura-chan's wrists were hurt at all and dammit he should apologize, dattebayo!

Naruto makes sure to stick his tongue out when Sasuke looks over, just so he knows he doesn't get any answers, before going back to cleaning off the brush so he can get back to painting. Even Kakashi-sensei can't distract their client forever after all, so he'd better be working when they get back or Naruto just knows the man's gonna cheat em of their pay!

"So!" Bouncing back to his post, Naruto glances over at his teammate. "What's your favorite food? Mine's ramen! Specially Ichiraku Ramen, cause they're the best of the best! Even Sakura-chan has to agree, because I've never seen you eat so much!"

Ah! Naruto winces. "Ehe, sorry, Natsu-kun. But I guess it's still Sakura-chan's body, which I never knew could hold so much food…" Naruto stares at Natsu-kun's stomach, as though it'd tell him the secrets of why it's suddenly eating so much more than normal.

Natsu laughs a bit, and it's so pretty, Sakura-chan doesn't laugh much cause she yells more with Ino or she does that creepy giggle when she looks at Sasuke, but when she laughs it's the best, and it annoys Naruto cause he only hears Sakura-chan laugh now that it's not Sakura-chan who's there, and that's not right, but it's still pretty-

"It's okay, really! It's only been a day after all." Natsu waves his hand, like he's brushing aside Naruto's mistake, like it doesn't matter that he screwed up, and Naruto's so torn. "But food… aaaaah I like any food! But free food is definitely my favorite, no matter what sort it is! That ramen was really really good though, it's definitely the best ramen I ever had! But I don't know how I'd compare it to other food… haaaaaaaaa…"

Natsu-kun taps his finger against his lip, and he looks so pretty and Naruto's a little confused, cause Sakura-chan's a girl and Natsu-kun's a boy but Naruto kinda wishes Sakura-chan would pull her hair into a tail more often cause it brings out her forehead which is totally cool and makes her look really mature, but it's not Sakura-chan and-

Naruto barely stops himself from thunking his head into the post again. But really, everything Natsu-kun did to try and make him look different from Sakura-chan just makes Sakura-chan look even prettier and Naruto is just really really confused.

At least Natsu-kun smells different than Sakura-chan usually does, cause otherwise he'd never be able to remember that Natsu-kun is someone else and not Sakura-chan. No matter how many different clothes he tries to wear…

"So… what sort of stuff do you do for fun?"

"Eh?" Naruto looks up, then laughs a bit. Natsu-kun isn't even looking at him, just… talking more while doing the mission, and Naruto turns back to his own paint job while he answers. "I like pranks! Specially when I can get away without anyone catching me, like nyeh nyeh take that!" He punches his hand in the air, and feels paint drip onto his hair from the brush. "Ack!"

Jumping up, he runs his other hand through his hair rapidly, trying to get it out. Natsu laughs again, still so soft and pretty and amazing and Naruto's face heats up.

"Wh-what about you?" He asks desperately, sticking the handle of his paintbrush in the dirt and scrubbing his hair more thoroughly.

Natsu laughs a bit more evilly, a smirk that somehow suits Sakura-chan on his face. "I like fighting! Fighting is definitely the best thing to do for fun! But I also like breaking into Lucy's house and laying on everything, cause she gets so annoyed and red in the face and she yells a lot and it's hilarious, I tried doing it to Erza-san once, but…" Natsu shudders so bad Naruto almost asks if he's okay, cause it looks awful, but Kakashi-sensei comes back just then and totally ruins the moment!

"Hmm, I think you missed a spot, Natsu-kun."

The paintbrush shatters in Natsu-kun's grip as he spins around to glare up at Kakashi-sensei.

"Where?!"

...that's gonna come out of their pay, isn't it?

Well, at least Kakashi-sensei grabbed lots of scrolls. Even if they're all boring, he should get enough money to not have to worry about stuff for a while…

His stomach grumbles again at the thought of money, and Naruto tells it to shut up as he moves to the next part of the fence. It can have all it wants to eat tomorrow, dattebayo!

Maybe we can have lunch together tomorrow? And I can give Natsu my extras, to pay him back! Yeah!

Plan set, Naruto attacks the fence with renewed vigor, eyes narrowed in concentration so he can be super duper sure he doesn't miss anything or leave any mistakes for their client to yell about.

Painting sucks. It's mindless, and boring, and he can't even blow anything up with it, since he doesn't have any of Reedus' special mixtures, which is unfair. The old guy doesn't help, Natsu's dealt with seedy clients before - when you're as famous as Fairy Tail you can't avoid it, but Harasaha-whatever-his-name-is puts some of Fairy Tail's worst to shame. Kakashi-san's interceded to distract the man three times, and they still have at least six posts left to go. Natsu might bang his own head against the wood, if Naruto didn't still have a smear of white clinging under his bangs.

Even Fairy Tail's worst D-Rank jobs are more interesting than this… who uses mages to paint stuff?! It's not even magic paint or anything special like that! Why'd anyone decide to go along with this?

"Problem, Natsu-kun?" Kakashi asks brightly, and the pinkette bites back a snarl. He didn't miss a spot, no matter what Kakashi'd said earlier, and he knows the sensei's just messing with him cause he complained about having to do D-Ranks again.

"Don't you have some old guy to kiss up to?" he mutters under his breath, waving his brush in an attempt to spatter paint on the man.

Kakashi dodges casually, chuckling. "Oh, he's behaving for now. Hurry up and finish, we have a cat to catch next!"

Natsu's arm freezes mid-motion, and he turns to glance at Kakashi-san. Catching cats is a bit more like the D-Ranks he's familiar with, but something about the way the silver-haired man said it gives him a bad feeling…

Kakashi offers a bright smile and turns to talk to Sasuke, blatantly ignoring his look. Natsu turns back to his paint job after a moment, shrugging that feeling off.

It's just a cat-catch! How hard can it be?

Chapter 15

Notes:

This chapter may get edited later, didn't finish going over it but it's almost the end of Sunday and I just need to post or I won't be able to say I did it on time!
Happy New Years everyone!

Chapter Text

Natsu would like to think he's a cat person. Happy's a cat, after all, even if he's a talking, flying one. Natsu likes cats. Natsu never thought he could not like a cat.

Natsu had never met Tora before.

Team 7 stumbles up to the mission return desk, one hellspawn she-demon of a cat screeching at the top of her lungs as Naruto holds on like the world itself will end should his grip falter, Sasuke flanking him with the cat's front paws gripped in his hand to protect Naruto from her scratching while Natsu holds the end of a rope tied about her middle just in case she makes a break for it.

The sun set two hours ago, and Natsu stares in numb apathy as the desk attendant says they've set a new record for the longest time it's taken to capture the abomination. Natsu finds himself mildly surprised when the man says that eight and a half hours is ridiculous, because it felt like longer. The man continues to chide them, but Naruto interrupts with something that sounds a bit like, "Iruka-senseeeeeeeeeeei~" and he stops lecturing.

"Yes, Naruto-kun?" he sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. Natsu vaguely focuses on the scar that cuts across, wondering how he got it.

"C-can you just take it away now? Before it escapes again?"

The hellspawn lets out another vicious screech, renewing its struggles. Sasuke grimaces, the claws must have been unsheathed, but without the leverage to scratch they aren't dangerous enough to make him let go.

Natsu sighs in relief.

The hellspawn seemed unable to decide which member of Team 7 it hated the most, but considering the way it mockingly stropped Kakashi's ankles, Natsu's pretty sure he knows who the demon liked.

Iruka puts the final stamps on the paperwork and walks around the desk, shaking his head. "Fine. Madam Shijimi already left for the day since you took so long, but we'll keep her here in administration til tomorrow morning." He grabs the rope from Natsu's hand first, offering a disappointed gaze the pinkette is too exhausted to care about, then scoops the hellcat out of Naruto's arms.

It only takes until Iruka unties the rope, petting down the cat's fur as he murmurs, "oh I can't believe they tied it so tightly, you poor thing," for Tora to wiggle under his chin, looking like she's going for an affectionate headbutt. Her front paws brace on Iruka's shoulder, and Natsu sees it nearly before it happens, as her muscles bunch and her forepaws brace on his vest and then she's up and over and under the desks before anyone has a chance to react.

Natsu tracks her with his eyes as she dodges around someone carrying a stack of paperwork, leaps onto a bench, then wiggles herself under a cracked-open window. He turns dead eyes back to Iruka.

"We're not doing this again. You touched her last, you accepted our mission completion. She's your problem now."

Sasuke's hand drips blood from ten small puncture wounds. He glares up at Iruka. "She was tied up for a reason." His voice sounds as dead as Natsu feels, hollow and empty as though their souls were sucked away by the demon they'd fought so hard to capture.

Naruto looks at the stamped paperwork. "Will we still get paid?" he asks morosely, and Natsu pats him on the back.

"I'll bring you lunch tomorrow, if they don't."

"Thanks…"

Iruka looks at them, then to the rope still in his hands. "Tora's never done that before…" he mutters, shaking his head.

Natsu doesn't care. That cat was so evil, it drove Sasuke into willing cooperation which, as far as Natsu is concerned, makes the hellspawn the evilest thing to exist in the entire world. Any 'decency' she displays can only be an act to fool her captors long enough to make her next escape.

Naruto's stomach grumbles loudly, and Iruka sighs. "Go home then. I already signed the paperwork, so I'll go catch her." He shoos them away, and Natsu looks up at Kakashi. The man has his right hand in his pocket, left holding up a book to his nose, and Natsu knows he could have caught the cat before it escaped again. He makes his eyes as dead as possible.

"Sensei?"

Kakashi sighs dramatically, as though they're personally offending him by asking to be dismissed. "Oh very well," he groans, shooing his hand at them, "off you go. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning."

Natsu offers a jerk of a wave to his teammates and walks back to Sakura-chan's house. He takes a quick shower and gets ready for bed with the methodical actions of someone who is only paying the barest of attention, half-asleep on his feet and out like a light the moment he lays down.

He dreams of Tora, triumphantly captured, only to sprout wings just before they bring her in, laughing in Happy's most mischievous voice as she flies away.

Dreams of Tora, flying above the trees, and he turns to Happy, but Happy is gone, Happy is flying with Tora and presenting her with fish-

No! Happy likes Charla, Happy you can't do this! She's evil, Happy, she's not a good match for you!

But Happy is deaf to Natsu's pleas, dancing in the wind and offering the flying Tora courtship gifts as Natsu stares in horror from his place on the ground, unable to call his friend back.

Natsu dreams of blue-furred babies with pink bows, Happy and Tora curled about the children and purring to each other. Happy leans over, grooming Tora's fur, his tail twining together with hers.

One of the babies opens its eyes, and Natsu sees blood-red evil looking out from Happy's soft blue fur.

He wakes up screaming.

"Seriously, I'm fine! It was just a dream, sheesh!"

Mebuki-san gives him a disbelieving look, holding the two bento boxes he asked her to prepare above her head. He'd already tried jumping and he doesn't really want to get into a fight with Sakura-chan's civilian mother, but at this point he's going to be late and Natsu really doesn't want to know what Kakashi would do to him if he is.

"Natsu-kun-"

"Oh, let him be, dear. I don't think you're going to get anything out of him."

Sakura-chan's mother glares at her husband, but lowers the bentos all the same. "Inoichi-san left a message last night, he'll have time for your first lesson tomorrow. If you're having nightmares, I suggest you take some time to speak with him about them, alright?"

Natsu isn't going to speak about that dream to anyone, ever, but he nods quickly anyway. "Fine, fine, I gotcha, but I really gotta go or I'll be late!" Grabbing the bentos, he turns and rushes off, tossing a quick, "See ya!" behind him as he goes.

Naruto and Sasuke are already there when he gets to the field, and he drops the lunches on one of the training posts before turning toward the Uchiha.

"They… did recapture her. Right?"

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. "Why're you asking me?"

Natsu sighs, looks to Naruto. The blond shakes his head. "No one said anything to me, either. I guess that means you don't know too. I-it shouldn't be a problem though. Iruka-sensei's a chunin, there's no way he'd fail, we won't have to do it again."

"Hn." Sasuke turns, offering a suspicious glare toward the administration building, and Kakashi appears between them in a flurry of leaves.

"Well now," He starts brightly, clapping his hands together as they all jump. "Looks like everyone's here! How are my students this fine morning?"

In a rather extraordinary display of team unity, Kakashi receives three matching glares. Sasuke's somehow also manages to incorporate the ability to question his lineage, and Natsu has no idea how he managed to pull that off.

Kakashi laughs off their displeasure and orders them to run laps around the training field. He disappears in a puff of smoke as soon as he finishes speaking, Naruto's loud protest falling flat. Sasuke offers another 'hn', turning and jogging to the border of the field to begin his laps. Natsu and Naruto exchange shrugs and join him.

The training field is large, when you take the forest and river into consideration, and Natsu starts to feel a stitch in his side by the second lap. Halfway through the fourth he stops, leaning against a tree and trying to regulate his breathing as black spots dance in front of his eyes.

Dammit! What kind of person wants to be a shinobi, but gets tired this easily?!

Sasuke laps him, offering a sharp look of disdain, and Natsu bares his teeth in a snarl. His head swims again as he pushes off the tree and tries to support his own weight, but Natsu stubborns his way through the disorientation, glaring at nothing until his vision levels out. Once the dizziness fades, he starts walking.

Even Sasuke is reduced to walking by the time Kakashi calls them back to the clearing, Naruto the only one who has the stamina to keep running the laps. Natsu finds himself less surprised, this time. Stamina is the one thing the blond possesses in spades, and Natsu wonders where he gets the energy, since Naruto has to have skipped both dinner and breakfast due to his lack of funds.

They trudge their way back toward the posts, where Kakashi waits with a cheery eye-smile. "Hmm, Natsu-kun will have to work on his stamina." he offers as soon as they're within earshot, and Natsu glares at him tiredly.

Che! As if I don't know that!

"Now, today we'll do something a little different! I've hidden a bunch of pieces to a puzzle around the forest. You'll have to find them and put them together into the correct shape within an hour. Let me know when you're ready~"

"Huh?!" Naruto speaks first, staring in confusion at the sensei. "What's that got to do with teamwork?"

Kakashi's cheery smile turns malicious. "Maa maa. Are you doubting me?" Naruto quails a bit under the stare, which quickly turns itself back to his usual, cheery look. "Well, if you really need me to explain it to you… I suppose the time it takes to explain can be taken off the time I gave you to complete the test?" He tilts his head to the side in innocent curiosity, every inch of it a lie.

"Hn. Let's go." Sasuke turns and walks off, and Natsu gapes.

"Wha- don't just decide on your own you bastard!"

Only the knowledge that Kakashi likely started counting their time as soon as Sasuke spoke keeps him from staying where he is, the pinkette grumbling curses as he makes himself catch up to the Uchiha.

"If we all just run around the forest," he gasps out as he and Naruto draw even with Sasuke, "then even if we find all the pieces we won't be able to assemble them. S-so, whoever's good at puzzles should sit in one place and let us bring em over, yeah?"

Sasuke sends him a scornful glance. "You're too exhausted to be any use looking anyway. So just find someplace to sit around and wait. We'll find everything ourselves." he tosses a somewhat doubtful look toward Naruto, then breaks into a jog, disappearing quickly into the trees.

"Sorry about that S-Natsu-kun." Naruto says, scratching sheepishly. "If you wanted to look yourself, I could try and be the one to put it all together! I mean, I can make shadow clones, so I'd still be able to help you guys too!"

"Are you any good at puzzles?"

"Urk!"

Natsu sighs. "I'm not really, either… but even if he was rude about it Sasuke was right. Sakura-chan's body just isn't as strong as I'm used to, and I'm pretty exhausted… but maybe you could leave a… shadow clone?... with me, and we can figure it out from there!"

"Sure thing! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto crosses his fingers, and a dozen copies of himself appear between the trees.

"We're gonna bring anything we find to Sakura-chan!" he commands to the clones, all of them chorusing their acceptance before bolting deeper into the trees. One stays behind, and Naruto quickly runs up to whisper to it.

Natsu's enhanced hearing picks up the words as he quickly mutters out instructions. "You gotta protect Sak-k-Natsu-kun, incase the teme tries anything! I'm counting on you, so don't screw this up!"

Natsu narrows his eyes, offended, but Naruto bolts off with a wave before he can say anything. Natsu turns his gaze to the clone. "Just so we're clear," he starts, crossing his arms, "I don't need to be protected."

The clone laughs, bouncing over. "Sure, sure, you know how the boss is. We got the boring job honestly, just sitting around waiting! Ugh!" The clone sits, crossing his legs and propping his chin in his palms.

Natsu joins him, leaning his back against a tree and sliding down to sit at the roots. And tilts his head.

Hmm…

"You can sit next to me if you'd like!" he offers, patting the ground next to him. The clone all but leaps over, happily sitting right next to him, and Natsu finds himself blinking a bit in confusion.

Uh. Oooookay then?

Natsu resolves to ignore that, and does his best to look relaxed. "So, what even is a Shadow Clone? I mean, obviously you're physical, and you even smell mostly like Naruto. Do you have all his memories, or do you only know what you need to know to do your job?"

"Heh!" the clone leans back, weight braced onto his hands. "The Shadow Clone jutsu is the best! Boss actually found it in the Forbidden Scroll he stole from Jiji! It's a totally kick-ass technique only the best ninja can use! I totally know everything the Boss does, I'm like Boss 2.0! It turned out that Mizuki-bastard was lying when he said learning a jutsu from the Forbidden Scroll would let you become a shinobi, but Iruka-sensei was so impressed boss did it that he passed him anyway! Why? You wanna learn how to do it? Boss would definitely teach you!"

Stole from… isn't jiji what he calls the Hokage? And he didn't get in trouble?!

Just another thing to add to the mystery-of-Naruto pile. Natsu thinks for a minute, then shrugs. "So, why's everyone treat you so weird. I'm pretty sure teachers aren't supposed to lie about how to pass tests, or that the Hokage usually lets people steal from him. I know Naruto's hiding something, so what is it?" Natsu leans forward, planting his hands on the ground, and the clone gives him a nervous look.

"Ehehe, I don't think Boss'd be happy if I told you…"

"Is it really that bad? Like, are you in trouble or something?"

"Wha-? No, no, Boss isn't in trouble! It's not really anything you could help with, really! Some people just don't like Boss and they get weird about it, is all."

"Uh-huh."

The clone winces, falling back until he's laying down. "Look, I can't- I'm still like, practically Boss. Just temporary. And just cause I wouldn't have to deal with anything after I told you doesn't mean Boss wouldn't. And then he'd be upset. So I'm not gonna say!"

Natsu nearly asks why Naruto wouldn't want to tell him, but… Naruto's known him for all of three days, after he took over the body of one of Naruto's friends.

He sighs.

"Alright, alright. I won't ask again. But I'm not gonna let this go til I figure it out either! You got that?" Natsu points right at the clone for good measure, and it laughs nervously at him.

"Y-yeah, sure thing! S-so-" the clone takes a moment, clearly trying to think of something to change the subject, "what do you think this puzzle's gonna be anyway?"

Natsu opens his mouth, ready to tell the clone he's got no clue, when something heavy thunks onto his head.

"Ow!" One hand clasping his skull, Natsu looks up to see Sasuke leap to another tree, not even looking back.

"Huh. It's… a cube with fancy swirls on it?"

"What?" Natsu looks away from the Uchiha's trail, turning to study what has to be the first piece of the puzzle. "I think those are… seals? There were some on a bathtub in Sakura-chan's house, but I broke those…"

Naruto's clone gets a worried look on his face. "That doesn't sound like a good sign…"

Natsu grimaces. "We'll just have to see how many Naruto and Sasuke find… maybe one of the others will have a hint so we know what to do with it…"

"Yeah, maybe."

Natsu and the clone trade worried looks, the cube laying between them.

Natsu gets the feeling this test won't be half as easy as it sounded in description.

Chapter 16

Notes:

Sorry this is a day late! I forgot to tell you guys, but I was on vacation essentially from Sunday to Sunday this past week, and finding the time to write was surprisingly difficult! Ended up staying up til 1 am, and then waking up super early the next morning just to finish this chapter. We should be back to regular Sunday posting next week, barring catastrophe! Luckily, this chapter is ACTUALLY getting back into the plot, and hopefully the pace will pick up a little from here on out.

I'll be honest though. Next chapter's gonna be a trip. Hopefully. If it comes out the way I'm planning it in my head, at least~

…also my brain may or may not be trying to turn this into a 5-book series.

You guys. You guys. This started as a slightly-serious CRACK FIC. WHY IS MY BRAIN TRYING TO TURN IT INTO A LITERAL EPIC. FIVE BOOKS IS THREE TOO MANY. IF IT MAKES IT TO FIVE BOOKS, IT WILL BE THREE MORE BOOKS OF FANFICTION THAN I'VE EVER WRITTEN OF ORIGINAL FICTION. I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN DEAL WITH THAT. I will literally have written more fanfic than original work. It's a scary thought. But admittedly, at the pace I'm moving, I won't even get started on book 3 til the end of this year at the earliest, so I don't have to worry about my brain's attempts at 4 and 5 for a while yet.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and sorry if last chapter was a little lacking! My brain wanted to write more Wandering Fairies last week, and just couldn't bring itself to be serious. Hope the start of the new year was good for you, and that you all have had better luck than me in remembering to write 2020 instead of 2019. I screwed up three times today. I'm off to a great start.

Chapter Text

Sasuke finds two more cubes, and one of Naruto's clones comes bounding up with two of its own, over the course of the time limit Kakashi set. Natsu and his designated-clone-assistant fret over them every minute, grumbling as they try different things.

At one point, they mutually decide to light a cube on fire and see what happens - Natsu finds himself waiting for a moment, looking around, because this is usually the part where someone comes to tell him not to light the thing on fire, but no one appears and Naruto asks why he's distracted, so he gets back to it before fate takes his hesitation as a challenge.

To both of their surprise, the cube just absorbs the flames, black lines spreading about and sucking the fire in. Natsu swears it feels strangely warm, afterwards, but Naruto's clone doesn't notice anything odd.

The next one they try to light on fire explodes in their faces.

They try to light the other three on fire as they arrive, two of which also explode and one that has an… unusual reaction, but in the end the shrill ring of the bell cuts across the training field before they have a chance to figure out why.

Kakashi appears in a swirl of leaves, Sasuke and the original Naruto tucked under his arms, the latter still squawking in displeasure. The fire is still flickering weirdly around the last cube, and the sensei turns a deadpan stare onto Natsu and the clone.

"Ehehehe, uh… were we not supposed to do that?" the clone asks, sheepishly scooting away.

Kakashi hums, tilting his head. "That depends. Why are you trying to light it on fire?"

Natsu stands up, kicking over the cube so the last flickering flames get smothered in the dirt. "We lit one on fire, and it absorbed it. But when we lit the others on fire, they exploded. Except for this one, which looks like it's trying to absorb it, but can't. So we were trying to figure out what made it different from the others. That one over there we had to put on Naruto-clone's jacket, cause it kept getting buried somehow and we didn't wanna lose it. The one right next to it, we were gonna have the real Naruto look at, cause the clone said he thought there was something about it but he couldn't figure out what, but the test ended before Naruto could get over here…"

A flicker of exasperation crosses Kakashi's face, and he sighs as he drops both Naruto and Sasuke to the ground. The Uchiha manages to land in a crouch, but the blond faceplants with a painful crunch that Natsu is pretty sure is his nose breaking.

"Well, I'll say this much - there were only five cubes, so good job finding them all. While I'm sure you didn't come to the strategy you did for the right reasons, having Sasuke and Naruto do the searching was the right move there - Naruto's numbers and Sasuke's sharp eyes were well suited for that task. However, Naruto-kun," the blond winces as Kakashi stares down at him, dirt clinging to his face, "You should have sent your clones out to search and been here to work with Natsu-kun in person. Especially since valuable time was wasted trying to find you because your clone wasn't good enough. That's a normal weakness of clones, to be weaker and in many ways less skilled than their creators. As for the actual cubes themselves… well. I actually left clues where the cubes were hidden, but neither Naruto or Sasuke gave those clues to you, and as such it's not so surprising you failed to figure out the puzzle in time. In case you were wondering, they simply needed to be arranged into the elemental wheel. Doing so would have triggered the fuinjutsu and caused a bright flash that would let me know you'd succeeded. I suppose, if you all ever manage to graduate past teamwork exercises, I'll have to add 'how to properly gather information' to your curriculum."

Kakashi sighs again, looking very put-out.

So… if that one cube ate the fire we burned on it, then… was the other one eating the earth, instead of just burying itself? Or… storing it somehow? Like lacrima?

"Maa, anyway," Kakashi says after a moment, breaking Natsu's train of thought, "I got the remainder of the D-Ranks from yesterday, as well as a couple more. We'll run two, then break for lunch before running the rest. Please actually try to finish them before dark this time."

"That wasn't our fault!" Naruto and his clone cry in tandem, and Natsu nods firmly in agreement.

"Hmm." Kakashi pulls out his book, idly tossing a scroll to Sasuke with his other hand as he ignores them, and the Uchiha looks torn between pride at being given indirect command and the desire to also yell at the sensei.

As long as they don't have that hellcat mission again, Natsu will take anything and take it with a smile dammit!

Somehow, they actually do finish all the D-Ranks before sunset. The three of them are covered in filth, Natsu has things in his hair that he doesn't want to contemplate, and he has to wonder if Kakashi planned it that way on purpose because of how uncomfortable he was at the idea of taking a shower…

It's easier but no less awkward showering for the third time in as many days, and Natsu finds himself horrified at the idea of getting used to this as he scrubs at a stubborn clump of mud clinging to his leg.

He leans against the wall afterwards, watching the dirty water run down the drain as Sakura-chan's long pink hair falls around him like a curtain. "I got that lesson with Inoichi-san tomorrow… the faster I figure it out, the faster I can go home and then I don't have to worry about all this, right? I won't… be here forever. The rest of Fairy Tail is definitely looking, and we know people can get stuck in other worlds now! It happened to Lisanna…"

But what if your body is still there? An insidious voice whispers, doubts curling through him - what if they just think you're in a coma, sleeping forever, they'll waste their time looking for a cure when they should have been looking for a gate-

"Aaah, dammit!" Natsu scrubs his hands violently through his hair, trying to dislodge the thoughts, only to curse when his fingers get tangled in the long strands. "E-even if I can't figure out this jutsu stuff, they'll come for me. Definitely. And I don't need some stupid thoughts telling me otherwise!" He bangs his head into the wall, just to make sure the thoughts are well and truly shaken out, and shuts off the water.

When he steps out of the bathroom, clothed in Sakura-chan's pajamas, Kizashi-san is waiting outside.

"Ah, Natsu-kun. I don't believe my wife told you properly this morning, but you'll head over to the administration building tomorrow morning instead of the training field - Kakashi-san will be running exercises like normal for his other two students, and you'll spend that time with Inoichi instead. You'll meet back up with Team 7 for missions after lunch. Will you need one of us to show you the way?"

Natsu looks up at Sakura's father, his dark pink hair contrasting with the bright blue of his sleeping yukata, and tries to ignore the ache that curls through him. Whether it's Igneel he's missing, or the idea of his own human father, or a mix of both, he doesn't want to look close enough to figure it out, so he smiles and pushes aside the feelings. "Nah, I think I got the layout here figured out pretty well. Thanks for letting me know though, Kakashi-san didn't tell me anything. Sheesh, I don't know if I want to know how teamwork training is gonna go if it's just Naruto and Sasuke though…"

Kizashi laughs, ruffling Natsu's hair, and he struggles not to flinch under the man's overly-familiar hand.

"I'm sure they'll survive," the older man says cheerily, walking past Natsu and towards the stairwell. "Sleep well!"

"N-night." Natsu follows him up, closing the door to his bedroom as soon as he gets inside. The room is dark, but Natsu gets to the bed easily, scooping the blankets and pillow into his arms. The weather is clear, he knows it won't rain, so he walks to the window and makes his way to the roof just to feel the wind card through his hair, carrying scents from around the city.

Sleep comes easily, and mercifully devoid of dreams.

Getting ready the next morning comes less easily.

Natsu spits curses under his breath as he tries to carefully brush out Sakura-chan's hair, muttering Mebuki-san's instructions under his breath as he tries to wrestle the long tresses into a semblance of order.

"Just start from the bottom, go slow, do it in sections… dammit Erza's hair's even longer than this and if she can do it I can too! Just take it slow…"

The pinkette glares at his reflection in the mirror of Sakura's vanity as he detangles the brush from his hair yet again and starts back from the bottom.

"N-Natsu-kun?" Mebuki calls hesitantly through the door, and Natsu turns around, brush once more lodged firmly into Sakura's hair.

"Yeah?"

She cracks open the door, speaking, "I fixed up lunch, you're usually down for breakfast by now I wondered if you sle-"

She cuts off, staring at his hair, and Natsu crosses his arms and looks away from her. "I started from the bottom." He mutters, and hears Mebuki sigh - almost fondly? Before she walks over.

"Here, turn around, I'll see what I can do."

Natsu hesitates, because it's just brushing hair and dammit he CAN figure it out, but… shoulders drooping into a more sedate position, he turns around, looking back at Sakura-chan's mother through the mirror.

He could definitely figure it out on his own - dammit all the girls in Fairy Tail have long hair, if they can manage it it can't be that hard! - but if he ever wants to get back home he can't really afford to skip Inoichi's lessons just cause he wants to prove a point over his hair of all things.

Mebuki-san only takes a couple moments to unravel the brush, and immediately starts straightening everything out with steady, gentle movements..

Natsu tries not to notice how she's using much much smaller strokes than he was as she runs the brush through.

"Your hair's really rough… Have you not been washing it?"

"Eh? No I definitely washed it with that shampoo stuff, it's clean!"

Mebuki blinks, meeting his eyes through the mirror, then looking back down at his hair. "What about the conditioner?"

Natsu shrugs, dislodging her hand, though she quickly gets back into position and resumes brushing. "What about it? I never used it before, didn't have any issues. Figured it was for like, styling or something."

Mebuki sighs, smiling slightly. "When you have long hair like this, conditioner makes it easier to brush - I know a lot of guys don't bother since shorter hair doesn't have many issues to start with, but for hair like Sakura-chan's, you definitely need it."

Natsu watches as she moves up to another section, brush gliding through the long pink hair as she detangles it as easy as breathing.

"O-okay."

She shakes her head, hands steady. "It's alright. Honestly, it should have occurred to me that there would be things about being a girl you just wouldn't know…" She trails off, and the room devolves into stilted silence as she finishes brushing out the hair.

Natsu's pretty proud of the fact that it only takes two tries to pull it up into a high tail this time, and grins as he spins around to face her.

"You said something about breakfast?"

He makes it to the administration center only a couple minutes past the usual meet time for Team 7, and Inoichi levels him with a mock-severe look as he leads Natsu through the building, the pinkette offering him a cheery grin in response. They end up in a tiny room that looks a bit like a lounge, coffee machine in one corner, a couple soft chairs, and a large couch. Inoichi directs him to the latter, pulling over one of the chairs to sit directly across from him as Natsu kicks off his shoes and sits cross-legged on the couch.

Inoichi waits a moment, until Natsu stops shuffling around, before starting. "How adept are you at using Sakura-chan's chakra?"

Natsu grimaces, hands clasping his ankles. "I can move it around inside, but I can't make it go out at all and it's so slow. It's like… I dunno, some crazy-thick syrup when I'm used to super-slick oil or something! Takes me ages to make it move even as much as I can…"

Inoichi raises his eyebrow, something contemplative in his gaze. "I see. Better than I expected, worse than I'd hoped. What I'm going to teach you today is how to walk your own mind - it's a fairly standard technique, pretty much every Yamanaka with aptitude for our arts has it fully mastered even before they start the academy, and while our family is predisposed to this sort of jutsu, it can be taught to outsiders. First though, hold up your hand."

Natsu gives Inoichi a confused look, but does so. The blond presses his own hand against Natsu's, and then there's something… sticky?

Natsu straightens in shock, pulling his hand, but Inoichi's follows it. His magic -chakra?- clinging to Natsu's skin like some sort of invisible glue.

"What's this supposed to do?" he asks, trailing his hand through the air and watching Inoichi's follow it smoothly.

"Get you used to the feel of chakra, and allow me to feel what you're doing to an extent. Call up your own, to your hand if you would."

Natsu does, face twisting into a grimace of concentration as he slowly drags Sakura-chan's thick chakra up to his fingers. "Like this?" The chakra's easy enough to hold in place once it gets it there, somehow attracted by Inoichi's own and swirling through his hand with only a little bit of direction now.

The blond's eyes narrow, and Natsu feels Inoichi's chakra probe into his hand. "What… are you doing?"

"I'm doin' what you said! I pulled up Sakura-chan's chakra into her hand!"

"N-no?" Inoichi says, sounding entirely unsure, and Natsu shrugs with his free arm.

"How else am I supposed to do this then?"

"You… how are you even doing it like this in the first place?"

Natsu starts to get a sinking feeling in his gut.

"Uh… I just… pull all the chakra, and… put it in Sakura-chan's hand? But like I said, I can't make it leave…"

"Pull all… this much chakra concentrated in one limb should blow it off! How are you keeping it so stable?"

Natsu levies a suspicious glance at their still-joined hands. "I dunno. I just tell it to go there and it does, and then it just swirls around uselessly. I mean, I guess it's a decent defense, Kakashi-san couldn't cut my hand when I did it before, but it takes so long to get it there that there's no way I could use it in a fight!"

"I… could you… use less? For a simple palm joining like this you barely need even a thin layer, not half Sakura-chan's stores."

"I mean… I just grabbed the usual amount I grab for small stuff. Are you saying just that tiny amount is already half of what Sakura-chan has in her body? That's crazy, how could you even fight with so little?"

Inoichi sighs. "You said that Sakura-chan's chakra feels a lot thicker than your own. Did it ever occur to you that thinner chakra might mean you have to use more than normal people to get the same effect? I assure you, Sakura-chan has decent reserves for her age and background, and will only get stronger with practice. You really don't need that much. Please."

"That… makes sense…" Natsu mutters, grabbing at a bunch of Sakura-chan's chakra and trying to pull it back away from his hand. He ends up pulling all of it away, and spends a few minutes tugging chakra back and forth until Inoichi finally holds up his free hand. "That's good enough. Now, I'm going to help you coax this chakra into a thin outer layer around your hand, alright? Don't fight me." Natsu nods, and soon the weird feeling of Inoichi's chakra starts to shift and tug at his own.

It feels like it takes ages, sitting still as the chakra in his hand is tugged and poked by Inoichi's own, before Natsu suddenly feels something change.

"Whoa. Your hand is really really messed up! Just how often do you hurt it!? There's gotta be more scar tissue than skin!" Natsu tilts his head, considering. "You're totally a water aren't you. Now I can tell, your chakra feels all wet and cold. Huh. There's a couple tingly places though…" Natsu leans over, squinting as though he'd be able to see it clearly if he just got closer, and is caught by surprise when Inoichi's free hand pushes his head away.

"Natsu-san is a sensor?"

"Huh?" He looks up, meeting Inoichi's eyes. "Nah, I mean I'm good with physical senses, but usually the chakra's gotta be pretty huge before I can feel it. Though I'm actually pretty good at picking out dark energies, which comes in handy a lot!"

"Perhaps a natural gift of Sakura's then…?" Inoichi murmurs idly, then shakes his head. "Well. That can be figured out later. For now, are you aware of how much chakra you have in your hand right now?"

Natsu deadpans at the blond. "Duh. What sorta fighter would I be if I couldn't be aware of how much power I'm using?"

"Good. This is the exact amount of chakra you'll need to use for my clan jutsu. Make sure you don't use any more than this, as it will… not end well. Better to err on the side of too little than too much in this case… normally we teach it to children so overdoing it isn't a concern. Understood?"

Natsu nods. "Yeah, I gotcha. So, how do I go about this anyway?"

Inoichi pulls back his chakra, the feel of it vanishing entirely, and Natsu takes another moment to be certain of the amount of power he's holding himself before he lets it disperse.

"Alright, here are the handsigns. With enough practice you won't need them anymore, but for now please use all of them, and take a few minutes to make sure you won't mess up first."

It's only four signs, the last a… backwards version of the one Inoichi-san made when he first dived into Natsu's mind, and the pinkette carefully begins to copy the hand motions. The first three are easy, Sakura-chan's body practically slotting his fingers together for him, she must have practiced a lot. The last one he keeps fumbling, and Natsu glares at his hands as he carefully brings his fingers together for the upteenth time.

"Like… this?" he mutters, but shakes his head even before Inoichi can answer, pulling his hands apart and shaking them out before trying again.

It takes nearly twenty absolutely agonizing minutes of boring practice, Inoichi-san offering pointers all the way, until Natsu can run through all four signs fast enough to be effective without fumbling the set.

"Alright, now, when you do it this next time, pull your chakra up into your hands and let the signs shape it. And remember, don't use too much."

Natsu nods, determination filling him.

This is it! I'll figure this stupid jutsu out!

Maybe it'll even put me in my own mind, instead of Sakura-chan's, and then all I gotta do is figure out how to wake up! Heh, wouldn't that be nice!

Taking a deep breath, he pulls up Sakura-chan's chakra and makes the first handsign, stubborn determination overpowering the first threads of trepidation that begin to crawl through his gut.

I can do this!

Chapter 17

Notes:

A/N: So sorry this is late! I promised to be on time this week, but alas, life!

Another short for Wandering Fairies might show up next week, my brain's been getting ideas for that (poor Laxus doesn't deserve the company he got stuck with…).

And talking about Wandering Fairies, one of the guest reviewers ( ) actually did guess who Zeref is! (Itachi, because mass-murdering brothers who actually just want to commit suicide-by-otouto have to stick together, ya know?!)

Happy as Konohamaru would be fun, but nope! It's even worse. That poor cat… Your comment on Sakura sneaking into Naruto's bedroom made me laugh, I could just imagine say, Ino (if she hadn't been taken over by Gray) spreading it around the gossip and poor Sakura-chan just weeping in her mind. But nope, Lucy isn't gonna be Naruto.

And as for Erza... heh. Right now she's the one whose introduction I really want to write, I can practically hear her say, "Enough. I'm your mother now." And I'm just like, gee, it'd be nice if I could write my actual chapter instead of Erza's POV in Wandering! She just really wants to have her turn…

As always, thanks for reading!

Chapter Text

Making handsigns is weird. Not the actual physical act of it, but the way it seems to twist and pull Sakura-chan's chakra is just wrong. The first attempt fumbles into a small explosion that has Inoichi staring, wide-eyed, at the smoke trailing up from Natsu's laced fingers. The pinkette grimaces.

While gestures and handsigns are used for magic too, it's… nothing like what the ones Inoichi-san wants him to do. When he brings his hands together before going in for a fiery punch, it's just to stabilize the magic, more a quick-check to make sure he didn't mess up than a motion designed to actually do something. Making even the first handsign with Sakura-chan's chakra threading through his fingers though… just the act of shaping the first sign causes the chakra to twist, and change, somehow, and Natsu panics, yanking the chakra back.

Causing a small explosion that doesn't hurt, but leaves puffs of white smoke to drift from his palms.

"I-is it supposed to feel like that?"

"Like what, Natsu-san?"

"Like it's gotta mind of its own, just changing by itself?"

Inoichi tilts his head. "It isn't changing by itself. You use handsigns to shape the chakra into specific patterns, nothing is moving in any way you don't tell it to."

Natsu stares down at his hands, hesitantly bringing them together again as he pulls up Sakura-chan's chakra.

He gets to the second handsign but can't bring himself to shape the third, it feels so weird, magic isn't supposed to move like that and he doesn't like it, and the energy dissipates when he can't quite manage to move his fingers in time.

Inoichi leans forward. "What's wrong? Is it hurting you?"

Natsu shakes his head, feeling Sakura-chan's chakra as it settles back into its slow cycle through her body. "I just… don't like the way the handsigns feel… M-maybe it's cause my chakra is so different from Sakura-chan's, but I've never had it feel like it was moving on its own like that before. Even if you say I'm the one controlling it, it doesn't feel that way, ya know? I guess I'll probably have to get used to it… 'specially if I gotta start learning to fight with Sakura-chan's chakra since I can't feel mine too well…"

Inoichi's eyes widen. "You can feel your own chakra?"

Natsu looks up from his hands, confused. "Yeah? Course I can, it's mine. I mean, it's easier for me to feel when I'm in Sakura-chan's mindscape, then I can only feel mine and can't feel hers at all. But out here, I can sorta feel it? It's buried, and I can't grab it cause I keep grabbing Sakura-chan's instead, but it's there. It's just like, blocked or something."

"Hmm…" Inoichi offers a considering look. "So you don't feel it as threads connecting you to your body, but an actual secondary energy which flows naturally… that's unusual. After all, possession doesn't give someone's body the ability to maintain two separate chakra systems, which is why we can't use our own chakra when we take control of someone. It should be physically impossible for you to feel your own chakra in Sakura-chan's body."

"It can't be completely impossible for someone to have two different chakras, though, cause if it was I wouldn't be here! Or Sakura-chan would be dead or something…" Natsu grimaces, looking down in discomfort, and completely missing the look of horrified realization that strikes across Inoichi's face.

"Is Natsu-san entirely human?"

"Huh?" Natsu jerks his head up, looking over to his companion. Inoichi sits comfortably, completely casual, and the pinkette just shrugs. "I mean, yeah? Why wouldn't I be? S'not like Igneel's my birth dad, he just adopted me. Why's everyone always ask?"

Inoichi sighs. "I was just wondering, since your chakra is so different from Sakura-chan's, but you insist you don't have a bloodline so I thought perhaps there was another reason. But if you're certain… anyway, you realize that you'll need to get over your discomfort with Sakura-chan's chakra sooner rather than later, if we're to find you a way home. Ready to try again?"

Natsu groans a bit, but sits straight again, staring at his hands for a moment before pulling up Sakura-chan's chakra once more. The chakra flows easily, slipping through odd patterns as he moves from one sign to the next. Natsu grits his teeth against the uncomfortable sensation, letting the chakra moves as it wants, and brings his hands together for the final seal without hesitation.

He realizes he misaligned his fingers mere seconds before everything -tilts-

Lunging to the edge of the couch, Natsu leans over the armrest and vomits, head spinning dizzily and arms burning. Stabbing needle-pins prickle up and down his flesh as he trembles.

Afamiliarshadow-ghostingthroughthecornersofhisvision-whydoesheknowit?

Eyesopenslowly-hecannotwatch-cannotseetheeyes-havetolookaway-!

Natsu wipes at his chin, hand trembling fierce enough he nearly slaps himself in the face. He closes his eyes, taking deep breaths and trying to ignore the taste of bile that lingers on his tongue.

"Ow…"

Hearing comes back in a rush as he groans, Inoichi's voice in the background offering reassurances as the man's hand rests gently against Natsu's shoulders.

He's pretty glad he took the time to get his hair pulled up now, cause Natsu really doesn't think having puke all over it would be fun.

"Are you back with me?" Inoichi asks, as the pinkette starts chuckling at the random direction of his thoughts.

"Y-yeah… owww, that wasn't fun…"

"I would have expected an explosion like the first time. Are you alright, Natsu-san?"

Natsu opens his eyes, wondering when he closed them. "I'm fine. Ugh. You got any water or somethin'?"

Inoichi nods as he stands and walks over toward the coffee pot. He opens the cabinet above it, and pulls out a water bottle that he tosses to Natsu. The pinkette slides to the other end of the couch and gets up, walking to the trashcan and rinsing out his mouth before chugging the rest of the bottle.

Once the taste of sick is gone, he gives a narrow-eyed glance to the mess on the ground, before once again walking a wide berth around it before sitting back down. Inoichi comes over with a wet rag and roll of paper towels.

"Take a moment to settle down while I clean this up - perhaps go through the signs without chakra a couple more times, to make certain you don't mess it up again?"

Natsu glares at the blond's back, sticking out his tongue before turning his eyes down to Sakura-chan's delicate hands. He runs through the handsigns slowly, but doesn't make any mistakes. Picking up speed, he runs through the set faster and faster.

He never makes a mistake.

Tch. It's the chakra and its weird movements that're the problem! It's so hard to focus…

Natsu stops running through the handsigns, instead feeling out Sakura-chan's chakra. Maybe if it were actually his, it wouldn't feel so disconcerting when it moved on its own, but perhaps if he gets more used to it…

He's practically in a meditative trance, by the time Inoichi puts a hand on his shoulder and calls his name. Natsu shakes his head, making himself focus as he looks up at the blond.

"Ready to try again?" The man asks, and Natsu nods.

He fully expects something to go wrong again, and finds himself completely blindsided when it doesn't.

One moment, he's making the final sign of the jutsu, and the next there's a tug, pulling inwards and not at all the disorienting yank of before, and he just-

Closes his eyes, and opens them somewhere else. The feel of Sakura-chan's chakra instantly disappears, only his own magic coiling through his body, and while the place he's in is pitch-black, Natsu knows without even looking that his body is his, taller and broader and older. The callouses on his hands are familiar, and his magic surges almost joyfully as he calls it up to make light.

The fire dances brightly over his palms, and with only a little bit of effort it spreads beyond that, flickering around the place he's in, lighting everything aflame but not burning anything except the air.

He finds himself standing at the start of an intersection between three paths. He glances behind himself, sees Sakura-chan's linked hands glowing faintly, and Inoichi himself, settled on the ground and watching what Natsu realizes must be his-Sakura's face, because the path behind him leads back to Sakura-chan's body, and he can see out her eyes.

The other two paths, ahead of him…

The right-hand path is a simple dirt road, with sakura petals scattered across the ground, a bright blue sky speckled with clouds above it.

The left…

He thinks, at first, that the ground is paved with gravel. But when Natsu takes a couple steps forward, he realizes it's the white of bone, not rock, that glints up from the earth. The ground is unusually dark, and moist when he touches it.

His fingers come back with a film of red, and Natsu jerks away.

"Wha-?!" Wiping his hand vigorously, Natsu takes a few more steps back, before turning a confused look toward the right-hand path.

"I'd sorta thought maybe… one would lead to Sakura-chan and one to me? But I guess that doesn't make sense, cause going back to Sakura-chan's body is the one behind me… so where does this even lead?!"

Casting a glare at the blood-and-bone path, Natsu looks around.

"If… right leads to Sakura-chan's mind, and back leads to her body, and left leads… someplace weird… maybe I could just go straight?"

There's no path, when Natsu looks, but the pinkette's not about to let something like that stop him. Striding forward, he doesn't look left or right and just walks into the black.

He walks for what feels like an eternity, or maybe two, before he sees light. Picking up the pace, Natsu bursts into a lit area that… has a left-hand path of sakura-petals, and a right-hand path of blood, and straight ahead he sees Inoichi glance at a timer before looking back up.

"Wh-wha?! I was walking a straight line, there's no way I got turned around this much!"

The scene doesn't change though, no matter how much he glares, and in the end Natsu's shoulders droop in resignation.

His eyes turn towards the blood-and-bone path, wondering for a moment whose mind it would lead to, who he'd meet at the end of such a scary-looking tread. He turns towards it fully, torn between curiosity and wariness, and takes a few steps down the path. He tries to ignore the squelching as he walks.

"You don't want to go that way."

"Huh?" Natsu spins, looking into the black off the path. For a second, he could have sworn he saw a flash of pink…

"Sakura-chan?"

"You should turn back - that path, you shouldn't walk down it yet."

He squints, turns around and looks to the other side, but can't see anyone. The voice doesn't sound like Sakura-chan's either, but it's a girl so it has to be.

"Why not yet?"

The voice doesn't say anything, but he feels like something is trying to push him away. Further down the path, he sees firelight glinting off metal, but he can't tell what it is.

"Please don't look anymore."

The voice is familiar, and they sound so sad, Natsu steps back almost without thinking. There's blood all the way up past his ankle, and Natsu hadn't even realized he was sinking.

"Go back. Please! Natsu…"

It's the way the voice says his name that eventually convinces him, full of love and worry and concern, and Natsu turns around and runs back to the intersection, ignoring all the sounds that follow.

His legs are splattered in blood, the white of his pants tainted with bright red droplets everywhere the half-skirt doesn't protect them, and Natsu grimaces. Turning back, he glances for a moment at the bloody path, still curious but even more wary. After a moment, he firmly turns away from it and starts walking down the petal-strewn track that he knows leads to Sakura-chan's mindscape.

Time slips, quick and littered with impressions - a bird taking flight, a flower sprouting from the earth, vines that twine with the sakura petals and vanish just as quickly as they appeared, and suddenly he's at a door he's never seen before. There's nothing else, just a door with a handle framed by black, right at the edge of the path.

Natsu doesn't hesitate this time, just turns the handle and walks in.

He trips.

Someone grunts in pain, and Natsu scrambles to get off them, rolling away until his back hits a wall, and he sits up looking down at-

"Sakura-chan?!"

"Wha- Natsu-san!"

Sakura bolts upright, staring wide-eyed between Natsu and the door that slams closed as they both watch.

A lock clicks.

"Well, that didn't sound ominous at all." Natsu narrows his eyes as he stands, moving forward to poke at the door. It doesn't budge, though the handle turns just slightly when he tests it, unlike the one that leads into Sakura-chan's Heart-

"Wait, am I in your Heart?!" Natsu looks around, and- yeah, down one of the hallways he sees the bedroom Sakura-chan is always in when he talks to her, with its partially-opened window that looks out into the Field of her mind.

"Yeah… How did you get here?" Sakura pushes herself to her feet, brushing off her skirt as she rises.

"Inoichi-san started teaching me those techniques he promised… I got taken to some intersection with two different paths I could take, and I tried to take the other one, but someone who I thought was you at first? Warned me away from it, so I took the other one and it lead me here…"

"Huh." Sakura-chan puts her hands on her hips, looking at the door he came from. "It wasn't locked before- it's actually been unlocked this entire time. But now you came through, and that changed… I wonder why. The person who warned you, maybe?"

"I didn't see a lock on that side. And I don't see one on this side either… I guess that person definitely wasn't you then."

Sakura-chan shakes her head. "I haven't left at all, since Inoichi-san told me not to… The other path should have lead to your mind though, right? So why did someone warn you away?"

Natsu grimaces. "There's no way! I mean, I've never tried to imagine what my mind would look like, but all that blood, and the bones… pretty sure that's not right. That's not me. I tried to look for a hidden path or something, but didn't find any…"

Sakura looks considering for a minute. "There's another door besides this one that I haven't opened. Maybe that one leads to your mind… come on, it's this way." Sakura-chan leads him back up the hallway, and opens the first door on the left. It leads into a room with a second door covered in markings that-

"Hey, I know those runes! They're from back home!" Natsu leaps forward, Sakura-chan laughing a bit behind him, as he reaches for the handle.

His fingers slip through it.

"Wha-?" Natsu barely chokes out the question, before the feel of Inoichi's smooth chakra snaps around him and suddenly he's blinking, dazed, in Sakura-chan's too-small body and looking up at the blond's face.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" Natsu stands on the couch, legs trembling, as Inoichi lunges backwards to avoid a collision.

"It's been nearly three hours, Natsu-san. I was worried you had gotten stuck."

Natsu's legs give out, and he drops onto the couch again. "I was so close…"

"Hm? What happened in there, Natsu-san?"

The pinkette glares at him, crossing his arms. "I was in the Heart of Sakura-chan's mind! She showed me to the door that had runes I was familiar with from back home, cause we thought it'd lead back to me and I'd be able to go home… but you pulled me out before I could open the door!"

Inoichi's eyes widen. "You ended up… how?"

Natsu shrugs. "I dunno, I ended up in a weird place first, and in her Heart later. But the door locked when I went through it, so I don't really know what that means…"

"Try again."

Natsu nods, shifting around til he's more comfortable. He goes through the handsigns, and it feels just the same as the time before. Only, this time, when he opens his eyes-

He's staring down into a familiar lake, Inoichi's face on the other side, lips turned to a contemplative frown as he stares at Natsu-Sakura with something the pinkette can't read. He turns around, and sees the cabin in the distance. Cursing Inoichi's awful timing under his breath, Natsu turns and wades into the water.

Within a breath, he's blinking to awareness, back in Sakura-chan's body. He shakes his head before Inoichi can even speak.

"I was in the Field this time… That door locking probably meant I couldn't go back in that way as long as it stays locked… dammit!"

"I apologize, Natsu-san."

Natsu waves it away, face set in a scowl. "You couldn'ta known. Hell, maybe that door was locked too, and it'dve been useless either way. Ugh, we were so close! Why did that door even lock?" Natsu flops back, staring up at the ceiling.

He wonders, for a moment, if it was to keep him from going down that second path.

Somehow, he doesn't want to tell Inoichi about that, though. A feeling in his gut that he shouldn't mention it.

Was the lady who spoke then that familiar shadow I saw?

…

Natsu sits up straight, looking around the room and ignoring Inoichi's concerned "Natsu-san?".

Since when do I remember that shadow? Haven't I always been forgetting? The forest and the eyes too… and the fear. And now I remember all of it!

Why?

No matter how he looks, no shadows flicker in the corners of his vision.

Somehow Natsu gets the feeling something else is missing too, something important…

"Natsu-san?"

"Ah!" Natsu jumps a bit, startled from his intense searching. "Sorry, Inoichi-san."

The blond smiles. "It's no issue. I don't think it wise to do anything else for today, so you have maybe an extra hour for lunch before Hatake-san will expect you for missions. Would you like me to walk you out?"

Natsu shakes his head. "Nah, I'm good. Unless you wanna pay?"

Inoichi laughs, standing up. "Hardly."

Natsu offers him a bright grin, then slips out the door ahead of him.

"See you round, Inoichi-san!" Offering a quick wave, the pinkette slips out the building and turns toward Team 7's preferred training field.

He can't quite help the morbid curiosity that curls through him, wondering how Naruto and Sasuke faired in teamwork exercises without him.

Chapter 18

Notes:

A/N: So, last chapter milpld commented that having Inoichi interrupt Natsu's thoughts was likely out of character for him, because as a therapist he should know to give people a chance to think things through. I know I replied directly, but thanks again for pointing that out as I hadn't even realized I was doing it! I will definitely do better in the future to take his occupation into consideration during stuff like that.

I do apologize if this chapter is a little lackluster – I wanted to set it up so I could timeskip for next chapter, to get us further into the plot and I'm not sure how well I did with that. I want the pace to pick up a little, or we'll spend the next year with a slice-of-life fic or something! So hopefully this doesn't feel too wrong because of that.

I gotta say though… considering how people have reacted towards what happened in the mindscape, I'm getting kinda nervous about how well I can live up to your expectations! My original idea for the left-hand path and the person on that path… I'm sorta wondering if it's good enough, but they won't (shouldn't) come back to relevance until the Chunin exams really so I've got some time to fully flesh out what I want to do, thankfully!

Thanks again to everyone who takes the time to review, I know I don't respond directly too often, but I always appreciate them! And thanks as well to everyone who takes the time to read this story!

Chapter Text

"Natsu, you made it!" Naruto waves energetically from his sprawled position. Natsu walks up, until he's standing right over the reclining blond.

"Weren't you guys… supposed to be training?"

Naruto grins, pushing himself to his feet quickly. "Yeah, we were doing that for a while. 'Kashi-sensei separated us a little bit ago and said we should 'think over our actions' or something and that we'd try again. I dunno what we're s'posed to think about though, since I didn't do anything! How'd your lesson with that Inoichi guy go anyway?"

"Weird." Natsu shrugs, looking around the clearing. "He seriously put you guys on time-out?"

"Indeed I did, Natsu-chan~!" Natsu jumps as a pair of hands clamp down on his shoulders, Kakashi's cheery voice sounding from behind him. "They're still on time out for another five minutes, so if you wouldn't mind going this way~"

Kakashi pushes lightly at his back, and Natsu scowls before letting himself be lead to the center of the clearing.

"So, how did the lesson with Inoichi-san go?"

Natsu straightens a little at the seriousness in Kakashi's voice. "I… don't really know. Some weird stuff happened, but I took so long Inoichi-san pulled me out and… ugh. I really don't know. I guess I'm not leaving anytime soon though, if the way that door locked itself means anything…"

Natsu scowls, crossing his arms. "I was so close. I just…"

Kakashi sighs dramatically, reaching out to ruffle Natsu's hair. The pinkette jerks himself backwards, eyeing the sensei's hand suspiciously.

"Maa, Natsu-kun. Don't let it bother you. After all, you're going to need all your wits about you today~!" He claps his hands together, lone eye curled into a smile, and two clones of himself come over, Naruto and Sasuke tucked under their arms.

"Now! I hope you boys learned your lesson," Kakashi starts brightly. Sasuke scowls and looks away, and Naruto sticks his tongue out, "because we're going to spar."

Everyone perks up as he continues. "Three on one, like the bell test was supposed to be. I'll give you a minute to decide how you'd like to coordinate your attacks." He puts his hands into his pockets and ambles off, leaving Natsu to look between…

I suppose I really should start thinking of them as my teammates, shouldn't I? You can't… work together, if you aren't even acknowledging that you're a team…

Sighing, Natsu looks at Sasuke. "You should take long-range."

"No." Sasuke crosses his arms, glaring. "I'm close-mid. I'm not handicapping myself."

"You're the only one who can right now, I've never thrown knives in my life and Naruto's aim sucks-"

"Hey!"

"Besides, with his ability to spam clones, close-range is gonna be pretty crowded as it is."

"Let him go long. We're good enough to dodge any bad throws. Unless you're not so confident?"

Sasuke raises an eyebrow, challenging, and Natsu scowls. "It's not about-!"

"Time's up~!"

Kakashi's voice interrupts cheerily, fully in-time with a suckerpunch to Naruto's gut. The blond yelps, tossed a few feet away by the force, and Sasuke leaps into an attack immediately.

Natsu sighs. "Even Gray makes a better teammate…" he mutters as he follows.

The fight goes about as well as could be expected, honestly.

Natsu tries not to glare at Sasuke as he prods the rapidly-spreading bruise that covers half his torso. Kakashi shakes his head, looking down at the three of them as they nurse their wounds.

"That was… spectacularly awful. Truly, you continue to amaze me. I think I'm honestly impressed at just how bad that was."

Kakashi's voice is thick with blatant sarcasm. Natsu sighs as he shrugs his qipao back on, relieved that nothing ended up breaking.

"Now. Perhaps you three could tell me just why you were so awful? Naruto-kun, perhaps you'd like to start?"

"Uh… we didn't win?"

"Wrong. Sasuke-kun?"

"Tch."

Kakashi clicks his tongue. "Pride gets you nowhere, Sasuke-kun. But if you truly don't want to answer… Natsu-kun?"

Natsu sighs. "We didn't do a good job of being aware of where our teammates were, and kept running into each other or attacking each other by mistake."

"Very kind of you to say 'we', Natsu-kun, but we both know that not a single one of your attacks even came close to hitting either of your teammates. But let me break the fight down for all of you properly, ne?

"Naruto-kun, you consistently spammed the field with your clones, which made it impossible for Sasuke-kun and Natsu-kun to move effectively. If your teammates were capable of telling which were clones and which was actually you, it could have been a good strategy - block my line of sight, and they could destroy your clones and come at me in a single move. More than that however, on many occasions your clones blocked their own line of sight, and ended up actually catching both Natsu-kun and Sasuke-kun in their attacks multiple times.

"Sasuke-kun…" Kakashi sighs. "You were definitely better at staying out of your teammates' way than Naruto-kun, and even seemed to be taking their positions into account when launching your own attacks. I honestly thought that you might actually succeed in passing this arguable 'test'. Then Naruto-kun actually managed to immobilize me for a moment. There's nothing wrong with going all-out against a pinned opponent, but I did say this would be like the bell test. Which I used academy-level jutsu in. While I might forgive you being surprised when I substituted myself away, continuing your attack like that… did you even look to see what you'd hit, or did you just assume that since you hit something it had to be me?"

Sasuke scowls, arms crossed. Natsu sits on his hands, trying not to rub the throbbing bruises across his chest. The Uchiha'd gotten in two hits, after Natsu froze in surprise, and it rankles. He fights not to scowl himself, as Kakashi turns to him.

"In a spar like this, it became quite obvious that Natsu-kun really is used to working with a team. With just how many clones Naruto was spamming all over the field, it was actually somewhat impressive how little you got in their way. As far as the actual teamwork side of things is concerned, I don't actually have too many complaints. You did your best to seamlessly take advantage of openings they left, and while you could have perhaps tried to set some up for them in return, well - that might be too much to ask for, with everyone's current state. Ah! I did also have some critiques regarding your taijutsu itself, but that wasn't the point of this spar~

"Now." Kakashi claps his hands together, smiling. "We'll be holding fights like this every few days. I do hope I'll see improvement in your teamwork as this goes on, and hopefully you'll see improvement as well. On days we don't spar, we'll still be having more esoteric teamwork exercises until, as I said before, you show enough improvement for me to consider actually training you. For now, go enjoy your lunch children. I'll come back with your missions in thirty~"

He disappears in a flurry of leaves. Natsu groans, falling back to sprawl in the grass.

"You okay?" Naruto's head enters his field of vision, and Natsu shrugs awkwardly.

"M'fine. Jus' sore, Sakura-chan's body gets tired so fast…"

Naruto opens his mouth, then closes it. He looks uncertain for a moment, before taking a deep breath and speaking again. "You wanna eat lunch together?"

"Sure…" Natsu pushes himself up with a groan. "You can tell me how your teamwork exercises went before I got here while we do, yeah?"

Naruto chuckles nervously, glancing at Sasuke and then quickly away. "Yeah, sure, uh, let's go eat over there!"

Natsu follows, and they settle down easily, chatting around mouthfuls of food. His attempts to wheedle what happened out of Naruto end in rather blatant failure, and Kakashi swoops back into the clearing exactly thirty minutes later, interrupting his latest strategy to get Naruto to tell him about his and Sasuke's exercise.

Natsu quickly shoves the rest of his food into his mouth as he looks over Kakashi, trying to see how many missions they'll be doing today.

The food turns to flavorless ash in his mouth, as he spots only a single scroll held between the sensei's fingers. He forces himself to swallow, tries not to choke as the food goes down tight and painful.

"K-Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hmm? Oh, no need to look so worried, Natsu-kun! I thought I'd give you all a chance to redeem yourselves is all!" He unfurls the scroll dramatically, Madam Shijimi's seal in bold relief at the bottom.

Even Sasuke's stoic mask cracks for a moment. The three of them trade wary looks as Kakashi practically sparkles, rolling the scroll back up with exaggerated care.

"Hurry up and polish off that food~ The faster we get started the faster I get to have fun!"

H-how can anyone be expected to have an appetite when that hellcat is involved!?

"I'm in position." Natsu breathes into the headset, as quiet as he can physically be. A distant corner of his mind manages to feel grateful for Sakura's soft voice, even as the rest of him uses everything he knows about cats to remain as unnoticeable as possible.

Tora'd already slipped through their trap once, because they weren't quiet enough, and Natsu refuses to let it happen again.

Naruto and Sasuke's acknowledgement comes in just as quiet, and then half a minute later, Naruto confirms his own position.

That's everyone!

"Alright," Natsu whispers, "spring in 3, 2, 1…"

He leaps out in time with his call, startling Tora. The cat hisses fiercely and bolts - kunai whistle through the air, forcing the demon to turn aside from its chosen path.

Between Natsu's physical presence and Sasuke's precisely-aimed projectiles, the hellcat scrambles for an open route to freedom.

And straight into Naruto's trap.

The blond's clones dogpile the hastily-constructed cage, short pieces of ninja wire used to tie down every hinge as Tora screeches in ear-bleeding fury. Three of the clones pop from Tora's claws stretching through the bars, but more take their place, offering their lives in valiant sacrifice, until at last the cage is fully secured.

Natsu comes to a stop a couple feet away, panting, as Sasuke drops down from the trees and approaches with caution.

"D-dit we get it?" The Uchiha uncharacteristically stutters, face a mire of bloody scratches. One of the scrapes cuts dangerously close to his right eye, and after that happened he didn't even protest being assigned the long-range support post. Natsu gets the feeling it was only Sasuke's pride that stopped him from requesting that position, with how downright pleased he looked to be assigned there.

"I think so…" Naruto breathes, and the only reason Natsu hears it is the highly-sensitive headset Kakashi gave them all before they started.

Natsu can't really blame him, considering where Tora's claws ended up the last time they attempted a trap and the blond asked their ETA a little too loudly. Even Sasuke winced in sympathy.

"Will the cage hold if we pick it up?"

Naruto shrugs in response to Natsu's query. "Hopefully… never made a trap like this before, after all."

Sasuke gives the cage and squalling cat a narrow-eyed look and takes a large step back. Naruto shifts his weight uncomfortably, legs close together.

Natsu wants to cry.

I guess… it's my turn to get scratched…

Natsu takes a deep breath, then strides forward. Gripping the cage at its most obvious weak-points, the pinkette scoops it off the ground and prays the gloves he borrowed protect his hands.

The cage doesn't fall apart, mercifully, though Tora's fangs pierce through the glove on his left hand as though it isn't even there. Grimacing, Natsu turns and starts to run. We just gotta get back to the admin center before this damn hellspawn eats my fingers! No problem, right?

They make it out of the forest, heading straight for the road and the quick route to the tower, when Naruto suddenly cries out.

"Natsu!"

The pinkette digs his heels immediately, trying to stop, and the incoming blur of purple and blond clips his shoulder instead of bowling him over.

Natsu's grip on the cage fumbles, left hand falling off as he attempts to balance, and the pinkette feels a moment of resigned terror as Tora leaps for the weak point as best she can-

Suddenly Sasuke is there, hands grasping the other side of the cage with desperate vigor, offering a truly fierce snarl towards the blond-haired girl that ran into Natsu.

The Dragon Slayer thinks he's never been so happy for Sasuke's bad attitude in the entire time they've known each other.

"What do you think you're doing, bakayarou!" He waits for Natsu to get a firm grip back on the cage before letting go and striding towards the girl with predatory grace. "We spent four and a half hours catching that-that incarnation of evil and you nearly set it free again!"

"Sasuke-kun~!" the blond clasps her hands to her chest, smiling widely, and Natsu has never met someone with such poor survival instincts in his life. "Are you guys going to the mission desk too? We can walk together!"

Sasuke offers an impressively scornful glare as he turns and walks away without hesitation. Mostly, Natsu is impressed he didn't pull a kunai, but decides not to say anything as he quickly jogs to catch up. Tora squawks in offended outrage at his bouncing, and makes a couple swipes at his fingers in punishment.

Natsu almost shakes the cage in retaliation, but it really isn't secure enough to treat like that…

"Oi, Sakura, don't go cozying up to my Sasuke-ku-!" Natsu skitters sideways as the blond attempts to tackle him, and Naruto grabs her before she can get any closer.

"Ehehe, sorry Ino! But we gotta get this little escape artist to the admin chunin before she gives us the go'round again. See ya!" Naruto quickly steps up to his other side, and walking quickly down the road with Sasuke on his left and Naruto on his right, Natsu thinks - perhaps quite hopefully - that this whole team thing will actually work out.

Chapter 19

Notes:

BEHOLD, I ACTUALLY UPDATE ON SUNDAY INSTEAD OF MONDAY! A MIRACLE!

Next chapter, we see the beginning of Wave! Though there will be an interlude between the two, for those of you who want to see how Team 7 discovered Kakashi's treachery… There may be a second interlude about Sakura's parents entering the mindscape to speak to her for the first time, though whether that will come before or after chapter 18 is hard to say. Sorry it's taken so long to get to the meat of the plot! Hopefully everything picks up speed from here, I'm thinking Wave and one or two unique C-ranks I make up, then we hit the Chunin exams. Once we get there we'll be coming up on the end of this book as long as it stays on track to my summary, though how many chapters exist between here and then is hard to say and I'm not even going to try and guess. After all, we're going to start seeing how things really go different from canon now, what with Natsu being a much more active person than Sakura, who didn't really hit her niche until Shippuden.

Hopefully this time-skip wasn't too poorly handled, and as for the time period itself, I'm operating under the assumption that Team 7 (and the rest of the class) graduated the Academy in April. Google says that's when the Japanese school year starts, as opposed to America's August, so early/mid April is probably when graduation was. Giving the rest of April and all of May before the Wave mission, known to take place in June. So at least a month. Yep. That's what I'm going with.

Anyway, thanks for reading! And don't feel bad for Kakashi, because he really deserves everything that happens to him!

Chapter Text

The Field of Inoichi's mind is nothing like Sakura-chan's. Pale tiles cover the ground, a marble floor that looks half a second away from bursting into motion; the blues blur together in a way that mimics the complexity of water, and Natsu gets the feeling that Inoichi can make them become water whenever he wants, pulling unwary mind-walkers into the shadowy depths. The man himself reclines easily against a barely-visible wall, watching as Natsu tests every step before he puts his weight down.

"Not what you expected?"

Natsu nods. "You've got defenses. I can feel them… the floor is one, and the walls too? That door is a trap…"

Inoichi's eyebrows raise. "Impressive. Your instincts really are something to behold."

Natsu shrugs. "I guess. How's this supposed to help me, anyway?"

"There's such a thing as double-diving. Where you first enter someone's mind, then dive deeper to hit their subconscious - since chakra cannot traditionally be used in a mindscape, you have to perform the first dive in a unique way in order to manage it. Unfortunately, due to my position in Konoha, I cannot allow you to perform a secondary dive on me. My defenses will activate if you attempt such a thing. Even so, I can and have shown you how to perform an initial dive with the proper techniques. The variation that allows you to dive yourself in such a way are complicated enough that it's best you be able to perform it on someone else first. Does that answer your question?"

Natsu remembers, a month ago now - has it really been that long? Everyone… - how he ended up in a weird part of Sakura-chan's mind after Naruto accidentally knocked him unconscious.

"The subconscious is… dangerous, isn't it?"

Inoichi nods, striding over to stand next to him. "Very. Spending too long in someone's subconscious mind can be quite risky. In truth, if we were not running out of ideas, I would not even dare to suggest it. Turning the technique on yourself… I will not make you do so. At the very least, it should only be dangerous to yourself, not Sakura-chan."

"What can I do there that I can't do normally?"

"Find an alternate route back to that divided path, most likely. The subconscious doesn't have any set entrance or exit, which is half of what makes it so dangerous. Finding the right way out isn't straightforward. But that also makes it more flexible - a trained person can usually decide on where they exit, if not necessarily the direction they need to go to get there. I'm hoping you can get back onto the other side of that door. If you can't… I hate to say this, Natsu-san, but I am truly running out of ideas."

Natsu hasn't been able to conjure his fire in the mindscape since the door locked. He didn't realize, at first, what he was missing after Inoichi pulled him out of Sakura-chan's Heart that time. The lack of his magic, no longer flowing beneath Sakura's own chakra coils, unable to be called up even inside her mindscape, and the ability to remember stuff he knew he'd forgotten for a while…

That door locked. And took something important with it when it did. The Dragon Slayer knows he probably should have told Inoichi everything about that, the door and his missing magic and the left-hand path he never did describe to the older man - some days, Natsu wonders if the left-hand path lead to his own mindscape.

Some days, he wonders what it would mean if it did.

Sighing, the pinkette leans back, fingers laced behind his head. "It's hardly your fault, Inoichi-san. This is probably a result of something we did, after all. If this doesn't work, then… I'm not gonna give up. Even if I'm gonna have to accept being stuck here for even longer, I'm not gonna stop looking for a way home. You shouldn't either. We'll find something sooner or later!"

"Well, I'm glad you're confident, Natsu-san. For now, let's take this back to the physical world, shall we?"

Natsu might never have believed, before, how used he would become to the odd sensation of pulling himself out of a mindscape. A bit like grabbing a rope, a bit like jumping off a cliff, a dizzying whirl of black, and he's blinking to awareness in a boring, nondescript room that probably has more security on it than the Master's magazine stash.

Not that Natsu would know how secure that stash is.

That fire was entirely accidental. And no one will ever prove otherwise.

Sometimes, it sucks being the most potent fire mage in the guild. Every inconvenient fire is his fault no matter what.

...even if it's true that a lot of them were his fault. A lot isn't all!

It's strange, the things you miss when you've been gone for so long. I'd take Mirajane blaming me for a kitchen fire right now as long as it meant I was home.

Natsu shakes away the maudlin thoughts, flopping over the stiff couch. "So, when're we doing that then?" he asks, flopping a hand in Inoichi's direction. The man sighs.

"Not for a while, I think. I want you to be a bit more comfortable diving first, since any mistake can be deadly. I also believe Hatake-san was talking about actually taking you guys out of the village soon?"

"Wait really?!" Natsu bolts upright, nearly toppling off the couch as he spins to face the blond. "He never said anything like that to us! When'd he tell you, how soon until we leave?!"

Inoichi smirks. "I'm not sure, Natsu-san. I do believe he mentioned something about a 'final test' however… considering that was last night, I would think today to be an especially poor day to be late. Wouldn't you?"

Even Natsu can see that manipulation for what it is, but he can't quite stop himself from bolting out of the room at top speed regardless. He's never been kept inside a single city for so long before, not really, and all the team training and private lessons in the world can't make him any less stir-crazy. He would have left, struck out on his own ages ago, if Sakura-chan hadn't burst into literal tears the first time Inoichi helped him bring her parents into the mindscape to speak with her.

Natsu's already taken her life from her. Despite still being uncomfortable with everything Konoha seems to stand for, he couldn't bring himself to leave the village and take even her ability to speak to her family away too. No matter how much he hates the confinement.

And so he skids into the clearing, panting lightly, only to stumble into gaping confusion.

"Wha- heh- what're you guys doing?"

Naruto stands straight as a board, hands clenched at his sides and eyes tightly closed. Sasuke stands on his shoulders, arms crossed, glaring fit to murder at Kakashi, standing a few feet off to the side.

"Oh, Natsu-kun, you made it!" Kakashi skips forward cheerfully, Sasuke's furious glare following the man every step of the way. "We're doing teamwork exercises! Can't you tell?"

Natsu looks at his teammates, then back at Kakashi. He bites back an urge to question the man's age. "What… does that have to do with teamwork?" Kakashi smiles in that particular way only he can, radiating cheerful sadism even with just one quarter of his face visible.

"Maa, Natsu-chan, are you questioning my methods?"

In his peripheral vision, he sees Naruto's eyes snap open, as even Sasuke begins to look apprehensive.

No one's forgotten the Cookie Incident, and Natsu gets the feeling none of them are going to anytime soon. He backpedals rapidly.

"O-of course not, I'm not saying it doesn't work, I'd just like to know how it works, I mean, is it like, trusting your teammate not to drop you sorta deal, or is there more to it than just standing on each other, or what… Obviously I don't need to know, I was just curious, ehehehe..." he waves his hands in front of himself, chuckling nervously.

"Hmm… I believe you! To answer your question… I don't think I want to. Feel free to climb up onto Sasuke-kun - try not to pull everyone down!"

Natsu grimaces as he steps up to Naruto. The blond cups his hands as Sasuke bends his knees. The pinkette gets the feeling Kakashi is having them do this purely for his own amusement, but he's not about to say anything. Rocking back a step, he plants a foot into Naruto's linked hands, the blond pushing him up. He gets his hands on Sasuke's shoulders, and the Uchiha does his best to maintain balance while using his own hands to get Natsu onto his shoulders.

Natsu gets the feeling that if anyone else were in the middle, it wouldn't work. Naruto's balance isn't awful, but he doesn't have the same degree of control over himself as Sasuke does, and if Natsu thinks about his own balance too much he still tends to compensate for his older, male body instead of Sakura-chan's lighter, smaller one.

Somehow, with Sasuke's help, he gets one foot on the Uchiha's shoulder and then manages the second with only a little bit of dangerous swaying. He can practically feel both Naruto and Sasuke beneath him breathing simultaneous sighs of relief.

"Maa, Natsu-chaaan, you're facing the wrong way!" Kakashi's voice comes out exaggerated, as though calling from a long distance, and Natsu feels his eyebrow twitch. There's absolutely no good way to turn around from this position, and Kakashi knows it.

The man in question snickers.

A full-body twitch snaps through Sasuke, and the pinkette lets himself fall. He turns the face-first fall into a roll as he lands, catches sight of Sasuke turning it into a handspring, and distantly wonders if Kakashi is going to make them do it again.

The man doesn't, skipping forward with a particular bright smile that has only ever meant one thing in all the time Natsu's known him.

"Not Tora!"

Three voices ring out at once, and Natsu trades a nervous look with Sasuke. The Uchiha doesn't actually look nervous himself, but Natsu swears the kid has made a particular facial expression just to convey Tora-unique disgust.

As Kakashi herds the three of them to the hellcat's last known location, Natsu wonders at the 'final test' Inoichi-san mentioned.

It would be just like Kakashi-san to make us do something like that after he already got our tempers up with Tora… He probably won't leave us alone long enough for me to tell Naruto and Sasuke either… Even if he doesn't, I'll think of something! No way are we failing now!

"I-I can't believe it… all this time, he's…" Naruto stutters, trapped in a haze of disbelief.

"Hn."

Sasuke's monosyllable grunt sounds more furious than usual. Before he met the kid, Natsu didn't even think it was possible to pack so much emotion into a single grunt. Not that he can blame him…

"We have to do something."

"Like what?" Naruto crosses his arms, but he looks more upset than defensive or angry.

Natsu leaps forward, spinning around until he's standing in front of his two teammates.

"That's what we're going to figure out! Kakashi doesn't get to get away with this. He had us hunting that damn cat past midnight before, which cost us our pay, Naruto-kun actually broke his leg once and even if that was an accident, it's an accident that wouldn't have happened if he hadn't been deliberately dragging out that mission for us! I don't care if he caught the cat himself after taking us to the hospital, it doesn't make up!"

"He's a jonin, Natsu… it's not like we can just punch him in the face or something."

Natsu crosses his arms, staring up at the stars. It always gets him, just how different they look compared to the stars from home.

Distantly, he wonders if Lucy would be able to recognize any.

"We gotta do something." He mutters.

"Light his house on fire?" Sasuke's voice sounds downright malicious, though considering Tora'd gone for his eyes twice over the course of the last month, Natsu can hardly blame him.

"He's good at hiding his scent when he actually wants to… I don't think we could track down his place, unless you already know where it is." Natsu wishes he hadn't mentioned his enhanced senses back on that first day, but there's no hope for it now. Sighing, he looks to Naruto. "You're the prankmaster here. Any bright ideas?"

"What… about that green guy?"

"Hn?" Sasuke raises an eyebrow, and Naruto scratches at the back of his head.

"Remember, last week when we'd caught Tora, but then she escaped at the last minute because a man in green showed up and startled her before we could lock the cage? Kakashi caught her himself, stuffed her in, and made us practically run to the admin center… that cheapskate actually conned us into taking him to dinner in exchange for helping us on our mission! I can't believe it! And all that time, he was-!"

"And?" Sasuke cuts off the blond's rant before it can get going, and Naruto deflates.

"Well. I mean, he seemed to really not want to talk to that guy. So, maybe if we found him…?"

"I don't have any better ideas. Though if they just don't get along, I'm not sure how that would help us…"

Sasuke shrugs. "Won't know until we try."

"Can we find him though?" Naruto asks, looking between Natsu and Sasuke. The pinkette nods.

"I remember his scent well enough. It was… kinda memorable. Turtles and blood and sweat, with a bit of woodiness for good measure. Since he was wearing that vest he's probably a jonin too, but at least we can try to track him by it."

"Who smells like turtles?" Naruto curls his lip in exaggerated disgust, and Natsu shrugs.

"Him, I guess. Let's head toward the market, maybe we can pick it up over there…"

It takes only a moment to increase his awareness of his senses, sorting through every scent that crosses his path. By necessity, Natsu's learned how to filter scents more subconsciously, something about Sakura-chan's body or brain just not capable of handling the amount of sensory input he was used to before, but Natsu's not about to let a little thing like that stand between him and his goal.

Even so, ten minutes after he starts searching for any trace of that man's scent he can already feel the headache pounding between his temples in time with his heartbeat. Naruto tries to help too, nose perhaps less sharp than Natsu's but still surprisingly capable, while Sasuke hops across the rooftops with his keen eyes searching out any flash of bright green among the populace.

It takes nearly an hour, when the sun's been set for two, before Natsu picks up on the faintest scent of turtles, far away from Konoha's marketplace. Naruto and Sasuke are by his side in an instant, as they track the scent further and further away from the heart of the city and towards the… village walls?

"Oh no, what if he went on a mission?"

"Dobe. His scent was nowhere near the administration center."

"B-but he's a jonin, maybe they don't always have to go there to get their scrolls-"

"Hn."

Natsu chokes back a laugh as Sasuke cuts Naruto off, struggling to stay focused on the scent when his head feels like it wants to pound straight out of his skull.

"Smell's getting stronger." He mutters.

They hear the man before they see him, shouting something about a young student, and fire.

Longingly, Natsu wonders if the boy will help them light up Kakashi's apartment.

They turn the corner, and standing in front of one of the wall's guard towers are…

"A pair of clones?" Natsu murmurs, squinting. He wonders if he's seeing double from the headache.

"Scary…"

"Hn."

"Ah! If it isn't my Eternal Rival's team! Are you here to run laps around Konoha as well? How youthful!"

"Uh." The man almost literally sparkles, and Natsu finds himself edging backwards. Somehow, it's like seeing what would happen if Elfman decided to act like Lucy when she's buttering someone up for a favor, all loud and sparkly and-and creepy!

Shuddering, the pinkette shamelessly pushes Naruto forward.

"Ah- uh- um, ehehe, what's your name, mister? Kakashi-sensei's never mentioned having a rival before!"

"What?! Oh Kakashi, must you always be so hip and cool?" The man literally starts crying, then instantly grins brightly while offering them a thumbs up. "I am Maito Gai, Konoha's Green Beast, and Kakashi's Rival! How may I help you stoke your Flames of Youth, young ones?"

Naruto blinks rapidly, then chuckles. "Uh… we actually wondered if you knew where Kakashi-sensei lived… since, uh…"

"My Rival's home? I am afraid I could not help you with that, for it would be a betrayal of our Epic Rivalry! He is very hip about his privacy! Why would you like to know?"

Natsu steps forward before Naruto can answer, inspiration slapping him in the face. "He did something very unyouthful! So we wanted to go and tell him we didn't like it! Uh-huh!" The pinkette nods firmly, and tries not to look like he's praying that was the right thing to say.

"What? What unyouthful behaviour has my Rival engaged in?"

...the fact that Gai doesn't try to defend Kakashi's honor says something. Natsu gets the feeling Kakashi trolls everybody, not just the children unlucky enough to be stuck with him.

"He cost us our mission pay." Sasuke speaks up, arms crossed, face blank. Too blank. Natsu knows he's as weirded out by Kakashi's self-proclaimed 'rival' as the rest of them.

"Yeah! He admitted to it! Sabotaging our attempts to catch Tora if he thought we didn't do it good enough! One time because of it we took so long the client refused to pay! That's definitely gotta be unyouthful doesn't it?!"

"I had heard that my Rival's team struggled unusually with the mission to catch the Lady Shijimi's most Youthful cat, but to think that my Rival himself was the cause-! Indeed, young genin, your frustration is just! Lee! Continue your training with my Rival's Youthful team! I shall go and seek him out, to correct this injustice! Yosh!"

The man disappears in a blur, so fast the whiplash from the wind stings as it hits them. Naruto stumbles a step to the side, Natsu reaching out a hand to steady him.

"Yosh! Gai-sensei will take care of things, I'm sure! For now, let us run ten laps around Konoha!" ...Lee turns, jogging up the steps of the guard tower, and Natsu trades confused looks with the others.

"Come, my friends! The laps will not run themselves!" Lee waves at them from atop the wall.

"I think we made a mistake…" Naruto mutters, looking at the wall with apprehension. Sasuke scoffs.

"As if someone like that can beat me."

Natsu groans as the Uchiha starts up the stairs.

"I haven't even eaten dinner yet…" He mourns, before grabbing Naruto's arm and following.

The test Inoichi mentioned that morning isn't even a distant thought in his mind anymore, as he drags Sakura-chan's burning muscles up the stairs and onto the wall.

Unbeknownst to them, Gai's sudden involvement saves them from a 2-am wake up call and subsequent test.

Kakashi decides (for his own safety, really) that coordinating enough to get Gai of all people involved should count as a pass.

The three genin, as they come to learn first-hand just how big Konoha really is, curse their decision to ever seek out the 'Green Beast' for help - and fail to realize just what fate they've saved themselves from.

Perhaps that's for the best...

Chapter 20: Interlude III: Tora

Summary:

For a few weeks now, Kakashi has been sabotaging the Tora mission in an attempt to encourage better teamwork in his genin. He's been quite pleased with the results, really. Madam Shijimi complains about how long it takes, but he'll eat the pay cut just to watch the quality entertainment.
He expects Natsu to be the one to eventually figure him out, all things considered.
Somehow, surprisingly, it's Sasuke who manages it.

Notes:

A/N: I'M SO SORRY THIS IS TWO DAYS LATE! I have an excuse (sorta) in that I was sick last week. Feeling much better now, though!

My roommate is cruel though, and has named me an Unreliable Author ™. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? SO EVIL.

Anyway, sorry this is a little shorter than normal – I'll likely double-update this coming weekend to make it up to you guys. Kick off the Wave Arc, maybe throw in another interlude or Wandering Fairies, whichever of the two strikes me.

EITHER WAY IM STILL SO SORRY I'M TWO DAYS LATE AND TWO PAGES SHORT PLS FORGIVE ME.

Thanks for reading, and hopefully next week will be better all around!

…and on time.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Sasuke glowers at the dumpster, arms crossed. Beneath it, the demon hisses in fury. The Uchiha would call it a cat, but that would be an insult to ninneko his family have cared for, and the thing behaves more like a demon than any cat he's ever met regardless.

Natsu gives a 'clear' signal from his peripheral vision, and Sasuke smirks.

Finally.

He darts to the ground, scooping his arm under the dumpster with enough force to push the cat out - Tora responds quickly, immediately trying to leap over his arm and go back under, but the Uchiha snaps out with his left, grabbing the creature's tail in a firm grip.

The demon yowls, and he throws it perhaps more forcefully than he should in Natsu's direction. He honestly can't even care about the pay, though, the dobe's the only one who needs it, but he's managed before - the trap the dobe and Natsu threw together crashes down, Tora screeching in fury from within, and he smirks in satisfaction.

Barely twenty minutes. Plenty of time to go train.

Only paranoia, honed from a month of too many Tora hunts, lets Sasuke catch the faint blue gleam that appears for less than a second. He might have passed it off as a trick of light if, at that exact moment, one of the bars of Tora's cage didn't snap.

Natsu scrambles, tries to cover the fresh-made hole with his hand, but the cat slips out like it's more water than physical form and bolts.

The dobe makes a cry of 'kage bunshin no jutsu!', a dozen copies of himself leaping after the cat, as he comes to stand next to them.

"Natsu! I thought you checked it over!"

The interloper scowls, glaring down at the cage. "I did! Three times! You know I don't take chances with that hellcat! There's no way that should have been weak enough for it to get free! There's not even enough space in that hole for her to fit through it quickly!"

"One of the other bars bent aside, see?" Sasuke walks forward and presses, the bar bending with his weight then returning to its place. He scowls, studying the broken bar.

It's a clean, angled cut, just right to allow the demon to leap out without any issue whatsoever.

The only thing that doesn't make sense is why.

"How did that bar, out of all of them, break? That's ridiculous! I told you that cat could read minds! I told you!" The dobe yells loudly, and Sasuke glares at him.

"Tch. Obviously it was sabotaged."

"Wha- who would sabotage us?"

Over the cage, Natsu's eyes narrow. "Kakashi-sensei?" He queries, head tilted to the side. Pink hair falls like a curtain over his shoulder, and Sasuke curls a lip in disgust.

Wearing hair long and loose is a challenge, is saying you're good enough that no one can use it against you; and Sasuke hasn't seen anything to prove Natsu capable of that.

"Wha? Why would Kakashi-sensei let Tora go? We actually did good that time!"

Natsu drops the cage, sighing, "I can't think of anyone else who would sabotage us. And Sasuke seems rather certain."

"Just cause he says it, doesn't make it true! I say Tora's a mindreader and knew that other bar was loose so it could get out!"

"Dobe." Sasuke scoffs, considers grabbing the cage and proving why the blond idiot is wrong, but they have more important things to deal with - namely, capturing the demon before it gets too far away. "It can't read your mind. And it didn't break the cage. Now tell me where your clones are so we can finish this."

"Wh- teme! Don't think I'm buying that sort of explanation! There's no way Kakashi-sensei would do that to us!"

Natsu grimaces, glancing between Sasuke and the dobe. Then he sighs and grabs the latter. "Naruto-kun… Sasuke isn't exactly the sort of person to make something like that up for fun. Let's just focus on catching the hellcat and worry about the sabotage later, alright?"

Sasuke narrows his eyes. "He'll just do it again."

Natsu shrugs, turning in the direction the demon fled. "We'll keep our eyes peeled. Maybe he just thought it was too easy for us. Twenty minutes would be setting a new record for a genin-team catch. And considering-"

"Ah! They're over near training ground 8!"

Natsu looks a bit annoyed, but doesn't hesitate to change direction. He drags Naruto behind him, the blond having frozen in surprise. Sasuke scoffs. Of course the dobe would do that. They fall into formation as they race to the training ground, and he snarls silently at the pace.

Uchiha train for speed, because being able to see the future is useless if you aren't fast enough to take advantage of it. It's so annoying having teammates who are always slower than he is, but if he runs ahead, he'll just be stuck alone with the demon until they catch up anyway - and as much as it infuriates him, he's never managed to catch the thing by himself. The dobe's clones don't listen to him unless the dobe himself or Natsu are there to make them, after all.

Sasuke sees Tora before the others do, Natsu almost right on top of the bush the creature is hiding in. He hisses the pinkette's name, and Natsu quickly glances over, tracks his gaze, then dives under the bush. Half the branches of the bush just move, some tangling Natsu, others moving out of the way, and Tora takes off yet again.

"O-okay. I admit, bushes don't move like that. But why would Kakashi-sensei do this to us?" Naruto cries, pointing at the bush despite the fact that it stopped moving as soon as Tora got free. Natsu comes up, dirt smeared over a scowling face, but he doesn't try to wipe it away, just glares in the direction Tora took off.

"I don't know, but when I find out I'm gonna light him on fire."

"Hn." It sounds like a good idea to Sasuke. His training time is being wasted.

That thought sparks an idea, but he shakes it off.

"I guess we start again…" The dobe's shoulders droop, and Sasuke scoffs at his dismay.

"Let's just go." He turns and starts walking off, deeper into the forest the demon ran to.

The idea doesn't go away.

At one point, the dobe fills the forest with so many clones that one of them literally pops into existence on top of the demon and manages to scoop it up before it can run. But the clone pops from something sharp stabbing into its back - though perhaps it was just stupid enough to fall onto a treebranch or something.

Two hours into the mission, Sasuke kicks one of the clones when it tries to hug him -why?- and the thing falls on top of the cat and lets them catch it - only for something to trip Sasuke and he knows the ground was clear of obstacles.

And so the idea keeps growing.

When Natsu, three and a half hours in, falls behind because his stamina is pathetic, manages to catch it and then lose it all before catching up with them, Sasuke is certain.

Standing in a clearing, he glares at the other two genin. He tries not to think of previous Tora missions, and coincidences that let the cat escape, and the times they succeeded in keeping hold of it for good.

He doesn't want to be the one to say it out loud.

But the dobe is an idiot and Natsu isn't much better, apparently.

"I don't get it! Why! We've caught her so many times! Why does Kakashi keep doing this!?" Naruto cries, throwing himself to the ground, sitting cross-legged and putting his chin in his hand.

Natsu looks closer to genuinely angry than Sasuke's ever seen him, and the Uchiha wants to throttle them both.

He takes a deep breath. Wishes they would stop being idiots and just realize so he didn't have to say it out loud.

Scowling, Sasuke crosses his arms and glares at them. "This isn't the first time Kakashi has sabotaged us," he starts, because maybe they'll figure it out themselves.

"Wha?!" Naruto jumps to his feet, pointing at Sasuke, "Seriously?!"

"Hn." Idiot.

Natsu, at least, has the decency to look considering. "Sometimes, even though we were all downwind, Tora would spook like she smelled something. And twigs would crack, and our cages have failed even when we were certain they were good, before. But why?"

Sasuke stays silent. It's obvious, after all, even if it's distasteful and annoying.

But Natsu just looks up at him. "You know why, don't you? You already figured out what he's doing."

"Hn." It's so obvious, and Sasuke glares. The dobe is a lost cause, but Natsu should be more than capable of realizing why Kakashi only sometimes sabotages them.

The damn flower-crowned moron just crosses his arms and looks at Sasuke. The Uchiha scowls.

"You already know, so just explain it and we can get back to catching that hellcat. I'd like to make it home for dinner, if that's even possible anymore." Natsu casts a look toward the sun, squinting, and Sasuke chokes on fury.

He doesn't even belong here and he still just settles in, has a home, eats dinner with a family-!

Natsu's attention snaps back to him immediately. "Are you okay?"

Sasuke snarls, ignoring the question. If the conversation keeps going that way they're never finishing the job and he wants it done. "It's teamwork," he spits out, but both the fools he's been paired with look confused. If it weren't counterproductive, he'd storm off and catch the damn cat himself. But Kakashi has more than made clear that's not acceptable.

"We only successfully keep Tora if the plan we used to catch her relied heavily on teamwork. Any time it only required two of us, or we did it by accident, or whatever, she escapes."

There. That should be enough.

Mercifully, comprehension dawns in Natsu's eyes.

"Oh… that does sound exactly like something Kakashi-sensei would do… just use this stupid mission as another teamwork exercise… and we didn't even realize, all this time!"

The dobe makes a stupid face. "But… when we caught Tora earlier, we did have a good plan that used all three of us! And Tora still was let go!"

…

Sasuke threw Tora by her tail, because he didn't care about the money and just wanted done. But he's not about to say that he's pretty sure that's why Kakashi interfered.

"Let's just worry about catching her now." He says, glaring, and the other two agree without saying anything else.

Good.

Maybe he'll still get some training in, tonight.

Notes:

This entire Interlude was inspired by a commenter here on AO3, Row, so thanks for that. Like, the idea that Kakashi was messing with the mission was always in my head, but until you made that comment I never thought about /writing/ it.

Chapter 21

Notes:

A/N: What's this? PLOT?! HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN? Okay, admittedly not too long, all things considered, but plot that actually moves the story forward seems to be a rare beast in this story. Can you believe that originally, this was supposed to be chapter NINE?! Way back around chapter 4, I wrote a conversation between Natsu and Tazuna that I sorta figured would be part of chapter 10. What a naïve child I was. Remember when I estimated that this book would only be 70-80k words? And here we are, already at 70,000 and I haven't even hit the goddamn CHUNIN EXAMS. I don't know whether to be impressed with myself, or horrified. One day, you guys. ONE DAY I'LL WRITE A STORY AND IT WILL GO EXACTLY HOW I EXPECTED IT TO THE FIRST TIME.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who reads, and to everyone who takes the time to review! I think I've said it before, but the knowledge that people other than my little sister like this story always makes me so happy.

Want a funny story? My sister was visiting for Thanksgiving, and while we were chilling out, the conversation turned towards fanfics, and she was like, "You know, I've been reading this awesome Naruto fic you should check it ou-" and she just sorta trails off, and looks at me.

You guys have no idea how much that made my day. I COULD MAKE A PATRONUS OUT OF THAT MEMORY, THE DAY MY LITTLE SISTER TRIED TO SUGGEST MY OWN FANFIC TO ME TO READ. It was all the validation I ever needed, the knowledge that she reads it, and likes it, enough to try and suggest it to me in a moment of supreme derp, where she forgot I was the one writing it~

Aaaaanyway, should probably wrap up this author note. Thanks again for reading!

Chapter Text

Natsu stumbles into Team 7's usual training field, aching muscles turning his legs into barely-functioning jelly. The night before, he'd collapsed straight into bed as soon as he got home - not even bothering to deal with clothes or anything - all thanks to Sasuke's ridiculousness in trying to prove himself. It wasn't even a competition! After spending hours catching Tora, he had to go and agree to join that kid's training-!

Should have turned around and left when I had the chance… Probably should have used some of Kizashi-san's potion thing too… It's magic, I swear it is! Ugh...

Sasuke is already there when he arrives, and Natsu glowers at the kid as he flops himself onto the grass.

"Next time," he grouses, "just say you have training already planned, and don't just invite yourself into someone else's regimen. Please."

"Hn."

Natsu scoffs, rolling onto his back to look up at the Uchiha. "You fell down the stairs when we were getting off the wall. Just admit you were an idiot."

Sasuke looks away, and Natsu decides he's far too tired to deal with this.

He's half-way to falling asleep in the grass when Naruto bounces into the clearing, greeting them with the same energy he always seems to have in the mornings. Natsu sits up, rubbing at his eyes, because he's pretty sure that has to be a hallucination.

"Natsu-kun! Your hair's a mess!" Naruto jogs over, squinting at Natsu's head, and the pinkette grimaces.

"I got up late and didn't bother to brush it out." he mutters, because he's not about to admit that he forgot to brush it out.

Over a month, Natsu thinks, should be more than enough time to get used to long hair. But somehow, it was like dragging himself out of bed any other time he'd trained too hard, and it didn't even occur to him that hair was something he had to bother with. Before, no one could tell whether he'd brushed his hair or not.

Sakura-chan's hair has only gotten longer, and he really should ask her if it's okay to cut it, but somehow the thought of it feels like giving up - it's not even as long as Erza's, yet! "It's… pretty awful, Natsu-kun. Are you sure…?"

Naruto trails off, and Natsu shrugs. "It's fine. Kakashi'll be here shortly anyway."

"Indeed I will!" Kakashi says cheerily, appearing in a flurry of leaves. Naruto squawks, spinning around and tripping over his own feet as he tries to face Kakashi.

Something about the older man looks drawn and nervous, though Natsu isn't sure whether that's his imagination, hoping the sensei suffered as much as they did last night.

"Now, my cute little students," he starts with a curled eye-smile, clapping his hands together, "I've decided to let you all take an out-of-village C-Rank!"

"Wha- really?!" Naruto jumps up, cheering.

"Yes, yes, I'm sure you're quite happy! I'm keeping an eye on the missions that come in, and I'll let you know when I find one… hmm… appropriate, shall we say? But for now, training! Since you've proven yourselves capable of the most basic level of teamwork, I suppose I should make sure your individual skills haven't gotten worse, though I admit I wonder if that's even possible~" Natsu gets the impression of Kakashi's smile widening, despite most of the man's face being covered.

He bites back a groan as he shoves himself to his feet, because with a smile like that Natsu knows Kakashi is planning something sadistic for them, and he's not about to give the man the satisfaction.

He's just gonna have to push through the burning muscles. If Sakura-chan's body isn't used to that kind of treatment, well, what better time to get used to it?

Natsu makes a note to himself that he will definitely use Kizashi's bubble concoction tonight, no matter how much his body tries to protest!

"...so anyway, I'm pretty sure this is an awful misuse of Inoichi-san's jutsu, but I read the instructions this time and you're supposed to soak in the bath for at least thirty minutes and I figured since I'm pretty sure your dad would be annoyed if I broke this tub too, I'd better distract myself some other way, and decided to come visit!" Natsu rolls his head to look through the window, carefully adjusting his balance on the porch's rail.

Sakura smiles, somewhat sadly. "Thanks, Natsu. You did make sure you wouldn't drown us, right?"

Her teasing falls flat at the end, and Natsu feels a stab of guilt. He turns around, moving to sit up on the rail. "I'm sorry, you know." His fingers tighten around the wood. "I never wanted this to happen, but it did, and you're the one paying for it. It's not fair…"

Sakura looks up, meeting his eyes, and Natsu has no idea what else he could possibly say.

"Did something happen?" she asks, tilting her head, "I already told you, you don't have to apologize."

"Heh. Yeah, I guess you could say that. I shouldn't be so surprised when you know something's up." Natsu shrugs. "Kakashi-san finally cleared us for a C-Rank job. I guess… I guess I always thought that I'd be gone before now, you know? But I'm not, and I just can't help but worry. It's already been over a month, and now we're advancing, taking our first C-Rank job, and I don't like it. I should be home, with my friends, taking my own jobs, and Sakura-chan should be with her team, going on her first mission outside the village- I don't know. I guess Kakashi's announcement just makes it feel more real. Inoichi-san has already been wondering if this is gonna be permanent. He hasn't said it out loud, but I can smell the resignation. He doesn't think it can be fixed, and I hate it! Now isn't the time to give up!"

Natsu crosses his arms, glaring down at the planks of wood that make up the porch wrapping around Sakura's cabin.

"I was poking around that door earlier."

At Sakura's words, he looks up, and she quickly continues, "The one you came through, not the one we went to before Inoichi-san pulled you out, I mean. I was poking it, and I even grabbed one of the kunai here and tried to break it? Ehehe, don't tell Inoichi-san though he'd be so mad - anyway, were you dreaming last night? About a blue cat eating your hair cause it'd turned into fish?"

Natsu tumbles over the back of the railing, squawking. "Wha- Sakura-chan! How'd you know!" he scrambles up, vaulting himself back over so he can get closer to the window. Sakura laughs.

"Well, my kunai didn't do anything to the door when I tried to stab it, but then I tried to pull the door off its hinges? That didn't work either, but while I was trying, I guess I got… flashes? And you said something about how just because you got turned into a fish-dusa didn't mean Happy was allowed to eat you…"

Natsu laughs, somewhat embarrassed. "Happy's my partner! He's a talking cat, and he loves fish. Though that dream really came out of nowhere, lemme tell you! Did the door do anything else?"

Sakura shakes her head. "No, but I'm going to keep trying! I thought about trying the second door, but we don't know where that one leads, so I guess it felt more dangerous to mess with it. I'll let you know if anything unusual happens though!"

Natsu nods, lacing his fingers behind his head. "Alright. Hey, you know? If using your kunai on the door caused that to happen, do you think we could use em some other way?"

Sakura gives him a confused look and Natsu drops his arms. "Like, if you could shove one over to this side by squeezing it through the gap in this window, and I could use it on the door into your cabin? Since you probably already tried that from the inside…"

"Hmm…" Sakura turns around to look at the kunai on her nightstand in contemplation. "All the items in this room are Memory Anchors. When I touch that kunai and focus on it, I can clearly remember the first time I made a bullseye. That's the memory tied to it. I don't know what would happen if we could somehow get it out into the Field… I guess you'd get that memory? Maybe? The window's not open enough for it to fit though… so for now I'll just keep using it on the door. I can always try and move it later if I want."

"Alright."

It's silent for a few moments, and it's still uncomfortable to Natsu, how lacking in realism Sakura-chan's mindscape is. No rustling leaves, or lapping water, or even the sort of creaking that's just part of wood homes. The only sounds he can hear are the ones he and Sakura make themselves, and it's always creepy. Shuddering, he sits down and leans against one of the supports that make up the railing.

"So, Inoichi-san taught me how to dive into someone else's mind yesterday! He did it cause he wanted to show me a special type of diving, and the safest way to learn it is on someone else apparently, so I got to see what his mind looked like! Or, part of it anyway."

Sakura turns back to look at him, curious, and Natsu smiles.

"I'm pretty sure that guy's got layers, and I only got to see the surface which was full of defenses! It was pretty cool though, reaaaaally pretty. I shouldn't be so surprised I guess, but still! Supposedly I should be able to use that technique on myself, and then be able to slip into the subconscious? He didn't say if I'd end up in mine or yours, but probably yours again considering that's the only place I ever end up… he's hoping I could get onto the other side of the door, and unlock it from that end! Apparently it's sorta dangerous, but if it works who cares? I'll definitely warn you before I do it, though. Just so you know to wait by the door, just in case!"

Sakura nods, then hesitates.

"Natsu-san?" she asks after a moment, and Natsu makes a considering noise.

"I was wondering… after that door locked, you couldn't touch your own chakra, you said. But before that, you could reach it without a problem here in the mindscape, and you could feel it out in the physical world."

"Yeah, that's right."

"If the door locking took that away… I suppose I was wondering, if we unlocked it again, would I be able to touch your chakra?"

Natsu stops slouching, suddenly alert. "I… it might be possible. But even if you could reach it, my… chakra… is nothing like yours. It probably wouldn't be safe. Drago- well, I mean, it took me years to properly learn to control my own power. It's not like anyone else's, not really. And I don't know what would happen if we damaged your cabin…"

The determined look Sakura-chan makes is enough to make Natsu wonder if they aren't some weird multi-world family, because that's his, 'im gonna do this and you cant stop me' face, no doubt.

Being on the other end of it is definitely less fun than being the one making it.

"Well, it was just something I was curious about." Sakura says, as though they don't both know exactly what she was thinking. Natsu's not about to turn himself into a hypocrite calling her out on it though.

"Well, if you're gonna 'be curious' with it after we get that door back open, at least promise to hold that curiosity off until I'm around to hopefully keep things under control, yeah? You know I'm from a different world, you really have no idea how different my chakra is from yours. There're only a couple people back home with power similar to mine, it's rare."

"Really?" Sakura scoots closer, interested, and no.

"It's not a kekkei genkai! I don't care what Inoichi says, anyone can learn! But usually if you start practicing when you're too old, it gets dangerous. Since it relies on changing your own physical body, if you don't start young enough you might not be able to adapt, and you can kill yourself pretty quick…"

"Is that why your teeth are so sharp? I thought it was a bit unusual. A bit like Kiba, but a lot more pronounced…"

Natsu nods, pushing himself to his feet as she trails off. "Yeah, though they're the only permanent change. I can change a lot of other things whenever I want, like my eyes or skin or even organs, but my teeth are like that forever. It was actually pretty weird getting used to them at first - cause if you start learning young enough, before your baby teeth fall out, then they'll grow in different and that takes some adjusting! I cut myself so many times, back when I first had the sharper teeth grow in! It took a while to get used to it! I've had them for so long now that I don't really remember what it was like to have normal teeth, though. Or, well, didn't, I guess. Your teeth are normal, after all."

Sakura laughs a little, touching her front teeth. "I guess they are! You should probably go make sure we haven't drowned in the tub though. Seriously, Natsu-san. I'll be fine!"

Natsu sighs. "Yeah, probably. That'd be a sorry way to die. 'Here Lies Natsu, Who Drowned in a Shallow Tub'. Gray'ould mock me forever. Goodbye, peaceful afterlife. Take care then, Sakura-chan!"

Turning around, Natsu closes his eyes and focuses until he can feel that tugging sensation.

The sudden transition from dry to wet is far more unpleasant than he would have expected, and the pinkette flails and chokes for a moment.

"You okay in there?"

Kizashi-san's voice calls from the hallway, and Natsu spits water before responding.

"Yeah, I'm fine!"

Natsu really doesn't know whether it's been half an hour or not, but his hands are all pruney and that's good enough for him. Feeling only the slightest of protests from his legs as he stands up and then later gets ready for bed, Natsu commits to himself - he will get that recipe!

For the next couple of days of training, Kakashi uses shadow clones to work with each of them individually. Natsu isn't sure what he's been teaching Sasuke, but Naruto goes on about wanting to learn cool jutsu enough that Natsu figures the blond's been stuck cleaning up his taijutsu. Natsu would almost be willing to trade, because getting Sakura-chan's body used to his style of fighting is something he's been doing mostly on his own, and outside eyes would be helpful, but no. Kakashi said something about wanting to make sure his jutsu were up to par, and started having him go through what were apparently called the 'Academy Three'; basic jutsu all academy students learn, that Kakashi thought Natsu might not know due to being an interloper.

He's not wrong, but Natsu finds himself frustrated regardless. Of the three, by the time Kakashi comes to them with news of a C-Rank, the only one he can manage is a henge. It's not too different from Mirajane's illusions, just using Sakura-chan's thicker chakra instead. It's really just a matter of pulling the chakra around himself like a film, and telling it 'look like this!'. But creating a copy of himself, even if it's an illusion copy, that can walk and jump and at least pretend to fight? Or teleporting himself by switching places with something? Something just doesn't work, and as far as Kakashi-sensei can tell, it's not a problem with how he's shaping the chakra, so that means it's a problem with his focus.

As complicated as his feelings are on the matter, Kakashi coming to tell them there's a C-Rank is something of a relief, just to give him a break from figuring out what he's doing wrong with the jutsu.

"Yeah!" Naruto jumps, fist pumping. "Finally! What is it, what is it? Do we get to escort a princess to a super-important treaty?"

"That would be an A-Rank mission, Naruto-chan! Or, if she was an especially minor princess, maybe a B-Rank. But you're quite right, it is an escort! I already accepted the mission on behalf of Team 7, so everyone will be meeting at the main gates in twenty minutes. We'll be escorting to Wave, so pack everything you think you'll need and meet up." Kakashi gives them a cheery smile before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Natsu tosses a wave over his shoulder as he turns and heads back to Sakura-chan's house. Mebuki-san is still there when he walks in, and she gives him a worried look as he slips off his sandals.

"Is everything alright, Natsu-kun? Did you forget something?"

Natsu shakes his head, setting down the bento she'd made next to his sandals. "Kakashi is taking us out on an escort mission, so I might be gone for a week, I'm guessing. I'm not sure how long those usually take, but he said to pack a bag. I know Sakura-chan had one in her closet?"

"Oh." Her face falls, and Natsu opens his mouth to reassure her that it won't be dangerous and Sakura-chan won't be hurt, before he realizes.

"Sorry. I totally forgot, you were gonna talk to Sakura-chan tonight. I-"

"It's alright, Natsu-kun. Go get packed." She pushes him toward the stairs, and he goes without resistance.

The bag is right where he remembers, and Natsu takes a moment to swap out Sakura-chan's red outfits for the black ones he wears. He digs through everything else just to make sure nothing's missing, finds a hairbrush and a pack of spare kunai, as well as a- kimono? Natsu scrunches his nose, tossing it back into the closet, hardly about to carry around clothes he can't fight in.

He takes the bag downstairs and puts the bento Mebuki-san made for him in it, then slides it on as he stomps into the sandals.

"Take care?" Natsu turns, looking at Sakura-chan's mother, and the woman looks torn, like she wants to do something but doesn't. Natsu pushes the thought aside and grins.

"I'll be fine, Mebuki-san! Promise!"

She opens her mouth, then closes it, smiling sadly. "Of course, Natsu-kun. Good luck."

Something about the conversation feels off, like he was supposed to say something but didn't, and Natsu isn't sure what to do about that, so he laughs it off and darts out the door, heading straight for the gates.

He's the last one there, Kakashi casually thumbing through a book as Naruto bounces eagerly. Sasuke stands a little away, as though not wanting to be seen with them. Kakashi glances up as Natsu comes to a stop.

"The client should be here any minute. Go sign out with the gate guard while you wait."

One of the guards holds out a clipboard as Natsu walks over, and the pinkette grimaces as he takes it.

I have no idea what Sakura-chan's signature looks like!

Natsu panics, scribbling down a hasty set of characters that could read 'cherry blossom' if you squinted, and hands the clipboard back.

The guard mutters something like, 'eager little brats' as he turns away, and Natsu sighs in relief.

"Ah, Tazuna-san! There you are!"

Natsu spins around, levelling a suspicious look on Kakashi.

His voice was way too friendly! There's something wrong here…

"Wha- you're the client?" Naruto exclaims, and Natsu shifts his gaze, looking for-

The blond's finger points toward an old man clutching a bottle of sake, and Natsu's sensitive nose already wants nothing to do with him.

"I should be sayin' that myself! A buncha brats is what you give me?"

"Maa," Kakashi intercedes, stepping into the old man's line of sight, "you get what you pay for. You paid for a low-end escort, of course you get a genin team. I assure you, they're more than capable of handling any banditry between here and Wave." The old man scowls and starts necking the alcohol, and Natsu grimaces.

Oh this'll be fun.

"Shall we be off then~?"

Natsu closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, through his mouth, before turning to fall into formation with the rest of Team 7.

Kakashi is way too cheerful for this.

...how far is this Wave place, anyway?

Chapter 22: Interlude IV: Haruno

Summary:

Natsu's been in this strange world a week now, living with Sakura's parents and training with Sakura's team. Growing more and more uncomfortable with every passing day, he considers striking out on his own - leaving the yami-like Konoha and finding his own way home. Then, almost like Inoichi could tell he was getting restless, the Yamanaka comes by to allow Sakura's parents to dive into the mindscape and speak with their daughter.

Notes:

WHAT'S THIS? AN ACTUAL UPDATE ON SUNDAY? Now if only it were a chapter instead of an interlude… ah well. PROGRESS!
Just as a warning, FEELS AHEAD!
Or at least for me, I literally cried writing this interlude. I'm a crier tho. I cry all the time. Sooooo that's probably not too big a deal. Still. I'm gonna try and write chapter 19 tomorrow but I can't make any promises cause lemme tell you this Interlude wasn't supposed to go that hard but it DID and I'm not sure my brain can eke out anything else for a bit.
This takes place between chapters 16 and 17, as part of the one-month time skip.
Also, just to gush about my little sister some more, SOMETIMES AT COMIC CON SHE COSPLAYS MAVIS AND I COSPLAY ZEREF AND SHE IS THE CUTEST MAVIS YOU EVER SAW FITE ME.
*ahem*
That is all. Carry on.
Thanks for reading!

Chapter Text

Mebuki laces her fingers together tightly, trying not to fidget. It's not an issue she normally has, being patient, but for a week now she's been living with a stranger wearing her daughter's face and it hurts. Inoichi whips through handsigns quicker than her husband ever could, and it still takes far too long for him to reach out, touching her forehead gently. She clenches her eyes shut through a wave of dizziness, and when she opens them again, she's sitting in a grassy field, surrounded by sakura trees. Inoichi sits across from her, but despite logically knowing the truth, when she looks to her right, to the pink hair in her peripheral vision, she's still surprised to see someone other than Sakura sitting there.

He doesn't look at all what she expected. She and Kizashi didn't talk about it, she never even really considered it, but if you'd asked Mebuki what Natsu looked like, she would have just assumed someone who looked more like Sakura. Inoichi-san wondered if they were related after all, so when she thought about it at all, she imagined her Sakura-chan, just more masculine. Maybe a narrower jaw, a little bit taller, shorter hair if only because Natsu-kun really has no idea what to do with Sakura-chan's tresses.

Everyone said that Natsu was a boy.

Mebuki wonders if they failed to mention he was an adult on purpose. He never really acted like one, perhaps a little more mature than her daughter but not so much that she ever would have placed him older than perhaps fourteen at the latest. The young man, clearly somewhere between eighteen and nineteen, spiky hair messier than even Kizashi's, with narrow black eyes and tanned skin, is perhaps the absolute last thing she ever would have expected. She feels lied to.

He tilts his head, looking curiously at her. "Sakura-chan's cabin is that way, Mebuki-san. We were gonna wait here, give you guys some privacy…"

Somehow, looking at him, she expected his voice to be deeper.

She doesn't know why, but she pushes herself to her feet and looks away from him. "Take me there."

She meant it to come out a question, but-

At least he doesn't seem offended by the demand.

"Okay?" He tosses his hands behind his head and laces his fingers together, already walking away.

It looks more natural than when he does it in Sakura's body, somehow. He's more casual than her daughter, and it's easy to see when he looks like himself.

Mebuki wonders if the silent walk to the cabin only feels awkward on her end - she's never seen Natsu so relaxed, in the short week she's known him. The cabin comes into sight some uncountable time later, and Natsu jogs forward.

"Oooooi! Sakura-chan, you have guests!" Natsu vaults over the porch rail, stopping in front of a window.

"Wha-? Did Inoichi-san come back…?"

Mebuki can recognize her daughter's 'just-woke-up' voice from a mile away, and as she gets closer she sees a pink-haired shadow walking toward the other side of the window, rubbing at her eyes.

Mebuki's breath catches, and she leaps up the porch, ignoring the stairs entirely, and throws herself in front of the window, pushing Natsu out of the way. The young man goes easily, backing off almost before she even reaches him, but Mebuki barely notices as she practically throws herself against the glass.

"Sakura!"

The window's open a crack, and Mebuki drops to her knees, shoving her fingers under, tries to lift up but the window doesn't budge -

"K-kaa-san!" Sakura lurches forward, scrabbling at the window sill until she wraps her hands around Mebuki's fingers, and starts crying.

Mebuki has never hated a window so much, as her daughter weeps and no matter how hard she wishes, she can't wrap Sakura into a hug, can't hold her, can only barely touch her with the very tips of her fingers-

Mebuki starts crying herself, forehead pressed into the glass, and she wishes she could just- slip intangible, slide through the wall and-and! She curls her fingers, trying in vain to pull her daughter closer, Sakura pushes herself into the other side of the glass, and it's nowhere near close enough.

Can never be close enough.

Mebuki never imagined that being unable to hug someone could hurt so much, foolishly thought that just being able to talk to her daughter would be enough-

It feels like her heart is breaking, with every sob that shakes her daughter's shoulders, with every moment she can't wrap Sakura in her arms and promise everything will be okay-

Sakura cries, and Mebuki cries with her, and wonders if anything has ever hurt quite so much as this thin sheet of glass that's cracked open just enough to let them touch and not an inch more.

It feels like mockery.

It's pretty obvious, the moment Mebuki-san lays eyes on her daughter. Natsu steps away, because he doesn't know much about mothers but he does understand love, and Fairy Tail's a family all its own - he's not quite fast enough, still gets shoved aside as she throws herself at the glass but he just moves with it, keeps backing up until he's clear and out of the way.

Somehow, the crying takes him by surprise. First Sakura-chan, and then Mebuki-san, and Natsu wants to ask why she asked him to come with her - he knows it's not his fault, knows that however this happened it was an accident, but the guilt is still overwhelming, he feels like he's drowning - but he can't, can't bring himself to interrupt, can't bring himself to even watch-

He backs up until he hits the porch rail as it curves around the cabin; Mebuki-san may have asked him to come along but it doesn't make him feel any less like an intruder, like he doesn't belong, doesn't deserve to be there, and all he can do is wait, because he doesn't know what to do-

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, tries to call fire to his fingers just for a distraction, something to do other than listen to tears that feel too much like they're his fault - and realizes, with a deep-seated horror, that he can't feel his magic.

His panic surges nearly in tandem with the Harunos' emotions as he scrabbles internally, trying to reach for the magic that was so easy to call last time he was here-

And then he remembers.

Inoichi said it was weird, that I could still feel my own magic underneath Sakura-chan's, and everyone agreed that being able to use it in the mindscape was unnatural.

Did that door locking take it away?

He slides down, back against the rail as he settles into a sitting position, and concentrates. He doesn't do it very often, not much for sitting still and meditating, but he knows how, and even in a place as weird as someone else's mind the theory is still the same.

And it's not that the power is gone, he realizes. Eyes closed and thoughts turned entirely inwards, he can still feel it - but it was like being in Edolas, before Mystogan's pills gave them the ability to use their magic again, just deeper. Like some sort of barrier, keeping it locked away, but not stripped off entirely. Out in the physical world, with Sakura-chan's chakra everywhere, Natsu wonders if he'd even be able to feel the slightest flicker.

For the first time, Natsu thinks of that odd blood-and-bone path, with its mysterious woman, and wonders if it really did lead towards his own mindscape. But he's not a monster, or a murderer, and maybe his early childhood is fuzzy and indistinct before Igneel, but he's pretty sure there's nothing there worth a mindscape like that, all death and destruction and something so painful he can't quite put it into words.

Or maybe it's like that because I'm dead, because nothing exists over there but death, because that spell didn't work and I don't have a body to go back to-?

No!

I can't think like that! Everyone's fine! They have to be! A-and it wouldn't make sense for something like that to happen anyway! Souls don't just get thrown into other worlds if you die!

Natsu pulls himself out of his thoughts, away from that thin flicker of magic, and shakes off lingering memories of that path because there's no point speculating when he'll never know for sure. He turns his attention back toward the outside world - or as outside as it gets in a mindscape, anyway - Sakura-chan is hiccuping, she and her mother talking quietly. Natsu can hear every word, despite the low tones, and he deliberately tunes it out as best he can, giving them as much privacy as possible.

He realizes though, as he watches, carefully refusing to listen, that he'd never be able to live with himself if he went through with his plans to run away from Konoha. Inoichi-san has no idea how to help, is clearly teaching him things only on a distant off-chance that they'd be useful but with no real confidence, and Natsu's a lucky sort. He's sure he'd be able to find someone capable of getting him home if he looked, and yet…

Sakura-chan hiccups and sniffles, wiping at her nose with one hand, the other tightly laced around her mother's fingers, looking desperate and happy and heartbroken all at once, and Mebuki-san looks even worse, and Natsu realizes he can't. He can't leave, can't get up and walk away and look for solutions elsewhere, because he'd never be able to look in a mirror again without hating himself for doing that to Sakura-chan, to her family, taking away their ability to have even this much contact with each other-!

Natsu doesn't want to stay in Konoha, stuck training with a couple kids and an annoying teacher, feeling like he's doing nothing to get home, but for all that he doesn't want to, Natsu thinks…

Even if getting home takes so much longer because of it, at least Natsu could live with himself, doing it that way.

As Inoichi slowly makes his way up from the clearing, stopping by Mebuki to tell her that if Kizashi wants a chance to speak with Sakura-chan they'll have to leave now, Natsu knows for certain.

If he left Konoha now, he'd be betraying everything he stands for, as himself, and as a member of Fairy Tail.

Igneel is gone, somewhere Natsu can't find, and he doesn't know why, but he knows he won't do the same to Sakura-chan. Won't take her from her family, from her parents, not even if it meant he could get home tomorrow, guaranteed.

He thinks everyone at Fairy Tail would understand. They wouldn't hold it against him, even if he ends up really late because of it.

He'll find a way home. Natsu has no intention of giving up, and if Inoichi tries to he'll just punch the man in the face until he comes to his senses. But Natsu swears to himself, as Inoichi and Mebuki slip out of the mindscape, as Kizashi arrives, that no matter what, he won't take any route home that sacrifices Sakura-chan's family to do it. In any way.

She shouldn't have to say goodbye to her family just for him to get his back, and he'll find a way to manage that if he has to invent it himself! Even if he's not good at stuff like that - at thinking instead of fighting, he'll become good if he has to!

It's a promise he won't break, as undeniable as the phases of the moon and the changing of the seasons.

Natsu and Sakura will both get their families back, or they'll die trying.

And Natsu grins, ferocious and bright, because dark wizards and yami guilds and Zeref's own demons have tried to kill him, and none of them have succeeded. He's not about to let anything in this world manage it either.

Kizashi looks up, catches sight of him and waves him over, trying to rope him into conversation, pulls him into a one-armed hug as he smiles at his daughter and teases Natsu for his scary face, and Sakura laughs, still a little teary-eyed but more than happy to trade jokes with her father and-

It's weird, looking into the glass of the window, seeing both Sakura on the other side, and reflections of himself and Kizashi, side-by-side, superimposed over her.

Just three pink-haired people, laughing together, and Kizashi reaches over, ruffles his hair, and Natsu doesn't slap him away because somehow, looking both at the reflection and the girl beyond it, something in him hurts.

He doesn't need any family other than Igneel.

And yet.

For a moment, Natsu wishes he could remember them.

Sakura-chan, her father, her mother… him, even if he doesn't really belong. Somehow four feels right.

He wonders if he had a brother or a sister.

Wonders what they were like.

Wonders why he can't remember anything before Igneel.

…

He wonders if Igneel knew them, his family.

It hurts, just thinking about it, because if Igneel knew then he didn't say anything, but if he didn't then there's no one who could say where Natsu comes from, and Natsu's never cared before but. There's a family here, small and unusual and hurting, and in their own way they're still trying to make room for him.

For the first time in his life, Natsu wants to know.

Maybe, when he gets home… he can ask. Fairy Tail would help him look, they've always been willing to help look for Igneel after all, even when they weren't sure if they believed him about his father being a dragon.

Until then…

Inoichi sweeps up the steps to the porch a second time, gentle as he tells them it's time to go. Natsu flashes a grin to Sakura, throws his fingers up into a peace sign. "We can do this next week too! Promise!"

Sakura laughs, a little watery, but returns his grin with one of her own. "I-I'll hold you to that! I'll see you later, dad…"

Kizashi reaches out, hand colliding with the glass above her head and Natsu realizes he tried to ruffle her hair.

If it hurts him, it doesn't show on his face, he just shifts until his hand is pressed against the glass palm-first.

"See you, blossom." Kizashi smiles softly, then looks to nod at Inoichi.

Sakura-chan's mindscape vanishes with that tugging feeling he's beginning to grow used to, Inoichi guiding them out, back into the physical world. Natsu's got a lot of things to figure out, like how to get his magic back and how to get Sakura-chan's body into better shape since he's gonna be expected to fight eventually, if Team 7 ever gets around to working together, but Natsu's got a good feeling about it.

Things'll work out.

And he'll just keep moving forward, even if he can't see the end of the road, cause he knows he'll get there eventually.

Cause I'm Natsu Dragneel! And I'm not gonna give up! Not ever!

Chapter 23: Wave Arc 1

Notes:

SO, FUN THING ABOUT UZUSHIO.
No one can agree on whether it was destroyed in the 2nd or 3rd Shinobi war. Apparently it was destroyed when Kushina was a child. Logically, considering she fought in the 3rd war as an adult, unless that was a really REALLY long war (at least 10 years?) it should have been destroyed in the 2nd. Except a LOT of people think it was destroyed in the 3rd. I have no clue, but I always thought it was the 2nd great war, and that's what I'm sticking with. Not that it's super relevant in this chapter, but meh.
Also, as a fun author headcanon (since it comes up in the chapter), due to the lack of information from Hiro Mashima, I like to believe that Natsu and Zeref were born on the summer and winter solstices, respectively. Though, obviously Natsu isn't in any position to know this at the present, I figured I'd just say it here. Historically speaking the solstices were revered as powerful days, and I just like to think that in a world of literal magic they'd have a lot of magical significance as well, especially for any children born at the peaks of the solstices.
Mavis is spring equinox fite me. I just love the idea of that symbology between her and Zeref. ALL THE SYMBOLOGY. Also the fact that Spring comes before Summer, and she created Fairy Tail which Natsu joined later (Summer coming after Spring, continuing the flourishing that she put in motion) AAAAAAAAA I LOVE ALL MY HEADCANON AND SYMBOLISM YOU GUYS.
So yes. Zeref, Mavis, and Natsu were born on the Winter, Spring, and Summer equinox/solstices in my headcanon, since birthdays haven't been given for any of these characters.
AND THAT'S THE REAL REASON I DON'T SHIP NALU! WE NEED AN AUTUMN BIRTHDAY FOR NATSU'S S.O. SO I CAN CONTINUE MY THEME HERE YOU GUYS!
But really I just think they make better friends than they do lovers. BEST FRIENDS FOREVER NATSU AND LUCY.
Okay that's enough author note from me. Thanks for reading!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Natsu tries not to think it too loudly, but being on the other side of escort missions is a lot more fun. Sure, it doesn't happen too often, cause it's pretty rare to get a job like that outside a yami guild, but sometimes there'll be stuff like busting smuggling rings or intercepting, like, thieves or something.

And maybe sometimes there'll be other reasons, but either way it's a lot more fun than walking around, slow as a snail, while some old drunk stinks up the entire road!

Natsu's pretty sure he couldn't smell a stink bomb under all the alcohol, even when he shifts formation to try and stay upwind; it just doesn't go away!

"So," Naruto starts, "are there lots of bandits b'tween Wave and Konoha?"

Tazuna uncorks his sake and takes another long drag, and Natsu fights not to wrinkle his nose in disgust. Kakashi answers after a moment.

"Wave isn't too far away, so it's unlikely we'll see any on the road - bandits avoid the areas closest to the hidden villages. However, Wave itself used to be a protectorate of Uzushio, and after they fell in the second war the country never managed to fully establish any military or protective forces of their own. There might be some attacks once we cross the border, though even bandits are rarely desperate enough to attack a shinobi team. Essentially, we're hired as a deterrent, and rarely actually fight on the lower-end C-Rank escorts. Ne~?"

"Whaaaa?! We aren't gonna fight anyone at all? What kinda mission is this! That's not a real job!" Naruto crosses his arms, humphing, and Natsu groans.

"Can't we at least walk faster then?" he mutters, and Kakashi laughs.

"Maa, Natsu-chan, it's quite rude to rush a client! And of course it's a real job, someone's paying us to do it after all~"

Natsu's pretty sure that moving a little faster wouldn't rush anything; with how tall the guy is his legs could definitely handle it, if he weren't so drunk.

Natsu decides that he really really doesn't like escorts.

But if it's really so unlikely to run into bandits on the road here… He breaks formation, ignoring Kakashi's considering hum, and moves to walk next to Naruto. "So how many instant ramen did you manage to fit into that pack of yours?" He asks with a grin, and the blond trips. Natsu catches him by the arm as he sputters.

"Wha-No-Natsuuuuuuu! Don't say it like that! There's other stuff in here than just ramen!"

Natsu very much doubts that, and makes sure his grin shows it. "Really? Like what?"

"Uh…" Naruto blushes a bit and crosses his arms. "I fit a change of clothes!"

Natsu snorts. "One change of clothes, twenty cups of ramen?"

"...I could only fit sixteen…" Naruto looks so embarrassed to admit it, and Natsu chuckles as he throws an arm around the blond's shoulders.

"Honestly with a pack that size, I'm impressed you managed that many. Cup ramen takes up a lot more space than packaged ramen after all!"

"As if I'd use that stuff! Nothing's as good as Ichiraku's, but- but that's a mockery of ramen! It doesn't even have anything in it, it's just broth and noodles! No way!" he shakes his head vigorously, horrified, and Natsu grins.

"Well, if you're lucky, they'll have a ramen stand in Wave and you can get some real noodles."

"You think ramen tastes different in different countries?"

Natsu hums consideringly. "Well, Wave's gotta be called Wave for a reason, right? They probably have lots of fresh fish, so they might have more seafood options than Konoha…"

Behind him, Natsu hears a cork pop and the swishing of liquid, and grimaces.

What's he trying to do, break Cana's record?! M-maybe I should ask what his pack is filled with! It's like he's got an infinite supply or something!

Naruto doesn't really know how to respond to Natsu's thoughts, because fish isn't really something he's had on ramen before and he's not sure if he'd like it, but if he doesn't say something then Natsu might move away and his arm's so warm-!

"Uh- um- what sort of fish could you put on ramen, anyway? I don't think I've seen any at Ichiraku's, unless you count the, heh, naruto…"

Natsu blinks, turning to look at him and Naruto nearly falls out of step at how close he seems.

"I never realized! You're named after a ramen topping, huh? Your parents must have known your destiny…" he grins widely, and something in Naruto aches, but… not in a bad way.

No one really talks about Naruto's parents, and Jiji said they were good people and good shinobi but that's it, he won't even tell Naruto their names, and lately, he sometimes wonders if it's a lie, if they were just people who didn't want him, who abandoned him after the kyuubi was put inside him because they didn't want a monster for a son-

But Natsu just says it so casually, like the fact that they named him Naruto meant they knew he'd love ramen, or that maybe they loved ramen and wanted to share that with him, like there's no way they could have been anything but awesome people and-

"Wha?" Natsu drops his arm, pulling away to look at Naruto, and his back feels oddly cold now, as the pinkette gives him a worried look. "Did I say something wrong?"

Naruto scrambles for something to say. "N-not at all, ehehehe, I was just… uh… wondering what Natsu's name meant? Since we were talking about mine and all!"

"Ah, really?" Natsu turns back to face the road, lacing his fingers behind his head. Naruto tries not to be disappointed, and moves to walk next to him again. "Natsu just means summer, so it's not too original. Loads of people have a name like that, all seasonal and stuff. That stripper-pervert would joke sometimes that it was a lazy name, like the parents would be like, 'quick, what season it is we'll just name em after that!', but really, he doesn't have room to talk, his name is literally just a color, and not even a cool color, but gray! The most boring color ever! Like, at least if it were blue, it'd match his jutsu, I actually called him Blue for like, a week, until Erza came back…" Natsu shudders, curling in on himself a little as they walk, and Naruto has no clue who this 'Erza' person is, but they must be super-strong! Even Kakashi-sensei doesn't get Natsu to shudder like that!

Though Tora does… But even Sasuke admits that Tora's a demon, so Naruto doesn't think she counts.

"So your birthday's in the summer then?" Naruto blurts out, before he can stop himself. They're not supposed to talk about stuff that would let people realize Natsu is a different person from Sakura-chan, and everyone knows she was born in spring, b-but! Tazuna's not from the village so it should be okay!

Somehow, he can feel a scary presence behind him though, and Naruto makes sure not to look at Kakashi-sensei.

"I mean, I guess. I never really celebrated one, so I don't know when it is…" Natsu's brow scrunches into Sakura-chan's thinking face, and Naruto hasn't seen it much at all since… everything happened, not cause Natsu doesn't think! Natsu's definitely really smart, but he never makes the thinking face that Sakura-chan always does, and Naruto kinda missed it, because Sakura-chan is so cute when she's thinking things through and being smart and-

Naruto slaps his cheeks and tells himself to stop being ridiculous, cause it's been a month and he's gotten loads better at not mixing up Natsu and Sakura-chan. He's not about to lose all that hard work now!

He can't quite stop himself from sneaking glances, and he bites his lip to keep from interrupting, even though he really wants to ask why Natsu doesn't have a birthday and what he's thinking about because even Naruto has a birthday, and he's been alone for as long as he can remember!

He's just about to ask anyway, because Natsu's been quiet for ages now and the C-Rank really is way more boring than he ever thought it could be despite all the warnings and at least talking to Natsu is fun, when the pinkette spins around so sharp that his hair smacks Naruto in the face.

"Wha-?" He turns around too, and the first thing he sees is Natsu laying on top of that old drunk guy in the dirt. Then Natsu rolls off, shrugging out of his pack as he leaps to the side and everything's moving so fast-

Sasuke bolts past him, also not wearing a pack, and then Naruto sees the attackers. Two people, wearing creepy masks (and it's been so long since he's thought a mask was creepy, cause Kaka-sensei's is just normal now but there's something definitely unsettling here and Naruto isn't sure what's going on-!), swinging chains around as Natsu and Sasuke try and dodge while getting closer and closer.

Somehow everything feels so much faster than their team spars, like everything's rushing around him and Naruto tries to move but it's like being stuck in slow motion and his fingers get tangled as he tries to shrug off his pack a-and where is Kakashi-sensei he was just here-!

Sasuke pins one of the long chains to a tree with shuriken, while Natsu grabs the other just with his hands and pulls the guy off-balance, and Naruto always knew Sakura-chan was strong, and what is he doing, just standing here?! I SWORE! I SWORE I WOULDN'T LET MY TEAMMATES GET HURT BECAUSE OF ME AGAIN! DAMMIT!

An image, of Sakura-chan's wrists torn up and bloody because of him and he won't let that happen again-!

Naruto's pack hits the ground with a thump, and he runs forward, tripping over himself because his legs are sluggish and everything's still moving so fast - Sasuke kicked that guy in the face, and he can't even see Natsu anymore - panic bubbles in Naruto's throat because he was just here - but he can't let that stop him, he turns toward Sakura-chan's opponent-

Can't throw a kunai, Kakashi said that right? Don't throw your weapons if you aren't certain where your allies are b-but-!

Naruto drops to the ground and sweeps his leg - the weird masked guy trips but he doesn't fall and Naruto scrambles as the man turns to him, tries to stand but his balance is all wrong and now he really wishes he'd paid a bit more attention when Kakashi-sensei was trying to explain how his taijutsu was off but he wanted to learn cool techniques and wasn't paying attention and now he just wants to slap himself because maybe he could have done that better if he'd paid attention-!

Thin arms curl around the guy's neck before he can attack and Naruto sees a flash of pink over his head. He leaps to his feet and goes for a punch straight into the guy's stomach as hard as he can, and he sees Sakura-chan's arms clench tight and the man just… falls over? Making a weird sort of choking noise all the way down.

Sakura-cha- no, Natsu - get it together, dattebayo! - stands up, eyes narrowed, and for a second Naruto thinks he's angry but then there's a thump and a whirl of wind and leaves that always signifies Kakashi-sensei showing up, and when he turns around both the weird attacking guys are tied to a tree, Kakashi-sensei himself leaning against it reading a book casually.

"Ah-! WHERE WERE YOU?!" he can't help but blurt out, pointing, but Kakashi-sensei just hums and turns a page in his book.

Sasuke growls, stomping closer to them. "I had it handled."

"Maa, he wasn't aiming for you, Sasuke-chan~" sensei chirps, and puts away his book. "In fact, I'm quite certain he was aiming for our client. And how fascinating that would be, wouldn't you say, Ta-zu-na-san?"

Natsu's seen a fair range of emotions in Kakashi since he met the man, but he's pretty sure this is the closest the sensei has ever been to genuinely angry. He couldn't even say why he thinks that, since Kakashi looks the same as he always does, chipper and amused, but Natsu doesn't think he's wrong.

Maybe that Tazu guy realizes it too, as he fumbles with his sake and doesn't look at any of them as he stutters. "I-I don't understand…"

"Don't you?" Kakashi asks brightly, but Natsu can practically hear the threat under the question. "This is a low-end C-Rank escort. There might be some banditry, maybe, but what there absolutely isn't, under any circumstances, is enemy shinobi. So perhaps you could explain why Kiri's infamous Demon Brothers specifically targeted you first? Perhaps if they'd gone for me, I might have assumed they were just arrogant idiots trying to claim my bounty, and if they'd gone for my students they'd obviously have been trying for a hostage to press me into doing something. But they didn't. They went for you, the civilian, a man with no posted bounty, who makes bridges for a living. Nuke-nin of their caliber wouldn't go for you unless they were hired. So… let's talk. Ne~?"

Kakashi disappears, and reappears almost instantly, crouched in front of the client, wide smile splitting his face under the mask.

The client sweats, nervously grasping at his sake, before his entire posture just sags.

"Y-you're right… I knew there might be people hired to kill me… but you have to understand! Some time ago, a man named Gato came to Wave! He took over, killing everyone who opposed him, even publicly executing them to make sure everyone knew it was him, knew what he could do-! And he controls the water, all the boats that come in and out, all the trade, no one has money anymore! I was trying to build a bridge connecting Wave to the mainland, so he wouldn't have a monopoly on us anymore, so we could trade without him taking all the money for himself and leaving us with nothing! I gave you everything I had! And I didn't expect children, I swear, I didn't!"

The man sounds desperate, and Natsu thinks he isn't lying, at least about this 'Gato' and the kind of man he is. But as the client lifts his sake jar and takes a long few gulps out of it, an unpleasant realization settles in his gut.

"That's why you're drunk," he says, numbness crawling up his spine as he stares at the man. "Y-you knew… you knew you were under-ranking the mission. Maybe you didn't expect kids but you knew you were lying and and you deliberately stayed as drunk as possible because no one takes drunks seriously so if you maybe ranted a bit about people out to get you they'd just laugh it off, and it wouldn't be your fault if they didn't take you seriously, wouldn't be your fault the mission was under-ranked because you couldn't afford anything more-"

Natsu's not sure why it worked, since shinobi seem so paranoid, though maybe judging all of Konoha off of Inoichi-san and Kakashi and the Hokage isn't totally fair - across from him, Kakashi-sensei's lone eye widens, then narrows sharply, and Natsu gets the feeling some Administration chunin are going to get a very thorough chewing out.

Sasuke cuts in then, cold and angry. "After all of that, you even had the audacity to complain about us being given your mission? Hn." he scoffs, and Natsu can practically hear the unspoken 'pathetic' Sasuke leaves off.

Tazuna doesn't even look sorry. If anything, the old man has the audacity to look angry, surging to his feet and glaring at them. "That was literally all the money I had! Even getting ahold of that much was almost impossible! I couldn't do anything else!"

Konoha may be pretty much a yami guild, but a guild is a guild. And Natsu knows that's a lie. There's something he's not telling them, even now, after everything, and fire curls through him, so familiar-

Kakashi's hand comes down on his shoulder, and the sensation vanishes so quickly Natsu wonders if he simply imagined it.

"For land as valuable in trade as Wave," he starts, pulling Natsu away gently as he shifts to face Tazuna directly, "Konoha would have happily cut you a deal if you'd told them the truth. But you didn't want that, did you?" He tilts his head in a mockery of questioning, and Tazuna flinches. "You wanted, what? To hire a chunin squad to protect you and your bridge, and when Gato arrives to destroy it, get a free assassination out of the deal? Especially with as low-end as you paid for, they'd be fresh chunin at best, easily pressured into a civilian assassination, you thought? Maybe set yourself up as a hero to the people of Wave at the end of it?"

Natsu can't quite help the disgust that fills him at the thought of that. To prioritize your own desires over the suffering of your people? But something doesn't feel quite right about Kakashi-sensei's theory, because it's hard to tell under all the alcohol, but Tazuna didn't quite feel that disgusting to him and his instincts are so rarely wrong…

The old man proves him right, stuttering in fear. "N-no… no that's wrong! I never wanted to be a hero! This isn't for myself! I just want independence! For Wave! We're a valuable trade hub, we always have been! That's what brought Gato to us, but that's what brought Kiri before him! Before that war cost them their control… Everyone! Everyone else, always controlling us, owning us, and we just have to hope they're better than Gato?! That's it? I don't care who becomes a hero, or who gets the glory! I just want Wave to be free to govern themselves, make their own choices! We shouldn't have to be sponsored and 'protected' by whoever has the most power on any given day! S-so of course I didn't want to make a deal with Konoha! You would just take Gato's place, and just because you'd be nicer about it-!" he cuts off, panting, and Natsu winces.

He can understand that feeling. That desire to be free, to not answer to anyone else… That's what Fairy Tail is. Home and freedom and a place to belong and call their own. He understands so much it almost hurts.

Because it doesn't change the fact that Tazuna really was planning to pressure them into assassinating Gato. Pressuring a team of children into an assassination. And Natsu feels sick to his stomach because he doesn't know what to do.

Because Wave deserves independence, because freedom and choice are important and Tazuna really isn't doing this for himself, he's doing this for the good of his entire country and that matters.

But he's asking a team of children to assassinate a man, a civilian, which, in this world, means a non-combatant, someone who can't - and likely won't - fight back, and that's wrong. Maybe he expected that he could get Kakashi-sensei to do it himself, but Kakashi looks furious and Natsu doesn't think that's going to work, and Tazuna's staring at them, because he knows it too, knows he'll never convince Kakashi-sensei so he's begging a bunch of kids to choose to take an assassination job, convince their teacher to take an assassination job-!

Either they turn away, leave an entire nation to suffer and starve, or they talk their sensei into continuing, even knowing that they'd be guaranteeing someone's death-!

Natsu has no idea what to do, he's going to be sick-

"We're leaving."

Notes:

AKA, my headcanon for Tazuna's motives. Kakashi talks about how valuable Wave is due to their status as a trade hub in canon, and I was always like – if they were so valuable, why couldn't Tazuna make a deal with Konoha's administration? And I came up with a couple theories. The first, that Tazuna didn't even think about it, didn't realize it was an option, which feels… lacking. You don't choose to hire a mercenary without doing some research, even if you're desperate. After all, Gato has more money than he does. And mercenaries go to the highest bidder. The second, that such things would be managed by the Daimyo, and he either failed to convince the Daimyo or didn't try. But that felt lacking as well, because surely Konoha doesn't manage all their resources through the civilian courts, and could negotiate on their own for Wave. Right? So, we come to my third idea. That Wave is a valuable trading hub that is never independent. Someone else is always in control of Wave and they're tired of it. Enter Tazuna's plot. Trick Konoha into freeing Wave. Too bad for him, he's been taking large swigs of his alcohol any time uncomfortable topics came up, and Natsu may not have consciously paid attention to his drinking habits, but his gut is never wrong and his gut tells him something is off about his drinking.
I did my best to actually mention him drinking any time people talked too close to the truth. Sort of as a mini-foreshadowing. And Natsu calls him on it.
Yeah. Wave is gonna be a bit dark. Probably not darker than in canon, but at the least it will be on the same level. Just… in different places. Hope you guys enjoy it! Feel free to let me know what you think about my political machinations here…

Chapter 24

Notes:

I'M SO SORRY FOR HOW LATE THIS IS! I pulled crazy overtime last weekend, and only barely got this written on Wednesday. But both my beta readers have had schedules as crazy as mine, so it only barely got edited now! I'm working on Chapter 21 as we speak, so it should be out by Monday at the latest, and we'll be back on schedule from here on out.
Hopefully.
Anyway, to guest reviewer sung7, that was a mistake on my part! I don't know if it's canon or fanon that Deliora is one of Zeref's demons, but I DO know that I've read so much fanfic regarding Deliora that I actually forgot that in canon Natsu didn't have to fight him, cause Ur's magic had already killed him! So Deliora and Lullaby were the two demons I was talking about, and the reason it was plural. I'll go back and change that line to say 'even one of Zeref's own demons' or something similar in a bit. Thanks for pointing that out, it was a goof on my end!
Anyway, thanks for reading, and sorry again for taking so long!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The sheer ice of Kakashi's voice cuts sharp as Gray's when the teasing has gone too far and Natsu's genuinely hurt the other mage; like Erza when she shuts down all emotion and just moves, the kind of fury where things are said that can't be taken back, and friendships take weeks to settle back to normal afterwards.

Kakashi could tell the same thing Natsu did, that Tazuna was trying to convince the children to continue the mission, and he's incandescent. It only takes a quick glance to realize that the subtleties of the old man's situation completely passed Naruto and Sasuke by, though Natsu thinks it's less that Sasuke couldn't figure it out for himself and more that he doesn't care to, he just wants to continue the mission. Both he and Naruto protest Kakashi's command, one louder than the other, but it's Natsu Kakashi looks at, and the Dragon Slayer feels so out of his depth.

Kakashi tends to treat Natsu just like another member of his team, despite knowing the pinkette was considered for being allowed to take S-Rank jobs once, but it's blatantly obvious now, that the man never forgot. Not with how he's looking at Natsu as though he can guess every thought going through the Dragon Slayer's head and doesn't like any of it.

Squaring his shoulders, Natsu turns to face Kakashi directly. He always misses his team, his family, and now more than ever because if they were here they could find a way to help Tazuna without resorting to murder - he knows they could; but even if this team isn't his team, it shouldn't be impossible. He takes a deep breath, and meets the older man's eye.

"No."

Naruto's protests cut off suddenly, and Natsu feels Sasuke's eyes boring into him, but he doesn't look away from Kakashi. The sensei's lone eye narrows sharply.

"I wasn't asking, Natsu."

It's unsettling, how all that sadistic cheeriness is gone, and in this moment Kakashi feels more like the enemies Natsu's fought before than the allies he fights with - cold and withdrawn, and every inch of him ready to attack.

Natsu wonders if Kakashi would actually attack him, or if he's just expecting more enemies to appear.

It's unsettling that even his instincts can't say for sure, but for all the things Natsu can be accused of, cowardice isn't one of them. He lifts his chin and glares back at the older man.

"I know you weren't. But I don't care! Maybe Konoha is a yami guild, but Fairy Tail never was! You might be willing to turn your back on him, but I'm not! Even if what he did was wrong, he's not the only one suffering! How can you just ignore that?!"

"Gato is said to be one of the richest men in the world. He won't stop at hiring a couple chunin, he's got the money to hire far more powerful shinobi. This is a mission that needs an elite team, and I will not endanger your lives out of something as stupid as pride-"

"IT'S NOT ABOUT PRIDE!" Natsu stomps forward, standing on his toes to glare into Kakashi's face. "It's about doing the right thing! I've taken worse odds, and I know my limits! I may not have all my old strength but fighting is about more than raw power and you know that! If we leave now NO ONE else will help him! I can't accept that!"

Kakashi sighs, putting his hands on Natsu's shoulders. He glares, but settles back onto his feet as the man speaks. "You're reckless, Natsu-san, but you're experienced. Experienced enough that I probably could trust you in a higher-level fight, I won't deny that. But I think you forget that your current teammates aren't like the ones you used to have. They don't have your experience. I'd be sending fresh genin into a fight with nuke-nin jonin. If anything went wrong, that would be on me. I won't take that risk with my team. I refuse to watch my students die. It's not negotiable, Natsu-san. We're leaving."

"I-is this because I froze? Because I wasn't as fast as Sasuke-kun or Natsu-kun?"

Kakashi sighs again at Naruto's hesitant question, letting go of Natsu's shoulders and walking past him. "No. You did well for your first live-combat, Naruto-kun. You may have frozen for a couple seconds, but you did gather yourself and move. That sort of reaction… it's not unheard of, among fresh genin. Especially when the fight is entirely unexpected, instead of prepared for in advance. There are just some risks a good sensei shouldn't take with their students if they have any other choice."

Sasuke opens his mouth to respond, then takes a deep breath. Whatever he was going to say, he clearly rethinks it but continues to speak regardless. "If you're that concerned about enemy shinobi, we can have ground rules. But I won't run away from this mission."

Kakashi looks between the three of them, deliberately skitting his gaze over Tazuna. Natsu wonders what he sees. No matter what Kakashi says to him, if they quit now it's obvious Naruto will blame himself. Sasuke will be furious. Natsu will too, for different reasons.

Team 7 is so new, so young, Natsu's pretty sure it's as obvious to Kakashi as it is to him that backing out of the mission will shatter whatever teamwork they've managed to scrape together. He wonders what Sakura would have said here, wonders if she'd agree with them or with Kakashi.

Sensei sags, though the defeated line of his shoulders doesn't quite hide the fury still bubbling under the surface. Natsu gets the feeling he doesn't plan to forgive Tazuna any time soon. "Ground rules, then. If I tell you to run, not a single one of you will question me. You will turn and flee without hesitation. If I tell you not to interfere, if I tell you not to do something, you will listen. If I give you an order, no matter how pointless or confusing it seems to you, you will obey instantly. If at any point you ignore me, we will turn around and leave if I have to knock you all unconscious, tie you to a sled, and drag you back to Konoha. Are we clear?"

Naruto bobs his head so rapidly it looks about to fall off, even Sasuke offers a curt, "Yes, sensei."

Natsu nods when Kakashi looks his way, and the sensei snorts. "Oh no. I'm going to need verbal confirmation from you, Natsu. Just to make certain you're not lying to me."

Joke's on him, cause Natsu's lied to the face of scarier people. So he straightens up, looks the man in the eye, and says without hesitation, "Of course, Kakashi-san."

Kakashi narrows his eye suspiciously, but Natsu fully intends to obey every single one of those rules - as long as he agrees with the orders.

It's not lying, just conditional truth-telling and always works better on people who haven't known him long enough to realize just how little care he gives to authority in general - Kakashi nods in satisfaction, and turns to offer a truly terrifying glare onto Tazuna.

Natsu won't even argue the man deserves it, with how satisfied he looks that they've decided to support him. He's done all the wrong things for all the right reasons and for all that Natsu will support his cause, Tazuna shouldn't look so pleased when half of Team 7 doesn't even realize what they've agreed to do.

Gato doesn't sound like the kind of person who'd give up and have a change of heart just because he got beat in a fight, doesn't sound like the kind of person who'd leave Wave alone if they kicked him out, and Wave itself doesn't sound like it has the resources to arrest him. Not without someone else's help, and that's what Tazuna is trying to avoid.

If there's a way to fix this without killing the man Natsu sure as hell can't see it, but he's going to keep looking. For the sake of the two twelve-year-olds on his team who haven't realized what they just signed up for, as much as for himself. He's seen death, fought against enemies where the stakes they put up were their own lives if they failed, but it's not the same.

Natsu wonders, if it comes to that, whether it's better or worse that the rest of Fairy Tail won't be there for it.

They wouldn't reject him for something like that, he knows beyond any shadow of a doubt, but he wonders if it would hurt them to know.

"Well now, Tazuna-san," Kakashi says deathly soft, "Get up and lead the way. And do pick up the pace. Hmm?"

Tazuna wisely doesn't say anything, just gathers his own pack and starts walking. Natsu swipes his and Naruto's off the ground, handing the latter out to the blond as they all fall into a protective formation, Kakashi at the back, Sasuke at point. Naruto hesitates a moment, looking at Natsu, before walking to Tazuna's other side. Natsu sighs, resigned to a boring walk in formation.

At least they're moving faster than before.

Kakashi would like to pull out a book. Not necessarily to read, with a legitimate threat out there he'd hardly drop his guard like that, but he prefers when his enemies underestimate him. And so many people, when they see him casually reading porn, tend to think he's gotten arrogant with his fame. But if he even pretends at casualness, he gets the feeling his students won't take this as seriously as they should.

He's pretty sure Natsu-kun was lying out his ass earlier, but if he was Kakashi couldn't catch a trace of it, and that puts him nearly as on edge as changing mission parameters.

He wonders if, despite everything, they still managed to underestimate their wild interloper.

What he'd really like - aside from turning straight around and wrapping his precious students in soft blankets, far from enemy jonin until they're actually ready for it - is to sit down and have a serious conversation with Natsu, because it's one thing to hear the idle boasting of someone in consideration to be listed as S-Rank, and another entirely to see the way he moved in a real fight.

Kakashi is pretty sure Natsu detected the movement of the Demon brothers before he did - he was suspicious of the puddle from the beginning, and he doesn't think Natsu caught on to that, but the pink-haired child reacted to them quicker than Kakashi. Not even a quarter of a second more, maybe, but that sort of instinctive awareness of his surroundings, of enemies and allies and things-out-of-place - it's one thing to hear him claim himself as an S-Rank threat, and another entirely to see what that could mean.

In Sakura-chan's untrained, civilian-born body, there's no doubt he'd lose in two seconds flat if Kakashi took him even half-way seriously. But his instincts, his reaction speed, his quick and easy analysis of the battlefield…

Compared to their team spars, all of it increased.

Kakashi would quite like to know why his unusual fourth student has been holding back, in all honesty. And sooner, rather than later.

But everything he's seen of Natsu's character make it quite obvious that he's not a threat now, and Kakashi will have to wait until they're safe to have that discussion.

His fingers twitch towards his vest, and Kakashi mournfully returns them to hovering above his kunai pouch.

Can't set a bad example for the kiddos, after all.

The silence is creepy. Tazuna ain't a fool, he knows the shinobi're on high alert now they know the threat, but seein' those children suddenly quiet and focused… He thinks of his little grandson, so quiet and sullen these days, when he's not spittin' mad, looks at these children who just an hour ago were chattin' like best friends - Well, the brighter two, anyway - now staring around with severe looks, wound up tense like coiled wire.

Tazuna almost feels guilty for it, he's an honest enough man to admit that. But as unsettling as it is to see literal kids lookin' all soldier-like, they're trained for it. Way they moved when those two masked guys attacked is all the proof he needs for that. And he's got a family to protect, a country to save, he's not about to let guilt stop him.

To his right, he sees pink hair swishing back and forth with their brisk pace, swinging around the slight girl's shoulder. He wouldn'ta thought a girl that tiny had the strength to knock a big man like himself on his back the way she did. He wonders if it's a special shinobi trick.

He wonders if he's gonna have her blood on his hands, by the end of this.

He knows Gato, as well as any man could not in his employ. Rich and tyrannical and stingy is what he is. Gato'll hire the cheapest he can guarantee results from.

The two he already hired didn't work though, and Tazuna wonders if Gato will simply go for more, or for better.

He can't help but wonder what sort of awful things have happened to that girl, too. The Jonin, Kakashi-san, acted like she was the most experienced out of the three children, and Tazuna knows the evils humans can inflict on each other well enough to have nightmares of that little girl being assaulted and abused, because what else could give her the drive and experience the two boys equally her age lack?

There was nothing cautious about the way she threw herself at that enemy, nothing but sharp edges and determination, and Tazuna hurts to think of what must have happened to her. About what sort of world even the grand shinobi village of Konoha can offer its little girls, that she should be so reckless and unhesitating.

And everyone else treated it as normal, the other boys, the sensei, when any decent man should be able to look at that and know how wrong it is.

He wonders if anyone's ever even cared to look into her homelife, and decides he doesn't want to know the answer. Perhaps to shinobi, stuff like that makes the kids stronger.

Scoffing in disgust, he drags up his bottle of sake.

He can't think about this anymore, or he's going to dig himself an even deeper hole with the sensei, and quite possibly lose the only hope of saving his people.

Even if it makes him feel like scum, just one more person in that girl's life who ignores her issues to further his own goals.

It must be true, what they say.

Desperation makes monsters of even the best of men.

Natsu stares in horror, gut churning, and he can already taste bile in the back of his throat.

This-

No. No, he was supposed to be free of this, he was supposed to be free this can't be real this can't be real please please oh kami-sama please-!

"Natsu-kun. I would like to step foot in Nami sometime this century. Please get in the boat."

He stumbles back, he can't, he can't, they told him they didn't use trains he thought he was free, that he wouldn't have to deal with that while he was stuck here-

If I have to be stuck in another world without any of my friends the least they could to was spare me the transportation!

"Natsu, if you don't get in the boat we're turning around."

Natsu chokes on bile, rapidly throwing one hand over his mouth and trying to swallow it back down before he makes a mess over himself. He wants to scream about how low that is, it's practically cheating, but if he opens his mouth right now he's just gonna puke.

He also knows Kakashi is dead serious.

Breathing deeply through his nose, he all but sprints forward, because if he lets himself hesitate he's going to run and he knows it.

And Kakashi isn't Erza. He won't knock Natsu out and continue the mission. He'll abandon it, and Natsu can't accept that.

The boat rocks as soon as he puts a foot on it, and Natsu's stomach rocks with it. He all but throws himself into his seat, leans over the edge, and hugs the side of the boat for dear life.

The sooner they get moving the sooner it'll be over.

Right?

Then the boatman pushes off, and they're moving, and everything just shatters.

He can barely tell up from down, the pushing, rocking boat swaying as they move and someone is talking but he can't hear them, can't focus, can only feel the churning in his stomach grow and grow and grow-

And it practically explodes, it feels like, as he vomits, and he hopes he's still aiming over the side of the boat but he can't see straight enough to tell for sure, and it's gross, it's been so long since he actually puked from motion sickness, normally he's got enough control to keep the nausea from getting that bad, he hasn't puked since he was a kid-

He ignores the distant voice in his mind saying that right now he is a kid, physically.

He doesn't know how long the boat ride lasts. Couldn't even say what direction they were going, everything spinning and collapsing on itself and he pukes twice more, one time he feels someone touch him but it doesn't help just makes it worse and how does that work, please, just let him off-

Somehow, when they hit shore, he finds the strength to throw himself off the boat - the wrong side, apparently, because he splashes into water, but he doesn't care, he just wants off, and he takes a moment to just float on his back and wait for the world to stop spinning.

Someone says something, he thinks they might be asking if he's alright, or maybe if he wants help, he doesn't know, doesn't care, because he's free, and if he has to take a boat back he is going to stab someone-

He takes a deep breath, then straightens, glancing around before swimming over to the wooden walkways the others are standing on.

He pulls himself up easily, the world blessedly growing steadier every second, and shakes off as much excess water as he can.

"I can take my pack back now," He offers, but Naruto only hugs it tighter to his chest.

"A-are you okay?" The blond stutters, looking so concerned Natsu half-wonders if he split open his head on the side of the boat and is actually bleeding and just doesn't know it.

"Yeah? Of course. Normally Erza just knocks me unconscious so I don't have to deal with it…" He pulls his pack out of the blond's unresisting arms, slipping it on. "It's not a big deal. Let's just get where we're going, I'm starving!"

Everyone gives him incredulous looks, even Tazuna looking mildly horrified, and Natsu feels very confused. Clearly he's missing something, but he's rather used to that feeling by now, so… shrugging to himself, he just starts walking.

The others catch up and fall into formation, and they slowly leave the wooden village behind. Every step away from the boat is a notch of tenseness uncoiling from his spine, and Natsu is downright relaxed when Naruto jumps suddenly and throws a kunai, startling a white rabbit out of the underbrush. And for a moment, he mistakes the churning in his gut as leftover motion sickness, before his ears pick up a soft whistling sound underneath Naruto's apologies, and he throws himself down, dragging Tazuna with him, even as he hears Kakashi order the other two to do the same.

With a solid thunk a large sword sinks deep into one of the trees that line the road, a man standing easily atop the hilt as he glares down at them.

"Momochi Zabuza…" Kakashi mutters as he stands up straight, lifting one hand toward his headband.

The man radiates sadistic malice, voice practically a purr. "Copy-nin Kakashi… Hand over the old man, and I won't have to cut down your team to get to him."

Notes:

Poor Tazuna, coming to all the wrong conclusions about Natsu. But really, his POV happened almost entirely because I was like "Wow, Natsu as Sakura must look so weird to someone who doesn't know the situation there." And then Tazuna comes in like 'wow this kid is so fucked up'.
It might end up being a running gag. All the civilian clients think Sakura is being abused, but no, really she's just possessed.
Aka, this chapter can be summarized as:
Kakashi: Natsu might actually be more dangerous than any of us suspected… I'll have to keep an eye out.
Tazuna: These poor kids, that poor girl, I'm a monster for using them like this but I have no choice.
Natsu: OH GOD BOATS NO PLEASE NO IF ANYONE HAD MERCY THEY'D SPARE ME PLEASE JUST KILL ME NOW PLEASE SOMEONE ANYONE CAN WE HAVE AN ATTACK? RIGHT NOW? PLEASE? PLEASE I SWEAR I'LL DECLARE ETERNAL LOVE FOR GRAY IF SOMEONE SAVES ME RIGHT NOW PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!
Naruto and Sasuke: … We never speak of this again.

Chapter 25

Notes:

Chapter 21 here we are! MY LEAST FAVORITE THING TO WRITE.

FIGHT SCENES.

UGH.

Coherent battles are NOT my strong suit. At least not fast-paced ninja style battles. Give me strategic headgame battles any day.

The last time I had to write a hectic fast paced battle I killed one of my main characters. It was an original fic (that I STILL need to get edited), but still. I LIKE PLANS. I'M A PLAN GUY. I'M SOKKA NOT TOPH I DO NOT JUST DO THE FITES I PREFER SLOWER STUFF AAAAAAAAAA-

Good news tho, my sister thinks me talking about her in my author notes is cute. Yee~

But anyway, thanks for reading! Sorry again for the delay on chapter 20! And seriously, thanks to everyone who keeps reading this ridiculous fic of mine, you guys are all awesome.

Chapter Text

"Maa, I'm afraid I can't do that." Kakashi chides idly as he pulls up his headband, revealing a blood-red eye with black markings spinning slowly. Sasuke stiffens sharply by Natsu's side, and the pinkette smells pain coming from his teammate.

Vaguely, Natsu remembers a conversation about Kakashi having a transplanted eye unique to Sasuke's family.

He wonders what it would be like, to look at a stranger and see a relative's eye staring back at him, one they clearly weren't born with.

"Ohoh, being taken seriously from the start? I'm honored." Sword-guy says, voice thick with amusement. He disappears in a blur then, sword and all, and Kakashi falls into a ready stance without hesitation.

Regrettably, Natsu joins the rest of Team 7 in a defensive position around Tazuna as a thick mist springs up from nothing, smothering the battlefield.

Natsu doesn't have dragon scales, not in this body, and even when he could coat his skin in them Erza's swords could still slice him up if he wasn't careful, so he pulls a kunai out of his pouch, even as he closes his eyes.

Visibility is next to nothing in the fog, and sound echoes oddly as a thick bloodlust rolls over them like a choking wave, but Natsu has other senses he can rely on.

The bloodlust isn't as bad as the old Hokage-guy's, but it's still there, a thick, cloying promise of death to anything that moves. Behind him, he feels the client trembling, and wonders if the man's sensitive, or if the Zabu-guy is just that powerful.

Kakashi's voice rings through the fog, reassuring.

"Sasuke. It's alright. He won't touch you."

To his side, Natsu hears Sasuke gasp, and wonders why he was affected. But then everything explodes into action, a faint whisper of wind, a barely-there scent, and he pushes himself backwards into Tazuna, feels a blade scrape along the edge of his quickly-raised kunai before water explodes across his face and the pressure disappears, and then Naruto cries out Kakashi's name and water explodes again - no scent of blood, just water and mist and something unidentifiable that might just be chakra, sword-guy's chakra, anyway. The man lets out a chuckle, but Natsu can only smell Kakashi and water and that odd scent from that direction, none of the there-and-gone smell of iron and blood and sweat that clung faintly to the man when he and his sword leapt overhead to introduce themselves.

He takes a deep breath, in through his nose and out through his mouth. The scent of the mist and the chakra coats the battlefield, but beneath it there's still earth and grass and an impressively weak thread of iron-and-blood-

The dialogue between Kakashi and the enemy are practically background noise as he follows that scent to behind Kakashi and getting closer, the mist holding traces of it even as it smothers it and Natsu knows he isn't fast, despite all his training Sakura-chan's body is still so much slower than he's used to, but he leaps forward, sweeps under a whistling blade of what smells like water that explodes above him, slips just around Kakashi's side, and his elbow impacts with what feels like a knee-

Sword-guy grunts, and a flesh-and-blood arm backhands him across the face too fast for him to dodge, but he digs the loose kunai still in his hand into the dirt, stops himself from flying too far, hears the sound of Kakashi engaging with a vengeance-

He hears the two disengage, a break in the fighting, and Zabu laughs.

"Little girl of yours has some fire in her," he says, and Natsu finds that being called a girl is a lot more irritating when it's said like an insult, and not just the idle comments of someone who doesn't know better.

"Mm." Kakashi doesn't really answer, and Natsu gets the impression of a still battlefield, just waiting for a trigger to explode back into action.

"You leave Natsu-kun alone!"

"Naruto-!" Kakashi's attempt at a reprimand is cut off with a grunt, even as the smell of water thickens around Natsu.

The Dragon Slayer throws himself to the side, and whatever crashed to the ground where he'd been standing sounds a hell of a lot more solid than water, but whether you're calling it chakra or magic - unusual fighting styles are unusual fighting styles, and he's dealt with his fair share.

He hears Naruto cry out in pain, Kakashi and the sword guy exchanging blows, Sasuke lighting something on fire and man he tries not to be jealous, he needs to get the Uchiha to teach him how to light stuff on fire with chakra dammit-!

He dodges again, shoves incoming water aside with his kunai and realizes in a startling instant, with an oddly-echoed clang of metal-on-metal that he's fighting a clone made of water. Like Naruto's weird clones made of nothing but raw power shoved into physical form. He shoves the kunai into the pouch, slips under a wide swing of the sword, twists and grabs the back of the weapon cause blades with only one edge are blades with half a weakness, grips, and throws.

He feels, the moment the blade is released, and throws himself all the way onto the muddy ground, and this clone is definitely slower than the real one was, because he pushes up into a flip to dodge a kick and makes it, close enough he feels the foot catch briefly against his hair-

He hears Sasuke grunt, smells blood he's pretty sure is Kakashi's splatter into the mist, as his feet come down and he lurches to the side, trying to take the back of the clone-

It turns with him, reaches for his head, and Natsu knows he can't dodge so he turns into it, sinks his teeth into the flesh of the hand even as it closes on his hair, and then he drags chakra up through his throat, as though he could still use his dragon's breath, and bites harder.

Apparently, it was the right thing to do, because water explodes above him, drenching him, and his hair falls limply over his shoulder, a small splat accompanying its stillness.

He doesn't take time to relax, turning to dart back toward his teammates whose fight is still audible even through the echoing mist - he knows where they were, and their scents haven't moved far, but suddenly there's a whoosh of air accompanied by iron-and-blood and Natsu twists, throwing himself down, but he's nowhere near fast enough, and a vice-like grip catches him by the arm.

He gets the feeling biting won't work so well on a real person as it did on a clone, but lunges in closer regardless because it's the most unexpected move he can make - the guy's sword is nowhere close enough for Natsu to scent in the heat of the moment, and by the time he realizes the tang of metal on the other hand isn't scent-residue but a kunai, it's already scraping across his shoulder and down his left arm, only barely missing his throat as he throws his weight against his still-restrained right arm to escape it.

Sword-guy drops him, and Natsu catches a whiff of fire-sparks-metal that tends to accompany any weapon Sasuke keeps on his person for longer than an hour - his left arm burns, and he's pretty sure he pulled something in his right with the way he threw his weight against it to avoid having his throat slit, but he braces it against the ground anyway and goes for a leg-sweep.

Zabu dodges easily, but then Kakashi's scent is there with a burst of wind, and Natsu turns his failed leg-sweep into a flip to get back on his feet, and retreats back towards Naruto and Sasuke as Kakashi reenters the fight with vigor. The blood-scent on him is weak enough that Natsu relaxes, glad to know the wound was either not critical or easy to heal, even as he settles in front of Tazuna.

"Thanks," he grunts towards Sasuke, surprisingly out of breath for such a rapid exchange, and damn if Natsu doesn't hate it-

He snarls quietly, but endurance is one of the slowest things to train and he's just going to have to live with that.

"Y-you're bleeding so much…" Naruto mutters from his left, sounding utterly distressed.

"He missed everything important," the Dragon Slayer mumbles, pushing his senses as much as he can, both to track Kakashi's fight and keep a lookout for any other water clones. "Those shuriken were perfectly timed though. Seriously, can't you be that good in actual team training?" he grouches in Sasuke's direction. The Uchiha only huffs.

"I think I woke up my Sharingan." He mutters back, quiet enough Natsu might have missed it in the dampening mist if he weren't straining all his senses.

"No one ever explained to me what that thing did, but if it suddenly gives you a case of the decent-teammate juices, I'll take it."

Sasuke chokes on something that might almost be a laugh, except Sasuke never laughs so clearly he just screwed up a scoff.

Any comment he might have made gets cut off as Natsu drops down, sweeping Tazuna's legs out from under him as he goes, and he hears shattering porcelain and an overpowering smell of sake which is not what he needs right now dammit-!

He hears the thuds as Naruto and Sasuke throw themselves down as well, and the soft whistling of Sasuke's shuriken as he tosses them out - the clone lunges back to avoid them, Natsu tracks it by the sound of water, because mist is water and clones are water and maybe it's not super cohesive, or maybe when both jutsu are done by the same person they just blend together, but he can't smell anything but sake and his own blood right now so he focuses on sound, tracks the clone by the way its water moves through the water of the mist, and makes an unerring lunge to wholesale tackle into the clone's legs, making it stumble, and Sasuke's following kunai land with a solid thud into the mass of the clone, dispersing it into yet-more water that splashes over Natsu.

He gets the feeling that being dry is a luxury he's not going to have much, here in Wave. Especially if every. single. clone keeps exploding on him like this! He rolls back to his feet, biting back a grimace of pain as mud presses into his wounded shoulder mid-roll, but stumbles back into guard formation by Tazuna without making a sound.

Then there's the solid thud of a body hitting the ground, echoing indiscernibly through the mist, and for a heart-stopping moment Natsu doesn't know if it's Kakashi or the Zabu-guy who fell.

A gentle voice speaks after a moment.

"Thank you for your help, Konoha-san. I apologize for taking your kill from you, but after his crimes against our illustrious village, I desired to take his life for myself."

"Ah, a Kiri hunter-nin, ne? That's alright, I appreciate the help. I have business to take care of, so I'll leave the corpse to you."

"Many thanks, Konoha-san."

There's a shff of displaced air, and a moment later Natsu blinks as Kakashi appears in front of him. Dizziness slams into him almost faster than he can process, as though the fading adrenaline is enough to remind his body that Sakura-chan just isn't used to bloodloss the way he is, and Natsu stumbles forwards into Kakashi's chest as everything spins sharply around him, the world fading to unsteady darkness as he hears all three members of Team 7 call out his name.

It happens almost slow-motion to Sasuke's eyes. Kakashi appears in a flurry of leaves, headband pulled down, blood sliding across his cheek, the fabric of one arm wet with something darker than water, blood staining the bandages wrapped around his left ankle, and Natsu looks up at him, blinking in apparent confusion, before stumbling forward and weakly collapsing into the man's arms.

Only the rapidly-fluttering pulse in his neck proves he's still alive, as Kakashi brings his arms fully around the pink-haired boy and keeps him from hitting the dirt. Naruto's already leaping forward, stumbling over the client in his haste, but Kakashi quickly pulls Natsu onto his back.

"Not now, Naruto-kun." He mutters, dragging the client to his feet harshly with one hand, the other bracing Natsu as he bends over.

Sasuke watches it all, moving so slowly it feels almost unreal, as Kakashi hustles them away quickly talking the dobe through how to make a shadow clone bigger than he normally is, to carry Tazuna so they can get to relative safety quicker.

He tells Sasuke to take point, to not bother warning them if he finds danger, just react and trust them to follow because they can't afford to waste time, and he nods curtly.

Everything is crystal-clear in a way it's never been before, and he rushes soundlessly ahead of his team, trying not to think of a knife in Naruto's stomach before the blond puffed into smoke, tries not to think of glancing over to check on Natsu's fight only to see blood spray out and he could count every drop as it sprayed and for a moment he thought it was arterial but it wasn't, it wasn't-

Gritting his teeth, he casts a glance back to check the pace of the team, Naruto and his clone are the slowest but they're keeping up, he can see every line of determined terror on the blond's face, can see the flutter of Natsu's pulse and every drop of blood that slides down his naked arm-

He jerks his gaze forward, ahead for danger and not behind to -his team- useless distractions, and listens as Tazuna begins hesitantly offering directions.

He knows exactly how long it takes to get to Tazuna's house -twenty-three minutes- and yet somehow it feels like a year, or twenty, or a hundred, far too long as Kakashi rushes in ahead of the client without bothering to knock, and Natsu is spread out on the dining table by the time he and the dobe make it in.

Natsu always seems larger than Sakura. Even though they're the same body, he just has a presence that fills the area in a way she never did, always so shy and irritating, like if she took up less space they'd forget about her and it always annoyed him that someone so weak and pathetic would even want to be a shinobi, but laid on a table, the top of his dress pulled away and wound on full display, he somehow looks tinier than Sakura ever did.

It disgusts Sasuke just as much, but there's something else there too, and he tries not to wonder what it is because teammates just hold you back, he knows that, that man didn't need them and he doesn't either-

"W-will Natsu be okay…?"

Sasuke scoffs at the dobe's hesitant question, leans against the wall and crosses his arms.

He's not interested in the answer, he's just guarding the door in case they were followed.

The dobe doesn't even respond to him.

"It's not a pretty injury, but Natsu-kun won't die from it, Naruto-kun."

Kakashi-sensei's voice is thick with exhaustion, and Sasuke gets the feeling the only reason the man hasn't crashed himself is because he's got an injury to deal with first.

Tch.

He'll be stuck on guard duty all night, won't he? Dobe'll be useless…

He lets the wall take a little more of his weight, relaxes into it and finally figures out how to cut off the chakra feeding into his eyes.

They'll have a little while until full night-fall, he doesn't need to be on high-alert until then-

There's just something so viscerally horrifying about being able to count every single drop of blood, about knowing to the last millimeter exactly how large and deep that wound is, about the calculatious he can't seem to turn off about exactly how much blood is being lost, how fast, and what the numbers add up to when he factors in time-

He deactivates the sharingan, and relaxes a bit more against the wall. Some woman is there now, handing sensei a bowl of water as he cleans and bandages the wound as best he can - it's an awful angle for an injury, and he fully strips Natsu's outfit down to his hips to get enough access to wrap the bandages around everything.

Even without the sharingan, Sasuke can see the slightest scratch against Natsu's throat and the reality of just how close that was to a kill-shot-

He shakes off the thoughts, looks away and towards the civilians as the woman lets out a gasp.

"Wha-It's-I know how to bandage wounds, sir, I'm sure the young lady wouldn't want-"

Sasuke narrows his eyes, but Kakashi's firm words beat him to any response.

"Natsu-kun is my student and I will tend the injuries myself. Your concern is appreciated, but shinobi don't have the luxury of worrying over such incidental things as gender. If you will excuse me…"

"B-but that's-!"

"Tsunami-chan…" their client shakes his head, looking at her, and Sasuke rolls his eyes.

Ridiculous civilian nonsense, apparently.

Even if Natsu were a girl, Sasuke doesn't get the feeling he'd care. He's just not that sort of person.

Sensei pulls the dress back up once the wound is bandaged to his satisfaction, and scoops Natsu into his arms.

"Do you have a room?" he asks, eye narrowed and daring either of them to protest. Naruto rushes over to his side, peering worriedly at Natsu's face, and Sasuke scoffs.

"I'll take first watch." he offers, already walking out just to get away from the ridiculous sappiness.

He swings himself onto the roof easily, finding a good perch with open sightlines all the way around the house, and settles himself in for a long watch.

Those idiots can fuss over each other all they want, he'd rather be far away from that.

Would rather keep watch, make sure no one else comes back to take away everything he was never meant to build for himself-

Sasuke glares out at the surroundings, activating his sharingan again and watching the night-tinted world explode into perfect clarity.

He shoves aside thoughts of too-clear wounds, and all the numbers he doesn't want to know, and just goes on lookout.

Either one of his… teammates will come to relieve him, or they won't. He'll keep watch all night, he doesn't want to sleep anyway-

Doesn't want to dream of blood that's too-clear-too-red-too-much-

Chapter 26

Notes:

Sorry this is late, my brain slapped me with a desperate desire to write original fic and/or Star Wars fic, which basically means I got shit-all done and had to force myself sit down and write this. Hopefully the quality wasn't affected!

Also I totally dusted off a years-old tumblr account in procrastination of writing. No idea what I'll do with it, cause literally all I use my facebook for is complaining about how I should be writing, and occasionally tagging people in random things. So, I guess if anyone has tumblr and wants to watch me complain about how I should be writing, while blatantly NOT writing, I'm clenastia over there. I think the blog is titled Imagination's Sanctuary, cause I haven't renamed it from my teenage years. Should call it Procrastination Sanctuary probably, it's more accurate…

ALSO NATSU'S NECK SCAR BECAME TEMPORARILY RELEVANT HERE SO I GOOGLED HOW HE GOT IT AND THE ANSWER IS STUPID SO I'M GOING WITH MY HEADCANON FITE ME.

Seriously though. Scars don't come from scratches! Especially big ones like that! I haven't seen the OVA in question, so maybe it makes more sense in context, but the idea that Natsu would hurt his childhood self THAT badly is way too extreme. Like, Natsu attacking his younger self I can understand. But necks are delicate places. THAT much damage on the neck? Enough to scar that big? The risk of accidentally killing a child with that much force is huge! SO FLUCK THAT YOU GUYS GET MY HEADCANON INSTEAD.

And in response to the Guest reviewer (sorry this AN is getting long you guys), Sasuke awakened his Sharingan during the fight, which is how he can see. Even magic mist isn't invisibility-granting, it just makes it very hard to see. So enhanced vision via magic eyeballs makes it a bit easier. As for Naruto… he's just spamming clones. He can't see shit (though his hearing and scenting are better than a normal person's, he's not on Natsu's level and has never really trained to fight by that either), and he does get hit a few times. But Sasuke's watching his back, however reluctantly, the kyuubi heals him rapidly, and with all the clones making it hard to find the real one, his lack of ability to see what's going on isn't that big a deal - especially since only Zabuza's clones attacked them. The real Zabuza mostly fought Kakashi, only turning away once, to attack Natsu instead. All of this took place off-screen though. I actually thought about writing the fight from say, one of the others' POVs, but then we wouldn't know what Natsu was doing. And I didn't want to write that fight twice, so instead there were just hints to what happened to Naruto and Sasuke.

Anyway, thanks for reading! And if anyone knows why people are buying all the toilet paper, please explain it to me because I really don't understand! WHAT DO VIRUSES HAVE TO DO WITH TOILET PAPER I'M SO CONFUSED.

Chapter Text

Natsu blinks to awareness with the scent of sakura petals filling the air. He sighs, unsurprised. "Should probably find Sakura-chan…" he mutters, staring up at the pink petals that line the clearing. He doesn't move though, staring sightlessly.

"That fight was so stupid. I could see him! I should have been able to keep up! Agh!" rolling over, he groans into the grass. Even with his nose pressed against the dirt, all he smells is sakura petals.

Natsu sighs as he pushes himself up.

"I thought I was making good progress…" he mutters, stretching for a moment, "but if that's the level of fighting I'm dealing with here, I've still got so far to go… ah!"

Turning, he walks quickly in the direction of Sakura's cabin, arriving unusually quickly. "Time's as weird as ever here…" he mutters as he walks up to the window. Sakura is already waiting, fingering the edges of a scar that peek out from under the sleeve of her dress.

"We got hurt?" she asks, not looking up as she traces her fingers up and down the silvery line.

Natsu grimaces. "Sorry. I-"

Sakura shakes her head, still not looking up. "Kaa-san will cry, won't she?" she shakes her head again, "no, I'm sorry. I'm not accusing you. I-I guess I just never thought of my first battle scar before… I know lots of shinobi have them, even Kakashi-sensei, I just never thought-" Sakura sighs, and looks up. Natsu won't admit to the relief that fills him when he realizes she isn't crying. "You've got one too, right?" Sakura asks, eyes filled with some sort of determination. "On your neck." her hand drifts over to mirror where Natsu knows his own scar rests, and he slips his scarf off easily.

"Yeah, I'm surprised you remember! I've only taken my scarf off once!"

Sakura blushes, looking down. "W-well, it's just- I mean- y-you were running around without a shirt on, of course I noticed the scar!"

Natsu glances down, at his vest that could only loosely be described as a shirt, then back up at her.

"Oh you know what I mean! Shut up!" she crosses her arms and glares. Natsu laughs as he steps forward and plops down in front of the window. Igneel's scarf pools in his lap, and Sakura-chan scoots a little closer.

"How did you get it?" she asks softly, and Natsu grimaces.

"I… don't actually remember. I've had it forever, since even before Igneel. But I always get this feeling, if I stare at it too much… I dunno, it always felt like remembering something scary, but I can't actually remember anything. I never thought to ask Igneel… he had lots of scars himself, and I used to ask about 'em, and he said he didn't remember a lot, and so I just thought it was a normal thing, forgetting scars. And now…" he shrugs, leaning back to stare up at the slats of the overhang.

"Now you can't ask, huh?" Sakura muses, and Natsu fights back a wince.

You have no idea…

"W-well! At least you didn't give me a matching throat scar, kaa-san would freak! An arm isn't too big a deal… how'd it happen?"

Natsu looks down, to see Sakura staring curiously. He shrugs. "The client lied about the mission rank, and that Zabu-guy was practically on Kakashi's level, or at least he was good enough to land some hits on sensei. But at one point, I'm not sure what happened, but he left Kakashi and came after me, and he's fast. Way faster than I was, which was annoying, I'm better than this! I only barely kept him from stabbing us in the throat, it was way too close! But then some kimi-hunter nin or something showed up and killed the guy, I guess? And then I was here."

"O-oh. I suppose you didn't get any of your chakra back?"

"Huh?" Natsu bolts upright, fingers grasping the windowsill. "I… earlier today, before the fight with that Zabu-guy, I thought I felt my chakra, for a second, but it was gone so quick… Did you manage to do something?"

Sakura nods, face splitting into a wide grin. "Yeah! I've been trying that door at random times, and with a whole bunch of different things, and at one point the door got really really hot, it actually started to affect my kunai! That shouldn't even be possible, since it's a Memory Container, but it literally started to melt, for just a second! I didn't want to know what would happen if it got destroyed, so I backed off, but I could still feel the heat, and I know your chakra's really strongly aligned to fire, so I hoped…"

Natsu nods. "Yeah, I definitely felt my fire for a second or two - it was gone so quick I'd wondered if I was imagining things, but if even you felt something…" he pushes himself to his feet, casually re-wrapping his scarf.

"I'm gonna see if I can make myself wake up. Normally I'd stick around, but I know Kakashi wanted to turn back and abandon the mission originally, and if I stay out for too long he might actually decide to. Don't hurt yourself Sakura-chan!"

He offers a casual wave, then closes his eyes and focuses. Sakura offers her own goodbye, as he tries to find the threads back to his- her body, and it takes longer than normal, but not much, and he soon feels the world falling around him.

The first thing he feels upon waking is pain. His shoulder is by far the worst, a burning lance of fire with every breath, but everything is sore, even his face throbbing in time with his pulse, and Natsu fights off a groan.

The second thing he notices is the layered breathing, that takes him a moment to place.

Is… Kakashi breathing in time with Naruto?

Slowly, he cracks open his eyes, and looks around until he sees them both. Naruto lays curled under a blanket, Kakashi reclining against the wall, facing the door, and clearly asleep, subconsciously masking his breathing under Naruto's louder snores. Natsu sits up slowly, left arm tucked against his stomach to keep it from moving as he quietly leverages to his feet. Naruto doesn't so much as twitch, but a feeling of alertness shapes around Kakashi, and Natsu groans silently.

"I'm fine," he grumbles quietly, stepping around the sleeping blond and towards the door, "just hungry."

"You shouldn't be moving." Kakashi whispers, and Natsu rolls his eyes.

"I know my limits. Where are the packs?"

Kakashi gives him a skeptical look, but doesn't contradict him. "Sasuke's taking the first watch, I left your packs with him since we don't have any other food right now. I have some ration bars though."

Natsu shakes his head. "I'll go get mine-" Kakashi narrows his eye, and Natsu sighs, "Seriously, I'm fine, and I can walk outside and grab something to eat without dying. Sheesh. If you've got second watch, you should go back to sleep."

"Hmm." Kakashi makes a disbelieving sound, but doesn't stop Natsu as he turns and walks out. Natsu closes the door silently behind him, following old scents down a flight of stairs and out a door into fresh air. It smells a bit like home, salty seaside air only missing the bustling cityscape of Magnolia to feel right-

He sighs, padding barefoot around the house until he gets to a low corner of the roof. He glances up, and meets Sasuke's red-and-black eyes in the night.

"Hn." the Uchiha mutters, staring down at him, "You're up?"

"Just came here for my pack. Kakashi said you have it?" Sasuke disappears, just another shadow in the night, and Natsu hears near-silent rustling, before his pack comes sailing over the roof. He slides back a step, catching the straps with his good arm, and glares.

"Jerk." he mutters, dropping the pack to the ground and rooting out a ration bar. He tears the wrapping open with his teeth, eating one-handed. Sasuke comes back into view, eyes narrowed.

"I don't need company."

Natsu rolls his eyes. "Sucks to be you, I'm not leaving 'til I'm done." He mutters around a mouthful of food, and Sasuke scoffs, "What's wrong with you?" Natsu narrows his eyes, shoving more of the bar into his mouth. "Pretty sure you weren't this much of a jerk earlier."

"Hn."

Natsu crumples the wrapper into a ball and throws it at Sasuke, and watches mournfully as he catches it out of the air effortlessly. He digs out another ration bar and tears into it, half-wondering if the wrapper is edible. It'd satisfy that weird shinobi-paranoia thing, right? No traces left behind and whatnot?

"A-are you… eating the wrapper?" Sasuke asks, voice rising in shock. Natsu shrugs, and regrets it immediately as his shoulder burns sharply in reprimand.

He swallows around the pain, taking another bite. "It's actually… not bad? Tastes better than the ration bar itself, which isn't saying much…"

Sasuke's eyes travel incredulously from the wrapper still in his hand to Natsu and back, and the Dragon Slayer grins.

"Give it a shot! 'Nless you're chicken." he goads, taking another large bite as he meets Sasuke's eyes.

Sasuke glares at him, and Natsu's pretty sure something in his eyes spins a little, before the Uchiha huffs. Natsu's actually a little surprised when Sasuke actually does eat the wrapper, cause he wasn't lying but Sasuke's not actually half as easy to goad as he looks, unless you're trying to goad him into a fight… He makes a weird face as he chews, but doesn't spit it out, and Natsu counts that as a win.

"Why is it even edible?" Sasuke mutters as Natsu kneels to close up the pack. He slings it over his right shoulder as he stands.

"I just sorta thought, you shinobi are so paranoid, you wouldn't want to leave wrappers laying around as traces, right? So I just took a bite to see…" Natsu grins up at his teammate, and Sasuke rolls his eyes.

"Go back to bed."

"Fine, fine, I'm going. Sheesh, you're all a bunch of worry-warts." He turns and walks back to the front door, slipping inside and back up to the room he woke up in.

Kakashi's eye cracks open as he slips in, and follows him all the way to his bedroll. Natsu rolls his eyes, and gingerly settles down. Really he'd rather sprawl out like he normally does when he sleeps, but the pain in his arm is so unusually intense, he's beginning to wonder if pain tolerance is as much physical as mental and Sakura-chan just doesn't have it. He grumbles to himself as he gets situated, because dammit that's annoying!

The pain fades into something ignorable once he stops moving, steadily throbbing in time with his heartbeat and breathing, but sleep comes as easily as ever regardless.

If he dreams, he doesn't remember it.

Everything hurts just as much waking up the second time as it did the first, and Natsu mourns the lack of Wendy's magic. He sits up, glancing around, and Naruto's still asleep but Sasuke is sitting where Kakashi was before, looking like he hasn't slept at all.

He looks away when Natsu stares questioningly, and the Dragon Slayer huffs, pushing himself to his feet and glancing down at his arm. The qipao is torn open, white highlights stained red with blood, and his entire arm is coated in dried flakes that seems only half-cleared away.

"Ah, you're awake! Good!" Kakashi beams at them, suddenly in the room, though the door remains shut. Naruto bolts awake with a yelp, looking around wildly.

Natsu braces himself as the blond's eyes land on him and widen.

"Natsu!" He lunges forward, arms spread, only for Kakashi to catch him by the back of the jacket.

"Maa, Naruto-kun, you shouldn't be so reckless."

"Huh- erk! Ah! I'm so sorry, I didn't think, you're okay, right?" he spits out in a rush, and Natsu laughs.

"It looks worse than it is, promise-"

"Liar!" Kakashi chirps cheerily, and Natsu glares at him.

"I am not, it won't even scar that bad-"

"And how do you know that?"

Natsu blinks, taken aback. "I mean, Sakura-chan and I chatted last night, and she already had a scar on her arm, but it wasn't even half as bad as mine, really it was just thin, I mean you can't miss it, but it doesn't exactly stand out either. I just figured the scar she had in the mindscape was the same the scar would be once it healed."

"Hmm? Is Sakura-chan alright?"

Even Sasuke looks over, and Natsu realizes he's never really mentioned his regular chats with Sakura-chan before. He shrugs his good shoulder.

"She's fine. We chatted a bit... about scars mainly, and the pretty epic one I've got. She seemed okay, or, well, as good as she can be like this..." Natsu trails off, considering his next words, "and then I decided to make myself wake up, since I was sure you'd turn around and head back to Konoha if I stayed unconscious for too long, and then I was so hungry…"

"Natsu has scars?" Naruto asks, wiggling out of Kakashi's grip and darting forward, eyes squinted. Natsu rolls his eyes.

"You're not gonna see my scars by studying Sakura-chan's body, you know."

Naruto crosses his arms. "Then how can Sakura-chan see them?"

Natsu blinks, staring. "W-well… because in the mindscape, both of us appear as ourselves?"

"So you mean Sakura-chan knows what you really look like and I don't?!" Naruto cries dramatically, and Natsu stares in confusion.

"I mean… yeah?"

"Unfair!"

Natsu glances at Sasuke, because he's lost, but even the Uchiha looks mildly curious, and the Dragon Slayer can't help but groan.

"Fine, fine, gimme a sec…" he mutters, stepping away and carefully making the handsigns for the henge, moving his shoulder as little as possible. He didn't bother to henge into himself back when he was learning it, just copied Kakashi's form like the man said, but it comes as easy as breathing now.

The henge ripples around him, a filmy illusion that he can feel clinging to his skin as it settles into his form.

"Wha- you're old!"

"I'm what, eighteen? That's not old!" Natsu argues, and Sasuke makes a disbelieving noise.

"I never doubted you were twelve." he says, and Natsu glares at him.

The Uchiha just raises an eyebrow in return.

"But where's your scar?" Naruto asks, standing on tiptoe to try and peer into Natsu's face, and the pinkette laughs a bit.

It feels weird, reaching up to pull away a scarf that doesn't actually exist. He can't feel anything under his fingers, because he isn't wearing anything, even though the illusion is, but he mimes the motion, sliding the scarf loose enough that the thick scar on his throat is clearly visible.

Kakashi's eye widens.

"You survived that?" he questions, voice only projecting idle curiosity, but for some reason, Natsu feels like he's taking the question very seriously.

"I mean, I'm alive, aren't I? I've had this for as long as I can remember, really. I don't actually remember anything from like, before the age of five or so, but I've had it since at least then. Why?"

"Hmm, no reason... Now!" Kakashi claps his hands together, grinning. "Our hosts have graciously offered us breakfast, so let's head down and eat, and then we'll see about some more training for you lot. Just cause this mission's gone a little sideways doesn't mean you get to slack off, after all!"

Sakura's chakra ripples as Natsu lets go of it, the illusion dispersing in a wisp of smoke, and he turns toward the door. "What kind of training? Cause if you're gonna have me drilling handsigns again…" he groans in Kakashi's direction as he walks out, and the man chuckles.

"Oh no, don't worry. Though that does remind me… Naruto, Sasuke, go on ahead. I'll need to change Natsu's bandages first."

"Hn."

"I can help!"

Kakashi shakes his head, pushing Naruto away. "Go eat, we'll only be a couple minutes. Come on, the bathroom's this way."

Kakashi gestures him to a stool as he pulls out a medkit from somewhere way too tiny to hold a medkit!

Natsu narrows his eyes suspiciously, and Kakashi huffs a laugh. "Storage seals, Natsu-kun. Much easier to carry around than large, bulky packs. Now sit still."

"I can take off my own clothes," Natsu mutters as Kakashi undoes the fastenings of the qipao and pulls it down, baring the large swath of bandages wrapping around his torso.

Kakashi only hmms mildly as he starts unwrapping the bandages, pressing a wet rag against them a couple times to loosen the dried blood.

"You've never fought that well in any of our team spars." Kakashi says idly after a minute, as he gently rubs a salve into the wounds. Natsu has to consciously suppress the urge to shrug.

"I guess not? I mean, it's just a thing that happens, really."

"You randomly getting strong is 'just a thing that happens'?" his disbelief is clear, and Natsu gets the feeling that if he doesn't explain, Kakashi will come to a bad conclusion.

He grimaces, because he's never actually had to explain though, and he doesn't have the first idea of where to start.

"It's… a side-effect of my magic?"

Kakashi's eyebrow lifts. "Your spiritual chakra?"

"Spiritual chakra? What, you mean there's more than one kind of chakra?"

Kakashi's hands freeze their process of rebandaging the wound.

"Ah- you don't… know? Chakra is comprised of two seperate energies. Physical and Spiritual. Physical chakra is the chakra of the body, and spiritual chakra is the chakra of the mind. Mixing them together is what gives us the power we use to perform our jutsu and techniques."

"Ah!" Natsu jerks to his feet, wide-eyed. "You mean the reason Sakura-chan's chakra feels so thick and slow is cause I'm used to only using half of it?!"

"I've… never heard of jutsu that use pure spiritual chakra…" Kakashi says slowly, tugging Natsu back down to finish with the bandages.

"I never knew there were two different kinds of energy in the first place! It all makes sense now!"

"Hmm. So, you said your sudden increase in skill was due to your spiritual chakra?"

"Yeah… I… that is, when my emotions get intense, I always get stronger. It's normal. I don't really know how to explain it, it's just a side-effect of my… training, I guess? I'm always stronger fighting real enemies than I am sparring or fighting for fun. Even the others who fight like I do are like that, it's just how our power works… we're always stronger in real fights than we are in spars. If that makes sense?"

"Not really," Kakashi admits, standing up and turning to the sink. He comes back with a clean rag, and slowly begins to clean the rest of the blood off Natsu's arm and chest. The pinkette scowls. "I've never heard of anything like that, at any rate, though I've never heard of anyone who used pure spiritual chakra before either… I guess it's not impossible, as some people actually can fight with pure physical chakra, so realistically the opposite should be true as well, but, maa…" he trails off, lone eye checking Natsu up and down. "Will you need help changing into a fresh outfit?"

Natsu scowls, shaking his head rapidly. "I'm good! But I didn't bring-" he cuts off as Kakashi whips out a qipao with a flourish.

"I grabbed it for you." he says with a grin, dropping it on the counter and disappearing in a flurry of wind.

Natsu grumbles curses under his breath as he closes the bathroom door and fights the rest of his clothes off one-handed.

...so, if I figured out how to separate Sakura-chan's chakra, could I use my magic like normal then?

Heh, only one way to find out!

Chapter 27

Notes:

Fun times, I'm writing this at a picnic table in a park, because corona virus means all the coffee shops are closed or drive-thru-only and I've got this thing where I can't write inside my own house because… reasons. I don't even know man, but writing at home is hard, so I write literally anywhere else instead.
Also why is it that perfectly evil temperature of 'too hot in the sun, too cold in the shade'? Seriously, fuck my life. And wind too.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Naruto's glaring at Kakashi when Natsu walks down the stairs, though he turns around quickly upon hearing him.

"Natsu! Are you okay-?"

"I'm fine," Natsu cuts him off, eyes scanning the table-

He catches sight of a bowl of untouched food and beelines for it, scooping it up to eat even before he sits down. His left arm burns in reprimand, but dammit food is more important!

It's gone all too quickly, but before Natsu has a chance to ask if there's any more, Kakashi's up and hustling them out the door with cheery vigor.

He leads them to a small clearing, then turns to face them. "Alright then!" He claps his hands, beaming. "Since we should have about a week before dear, old Zabuza shows back up-"

"Wait what?! I thought he died!" Naruto yells, pointing up at Kakashi's face.

The sensei sighs. "I can't be certain he's still alive, but this mission is already wildly over-rank. Better paranoid than dead. The suspiciousness of using senbon only adds to that. The perfectly timed throw, the fact that the wind was at our backs the entire first part of the trip from there to here and I never once smelled burning flesh – it's standard procedure to destroy the bodies of nuke-nin onsite, by cremation, to protect the secrets of their flesh from enemy shinobi – it all adds up to a distinct possibility that he's not dead. But that sort of false-death state can't be recovered from overnight, as it requires precisely interfering with nerves to such a point he will be experiencing partial paralysis, and perhaps even muscle tremors for a short time. If he waits to get back to perfect form, we'll have a week. Otherwise, he'll likely be good to move in perhaps three days or so. I doubt Gato will hire anyone else while his first hitman is still alive, but Pakkun is keeping an eye on our client just in case – he'll let me know if there's a change of plans. Until then~!"

Kakashi claps his hands again, something sadistic creeping across his face. "Well, we're going to have some fun."

Kakashi spins around with a dramatic flourish, turning to face the tree behind him, and then walks up the trunk!

Natsu gapes as Kakashi continues to walk until he's hanging upside-down under one of the branches, held up only by a firm rejection of gravity.

Visions dance through his mind, dropping down on Erza from above and pinning her down to crow victory, of sticking stuff to the ceiling and then cutting off the chakra when Gray walks beneath it… He chuckles, eyes alight with the sheer possibilities, only to snap out of it at Kakashi's considering 'hm'.

"Something amusing you, Nat-su-chan~?"

"Ah- uh- that looks… cool?"

"Maa, does it? Well that's good, I would hate to teach you something… uncool. Go ahead, give it a shot."

"Wha- just like that?" Natsu stutters.

"Of course!"

Kakashi's good cheer sounds even more suspicious somehow, and Natsu narrows his eyes before stepping in front of the tree. He remembers Inoichi's first lesson pretty clearly (if only for the consequences, more than the lesson itself), how Inoichi made their hands stick together while showing him how much chakra he'd need to use for the mind-diving jutsu. He has no idea how much chakra he should use for sticking to a tree though, and just decides to start with the amount he remembers Inoichi telling him to use in that lesson.

Getting the chakra to his feet is no more difficult than getting it to his hands, really, and he wonders if that's a Sakura-thing, or just because he's used to blasting fire from his feet and legs nearly as often as his hands, but the moment he tries to step on the trunk and put weight on it, his foot slides right down. He slips forward with the momentum, thunking his head lightly into the trunk.

"Well! You've got the principal down pretty well, though perhaps you should wrap the chakra around your shoes, not just your feet, Natsu-chan!" Natsu steps back and glares as Kakashi leaps lightly off his own branch, flipping to land in front of Naruto and Sasuke. "Now, was watching enough for you two to figure it out?"

"We- uh… put chakra in our feet? And cover our shoes with it?" Naruto asks hesitantly, and Kakashi nods.

"That's right. Take a moment, channel chakra to your feet, make sure it's actually wrapping around your sandals as well, then walk up the trunk. Of course, too much chakra will throw you off and damage the tree, while too little chakra will just make you slip. Here!" He tosses out two kunai. "Feel free to mark your progress as you go up, ne~?"

Natsu glares at his feet a moment, because chakra is so much less free than his fire, before starting again. Wrapping the chakra around his shoes is harder than wrapping it just around his flesh, and it's surprisingly frustrating, but he's not about to give up anytime soon!

Kakashi swings by at one point, since Natsu hasn't tried to walk on the tree again, but Natsu waves him away because he'll know when he's got it right.

"If you say so," Kakashi muses, turning to go back towards Naruto who has-

Somehow broke a tree in half?!

"Ehehehehe, sorry Kakashi-sensei! I just wanted to see what would happen if I put a lot of chakra there, ahahaha…" he scratches the back of his head, grinning nervously, and Kakashi sighs.

"Perhaps you should focus on actually getting the technique done right first, and play around with it later? Hmm? Otherwise Natsu-chan and Sasuke-chan might beat you to it~"

"Ack!" Naruto scrambles to find a new tree, throwing himself up it with vigor, only to bounce right off.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" He cries, laughing, and from the side Natsu hears Sasuke scoff.

Somehow he gets the feeling both he and Sasuke are on the same wavelength, trying not to wonder how much chakra would be needed to break a tree…

He shakes off the thoughts, turning back to his own tree, and grins.

If it's a competition…

It takes maybe a dozen more tries, before Natsu channels chakra to his feet and realizes that he's got it. When he puts a foot up to the trunk of the tree, he actually feels it stick a little, though it starts to slide once he puts weight on it – he pushes a little more chakra down, a little less, and then he walks. It's surprisingly, as easy as that. He doesn't have to cut off and re-apply the chakra with every step like he'd have expected, he just walks like normal and it works. He breaks into a run a quarter-way up the tree, and that's… a little harder, because gravity will pull him down toward the ground and not toward the trunk if he pushes off too hard, but he gets the hang of it after a few slips, and quickly finds himself near the top of the tree.

Sasuke's half-way up and Naruto's a little behind, and maybe they're twelve but Natsu's not above feeling satisfied at winning. He waves cheekily when one of them glances over, Naruto's dismayed shout echoing through the clearing, then turns to head back to the ground.

Walking down is harder than walking up, going the same direction of gravity makes it pull more and he constantly feels like he's about to fall, even though he knows he isn't, so he jumps the rest of the way, as soon as he has a clear gap with no branches. His ankles protest the landing, and Natsu grumbles a bit because that's not a problem he's had before, but he straightens up and rubs at his arm a little.

It also did not like that landing, and it's a damn sight more annoying than Sakura-chan's weak ankles. Kakashi strides over after a moment. "Is it bothering you?"

Natsu shrugs his right shoulder. "Not really," he lies, because it hurts but it's ignorable and so he's going to ignore it. Kakashi hums disbelievingly.

"Well, if that's the case, I believe you still haven't got the hang of Kawarimi or Bunshin, so perhaps practice those for a bit since you've got the hang of tree-walking?" Kakashi smiles brightly, and Natsu glares at him, but shifts to start making handsigns. He said he's fine, so he's fine!

Kakashi sighs in disbelief. "Nothing wrong with taking a break, you know. Ah well. I'll go wander elsewhere, where my advice might be heeded, ne~?"

Natsu snorts, because Naruto and Sasuke are about as likely to listen to him as Natsu is - if it's something they don't want to hear - and goes back to focusing on a fair-sized stick.

So… chakra is more like, two different energies, one of them is more like magic and one of them is something new… so instead of trying to swap with that stick like I would with magic, maybe…

Natsu's not great with theory, he knows that, but Kakashi described chakra as being 'energy of the body and energy of the mind'. And even Kakashi agreed he's shaping the chakra right for those two techniques, so they should work.

Unless he's not thinking about it right. So, instead of imagining the stick disappearing and him appearing in its place while shaping the chakra, Natsu just… focuses on the stick. It's better to visualize the result with magic, because magic is wild and free and if you don't focus on what you want to happen, anything could.

But with chakra, thick and slow and contained, maybe he was overthinking it, maybe all he needs is chakra and target, and when he performs the technique with that in mind-

It's disorienting.

Natsu's never teleported before, even though he's seen it happen, and the moment he lands he stumbles, slamming into the dirt and lighting his entire arm up in burning agony as he lands on it. He bites back a groan, freezing in place until the pain subsides enough for him to push himself up. He glares at the stick, now resting lightly where he'd stood a moment before, lip curling back in a silent snarl as he pushes himself to his feet.

Kakashi's standing just off to the side.

"The smaller the object you're substituting with, the more uncomfortable or even painful it is. That's why shinobi don't use it too often in higher-caliber fights. Anything big enough to easily substitute with is also easily marked by the enemy, and kept track of. Ne~?"

Natsu scowls at him, because he could have mentioned that before!

Kakashi laughs. "Maa, maa, I thought it was rather obvious, you know. What were you doing wrong, anyway?"

Natsu scowls, crossing his arms delicately. "Overthinking it." He mumbles, because that's normally the exact opposite of a problem for him, and this entire situation is ridiculous.

Kakashi makes a mockingly impressed sound. "I didn't even know it was possible to overthink a substitution. Impressive."

Natsu would quite like to punch something. Maybe Kakashi.

Chakra sucks.

Natsu doesn't look anything like Naruto thought he did. Well-

Natsu looks like Sakura-chan right now, like he usually does, but earlier… Naruto didn't think about it alot, he knew Natsu was different from Sakura-chan and probably didn't look like her, but… he sorta pictured like, an older brother.

And Natsu could totally be Sakura-chan's older brother! Their hair is both pink, and Naruto's never seen anyone else with pink hair so it's not impossible. But Naruto was maybe expecting long hair, in a high tail like he wears Sakura-chan's hair, and then like, maybe a fancy vest like Kakashi-sensei wears. He said something about an S-Rank once, and Naruto knows it's not an 'official' rank, but that just means anyone good enough has to be really really good, so obviously he'd have one of those fancy vests.

Somehow though, Naruto didn't expect him to be so big. He wasn't as tall as Kakashi, but his shoulders were broader and he felt big, in a way Kakashi-sensei almost never does, unless they're in trouble.

With Natsu's hair so short and spiky (like Naruto's, it sticks up everywhere!), it makes him look… sharper, and all those weird smirks and toothy smiles that look so strange on Sakura-chan's face probably look pretty normal on his.

He glances around, wondering where Natsu went cause he was just standing still the entire time and now he's gone- and catches sight of a flash of pink that's perched up in the top of the tree and-

What!?

It echoes and oops he might have said that out loud but Naruto only looked away for like, a couple of seconds! Not long at all!

Did he get it right on the first try?! How!?

"Wha- oi, teme!"

"Hn."

Sasuke doesn't really say anything, but Naruto's got good at interpreting Uchi-grunts, and he's pretty sure that one means, "I know, that's totally unfair! There's no way he could have beat you when he wasn't even trying before!"

And maybe that's a little unfair, cause Natsu did get pretty hurt in their fight and was probably just resting his arm until he felt better, but still! If he was gonna go around being awesome and doing stuff on the first try, at least he could wait until Naruto was watching so he could admire it! Dattebayo!

Kakashi-sensei comes back around, and tells him to use less chakra - as though that's helpful at all! He's trying, but it all comes out so fast! He either has to hold it all back, and then he doesn't get enough, or he doesn't hold it back but then he gets too much and he can't get it in the middle and he's trying but all Kakashi-sensei keeps saying is 'use less' or 'use more' as though that helps him at all!

He falls for the upteenth time, launching off the tree and watching the bark splinter as he tumbles down to sprawl in the grass.

Sasuke's over half-way up now, even though he keeps slipping, and Naruto's just shy of that but it's like he can't get any higher!

He closes his eyes, growling in frustration.

Something tickles his nose, and when he cracks one eye back open, Natsu's leaning over him, hair sprawling down his shoulder.

Naruto scowls to chase off a blush, because it's pretty and that's confusing so he's not gonna deal with it, 'ttebayo!

"Why'd ya fall?" Natsu asks bluntly, and that's a good thing cause it's annoying and that's way better!

"Whaddya mean? It's pretty obvious!" Naruto sits up, crossing his arms, and tries not to miss it when Natsu steps back.

"Not really? I mean, you clearly had the right amount of chakra at the start, why didn't you just keep that amount instead of increasing it?"

"I didn't!"

Natsu gives a sceptical look between Naruto and the tree, and he tries not to scowl again.

"Look, I didn't feel like I was using anymore chakra at the middle than I was at the bottom! So I don't know why it's happening like that!"

Natsu grumbles under his breath, something about Kakashi and teaching and a… levee? What does water-stuff have to do with trees? Before turning around and crouching in front of Naruto so they were eye-level.

He holds up his right hand, left arm tucked carefully against his stomach and Naruto wonders if it's hurting.

Duh. Stupid. Of course it's hurting that wound was huge! And Natsu-kun's not like me, he can't just heal…

"Oi."

Naruto jerks his head away from Natsu's left arm, embarrassed. "Ehehehe, sorry! What were we doing again?"

Natsu sighs. "Put your hand up against mine."

Ah- ack! Wha-? D-does Natsu want to h-hold hands?!

Naruto scooches forward and stretches his left hand out, lacing his fingers with Natsu.

Natsu stares at their hands for a moment, then shrugs. He grimaces a little, and Naruto realizes that Natsu just shrugged with his bad shoulder and tries to pull away, to make sure he's okay, but-

He can't?

Even though Natsu's fingers aren't laced with his, still straight up despite Naruto already curling his own, Naruto can't pull away.

It's like- like-

Like they're stuck?

Naruto starts pulling his hand different directions, watching Natsu's follow it, when he realizes Natsu is panting.

He stops immediately, turning to stare at Natsu, who looks like he's sweating, even though he wasn't at all before!

"A-are you okay?" Naruto stutters, cause Natsu didn't look that tired even when he was literally passing out on Kakashi-sensei.

Natsu smiles, though it looks a bit more like a grimace. "This is… just a lot harder to do with you than it was with Inoichi-san." he says, sounding slightly breathless.

"What is this supposed to be?" Naruto tilts his head a little, looking both at their hands and Natsu's face. It's cool, and maybe it's how Kakashi-sensei kept Natsu from bleeding everywhere while they ran to the house, sticking the blood with chakra, but he doesn't really get what it's for…

"You're supposed to channel chakra to your hand. And then I'll help you use the right amount for the tree-climbing. Yeah?"

Oh. Oh. Cause if Natsu could feel his chakra, and then show him exactly how much he needed, then he could use it and climb the tree perfectly on the first try too! So he pulls up his chakra - only a little, as little as possible, don't wanna hurt Natsu! - and hears Kakashi yell at them to stop, a whirl of leaves and their hands pulled apart but Naruto's chakra was already there and-

Everything explodes in a maelstrom of fire.

Notes:

+1 for endings that come out of literal NOWHERE! Like, Natsu was NOT supposed to be helpful.
But he decided he wanted to be. And I was just like fuck fuck fuck fuck no Natsu that won't end well I DONT WANT DRAMA RIGHT NOW DONT DO IT but Natsu refused to listen to me and did it anyway, helping Naruto out like a good friend, and I was just like: There is no way the kyuubi would tolerate Natsu's unique brand of sensing.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
So. I don't know where the Wave arc is going from here, hurray for derailed plots, tune in next week to see whatever I pull out of my ass to justify this sudden and unexpected turn-about.
Okay, realistically, it won't change my overall plans for the arc that much.
But I admit, I really DO prefer when characters DO WHAT I ORIGINALLY PLANNED FOR THEM WITHOUT MAKING MY LIFE MORE DIFFICULT. YOU GUYS.

Chapter 28

Notes:

So, uh, is it obvious that I have no idea what I'm doing yet?
I'll be honest, I had plans for when Natsu was gonna have his Dragon Slayer magic back in full, but the end of last chapter had me debating CHANGING those plans.
I actually spent a good ten or so minutes just talking out my original idea (aka have the magic come back a little further down the road) and my new idea (aka have the magic come back now) with my roommate, before she said she thought my original idea was actually really good and to stick with it, and just have the explosion be more due to the kyuubi than the magic.
Of course, she's never watched/read Fairy Tail in her life, so in order to fully explain both ideas, I had to fully explain (to the best of my knowledge, via spoilers), Natsu's entire backstory.
And then of course, she FINALLY realized why I love Zeref so much I cosplay him every year at con.
ITS SO TRAGIC AND I LOVE TRAGIC CHARACTERS AND HE DESERVES LOVE AND CUDDLES.
Anyway, brainstorming was done, ideas were decided upon, and this is what you've got!
Enjoy! And as always, thanks for reading!

Chapter Text

Kakashi doesn't think too much of it, when Natsu goes over to help Naruto. If anything, he might just be grateful, because he's explained the issue to Naruto a dozen times already and the blond still doesn't get it. Sasuke at least understood, taking the instructions and running with them, steadily making progress, so clearly his instructions weren't the issue here!

Naruto just shrieks about how that's what he was doing already, then proceeds to make the same mistakes all over again, completely disregarding Kakashi's advice.

Before Natsu walked over, he may have been debating more… intense methods of encouragement for Naruto. Like strangulation. Or kunai practice. And since Natsu had (somewhat dubiously) proven himself the most mature member of Team 7, he wanders over to Sasuke to give some more tips, and leaves the two of them to figure it out on their own. Maybe his pink-haired brat can dumb it down some more.

His ability to overthink a substitution doesn't inspire much confidence, though.

It's a sharp, unpleasant feeling in his gut that has him turning, pulling up his headband and instinctively marking the positions of all his students as he scans for the danger-

It takes half an instant too long to realize the danger was leaving Naruto and Natsu unsupervised, as Natsu's chakra gently weaves around Naruto's, the blond already calling up a surge of his own, red flecks dancing down his arm, following the stream of chakra-

A clone pops into existence instantly, lunging for Sasuke and pulling him away as Kakashi throws himself towards his two idiots, desperately pulling them apart as everything explodes.

Kami-sama, but Kakashi hates children.

It's hot .

As Kakashi throws him away from Naruto, Natsu can't do anything but stare at the red blisters already forming on his hand as it burns. The fire licks at his flesh, hot and fierce, and the sensation is so unusual he can't even react.

Natsu doesn't even remember the last time he burned. He skids in the dirt, bracing himself with his left hand and that burns too, an entirely different sort of burn, the burn of a stressed injury, more familiar, more normal than the actual burn that licks up and down his right hand. He drags his eyes away, looks up, sees Naruto curled over his stomach, clutching it and mouthing what looks like, "no" over and over and over again.

Kakashi isn't touching him.

Naruto is hurt, curling over himself, practically fetal, and Kakashi is very deliberately not touching him, and Natsu has no idea what happened, not really, only knows that there was… something else in Naruto's chakra, something weird and weirdly familiar all in one, and that it didn't like him touching it.

So he suppresses Sakura-chan's chakra as deep as he can, pushes to his feet, and bolts to his blond teammate. Kakashi steps forward to stop him, and Natsu tries to shove him aside, glaring when the man doesn't budge.

"If you don't care enough to see if he's alright, then I'm gonna!" He snarls, slipping under Kakashi's outstretched arm, heedless of the shock bleeding across the man's face as he drops to his knees next to Naruto and carefully touches his arm.

Nothing burns or explodes, and Natsu knew it wouldn't but still breathes a sigh of relief as he slowly tugs the blond's arm aside.

"Come on, stop fightin' me, lemme see if it's alright." He mumbles softly, and Naruto blinks dazedly up at him. His eyes are weirdly closer to purple than their normal sky blue.

"N-Natsuu…?"

"Yeah, it's me. You okay? C'mon, lemme see where you're hurt-" he manages to pull Naruto's arms aside, and gets his fingers around the hems of the blond's shirt.

"No!"

Naruto kicks at him, bracing himself and kicking up at Natsu's face and the pinkette dodges on reflex, stepping back and away as Naruto scrambles to his feet, desperately pulling his shirt down and hugging himself tight and curling over himself.

Natsu holds up his hands, because that's not a normal reaction, and definitely not a good one, so he tries to make himself as soft as possible. "It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you, and I'm bein' careful with my chakra, it won't explode like that again. Just wanna see where you're hurt. Naruto?"

The blond shakes his head, not saying anything, arms tight around his stomach. In the shadows of his hair, Natsu realizes his eyes aren't just purple, but slightly glowing.

Kakashi's hand comes to rest softly on his shoulder. "It's alright Natsu. He's not hurt-"

"Like hell he's not! He's clearly in pain you-!"

Kakashi sighs. "He's not hurt anywhere you or I can fix. His chakra's just… maa, a little more unstable than most peoples'. If I'd realized you were going to try and help him like that…" He sighs again, shakes his head slightly, "He'll be fine after a couple minutes on his own. Come on, let me take a look at that hand, ne?"

Natsu jerks his shoulder away, glaring. "Bullshit! You don't just- I'm not gonna leave him alone! If I can't help fix it then I'll just stay here until he feels better, and you can fix this right here too!" he waves his hand flippantly, grimacing at the uncomfortable feeling of burned flesh. It's hardly important when something about Naruto's chakra reacted to him, and he reacted back.

If he could talk to Sakura-chan right now, he's sure she'd say something about how the door cracked open before slamming closed again, because he can feel his magic, coasting above Sakura's own chakra, a small amount but undeniably there.

He wants to use it, call it up and feel his own fire flickering comfortingly in his hands, to just let it burn, warm and fierce and free, but if he only has that little bit to him until they find out how to fix the whole mess with his magic and that door, then he's gonna save it 'til it's useful, a surprise weapon in a fight or something else-

Wants to know if it was just a fluke, or if his own fire would burn him because Sakura's body is just that incompatible, wants to-needs to know if he can still control it. Needs to know what would happen if he can't.

He shakes his head, pushing aside those concerns. If Kakashi's right, and that Zabu-guy is still alive, he'll have plenty of time to figure out how Sakura-chan's body responds to his magic then. For now…

He walks forward, grabs Naruto's elbow, and pulls the blond down to sit next to him in the dirt. Naruto flinches, and Natsu decides to just ignore that, holding up his burned hand for Kakashi to look at.

The sensei sighs, lone eye rolling towards the heavens, before he walks over and pulls out his medkit. A second Kakashi comes out of the bushes, Sasuke following behind with a scowl on his face but something curious in his eyes.

He doesn't say anything, just turns to find a tree that isn't flash-burned, and resumes his practice. The clone bustles about, putting out the various fires that flicker around the clearing as the real Kakashi rubs a sweet-smelling salve into the skin of Natsu's hand.

It feels like liquid ice, spreading waves of unnatural coolness everywhere it touches, and Natsu has to fight not to pull his hand away from the uncomfortable chill. When he's done, Kakashi turns Natsu's hand over and back, inspecting it, before he sighs.

"That should have burned you a lot more than it did. This doesn't even really need bandages, it'll probably be cleared up within two days, that-" he shakes his head, bemused, "I understand why Naruto's not physically affected, when it was mostly his chakra that exploded, but you should be much worse off."

Natsu shrugs, offering a cheeky grin. "Peh! Honestly, I'm surprised I got burned at all! I'm not complaining!"

Kakashi narrows his eye, but Natsu just grins some more and shifts closer to Naruto. He doesn't touch the blond, just sits next to him and smiles a bit.

"You okay? I didn't… well, I didn't even realize trying to show you like that could explode, though maybe I should have suspected..." He can't help but mutter the last part under his breath, because he really doesn't tend to go so long without blowing something up (usually the Guild hall… if Erza's not around), but his explosions also don't tend to hurt people… Or himself, for that matter.

As long as Erza's not around.

He sighs, propping his chin on his palm and ignoring the uncomfortable sensation that spreads from it. Whatever Kakashi put on his hand, it doesn't hurt, and that's good enough for him. Kakashi retreats a little ways away, giving them privacy while keeping an eye on them, and Natsu feels his brow twitch.

Is he not gonna leave at all?! It wasn't even that big of an explosion! Just cause I got a little burned!?

Naruto speaks up then, before Natsu can decide to get up and yell at their sensei.

"Y-you're okay too, right? I… I didn't hurt you much?"

Natsu sits up, turning to look at Naruto even as he waves away the question. "I'm fine, promise. I've totally had worse."

Naruto hugs himself, clearly nervous, knees drawn up to his chest. "I. There was. Um." He stutters, glancing up at Natsu and then away. "Are you… like me?"

Natsu tilts his head to the side, and tries to catch Naruto's gaze. In his peripherals, Kakashi straightens, eye focusing on them. "I dunno. What's it mean to be 'like you'? No one's ever said, even though everyone's still acting weird about you."

Naruto bites his lip, then jumps up. "Ehehehe, you'd know already if you were, I guess! It was just… uh, you know, I dunno, something weird! Yup! I'm just being weird, dattebayo!" He claps his hands and quickly brushes dirt off himself, then turns to flash Natsu a thumbs up.

"Thanks for trying to help, ehehe! But for now I'll just keep practicing I guess!"

Natsu blinks as the blond runs off, to the nearest tree, and starts running up it.

He gets the feeling he's really missed something with this whole conversation, and narrows his eyes as he tries to figure it out.

He's known something was up with Naruto for a while, was content to poke at the mystery here and there, but dammit now he needs to know!

I'll figure it out before we finish this mission! Absolutely!

Straight-up asking Kakashi does no good. The sensei just hums consideringly, then pulls out his book and starts giggling.

Naruto stutters, changes the topic, and finds an excuse to leave if he keeps pushing.

Sasuke, surprisingly, had no clue there was even something to find, though after Natsu lays out all the evidence he has, the Uchiha grunts consideringly and starts playing with his Sharingan around the blond.

Apparently, there's something weird with Naruto's chakra. Sometimes, most often later in the training, after he's burned a lot of it, it will start to develop red flecks. Red flecks no one else has, though Natsu's not sure that's saying much when the only other people around for Sasuke to watch are him and Kakashi.

Their team interactions are awkward, for a while - after all Natsu's questions Naruto becomes skittish, and Kakashi suspicious, though when he gives up asking they both slowly relax. His hand heals entirely after three days, and even his arm feels much better, no longer burning every time he moves it. The edges of the wound have already begun looking more like the scar Sakura-chan had the last time he visited the mindscape, and his range of motion gradually increases as he spends his time tree-walking and going through stretching exercises. As his hand recovers, he starts practicing the bunshin again - with his issues with the substitution being one of overthinking the jutsu, he tries to just imagine one popping into existence, and gets a weirdly washed-out thing that doesn't move at all.

Apparently there's a line between overthinking and underthinking.

Natsu already hates the jutsu with every fiber of his being.

Sasuke gets the hang of tree-walking by the second day, and Kakashi starts talking him through exercises to help him get used to using his Sharingan more effectively. It looks like a glorified game of I-Spy to Natsu, but he figures there must be something more to it, cause otherwise he's pretty sure even someone like Sasuke could figure it out on their own.

Natsu really has no idea how to help Naruto, not with his first option blown out of the water, he's never been an 'advice' sorta person, unless that advice is, "Never give up!", which… Naruto doesn't really need. But the blond has a single-minded determination that's truly impressive, trying again and again and again, and Natsu knows he'll figure it out sooner or later.

Probably before he figures out how he's supposed to be focusing his 'spirit chakra' for this stupid bunshin, at any rate.

The week crawls by, a monotony of training broken only by covert meetings with Sasuke as they try and put together everything they know about Naruto. Of course, aside from his fancy eyes, Sasuke's practically useless, because he doesn't have anything interesting to say regarding Naruto's academy days outside of, "The teachers didn't like him. Even Iruka, at first." which.

Is not helpful. At all.

Natsu sulks, sprawling over the table as he waits for food. Five days with nothing to show for it on the Naruto front. He eyes the blond from across the table as Tsunami-san brings out the food.

Maybe he isn't approaching it right?

(Natsu's preferred method of interrogation involves fire and lots of it, and he knows it. But he'll figure this out. Somehow.)

He eats practically on autopilot as he considers options, turning them over in his mind and trying not to feel like his brain is leaking out between his ears.

Sasuke of all people actually gives him a concerned glance, so he's not too sure he's succeeding on that front, but some things are worth thinking through!

It's the yelling that snaps him out of his dazed attempt at thinking, as the little brat- the old man's grandkid, Ina-something? Runs out of the room, and Tsunami-san chases him. Tazuna starts crying then, not wracking sobs, just quiet tears that he notices mostly through scent, and hesitantly starts telling a story.

Natsu's a little lost, having not paid attention before, but…

He talks about Inari's father, not by blood but by choice, and Natsu thinks painfully of Igneel, thinks of the little kid that lurks around but never interacts with them and the shadows in his eyes, and he already knows it won't end well.

"Kaiza was… a true hero," Tazuna says, voice hoarse with tears, "He wasn't native to Wave, but he came to love this place as fiercely as any of us who were born here. He saved Inari, became Inari's personal hero, long before the dangerous storm that lead him to risking his life to save our village as well. Inari loved him as fiercely as anything, maybe because he never knew his birth father, and looked up to Kaiza… even Tsunami and I came to call him family, he just… belonged with us, he never replaced my son-in-law, just made a new place all his own, and he was family." Tazuna chokes, taking a deep breath and wiping futilely at his eyes.

"When the storm came through and the village started flooding, he risked his life to save it, and everyone called him a hero then. Our hero, the hero of Wave-! We were… happy."

"And then Gato came," Kakashi interjects softly, giving Tazuna a moment to gather himself. The old man nods.

"He did. And- and Kaiza was a hero, our hero, and he opposed a lot of the awful things Gato tried to do. And all of us looked up to him, so when he tried to fight the village did too. Everyone supported him. S-so…"

Tazuna's entire frame shakes as he hunches over himself, crying into the table. The room settles into an uncomfortable silence, as everyone waits for him to find the strength to talk.

"G-Gato…" he starts, voice lowering, "decided to make an example of him. H-he… he had Kaiza's arms cut off, both of them! A-and then crucified him in the public square, dragged everyone from their homes to make them look, to watch as he had his men split Kaiza's gut open and l-leave him to bleed out from that cross-!"

His voice drops to a trembling whisper. "Ever since… Inari lost his ability to believe in heroes. And the village, they lost their strength to fight, no one even tried to as Gato's policies got more and more barbaric… Everyone learned to live with their eyes on the ground, hoping they wouldn't catch his attention and be the next ones to go…"

"That-!" Naruto stands up, stool tumbling as he plants a hand on the table. "That's awful! But we can fix this! We'll make sure your bridge gets built! We'll beat that Zabuza guy and anyone else Gato hires! And then we'll beat Gato too! We can show Inari! There are still heroes in this world!"

Naruto's eyes overflow with determination, like he's daring the world to prove him wrong, and Natsu grins at the sight of it, as he tries not to think about the fact that Naruto really hasn't thought that through.

Every new thing he hears about Gato only makes it more clear, that the man won't let his grip on Wave go while he's still alive.

As Naruto bolts out of the house, shouting back his intention to train even more, Natsu can't help wondering how he'll react, once he realizes what helping Wave really means.

Natsu's pretty sure he won't turn his back on the village, but then, Natsu won't either.

It won't make it any easier to live with, once everything's said and done.

Chapter 29

Notes:

Sorry this is late, and sorry it's shorter than normal, and maybe a teensy-tinesy, itty bitty little bit sorry for the evil cliffhanger at the end. If the universe is kind to me, I'll make it up to you guys with a double-update next week!

(which may or may not include a side of the terribly late third installment of Wandering Fairies! Complete with more Zeref! And Erza! But I promise, no sign of my favorite crackship of Zeref and Erza. Okay look, Zeref-Mavis is OTP, but Zeref-Erza is best crack ship and if you guys want my justification for it I'll put it in the comments over on AO3 so it doesn't clog up this author note too much)

Anyway, thanks for reading! Please save all cliffhanger inspired homicide for AFTER I get to play the Final Fantasy VII Remake!

And of course, as always, enjoy!

Chapter Text

"So, not that I'm upset to be given a break with that stupid bunshin thing, but why aren't we training today?" And leaving Naruto behind, Natsu leaves unasked as he looks up at Kakashi, fingers laced behind his head. His hair bobs idly against the backs of his hands as he keeps a pace ahead of the sensei, flanking the client.

"Maa… I just had a feeling, is all… didn't want to leave it to a clone if it turned out to be true." he shrugs a shoulder idly, eye focused on his book, and Natsu deadpans.

If he's that worried he's got a funny way of showing it!

He also totally fails to address Naruto's absence, and there's a reason, Natsu knows, he just can't figure it out!

Grumbling to himself, he tries to think it through.

Naruto was pretty exhausted last night… but he heals crazy fast, even exhaustion doesn't affect him long, so there shouldn't have been any issue with waking him up… Even if he were a little more tired than normal, he's still got more chakra than Sasuke and Sakura combined! It shouldn't be an issue!

Natsu glares up at the sky, scowling.

I'm missing something obvious! I just know it!

Wave is a desolate place. Even half-distracted with his own thoughts, Natsu can't help but notice how run down everything is, how empty the people look. Hollow eyes and hollow stomachs and men with swords laughing down the streets and trying to appear unobtrusive as they pass.

It doesn't take more than a glance, to see how the greed of one man devastated the entire town. It makes something burn in Natsu, makes him itch to do something other than just train and guard an old man - makes him want to fight, now, put a stop to Gato, to anyone who could do this sort of thing to people-!

Sitting on that impulse is hard, and it's only because his own instincts agree with Kakashi's vague 'feeling', that they'll have a bigger fight ahead of them he needs to save his strength for - if he were in his body, he'd be able to take out all these wanna-be mercenaries easily, and still have the strength for another fight!

Every time he thinks he's making progress, getting Sakura-chan's body stronger, it's as though he just finds new things to prove he's just. Not. Good. Enough. He tries to be understanding, with himself and with Sakura-chan, because he never meant to end up here and he's been told often enough, by pretty much everyone, that his standards were a bit unfair for normal mages, so he shouldn't expect her to be as strong as he was, even at her age, but still. Natsu's never really been 'weak' before, not like this, and he hates it, hates how it makes him feel like he isn't even strong enough to protect himself, nevermind anyone else.

- Natsu's never been one for despair, and that's not what this is - Despair is what the people of Wave feel, hopeless, and like fighting is pointless, and all they can do is lay down and hope they die quick-! No, Natsu knows it's not despair. Just- just a feeling of weakness, of not being good enough, of wondering just how long until he dies because he can't keep up and for some reason, it feels familiar. There are things he doesn't remember, things even older than the unnatural terror of Sakura-chan's subconscious mind, and he wonders when, exactly, he last felt too weak to protect even himself-

He smells the blood before the bridge is even in sight. Kakashi stiffens, slipping away his book in the same instant, and Natsu has to wonder if it's instinct, or if Kakashi has sharper senses than most as well.

The bridge comes into sight, mist parting unnaturally quickly to give them a clear view of groaning bodies, men tossed aside like ragdolls, limbs broken and bent askew - none of them are lethally wounded, but some of those breaks don't look like they'll heal right without magic, and two partially-shrouded figures at the center of the bridge say Kakashi won't get a chance to use whatever jutsu he might know to help them.

"Seems you're short a brat, Copy-nin!" the sword-guy's mocking voice echoes through the mist as Team 7 steps up to the foot of the bridge, and Natsu grimaces. The wood of the bridge is slick with condensation, and he wouldn't want to fight Gray on this sort of battleground if he didn't have to, nevermind someone who's actually faster than him. As Kakashi slides a hand up to his headband though, Natsu sighs quietly. Just cause he'd rather not fight a water mage on a bridge right over the water when the stakes are actually high, doesn't mean he's gonna back down! His shoulder barely twinges now, and he's been itching for another fight-!

"Maa, Natsu, you'll protect the client won't you? I'd rather not have him try and break past my guard for Tazuna-san."

Wait-

Wh-AAAAAAAT?!

Natsu gapes as Kakashi strides forward, Sasuke sparing him only a passing glance as he charges towards the masked shinobi from before-

Natsu could spit fire he's so mad! He bites the inside of his cheek, because if he wastes his magic spitting flame he'll have to be pissed at himself and right now he's saving all of that for Kakashi-!

Spinning around, he grabs Tazuna's arm and marches back past the bridge.

"Ah-Natsu-chan-?"

He growls a, "Shut up-!" just as sword-guy's mocking voice echoes through the mist.

"Keeping your little girl out of the fight, Kakashi? Such a pity, she's so fun-!"

Natsu's grip on Tazuna's arm tightens enough the man whimpers, and he just pulls harder. "C'mon you useless drunk or I'm gonna pick you up and carry you-!"

Mercifully - for his back if nothing else - Tazuna does hurry up, and once they get back to the groaning bridge-builders, Natsu lets go of the man's arm and pushes him towards them.

"Get these people medical attention or something- make yourself useful!"

"Wait, you're not actually staying to guard me-?"

Natsu growls, scratching at his head as he tries to think of how to explain it. "It's not- that guy- tch! We beat him before! If his accomplice hadn't showed up when they did, he'd have lost! He won't come after you until he's had his rematch and proven he's able to win! Kakashi's just being overprotective cause my arm is still recovering but I don't need his baby'ing! I'm Natsu Dragneel and I'm not gonna let some stupid scratch keep me out of a fight! So go deal with those guys and leave this to us!" He runs off, back to the bridge, before Tazuna can respond, reaching carefully for his magic.

Dragon Slayer magic grows stronger with emotion… There's at least a little of my magic here, but Sakura-chan doesn't have the training… gonna have to try anyway and hope for the best, cause I don't have anywhere close to enough for a real fight…

In just the short amount of time it took to drag Tazuna off out of sight, the battlefield of the bridge completely reshapes itself into something nearly unrecognizable.

Wha- where did all this ice come from?!

The air, formerly hot and humid, carries an unnatural chill, and his breath fogs, adding to the mist as he darts closer.

He hears Kakashi, and sword guy, and Sasuke, but not the accomplice Sasuke ran to fight before.

Silent…

Reaaaaaally silent.

Natsu catches a faint whiff of their scent - a crisp, cold smell he's only ever associated with Gray and Lyon before, people who've dedicated themselves so strongly to Ice magic they take on the very scent of their element - accented by the lingering trace of bitter herbs and blood.

He gets close enough to see, and finds Sasuke in a dome of icy slats, the masked accomplice flickering between them instantaneously, launching barrages of both icy and metal needles at Sasuke as he goes.

The Uchiha's sharingan spins fiercely as he dodges and blocks everything he can, but he never gets a chance to launch his own counter-attack, flinching with every needle that finds a mark in the non-lethal places he can't afford to block.

Natsu is half a step from throwing himself between two slats of ice when it occurs to him that it'd be harder to find a chance to attack himself, under that onslaught. Stumbling at the last moment, he glares at the icy barriers.

Sasuke casts him a quick glance, then double-takes so blatantly a brace of needles get through his guard and pierce his wrist. Natsu grimaces, backing up a step, and focuses.

He's angry at Kakashi, and the stupid sword guy, and Sasuke, and the maked person Sasuke's losing against, and himself, and this whole damn situation, and he lets it burn, carefully trying to watch out for any attacks launched at himself as he focuses on those emotions, focuses on the flickers of fire ghosting underneath Sakura-chan's chakra, focuses on his desire to protect this team, new and uncomfortable as it is, and finds himself rewarded as that infitismal flicker of power grows.

It's not how Dragon Slayer magic is supposed to work, not at all, the emotions just naturally fuel the flame, and Igneel would lecture him for ten hours straight if he caught Natsu using such a dirty trick to enhance his magic, but Sasuke can use fire too, and if those ice slats could be melted naturally they probably would be, by now - the air starts to shimmer around him, and he releases a breath he didn't even know he was holding as fire begins to flicker up and down his arms without burning.

A soft voice echoes from the ice, and Natsu's surprised to realize it's the first sound he's heard the masked person make since he arrived.

"Foolish girl… there is no flame that can melt my mirrors. You only waste your power."

"Yeah?" Natsu growls, mist and water evaporating as he cocks back a fist, "you wanna bet on that?!"

He punches, fist colliding with the ice mirror, fire coursing through his body as fierce and free as ever, travelling down his arm and through his fist and into the world with a breathless ease Sakura-chan's chakra has never managed.

Four things happen at once.

A puff of smoke is drowned out by the masked accomplice's scream of surprised pain as Sasuke throws himself backwards, arms coming up to protect his eyes, and the mirror shatters.

...Natsu should have picked a mirror Sasuke wasn't standing directly behind.

Though considering they were all in a circle… ehehehe…

Natsu gasps his next breaths as he scrambles to grab the last of his quickly-fading magic, but it slips through his mental fingers, the air flickering with wisps of flame before they all peter out, the rest of his magic once again sealed too deep for him to grab.

He knew he'd likely only get one spell off but dammit he was hoping he could-!

The faint tinkle of scales falling off his arm to bounce on the wood of the bridge is drowned out by Naruto's exultant cry.

"Whooooa! That was awesome Natsu! No wonder you thought Sasuke's fire was pathetic! Ne, ne can you teach me-?"

"Dobe!" Sasuke snaps, stumbling away from the rest of the mirrors to stand next to Natsu, glaring at the masked figure as it melts out of the ice to face them, the ice fading away into nothing. "We're in the middle of a fight?!" It wasn't a question, more an accusation towards the blond for not taking things seriously, and Naruto chuckles uncomfortably.

"R-right, right, sorry-"

"Zabuza-sama was correct. You are truly an unusual child, Natsu-san, was it?" the figure tilts their head to the side, mockingly curious as they cut across Naruto's apology.

"What's it to you?!" Natsu bites back, sliding into a defensive position, grimacing in displeasure at Sakura-chan's slow-moving chakra, made even more obvious by just how smooth his fire magic was moments before.

A clink of metal sounds as Sasuke pulls the last needles from his arm, sliding into his own position at Natsu's side, Naruto awkwardly scrambling to join them both in facing their opponent.

"Hmm… I wonder. I expected extraordinary potential from a survivor of the Uchiha clan's tragedy, but you… you took even Zabuza-sama by surprise, and I must wonder where such strength has come from. I suppose it is no great matter. For Zabuza-sama's dreams to see fruition, I must truly harden my heart and kill you all. Please know it is nothing personal."

Natsu's pretty sure he jinxed it, before, thinking about how he wouldn't want to fight Gray on the bridge, because the masked shinobi is good. One hand lashes out with a mix of kunai, senbon, and the occasional physical attack, while the other makes a variety of one-handed seals that have lances of ice shoot from the bridge, the mist coalescing into physical form to attack from all sides, and Natsu almost hates to admit it, but the shinobi fights smart.

Sparing their own chakra by using Zabuza's already thick and present mist to make it easier to form their ice, to launch attacks from any direction, their one-handed seals as fast as Lyon's ever were, and maybe it's just his lack of magic speaking, but Natsu doesn't think those creations have any of the weakness the white-haired ice mage's did.

Somehow, between the three of them, Naruto's endless clones and Sasuke's spinning eyes, and Natsu's sharp instincts and sharper reflexes, they manage to gain the advantage. The masked shinobi stumbles back, grunting as they clutch their side, one of Sasuke's kunai buried to the hilt, and a group of Naruto's clones lunge forward, clearly intending to beat their enemy unconscious -

There are no handsigns. No pause, no warning, one instant the shinobi hunches over, clutching the knife in their side, and the next, lances of ice spike out, impaling everything in reach with uncaring ferocity.

The Naruto clones pop, all of them, and the acrid stench of blood fills the air.

One of the Narutos doesn't disappear, curled over a shaft of ice as thick around as both Natsu's arms, blood staining the ice a glimmering red.

Naruto chokes, blood and spittle flying from his mouth as he wheezes and gags, and Natsu moves thoughtlessly, charging forward to do- something-

Naruto chokes again, and the ice begins to steam, a viscous red aura beginning to bleed out from the blond's gasping form.

Sasuke winces, turning aside and covering his eyes as though from a bright light, and suddenly Natsu remembers the red flecks that begin to seep into Naruto's chakra when he gets too exhausted.

Kakashi's willingness to leave the blond behind today, knowing there would be a fight, begins to make a terrible amount of sense as Naruto screams, an unholy shriek that echoes unnaturally, as even the mist itself begins to look as though it were bleeding.

The sickly red aura grows, as Naruto's back arches unnaturally, the blond still half-impaled on the ice, his screams turning into an unearthly howl.

And then the tail starts to form.

Chapter 30: Wave Arc 8

Notes:

Sorry this is slightly late! Especially since I ended up writing a new Harry Potter fic instead of this chapter… I SWORE I WOULDN'T DO THIS AGAIN. But all it took was one facebook post and a little bit of encouragement from a SINGLE reviewer and HERE WE ARE! I will definitely not let it come between me and Girl's Mind updates in the future tho, promise!

I did get that Wandering Fairies 3 posted, and for once it was as long as a normal chapter for me, so at the very least this has been a productive weekend! If not in exactly the way I imagined… There should be an interlude wrapping up the Wave arc posted tomorrow or Wednesday at the latest!

…this is the very first chapter since I started writing this fic where my beta reader found zero issues. But she's also exhausted and half-asleep right now so it's either amazing or awful, flip a coin and find out!

Regardless, thanks for reading! If you like Harry Potter and the idea of Regulus Black as potions professor sounds even slightly interesting to you, take a shot at my Potion Fumes and Periwinkle! And as always, I hope you enjoy the update!

Chapter Text

The red chakra burns bright as sunlight, and Sasuke knows, intellectually, that his eyes are made to look at chakra, no matter how intense, but he still finds himself squinting on instinct, hand half-shading his face.

He never really thought much about how everyone treated Naruto, until Natsu spelled it out. Even back when Kakashi was evaluating them, and said something about how Naruto had been taught wrong, he just assumed the idiot misunderstood the instructions so badly as to have ruined his own forms.

Natsu called it sabotage.

Staring at the blood-red inferno of chakra that burns the air itself around his idiotic blond teammate and melts ice straight to steam, Sasuke finds himself wondering who could be stupid enough to sabotage this. The dobe's screams sound more animal than human, like that day back in the Academy where they had to kill a rabbit and one of the civilian-born messed up, missed the vital points and the small creature screamed and screamed and screamed until the sensei put it out of its misery.

The killing intent dwarfs Zabuza's, dwarfs even that man's, a miasma of hatred and fury that locks Sasuke in place. He can't even tremble, the very act of trembling might catch its attention and so every instinct he possesses locks down, and he holds painfully, agonizingly still.

Part of him knows this is Naruto, the dobe, his idiot teammate, and the rest of him doesn't care.

Even Natsu looks affected, staring wide-eyed as Naruto rages, shattering what ice hasn't already melted by the sheer force of his chakra, dropping to all fours and snarling.

His face is distorted. Twisted into something Sasuke might not recognize, if not for the whiskers that cut across his cheekbones like scars. A long, thin stripe of chakra stretches out behind the blond like some demented tail, and as Sasuke watches it thickens, growing fatter and changing shape until it begins to look nearly… fox-like.

Understanding clicks into place, countered almost immediately by his lessons.

Everyone knows the Fourth killed the Kyuubi.

Hysterically, Sasuke wonders what else could possibly explain this.

Naruto turns away, clearly uninterested in them, and Sasuke can't even bring himself to be offended as his teammate turns instead to the masked enemy they were fighting. The bridge warps everywhere he steps - crawls, more like, on all fours as he is - wood warping and even bubbling beneath his chakra.

The masked shinobi drops their hand away from their side, and the wound looks half-healed to Sasuke's sharingan as they quickly leap backwards, trying to put space between themselves and Naruto.

It might be funny, if Sasuke himself didn't feel too terrified to breathe anytime the dobe looked at him.

"What's… happening?"

He drags his eyes away from Naruto's prowling gait, tries not to think about how it looks like a cat playing with its prey, and turns to Natsu.

The pinkette doesn't look scared, just confused and worried, and Sasuke realizes that if Natsu is from the outer continents, then he has no idea. Sasuke isn't even entirely sure his theory's right, because if it is then the entirety of the Academy sensei lied to him and he can't quite figure out a motive for that yet - Shinobi don't deal in bluffs that are easy to call, and pretending to have the power to kill a biju when really they just sealed it is a pretty big bluff, but…

He takes a silent breath, eyes on the dobe, and tries his best to answer. "It might be a demon."

"What?! Naruto isn't-!"

"Not him!" Sasuke cuts across Natsu's shout, but doesn't otherwise move as the blond's head cocks slightly back towards them. The masked shinobi takes his distraction as a chance to launch an attack, and Naruto's attention jerks away from them, entirely focused on his chosen prey again.

Sasuke continues quietly. "He might be… possessed?"

He's not sure what the word is - he knows there is one, it got mentioned as an aside in their textbooks, but the word itself never appeared. Possession is close enough, there's enough folk-tales of that for him to be reasonably sure Natsu will understand-

"What?! Why are you just standing there then, we gotta help him!"

Natsu clearly has no idea what a Biju is, because he rushes forward immediately, calling out Naruto's name as he goes, drawing attention to himself, and Sasuke bites back a curse as he follows. Someone has to keep the enemy shinobi off of Natsu while he decides to be a moron.

Everything-

Hurts-

He isn't- sure?

The enemy stumbled back- and he and the clones… rushed in?

And he doesn't know- it all burns, burns burns burns like something's eating him up from the inside out and-

"Naruto!"

That sounds like Sakura-chan?

No.

No that's Natsu.

Why-?

He swats something away- was it him? He knows he moved- he's not really sure what's happening? And lunges forward, but again-

"Naruto, wait!"

He doesn't.

He can't?

Natsu's asking him to stop so he should, Natsu cares, but he doesn't, he just-

There's something soft under his claws - hands! - and he's not really sure why Natsu screams-

"NARUTO!"

But it feels soft, so he grabs it, pulls, until something tackles him aside, and Sakura-chan - NatsuNatsuNatsuNATSU - keeps chanting, "Stop stop Naruto don't-!"

And suddenly he can see again.

There's almost no blood on him - a bit still clinging to his fingers, but everything else evaporated from the pure heat of his chakra, and Natsu doesn't know if that makes it better or worse. The gaping wound that should decorate his stomach is nowhere to be seen, flesh smooth and unmarred save for fading black lines not unlike a tattoo. Naruto stares up at him, eyes dazed and fading slowly from bloody orange into purple, and from purple into his natural blue.

He looks confused.

Natsu glances behind, to the enemy shinobi they were fighting, entrails sprawled halfway between them from where Naruto refused to let go, and quickly looks away.

If someone had just warned him-!

He's not entirely sure what he would have done, but anything would have been better than nothing.

"N-Natsu...?"

"You're okay!" Or, at least not possessed, but Naruto's eyes are still closer to purple than blue and even he has enough tact to know he shouldn't just blurt out what happened.

"What happened?" Naruto asks groggily, sounding more half-asleep than anything else.

Natsu has no idea how to answer, outside of a blatant, "I'm pretty sure you just got possessed," and he gets the feeling that would not be wise. So he leans over and offers the blond a hand up.

Naruto scrambles to his knees and stares, wide-eyed at Natsu. "You're hurt! Your face-!"

"Just a scratch," Natsu waves off, because it is. Those claws, in the few moments when the red chakra had receded but Naruto's hands were still unnaturally sharp, had lashed out and scored a stripe down his cheek, but he's pretty sure it's not even deep enough to scar so Sakura-chan shouldn't be too upset when he next visits her.

"I-I did- I did that-?" Naruto stutters, pushing himself backwards, and Natsu flinches, lurching forward to stand in front of him but he's not fast enough, and he can tell the moment Naruto sees the enemy shinobi.

The mask must have fallen off at some point, because the shinobi stares at them from their knees, one arm wrapped around their stomach as they try to hold themselves together, and Naruto recognizes them.

"Haku!" He lunges forward, clearly trying to help, and Natsu moves to catch him; he hardly needs to, because the moment the enemy- Haku?- flinches, Naruto freezes in place, eyes wide and tracking slowly down, and he gapes in horror at the mess of Haku's stomach.

"I- I can't- I didn't- H-Haku-?"

Haku stands, legs braced as they force themselves to their feet, and Natsu can't help but admire the determination.

The demon's claws made so much of a mess Natsu isn't sure if Wendy could fix it, but Haku still stands, one arm wrapped around their middle and the other clutching a brace of needles between their knuckles, and Natsu wonders if they want to fight to the end.

Natsu steps in front of the blond. He has no magic he can reach, and even Sakura-chan's chakra is all but gone, and if Haku wants to fight he's not even sure if he could make himself respond in kind, but… he's not sure Naruto would protect himself from an attack, from Haku, and he doesn't want to try dragging the blond away again if he doesn't have to, just in case that red chakra comes back-

So he stands, arms at his sides, between Naruto and Haku, and wishes he didn't feel so useless.

"Y-you-" Haku chokes, blood decorating their lips as they look past Natsu, to Naruto still on his knees behind him. "Y-your… precious people. I told you… dangerous po-power meant nothing if they cared f-for you… I suppose… in the end… your power was just more dangerous than mine…"

"H-Haku-!" Naruto lunges forward and trips, catching himself on Natsu's shoulder as Haku stumbles blearily.

"I am- already dying… perhaps I might… serve Zabuza-sama one last… time…"

Natsu hadn't even consciously realized the mist was clearing, until he tracks Haku's gaze across the bridge to find Zabuza pinned to the ground, Kakashi lunging forward-

In the time it takes to blink, Haku throws themself forward, in front of Kakashi's attack, and the tanto blade he was driving down tears through neck and shoulder, causing a spray of blood to decorate their sensei.

Kakashi's eyes widen, as Naruto screams Haku's name again; Natsu curls his arm around Naruto, holding the blond upright as his legs give out. Kakashi steps back, pulling his blade free, and Haku's body collapses, nearly into Zabuza's arms. The swordsman stares down at his accomplice, organs all but spilling out once more, with no pressure to hold them together, before dragging his eyes over to Natsu and Naruto. Fury curls across the man's face as he turns fully towards them, Kakashi desperately moving to cover his students, before a mocking voice cuts through the air.

"How pathetic! I knew if I let you foolish shinobi fight it out amongst yourselves, I could just clean up the leftovers, but I expected someone of your reputation to have dealt with at least one of the brats before you up and died! Instead, it's your brat I see here, Zabuza! Peh! Some demon you are!"

Natsu turns slightly, to catch sight of well over thirty armed men standing at the edge of the bridge, flanking some tiny man in a suit that he distantly thinks must be Gato.

He'd expected someone taller, honestly.

And then he tenses, because he left Tazuna behind. He was pretty damn sure Zabuza wouldn't run from a fight to hunt the client down, but if Gato came to deal with this himself and found Tazuna on the way-!

Desperately, he scans Gato's men, only relaxing when he realizes there's no blood on any of their weapons. Wherever the old man ended up, he's not dead, and that's enough for Natsu, right now. He sighs in relief, only for his breath to catch as Gato orders his men to attack.

Sasuke was half-pincushioned even when he showed up, and after Naruto got possessed Natsu's pretty sure he got hit worse, and Natsu himself has no chakra left and he can feel the exhaustion clinging to all his limbs, and both Zabuza and Kakashi look two shades of a mess-

Naruto's the only one who even seems close to fighting-fit, and Natsu isn't even sure if the blond can fight without being possessed again, right now.

He's never let bad odds stop him before though, and he's not about to start now, so he carefully unwraps his arm from around his teammate and pulls a kunai out of his pouch.

He hasn't touched any of them, if only because he still doesn't feel comfortable throwing them around, but something to defend with is better than nothing when Sakura-chan's body just can't keep up with him.

Naruto stutters his name behind him, but Natsu doesn't respond, just waits maybe more patiently than he'd like for the enemy to move.

Every moment to recover strength is good by him, even if waiting for a fight to start really isn't his style.

It feels like the entire world holds its breath, waiting for something to set it off.

Gato's the one to break the stillness, snarling at his men.

"What are you waiting for? Kill them all! I'll pay you for every head!"

The men let out a battlecry, lunging forward in a mob, and Natsu's first instinct is to just - lunge forward, break it up with fire, throw a few people over the edge of the bridge to clear out room to fight - and he has the strength for none of those.

Before he can quite figure out what he does have the strength for, Kakashi and Zabuza dart past him. Kakashi's headband pulled back down, a tanto blade in one hand and a kunai in the other, and Zabuza's right arm doesn't move except to swing listlessly, but he's got a kunai in his left and between his teeth, and the two of them tear forward with no chakra, just blades and blood.

Kakashi fights more defensively, keeping the mob away from the three of them, but Zabuza tears recklessly through, ignoring every hit that gets through his guard, lethal or otherwise, pure determination holding him together as he drives a line straight to Gato.

His head flies off in a spray of blood, and-

Natsu's never seen such carnage before - broken bodies tossed like ragdolls, the smell of burning flesh thick in the air - and he feels an urge to reach for a scar that isn't even there, hand coming up to rub at his neck-

He'd forgotten he still had a kunai in his hand til he pokes himself in the face with it. He yelps, dropping his arm and backing up a step, thumping into Naruto behind him.

The mercenaries stutter in confusion at Gato's rapid death, hesitating a moment, and Kakashi steps back to catch his breath, one of Naruto's hands resting on Natsu's back.

"Y-you okay?" the blond asks quietly, and Natsu grimaces.

He can panic over all of this later. Right now, he's got kids to protect. He can worry about the implications later. About everything later.

He digs a second kunai out of his pouch and moves forward again, closer to Kakashi and the mercenaries. They come together again, going on about bounties, and Natsu wonders distantly how much Kakashi is worth for them to be willing to try, but that's a question for later too.

Sasuke's too hurt to fight.

Naruto's in shock.

He won't let Kakashi handle it alone just because he's a coward.

The mercenaries re-gather themselves, and maybe it would be better to rush in now while they're still disorganized, but Natsu keeps hoping for a miracle, and he won't say no to a chance to catch his breath either, so he waits, and Kakashi does too, and just as the mercenaries get ready for a second charge, a miracle does happen.

A crossbow bolt slams into the bridge just in front of the mercenaries, causing them to look around for a shooter-

Behind their bulk, Natsu catches sight of a different crowd; poorly armed but twice as large, they flank the mercenaries against Natsu and his team, and through the armed men he catches sight of a child.

Inari's voice rings out just a moment later.

"This is our town! And we're taking it back! So you'd better leave if you don't wanna get it!"

The array of townspeople behind him let out a ragged cheer, and surrounded by shinobi on one side, Zabuza's mad charge clear in their minds, and a crowd of angry villagers on the other, the mercenaries throw down their weapons and surrender.

Natsu thinks he's never been so happy to be denied a fight in his life.

His kunai slip between his fingers to clatter on the bridge as he just. Sits down, puts his head between his knees, and breathes.

Everyone's alive - on his team, at least, and for now…

For now that's good enough.

Chapter 31: Interlude V: Moving Forward

Notes:

Short interlude here, it's like half my normal chapter length cause it's just a bridge to connect the end of the mission to the end of the Wave arc. Next chapter (which should come out Sunday/Monday/Tuesday like normal, cause who even knows when it'll come out with me anymore) will have all those fun conversations about the Kyuubi that I am not *coughliescough* dreading to write. Not at all. Whatever gave you that idea?
Also, Kakashi's voice is so hard to get right. I should really stop giving him POVs, I always feel like I make him too mushy.
Anyway! Thanks for reading!

Chapter Text

Kakashi bustles his students back to Tazuna's house as soon as he's certain they can walk. Tazuna calls out as they leave, asking what to do about the bodies of Zabuza and his accomplice. The sheer guilt on Naruto's face makes the decision for him, and he drags out two corpse scrolls, dredging up chakra he really doesn't have to seal them away.

They can have a proper shinobi burial later, once he's certain his kids are okay.

No one else tries to stop them as they hurry back to the house, whether because they're too busy coming to terms with Gato's death or because of all the blood Kakashi neither knows nor cares.

The relief he feels upon walking in and realizing even Tsunami is out is… something to be dealt with later.

"I- Kakashi-sensei th-they saw…"

Naruto's voice is so dejected it nearly hurts, but Kakashi pushes that away as he gets his other two students up on the table, to take stock of their injuries.

"Not here, Naruto-kun." He offers as gently as he can, removing a stray senbon from Sasuke's hip and tugging off the arm warmers to get a better look at the chakra burns beneath them.

"B-but-"

Kakashi shakes his head, partially to cut the blond off, partially to shove away the dizziness that threatens to overtake him.

Not yet.

"It is technically an S-Rank secret, Naruto. And all things considered, I believe that discussing it should wait until after we have briefed Sandaime-sama. Ne~?"

It's hard to make his voice lilt the way his children expect, but he puts in the effort anyway, because even he's aware enough to know that the last thing Naruto needs is his ANBU monotone, even if he'd rather.

"Because of me, right?" Natsu interjects softly, and Kakashi hums as he rubs the last of his burn salve into Sasuke's arms and hands. It's not as useful on chakra burns as it is on actual fire burns, but it works, and he knows that from experience. The Uchiha breathes a near-imperceptible sigh of relief.

"Mostly, yes, though I believe there was some talk of keeping the knowledge from Sasuke-kun specifically even before your arrival… it was a point of debate between the advisory council and the Hokage. I don't know if they ever came to an official decision regarding it." Sasuke quirks an eyebrow at him, and Kakashi does his best to offer a reassuring smile.

Danzo has always been a paranoid war hawk, and with the capabilities of a fully matured Sharingan, it's no puzzle to Kakashi why the man would prefer to keep such knowledge under wraps.

Now that he thinks of it…

Does Danzo even know about Natsu?

He casts his gaze over towards his pink-haired student. If Danzo knew, he surely would have done something.

The real question is, can they hide it from him now?

A lot of things can be explained away by 'taking Shinobi life seriously'. Somehow, I don't think being chill with the Kyuubi is one of them…

Kakashi can't even pretend to himself that Natsu would have any other reaction, upon learning the full truth, though the look on Naruto's face makes him think that maybe convincing the blond of that won't be so easy.

Something about that kid is just - well the term 'kid' might be loosely defined here... Even if Naruto were actually the Kyuubi reborn, would it honestly phase him?

The room settles into a casual silence, broken only by Naruto's nervous fidgeting and Kakashi's rummaging through the medical kit. He'd like to encourage his blond student, but can't quite find the words, mind lost in an exhausted haze.

He was, perhaps, too quick and too easily-reliant on his Sharingan, but with three reckless students and not an ounce of common sense between them he couldn't afford to hold back with it, and he's paying for that now.

He wonders if Natsu sees that, or if he's just being stubbornly self-sufficient, his pink-haired student insisting on dealing with most of his injuries by himself, leaving only the gash on his face for Kakashi to clean up.

"Mm. Good enough." He says as he finishes setting a plaster on Natsu's face and lets himself sink into a chair. "Just… behave while I take a nap, will you?" He tries to make it cheerful, though he gets the feeling he falls short as Naruto jumps up, loudly panicking-

Maa, how troublesome.

Kakashi might- just might- regret waking up.

All well and good to tell Naruto to wait for their briefing with the Hokage, but as he drags himself out of a futon he doesn't remember getting into, he can't help but wonder how by all the kami he's going to explain this to the Hokage.

The wounds he remembers getting in the second fight with Zabuza have been haphazardly bandaged with what looks like spare leg wrappings, and someone has definitely touched his mask while he was out.

He's not sure whether he's more surprised that he didn't wake up, or that his students only slid it down enough to treat a scratch on his face.

Honestly, if he was that deeply out he'd have thought they'd just take a proper look.

Heh. Maybe they're not total brats…

Really, all he's doing is avoiding the subject.

With the unique situation regarding Natsu and Sakura…

Hokage-sama is going to be furious.

He sighs, but turns towards the stairs anyway.

Perhaps he could stick around until the bridge was complete, delay their return as long as possible…?

Hmm.

Hokage-sama would expect no less of him, after all.

A reputation for lateness does sometimes make itself useful…

It takes nearly a week and a half for the bridge to be repaired and completed, which is… not as long as Kakashi had hoped.

At the least, it's enough time for everyone but Sasuke to fully heal, chakra burns lingering on his hands even though his arms clear up - the gash on Natsu's face nothing more than a pink line that will fade in another few days, and the wound down his left arm all but scarred over. If Naruto had any physical injuries in the first place, they were long gone by the time Kakashi regained consciousness, and while a good sensei might get a report from their students about everything that happened… well.

No need to make his cute little genin say it twice, it was clearly a traumatic event, he just wants to be nice is all~

Tazuna offers to name the bridge after Naruto, citing the blond's protection of Inari and Tsunami, but Kakashi isn't too surprised when his student declines.

Even though he hasn't exactly asked what happened while he was fighting Zabuza, Kakashi could pretty much piece the bare minimum together. The Kyuubi's chakra, both Natsu and Sasuke having varying degrees of chakra burn from it, and Haku's brutal injuries…

Naruto clearly isn't handling it well, possibly unable to blame anyone other than himself but… Kakashi has no idea what to say.

At the very least, for all his distress Naruto doesn't let it consume him, as he cheerfully convinces Tazuna to name his bridge after Inari's father, because Wave should remember their hero, not some outsider, and Kakashi might be legitimately proud of his brat.

Maybe, under different circumstances, Naruto would accept the honor without thinking, but…

He claps his student on the shoulder, giving him a wide smile beneath the mask.

And then they turn their feet toward Konoha, leaving behind a grateful village, a hero's bridge, and two graves marked by a single sword behind them.

No trade agreement, no mark of fame, no valuable corpse of a kekkei genkai user…

Hokage-sama is going to be so displeased.

Kakashi sighs and pulls out his Icha-Icha.

The brats might be impatient to go home, but patience is a valuable lesson.

They'll take the scenic route, he decides.

Behind his book, he grins as Naruto begins to complain about the slow pace.

They'll thank him for this when they're older, he's quite sure.

Chapter 32

Notes:

We're practically back to my average chapter length! This is just under 3000 words, but I'm getting closer! If Natsu's last line of dialogue sounds a bit off, it's cause my beta reader suggested I change Teuchi's dialogue before it, which meant Natsu's original response didn't quite make sense, but she went straight to bed after editing so she can't tell me if my correction is okay. It's honestly not a big deal tho, the line's not game-changing or anything.

BUT YES. HERE IT IS. THE CONVERSATION THAT I DREADED FOR A WEEK ONLY TO FIND THAT ONCE I STARTED WRITING IT IT WAS ACTUALLY RIDICULOUSLY EASY AND I'VE BEEN PROCRASTINATING IT FOR NO REASON!

As always, thanks for reading! Enjoy~

Chapter Text

Naruto's been withdrawn pretty much since the end of the fight on the bridge, but the closer they get to Konoha the quieter he gets, completely ignoring Natsu as he tries to make conversation. Natsu knows it's not his fault, because no one told him demonic possession was a thing, and he had nowhere near enough warning to even try and do something, and Naruto's just blaming himself for something the demon did, but it still feels like Natsu should be doing more.

He doesn't turn to glare at Kakashi, because he's done that a dozen times already on their return to the village and the sensei's started glaring back. Natsu's not quite sure if Kakashi is doing it just to mess with him, or if he's gotten genuinely irritated, but he tries to control himself either way.

If Kakashi hadn't made them wait until after their return to talk about it though, he could have convinced Naruto it was okay by now!

He's turning around to glare at the older man before he quite realizes, and finds himself met by Kakashi's lone eye narrowed sharply. He scowls, and turns back around to look at the gates visible in the distance.

Naruto's curled even more into himself, as though he were trying to disappear, and, no. Natsu grimaces, scrambling to think of an idea, something he can do-

Naruto's sadly-deflated backpack is what sparks it, and he grins, bounding forward to loop his arms into both Naruto and Sasuke's.

"Let's go for ramen at that Ichiraku place after that meeting thing Kakashi wants us to do!" He glares at Sasuke briefly before offering his most encouraging smile to Naruto. "I'll pay!"

Naruto hesitates. And Natsu may have only known him for less than two months, but he'd like to think he knows the blond well enough to say he would never hesitate for free ramen.

He tightens his grip on Sasuke's arm, because clearly this is worse than he thought. The Uchiha grunts after a moment.

"With how the dobe goes on about that place, they'd better have something edible." He scoffs after a moment, and in that moment, Natsu thinks Sasuke really is a great teammate.

Because Naruto just about leaps in sheer outrage.

"Teme! Take that back! Ichiraku is the best, even someone like you will have to admit it! Just you wait! Teuchi-jii's ramen will make you weep! Dattebayo!"

"Hn." Sasuke disentangles himself from Natsu's arm and raises an eyebrow at the blond. "The only one pathetic enough to weep over ramen here is you."

Naruto lets loose a battlecry and tries to tackle Sasuke, and Natsu grins fiercely. With Sasuke's agreement, there's no way Naruto will skip out!

Naruto's attempts to make Sasuke eat dirt don't stop until the gate guards hail them. Then he freezes, before practically stumbling away from Sasuke, eyes wide and nervous.

It- honestly, it confuses Natsu, because obviously no one's going to blame Naruto? Magical possession by artifacts or even other wizards' spells is a bit more common than demonic possession, back home, but everyone knows it's no one's fault except the possessor's, when something happens.

Maybe the demons work differently here, or something?

But Naruto still acts like Naruto, and there's no way he'd willingly disembowel someone, so Natsu's pretty sure that's not it.

When the gate guards hand him a clipboard to sign back in, he almost scrawls his own name, only remembering to write Sakura's at the last moment, and then they're hustled through the streets and straight to the administration tower, up a flight of stairs and into what's gotta be the Hokage's secondary office. It's a bit smaller, and there are actual chairs this time around, and the desk has no paperwork on it.

That intimidating aura from before is completely absent as well, and Natsu could almost swear the man was nothing more than a concerned grandfather, because it's the exact sort of presence Makarov would have whenever Laxus would take a deliberately risky mission just to prove himself and-

It's just unnatural.

Natsu tries not to look bothered though, because he's pretty sure the old man doesn't like him much as it is…

"Kakashi. I hear you've had a terribly eventful mission."

Kakashi sighs, and Natsu wonders if he's imagining the dismay in it.

"Maa, it all worked out in the end." The Hokage's eyes narrow, and Kakashi continues seamlessly as though he'd always meant that to be just an intro. "I admit, upon learning the mission was underranked, I should have turned back, but I was outvoted by all three of my adorable young students… and more than that, goodwill is it's own reward, ne~?"

"Is it, now? Very well then." He turns his gaze from Kakashi onto the three of them, and he still feels like nothing more than a concerned old man. Natsu's gut says that's only half-true, and he tries not to fidget. "I'm sure none of you have been informed of the procedure in this sort of situation - this sort of thing isn't supposed to happen with genin, only chunin and above are at serious risk of it. However, the first part, after a team decides to continue a poorly-ranked mission, is a verbal report of what you feel are the relevant facts. A written report containing the full comprehensive dossier will be submitted after, to be put in our records. Please take turns."

Naruto practically melts, and not in a good way. Natsu and Sasuke trade glances, and Natsu doesn't think he's wrong to interpret that look as, "I agreed to eat lunch with you so you get to go first."

Tch.

He steps forward a little, because if the Hokage looks at Naruto for much longer the blond will probably combust, and laces his fingers behind his head.

"I don't really know what you guys consider important, but we had a couple fights, Sasuke woke up his magic spinny eyes-" the Uchiha chokes, and Naruto chuckles a bit. Natsu grins in success, "Naruto got possessed by some demon I guess, no one really explained that to me, and then we won and came back. That's pretty much everything right?" He glances at Kakashi as he asks, only to find the silver-haired man looking oddly distressed.

…

Was there something in there he wasn't supposed to say?

"He lost control of the Kyuubi?" The Hokage asks, staring directly at Kakashi, and Natsu's blood runs cold.

Lost control.

As though… he was supposed to be in control?

As though the village leaders knew about a demon possessing one of their own and did nothing because he was supposed to control it?!

He'd started to think-! Demon possession, bad luck, maybe some people getting injured around Naruto and not remembering it causing everyone to be suspicious, not the Hokage actually knowing about it!

It makes a terrifying amount of sense though, the longer he thinks on it, as Kakashi tries to convince the Hokage it wasn't a complete loss of control, and that Natsu just misunderstood-

What yami guild wouldn't like the power that is a demon at their beck and call? But everyone knows demons can't be controlled like that. People have tried and died for it.

But if they tricked the demon into possessing someone, and then trapped it there, so it couldn't escape… giving a human access to a demon's powers…

No wonder Naruto feels like it's his fault… if they expect him to actually control the demon, and he failed…

That's so sick!

"Duragneel." Natsu looks up, caught off-guard by his second name said almost smoothly. The Hokage meets his eyes, his focus intense. "Kakashi did not see much of your fight with the masked shinobi. Kindly explain how it happened."

Natsu shrugs a bit. "Sasuke probably saw more than me, what with his eyes, but… Haku did some sort of jutsu that didn't take any hand-signs, so it just happened instantly? Naruto'd jumped ahead when they started to retreat, so he and his clones got hit point-blank. He got impaled, and something like that woulda been fatal on anyone else, I thought it might be fatal on him, but instead he just started letting off huge amounts of chakra that burned the air red, and he grew a tail, and just… rampaged for a little bit? I dunno, normal demon-y stuff. But then he calmed down and got back in control and that's really all there is to it. Dunno what else you want."

"Only one tail?" the Hokage asks gravely, and Natsu wonders why that matters.

"Yeah, just one."

The old man sighs faintly, Natsu almost doesn't hear it, and he wonders why that relieves the man. He then looks toward Naruto and Sasuke.

"Do either of you have anything you'd like to add right now?"

Naruto looks torn, hesitating, and Sasuke glances between him and Natsu before sighing. "The do- Naruto did pretty much kill Haku while he wasn't in control, but there really isn't anything more to say."

Naruto flinches, and the Hokage glances at him. "I see… you're dismissed. Please have the full mission reports turned in tomorrow morning. N-"

"Sweet! C'mon, we've got a date with the ramen shop! Wanna walk us there, Kakashi-sensei?" Natsu asks brightly as he loops Naruto's arm into his and reaches for Sasuke. The Uchiha dodges away, and Kakashi sighs.

"Maa, it's rude to interrupt people, Natsu."

"Psh. Anything said after 'dismissed' can't be important, or he'da said it before. Now come on!"

The Hokage chuckles, and Kakashi clearly takes that as a sign that it's okay, because he follows them out as Natsu beelines towards Ichiraku.

About half-way there, Kakashi breaks the silence. "I thought I wasn't invited?"

"Eh, no, though I couldn't stop you if you wanted to come." Natsu glances up at him, shrugging a bit. "But I had to ask if you'd leave that bit off your report, is all."

Kakashi's focus sharpens, and Natsu feels the edges of a threat in the air. "Mm? How so?"

Natsu waves a hand between himself and Sasuke. "The part where we got hurt? It's not too important, so mentioning that it happened… Naruto completely ignored us until we started trying to get his attention. We'd have never got hurt if we hadn't practically thrown ourselves in front of him, so he shouldn't have people hearing about that, because they might get the wrong idea and think he couldn't even remember to stay pointed at the enemy. S'not like we've got any scars that'd raise awkward questions, so we could just… avoid mentioning it? Yeah?"

Kakashi sighs. "Team 7's very first C-Rank and I'm already being asked to commit treason…"

"Wha- No way! Don't be dramatic!" Natsu blurts, because if smudging paperwork is equatable to treason that's just too extreme!

Kakashi chuckles. "Don't worry about it. A full report doesn't usually involve an injury summary unless the shinobi captain thinks the wounds are bad enough that they might affect the shinobi's fighting capability either now or later in life. Neither of your wounds fell into that category, so it isn't against any rules to leave it off. Ne~?" He pulls out his book then, and turns to wander down a different street. "We'll meet tomorrow at the usual time, my cute students! Make sure to have your reports done so I can go over them!"

He walks away, disappearing quickly, and Naruto tries to pull away as well.

Natsu tightens his grip. "Come on, food won't eat itself!"

"B-but-!"

He doesn't let Naruto get anything else out, dragging the blond forward and straight up to the counter of Ichiraku, Sasuke silently slipping in behind them. Only one other person is at the stand, and he waves at them. "Naruto! Sakura, Sasuke! Back from your C-Rank?"

Naruto jerks his head up. "I-Iruka-sensei! Wh-what are you doing here?"

The man, one of the Academy teachers? Grins at them. "Eating ramen, obviously. Care to join me?" Naruto looks between Iruka and Natsu, and the pinkette shrugs.

"Sure. We were gonna chat a bit over the meal, fair warning."

"Wait- we are?!"

Natsu grins. "Of course! You seem to want to run away, but you won't make me pay for your ramen and then not even eat it, would you? That'd be rude! So I'll have your ear for at least a few minutes! Oi, Teuchi-san! Can I have four miso, extra pork, just give 'em one at a time, for Naruto? I'll take a tonkatsu myself, and I'm covering Sasuke too!"

The old ramen chef chuckles a bit. "Of course, of course! And you, Uchiha-kun?"

"...Shio." Sasuke says, after a moment of glancing through the menu. Natsu drags Naruto up into a seat, Sasuke taking the other side, with Iruka to Natsu's left. Naruto glances between them nervously.

"It's-"

"Ah!" Natsu leans forward onto the bar as he cuts Naruto off. "First we're gonna wait til the first bowls get here! Then you're gonna listen while I talk, and then you get to say whatever you want. Yeah?" He leans over to bump shoulders with the blond, smiling encouragingly.

Naruto sighs, nodding.

It doesn't take long for the first round of food, Teuchi-san whipping it right out after just a few minutes alongside Iruka's own order, and Natsu savors the first few bites. Even Naruto seems to forget to panic over their conversation, happily slurping his noodles.

"It wasn't your fault at all, you know." Natsu starts, while the blond is between bites. Naruto freezes mid-motion, curling into himself. He opens his mouth to say something, but Natsu talks over him. "No, I don't wanna hear it. It wasn't your fault! Seriously, do you not even know how utterly sick it is that they did that to you?! It's not just wrong, it's downright disgusting! I mean, it's not hard to understand I guess, cause what yami guild doesn't want a walking human weapon, but violating your body like that, stuffing some demon inside you without even giving you a choice-! It's absolutely depraved and you never deserved it! And you were hurt, if you didn't heal so fast you'd probably have died, so the fact that you lost control isn't your fault either, and if anyone tells you otherwise send them to me and I'll set them straight! You shouldn't have to listen to that shit! You understand?" Natsu sticks his chopsticks in Naruto's face, the blond wide-eyed and gaping.

He works his mouth for a moment, before stuttering. "B-but I hurt you-"

"Psh. Even if you could call that paltry scratch a wound, which you can't, it wasn't even you that did it! It was whatever unfortunate hellspawn they stuck inside you, and just the fact that it was only a scratch is proof enough for me that you were tryin' to fight it! I've picked a fight with a demon before, and they're strong. Strong enough that if you weren't at least struggling to get back in control, I know I'd be sporting a lot worse than I got. So stop actin' like you weren't trying your best. And if you don't think your best was good enough this time, then get better. But don't go thinking it was your fault. Because it's not. You didn't ask to have a demon stuffed inside you, and you didn't deserve it either. But I'm not Levy, I don't know traps and curses and shit, and without even knowing how strong the demon is I couldn't say whether it'd be possible to beat it into submission even if it were possible to get it out of you, so you're gonna have to live with it too. But it's not ever your fault, so don't let me hear you sayin' something like that!"

Naruto starts crying.

He wipes at his eyes quickly, and Natsu scrambles to drop his chopsticks on the counter, not sure what to do because that was not the reaction he expected, and he nearly tumbles off the stool as Naruto tackles him in a hug.

Sasuke sighs, slurping up the last of his broth before turning to them as Naruto tries to stifle sobs into Natsu's shoulder.

"He's right." The Uchiha offers after a moment, quietly. "It wasn't you that hurt us, because you're a dobe and you couldn't hurt me in a straight fight to save your life. So stop being ridiculous in thinking you're better than me."

Natsu practically sweatdrops, because that is not the kind of encouragement Sasuke should be giving, but Naruto starts laughing, tears still rolling down his cheeks, practically shaking in his arms, so…

Even if he's a jerk, at least Naruto doesn't care.

A couple fresh bowls of steaming ramen plop down on the countertop as Naruto slowly pulls himself away, their previous half-finished bowls whisked away in a moment.

Teuchi grins at him as Natsu glances up. "Naruto needs to bring you two 'round here more often! A friend of the kid's is always welcome in my shop! Take these on the house while I heat the others back up!"

Sasuke offers a 'hn' that Natsu is pretty sure is out of embarrassment, as Natsu grins up at the man.

"Well at least I'm in good company! Think between the two of us we can convince Naruto ta stop lettin' other people get to him?"

Teuchi laughs as he takes their old bowls back to heat up again, and Naruto hastily scrubs at his eyes, trying not to cry again.

Natsu smiles to himself.

A perfect success!

He's three bites into his fresh bowl of ramen when Iruka speaks.

"You… aren't actually Sakura, are you?"

Chapter 33

Notes:

Just in case you guys were curious: Iruka wasn't supposed to find out the truth until book 2. I had a whole scene planned.
Then he just flucking wrote himself into Ichiraku (originally, once he decided he would be present, he was just gonna be extra support – it was sort of going to be an, "everyone important in Naruto's life was there to support him" kinda thing (Kakashi was gonna join them originally too, but instead he just sorta… hid and watched from further away) and while Naruto does consider the Hokage a precious person as well, they were gonna have their own talk about it privately later, so this was an everyone else talk where they all made sure Naruto knew they supported him… *sigh*) and lemme tell you, Natsu was NOT supposed to blow the secret that hard. Like. Ugh. THIS WAS PLANNED FOR BOOK TWO. BOOK TWO YOU GUYS. BUT NATSU AND IRUKA BOTH HAD THEIR OWN AGENDAS AND IT DIDN'T WORK OUT AND NOW I GOTTA FIGURE OUT HOW THIS IS GONNA CHANGE THE REST OF BOOK ONE OR IF IT EVEN WILL CHANGE THE REST OF BOOK ONE AND AAAAAAAGH!
This whole thing would have been easier if Kakashi had stuck to the original plan of being there for the talk instead of just keeping an eye on them from a distance. It wouldn't have spiraled out of control so much. Now I'm a whole book early for the Iruka-finds-out scene and my original plan for it isn't compatible at all and now I'm kinda worried about the OTHER people who were supposed to find out in book two BECAUSE IF IRUKA DECIDED TO LEARN EARLY WHO'S TO SAY THEY WON'T?!
Yes. Anyway. Last chapter was just that car meme – you know the one, with the road signs, and straight ahead would be "Stick to the plot!" and the right-hand one the car skids into would be "Frustrate your author by suddenly having a key reveal take place an entire book sooner!" and now I'm just like… you guys this is why I hate myself.
Anyway, in other writing-related news, a post I shared from 4 years ago on Facebook showed up in my newsfeed memories again. It was a beautiful picture of Ed Elric and Zidane Tribal having fun fighting each other and the first time I saw it I was like "I SHIP IT!" and it showed up in my memories and again I was like "I SHIP IT" and now I wanna write a fic of this pairing and I already have a little bit of an idea of how it would go and YOU GUYS ITS HAPPENING AGAIN MY BRAIN WANTS TO START NEW FICS I ALREADY STARTED ONE NEW FIC I SHOULDN'T HAVE AND NOW I WANT TO WRITE ANOTHER I NEED TO LIKE, HIRE SOMEONE TO BE MY IMPULSE CONTROL I HAVE NONE SEND HELP.
If I actually write that fic feel free to yell at me. Pls. Too many people encourage my bad habits so they just get worse and my sister yells at me but she's my sister, and like, my 5th sibling at that. I'm used to being yelled at by siblings it does no good.
Right. Anyway, thanks for reading! Apologies for the delay! Pls enjoy my desperate attempts to get my plot back on track.

Chapter Text

I'm stuck on a team with two idiots.

He'd die before he ever admitted it to Naruto, but the only reason Sasuke doesn't just get up and leave them to their misery is because the ramen really is good, and doesn't taste half as cheap as the stand makes it look.

He listens to his teammates panic and babble at Iruka as he slurps the noodles, utterly disappointed.

He'd thought Natsu was just… gathering all of Naruto's favorite people together, that he knew what he was doing.

Clearly, he was wrong. Sasuke sighs, setting down his chopsticks and drinking up the rest of the broth. He has half a mind to just… leave the two idiots to deal with Iruka's ever-growing ire by themselves, but their attempts to convince the Academy sensei that he's mistaken are just giving the man an increasingly worse idea of what happened, and if Sasuke doesn't step in the misunderstanding will probably get dragged before the Hokage and he is not missing any more training time, and especially not because Natsu lost what was left of his brain cells the moment he opened his mouth.

He sets the ramen bowl onto the counter with a solid clack, drawing everyone's attention over.

"Wha- Sasuke, were you seriously still eating?!" Naruto half-leaps off his stool, pointing, and Sasuke nearly regrets trying to help the idiot.

He offers the blond a disdainful glare.

"You're the one wasting free food."

Naruto practically squawks, turning around to shovel in ramen so fast Sasuke's not even sure how the blond is tasting it, but the ridiculous eating habits of the dobe are not something he wants to contemplate, now or ever.

He looks past his two teammates, to meet the suspicious stare of Iruka, and nearly sighs again.

They're both absolute morons.

"It's not as bad as you think," he starts, because if Iruka rushes off to the Hokage he is going to throttle both his teammates and then he'll be in trouble and he definitely won't get to train, so he tries to find the most reassuring way to explain everything. "The way Yamanaka-san explained it to us, there were some 'unusual jutsu interactions' that led to Natsu's spirit being trapped inside Sakura's body. They've been like this since the final genin test. Yamanaka-san has private meetings with Natsu in an attempt to undo it. In order to keep people from panicking, the Hokage requested it be kept quiet. Outside of Team 7, the Hokage, and Yamanaka-san, I believe only Sakura's parents knew before now." He pauses for a moment, before realizing he left out the thing Iruka was probably really worried about, and adds on as an afterthought, "To the best of my knowledge, Sakura herself is unharmed."

The two people he's stuck calling his teammates stare at him, and Sasuke stares back. "Did I forget something?" He knows he hasn't, but clearly none of them are going to say anything and he has no idea why they keep staring.

Natsu reacts first, chuckling a little as he glances between Sasuke and Iruka. "T-that's probably about as much as you can summarize it, yeah. Uh. You don't have to stick around if you don't want to."

Sasuke nearly wants to laugh. "You two were doing such a great job before. Are you sure you don't need help?" He asks as condescendingly as he can, grinning at both of them. Natsu just groans, leaning back against the counter to stare up at the canopy of the ramen stand, as Naruto jumps up again.

"Teme! We were handling it just fine, 'ttebayo! We totally don't need your help!"

"Hn. Well then." He turns to offer the chef a polite bow. "Thank you. The ramen was adequate." He walks away quickly, Naruto practically exploding behind him - he catches a glimpse of Natsu desperately holding the blond back, Iruka scrambling to restore order, and the old ramen chef laughing, calling out a distant, "Come again!" as he walks away.

Ridiculous.

He only said it to piss off Naruto.

Natsu sighs in relief as Naruto finally stops screaming after Sasuke to turn back to eating the rest of his own ramen. Teuchi-san doesn't seem to mind the barely-acceptable compliment, happily collecting the Uchiha's dishes, whisking them away as Iruka settles back into his own seat.

"It seems Naruto isn't the only one who's happier lately…" Iruka muses idly, and Natsu nearly refutes that on instinct, because Sasuke's never happy, with anything, but when he actually thinks about it…

The boy he first met, with his head sticking out the ground, constantly acting as though nothing Natsu did could be even worth the time to waste even acknowledging…

He really has changed since then, huh?

He's just such a jerk I never even noticed the difference!

Naruto hums an assent through mouthfuls of noodles, and Natsu can't help grinning. Sasuke's… like Laxus really, maybe closer to Laxus before their fight in the Cathedral, and he was always family, even back then, but sometimes so hard to get along with - the image of Sasuke glaring up at Laxus before he left the guild springs into his head, and Natsu starts laughing.

"Wha- hey, what's so funny?" Naruto smiles, so clearly happy that Natsu is happy the mage can't quite understand why anyone can hate the kid, demon or no demon.

So he smiles back. "I just thought it'd be a little bit funny to see Sasuke and Laxus in the same room… Laxus could probably get him to throw a fit. It'd be hilarious!"

Naruto stops smiling, face sliding closer to bemused. "You… don't talk about your friends much. From where you were before?"

From back home , is what Natsu wishes he would say, because that's what Fairy Tail is, what Earthland is, they're home, and…

He gets the feeling Naruto doesn't think about that part much anymore, if he ever did.

Natsu doesn't know what to think about that part either, honestly. Because Fairy Tail is where his family is, home in every single way, but somehow, even though he didn't want to, he's started to find friends here too, friends who could be family the way Fairy Tail is family, even if they aren't yet, and…

He can't blame Naruto for deliberately not thinking about what 'fixing' this situation actually means, when Natsu already knows he's going to miss Naruto, and Mebuki and Kizashi and Sakura-chan and even probably Sasuke, when he goes back.

He's not sure on Kakashi yet.

The man sics demon cats on him for fun, after all.

"Natsu?"

Natsu shrugs a little, because…

How does he even talk about them? About home, in a way these shinobi would understand, about their hodge-podge family of misfits and rejects with powers that, as far as he can tell, the shinobi world can't even imagine?

There aren't any clans, and even among mages who study the same magic it's never actually the same, and guilds might be sorta like smaller villages but they're so different too, and…

Sometimes he thinks that if he talks about home too much he might do something ridiculous. Like cry. And like hell is he gonna cry over Gray-!

The teacher-guy, Iruka? Looks at him consideringly. "Did you have a team back home?"

"What makes you think that?" Natsu shoots back, because he's pretty sure this guy's not a mind-reader like Inoichi, and he's pretty good at detecting that stuff now, but he was just thinking about them, and it's creepy!

Iruka laughs a little. "Well, I can't quite imagine someone 'taking on a demon' without one, though I could be wrong..."

The emphasis alone makes Natsu think that's probably what tipped the man off in the first place. He winces just a little bit, laughing nervously. "Ahaha, yeah, we did that as a team… the demon crushed a building and we got stuck with the bill! Can you believe it?! It was utterly ridiculous, and then they arrested Erza 'cause of it, and they interrupted our fight to do it! They could have at least let us finish! It was so rude!"

Iruka blinks, wide-eyed and startled, as Naruto scooches forward. "You mentioned Erza before! She's the scary one, right?"

A cold shudder travels down Natsu's spine, and he grins nervously. "Erza is Erza. Yeah? But- well, Lucy and Gray and Happy are on our team too. Happy's a talking cat!"

"Really?! That's so cool! I know some of the Inuzuka ninken can talk, but I haven't heard of any cats! Ne, ne, have you heard of talking cats Iruka-sensei?"

"Well, if you'd paid attention in your histories, Naruto," Iruka trails off with a grin as Naruto groans in dismay.

"But history's so boring! And you can just tell me! Right?!"

"Oh, I'm not sure, perhaps you'd remember it better if you had to look it up?"

"Iruka-senseeeeeeei!"

Iruka laughs, passing Natsu to ruffle Naruto's hair. "I suppose, just this once… there are a lot of summon clans outside the three the Sannin made famous. There are rumors that the Inuzuka ninken might actually be descended from a summons clan, or that they might have been normal dogs taught how to use chakra by a summons clan, no one outside the family knows which, and even the family might not know, I couldn't say. But you can forge summoning contracts with pretty much any sort of animal if you have the scroll, or if you're compatible and they judge you worthy. Since summon animals live in a different dimension to ours, I'm sure there could be a cat clan, Hokage-sama summons monkeys so it's hardly unlikely."

Natsu's never 'summoned' Happy before, they're partners, but if shinobi summoning calls animals from other dimensions…

"Can you teach me?" Naruto blurts out, grinning. "That sounds so cool! Where can I find a contract-thingy?"

Iruka sighs, dragging Naruto into a half-hug and rubbing his knuckles against the blond's head. "I know I covered this in class! Stop skipping so much! Summons contracts are held by trusted summoners, you don't just find them in a library or something!"

"S-senseeeei!"

Natsu joins into the easy laughter between them as Teuchi-san drops another serving of ramen on the counter. He was pretty worried but…

Naruto's gonna be okay.

Digging into the fresh food, he wonders who he could find that might know the handsigns…

Both of Sakura-chan's parents are home, by the time Natsu leaves Naruto and Iruka to catch up together. He hears them talking inside and hesitates on the doorstep, before glaring and reminding himself that he's known them for a month and he's got no reason to be nervous!

The door opens easily when he turns the handle, and he wonders if they knew he came back today or just planned to go back out.

He wonders if they'd expect him to call 'tadaima!', after being gone for so long, but the words stick in his throat. Sakura-chan's family might want Sakura-chan to say it, but Natsu can't.

The door closes on its own behind him as he methodically slips off his sandals, and Sakura-chan's parents stop talking.

It's Kizashi-san who turns the corner, less casual and more dangerously relaxed than Natsu's seen him act before, and he realizes they didn't know he was back.

It doesn't hurt.

It doesn't!

"Natsu-kun! We hadn't heard you were back yet!"

Natsu grins a bit sheepishly. "I hung out with everyone for ramen first…"

"Really?" Kizashi turns towards the kitchen and sweeps back out with cups of water. "Come on and tell us about the mission, how did it go?"

"Eh…" Natsu hesitates, taking the water and settling into the sofa, not really sure how to start. He takes a sip of water, and a second, before the hem of his outfit makes him realize. "I'll probably need to go shopping again," he groans, thinking about the crazy clothes-maker Mebuki-san dragged him to before. "I totally ripped up the clothes!"

"How did that happen?" Kizashi asks, voice full of amused curiosity, though when Natsu looks up Mebuki looks concerned.

"I got stabbed." He shrugs his scarred shoulder and only realizes seconds after that he should not have said it like that. Mebuki-san leaps up with a yelp, darting over and nearly knocking the water out of his hands as she tries to make sure he's okay, hands lingering over the nearly-faded marks on his face before her eyes lock onto the thin line peeking out from under the edges of his left sleeve.

"It's… okay, really," Natsu offers, only to have his words smothered as she wraps him into a hug, tight enough he's fairly sure Sakura-chan's ribs start to squeak.

When she finally releases him, he grabs her hand, because there are some things more important than his discomfort.

"I haven't really had a chance to talk to Sakura-chan since it happened, so I was going to tonight, and I know we had to leave before you could talk to her…?"

Kizashi walks forward, resting his hand on Mebuki's shoulder. "It's okay. We can reschedule dinner for another night. I'll be upstairs, hm?"

"I wish I could just take both of you," Natsu grumbles under his breath, and Kizashi chuckles.

"If Inoichi-san says it's too dangerous for Sakura-chan's mind, I believe him. It's alright, I'll wait my turn. You two take care, I'll see you after?"

"Sure!" Natsu offers the older man a quick smile, before turning sideways and pulling his feet up. Mebuki-san sits across from him, knees practically touching, and Natsu carefully goes through the handsigns and touches her forehead gently, letting the chakra wash over them, pulling them down into black.

And for the very first time, he smells more than just sakura.

Fire and pinewood and just a hint of magnolia flowers, almost but not quite buried under the pervasive scent of cherry blossoms.

Chapter 34

Notes:

When your chapter is way too late because even though you promised not to let your new fic get in the way of your weekly updates you still wrote your new fic instead of the promised chapter.
And also I have two new story ideas bouncing wildly around my head.
And glorious fanart was drawn for Wandering Fairies which now makes me want to write more of THAT instead of this.
Okay I'll be honest.
I pretty much wanted to write ANYTHING ELSE BUT THIS. I don't even know why you guys.
Okay I do, it's actually cause this chapter wanted to start off from Sakura's POV, but I'm saving that for a special event and didn't want to do it just yet. So, if the chapter feels rough at all, know that's because I literally forced my brain to write it from a POV it didn't want.
My roommate and beta-reader was a godsend though. After I finished trudging through the mindscape scene I had no idea what to do, so she read the little bit I'd written and said, "Why is it always Mebuki? She's cool and all but I want Good Dad Kizashi dammit!" and my brain was like ! and so I finally managed to get the rest of the chapter finished.
I feel like Kizashi's segment is really better than Mebuki's though, since Natsu sort of ignored her even though I didn't want him to… ugh. IT SUCKED OKAY.
I'M SORRYYYYYY!
Seriously though, thanks for reading you guys! I promise it should get better from here, just one or two more transitional chapters and then we hit the opening arc of the chunin exams!

Chapter Text

"Are you coming?"

Natsu shakes himself, turning to look at Mebuki. "Ehehe, sorry! It's just that the scent changed, can't you tell?"

She takes a deliberate sniff, nose scrunched up, but shakes her head. "It just smells like it always does, to me…"

"Huh." Natsu shrugs, then laces his fingers behind his head. "Well, I'm gonna look around a bit, see if anything changed. You and Sakura-chan can totally chat without me! I'll be over in a bit!"

"Alright then." Mebuki offers a small smile, then turns towards the cabin visible through the trees. Natsu turns the opposite direction, poking around the Field, occasionally climbing trees, but nothing looks different.

Only the smells change. Here a bit more fiery, there a bit more like magnolia flowers and the unique scent of the rainbow sakura trees, similar and yet distinctly different from the normal scent of Sakura-chan's mindscape.

Natsu sighs. He'd really hoped the changing scent meant he could just… find a bridge back to his own mindscape, his own body.

Shoulda known it wouldn't be so easy …

He turns around, heading back towards the cabin, pausing a moment as he catches sight of Sakura-chan and her mother.

Ever since that first time, Mebuki-san always put her fingers through the narrow gap of the window, touching her daughter as much as the barrier will let her, and for a moment Natsu wonders why he's surprised by it now. He takes a few steps closer before he realizes that Mebuki-san's entire hand extends through the window, wrapped tight around Sakura's own.

Natsu bolts up the porch steps before it even occurs to him not to, dropping to a crouch just next to Mebuki-san and feeling the window frame.

This close to it, the damage is obvious.

"Sakura-chan? What happened?" He asks, looking up to check her for injuries, because this is her mind, and the window is warped, and that can't be good, right?

Sakura-chan smiles, gripping her mother's hand in her own right, and slipping her left under the glass to touch Natsu's, resting on the windowsill.

"Both doors got really hot, and flames even started licking from under the second one…" she starts, squeezing his hand, a sheepish expression creeping across her face. "It was so intense, I started wondering if I could actually melt inside my own mind, i-it… well I didn't get hurt! Promise kaa-san! But it was a little scary for a bit… I came back to my bedroom because I didn't want to be too close to the doors, and the window was hazy…" she trails off, shifting a bit awkwardly.

"Sakura-chan?" Mebuki asks, pressing closer to the window, and Sakura looks down.
"I… I thought I could see something. Like a reflection in the glass… I saw Naruto? And Kakashi-sensei. And I've never seen anything before, at all, so I ran to the window and tried to touch it… I guess it seems a bit silly huh? But the window was really warm to the touch, and something felt different about it, even though I don't think I could describe it… I tried to pull it open more, and at first it wasn't moving at all! But then everything got warmer, and suddenly I saw in the glass a lot of fire, only I couldn't see Naruto or sensei anymore, only me surrounded by fire. But nothing burned me, and instead the window just opened a bit more! And then I saw the fire normally, not in the reflection I mean, as it slipped over my hands and out of the cabin… it disappeared after that though." Sakura ducks her head down a bit sheepishly. "Everything's been a bit boring since then, I sort of hoped you'd swing by after the fire, but you didn't, so I've just been waiting…"

Natsu winces, scratching idly at his head. "Sorry, Sakura-chan! I really should have, huh? I just spent so much time trying to figure out Naruto's secret that I totally forgot about anything else…" he chuckles a bit, offering her a sheepish grin of his own. "I'll tell you everything later, promise! But has anything else changed other than the window? Cause it smells different out here to me, though your mom couldn't tell…"

Sakura-chan hums consideringly. "Not that I've been able to tell, though now that you mention it it still feels warmer in here than it did before. Not that it was cold!" Sakura-chan waves one hand, laughing a bit, "but now it's actually really, noticeably warm. There hasn't been anything else though."

"I don't really know if that's a good sign or a bad one," Natsu grumbles, feeling at the damaged window frame. "I guess now that we're back I'm gonna have to ask Inoichi-san if he can take a look." He scowls a bit, because the lessons are useful but he just wants this fixed already. "Even if you're alright, I don't know if it's okay that the window is damaged like this." He scowls as he runs his fingers over the cracked frame. "You're sure nothing hurts?"

Sakura-chan shakes her head. "I haven't felt any different at all really, but I wouldn't mind talking to Inoichi-san again. Maybe with everything that's happened, he can do something?"

Natsu shrugs, standing up and stretching. "I dunno if I'd count on that, but at least he should be able to explain it all right? That's like, his job or something?"

Sakura-chan rolls her eyes, scoffing a bit. "You should really be more polite, especially since he's teaching you personal family techniques to help us!" She looks at him then. "Do you want to stay…?"

Natsu fights off the urge to grimace, waving away her offer with a cheerful smile. "It's alright, I'll leave you guys to finish talking! I'll be down by the lake when you're done, Mebuki-san!"

She nods, offering a smile of her own before turning back to her daughter, and Natsu walks away.

After a whole month, it shouldn't be so awkward but…

Natsu sits himself down on the lake shore, propping his chin in his hands, and stares down at the water. If he squints and tilts his head, the ripples look… pink? He leans forward, moving one hand to brace against the ground as he tries to get a closer look, and for a second it nearly looks like a person-

"Natsu-kun?"

He yelps, tumbling forward to splash in the water as he scrambles to turn and face-

"M-Mebuki-san? I just barely left!" He spits out a mouthful of water as he steps up out of the lake, and Sakura's mother gives him an odd look.

"Did you lose track of time? Natsu left us quite a while ago…"

"I-I guess maybe I did," he says, though Natsu's fairly sure that's not it.

Mindscapes are weird, and the longer this thing with Sakura-chan goes on, Natsu feels more and more like their mindscape might be weirder than most.

He shrugs off the thoughts, offering Mebuki a grin. "Ready to go?"

She glances back towards the cabin, then turns back around. "As I ever am," she murmurs, and Natsu takes her hand and concentrates on those threads of power that lead back to their bodies.

He'll have to tell Sakura-chan all about the mission later, he muses, as he blinks to awareness in the physical world.

Might as well do it when I talk to Inoichi-san, since he'll probably want to know too- WAIT!

Didn't I have that stupid report thing I was supposed to write?!

Natsu groans, sprawling over Sakura-chan's desk and letting the pen slip between his fingers to tumble to the floor.

Outside the window, the sun has all but disappeared beyond the horizon, and Sakura-chan's parents came home from their delayed… whatever it was they went on almost an hour ago and now they're getting ready for bed and the stupid report just mocks him!

He sits up, propping his elbow on the desk and his face in his hand, and glares down at the blank report sheets in front of him.

Well.

Not entirely blank.

Team June 3rd XXXX

On this day

There was this old drunk guy

On June 3rd, this Team 7-

…

Really it might as well be blank.

Natsu groans again, fingers itching to just burn the report to ash, and maybe the entire desk with it.

Or the house. Or the village.

Every single flammable thing in range of his magic sounds a bit nice right now.

Natsu's head hits the desk with a solid thunk as he whimpers. He can practically feel the steam come out his ears as he tries to figure out how he's supposed to write the stupid thing.

"Happyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy…"

The whine slips out before Natsu can stop it, for all that he didn't really bother trying. Happy's probably not any better at report-writing than he is, but at least they could waste time coming up with ridiculous things to say while they tried to decide what to write… Like that one time the Master expected him to explain how he'd managed to get the guild landed with nearly 100k jewels in fees, and when he tried to stutter through an explanation (because Erza was supposed to be in the guild that day, but he didn't see her, which really meant she was just waiting for the right moment to show up, right?!) Makarov just gave up and told him to write it out because he had to go to a meeting with the client's representative, and Natsu and Happy just ended up writing out a shopping list for fish…

The look on the Master's face was hilarious!

Erza's face when she came back from the cake shop and found out about the situation…

Natsu shudders, whimpering again at the memory of her wrath.

It's not like I knew that stupid cart had some ridiculous rare painting or whatever!

"Everything alright in here?"

Natsu yelps at Kizashi's sudden voice and tumbles off the chair, caught mid-motion in reaching for his dropped pen.

Kizashi opens the door, already dressed in a sleeping yukata, and looks around until his eyes drift downwards, where Natsu is sprawled on the floor fingers still clutching the pen. He chuckles a bit, stepping forward and stretching out an arm. "Need a hand?"

Natsu rolls over, buries his face in the carpet, and groans.

"Would you like to sit up and tell me what the problem is then? I'm afraid I'm not quite so fluent in Muffle as I used to be."

Natsu pushes himself up until he's cross-legged on the floor, dropping the pen in front of him. "Writing reports is stupid." He mutters after a moment, glaring at the pen.

"Oh?" Kizashi stands up and leans over the desk. "Hmm… you haven't gotten very far have you?"

"It's stupid!" Natsu snaps back, crossing his arms and looking away, and Sakura's father sighs, before turning and leaving the room.

Natsu leaps to his feet, nearly tripping over himself as he turns around, but before he can decide whether he was just going to close the door again or ask Kizashi to wait, the man comes back with a second chair in his arms. Natsu gapes, causing the older man to chuckle.

"Well, grab the pen Natsu-kun. I'll see how much I can help… Has Kakashi-san not had you write any before?"

Natsu shrugs, bending down to swipe the pen before taking his own seat. He glares at the paper. "He said they aren't really required for D-ranks and we'd only need them for higher-level jobs… so we just didn't work on it, I guess."

"Aah." Kizashi rummages through the drawers, until he finds a clean sheaf of paper. "Some jonin-sensei are like that, more than happy to teach combat skills and less than fond of the other side of shinobi life. They'll usually foist the genin off on Academy teachers again if the genin's report-writing skills are lacking, so I can't say I'm too surprised… can I ask what sort of problem you feel like you're having?"

"You mean besides how stupid it is?" Natsu grumbles, shoulders sagging.

Kizashi snorts. "Oh I wouldn't go that far. It's really just a basic summary, nothing hard about it."

"How am I supposed to know what sort of information a yami guild wants in their reports? I still don't even know why they want me to write it, I already said everything important in-person!" Natsu throws his hands up and slides down in the chair a bit, sulking. "I never had to do any paperwork back home and I went on way higher-ranked jobs…"

"Really?" Kizashi turns towards him, looking politely curious. "No one ever had to do paperwork where you're from?"

"I mean…" Natsu trails off for a second, thinking. "Levy would do lots of paperwork, usually because she did really complicated paper jobs anyway. Like decoding or curse-breaking and stuff, you know? Complicated stuff, so people liked it when she wrote papers explaining her work or at least proving she did it, since you can't always tell at first glance I guess… And Mirajane would do inventories and stuff, I know she complained once cause I lit it on fire and she had to start from scratch and made me help since I ruined all her work… And the Council sends the Master lots of paperwork, but I don't know what most of that is about. He lights it on fire himself sometimes though, so…" Natsu shrugs, grinning. "It's just never been important!"

"Are you sure those Council papers aren't missives asking where your paperwork is…?" Kizashi mutters, more to himself than Natsu. "You guys don't sound too well-managed…"

Natsu laughs. "Eh who needs that! The Council gets annoyed sometimes, but it's not like we ever do anything illegal, so they can't really complain, ahahaha!" He grins widely, and Kizashi sighs in response.

"I pity your Council. Now, aside from the paperwork being stupid as you say, do you think you could explain what sort of issue you're having?"

Natsu bites back another groan, and turns to the desk. He should probably take it a little seriously, he supposes, for all that he'd rather just- go to bed or hunt down Sasuke for a spar or anything else really. "I've never done something like this before." He mutters after a minute, poking around the blank sheet of paper with the back of his pen. "So I don't even know how to start, or how rich-people-ish I should make it sound, or if I've gotta do it like a shopping list where I just put everything down on individual lines…"

"Rich-people-ish?" Kizashi mimics, eyebrow raised, and Natsu chuffs.

"You know. Fancy talk. 'Egregious' and 'Preposterous' and other big fancy words like that. Rich-people-ish."

"I… see. Well, for a standard C-rank, there's a specific header format - the date you started the mission on the top right corner of the parchment, the date you finished the mission on the bottom left. Standard C-rank reports don't tend to take more than a page, unless they're long escorts or have an unusually intense fight, so that's really all that's needed. Your mission was an escort, right?"

"Yeah," Natsu mutters, because if that's what's needed for a standard C-rank, then he's pretty sure he's in for a lot more work. "But it was a mis-ranked mission. The client lied, and Kakashi said it was more like an A-rank really. But we continued anyway, so we have to write a report for a mis-ranked job, and there were a couple big fights…"

Kizashi blanches, then scoots his chair closer.

"Alright, for a mis-ranked mission, there's actually a bit more protocol involved." Natsu sighs as Sakura-chan's father continues. "First, the cover page. Basically, it's designed to summarize the mission you initially signed up for, the original rank, and whether or not the misranking was deliberate or accidental and why - in the shinobi's estimation - that's the case. Both happen, though it's usually not deliberate for genin, the village works hard to avoid that…" Kizashi scowls then, before shaking it off to turn an encouraging look on Natsu. "If you'd like, you can start easy - date of the mission start in the upper corner, and then begin with something like, "The client -name- hired out Team 7 for an escort mission on this date, to protect him on his return to…" and go from there. I can read over it once you're done with that, before we move on to the second page. Alright?"

Natsu nods, a little hesitantly, and pulls the paper closer to start as Kizashi suggested. It only takes four tries before Kizashi pronounces it 'good enough', which Natsu won't admit out loud is probably half of what he expected to need, though as Kizashi sets the approved first page aside and pulls out a blank sheet for the second, he gets the feeling it'll only get worse from here.

"Now that we've covered that part, there's actually a couple acceptable ways to write out the official mission report. You can either do it chronologically, writing out everything that happened in the order it happened, or you can write it narratively. With the latter, you write out the important parts first, then write out everything else that happened at the end of the report. Usually you'd start with how you found out the mission was mis-ranked for a narrative report, and end with how you met the client or how you returned to the village unless either of those happened to be rather important. Usually, jonin and special ops will favor narrative reports, so that all the important information is right at the front, but they're a bit harder to write so unless you take a lot of really sensitive missions, it's easier for most to just use a chronological record." Kizashi pauses for a moment, and Natsu tries not to make a face. Why are there different kinds of paperwork anyway?! Kizashi reaches over and ruffles his hair, ignoring Natsu's retaliatory swipe. "Since I'm sure you'd rather do it chronologically, the standard format for that is to write out the summary across however many pages you need, and put the dates of the mission those pages cover in the upper-right corner. So if you write out the report, and the first page covers a day and a half, you might put June 3rd to June 4th (morn) so that at a glance they know what date range the page covers. For a team like yours, the captain, in this case Kakashi, will likely have a narrative report that they can use to get the most important dates and times from, allowing them to know which pages in yours to flip through to see those if they choose. Aside from that, it's really just a matter of writing out the mission exactly as it happened. Go ahead and write out the first page, I'll tell you if it feels like anything's missing, alright?"

"Why do they need reports from all of us," Natsu grumbles as he hunches over and starts writing, though he doesn't really expect an answer.

Kizashi supplies one anyway. "For mis-ranked missions, and honestly any higher-ranked job, it can actually be quite important. Different people notice different things, and being forced to think over a mission in the act of writing it out makes it more likely to be comprehensive than if you're just thinking of everything off the top of your head while someone asks you questions. Sometimes, the little things you don't even think about noticing can have huge impacts on future missions in the village, or even for your team. I've heard tell that some S-rank missions actually require having a specially-trained Yamanaka assist you in writing out the report just to make sure absolutely nothing is missed. That could just be a rumor, or something Ino-chan made up, though I admit it sounds quite logical to me. It's also true that in jobs like this especially, Konoha likes to have a record of the motives behind your choices as much as the choices themselves, to create a baseline for behavior. It's likely more useful for Naruto and Sasuke, as far as they're concerned, since if you end up going back home your profiles won't apply to Sakura-chan at all, but it's still better to have them than not."

"Huh." Natsu glances at his companion, then back to the report. "That makes sense I guess. They wanna know why we picked stuff, so that they can try and predict what sort of stuff we'll pick in the future… uh, I don't remember, is this character supposed to have the downstroke on the bottom or the top?"

Kizashi leans over, glancing to where his pen is. "Top- why are you even using that word?" The older man raises an eyebrow, and Natsu snorts.

"Because no other word is strong enough to describe how awful it was, I mean really! I know he was only drinking so much to try an' fool the admin guys, but still! The stench was so bad…"

Kizashi laughs, and Natsu grins back before trying to jot down everything he remembers noticing from when they left.

Er.

"They don't need anything from before we walked out the gates, do they…?"

"Well, if anything relevant happened before you left then you really should put it down…"

Natsu groans, dropping his face onto the report.

"Snot like it's important, I just thought his drinking was too much…"

"Best be thorough Natsu-kun! Come on, here's a new sheet!"

Natsu glares, suddenly wondering if this is some unique form of torture. Kizashi just smiles encouragingly, pushing a blank sheet of paper over, and Natsu reluctantly drags it closer, refusing to sit back up as he writes from an awkwardly sprawled position.

I hate yami guilds...

Chapter 35: Interlude VI: A Frank Discussion

Notes:

My beta reader finds less and less wrong with every chapter.

I do not know if this is a good thing or a bad thing.

This one is a little shorter than normal, just an interlude to help clarify a few things and, of course, to answer the most common chunin exam question…

There's probably gonna be one more slow/intermediate chapter before the start of the exams, cause the plot of the fic is picking back up then and I like procrastination.

Also because this interlude didn't want to be from any of the kids' POVs we don't see at least one more thing I want to show before we start that arc…

As always, thanks for reading!

Chapter Text

Kakashi slips into his office with the soundless grace he would expect of an assassination-specialist.

Hiruzen waits for the younger man to speak first, and only gives in to their silent battle when Kakashi begins to reach for his book.

He breaks the silence with a sigh, and Kakashi freezes mid-motion, before falling back into a parade rest.

"You've made a lot of excuses not to report to me over the past month, Hatake-san. But this…" he rests his hand over Kakashi's report and watches the former ANBU's shoulders sag. "Duragneel has been on your team for a month, and I trust you. So I have given you leave to handle it your way. But this was too close to disaster. Report, Shinobi."

Kakashi takes a deep breath, and Hiruzen wonders at the implications of that.

"I'm sure I'm only reiterating what Yamanaka-san has reported to you before, but Natsu is a genuinely good person. Speaking frankly, perhaps too good, morally, to succeed in shinobi life. I believe that's why you're still looking for solutions to return him home, rather than induct him into the village?" Kakashi trails off and tilts his head, but Hiruzen just nods him to continue. Inoichi had a lot more to say than just that Dragneel wasn't a threat. "He works well with Team 7, and genuinely worries about Sakura as well. He acts younger than his years. I wouldn't have assumed him over fourteen or fifteen if not for the henge he used to show his own body, after all. He is used to a very unusual way of utilizing chakra, as I described in my report. He-"

"Kakashi." Hiruzen interrupts, though he silently despairs. Just the way Kakashi dodged around what he wants to know is answer enough, after all.

Kakashi must realize as well, because his posture slumps. "Naruto looks up to him, and even Sasuke follows his lead more often than not, these days. Whether it's a matter of age or just charisma, he's slowly stepped into the position of leader between the three of them. He's not bad either, for all that he's sometimes a bit reckless, he genuinely cares about them and does his best to take care of them. Naruto's feeling a lot better since their conversation about the kyuubi-"

Kakashi cuts himself off as Hiruzen pinches the bridge of his nose. He almost doesn't want to ask. "When we find a way to return Duragneel to his home, will Team 7 look for him?"

Tellingly, instead of saying no, Kakashi dances around the question. "They don't have the resources to explore the outer continent, and Natsu hasn't been forthcoming with the details of his home outside of what Inoichi already asked. It would be quite the undertaking, as I'm sure they know. We can impress the details upon them as well, if you're concerned."

"You'd help them, wouldn't you?" Hiruzen asks, more to himself than Kakashi. He knows Kakashi wouldn't flee the village for it, but if his other students found a reliable lead, well…

Both Inoichi and Kakashi agree that Natsu Dragneel is a good person.

Hiruzen thinks that might be the problem, and he pulls out his pipe, taking his time to light it and smoke idly for a minute.

Now for the hard part.

"Team 7 will not be participating in the Chunin Exams."

To his benefit, Kakashi does not immediately object, taking a moment to relax his posture before responding. "I understand that there is still a significant difference in strength between Natsu and his teammates, but I do not feel it is so wide as to be worth holding them back from advancement because of it."

"Would Team 7 accept a different teammate for the exams in place of Duragneel?"

Kakashi sighs. "They would, but… they wouldn't be able to work together right from the start. I'd need time to help them adjust."

Hiruzen nods. "I had hoped, as I'm sure everyone involved has, that this would be an easy problem to solve. But all Inoichi's expertise has failed to provide a resolution, and Duragneel himself does not even know how this happened, only that he attempted an unusual jutsu and ended up here. But it is as you say - he is a fundamentally good person, and it would be unwise to promote him and expect him to perform jobs that might stand in contradiction to that. And even you agree that Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun would not be able to immediately accept a new teammate in time for the exams. As such, they will not participate. You may explain the reason to them if you wish, and run exercises with other teams at your own discretion, as long as you believe Duragneel can keep this matter from spreading."

Kakashi doesn't flinch, too well-trained to have such a tell, but the way he starts to relax is as obvious to Hiruzen as anything more obvious.

He takes a deep drag of his pipe.

"Who has found out?" He asks, careful to keep any emotion out of his voice.

"Umino Iruka and the Ichiraku chef, Teuchi. His daughter was out of earshot, and I asked him not to say anything after the others left."

Not as bad as it could have been then. Teuchi was investigated by the ANBU after Naruto started spending a lot of time at his stand, and all the Academy teachers were more thoroughly investigated after Mizuki's betrayal, but still…

"I see." Hiruzen says at last, drawing slowly on his pipe. "I would truly prefer to keep this from spreading. I understand it may be an unreasonable request, especially as the longer Duragneel stays here, the more difficult it will be to keep him away from those who could guess that something is wrong. At the very least, it must be kept quiet until after the Exams are done. Once the other villages have withdrawn their shinobi, it might be best to inform people ourselves, but I would prefer to keep such a glaring weakness quiet."

Kakashi nods. "Of course, Hokage-sama. But, if I may ask, how will we explain to those on the advisory council why Team 7 is not participating? Danzo-sama at the very least will be suspicious."

Hiruzen scowls around his pipe. "He already is, if I am being honest. Not necessarily of Sakura-chan and Natsu themselves, but of why I have deliberately held Team 7 separate from other teams. He has questioned me about it, not so directly, but as our biggest argument has always been regarding teamwork and how strongly it should be pushed to our shinobi, the fact that I have discouraged Team 7 from working with other teams has stood out to him and left him quite bold. He makes insinuations of danger, mostly against Naruto-kun, and I'm sure others on the council will begin to believe him when Team 7 is not nominated."

"Then what will we do?" Kakashi asks, voice tinted with concern. Hiruzen is old, and makes choices he regrets more often than choices he doesn't, these days, but it still warms him to see how Kakashi has grown.

"I will tell them the truth: that Naruto-kun lost control of the kyuubi and killed an enemy shinobi on his last mission, and that we would not wish to inflict that on the villages participating in this exam. It may distress some of them, but in truth it is the only excuse we have if we wish to avoid giving Danzo the support he needs to… reeducate Naruto. Some may still support him in pushing for that, but as long as we make clear that we have the situation under control, he will not have so much support as to begin making things difficult."

Kakashi nods. "Danzo will find out about Natsu sooner or later, Hokage-sama. And you and I both know how he would react to such a situation. How will we deal with that?"

The question alone makes Hiruzen feel ten times his age. He has not interacted with Natsu much, has deliberately kept himself impartial, but he knows Danzo's draconian methods all too well. And he would not inflict such methods on anyone less than his enemies. He sighs.

"We will delay that for as long as possible. Even his paranoid mind will not immediately jump to such a conclusion, as long as we can keep Duragneel out of his eye. And afterwards…" He trails off, ideas flitting through his mind one after the other.

It would be a mistake not to plan for Danzo's eventual discovery of the situation, but it is far from a simple matter, after all…

Kakashi saunters up to Team 7's meeting grounds twenty minutes late, and grins behind his mask as Naruto jumps up to lambast him.

"Maa, someone's feeling better. I suppose that means you feel you did rather well writing your report last night?"

Naruto freezes, then laughs nervously. "Ehehe, I mean, I got it done…?"

Kakashi raises an eyebrow. "Really now?"

"Don't sound so disbelieving! I totally did it, 'ttebayo!"

"Mm." Kakashi turns to Sasuke and extends a hand. He fishes the report out of his pack and hands it over, staring straight at Naruto the entire time. Kakashi's blond student splutters, scrambling for his own pack and pulling out a stained, poorly-folded, and slightly ripped sheet of parchment. Oblivious to Kakashi's horrified stare, Naruto digs back into the pack and comes out with two more equally-tattered sheets which he squints between before putting them in the right order and handing them over with a triumphant expression.

Kakashi doesn't know what to say as he accepts the papers, and he glances between the report and Naruto a couple times. "What did you do to it?"

Naruto looks at him, confused, then glances back down to the report. "Ooooh, the paper! Apparently there was a leak in my apartment while we were gone, and the owner didn't get it fixed until like, two days ago, so I don't have any good paper and when I tried to dry that out I tore it a bit… We haven't got our pay yet so I couldn't buy anymore, and even though Iruka-sensei helped me figure out how to write it, I left to write the real thing by myself because if I'm gonna be Hokage I can't have him reading over everything, but I hadn't realized my paper was ruined until afterwards and I couldn't just go all the way back to his place to borrow more! It was good enough to write on, 'ttebayo!"

There are a lot of unusual things Kakashi would consider 'good enough to write on', and the paper in his hands is exactly zero of them. But the handwriting looks somewhat legible, so he sighs and gently places it into his own pack alongside Sasuke's.

That can be the Hokage's problem, as far as he's concerned. Once he's certain the report won't be damaged any further he turns toward Natsu, steeling himself for despair.

"I thought you were going to go over them with us?" He asks, cheeky, and Kakashi chuckles.

"If Naruto's wasn't in genuine danger of falling apart with the slightest gust of wind I would, but I'm afraid I can't risk it. Consider yourself spared, ne~?"

Natsu laughs, sticking his hand in his kunai pouch and Kakashi is already thinking up apologies for the Hokage when he pulls out… a properly bound scroll?!

"Kiza- ah, I mean Sakura-chan's dad helped me write it out, and he let me use one of the old scrolls he still has? Though he said he doesn't have any properly-colored ones because he never had enough rank to need them…"

Kakashi takes the scroll and stares at it for a moment. It's against all protocol for Natsu to have discussed the mission with anyone not cleared for briefing, and he thinks about reprimanding the pinkette, but…

He rolls the scroll over between his palms and slips it into his own pack.

He's not going to complain about a good thing.

At least Natsu put in the effort, which is more than he honestly expected.

Now, for advice…

"Maa, if you go to the Administration desk you can request a properly-coded scroll for any mission rank or circumstance. This is your first report, so I'll let it slide, but in the future I expect all of you to turn the reports in on proper scrolls, and not…" He glances down to scowl at his pack, then smiles back at Naruto. "Not whatever scraps of water-damaged tissue you manage to scrounge off the floor. Ne~?"

Naruto crosses his arms and grumbles about how Iruka-sensei didn't tell him that, and Sasuke responds before Kakashi can.

"He covered it in the mission prep classes, dobe."

"Wha- I didn't see you turning your report in on a scroll, dattebayo!"

"Hn."

Naruto leaps up and tackles Sasuke. "You totally forgot didn't you! Ha! The great Uchiha Sasuke, forgetting his lessons! Eat dir-!"

Kakashi stands back and watches as Sasuke throws Naruto into the air, rolling over and pouncing on the blond as he lands.

Kakashi gets the vague impression that he should perhaps do something about this, but…

Natsu rushes past him then and tackles both the other boys as they just regain their footing, quickly turning it into a three-way free-for-all, and Kakashi steps backwards, carefully fading into the background.

The bad news can wait until after they've exhausted themselves in a sparring match he decides, and if he throws a few chakra threads here and there to trip them up and keep the fight going as long as possible, well…

They can hardly call themselves shinobi if they're not watching out for sabotage, now can they~?

Chapter 36

Notes:

Sorry this is late! I got distracted binge-reading fic. I even discovered an old favorite author here on AO3 from back in the Livejournal days! I'm so happy! I plan to binge read even more of their fics ASAP.

I MUST READ ALL THE NEW FIC.

Anyway. Chapter's a bit longer than normal, to sort of make up for last week's short one I guess.

I apologize if Natsu is a little OOC. When I binge-read fic it kinda taints my image of characters and they all blur together in my mind and it's harder to write them properly which is why binge-reading should not happen until *after* I finish chapters.

Also my roommate still doesn't read/watch Fairy Tail, so she can't tell me when Natsu sounds out of character. *le sigh*

I had a second beta reader who specifically helped with my Natsu characterizations but the last time we talked they said that we should speak later because they were in the middle of stuff and I was never sure if *I* was supposed to reach out to them or if they'd reach out to me when they were done, and now it's too awkward. Alas.

ANYWAY!

Hopefully, once more, this chapter is not as bad as I fear. I am a fearful person by nature so I shall be hopeful that I am being unnecessarily fearful instead of having genuine cause for concern.

But as always, thanks for reading!

Chapter Text

The next few days fall into an easy routine as Kakashi splits their days between training and more D-rank jobs. By the eleventh job with no sign of the she-demon bane of the genin, Natsu drags his teammates aside.

"Is it just me or is it suspicious how we haven't had to hunt that b- Tora yet?"

"Definitely suspicious! Have you seen how Kakashi-sensei's been working us too? We never spent so long training before! He's plotting something!" Naruto whisper-shouts, peering around as though expecting Kakashi to jump out at any moment.

Considering how the last three days have gone, Natsu can't blame him.

"Hn."

Sasuke adds his agreement with a flicker of his Sharingan.

Natsu very carefully doesn't look around for Kakashi, because someone has to be the non-paranoid one here.

"Ah! There you are, my cute little genin!"

Kakashi jumps off a nearby roof and lands easily between Naruto and Sasuke, smiling with his eye as he ruffles their hair.

"Wha-! We're not late sensei!" Naruto cries, flailing to get away. Sasuke shifts as far as Kakashi's hand will let him to avoid Naruto's reckless strikes as the sensei laughs.

"Maa, of course not! I just thought we'd have an early start today, and imagine my surprise when I found all of you had already left! What have you been up to all on your lonesome, hm~?"

Sasuke grunts dismissively and Naruto chuckles, clearly nervous. Natsu scrambles for a lie, because if they mention Tora, Kakashi will put them on that mission every day for the next year and Sakura-chan at least doesn't deserve that-!

Naruto babbles nervously about pranks, and Kakashi raises a disbelieving brow, but Sasuke doesn't react and Natsu can totally work with that!

So he tosses his hands behind his head and grins. "Nothin' wrong with a good prank, sensei," he starts casually, because the first rule of getting out of trouble is looking like getting in trouble is no big deal. Kakashi turns that disbelieving gaze onto him, and Natsu grins wider in return.

"What? I like pranks, and apparently Naruto's really really good! And it's not like there's any rules against it, is there?"

Naruto blushes, face lighting up as he hunches his shoulders up near his chin and it's nearly enough to make Natsu stop and stare because what?

What did I say?!

"You really expect me to believe that Sasuke-kun was helping you plan a prank?" Kakashi asks, and Sasuke snorts.

"Those losers couldn't plan their way out of a patchwork sack, and they promised to make it worth my time." He brushes Kakashi's hand off his head and shoulder-checks Natsu on his way down the street. "But I'd rather be training anyway."

Sasuke's casual arrogance is so infuriating that Natsu nearly misses the fact that the Uchiha actually supported their story. He spits out a rough, "Bastard!" anyway, grabbing Naruto's hand as he jogs to catch up to their brilliant jerk of a teammate.

"Actually," Kakashi interjects, and all three freeze to look at him. "I was thinking we might use a new training ground. Let's head to ground 36, shall we?"

Training grounds 36 is an obstacle course. Which Natsu wouldn't have much of a problem with by itself, really. It's not how he prefers to train, but anything is better than Tora, or going back to trying to get the hang of that stupid bunshin.

But an obstacle course with Kakashi actively interfering to mess them up in order to force them into helping each other out is miserable. Natsu stumbles out the other side of the course three hours later, feeling uncomfortably sticky with his own blood.

It's not that he's a stranger to blood, he's been in enough fights to be quite familiar with it, but bleeding during training isn't something he's used to at all.

He cants a suspicious glance towards Team 7's sensei.

No Tora mission, extra training, now this… there's something funny going on here!

He doesn't get a chance to question Kakashi about it though, because just as he's caught his breath and straightens up to face the man, a green blur bursts into the only clear part of the training field.

"Kakashi, my Eternal Rival!" Natsu freezes, and he catches Sasuke stiffening in the corner of his eye. Gai continues heedlessly. "I know you have many unyouthful habits, my Rival, but surely even you must draw the line! To not only be late, but to skip Hokage-sama's meeting entirely! And so I have sought you out! Tell me now that you will nominate your team for the exams, and I shall rush back to report it! And if I am late, I will run five hundred laps around Konoha! Yosh!"

"Wha? What exam? We have to take a test?" Naruto chokes out, horrified, and Natsu winces. Gai turns to look at them, and a feeling of doom creeps down his spine.

"You do not know?" he gasps, looking back to Kakashi. "My Rival, how could you! To not even inform your team! Truly my own students will win with ease if this is how well you have prepared them!"

"Maa…" Kakashi sighs, nose buried in a book. "Did you even wait for Hokage-sama to finish speaking before you rushed out here, Gai?"

"I do not understand you! I nominated my team and thought to seek you out while the others nominated theirs! I-"

"They won't be participating." Kakashi sounds exhausted to Natsu, though his posture remains casual as he thumbs through his book. Gai turns fully to face him.

"My Rival, surely I misheard you! This is a great chance! To try your team against mine, to see who is the better teacher! You would deprive your genin the chance to compete?"

Kakashi turns a page idly. "That's rather unyouthful of you Gai. You gave your team a year to train before entering them, but I'm not allowed to do the same?"

"Urk!" Gai startles, dropping his accusatory finger. "That is… of course I understand, but I waited a year only because the previous exam was in Kumo, and I thought for Neji-kun's sake… but for you to take your team out of the village on their first exam, when the current exam is here in Konoha, surely at least giving them the exposure would not be amiss, my Rival!"

"I discussed it with Hokage-sama previously, Gai. The decision is final. Now, if you wouldn't mind, we were training…" Kakashi trails off pointedly, though the effect feels ruined by his disinterested tone.

Gai shuffles his feet. "Kakashi… I know you did not want a team, but if you are holding back your students only because you feel uncomfortable… rather, if you would like to talk about it…"

Kakashi closes his book with a sharp snap.

Naruto jumps at the sound as Kakashi looks up to the green-clad man. "It was Hokage-sama's decision due to the results of Team 7's previous mission. If you're so invested, perhaps you should argue with him?"

Gai narrows his eyes, and turns abruptly. "Of course my Rival! And if I cannot change his mind, I will do a thousand pushups! Yosh!" he takes off, a blur of green quickly fading into the distance, though his receding shouts fill the small clearing for moments afterwards.

Kakashi's shoulders droop as he puts away his book.

"What test was he talking about?" Sasuke asks immediately, as though Kakashi's movement broke a spell.

Kakashi sighs, looking up to the sky. "The chunin exams are held twice a year, and take place in a different village each time on a rotating schedule. Genin who participate and make a good showing can be promoted a rank to chunin, and allowed to take both missions without their jonin-sensei and higher-rank missions, within reason and tailored to their skillsets. They might also take missions with entirely different teams of chunin, if not everyone on their genin team passed." Kakashi pauses for a moment, before lowering himself to sit cross-legged on the ground. "Everyone was hoping to find a way to return Natsu to his home before the Exams happened, because they will involve a lot of foreign shinobi in our village. Obviously, that hasn't quite worked out. Hokage-sama made clear that if Team 7 wanted to participate they'd need a different teammate, to keep Natsu away from the foreigners. So I made the decision not to nominate you at all."

"What?" Natsu blurts out. "That's not fair at all! I mean, sure, you guys are paranoid and it's stupid but that's just how yami guilds are! Why are you holding Naruto and Sasuke back because of it?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Naruto shakes his head. "We should all be allowed to participate! None of those guys from other countries even know Natsu so how would they tell him apart from Sakura-chan? We should be able to go together! Dattebayo!"

Kakashi raises an eyebrow. "Really now? So, when all of your Academy classmates call him Sakura-chan, but you keep calling him Natsu-kun, no one is going to be suspicious? At all? It's not as though Natsu will even be able to fool all of your classmates, and all it takes is one of them blurting it out at the wrong moment to inform all of Konoha's… visitors. It's far safer to leave him out of the exams, and keep this secret for as long as possible."

"Why did you refuse to let us have a different teammate then?" Sasuke asks, eyes narrowed, though Natsu notes with some relief that he's glaring at Kakashi and not him.

They were just becoming friends!

It'd suck if it all got ruined now!

"Teme! Of course we're not gonna replace Natsu!"

Sasuke ignores Naruto, staring at Kakashi, and the blond growls. Natsu stands uncomfortably between them, with no idea what to do.

It's not like I wanna get promoted in a yami guild! But I'm just supposed to sit around bored while everyone else gets to fight new people?! No way!

"Calm down Naruto. And Sasuke, by now you should be aware. Konoha, more than any other nation, emphasizes teamwork. Most of the genin without a team are older ones, whose teammates have either promoted or died. If I put a stranger of that sort on this team, Naruto would resent them for not being Natsu, you would try to assert yourself as the team's leader, and they would fight back, seeing themselves as the more experienced shinobi deserving of being in charge. You'd all spend so much time fighting each other that I honestly believe you would not pass the exam. As such, if you and Naruto would like, we can arrange for you to practice with other people going forward so that, if this situation is still an issue by the next exam, you can take a new teammate with reasonable chances of passing. However, Hokage-sama has made clear that Natsu will not be participating. And I have no intention of entering you and Naruto-kun into an exam you will not pass, with a complete stranger at the last possible minute."

Sasuke crosses his arms and glares. "You don't know that I'd fail!"

Kakashi stares up at him, entirely relaxed. "My decision is final."

Things go downhill from there.

The clearing will never look the same, truly.

Copious amounts of fire does that to a field.

Natsu reminds himself that jutsu-fire sucks, his magic is way cooler, and he tries not to be too jealous that he can't help burn everything.

"Sasuke's such a jerk!" Naruto glares, crossing his arms as he wanders without direction and scowls at everything.

Natsu laughs, casually lacing his fingers behind his head as he keeps pace with the blond.

"It's not funny! He- he was just- acting like we could replace you! You're our teammate! Even when we get Sakura-chan back, Natsu's still our teammate! We can't just replace you!"

Natsu wonders, sometimes, why Sakura-chan didn't tell Inoichi he was from a completely different world, even though she knows. But while he knows sparing… their… teammates' feelings likely had nothing to do to it, he's found it might become his own reason.

An Anima created by the world of Edolas and a complete coincidence no one can figure out are the only hints he's ever had that inter-world travel even exists, and the shinobi villages don't seem to study it either.

Somehow, the words slip out without conscious thought on his part.

"It wouldn't be like that."

Naruto spins around, horrified. "What do you mean! Of course it would! Sakura-chan's our teammate and Natsu is too and when you get back to your own body we'll find each other! We're Team 7! All of us! Even Sasuke, even though he's a jerk, s-so we'll be together! You can bring your friends here too, I don't care! Or- or I don't know! But-!"

"I'm not from the Outer Continents." Natsu's not sure why he says it, why he's telling Naruto the truth, but…

This isn't his world. And he likes the members of Team 7, all of them, and he isn't ashamed to consider himself a part of the team.

But they're friends, not family, even though he sometimes thinks they could be if he let himself get more attached -maybe he's already too attached- and right now, Naruto at least is holding himself back because of Natsu.

Natsu doesn't want to watch them participate in an exam without him. Doesn't want to know there are awesome fights going on that he can't participate in, doesn't like that he's got a team, however new, that would go into danger without him to watch their backs, but this is their world and their home and Naruto seems practically willing to throw away his own dream simply because he doesn't want to work with someone who isn't Natsu.

So he tells the truth.

"I'm from a different world entirely," he starts, and suddenly realizes he has no idea how to continue.

"Wha- a different-? You're talkin' crazy, 'ttebayo!" Naruto looks confused, and almost in denial as he sputters, and Natsu knows Sakura didn't keep quiet about it to spare Team 7's feelings but Natsu's pretty sure that's why he didn't want to, always avoided saying too much because surely it would get obvious and-

He shrugs, a bit uncomfortable. "It happens sometimes. I mean, this isn't the first time I got thrown into a whole other world cause of weird magic. Last time I kept my own body, but… My world's called Earthland. I'm part of a guild there. And even though it's happened a couple times, no one actually knows how to travel between worlds on purpose. So. Once I get back to my body, we wouldn't be able to find each other anyway. That's why you shouldn't make a big deal about working with a new teammate, at least until Sakura-chan can be the one working with you guys again. I won't be able to come back."

"What? NO!" Naruto shouts, shaking his head. "Don't be ridiculous! If you travelled to a different world in your own body once-"

"That was using a magic from that other world, and even they don't have access to it anymore, cause it was destroyed."

"I don't care! If they made a magi-whatsit jutsu like that we can too! You're part of our team! Of course we're not just gonna let you go!"

"And… what?" Natsu isn't really used to being the voice of reason, but even though there's no one around Naruto's yelling enough to attract attention and, well… being so willfully blind even Natsu finds problems with his logic. "I have a home. A guild, a family, and they have families and friends too! I could never ask them to just leave everything behind to come here, even if I thought this village would accept them, and I'm not gonna abandon them! But you have dreams, and precious people too! You've said before, you wanna be Hokage right? You can't be Hokage if you leave the village, and you can't exactly drag a whole village to another world! Even if we assumed it would be possible to… I dunno, open a gate our physical bodies could pass through, the best we could ever do is visit each other! And I would! I like you guys, and I'd love to introduce you to some of my friends back home, but we can't be a team like that. S-so… you shouldn't hold yourself back because of me."

"That's not fair." Naruto says, voice subdued, and Natsu fights back a flinch.

"It isn't. I'll definitely look for a way to visit, once I get home, because I don't want to say goodbye forever. But we both have precious people we would never abandon, so, even if I found one..."

"I don't want to say goodbye." Naruto's voice sounds too close to crying, so Natsu scoffs.

"Please. The way this experimenting with Inoichi-san is going, I'm gonna be here for a while. Everyone back home is strong, they can take care of themselves until I figure it out, but still. You'd think a guy like him would be a little more useful, yeah?" he tries to sound as scathing as possible, because Naruto's weird sometimes and actually likes Sasuke's attitude, and it must work because he laughs. A little watery, but he pulls up a foxy grin and Natsu deliberately doesn't say anything about how fake it is. But the moment he opens his mouth-

"Are you complaining about your sensei, Natsu-kun, Naruto-kun?"

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto cries, before Natsu even recognizes the man, and the blond tackles Iruka in a hug. The man stumbles slightly, arms laden with groceries, and laughs.

"You're as energetic as ever, Naruto. Were you coming to visit me?"

Naruto glances around, and they must be close to where No- ah, Iruka lives, because he chuckles nervously. "I, uh… that is…"

Iruka laughs again, shaking his head. "Well, if you help me carry these groceries I'll make you dinner tonight, Naruto. Perhaps if you stay in the kitchen this time, you'll learn something about cooking more than instant ramen?"

Predictably, Naruto explodes. "Iruka-sensei! How could you?! Ramen is the food of the gods, dattebayo! Natsu! Natsu tell him to stop blaspheming!"

"All food is good food!" he says with a grin as he follows the two across the street and toward a building that must be Iruka's home. Naruto wails, but still takes extra groceries so Iruka can properly unlock his door.

Natsu's pretty sure the man has a shinobi-trick, because everyone in this village feels paranoid sometimes, but he doesn't protest Naruto's helpfulness.

"You can help me cook too, Natsu-kun," he says, friendly but still… guarded somehow, and Natsu tries not to think about how he's possessing the body of one of Iruka's students.

He's pretty sure teachers get upset over that kind of thing, normally.

Not that he has much experience with it, but…

"I'm not really good in a kitchen," he says, because he's got visions of being skewered by cooking knives and he's not quite sure why. "I tend to light everything on fire and it all ends up burnt…" he trails off, suddenly distracted, because.

Well.

Right now, he doesn't really have his magic.

He's not even sure if Sakura-chan's body could handle eating fire.

And if he isn't in danger of eating cooking fires or making them bigger, he might actually be able to…

It's a weird thought, and he narrows his eyes as he tries to turn it over, idly kicking off his sandals as Iruka lets them in.

He's never really thought about cooking before, because in his experience people cook when they're hungry, and if he's hungry why would he bother to cook long, complicated stuff when he can just buy it if he has money, mooch of Lucy if he doesn't, or hunt something and burn it if neither of those are an option?

Also, if he's hungry enough he'll just eat the cooking fire and then Mira hits him with a ladle and tells him to go away and wait til she's done or make himself useful by cutting vegetables, which inevitably end up on fire, and then he gets kicked out to wait with the rest of the guild…

The idea of actually cooking weirds him out so much he almost turns around and leaves, but Naruto grabs his arm, dragging him to the kitchen and pointing out all the rooms in the apartment on the way over, and he has a knife in his hand and a board of… green stuff on it before he quite understands how he got there.

Natsu does his best, the knife's grip a bit uncertain in his hand as Naruto eagerly bounces around, filling water and measuring rice with abandon. Iruka keeps up an idle chatter, and he doesn't even realize the entire thing is a craftily placed trap until the man asks, casually, "A whole different world? What's it like?" and Natsu nearly answers before his brain catches up and he realizes-

"You're interrogating me!" he spins around, pointing the knife towards Iruka less as a threat and more just because it's in his hand, and he needs to point at the man so everyone knows exactly who he's talking about. "This entire time! You distracted me with the cutting and then interrogated me!"

Iruka smiles slightly, cheerful and friendly, and that is entirely at odds with his words. "You caught on quick. I do it to Naruto all the time, but he's never figured it out."

"Senseeeeeeei!" Naruto whines, eyes wide and aghast. Iruka ruffles his hair, grinning.

"If you're friends with Naruto though, of course I'm going to. He doesn't have so many that I can just let you go around hurting him, right? So. What's your homeland like? If it's an entirely different world, it must be unique."

Natsu's pretty sure there's another trap in the question, because apparently Iruka is a sneaky shinobi, but even Naruto looks less sad about the idea of Natsu being from another world and more curious, so he hesitantly answers. "I dunno, it's… home? We have guilds, and your village just feels like a guild but bigger to me, cause we do jobs and stuff, and have ranks and everything. Guilds are mostly small though, so everyone knows everyone who's in it, and we're all friends and family, at least in Fairy Tail. Other than that, it's just normal stuff right? Deliver this letter, kill this monster, find this super rare item that's hidden in this super dangerous forest filled with traps, just normal jobs. One time there was this job to steal a book, which was so weird-sounding that I took it cause it wasn't even a magic book but Lucy likes books, so…" he shrugs, not really sure what to say.

Home is home.

And he has no idea how to really explain it, because it's less the world itself he cares about and more his family, but that's not what Iruka was asking…

"Lucy?" Naruto asks, with a… pout? Natsu's pretty sure he's misreading that because it doesn't make sense, so he ignores it.

"She's one of my teammates! Along with Gray and Happy and…" he shudders, "Erza. She's pretty smart, and she was a noble or something once, she and Levy love to just talk about books together and she was new to the guild back then. So I looked for book jobs, cause you should always do jobs you like! I don't think she liked it too much though…"

He thinks back to that awful carriage ride, and the even worse train back.

He's not sure why trains are worse than carriages, but they are and Lucy was being too cruel!

Iruka swipes the vegetables, idly cutting a few of them finer and Natsu shakes off his thoughts, and glares.

If he didn't like it he shoulda done it himself!

Iruka ignores the glare, scraping the vegetables into a sauce on the stove, stirring them in. "Magic?" he asks idly, and Natsu really should learn to pay attention to what he's saying.

"Uh…"

"Food's done! Get the plates, would you Naruto?" Iruka sweeps the pots off the stove with exceptional grace, and he's pretty sure the guy puts Mirajane to shame with how easily he balances hot cookware toward the table.

Natsu hadn't even realized pot holders were on the table until Iruka puts the pots on them, and then everyone's sitting and serving food and…

"Is magic just another word for chakra or jutsu, or do you mean the actual magic that exists in our children's stories?" Iruka continues, voice friendly and curious, and Natsu's pretty sure the Academy teacher is the scariest shinobi he's ever met.

Chapter 37

Notes:

What's this? Clena's chapter being about something OTHER than what she planned? SAY IT ISN'T SO!

Yeah. I know I said this chapter was gonna be the start of the chunin exams, but instead Natsu went and pissed off Sasuke, and everything sorta went downhill from there.

In regards to the doctors at the end, I just wanna say that from their perspective, it honestly did look pretty bad.

Of course, they're still biased asshats so *shrugs*. Just wanted to clarify that for the sake of anyone who might think it was a bit extreme/out of character.

Anyway, thanks for reading! Let's hope Sasuke and Natsu don't just blow up my entirely timeline for the chunin exams!

Chapter Text

Iruka asks so many questions about magic that Natsu's pretty sure even Levy would give up answering them. He answers nearly all of them with, "I don't know,", and only one or two of those are lies.

The look on Iruka's face when he described the feel of the Kyuubi as 'less dangerous' than the feel of Earthland's demons would have been funny if he didn't have to spend ten minutes explaining it.

"Less dangerous and less powerful aren't the same thing!" he says with a groan, face planted against the table.

If he doesn't look at Iruka, it's easier not to fall for his harmless-sensei trap.

"If the Kyuubi is more powerful, then it should also be more dangerous. That's just how these things work, Natsu. Unless you believe the Kyuubi to be rather… stupid, compared to your homeland's demons?" Iruka returns, far too sensibly, and Natsu has no idea how to explain how wrong he is.

"Danger isn't- I mean sure, I don't know much about the Kyuubi's personality, since, y'know, none of you ever talk to it so I couldn't say. But it's like, those demons, at least the ones I've met or heard of, all they want to do is kill. They'll deliberately seek humans out just to kill them. And you can tell, just by their, I dunno, presence? They're creatures whose sole purpose is killing, they don't exist for anything else! But the Kyuubi felt different! Maybe it does kill a lot, I guess if you guys fear it so much it probably does, but it's purpose isn't killing people. So obviously it's less dangerous. Even if it's stronger."

"That's an interesting way of looking at it." Iruka muses, somehow managing to sound entirely non-judgmental. "But that begs the question, who on earth would make a demon for the sole purpose of killing?"

Natsu shrugs, dragging himself up to prop his chin on his hand. "Some guy named Zara or something. I don't really remember, but he's like, four hundred years old, supposedly, and he made a bunch of demons. No one knows why, they just run around the world killing people for kicks I guess. Supposedly that guy's dead or something, cause I've fought a couple people saying they were trying to bring him back, but I didn't really pay attention to that. They were threatening my family and that's all I cared about, yeah?"

Iruka gapes at him. "People were… attempting to bring back from the dead someone who creates demons for fun, and you didn't care?!"

"Good or evil or anything in between, I don't care. But they messed with my family so of course I'd fight them! And if I stopped some ridiculous plot in the meantime, then I guess it just works out that way."

"Even Kakashi-sensei agrees! Those who fail the mission are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum! That's what he said! So what's your problem, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asks, curious, and Iruka sighs.

"Just because you're protecting your friends doesn't mean you can't also gather information about the people threatening them. What if that sort of information becomes important in the future?" Naruto looks contemplative, but Natsu shrugs again.

"I mean, Lucy-chan is really smart. If it's important, then I'm sure she'll tell me! I'd rather just worry about the fighting!"

Iruka turns to the side and puts a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Please know that I expect you to take your missions a bit more seriously than that, Naruto-kun. Just because someone else can do the work for you doesn't mean you should slack off! Right?"

"H-hai!" Naruto stutters, attempting to sit up straighter, and Iruka grins proudly.

The conversation lulls for a moment after that, as they finish off the food, before Naruto breaks the silence.

"Ne, sensei, what can you tell us about the chunin exams?"

"Hm? I thought your team wasn't participating?" Iruka asks, half-way to the kitchen with the dirty dishes.

"Well, yeah, but I'd still like to know! C'mon, Iruka-sensei, since we aren't participating you don't even have to keep it secret or anything right?" Naruto wheedles, and Iruka gives in with a laugh.

"Hm, well, it changes up depending on which village is hosting it, but there are always three phases, and the third phase is always a public exhibition, usually with other Kage, and occasionally even a Daimyo in attendance."

"And whoever wins gets to be a chunin?" Naruto bounces into the kitchen behind Iruka, and Natsu follows, glad the questions have moved away from him.

"Not exactly. The entirety of the exam is considered, so sometimes even if you lose if you did well enough in that fight, or scored well enough in other phases, sometimes you'll still be promoted. I don't believe anyone has ever been promoted who failed to make it to the third phase, however. You do at least have to get that far, but once you do, even if you lose your very first match, you might still be considered for promotion. Of course, winning does all but guarantee it."

"How is it graded," Natsu asks, glancing towards the window. "Was Kakashi right in thinking it'd be impossible for Naruto and Sasuke to get to the third phase?"

"I'd say it's fairly likely," Iruka says after a moment of thought. "Konoha's exams are always very teamwork-reliant compared to the other villages. We tend to balance that out by having the third phase be full of one-on-one fights, so that both teamwork and individual skills are tested, of course, but... I haven't seen you three in action as a team, so I have to defer to Kakashi's expertise in the matter. However, I do agree with him."

"Really? Why's that, sensei?" Naruto looks more curious than insulted as he waits for the answer.

"Well, since you aren't participating, I suppose I'll say. I work part-time in Administration, so I know that this year Konoha is having the second phase in Training Ground 44. It's going to be a rather more intense version of the survival exercises you had in the Academy, and if one of your teammates is disqualified, or too injured, then the entire team is. And Sasuke-kun really is the best of his year, while Naruto-kun's stamina is better than some jonin. And you'll have to worry about fighting other teams too. All of that together, while I think if you were given even a week of dedicated training to get used to a new teammate it would probably increase your chances, I guess Kakashi thought otherwise. Or perhaps had his own reasons, I couldn't say. But I know attempting to sign up now with no chance to adjust wouldn't be worth it."

"Ugh. If I tell that to Sasuke, he's just going to complain about teammates holding him back again!" Naruto sags dramatically, and Iruka turns around, somewhat surprised.

"You wanted to help Sasuke-kun?"

"No, I wanted him to be less of a jerk to Natsu! But if I tell him that, he's just gonna be a jerk to everyone instead! Ugh! He just needs to stop being a jerk, 'ttebayo!"

"I suppose I'm not surprised he's taking it poorly, he's always been so driven. But perhaps instead of getting upset with him, you could talk to him and try to understand why he's upset?" Iruka offers encouragingly.

"He's upset cause he's a jerk." Naruto grumps, and Natsu tilts his head.

"Sasuke's always been really determined. I just thought he was one of those people who took everything seriously, and he doesn't like being told no. Do you think there's more than that?"

Iruka shrugs, turning back to the dishes. "I only have ideas, and I won't share them. Perhaps try talking to him, is all I'm saying?"

Natsu knows a dismissal when he hears one, even when Iruka is good at pretending to be far too polite to actually dismiss them (probably annoyed they didn't offer to help do the dishes, if he thinks about it…), so he grabs Naruto's arm and drags him out of the house, despite the blond's protests.

"I wanted to ask him more about the exaaaam," Naruto whines, though he doesn't pull away. Natsu lets go, to lace his fingers behind his head as he spins to walk backwards, grinning.

"If we stayed there any longer, he'd have me scrubbing dishes! No thanks!"

Naruto gets a weird look on his face, that he quickly shrugs off. "So, where are we going?"

"Sasuke lives out this way, in that big empty compound near the edge, right? He's got his own training grounds, so I'm sure that's where he is."

Naruto gives him a skeptical look. "How do you even know where he lives?"

"Kakashi showed me way back, during that whole 'general tour' thing."

"Ah! Right! Cause you knew where I lived too! I remember!" Naruto grins, skipping up until they're nearly side-by-side, so Natsu turns around to walk normally again.

"What're we gonna tell him?" Naruto asks after a couple minutes, as they get closer to the outskirts.

Natsu shrugs. "I was actually just planning to start a fight and let him get it all out of his system. And then we can talk after, when he's too tired to run away! Hehe!"

"W-what, so you're just gonna go there and punch him?!"

"If I have to, though I think just offering to spar will be enough." Natsu says idly as he tries to focus on his senses.

Enough people have passed through the area that Sasuke's scent is buried, but he keeps walking in the direction he somewhat remembers going down before, and eventually catches a clear breath of it. He changes direction immediately, cutting across an alley then up over a wall, and there's got to be some passive seal-work on that wall, because suddenly all he smells is Sasuke and old blood.

A lot of old blood.

"Ugh, who died here?" he mutters, pinching his nose as he tries to dial down Sakura-chan's senses, and Naruto flinches.

"Cousin Tano and his girlfriend."

The words are cold, nearly furious, and Natsu spins to face the newcomer – only to nearly stumble when he lays eyes on Sasuke, whose Sharingan is active and spinning, and whose face could nearly be carved from marble.

Natsu's pretty sure he crossed a line no one even thought to tell him about, and he's doubly certain that Sasuke's not in the mood to care.

"Sorry," he offers anyway, even though he's pretty sure he's going to get the fight he came here for and a lot more seriously than he expected. "I didn't know."

He's honestly surprised when, instead of immediately launching into an attack, Sasuke glares instead. "What are you doing here?" His voice is nearly a growl.

"I totally came here to fight you, y'know!" Natsu declares, moving further into the field and away from Naruto. "But I didn't mean to be a jerk about it."

Sasuke blinks, clearly surprised, before he scoffs.

Natsu gets no other warning, as Sasuke immediately launches forwards with a nearly savage intensity.

Natsu would like to say he won their somewhat vicious bout, but he's pretty sure Naruto counts as a (somewhat) impartial judge, and the fact that he's freaking out more about Natsu's bleeding face than Sasuke's broken wrist probably means Natsu did not win.

The order of combat is already hazy, and Natsu's not sure if he broke Sasuke's wrist because the Uchiha pulled a kunai, or if Sasuke started using kunai after Natsu broke his wrist, but he does know that both of them will have to go to the hospital, and they're going to be in so much trouble.

He glances over as Sasuke drags himself to his feet, curious, but all the Uchiha does is walk over and sit next to them.

He doesn't look at either of them, but Natsu's pretty sure he knows an apology when he sees one, so he grins.

"We talked to Iruka earlier, you know." He starts, and Sasuke only glances at him for a second, and immediately looks away. Natsu keeps talking as Naruto settles back, looking between them both with concern. "He said Konoha tests more strongly on teamwork than the other villages, to the point where if even one member of your team fails the first two phases, the entire team gets disqualified. Only in the third phase are you allowed to go by yourself, without them. And you have to make it to the third phase to be up for promotion. And you know, half of what teamwork actually is, is understanding how your teammates will move in response to threats and stuff. Don't wanna get in each other's way, and all that. So you gotta know how everyone will move, so you can work together and be better than you might be by yourself. But, throw a new person in there, who'd have to learn everything from scratch… even if they found a genin without a team who's also at least as strong as me, it wouldn't work too well if they didn't give everyone time to learn how you all fight? Yeah?"

Sasuke scoffs. "What is there to get? We all charge in immediately."

"Well, yeah," Natsu agrees, leaning back to look up at the sky. Stars already dot it, and it still surprises him sometimes, how he doesn't recognize any of them. He hadn't even realized how well he'd memorized his own, before. "but we're all close-range fighters, honestly. Even if we have some longer-range techniques between us, our first response is gonna be to charge in, so we can get advantage. Right?"

Sasuke turns to look at him, and Natsu counts that as a win. "You're saying… our team is unbalanced. It might not have been before, because Sakura was never really a physical fighter, and they likely planned to make her a long-range specialist, but then you happened. So if they were going to give us a new teammate…"

Natsu honestly hadn't thought about it like that, he was planning to talk about some of their training with Kakashi and how they learned how not to all charge the same target together when faced with multiple enemies, but he's not going to complain.

Sasuke's idea probably makes more sense anyway.

"Teme's good at long range," Naruto offers, and Sasuke scowls.

"Natsu has a point though," he says with reluctance. "I know how you two idiots move, even without my Sharingan, so it's easy not to hit you with kunai when I'm supporting. If I had to work with a third person, with an entirely different style… Dammit!"

He punches the ground with sudden fury, and Natsu winces as he hears the bones in Sasuke's wrist grind together.

If the Uchiha notices the pain, he certainly doesn't react to it, glaring furiously at the dirt with Sharingan spinning once more.

"This exam is all international, right? It's got genin from other villages and stuff?" Natsu asks, and both his teammates turn to look at him.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what they said." Naruto answers, and Natsu grins, leaning forward and propping his chin in his palms. One eye's still sealed shut with blood, and he wonders, by Naruto's sudden flinch, how much like Kakashi in sadistic mode he looks like in that moment.

"How many of those foreign genin do you think would spar with us if we couched it as 'giving them a chance to practice against Konoha shinobi'? Since we're not participating and all?"

"Wha- We can't do that! What if they actually do use it to beat our friends?" Naruto protests, but Sasuke jerks his head up sharply, staring at Natsu with consideration.

"They'd probably think we planned to sabotage them," he says slowly, "or plan to tell their strategies to our participating teams."

Natsu huffs. "Paranoid shinobi." he grumbles.

Sasuke very nearly quirks a grin at that. And then does manage a rather mischievous smile as a thought occurs to him. "Of course, as long as we don't mind getting in trouble, we could always start fights with them."

Naruto somehow manages to bounce forward, despite still sitting down. "Ooh ooh! I can prank them! I can totally prank them, right?"

Sasuke's smirk turns into something downright evil. "What sort of pranking materials do you have on hand?"

Naruto eagerly leaps into describing everything he has, and all the plans he had for them, and Natsu does his best to throw out ideas as they occur to him.

Sasuke's smirk never once leaves his face, and no matter how much trouble they get into for this, Natsu doesn't think he'll regret it.

He regretted nothing right up until the moment they finally let Naruto drag them off to the hospital.

The staff immediately drag Natsu and Sasuke into a room, with nurses checking over all their injuries with an urgency bordering on panic, and when Natsu asks why Naruto isn't allowed in the woman gives him a stare that implies he's stupid for not realizing. They don't answer the question, and someone runs for Kakashi just a few minutes later.

Natsu glances towards Sasuke, only marginally relieved to see the Uchiha is just as confused as he is.

A doctor strides in shortly after, hands already alight with green chakra, which he immediately begins healing Sasuke's wounds with, while the nurses clean the blood off Natsu's face.

He resists the urge to bite at them, but seriously, why are they fussing so much?!

Kakashi storms in a few minutes later, and Natsu wonders, from the absolutely furious look on the man's face, what happened to the poor runner who went to fetch him?

Kakashi takes one look at Natsu and Sasuke being fussed over, strides forward, and jerks the doctor away to look him in the eye.

"Where is Naruto?"

Natsu would think the doctor very brave, for how he completely disregards Kakashi's obvious fury, if not for the subject of conversation.

He's not quite sure what he's missing, but he's sure he's missing something.

"Oh we haven't done anything, I know the laws, but he came in here with them, practically showing off, he didn't even look concerned, so we separated them. I was planning to make an official inquiry after they were stable-"

That's about when Natsu realizes that the doctors somehow came to the conclusion that Naruto attacked him and Sasuke. He pushes the nurse away from him, already stumbling to his feet to tell the man off, when Kakashi reacts.

"Where is my student, Hanaka-sensei?" He says in a voice smooth as silk, and the man gulps.

"Wh-when we rushed them t-to a private room, he k-kept demanding to kn-ow if it was something s-serious, and then didn't believe us when we s-said no… s-so I had him sedated, b-but I swear! He's not hurt! W-we didn't do anything! H-he was just trying to force past us, and w-we couldn't let him go into the room. I didn't know what else to d-do!"

Natsu bolts out the door before anyone thinks to stop him, focusing on his senses, trying to drown out the sickening stench of death masked by bleach that soaks the hospital in order to catch that illusive ramen-and-wild-things smell that is Naruto.

He curses himself for ten kinds of idiot.

I swear if anyone hurt him…

Chapter 38

Notes:

I FINALLY FIGURED OUT HOW TO DO INNER!SAKURA!

So, fun fact, I haven't seen/read Naruto in literal years. We're talking since highschool. I literally, at the start of this story, forgot Inner existed. I remembered like, two chapters in, but at that point I had to figure out what to do with her. And I've been tossing out ideas, mostly to myself, endlessly, trying to find the perfect way to include Inner in this 'verse. I didn't want to just leave her out, since she is a part of Sakura, but I already missed my first opportunity to introduce her by the time I remembered she existed.

And I have now come up with an idea. An idea I like. An idea that even justifies why she's been pretty much absent up til now. Even my roommate approves! Which, of course, means I can start introducing her! Though we won't see her again in this book I think, I promise, she will be back~

And, incidentally, in my quest to figure out the perfect idea for Inner, I also figured out what I think is a rather perfect reason for Natsu ending up possessing Sakura! Like, obviously, if we're being meta, Natsu possessed Sakura because they're both pink-haired, I saw a stupid meme, and decided to go for it with copious encouragement from my little sister. But I never really had a good in-story justification for, "Why Sakura?"

WELL I HAVE ONE NOW. ALL THANKS TO INNER.

And I think I'm even getting close to deciding a good series name! So maybe by the time I upload the next chapter, it'll have one!

Anyway, thanks for reading! Hope you guys like where I'll be heading with Inner! As always, enjoy! And feel free to take guesses, I love guesses~

Chapter Text

Naruto's scent doesn't stray too far from the reception area of the hospital, and Natsu barrels into the door without hesitation. It rattles, but nothing more, and he stumbles back, shoulder throbbing.

No, he thinks, lips curled back in a snarl.

Of course not, a voice agrees, feminine and furious, and it nearly sounds like Sakura. And then there's power, wild and dark and his, somehow, and it feels as familiar as it does foreign - the door crumples like cheap plaster as he barrels into it, pushing aside the doctors near the bed and clammering up to sit next to Naruto.

He's not hurt.

Natsu sighs in relief, and then pain explodes across all his senses.

The power vanishes as quickly as it came, and that soft voice fades with it. We can't do that again, she breathes, and Natsu barely understands, convulsing and trying not to puke as every nerve in Sakura-chan's body shrieks in agony.

Hands grab at him, pulling him away, and he snarls as he tries to shake them off, but everything's spinning and he overbalances, tipping off the edge of the bed.

Other hands catch him, smaller, and he has a brief glimpse of spinning-red-and-black, and thinks, safe…

He isn't even sure when he closes his eyes, but between one breath and the next, he finds himself in that odd nothing-place, a road of blood and bones to his left and a tree-lined path to his right.

And straight ahead, a pink-haired girl smiles weakly.

Sasuke is tired of people thinking the dobe is stronger than him, so tired of it he nearly misses it when his idiot of a pink-haired teammate bolts out of the room. Kakashi's eye idly tracks as Natsu's hair disappears out of sight, and then the man turns back to Sasuke, tilting his head.

"I'll handle these," he offers mildly, and Sasuke hesitates.

He'd rather impress their stupidity onto them himself, but Kakashi reaches forward and drags him toward the door in a smooth movement he can't even track - he reactivates the Sharingan nearly by default, but Kakashi easily turns his pull into a push and Sasuke's standing in the hallway, door closed behind him, quite before he realizes.

He scowls, glaring at the door for a moment, before turning to stalk after his idiot teammates.

He hears Natsu before he sees him, the solid thunk of a body slamming into a wall, and scoffs.

Of course he'd barge straight through. Sasuke turns the corner, comments about seals and morons on the tip of his tongue, and actually catches sight of his teammate.

There's a single moment when everything looks normal, and then there's haze. Not quite a heat-haze, but so close Sasuke has no idea how else to describe it, and Natsu rips through the door as though it isn't even there, barrelling into the room without hesitation.

The two nurses standing next to the bed get thrown into the wall so hard Sasuke sees one crumple to the ground, unconscious, and the other gapes, dazed and horrified, as Natsu clambers onto the bed to look down at Naruto.

The scene is burned into his memory, as Sasuke steps into the room. An odd layer of people, Sakura-chan as he knows her, and Natsu as he appeared in that henge, and another woman he's not sure he recognizes, all layered on top of each other in a blurry conglomerate, their physical body with arm outstretched, fingers seeking Naruto's pulse, posture fiercely protective, as dark wisps of something curl over their form, mimicking the appearance of horns and claws.

It looks nothing and everything like Naruto in the throes of the Kyuubi's control. There's no presence, no blinding supernova of chakra, Sasuke can't feel anything, and he's fairly sure if he deactivates his Sharingan he won't see anything either.

He gets the feeling though, that whatever Natsu's done, Sakura is fully present and aware of it.

He's not even sure who's in control, everyone he sees so thoroughly tangled into each other.

He's pretty sure he's physically seeing why Yamanaka-san hasn't been able to separate Natsu, and he peers closer, squinting nearly on instinct before he catches himself, because this is something new, and he needs to know, even if only because it's something that man certainly never knew-

And then everything disappears in an instant, as though it were never there, and it's just Sakura sitting at Naruto's bed, half-leaning on him, before she chokes down a scream and crumples, barely holding herself off the dobe.

The one conscious nurse reacts quickly, darting forward to pull Sakura off and she fights, snarling and struggling despite clear exhaustion, and Sasuke corrects himself absently because only Natsu fights like that, even as he steps forward.

He plans to make the nurse back off, if only because Kakashi will likely be done soon and for all that Sasuke isn't happy with the man, he doesn't want to piss him off and ruin what chances he still has of getting something useful out of this fiasco, but Natsu writhes, throwing himself out of the nurse's grip and straight off the bed.

Sasuke catches his teammate nearly without thinking, glancing down to grimace at the smear of blood Natsu leaves over his shirt because the idiot couldn't be bothered to wait for the wound to be closed before he rushed off, then turns his gaze up to glare at the nurse.

Natsu falls limp in his arms, but he refuses to react, refuses to show weakness, and even though exhaustion creeps through him, too much training and then that fight with Natsu and his chakra is straining even with the minute cost of his Sharingan, but he doesn't deactivate it, waiting with forced calm until Kakashi strides through the doorway.

He lets his dojutsu fade away, refusing to sigh in relief, though he doesn't break eye-contact with the nurse.

Kakashi strides forward with an easy grace that makes Yamanaka's comment of him being one of Konoha's best assassins so much easier to believe.

"Take your coworker to one of the other rooms for treatment," Kakashi says idly, though the firm undertones of the order are unmistakable.

The nurse stutters out an agreement, darting over to pick up his unconscious companion, and he doesn't look back as he bolts out the door.

Kakashi takes a moment to survey the room, noticing everything with a casual grace Sasuke envies, before suddenly making eye-contact.

And it's like a genjutsu breaking, how the professional assassin vanishes as though it never existed, and their annoying, sadistic sensei returns in full force. Sasuke scowls on reflex.

"Maa, Sasuke-chan, if you keep holding Natsu-chan like that, people might get the wrong idea~" he says brightly, and Sasuke glances down, confused. Natsu's just curled in his arms, body still tense despite being unconscious, smearing blood all over his shirt, and it's not like he doesn't know how to clean off bloodstains, but the idiot could have some consideration! Said idiot lets out a pain-filled whimper, as though responding to Sasuke's chiding thoughts. On the bed, Naruto stirs slightly at the sound.

He looks up to offer Kakashi a deadpan stare. He has no idea what the man's seeing.

"Kids these days, what are they teaching you?" he sighs, moving forward to scoop Natsu out of his arms. Pain Sasuke didn't even realize he was ignoring from his half-healed wrist fades with the absence of Natsu's weight, and he sits back, leaning against the wall in subtle relief.

Perhaps not subtle enough, as Kakashi gives him an amused look. He turns to settle Natsu on the bed, and the pinkette curls into a tight ball as soon as he's released, causing Sasuke to look away.

Kakashi leans against the foot of the bed, eye tracing back and forth over the crumpled remains of the door.

"What happened, Sasuke-kun?" he offers, voice serious. "To start all of this," he clarifies after, as though he realized Sasuke was about to start with the hospital.

Sasuke shrugs. "The dobe and the idiot showed up in my family compound. They hopped over a wall, I guess, since some of the old alarm seals activated. And then the idiot said they'd broken into the compound just to start a fight with me. So we fought. The dobe stayed out of it, and dragged us to the hospital after. And then everyone overreacted." He shrugs then, not sure what else to add.

"I see." Kakashi offers after a moment. "Natsu-kun does prefer to solve his problems by fighting, so I shouldn't be surprised that he responded to your anger at the Exams in such a way. Though, it does seem the fight went a little too far…" Kakashi glances pointedly at Natsu's face and Sasuke's wrist.

Sasuke scowls. "This wasn't my fault. He broke my wrist first."

Kakashi stares at him for a moment, and tilts his head. "So you decided to stab him in the face? Tsk tsk, Sasuke-chan~"

Sasuke glares, snapping back, "I was hardly going to ignore that!"

Kakashi shakes his head. "And I'll talk to him about that. But stabbing people in the face is a little extreme, ne~?" his voice lilts in amusement, though it fades away as his eye alights on the ruined door again.

"What happened in here?" he asks quietly, and Sasuke honestly wishes he knew.

"There was… something unusual," he starts hesitantly, trying to decide how to explain the heat-haze. "It didn't look like chakra to my Sharingan, but no one else could see it. A bit like a heat haze at first, and then smoke later, but thin and wispy and dark. And I could actually see Natsu and Sakura, like hazy imprints over their physical body. They were really tangled together, and I tried to follow all the threads, but it disappeared too quickly."

Kakashi's eye widens. "Sakura-chan was…" he trails off, looking toward the bed, and Sasuke gets the uncomfortable feeling that despite only knowing the girl for a couple hours tops, even Kakashi misses her. He grimaces, crossing his arms, though he takes care not to put pressure on his wrist.

"I'll have to tell Inoichi," Kakashi mutters after a moment. He turns to glance at Sasuke again. "He'll likely have questions for you." He brings his hands together, and two shadow clones pop into existence. "Let's move to a different room, so Inoichi-san can have privacy."

He and the clone scoop up Sasuke's teammates, and then hustles Sasuke to his feet and out the door.

Before leaving the room entirely, Sasuke glances at the ruined door one last time, and wonders where Natsu's strength even came from.

He only has a moment to ponder, then he's whisked away, off to a new room with three beds and one of the Hokage's ANBU standing ready with medical supplies. The masked man trades nods with Kakashi, and turns to check Naruto first, then Natsu with quick professionalism.

He checks Sasuke over last, and makes a few signs at Kakashi that have the sensei's eye narrowing sharply in worry, before slipping out the door.

Kakashi's clone disappears after a moment, and the man looks back towards Sasuke. "Yamanaka-san will be here shortly. ANBU says you're medically clear to go, though I don't mind if you stay. Inoichi can question you later."

It's an offer. Sasuke knows this, and he glances at his teammates. Naruto, whose eyelids are twitching in the way that comes with someone who's about to wake up soon.

Natsu, who had curled into a tight ball again the moment the ANBU stepped away, clearly in agony even though Sasuke has no idea why.

He should leave. He doesn't need people holding him back, and that's all teams do. That man didn't need a team, didn't need any help. He got strong all by himself, and if Sasuke wants to match him he will too.

He doesn't move.

His fingers dig into the mattress of the hospital bed, and he tells himself to get up and walk away, but he doesn't move.

He tries to convince himself that it's just curiosity about Natsu that stops him.

By the time Inoichi steps through the door he hasn't quite succeeded, so he settles for carefully watching the man.

He might at least be able to convince someone else of it.

Though, judging by the look the Yamanaka greets him with, Sasuke doesn't think his chances are very high.

When Kakashi's shadow clone came into T&I wearing Hatake's old ANBU uniform and specifically requesting him, Inoichi was worried. ANBU masks are only put back into circulation after an agent has died, so it's not surprising Kakashi still has it, but for the man to wear it despite being officially retired, without special orders from the Hokage…

It could only have something to do with Sakura and Natsu. Anko takes over from him smoothly, as though it were a planned transition, and he spares a moment to be glad he's not the messy sort as he quickly heads over to the clone. It walks silently with him to his office, and starts speaking as soon as the door's closed, while Inoichi puts everything away to leave.

"There was an incident at the hospital, Natsu displayed an unusual degree of strength, which Sasuke witnessed with his Sharingan. He claims it looked nothing like chakra, but that the other people in the room acted as though they couldn't see it at all. He also saw an apparition of Sakura and Natsu, in their respective forms, tied together with threads of chakra, anchored to Sakura-chan's body. It's possible that whatever happened, Sakura herself was actually aware and possibly, at least somewhat, in control. I'd like you to take a look immediately, before whatever traces might be left disappear."

It's more than Inoichi might have hoped for, though Uchiha-kun has never been receptive to being mind-walked. And asking a Dojutsu user to replay a memory they captured with their kekkei genkai is always a sensitive scenario, but it's a bigger break than they've had since the situation started.

He finishes packing up his belongings swiftly, and leads the way out of T&I without hesitation.

"Which room?" he asks as they step outside, and the clone gives him the number immediately, before disappearing in a shunshin, likely to take off the uniform before dispelling.

He shunshins himself as well, appearing before the hospital in a flurry of leaves, and turns to walk straight towards the described room.

Sasuke sits on the bed nearest the door, visibly annoyed. Naruto stirs slightly at his appearance, clearly not fully awake, and on the bed furthest away Natsu lays curled in a tight ball, face scrunched in pain.

Keeping Natsu and Sakura separate in his mind has never been terribly difficult for him, having only ever seen Natsu while he was awake and in control, and everything from body language, to posture, to the way he lilts and accents his words is so different from Sakura-chan that it's never been a problem.

Now, he glances away from Natsu before he can get his hopes up that perhaps it's Sakura in control under the veneer of sleep, and turns towards Sasuke, pulling a chair over as he does so.

"Would you permit me to study the memory of what you saw earlier, Uchiha-kun?" he asks politely, already braced for rejection.

Sasuke surprises him with his consideration. "Are you going to try and use it as an excuse to look at other memories?" He says, lip curled, and oh Inoichi would like to, because Itachi's snap is nothing like what he expected from the man's profile. He expected suicide, honestly, when he cautioned that going into ANBU at 12 was too young and too fast, for Itachi especially. And Sasuke was the only one to see Itachi, the only one who might have any explanation other than Itachi himself. The chance to see the memory, and study all of Itachi's actions, to possibly understand how he could be so wrong is as much a siren's call today as it was five years ago.

He shakes his head anyway, stamping the urge away. There are more important things than his curiosity. "You have my word. Only the one memory. I will not touch anything without your permission."

Sasuke nods then, terse and tense, though he doesn't close his eyes, instead choosing to meet Inoichi's gaze head-on.

Inoichi doesn't hesitate, makes the hand signs smoothly, and focuses.

The transition into Sasuke's mindscape is seamless, and Sasuke blinks into awareness right across from him instantly.

Everything surrounding them is blurry, an amateur's attempt to keep him from seeing the form of the mindscape, and with less than a thought Inoichi could banish it, make both the Field and the Heart visible.

He suppresses the urge.

Sasuke holds so little trust for the village, perhaps rightly so when he thinks about how none of the patrols noticed or responded to the crisis in the compound that night, and Inoichi must not destroy what's left of that trust.

So he waits, tamping down on all his instincts and lets Sasuke keep his surroundings blurry. Eventually the Uchiha's mental avatar relaxes slightly, and turns aside with a curt, "This way."

They walk a few moments, before Sasuke comes to a stop and picks something up off a… table? Or a des-

Inoichi cuts the thought off, refuses to look any closer, and Sasuke eventually hands the object to him.

It, at least, is perfectly clear. An image, in higher quality than anything Inoichi could ever hope to perceive with his own eyes, an image so clear that even here, mind to mind, he can't recollect it perfectly if he looks away from it.

Just the picture, the Memory Object, not even the memory itself, is already so clear he can nearly understand why so many Uchiha called their dojutsu superior. To be able to see the world so clearly, so much he can't even fully commit the picture to his own memory, everyone else must look blind by comparison.

He wants, again, to dispel Sasuke's weak attempts to keep him from seeing anything more, but shakes off the urge.

He came in for a reason. Taking a deep breath, he focuses on the Memory Object in his hands, calling out the memory, until it crystalizes around them.

People don't remember things perfectly. It's a fact of life, even if they think they did. Inoichi has mind walked multiple witnesses of the same event, and sometimes ended up with entirely different sets of information from both despite them standing side-by-side.

He never had a chance to see a memory recorded with a Sharingan before, but as he watches Sasuke walk down the hall, he knows beyond any doubt that what he sees is perfect.

He can feel an echo of Sasuke's thoughts as they progress through the memory, the knowledge of exactly how many tiles are in the hospital, the number of scratches and scuff marks and bloodstains that aren't half as clean as the hospital staff thinks, every pock-mark in the walls, processed and recorded in a distant manner that barely even brushes Sasuke's conscious mind.

The first sound he hears, Sasuke's thoughts tell him, is Natsu slamming into the seal-reinforced door.

And how unusual, that in a busy hospital, that's the only sound that exists in the memory. Sasuke's hearing, he knows, is as sharp as any clan-raised shinobi, so it must be more about how he saved the memory - visually perfect, but the only audio contained is what he decides is important enough to remember, perhaps.

Sasuke in the memory turns the corner then, and Inoichi catches a litany of numbers flitting through Sasuke's mind - the exact length of Natsu's scar, the number of droplets of blood that flew threw the air, it's a memory-in-a-memory and he nearly follows the thread on instinct before he pushes himself away.

It's interesting though, he notes, that Sasuke's first thought on seeing Natsu is the memory of Natsu's injury.

Though perhaps it's just the recentness of it, he muses.

And then he sees what Kakashi mentioned before.

He's not sure what chakra normally looks like to the Sharingan, but he doesn't need to, because Sasuke's thoughts, imprinted in the memory, tell everything clearly enough anyway. The shimmering haze that surrounds Natsu is not-normal-not-chakra, and then the door crumples.

He knows exactly how many cracks and tears exist in it now, exactly how Natsu's hand looked as it tore through, exactly how many steps it took to reach the bed - 8 feet, nine inches, 6 centimeters away from the door-

Sasuke's gaze follows the two nurses thrown aside, and Inoichi does as well. Passively, Sasuke's thoughts decide one as unconscious and one as dazed, and then he turns back to Natsu.

And then Inoichi sees.

Sasuke had no idea what he was looking at, but his eyes captured it in perfect, painful detail and Inoichi can only stare.

He never knew Sakura had a second personality. She stands in the middle, as much as a middle exists when they're overlapping the way they are, but Inoichi understands the threads he's looking at, can see how the second personality both holds onto Natsu and also drags Sakura forward so she can be there, how they all check on Naruto, how their threads all tangle with each other.

The memory is captured in such perfect detail, and there's so much to see, he can't help but stare in awe at the threads.

Sakura and her second personality are so entwined that it's natural, and that's truly surprising, because most split personalities are trauma-based but he can tell, perfectly, that this one was with Sakura from birth.

Natsu ties deeply to the second nature first, and to Sakura herself second, though his bonds to both are tighter than any Inoichi's seen before.

He can't make sense of it.

Some threads tie like a family's might, others don't, everything is so mixed up-

And then the sight vanishes, Natsu screaming, and Sasuke's thoughts grow confused about who's in control, but it's obvious to Inoichi that it's still Natsu.

As the memory ends, Inoichi lets himself go with Sasuke's weak attempt to throw him out, the details of the memory already fading but his own realizations kept with him.

Natsu Dragneel may not be related to the Harunos in any way that could be genetically traced.

But Inoichi would bet his life that somehow, he has a connection to them.

Especially, somehow, to Sakura's second personality, to the point that it eclipses his bond with Sakura's primary.

Inoichi stands up, thanking Sasuke distantly as he turns to walk over to Natsu.

He's not sure whether entering their mindscape is a good idea right now, but, well.

Inoichi didn't end up in T&I because he lacked curiosity, that's for sure.

He takes a deep breath, and performs the hand signs one more time.

And for the first time, someone throws him out before he can even get his feet under him.

What?

Chapter 39

Notes:

This chapter brought to you late by: Me playing Don't Starve Together instead of writing, with a side-flavor of post-vacation depression!

(my sisters visited me for a couple days and then LEFT like EVIL PEOPLE and when people leave I just wanna give up on life for a while until I feel better)

Also may or may not have discovered a fanfic author who writes AWESOME Dabi-centric fics and totally captivated all my mind with their glory and awesomeness.

It's okay though.

I'm back! For now.

ANYWAY, thanks for reading! And please know that I totally thought about being absolutely evil and timeskipping to the next day and not letting you guys see Inner and Natsu's dialogue, but then I remembered that my roommate actually likes my fic, AND knows where I sleep at night.

And she'd murder me.

Isn't that so rude of her?

Hopefully Inner turned out alright here! I know exactly where I'm trying to go in this chapter, just not too confident in how I'm getting there (…might regret not time-skipping. Just a little).

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Sakura collapses and Natsu leaps forward, catching her desperately. "Are you okay?" he asks, looking her over, but he can't see any issues, and she's so different- almost as tall as him, her hair so long he feels like his arms are gonna get tangled in it, and her eyes so serious-

"You're not going to ask who I am?" she asks with a weak grin, and Natsu can't help the disbelieving stare he levels at her.

"Sakura-chan is Sakura-chan. But why are you so old?"

He regrets the question as soon as he asks, well-learned lessons about girls and ages flickering through his mind in the time it takes Sakura to try and punch him in the face.

"OLD?! I'M THE SAME AGE AS YOU, SHANNARO!"

"WHICH IS LIKE SIX YEARS TOO OLD!" he yells back, dodging Sakura-chan's exhausted attempts to cave his skull in, panicking internally as he tries not to pull her hair.

"THAT'S RICH, COMING FROM YOU!"

"Huh?" Natsu freezes, confused, because he's exactly the right age, thanks, and her fist collides squarely with his cheek. He stumbles back a step as Sakura-chan bends over, panting and swaying on her feet, face completely obscured by a curtain of hair.

She straightens up after a moment, breath evening out, and shakes her head. "I'm not Sakura." She says, looking him in the eye.

"Wha- you totally are!" He makes a sweeping gesture with his arm, and Sakura-chan laughs.

"No, I'm not. I never really had a name, though Sakura herself would often think of me as Inner. We've always been different, just…"

Natsu squints at her, trying to make sense of that. "So you're like… her twin sister who died and then got stuck in her head instead of passing on?"

"What?" Sakura blurts. "Of course not! How'd you even come up with something like that?"

"Well, it makes sense!"

"It does not!"

"It's okay, if you're sad about not having a name we can totally ask Kizashi-san and Mebuki-sa-"
"That's not it!" Sakura's… inner, yells, trying to hit him again, and Natsu lifts his hands, backing away.

She doesn't follow, just glaring at him for a moment, before she sighs. "Just… think of me as a second Sakura-chan, if that's easier for you-"

"So I can call you Sakuni?" he interjects, and she groans.

"Fine. Now, as I was going to say," she crosses her arms, cocking her hip slightly, "because I exist as part of Sakura's mind as a second entity, things got a bit… shuffled around when you showed up. That second locked door in Sakura-chan's Heart is mine, because I have my own room. It got locked when I got trapped in your Heart. With me?"

Natsu nods slowly. "You were… the one back then, who warned me away? Why can't I go over there? I'd get back to my friends, right?" he turns to look at the bloody path, but Sakuni shakes her head.

"It's not as easy as that," she says, following his gaze toward his path. "Haven't you even wondered why it looks like that?"

Natsu shrugs. "A little, I guess. But it's not really important, right?"

He's pretty sure Sakuni's better at Kakashi's, "what, are you stupid?" look than Sakura is, which is weird because he's almost certain she shouldn't know what that looks like.

"Not important," she scoffs quietly, and Natsu gets the feeling he's being mocked. Even though he's fairly sure it isn't important, what his path looks like, as long as it's there.

Sakuni continues to mutter what sounds like insults against his family under her breath, but they're so specific and targeted that he finds himself confused by them.

He must have made some sort of noise, because she eventually turns to look at him, face somewhat surprised.

"Look," she says after a moment to collect herself, "that path? Very bad." she points for emphasis. "And even if I'm somehow wrong! If you go down it now, while Sakura is still trapped inside the Heart, that means I'll be in control of our body. Possibly forever, if we can't get the main cabin door unlocked. I don't want that. Sakura doesn't deserve that. And I can't even guarantee you'd end up back in control of your body if you did that anyway. If you try, I'm going to do my best to stop you. For Sakura's sake, if nothing else."

She's dead serious, meeting Natsu's eyes with fierce determination.

"We're… connected, aren't we?" he muses as he stares at her. "Somehow… the bridge won't just go away even if I went back down the path. And this could just happen again."

Sakuni blinks, taken aback, but she nods. "I think so."

"Do-?"

Sakuni vanishes in an instant, before he even has the chance to finish his question, and the mindscape rattles around him.

She reappears a moment later, on her knees and panting.

"What was that?" Natsu asks, kneeling next to her, and she falls against him, leaning heavily on his arm.

"Inoichi-san…" Sakuni says after a moment. "You'll need to go back down Sakura's path… he can't see this place…"

"What? Why not?"

Sakuni gives him Kakashi's are-you-stupid glare again. "Because this is the bridge," she says with quiet emphasis. "And if he tries to destroy it, we'll all be in trouble."

"And that would be… different from us separating it?" he asks, a little confused, and a whole lot out of his depth.

Sakuni shakes her head. "This connection existed long before we ever met each other. That's why you ended up here, instead of somewhere else. What do you think will happen, if he destroys a bridge we've all had all our lives?"

Natsu doesn't know, which is the problem, but he's pretty sure 'nothing good' is the right answer regardless. He slowly stands up, giving Sakuni a moment to get her weight off him.

"So… I just go back down Sakura's path? Won't I get stuck in her Heart though? Last time Inoichi-san dragged me out…"

Sakuni shakes her head, disbelieving. "This bridge is mostly sub-conscious. So, once the trees are thick enough that you can't see this end anymore, just climb. You'll end up in the lake again... eventually." She says 'eventually' with an ominous finality that makes Natsu pretty sure he's gonna have that weird nightmare-haunting experience again.

He shifts his weight back and forth, taking a step forward before turning around again.

"You'll… be okay, right?"

Sakuni grins, wide and sharp. "Worry about yourself! Shannaro!" she pumps her fist in the air, and that doesn't exactly make Natsu less worried, but… at the very least, she looks tired, and he probably shouldn't make her kick Inoichi-san out again. So he turns and walks away, and doesn't look back.

Inner collapses fully onto the ground as Natsu walks away, eyes closed. Everything hurts.

"You didn't say anything."

She doesn't open her eyes at the voice, merely offering a non-committal hum.

The bridge trembles as he steps off Natsu's path and onto the neutral ground, and Inner hopes Natsu is too far away to feel it.

There are some demons, she knows, that he just isn't ready to face.

But that's alright.

She'll face them for him.

She lets an exhausted smirk creep across her face.

"Neither did you."

Inoichi shows up in Sakura-chan's mindscape just as Natsu breaches the surface of the lake, trembling. He throws himself to the shore desperately, stumbling up the sand and shaking off the water as he walks with too-quick strides towards Sakura-chan's window.

Inoichi is right behind him, patiently quiet as Natsu collapses just beneath the sill panting.

"Are you quite alright?" he asks, as Natsu's breath begins to slow.

The pinkette nods. "Subconscious isn't any less scary the second time," he mutters afterward.

"I did say it was dangerous." Inoichi offers, and Natsu shrugs. It's weird, being afraid but not really sure why.

He doesn't like it.

Remembering just makes it worse, because the fear feels even more stupid when he knows why, but it won't. Go. Away.

He shakes off the experience as best he can. "What're you here for?" Natsu asks, cracking an eye open to look at Inoichi, and the man levels him an exasperated look.

"I'd like to talk to both you and Sakura-chan, but she doesn't seem to be in."

"What?!" Natsu bolts to his feet, turning to face the glass.

Inoichi's right, Sakura is nowhere to be seen.

"Oi!" Natsu drops to his knees, pressing close to the open part of the window as he shouts. "Sakura-chan, you in there?"

"One minute!" the voice that shouts back is distant and strained, and Natsu finds himself pacing back and forth as he waits for Sakura to show up.

Inoichi waits patiently, watching.

"Sorry," Sakura gasps, stumbling to the windowsill a couple minutes later. "T-the door kept trembling, and I thought maybe I could do something with it, but everything was so erratic… I didn't want to leave it alone until it stopped though, just in case… oh! Inoichi-san!"

Sakura-chan blushes, dipping quickly into a polite bow even as Inoichi waves it off. "It's alright, it's alright," he chides gently, smiling. "I just came to see how you both were, after what happened."

"Oh." Sakura smiles fleetingly, then glances away. "I'm fine." Her eyes meet Natsu's, and he tilts his head, confused.

"Are you sure? What do you remember?" Inoichi asks, before Natsu can ask why she's looking at him like that.

Sakura shifts her weight a bit, not looking at Inoichi, and he smiles in reassurance. "I saw your second personality. You aren't in trouble, Sakura-chan." He offers gently, and she jerks her head up, wide-eyed.

"B-but the psychological assessments before the Academy-!"

"Are there for your own protection." he finishes for her, still smiling. He continues at her disbelieving face. "Some children, especially among the civilian-born, simply aren't suited for shinobi life. The pre-Academy assessments weed out the most unsuited, and certain lessons over the course of your time there weed out the others. The jonin-sensei given test is usually the final marker, though it's up to the jonin in question whether a failed student just needs more time studying, or if they're actually not cut out for the work. While you shouldn't have lied during your assessment, and I'll be having words with the instructor who monitored it, if I can find them, having two personalities is not, in and of itself, a bad thing. Especially not when it's natural."

"Natural?" Sakura asks, shuffling closer. Inoichi nods.

"Sasuke-kun gave me the privilege of watching his memory, which he had captured with the Sharingan. I saw you, Natsu-san, and your second personality, and it was quite obvious to me that she must have been with you since your birth. Can you even remember a time without her?"

Sakura-chan shakes her head slowly, and Inoichi offers her an encouraging smile.

"While I'd like to ask you more about that, purely from a place of intellectual curiosity, that's not quite what I'm here for. Could you explain to me exactly what happened, from your perspective, Sakura-chan?"

"Well…" Sakura starts hesitantly, glancing at Natsu again, and he grins encouragingly. She turns back to face Inoichi. "I was just in my room, dozing a little I guess, when someone grabbed my hand? But somehow, I just knew it was Inner, so I let her, and then I was just there." Sakura shrugs, clearly unsure how to explain it. "We were on the bed, and Naruto was sleeping, and so still, and somehow I could tell Natsu-san was really really worried, and there was all this energy, and it sort of hurt a little? I didn't like it, but Natsu was worried about Naruto, and Inner was too, and I figured that meant something was really wrong, since I haven't even seen Inner at all since Natsu showed up. But then everything just exploded in pain, and I got thrown back in here so hard I swear it hurt, and I went to the doors because that's always what I do when something weird happens. Voices were coming from one, and then a little bit later everything started trembling, and then you showed up…"

Inoichi turns his patient look onto Natsu, who shrugs a bit. "Even for me, it's mostly like how Sakura-chan said. Those doctors took Naruto away, and then he was just laying there, way too still, ya know? So I had to make sure he was okay."

"What about that energy Sakura-chan mentioned?"

Natsu grimaces. "I don't really know. It… didn't feel exactly like mine, but it didn't feel not like mine either, y'know? It definitely wasn't Sakura-chan's, cause it hurt both her and Sakuni a lot-"

"Sakuni?!" Sakura interrupts, outraged, and Natsu grins.

"She said to think of her as a second Sakura! So I needed a name for her, and so I called her Sakura Two! Sakuni!" Sakura narrows her eyes sharply, looking a bit like she wants to hit him, so Natsu offers his friendliest grin before changing the subject back to Inoichi's question.

"-but anyway, Sakuni was the one who gave it to me. Or, I guess, I ran into the door and it wouldn't open, right? And that made me angry, and then Sakuni was there, like, talking in my head I guess, and that's when the energy showed up. I got through the door just fine after that, but when the power started fading away Sakuni said she didn't think we'd be able to do that again, though she didn't really specify what she meant…" he trails off, considering.

He's still not sure if she meant the power, or her being actually present like that, with Sakura-chan too apparently!

He wishes someone like Lucy-chan had been there to help him ask Sakuni questions. He's pretty sure he didn't ask any of the important ones, which would have been easier to do if he even knew what the important ones were.

"Do you know where she is right now?" Inoichi asks, interrupting his thoughts, and Natsu leans back, resting his weight on his hands as he answers.

"Not right now, nah. She looked pretty tired, from all that stuff she did, so I figure she's resting somehow. She did say the other locked door in Sakura-chan's Heart is the door to her room, and that it got locked and left her stuck in my mindscape when I showed up here, so maybe she's sleeping over in my head? I didn't really have the chance to ask her if she was controlling my body like I'm stuck controlling Sakura-chan's though, before I had to leave…"

"Hmm." Inoichi studies him and Sakura with a contemplative look on his face. "If either of you speak with, ah, Sakura-chan's second, could you let me know? I get the feeling that if I could just speak with her directly, we'd be closer to figuring this out, now that I know she exists."

"O-of course!" Sakura stutters, looking a bit embarrassed. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you! I should have said something sooner, but I didn't want to get in trouble, a-and I didn't even- I mean, she always felt like a real person, to me, but I asked Ino once, indirectly, and Ino said it was actually really rare for second personalities to have their own manifestation so I thought maybe I was just wrong…"

"It's quite alright," Inoichi says with a comforting smile. "We know now, and hopefully this will help us find a solution. No need to regret past choices."

Sakura smiles tremulously back, casting an uncertain glance towards Natsu.

He offers his own reassuring grin to her. "It's alright, really! Sakuni's pretty cool, but I got the feeling that whatever happened is something she did. Even if you'd told us before I don't think it would have helped much, yeah?"

Sakura-chan nods in response, more confident, and Natsu's grin widens.

"I promise Sakura-chan! We'll definitely figure this out!"

Notes:

Me, feeling like every chapter gets consistently worse than the one before it: Q_Q
Like, everything that happened in this chapter is stuff that I wanted to happen. The problem is I just feel like on a technical level, I can *do better*.
And I'm just like. Beta readers (and my roommate) definitely help, a lot, but I still re-read stuff and I'm just like: I CAN MAKE THIS BETTER!
And then I'm like.
...how?
And my brain just screams BETTER BETTER BETTER over and over again without actually *supplying* anything better.

So yeah.
Sad at brain.
Sorry again for the lateness!

Chapter 40

Notes:

I'm so so so sorry for how late this is!
(I blame the nearly 7,000 words of Zeref x Reborn fic I wrote this weekend instead – it stole ALL my creative juices, and getting this chapter done was HELL)
(also I'm sorta drowning in reading Dabi/Hawks fics which is just pathetic considering I haven't even watched enough of BNHA to have met Dabi OR Hawks yet)
(the fics are so good tho)
(also I'm a maladaptive daydreamer whose head has been having fun with Dabi/Duo which is just a massive pile of WTF-ery so I think it might be safe to say I'm just in shipping hell rn)
(basically, everything boils down to this: PLEASE KILL ME IMMEDIATELY I THINK I BROKE MYSELF AND I DON'T KNOW HOW ELSE TO FIX IT)
…yeah please send help at your earliest convenience or at least advice on how to get a brain to STOP shipping the weirdest and most ridiculous pairings possible.
I mean seriously. I can SORTA see where Zeref/Reborn came from (I really can't it was 3 am there is no justifying it) but the Dabi/Duo pairing just came out of fucking nowhere and I don't know WHY PLEASE WHY?
So yeah. I hope the chapter's decent, and hopefully my brain gets off its wacky shipping before I gotta write the next one because this is getting ridiculous THAT ZEREF/REBORN FIC IS THE SECOND-LONGEST CHAPTER I'VE EVER WRITTEN (6700 words, vs Girl's Mind Chapter 5's 7900) AND I WISH MY BRAIN HAD THAT MUCH EFFORT TO GIVE FOR THIS FIC WHY BRAIN WHY IS IT ALWAYS OTHER FICS?!
*cries eternally*

Chapter Text

"Thank you, Yamanaka-san." Kakashi offers quietly, feeling Naruto and Sasuke's stares bore through the wall and into his back.

When they stepped out to discuss his condition, Natsu was still unconscious.

"It's no problem, Kakashi," Inoichi returns, glancing once at the door. It doesn't reassure Kakashi, even though there's nothing especially concerning about Inoichi's posture.

"Is there anything I should know?" Kakashi asks after a moment, doing his best to sound casual.

Inoichi sighs, though an amused smile curls across his face. "I'll give you the report as soon as I finish writing it, you know that. It might be a little while before Natsu-san wakes up, he's still recovering from breaking into Naruto-kun's room. I'm sure he'll sleep through the night, and be just fine by morning. Did you need anything else?"

Kakashi shakes his head.

"Alright then. I need to get back to work, but please don't hesitate to let me know if anything else happens. Have a good day, Hatake-san." Inoichi dips his head slightly, then turns off and walks away without hesitation, leaving Kakashi outside the door with two wide awake genin he's going to have to deal with.

He resists the urge to hide on the roof for an hour or two and then tell them he got lost getting back into the room.

Their faces would be priceless though, he muses, slipping out his book as he turns and reluctantly opens the door.

Naruto tries to jump on him before he even gets in, and he sidesteps the blond, meandering casually to the back of the room, where Natsu curls tight on his own bed, body still tensed in pain.

"Is Natsu okay?!" Naruto yells. "Did those stupid doctors hurt him? I'll fight them, dattebayo!"

"Dobe," Sasuke scoffs, "You couldn't even keep them from knocking you out."

"What was that, teme?!"

"This is a hospital," Kakashi chides, trying to intervene before they start another fight. "Keep your voices down."

"Hn."

"Oops! Sorry Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto whispers dramatically, and Kakashi pretends he doesn't see Sasuke kick the blond.

He doesn't get paid enough for this, he thinks as he intervenes before another fight can break out. "Yamanaka-san said Natsu should wake up by tomorrow. He shouldn't need any additional medical attention, so I'll take him home - you can run along yourselves, we'll meet tomorrow at the usual time. Ne~?"

"What-? No way! I can't just go home and- and act like everything's okay! No one even told me what happened!" Naruto yells, already forgetting to keep his voice down. Kakashi sweatdrops, sighing into his book.

"There's nothing you can do, Naruto-kun. And if you really want to know what happened so badly, perhaps you should ask Sasuke-kun." Kakashi puts away his book as he speaks, and grabs onto both the boys' collars, hefting them towards the door. "I'm sure he can answer your questions. Ta~!" Kakashi closes the door behind them, ignoring it as Naruto immediately starts yelling behind it.

He waits until he hears Naruto stomp off, Sasuke's lighter tread almost completely buried beneath it, before creating a shadow clone and scooping Natsu off the bed. They both step out of the room, and Kakashi turns toward the hospital exit as the clone heads deeper in.

No one pays much attention to Kakashi, as he slips out with Natsu in his arms and heads towards the Haruno home. He sticks to shadows and away from peoples' wandering gazes purely by instinct, barely thinking about it, and no one stops him as he finally makes his way into the residential area that Natsu and Sakura-chan call their home.

He knocks on the door, and receives the memories from his shadow clone dispelling bare moments before it swings open, revealing Haruno Kizashi clearly dressed for bed.

"Wha-? Hatake-san?" Kizashi jerks forwards, arms already moving to try and grab Natsu, and Kakashi lets Kizashi take him.

"Natsu-kun should be fine, Yamanaka-san said he should be up tomorrow as fine as ever. I didn't feel like there was any need to leave him at the hospital."

Kizashi tightens his grip, and Kakashi nearly coos at how Natsu curls closer to the man.

He'll tease his precious little genin for it later.

"Would you like to come in for a moment?" Kizashi offers as he steps back, turning towards the living room, "I'll get Natsu-kun tucked into bed, and then you can explain what happened."

Kakashi bites back a groan as he slips off his sandals. "Of course, Haruno-san. I'll wait on the couch," he responds, and tries not to look longingly back at the door as he properly enters the house.

He sorts through his clone's memories as Kizashi carries Natsu upstairs, and tries to deny the budding headache behind his eyes. Of the two nurses Natsu-kun threw out of the way in his haste to check over Naruto, one has no memory of anything, not after how hard he knocked his head against the wall.

The second had already submitted a complaint by the time Kakashi's clone caught up, hospital staff investigating both the door and the nurses' injuries. As soon as Kakashi gets done with Sakura-chan's father, he'll need to go to the Hokage and discuss everything, before rumors get out of hand.

Kakashi sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

These brats'll be the death of me…

Kizashi plods down the stairs a few minutes later with a yawn and a friendly smile as he settles down across from Kakashi, and the sensei pulls up his most reassuring grin. The Harunos are a surprisingly reasonable family, but he'd rather not deal with any upset parents if he can avoid it, so he focuses on exuding the best everything-is-alright aura he can as he starts to speak.

"I'm afraid it started when Natsu-kun and Naruto-kun broke into the Uchiha compound with the intent of starting a fight with their teammate Sasuke-kun…"

Natsu blinks blearily, squinting into his pillow. Everything aches, and the faint light from his drawn curtains sears into his eyeballs like he's staring straight into the sun.

He groans, rolling slightly to completely bury his face, and hears the door crack open.

"Are you alright, Natsu-kun?"

Kizashi's voice calls softly, and Natsu mumbles a muffled, "Fine," into the bedding.

Kizashi chuckles softly, and the bed dips with his weight a moment later. "Feeling alright? Kakashi-san came by with you last night, and explained what happened…"

Fingers rest hesitantly on his head for a moment before they start carding through his hair, and the simple, rhythmic motions chase away the headache throbbing behind his eyes.

"Wh'time 'zit?" he mumbles after a couple minutes, turning his head slightly to glance at Kizashi.

"Almost time for breakfast, if you want to come down," he responds gently, before standing up. "Kakashi-san did say something about training at the usual time if you felt up for it, as well."

"Naruto!" Natsu bolts upright, stumbling out of bed. Kizashi catches him, though Natsu just keeps moving, past the man and into the closet to grab clothes. "Is he okay? I never got to see!"

"Kakashi-san said he woke up and went home under his own power, though he didn't go into detail. Should I tell Mebu-chan not to bother setting a third place for breakfast?"

Natsu glances over, yesterday's dress tangled around his arms as he freezes half-way through pulling it off. "Nah," he says after a moment's pause, "I'll eat breakfast with you. But can I have extra lunch in the bento? Naruto never brings enough food for himself…"

Kizashi appears visibly taken aback for a moment, before he nods. "Of course. Come down when you're ready."

Natsu agrees, shucking off the rest of his clothes and grimacing at the bits of dried blood on his forearms and collarbone.

Guess no one cleaned it off while I was out…

He gathers up a clean set of clothes and heads across the hall to the bathroom.

He heads to the showering area, turning on the water and scrubbing quickly, only remembering to grab the hair soaps at the last minute.

He glances towards the bath as he finishes up, but if he takes the time to use Kizashi-san's potion he'll definitely be late, and he needs to make sure Naruto's okay with his own eyes before he'll accept it, so he rushes through getting dressed and brushing out Sakura-chan's hair.

He only pulls it up into a low tail, leaving some bangs to fall in front of his face, but getting it right would take ages he doesn't want to spend as he bounds down the stairs and to the kitchen, aches all but forgotten in the face of food.

Mebuki smiles as he comes in. "Natsu! I'm glad you're feeling better," she murmurs, passing over the rice.

"Me too!" Natsu quips back as he digs into the food, the table overtaken by Kizashi's quiet chuckles and Mebuki's idle conversation.

It's still awkward, eating meals together, but… it's gotten better.

It never quite feels like home, especially without the foodfights and shouting, but he thinks maybe it could be.

When breakfast is done he collects the bento Mebuki hands him with a smile, hollering back a goodbye as he stomps into his sandals and rushes out toward the training field.

"Natsu!"

He barely takes two steps into Team 7's normal field when Naruto straight up tackles him. "You're alright! Kakashi-sensei said you were but he wouldn't let us stay with you so I didn't know, but you're totally okay!"

Natsu laughs. "You're okay! I guess those guys didn't actually hurt you, huh?"

Naruto settles back, scratching his head. "Ehehe, Kakashi-sensei said they just drugged me to make me sleep, nothing more. I'm sorry I worried you!"

"I'm just glad you're okay! I couldn't really tell after all!"

"Maa, as amusing as this reunion is," Kakashi interrupts, smiling widely, "Perhaps we could start with our normal team activities?"

Natsu hurries towards the posts to set down his lunch, as Naruto grumbles behind him. "Since when do we have normal team activities, dattebayo?"

Kakashi spends the first half of the morning working with them individually, and the rest trying to talk. Natsu's pretty sure he knows that they don't plan on taking the whole Chunin Exam situation laying down, but they all spend so long coming up with whatever excuses they can that he eventually sighs and gives up.

Natsu's not about to admit that he's pretty sure Sasuke had the best excuses out of the three of them.

"Alright then," Kakashi grumbles, his lone eye narrowed at them. "I'll leave you to your own devices for the rest of the day. Please don't break into the Exam halls and try to take it. It'll just make us all look bad."

Naruto chuckles darkly, and Kakashi shunshins away immediately, clearly wanting nothing to do with that.

"Hey!" Naruto turns toward them after Kakashi disappears, bright and eager. "I told Konohamaru I'd hang out with him and his friends today if I had time! You wanna come?"

"Who's that?" Natsu responds, stretching himself. Sasuke hn's.

"Oh! He's jiji's grandkid, but he's pretty cool! He's in the Academy right now!"

Sasuke gets up and walks off, and Natsu wonders if he could tell Kakashi was still around or if he's just being a jerk.

Natsu's not even sure if Kakashi wants him to know he's around, or if he just wasn't as careful as he should have been, but he decides that talking about their actual plan for the Chunin Exams is probably a bad idea.

"I don't mind! If he's a friend of yours he's probably cool!" Natsu offers in response to Naruto, standing up to go grab his bento.

Naruto bounds past him and leads the way, eagerly talking about how he met the Hokage's grandson.

They get to an empty clearing, Naruto laughing a bit as he looks around. "Huh, I guess we're a little earlier than I thought!"

"Then let's eat!"

"Huh-? I didn't bring-"

Natsu grins, holding out a second set of chopsticks as he nudges the lid off his bento. "I made sure there was enough for us to share! Sasuke always brings his own, but I guess we're not eating together this time, so we can just share, right?"

Naruto's fingers close a little hesitantly around the second set of chopsticks, but Natsu just smiles reassuringly.

"Y-yeah!" The blond stutters, without crying.

Something in Natsu feels warm at the thought that Naruto's starting to accept peoples' kindness more.

He's pretty sure that warmth is closer to the sparks of a burning flame though, as he thinks of just why Naruto struggles so much.

Natsu wonders if Naruto would give him names, as long as he said it was for pranking targets. He shoves the thoughts away for now, but he has no intention of forgetting.

Food first!

They both dig in eagerly, devouring the bento 'til there's nothing left, and a couple of kids practically Romeo's age show up just as they finish.

"Heya Boss! You came!" One of them cries while running forward, long scarf flapping with his motions. "Who's that! Your girlfriend?"

Natsu's hands freeze in the motion of putting the bento lid back on. He tilts his head towards the boy as Naruto sputters out denials. "I'm a friend, who's… a… girl?"

Natsu can't quite say the last part with a straight face, but the kid who's probably Naruto's friend just starts laughing.

"I don't think she's interested, Boss! But it's okay! You'll win her over!"

Naruto surges to his feet. "Natsu's not my girlfriend!" He yells, glancing nervously back at Natsu before quickly looking away again.

Natsu finishes reassembling the bento box.

"It's okay if you can't win her over, Boss! I'll succeed for you!" the boy's face stretches into a wide, toothy grin, as he makes an overexaggerated thumbs up.

Naruto lunges after the kid with a war cry, Konohamaru taking off with his two friends in tow, and Natsu shrugs to himself as he follows after them.

It becomes pretty fun, the kids doing their best to dodge and hide while they run away, and Natsu's pretty sure it turns into a game half-way through - he and Naruto team up to try and track them down as they use their smaller bodies to their advantage, slipping through crowds until Natsu's got a headache from trying to track their scents back and forth across the markets.

But they haven't lost them yet, which means Natsu and Naruto are only a couple steps behind when Konohamaru crashes into the legs of a shinobi in an unusual outfit.

Natsu doesn't even realize he instinctively checked the headband until he doubles back, gaze locked onto an hourglass figure he's never seen before.

And then the foreign shinobi grabs Konohamaru by the front of his shirt and lifts him off the ground, a cruel smirk on his face.

Chapter 41

Notes:

One day I'll get back to a normal updating schedule.
Also, this week in crazy crackships! I mispronounced Dabi's name as Dobby once, and my brain was immediately like: SHIP IT. So, obviously I had to commit suicide because that sort of mental image was COMPLETELY UNWARRANTED.
Also if I have to suffer YOU DO TOO!
So you're welcome.
Also it's so hot lately all I want to do is die. Seriously. Summer is my worst season, I can handle the sneezing of spring and autumn I can handle the snow of winter but the GODDAMN HEAT OF SUMMER UGH NO.
I've also been replaying FF5 recently (completely unrelated to the rumors of a possible remake I didn't even hear about that until I looked up something and it showed in the search results but I SERIOUSLY HOPE THEY DO THAT IOS PORT WAS SHIT I NEED TO SEE FARIS IN GLORIOUS HD I DON'T EVEN NEED VOICE ACTING JUST GIVE ME BEAUTIFUL MODEL RENDERS (and the job system. 5's job system is my favorite out of every FF, and I've always been sad that they never brought it back like that again))
Final-final also! Irony of ironies, Kankuro was first introduced in manga chapter 34. And it just so happened that I ended last chapter (chapter 34 on most sites, since I don't count interludes in the chapter count on them), with his introduction. I had to reference his canon intro for this chapter, and I thought that was a fun thing to mention~
ANYWAY!
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

There's a few seconds, when the foreign shinobi picks Konohamaru up, where Natsu could decide how to react. Naruto skids to a stop and Natsu's not sure why - to talk to the other person? To keep him from hurting Konohamaru?

But Natsu's seen that smirk on the foreigner's face before, seen the kind of trouble it spells, and it's not the kind that cares for diplomacy.

He ducks low, slamming into the hourglass-nin's legs, and feels Konohamaru's weight land on his back and roll off as the foreigner drops the kid to immediately- pull at his hair?

Natsu snarls, rolling sharply away but the other person doesn't let go, and his head burns from the sudden tight grip. He shoves himself to his feet, tries to stand on the man's arm to make him let go, but the foreign shinobi just yanks his hair, dragging him forward.

Natsu's knee hits the ground, rocks scraping his leg, and Natsu has had it. He grabs the man's wrist, drags Sakura-chan's chakra up to his fingers, he can't call a fire the way he wants but he focuses on the chakra, focuses on making it hot, he knows what fire feels like inside his body, knows how to shape the energy even if her chakra won't cooperate, and so he does.

The foreigner quirks an eyebrow, or whatever passes for one under all the makeup. "Cute trick, rookie. But you'll have to get a lot hotter than that to bother a Suna-nin."

Oh yeah? Natsu grins savagely, fully prepared to ignore the burning in his own hand just to see how much it takes to make the man let go, when a rock slams into the joint of the foreigner's elbow.

His hand spasms, releasing Natsu even as he curses and rolls to his feet. Natsu steps back, glancing towards Naruto who's standing protectively in front of the three kids, two clones leaping back from the blond lady as Natsu turns his gaze up.

Sasuke tosses a couple extra rocks up and down, practically posing on the tree branch, and Natsu's torn between laughing at how blatantly he's mocking the foreign shinobi or calling him out for it.

"Oh?" the foreigner's voice cuts in before Natsu can do either. "Too scared to come fight on the ground like a real shinobi, little squirrel? You Konoha-nin, always hiding behind your trees."

"We are the Village Hidden in the Leaves," Sasuke responds, staring down at them with Kakashi's own I-mock-you-with-my-amusement smile.

It looks so unnatural on Sasuke's face that Natsu twitches and turns away, unable to look at it anymore if he doesn't want to burst out laughing.

"Are you mocking me?!" the foreign shinobi shouts back, yanking the wrapped bundle off his back and getting into a clearly combative stance, and that's when Natsu realizes that Sasuke's deliberately goading the shinobi into a fight.

No wonder he tried that stupid smirk…

"Kankuro! You're not seriously going to use Crow!" The blond girl cuts in, stepping next to her teammate, but Kankuro completely ignores her, and Natsu shifts position as Naruto steps up next to him.

"Kankuro."

A voice cuts through the building tension and everyone snaps their gaze to the newcomer. A red-headed teenager stands upside down on a branch behind Sasuke, staring dispassionately down at them.

"G-Gaara…" Kankuro stutters, sweating.

"Picking fights with children is pathetic." the red-head states coldly, and Natsu scoffs.

"Losing one, maybe! And you're the same age as us anyway!"

"What sort of fools do they breed here? I wasn't losing anything, I was humoring your pathetic struggles!" Kankuro turns slightly to look at Natsu, but doesn't turn his back to Gaara entirely.

"Please! The only thing Sasuke saved was your ass from getting fried!" Natsu tosses his hands behind his head as he grins, tightening his ponytail before lacing his fingers together.

"Why you-!"

"Enough." Gaara interrupts, voice frigid. "Or I'll kill you."

Kankuro flinches, and Naruto groans quietly. "That guy's definitely the leader, huh, 'ttebayo?" he mutters quietly, and Natsu sighs. And then, before he can respond, Gaara disappears in a whirl of sand, reappearing in front of Kankuro and the girl, facing Natsu and Naruto.

"If you want to fight us that badly," he says with slow precision, "wait for the exams. Let's go!"

"We won't be participating." Natsu says as Sasuke joins them on the ground. The red-head turns back to look at them.

"Ehehe," Naruto chuckles, "there were some reasons, but Jiji didn't want us to participate so our sensei couldn't nominate us! We were just having fun!"

"He calls Hokage-sama Jiji." Sasuke puts in, and the blond girl's mouth clicks shut. The foreign team exchange glances, and Kankuro scoffs.

"So bad even your own Kage has no faith in you?"

"Good enough that you're still favoring your arm." Sasuke returns, and Kankuro scowls. An aura of faint killing intent leaks out from Gaara, seemingly swirling around him in impatience, making Kankuro look away sharply.

"A lucky hit. And if your Kage believed in you at all I'd have the chance to prove it. I can't believe I was wasting my time with losers."

"I don't think any Kage would ban a team for a reason like that… even Konoha's." The female of the team puts in, but Kankuro just shrugs in response, beginning to walk faster with a new sense of urgency.

"Who cares? Let's hurry up and go already."

"Orochimaru-sama isn't going to be pleased…" Kin murmurs quietly.

Dosu scowls. "Our entire part in this plan hinged on the Uchiha being in the Exams! We can't kill him if he's not participating! There won't be any time that's safe!"

"We'll just have to report it to Orochimaru-sama and let him decide from there. I am certain he will still have use for us in the exams, even if it is only to give Sound a continued feeling of legitimacy."

"I suppose you're right, Zaku…" Kin agrees, pushing herself off the trunk. "We should make our report now then, before someone else beats us to it."

"Heh." Dosu grins and hops off the branch. "Girl's right. Let's be the first to report this!"

"Well that didn't work." Naruto grumbles once they separate from Konohamaru and make it to Sasuke's compound.

The Uchiha in question offers an annoyed 'hn', dropping to sit on the porch steps and props his elbows on his knees, fingers laced together, lowering his head behind them.

Natsu sprawls himself in the dirt, scowling. "Even though it wasn't on purpose, it was working fine until that red-head showed up! He killed the whole mood!"

"It shouldn't be surprising. We'd have better luck after the first phase, once they've got a feel for the difficulty. Right now they're probably saving everything for the test…"

"I guess… man that's so stupid! Those guys were such jerks too!" Naruto leaps to his feet, shaking a fist, and Natsu laughs.

"We can always try again. Even with how he acted at the end, that Kankuro guy was too easy to rile up. We could totally manage it, but…"

"Hn." Sasuke grunts. "They were scared of the youngest one."

"Yeah!" Naruto grins. "It wouldn't be fun at all if we couldn't at least get him into it too! He's probably the strongest!"

"So how would we do that?" Natsu asks, turning his head to look at Sasuke.

The compound descends into silence, Sasuke staring at the ground as Naruto rubs his chin.

Natsu grimaces.

He's pretty sure straight-up punching the guy would work, but then Team 7 would take the blame.

We need to get them to start it. But how…?

He can practically hear the cicadas chirping as everyone thinks, until Naruto breaks the silence.

"I GOT IT!" He jumps in the air, fist raised, and Natsu props himself up on his elbows.

"Oh?"

"Do I even want to know, dobe?"

"Ah, shuddup teme! It's brilliant! All we gotta do is know everything!"

"Huh?" Natsu squints, wondering if Naruto got hit in the head in their quick scuffle.

"Whaddaya mean, 'huh'? That Gaara guy totally wasn't interested in a fight! So, if we like, studied 'em, we could find out what pisses him off and then he'd definitely fight us!"

Sasuke groans. "You could have just said we spy on them, dobe."

"That's what I said!"

"It… really isn't." Natsu responds, pushing himself to sit upright. "But it might work? As long as we could do it without getting caught…"

"That leaves you two out." Sasuke smirks, leaning back to rest his weight on his hands.

"What?! Don't be ridiculous I can totally spy on people!" Naruto shouts again, pointing his finger in Sasuke's face.

The Uchiha quirks an eyebrow, dismissively dragging his gaze over Naruto's body. Then he looks away, scoffing. Naruto scowls and turns around.

"You know I could do it! Right, Natsu?"

"Uh." Natsu smiles, scratching the back of his head. "I mean, if Naruto does a lot of pranking, he's probably really good at sneaking around, yeah… but if you spy on people, don't you have to sit still and just watch?"

"Hn." Sasuke smirks as Naruto wilts like a dying flower.

"I've gotten better…"

"Those guys aren't weak." Sasuke shrugs as he speaks. "If Natsu didn't have the same problems you did, his enhanced hearing would probably make him more suited for this… I'm getting better at reading lips though. As long as I'm careful, it shouldn't be a problem."

Natsu nods. "We could totally scope out the other teams too. If we get caught we just move to the next ones, that way no one really suspects anything?"

"Sounds good." Sasuke agrees, standing up. "We can see how many fail the first test too, they probably won't be worth bothering with."

"Right!" Naruto cheers, leaping forward to drag Natsu to his feet. "Let's go then! Teme, you'd better not get caught!"

"You're the one we have to worry about, dobe." Sasuke scoffs, turning to go inside. He stops with his foot on the engawa. "Change into something that isn't orange!"

"Oi! Don't diss the orange!" Naruto shouts back, as Sasuke closes the door on him. "Tch! He never wears anything other than blue so what gives him the right!"

Natsu shrugs. "I mean, if you're trying not to be seen, the orange does stand out a bit… his clothes do too though. He probably went inside to change."

"O-oh…" Naruto shrugs a bit awkwardly as they head out the compound. "I don't really have any other colors though…"

Natsu stops and glances over at Naruto. "Do you… think Sakura-chan's clothes would fit you?"

"Wha-?! But those are gir-!" Naruto cuts himself off, glancing at Natsu nervously. "Ahaha, I mean, uh, I don't think it'd look very good…"

Natsu grins. "It's not about looking good! It's about not getting caught! We can totally find something to cover your hair too! Let's go!" He grabs Naruto's arm and starts running, dragging the blond behind him.

"Tadaima!" It slips out nearly on instinct, Natsu's good mood and a friend by his side encouraging him, as he slips off his sandals.

The voice that responds stabs sharp as a blade. "Okaeri, Natsu." Kizashi steps into the hall, smiling, and Natsu fights to keep the grin on his face.

For a moment, he foolishly expected Mira.

"You brought a friend?" Kizashi says then, glancing at Naruto, and the blond flinches.

"I-I'm sorry, I said he didn't have to…"

Natsu stands awkwardly between his teammate and Sakura-chan's father and realizes that he doesn't even know how her parents felt about Naruto. And there is something, on Kizashi's face, a look that's part concern, part something else, but it disappears quickly too quickly to read as the man relaxes.

"It's alright, Naruto-kun. I'll speak to Mebu-chan when she gets home, but there's no problem. I'll bring some tea up shortly, ne?"

Natsu relaxes in turn, shifting to kick Naruto with his bare foot. "Hurry up and take off your shoes, c'mon!"

"B-but-"

"No buts! Stop delaying!"

Naruto slips his sandals off nervously, setting them on the shoe rack as though he's afraid to touch anything.

"Some packages came in for you," Kizashi starts, as he turns towards the kitchen. "I believe Mebuki-chan thought to spare you a second shopping trip and just had Mikki-san deliver them. They should be on your dresser."

Natsu sighs in loud relief. "She's the absolute best. I swear, if I had to go there again…" Natsu shudders, edging sideways. Kizashi laughs, his voice trailing them up the stairs and into Sakura's room.

"He… seems nice," Naruto says a bit awkwardly as Natsu beelines for the dresser, eagerly digging into the package.

"He is," Natsu says somewhat distractedly, examining the qipao. The white designs are a different shape from the sets he got the first time, but the crazy shopkeeper kept everything else the same, and Natsu won't deny the breath of relief that escapes him.

That shop is full of nightmares…

"You got new clothes?" Naruto leans over Natsu, examining the qipao.

"Yeah. Since my last ones got all torn up during the Wave mission, and I didn't really want to wear Sakura-chan's clothes… Mebuki-san finds it easier if I'm wearing different stuff from Sakura-chan and I'm not much for red anyway, that's more Erza-san's color…" Natsu shudders a bit, and sticks all but one of the qipao back in the package.

"Now!" He pushes Naruto back a bit as he stands up, holding out the qipao. "Take your clothes off, we gotta see if it fits!"

"Do we have t-"

"I can do it for you if you want." Natsu offers with a wide grin, and Naruto squawks, hastily waving his hands.

"N-no that's fine, I'll do it!" Naruto hastily pulls off his jacket, revealing a black t-shirt underneath which he starts to pull off. He freezes half-way through, looking down at Natsu. "It's weird if you're just gonna stare like that!"

Kizashi chooses that moment to open the door, a tray in his left hand. He freezes, staring between Naruto and Natsu for a moment.

"Natsu-kun, could you… please tell me that whatever's happening here is not what it sounds like?"

"Huh?" Natsu tilts his head back, looking upside-down at Kizashi. "It's exactly what it sounds like! I'm gonna make Naruto wear my clothes!"

Natsu's pretty sure he's never seen someone's face go from absolute horror to sheer relief so quickly. The tray of tea rattles slightly in Kizashi's hand, until he brings the plate forward to hold it with both while he steps into the room.

He kneels on the floor, setting the tray between them, and offers a reassuring smile to Naruto. "Dare I ask why you want Naruto to wear your clothes?"

Natsu grins, reaching over for a cup. "We're gonna go spy on the foreign teams coming for the exams, and his are too orange but he doesn't have anything else."

"I see." Kizashi grabs his own cup. "He's right though, staring does make it a bit weird, Natsu."

Natsu gives the older man a confused look, because he's pretty sure that rule only applies to girls, but maybe it's different in Konoha?

"I'm surprised Mikki...san… didn't put anything weird in with the clothes." Natsu offers after a moment, because sitting still and drinking tea is weird.

Kizashi laughs. "He did, actually. Mebu-chan said he put it in a second package, but she didn't think you'd wear it. I think she might have hung it up in the back of the closet, though perhaps it's still sitting around somewhere…"

Natsu makes a disgusted face. "I don't even wanna see it do I?"

"Probably not, though I haven't had a chance to look at it myself," Kizashi grins as he sets down his tea and stands up. Natsu yelps, hastily putting his own down as he leaps up to try and tackle the man.

"What, no, you don't gotta look, it's probably just awful I don't want to see it-!"

Kizashi walks forward, completely uncaring of Natsu's weight on him, and starts digging around the closet.

"Aha! Oh, Mebuki was right, it is adorable-"

"Absolutely not! I-is that rainbow? Who makes rainbow qipao?!"

Kizashi steps out of the closet, spinning to face Naruto. "Don't you think it would look so nice on Natsu, Naruto-kun?"

Natsu's stuck behind the man, pressed against the closet's doorframe, but he can still picture Kizashi's smirking face.

Naruto blushes. "Uh- I mean. I, uh, gotta try this one on…" Naruto bends down, scooping Natsu's clothes off the floor. "How do I put it on?"

Natsu slips out from behind Kizashi, giving the man a suspicious glare as he gently tucks the rainbow monstrosity back into the closet. "It's pretty easy, just undo the shoulder here cause otherwise it'll get stuck, then you can just pull it over your head and fasten it back up!"

Naruto twists around a bit. "It's a little tight…"

"Naruto-kun is a bit broader in his shoulders, but if you think it's too hard to move, there are a couple things we can do to fix that." Kizashi offers, stepping forward to get a closer look. Naruto shuffles a bit awkwardly.

"I think it's okay… I mean, it doesn't feel like it's about to rip, it's just a little tighter than my normal clothes…"

Kizashi nods. "Alright then. Would you like some tea?" he sits back down, nudging forward the untouched cup. Naruto glances nervously between the cup and Kizashi for a moment, but when Natsu plops down and starts drinking his own again, the blond gingerly lowers himself and reaches for the cup.

Sitting down and drinking tea isn't really Natsu's favorite sort of activity, but as Naruto relaxes more and more and starts talking pranks with Kizashi, eagerly bouncing up and down as he grabs any knick-knack he can to demonstrate, he thinks maybe it can be a good thing sometimes.

Especially when it gives him time to think out how to best burn that eyesore disguised as a dress without making Mebuki-san sad.

Maybe a house fire…?

Notes:

Sasuke: *puts team 7's plan into action*
the rest of team 7: what's the jerk doing acting like a poser?
Sasuke: ...
Sasuke: why am i on a team with these morons

Chapter 42

Notes:

So, here we get some minor time-skipping! Only because I really do need to pick up the plot a bit more~

Slightly relevant facts: In the manga, the chunin exams very clearly go straight from phase one to phase two without any break or chance to gather supplies. I vaguely recall this being different in the anime, but I'm sticking with the manga here.

Also, Orochimaru disguises himself as a Grass-nin in the manga. Maybe that's different in the anime too, I don't know, I just know some of the google resources list him as disguising himself as a Sound-nin, maybe because later on he disguises himself as the Sound Three's jonin sensei? I dunno.

But anyway! Those are all the relevant facts here! In the end, I never managed to finish new chapters for my other three fics like I was planning this weekend… but oh well! I got this one finished, and I got a new one for Potion Fumes, and I'll just have to call that good enough!

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy the sudden and abrupt faceplant into PLOT!

Chapter Text

"Where's Sasuke, d'ya reckon?" Kiba steadies Akamaru with one hand when his partner barks his assent, half-standing atop his head.

"A-and Naruto-kun…" Hinata offers quietly, glancing around the room.

"Who cares? It's quieter without them, that's for sure." Shikamaru drawls, slouching forward.

"B-but… they're going t-to miss the test…" Hinata shuffles nervously, and Ino steps forward to cheer her up.

"Don't worry Hinata-chan! I'm sure Sasuke-kun will show up! In fact-!"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," a mellow voice interjects, and Kiba glances toward the newcomer.

"Yeah? Who're you supposed to be?" Akamaru growls in agreement, kneading his paws into Kiba's hair.

"Ah! I'm Kabuto, with Konoha's Team 18. You're the teams fresh out of the Academy, right? You're certainly reckless enough for it."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Kiba bristles, glaring, and the Kabuto guy just chuckles.

"Nothing bad, it's just… you're being so loud, even though all the other genin are taking this seriously, haven't you noticed?"

Kiba hadn't, before, but when Kabuto points it out he can practically feel the stares of the other genin boring into him. He looks up at them, sitting in the tiered classroom, and bares his teeth in a fanged grin.

As if they intimidate me!

"Wh-what d-did you mean, b-before?" Hinata stutters, and Kiba turns to look at her.

"Eh? Oh, right! You said something about Sasuke not showing up? What, the jerk decide he's too good for us?" Kiba glances back at Kabuto, and the other genin shakes his head.

"I heard it was an order from Hokage-sama himself, that Team 7 wouldn't be allowed to participate in the Exams. It's so unusual! This is my seventh exam, going on four years now, and I've never heard a precedent for it! I suppose I'd hoped since you were all in the same class together in the Academy you might know why that was…?" Kabuto trails off with an expectant smile that has Akamaru growling again.

Kiba pats his partner reassuringly.

"I-I hadn't h-heard…"

"Indeed. That is rather unusual. Why? Because while Team 8 has worked with Team 10 for a number of small exercises since our graduation, we have not met with Team 7 at all," Shino muses.

"Oh! That reminds me!" Kiba slams a fist into his open palm. "I met Sakura-chan just a couple days after we graduated, and she was acting really weird!"

"Sakura was?" Ino steps forward, one hand fiddling with her hair. "My dad's been meeting with her a lot too, Cousin Rin said…"

Kiba shrugs. "I wouldn't know about that, I just found her walking around without shoes. She said she'd snuck out her bedroom window to go have lunch with Naruto, but her body language and words were all weird! I didn't really think about it too much though, cause she went straight into Naruto's apartment complex and I had to go catch up with Hinata and Shino or I'd have been late…"

"Ah, Ino-chan's father works as a Shinobi therapist, right?" Kabuto interjects, and Kiba glares at the interruption. "Is it possible something happened with Sakura-chan that caused Hokage-sama to be personally involved? It would make sense, considering Konoha's more team-oriented approach, I suppose."

"N-no way!" Ino exclaims, crossing her arms. "My dad definitely would have said something if Sakura was in trouble!"

"Have you met up with her at all then?" Kabuto asks, and Ino glares back at him.

"Just because Sakura-chan and I don't meet every day anymore doesn't mean anything! We've both been busy with our training! A-and she's probably just hogging Sasuke-kun all to herself too because she got put on a team with him!"

"Shino was right though. Team 10's had some small joint training exercises with Team 8, and even a joint escort with Team 9, but we haven't so much as passed Team 7 in the streets." Shikamaru offers, glancing between Ino and Kiba. He turns to look at Kabuto after. "Where did you hear that Hokage-sama specifically barred them, though? We haven't heard any rumor like that and Ino's been actively following Sasuke's progress."

"Well they weren't exactly quiet about it were they?"

"Kankuro!" Kiba turns toward the back of the room, where the two voices came from, and catches sight of a Suna team.

"What?" The one clad in black responds. "They were so eager to brag about their weakness, they practically shouted it for all the street to hear, about how their own Kage had no faith in them. Who cares if we tell everyone else?"

"We're not getting involved in Konoha's drama." The blond girl says with a disdainful expression, glancing dismissively at them.

Ino opens her mouth, looking entirely ready to start lecturing, but before Kiba can so much as step away from her, an explosion of smoke fills the room, dissipating quickly to reveal a dozen shinobi.

"Enough blathering!" The scarred man in front says, casting his gaze sharply across the room. "I'm Morino Ibiki, your exam proctor for the first stage! Everyone who's here, the exam starts now! To those who didn't make it, too bad! Now come up to the front of the room and take a seating assignment so we can get started!"

"So much for fightin' with the teams who passed the first phase," Naruto grumbles as they glance between the other genin and the walls of Training Ground 44, "looks like they're moving straight on to the second one without a break!"

"Hn." Sasuke's sharingan whirls slowly as he tracks the genin. "That one team from Kusa doesn't seem to be here, Natsu."

"Yeah, that's weird. I coulda swore they were the sort who'd definitely pass all the way to the third phase. That long-haired guy totally noticed me, even though I stayed so far away…"

"One of the other Suna teams is gone too…" Naruto mutters, as he stares at Gaara's team walking forward to collect their scrolls.

Gaara turns to look at them, and Naruto waves cheerfully when he notices.

Natsu sighs. "That other Suna team looked decently strong too, though I can't exactly point fingers if they failed an information-gathering test…"

"We don't even know if that's what it was, Iruka-sensei only really talked about the second and third exams." Naruto props his chin in his palm, watching the teams collect scrolls and head towards the training ground.

"It took place in the Academy, and no one came out injured," Sasuke says, "so it was either something to do with Genjutsu or something to do with information gathering. Possibly both. It doesn't take much to figure that out, dobe."

"I wasn't saying you were wrong! I just mean that maybe they'd still be a good fight…"

"It'd just be picking on morons. I get enough of that from you two."

"Oi!" Naruto lunges towards Sasuke, and Natsu scrambles to stick himself to the tree with chakra so he doesn't get knocked off.

"Pretty sure I kicked your ass last time we fought," he grumbles for good measure, and Sasuke dodges under Naruto's lunge and tries to pull him off the tree in retaliation.

"In your dreams, Natsu."

Naruto slams solidly into the trunk of the tree just as Natsu pulls his leg from Sasuke's grip, and some of the genin below turn to look toward them. Team 7 hastily finds more concealed positions.

"We're probably gonna get in trouble if we hang around, huh?" Naruto grumbles, glancing towards where the Exam proctors are glaring up at them.

"Yeah, that one chick doesn't look too happy," Natsu agrees, slipping around to the other side of the tree and walking quickly across the branches. "Wanna poke that Kusa team? I can't imagine them failing any sort of genjutsu test with how easily they noticed me, and they didn't look like brutes either…"

"You just don't want to admit you got caught by losers," Sasuke rebutts, but turns towards the Kusa shinobi's designated training field anyway. Natsu glares at his back.

"Did not," he mutters, as he and Naruto quickly catch up to keep pace with Sasuke.

The training fields dedicated for the foreign teams are on the other side of the village, away from the fields Konoha uses to practice, and Kusa's single field is already occupied as Natsu and his teammates approach. They stop as soon as Sasuke catches sight of them, and Natsu levels his dark-haired teammate with a curious look.

"They're talking about something… we're probably too far out for you to hear them, huh?" The Uchiha murmurs, and Natsu nods.

"Wind's carrying their voices away from us. I wouldn't be surprised if they can already smell us, if they've got anyone like that though…"

"None of them have reacted like they can. Seriously, you're over-estimating them, they're just a bunch of losers."

Natsu scowls. "They aren't. I'm not good at a lot of things, but I know when an enemy is strong! C'mon!" He leaps forward, easily landing on the road and marching up to the field. The Kusa shinobi stop talking as soon as he lands, and even from so far away he can feel their gazes on him as he moves closer. Sasuke and Naruto catch up after a moment, and they step into the field together.

"Ooh~? What's this?" One of the Kusa-nin stands up, brushing their long hair over their shoulder in a negligent motion as Team 7 approaches.

Sasuke sighs, rolling his eyes upward for a moment, and Natsu grins. "Just wondering why a team like yours failed what has to be an easy info-gathering test!"

"You noticed, did you?" The long-haired one muses, lips curled back into a threatening smile.

A bad feeling drops like a stone into Natsu's gut.

"You failed on purpose?" Sasuke questions, Sharingan springing to life, and with a casual flick of their wrist the Kusa-nin causes their two teammates to melt into mud.

"How could I not, when I heard you wouldn't be participating, Sasuke-kun~?" their voice trails off into a mocking lilt, and their smile grows unnervingly. "And look at you, saving me the effort of hunting you down~"

The Kusa-nin gives them no chance to respond, killing intent soaking the field even before he finishes speaking, and Natsu drowns.

Everything's burningburningburning, nii-chan, where's nii-chan, it's hothothothot and something cracks and the sky is falling- he tries to get up, he's gotta find nii-chan, kaa-san isn't moving and nii-chan'll fix it but there's something- he can't lift his head- he's stuck-

Everything's burning-

Natsu chokes, panting, lungs burning, and he can still taste the smoke on his tongue.

Two sets of hands grab him, help him sit up, and Natsu sees long pink hair cascade over a slender shoulder and lets out a bleary, "Kaa-san?" as he tries to figure out what's going on.

He blinks firmly, tring to clear his eyes, and it's Sakuni who shakes her head. "Sorry, Natsu. Just Sakura and I."

"Are you okay?" Sakura asks, one hand on his shoulder. "You just showed up in here, and Inner broke through the door, but you weren't responding at first…"

"I-I…" Natsu glances around, and the door doesn't look broken, but his magic, wisps of fire and a comforting warmth drift through easily.

The walls of the room are decorated in stylized markings of dragons and fire, and it feels like Natsu.

"Wait!" Natsu stumbles to his feet, listing into the wall before catching himself. "Some crazy guy attacked us! I need to get out! Naruto and Sasuke are still fighting him!"

"Whoever it was," Sakuni says slowly, "They're too strong."

Natsu shakes his head. "Even more reason to get back! Sasuke and Naruto are alone right now! I need to go!"

Sakura stands, brushing off her clothes. "Okay. Don't worry, I think Inner and I can keep the door open now that we can work together. You protect Sasuke-kun!"

Natsu nods distractedly, already focusing on leaving, disappearing from the room carved with his markings, and he worries, a bit, about what Sakura-chan's Heart having pieces of him permanently carved into it could mean, but his teammates are in danger and he can worry about that later!

Waking up feels like slamming head-first into a wall at full speed, the Kusa-nin's killing intent still thick and present and he nearly gags, choking on the weight of it, as he drags his head up.

The Kusa-nin backhands Naruto away from him with casual grace even as he dodges Sasuke's shuriken as though they aren't even there, and it takes Natsu barely a second to realize both his teammates are keeping the other guy away from him.

It takes even less to realize the foreigner is letting them.

He snarls, furious, as he pushes himself to his feet, and nearly distracts himself in shock when he feels the familiar, warm curl of his own fire responding to that fury.

It dances just beneath Sakura-chan's chakra, a second layer buried a bit deeper than he's used to, but it's there, unignorable and present in a way it hasn't been for so long-

The Kusa-nin casually dodges Naruto and Sasuke again, stepping closer to Natsu just to taunt them, and the pinkette grins savagely.

Then he charges forward, fire leaping down his arm with contemptuous ease, magic flowing fast and smooth, and Natsu's pretty sure nothing has ever been so satisfying as sinking his fist in the Kusa-nin's side, and watching the fire explode on contact.

"'bout time you woke up," Sasuke snaps, voice taut with worry. Naruto just pants, one arm wrapped around his stomach as he hunches over it, and Natsu's moving to help before he even thinks it through.

"And here I thought you were just a weak little girl," the Kusa-nin's voice rings out, amused, and Natsu turns to look.

They aren't even injured, a hole burned into their clothes but no damage to show beneath it, and all he can think is, Sakuni was probably right.

He turns to face the Kusa-nin properly, taking comfort in the wild energy flowing just beneath the chakra he's had to get used to.

It's a little harder to pull up… but not that much.

"Nothing to say?" The Kusa-nin smirks, then disappears.

Natsu leaps even before he can realize what he's doing, but the Kusa-nin's foot clips him, turning a controlled dive into a wild tumble, just as the air explodes with the scent of Naruto's blood.

Natsu catches himself desperately, recovering and rocketing forward, fingers curved like talons as fire engulfs his hand, hot as he can make it - the Kusa-nin reels back as he strikes, no blood but an overwhelming stench of burning flesh, and the foreigner lashes out with a second kick that sends Natsu slamming into Naruto, toppling them both into the dirt.

His hand hurts, skin red and burned, but four wide, blackened stripes cross the Kusa-nin's chest - Natsu can worry about his skin later, once everyone is safe, and he tries to be careful as he pushes himself off Naruto, offering his hand to the blond, though he doesn't take his eyes off the enemy.

He pulls when he feels fingers curl around his own, breathes out in sharp relief at the knowledge that Naruto is still alive, but then the Kusa-nin is there, Natsu hadn't even blinked and he still missed the movement, faster than Zabuza ever was, and he has no time to raise his guard, feeling something crack as the foreigner's fist strikes him in the chest.

He catches sight of Sasuke, breathing his own fire as the shinobi distracts himself with Naruto, but the man disappears again, reappearing to jab a sharp elbow into Sasuke's sternum - Natsu spreads fire down his legs, launching himself forward in an attempt to keep the other shinobi from following up on their strike, bones grinding together unpleasantly in his chest-

The Kusa-nin makes a handsign, neck extending unnaturally, and Natsu's arm wraps around Sasuke's waist to pull him aside just as the enemy's head launches forward impossibly fast, fangs sinking into flesh.

Everything burns.

Chapter 43

Notes:

So sorry this is late! All I wanted to do was play games… *sweatdrop*
Thanks for reading though! Hope you like it!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

"Sensei!"

The door to his apartment slams open, and Kakashi can't help but think, as Naruto pants in the entrance, since when do those brats know where I live?

It's the panic in Naruto's eyes that has Kakashi slipping his book away and striding forward, and when his blond student grabs at his hand Kakashi realizes he's talking to a clone.

"Sensei you gotta come there's this guy and he didsomethingtomyseal and Natsu's hurt and he said something weird about Sasuke I don't know you gotta help! You-"

"Calm down Naruto! Tell me where." Kakashi barks, staring at his genin's clone until it stops shaking.

"W-we went to the Kusa-assigned training field, we were gonna goad one of the failing exam teams into a fight, b-but I don't think that guy's a real genin, h-his killing intent was so sharp it knocked Natsu unconscious and he said something about wanting Sasuke…"

A pit drops in Kakashi's stomach.

"Hokage-sama should still be in his office, go there immediately and let him know - I'll go to the fields, which number is Kusa's?"

"Eighty-three!" Naruto's clone snaps out, and Kakashi rushes off without hesitation, trusting the clone to do as he said.

He hits the edges of the village, where the Exam participant assigned training fields lie, not even slowing down as he rockets towards ground eighty-three.

An explosion of fire and heat hits so fast and hard it shakes him from his perch, and he leaps from the tree down to solid earth, mind scrambling through every shinobi he's heard of skilled enough to unleash such a powerful fire technique as he closes in.

It's only when he breaks through a wall of fire that doesn't so much as singe a hair on his head that he realizes-

"If I don't want my fire to kill someone it's not going to. I'm the one who controls it after all!"

Sasuke is curled up on the ground, clutching his shoulder. Naruto hunches over a little ways away, arms wrapped around his stomach. Natsu cradles his right hand against his chest, kneeling on the ground in front of Sasuke, eyes practically glowing from the fire.

Between Kakashi and his students, a woman in Kusa uniform radiates a bloodlust he's only felt a handful of times in his life, and Kakashi's heart stutters in his chest.

He yanks his headband up and thanks whatever Kami-sama are listening for the fact that his idiot students are still alive.

A bare moment later, his raikiri rips through Orochimaru's heart.

Something burns in Natsu's hand, in Sakura-chan's chakra, maybe even in his magic, and he's pretty sure he's hearing voices.

He can't focus, the world blurry at the edges, but there's someone here who wants to hurt his team so he plants his good hand into the ground and focuses on fire, because if everything burns enough he can at least keep the enemy away-

He feels someone cross through his flames -friendly, teammate, willnotburn- but can't get his eyes to focus to find out who.

A cacophony of chirping birds cuts through the sound of crackling flame, followed quickly by a wet squelch, and Natsu's eyes finally focus to see a hand sticking through the chest of the enemy.

The hand retracts in a splurt of blood, and Natsu thinks for a moment that that's it - right before fingers stick themselves out of the Kusa-nin's mouth and pull.

Natsu's pretty sure he's never seen anything as horrifying as watching someone pull themselves out of their own mouth before, the enemy shinobi slipping out of their own skin and blocking a follow up attack in one smooth motion.

"Well! I suppose the backup has arrived," the foreign shinobi says casually, as they dance out of the way of an attack.

Natsu distantly recognizes Kakashi as he struggles to keep his eyes focused.

"I'm afraid I already got what I came for, though, so I won't stick around." Blades of wind lance out, extinguishing some of Natsu's fire and whipping the rest into a frenzy, and then the shinobi disappears from all Natsu's senses as though they were never there to start with.

"He's gone…" someone breathes in relief, as Kakashi races towards them, Sharingan eye already looking for injuries.

Natsu closes his eyes, exhausted, hand pulsing in agony, and isn't quite sure when he falls asleep.

"It's not unlike Anko's curse seal," Jiji muses, "though it seems to be much-improved. It would be best to have Jiraiya-san take a look at it."

Sasuke and Natsu are both asleep, though Natsu wakes up a little every time someone touches him.

Normally, Naruto thinks it might be weird to see his teammates curled up in the same bed together, Natsu's hand resting on Sasuke, but right now all he can do is worry about the little black markings that decorate the Uchiha's shoulder and Natsu's hand. There's not even blood or a wound from the bite, just the markings, and maybe it's whatever that Oro-guy did to his seal, but Naruto feels sick to his stomach. Sasuke hasn't woke up once after all, and Natsu talks to the air in a strange language no one understands in his brief moments of awareness.

"What's that curse-thingy s'posed to do anyway?" Naruto asks after a moment, when it seems like no one's gonna say anything.

Jiji turns to look at him, eyes shadowed by his hat. "We know that it's difficult to survive. Most people afflicted with it die, with only perhaps one in ten ever waking back up. But with the seal's parts split up, divided between them… It's hard to say what might be different."

"That's it?" Naruto scrunches his nose, looking back at his teammates.

"If it's not properly suppressed it can lead to things like increased aggression or recklessness," Kakashi-sensei offers with his lecture-voice. "Though that's only in Anko-chan. And Hokage-sama is right, for all that it's a little broken up, this seems like a much stabler version than hers."

"So what do we do? We can fix it, right? R-right?"

Jiji's face turns serious. "I'm afraid even Jiraiya wasn't capable of removing Anko's curse seal. I've sent an emergency hawk to fetch him, but it will be at least a week, possibly two before he can even try. We will simply have to hope both of them wake with no issue, and go from there."

Naruto scoots a little closer to the edge of his bed, staring at Sasuke. Natsu's been waking up a bunch, so Naruto's pretty sure he's just tired from all the chakra he used up, but Sasuke doesn't move at all except to pant, breaths coming short and fast.

He tells himself the jerk is just fine, nothing to worry about, 'ttebayo!

But Natsu blinks awake again.

And Sasuke still isn't moving.

Naruto worries.

"We're awake again!"

Natsu groans and tries to cover his ears. His arm doesn't move, and it takes a moment to place the sensation of warm fingers wrapping around his wrist.

Huh?

He slowly blinks, trying to make the world come back in focus, and catches sight of Kakashi's half-gloved hand.

There's still blood crusting on the leather and Natsu grimaces.

"Gross!"

He flinches and tries to cover his ears again, and this time Kakashi-sensei lets go.

"Awake again, Natsu-kun? Do you remember what happened?" Kakashi asks softly.

Natsu doesn't remember waking up before.

He's not really sure why he was asleep either.

Uh…

"I'd like to know what happened too, one moment I was on my bed and the next Kakashi-sensei was ripping that guy's heart out, and then he…"

Natsu shudders in agreement, and distantly thinks Sasuke's lucky to have been unconscious.

That is not something Natsu imagines his teammate would want permanently burned into his memory with the Sharingan.

Wait! I'm not supposed to agree with voices in my head!

Natsu rolls over, groaning into… Sasuke's shoulder?

"Oh! We're in bed with Sasuke-kun!"

The voice lets out an excited squeal, and Natsu struggles to find a pillow he can put over his head.

Someone's hand stops him midway, and then Kakashi's cheery voice reaches him. "Maa, Natsu-kun. Something wrong?"

"V'ces 're too loud." Natsu mutters, trying to pull the pillow down.

Kakashi's hand doesn't budge.

"What voices? No one's been speaking at all."

Huh?

"Oh! Wait, you can hear me? Natsu?!"

"Wha- sh'ddup, too loud, 'c'se I c'n hear you…" Natsu groans, letting go of the pillow to cover his ears again.

It doesn't do any good.

"No way! And I can see stuff too! Well, not right now, since our eyes are closed- It's me! Sakura!"

"...Sak'ra-chan?"

"SAKURA-CHAN'S TALKING TO YOU?"

There's a whoof of air as the pillow falls onto Natsu's head, and he's pretty sure Naruto tried to jump on him and got caught by Kakashi. Blearily, he rolls over to squint up at his other teammate.

"Y'kay?" he mutters, and Naruto nods rapidly, practically a blur to Natsu's unfocused gaze.

"Mostly! That Oro guy messed with my seal a bit and apparently all my chakra is suuuuuuper messed up, but I'm not hurt or anything! Is Sakura-chan okay too? Are you okay? You've never been able to talk to her b'fore like this right?"

Natsu tries to keep up with the questions to answer them, but he's so tired…

"Wait don't fall asleep! We need to make sure Sasuke-kun's oka-"

Natsu isn't even sure when he passes out.

"I'm seeing far too much of you these days, Inoichi-san~!" Hatake's lone eye curls in amusement. To his side, the Uzumaki child bounces, peering nervously at the hospital bed every few moments.

"Ah, Yamanaka-san." The Hokage speaks, glancing up at him from under the brim of his hat.

"Hokage-sama." Inoichi bows, then turns to stride closer to the bed. "May I ask what exactly happened?"

"Hmm…" The Hokage pauses for a moment, then speaks. "Duragneel-kun spoke of hearing voices, then proceeded to identify one of them as Haruno-chan - he has been in and out of consciousness ever since receiving a partial curse-mark not unlike Mitarashi-san's, so it is likely related."

"I see. I suppose you'd like me to see if there have been any changes?"

"If you feel it is safe."

Inoichi frowns. "If he's been in and out of consciousness, it might not be - it would be better to wait either until he wakes up again, or remains asleep for at least an hour."

"Natsu-kun has woken up nearly every time we've had to touch or move him, so it shouldn't be hard to just shake him awake if we don't want to sit around~" Kakashi smiles, and Inoichi sighs.

"If that is what you'd prefer, Hokage-sama?"

The Hokage nods, so Inoichi reaches out, shaking Natsu's shoulder carefully. It takes a few moments before the pinkette groans, rolling slightly to look up at Inoichi.

"Apologies, Natsu-san. It's easier to do this if you're awake - are you feeling well enough for me to dive?" he asks with a smile, and Natsu winces.

"'S'fine…" he mumbles, one hand coming up to cradle his head, and his eyes don't quite focus on anything. Inoichi pushes away his concern with the ease of long practice, smoothly forming the handsigns necessary to slip into Sakura-chan's mindscape.

He steps into a battlefield.

Fire licks over the grassy field, like a thousand flowers of red and gold. There's no smoke or sense of burning, and Inoichi wonders if it means something, or if Sakura-chan's mindscape just doesn't mimic scents well outside of the omnipresent cherry blossoms.

He turns his feet towards the cabin, studying the flames as he walks.

Their glow reflects off the bottoms of the sakura petals, making the canopy look nearly like a bloody sunset.

On the ground, the fiery flowers bend away from him he walks, the fire nearly refusing to touch him as he crosses through the mindscape.

And then he steps through a curtain of smoke, a misty grey that shouldn't be dark enough to hide anything beyond, and can't help but to stumble to a halt in shock.

The cabin presses against the shores of the lake, engawa suddenly supported by stilts partway into the water, and Sakura-chan leans half-way out her window, one hand braced against the sill as the other shakes at Natsu's shoulder.

Even in the mindscape, the boy is nearly unconscious, eyes fluttering open every time Sakura-chan shakes him, but closing again just as quickly.

"Is he alright?" Inoichi asks as he carefully skirts around the lake, stepping up to the engawa and walking over.

Sakura turns her head to offer him an exhausted smile. "He's been like this a lot. He's always asleep in here, but then he disappears and we're awake, but then he comes back and sleeps again… I don't know exactly what happened to cause it though."

Inoichi nods, kneeling to examine Natsu.

"He seems fine," Inoichi offers after a moment. "And physically, as well, from what little I saw before. Can you think of anything that happened in here to cause this? The fires, or the lake expanding?"

Sakura-chan purses her lips. "Sakun- Inner," she corrects, mock-scowling at Natsu as he snores, "disappeared a little before all that happened. She ran back through the door she said connects to the… Bridge? I guess where my mind connects to Natsu's. I haven't heard anything, but it was a little after that where all of this started changing."

Inoichi nods slowly. "I see. If it's something potentially happening in Natsu-san's mindscape, that would explain this. I suppose you aren't able to leave the cabin still?"

Sakura shakes her head. "The window shrinks on me if I try. But the lake water splashes up onto the engawa, and I can see through my eyes when I look at it. I'm not really sure how I hear things, I figured it was just the wind, but I can't reach any of my other senses… Natsu can hear me though when I talk! Do you think it'll stay like this? I don't really want to go back to that, even if it hasn't been this way long…"

She trails off with a nervous smile, and Inoichi offers her a reassuring one in return. "I can't say what caused it to change. Too little is known of Orochimaru's curse-mark, or any of his custom seals if I'm honest. But it's unlikely to change back without something to make it, so I think you'll be able to stay like this. If Natsu-san wakes back up."

"He will!" Sakura looks back down at the outsider. "He's strong, so he'll wake up again. We probably just need rest, even I feel a little tired, and sometimes it's like all I do is sleep anyway. Did you want to try anything first though?"

Inoichi shakes his head. "No thank you, Sakura-chan. I'll leave and make my report to Hokage-sama and your sensei. Please have Natsu-san let one of us know immediately once your Inner returns - it seems she may be the only one to know what's happening here."

Sakura nods with determination. "Of course! Thank you for checking on us, Inoichi-san!"

"You could stand to be a little more helpful, shannaro!" Inner growls as she glares across the Bridge. The fire climbs a little hire in response - she curses under her breath and takes a large step backwards, firming her stance at the edge of the sakura-lined path.

The intruder grins, gold eyes flashing.

Notes:

So basically how this chapter happened:
Me: I'm gonna end chapter 36 vaguely, so readers don't know who got bit!
Me: (because I haven't decided for myself yet aaaaaaah-!)
All but one reader: OMG NATSU GOT BIT?!
Me: …
Me: …
Me: Shit. Uh. Crap. I- (*had totally decided on Sasuke*)
Me: Will they be, uh… disappointed?
Me: *that one reaction picture of the guy nervous sweating*
Me, middle of the night: EUREKA! WHAT IF THEY BOTH GOT BIT?!
Me: That's a cop-out.
Me, considering: Or… maybe, considering the original summary/projected outline for this fic had that one scene… that we were thinking of scrapping since I couldn't find a way to make it work… If they both got bit though, then, perhaps…?
Me: You know what? I think that just might work! *proceeds to spend five minutes biting myself at odd angles just to see if it would be theoretically possible*
Me: DONE AND DONE!
Me: *remembers that Orochimaru has snake characteristics and can probably unhinge his jaw so I spent five minutes biting myself for no reason*
Me: …why couldn't I remember that BEFORE I hurt myself experimenting? (fun fact, I broke my jaw as a kid so it sometimes gets wonky especially if I open it too wide – it tries to get stuck)
So yeah, I'd say you guys have only yourselves to blame but honestly this works SO WELL with something that I'd originally planned later on that I kinda wish it was my idea from the start!
As for why I finally decided on Sasuke (originally) before my attempts to be vague and mysterious backfired on me, there's sort of a couple reasons. I can't list all of them because I don't wanna spoil a later chapter, but it was partially cause I felt that one later scene had more impact if Sasuke had the curse-seal, partially because while all my short-term ideas for Oro's seal on Natsu are great and I love them, I didn't have any real long-term ones.
So yeah.
Anyway, hope you enjoy what I have planned and how I've decided to use this going forward!

Chapter 44

Notes:

Me, spending an hour+ using gimp to edit a picture of cherry blossoms so they look fiery.
It wasn't even good.
*sigh*
Anyway, thanks for reading! Sorry I skipped last week – been looking for a new job and writing's been hard.
And to the one commenter who I said I'd try and write three chapters this weekend, I totally did – the other two were just for different fics… *sweatdrops*
At least I wrote, honestly I'm considering that a win.
ONE DAY I'LL GIVE YOU GUYS MAKE-UP CHAPTERS FOR MY TWO SKIPPED WEEKS.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

"Aniki, train with me!"

"Hey nii-san, what's that book?"

"Aniki, are you busy?"

"Play with me!"

"You have a mission again? You're always gone now!"

"Kaa-san, when will nii-san come back?"

"Aniki! Tou-san and Kaa-san- the clan- why-?"

"Nii-san!"

Blood and death and glowing red eyes-

"Hate me, then, and live."

Sasuke wakes choking on air, drowning in his own panic.

The nightmare fades with every dazed blink, until all he has left is a hazy recollection that he dreamed of that night again. He pushes himself up, determined to go out and train until he shakes the rest of the dream off, only to stop half-way in surprise.

Natsu slips off him, thumping into the pillows with a mild groan, and everything in Sasuke goes cold.

I didn't even notice…?

One of Natsu's eyes cracks open blearily, and flutters shut right after. Sasuke slips out the… hospital bed? a bit more carefully, because he's not sure what's going on but he knows his teammates will make a fuss when-

"YOU'RE AWAKE!"

Natsu jackknifes into a sitting position so quickly he over-compensates and tumbles right off the bed, yelping as he hits the floor.

Sasuke refuses to find it funny.

"WAIT SASUKE'S AWAKE?!"

The door to the room slams open, and the dobe barrels in without pause, tripping over Natsu and sending them both sprawling all over again.

Sasuke chokes on a laugh because he refuses to sink to their level.

"This is a hospital, dobe. Stop yelling." Naruto stares up at him with a look so stupid Sasuke's pretty sure he didn't hear a word, and he sighs.

"Yeah Sakura, stop yelling."

What?

Sasuke turns to look at Natsu, confused, because if the most tolerable member of his team has cracked and gone insane he's defecting and that is it-

"I don't care if no one else can hear you! This is a hospital and Sasuke says yelling's against the rules! So stop!" Natsu tilts his head to the side, face scrunched in annoyance, and Sasuke's almost afraid to ask.

"Hearing voices now?"

Natsu shrugs. "Just Sakura's, for now. Sakuni's still back at the bridge, apparently, so I don't know if I'd be able to hear her too… I really wish I knew what was going on but Sakura-chan said I shouldn't bother Sakuni, so…"

"...what?" Sasuke stares blankly, because he's pretty sure Natsu just said that there are two Sakuras and if someone doesn't clarify something soon he's going to have to assume his whole team is cracked in the head.

Naruto steps forward, looking nervously at Natsu. "How much do you remember, Sasuke?"

"Enough," he answers on reflex, before Natsu straight up passes out on the floor and Sasuke thinks maybe he should seriously consider the question.

"We… goaded those Kusa-nin into a fight. Only two of them were clones, and the original was…"

Way out of our league , he can't quite say, the words a brand on his tongue. Something in him burns, absolutely furious, before it melts away far too quickly, and Sasuke freezes.

That's not right , he thinks, why shouldn't I be angry? I wasn't strong enough! None of us were!

I refuse to be weak!

The anger comes back, a slow, steady thing, and that's just as wrong as the there-and-gone inferno.

A sudden chill overtakes him as he comes up with the only possible explanation.

"Something's… messing with my head, isn't it?" He glances down at Natsu, now curled about himself, and has a vague memory of being pushed down just as fangs sunk into his flesh. He idly rubs at his shoulder where he remembers the pain coming from. "...Natsu's too?"

"WHAT?! Whaddya mean? Natsu's just sleepin' alot cause a'chakra 'xhaustion! No one said anythin' about somethin' in your heads!" the dobe panics, leaping forward to try and grab Sasuke's head like that would do anything.

Sasuke snarls, pushing the dobe out of his personal space, feels a brief urge to follow up with a kick, enforce his boundaries, and only stops short of following through to consider, because he isn't sure if that's his own thought.

Naruto's clingy, and always after physical affection, and it's annoying and Sasuke most certainly has wanted to just bodily throw him away until he got the hint, but… if he's being honest to himself, it's been a… while, since he last wanted to.

And he can't be sure, when that fury disappeared too quickly to be natural, especially for Sasuke, when he's so used to taking his anger and using it, not pushing it away…

Sasuke has no idea what's happening, and apparently Naruto doesn't either-

See how much they value teamwork? He thinks, because clearly someone lied to Naruto about his teammates' conditions, made him think it was just chakra exhaustion when it's clearly so much more than that.

How typical, preaching one thing and doing another , he muses.

And freezes again, because 'preaching' is not a word he uses often at all. He doesn't have time to think about it though, because the door swings open again not a moment later, Kakashi-sensei leaning against the frame.

"Yo!" he raises one hand idly, the other holding a bright orange book, and Sasuke feels his eye start to twitch.

"Sensei! You didn't tell me somethin' was messin' with Sasuke n' Natsu's heads!" Naruto yells for the entire hospital to hear.

"Dobe!" he snaps, fist cracking down on Naruto's head in what he's pretty sure is the exact same way Sakura used to before Natsu showed up and-

He stops mid-motion, confused. Because at first he was suspecting that Kusa-nin they'd been fighting, but if Natsu got hit by… whatever that was too, then…

"Is Natsu the one messing with my head?"

Something about that doesn't feel right, but he just brained the dobe the way Sakura usually does and Natsu's unconscious but was talking before like there were two Sakuras, and no one is explaining anything-

Sasuke breathes, letting go of Naruto and stepping away.

Kakashi only just got here, so of course no one's explained yet-

He turns his glare on the jonin.

"What happened."

Kakashi's book is nowhere in sight, and the man looks truly serious in a way Sasuke's still not used to seeing.

The real face of Hatake Kakashi, Konoha's top-rank assassin.

He thinks that thought might actually be his own, if only for the fact that he doesn't refer to Kakashi-sensei by his clan name.

And even Sasuke, genin though he is, knows there's a difference.

"Apparently," Kakashi starts with an even tone, "a lot more than we expected. What do you remember?"

Sasuke pushes down a flare of irritation at the repeated question. "Natsu trying to tackle me. And that Kusa-nin biting me?" he rubs at his shoulder again, remembering. "Nothing after that though."

"He was no Kusa-nin," Kakashi starts, voice still carefully even, "but rather Orochimaru of the Sannin. As I'm sure you, at least, remember from your lessons, he defected from Konoha some years ago. You were completely outclassed from the start."

Sasuke does remember, though the dobe's sheepish grin says he's likely the only one who does on this team.

"What does he want with me?" Sasuke asks, because the strange mark he feels under his fingers is a lot more concerning when he knows it was placed by an S-Rank nuke-nin. And he's hardly forgotten who the original target was - that entire fight, the Kusa-nin only cared about Sasuke, brushing off Naruto like an annoyance and not even trying for Natsu until the pinkette threw himself into the fight.

"We don't know." Kakashi says, voice sharp with irritation. "He tried to put what's known as a Curse Seal of Heaven on you - Mitarashi Anko, who was the proctor for the second exam, has one as well. A prototype version, we believe, with you receiving what should have been the final product."

Should have been. Sasuke scowls. "What went wrong."

Kakashi glances down at Natsu. "Natsu put a hand in the way - perhaps intentionally, perhaps not. He hasn't been conscious very much at all, lately, so we can hardly ask. Regardless, the mark got split between you - half on your shoulder, half on his right hand. We have no idea which symptoms come from the improvements made to Anko-chan's seal, and which might be coming from it being unnaturally divided between two people. And beyond that, with both of you being unconscious for the past two days, we have only a bare list of symptoms to work with anyway. Something lead you to believe you were being directly mentally influenced?"

"My anger disappeared too quickly - it was unnatural. After that, I paid attention, and a couple of things I've thought haven't sounded quite right. What's wrong with Natsu?"

"Only the teme would notice something wrong because he stopped being angry," Naruto grumbles, and Sasuke scoffs.

Kakashi's eye narrows in consideration. "According to Inoichi-san, Sakura-chan can now see and hear anything that Natsu can, and Natsu is able to hear her speaking as well. Beyond that, they've been unconscious too often for us to learn much."

"So who is Sakuni?" he asks, because Kakashi's answer explained all of nothing.

"Ah, well, I only know this second-hand from Inoichi, but apparently she's that older version of Sakura-chan you saw before? We don't know why she's older, but according to her, she's been a second personality of Sakura-chan's since Sakura-chan was born. That's all I really know about that."

Sasuke glances down at Natsu, but isn't quite sure he wants to waste time asking.

He just needs to go cut loose in a training field until he's too exhausted to think.

Kakashi-sensei must read the question in his quick glance though, because he speaks again. "We really don't know why Natsu's been in and out of consciousness so much, especially when you were completely out of it and didn't so much as twitch. We thought it might correct itself once you woke up, but that doesn't seem to be the case… but I'm afraid you can't leave quite yet."

That spike of fury is utterly expected, and Sasuke glares at Kakashi. "What?"

"Take a couple steps back if you like, and see for yourself. Naruto's bed should be far enough away."

Far enough away for what? Sasuke doesn't ask, instead turning to do as Kakashi suggested.

Annoyance builds with every step, and he spins back around once he reaches the bed. "And what is this supposed to be do-innng…"

Natsu's curled so tight on himself Sasuke's pretty sure it's gotta hurt, hands clenched tight enough to draw blood. And part of Sasuke wonders why Kakashi thinks he'd care about that, as the rest comes to a startling conclusion.

"He's… protecting me."

Sasuke steps closer, feels some of the annoyance bleed away even as he pushes aside the spark of worry with the ease of long practice. If his teammates are so weak that he has to worry about them, he doesn't want them. And that's been true for as long as he's been Team 7.

"Whatever's happening," Sasuke muses, kneeling down to touch Natsu's hand and suddenly feeling more himself as he does, "Natsu's… taking the brunt of it?" It comes out a question, but the hate bubbling through Sasuke's chest is very certain.

How dare he, Sasuke can't help but think, staring down at his unconscious teammate.

I didn't ask you to do this for me!

Sasuke swore to get stronger. For revenge, for justice, to finally silence the burning hatred that sometimes feels like it will eat him alive-

But also because, one day, he wants to restore his clan.

And he never wants to be so weak that he can't protect them again.

If I can't even protect myself, if I need other people to save me, then how can I ever be strong enough for that!?

He nearly gets up and storms away regardless - he can protect himself, he doesn't need Natsu's help, and the idiot will accept that sooner or later and stop hurting himself trying, but.

Natsu blinks awake, bright green eyes vague and out-of-focus.

"Sakuni's pretty cool, apparently she's been stuck in my mindscape for a while, which is why I didn't see her before, but now she's over in the bridge connecting mine and Sakura-chan's which is why she's gone."

"Huh?" Sasuke can't help but ask, because, what?

Natsu sits up, casting a quick glare at the ground. "Ugh I hate that! I just remembered that before I fell asleep you were confused about Sakuni and since I was still on the ground I thought maybe it hadn't been that long…" he trails off, glancing around, and his eyes land on where Sasuke is holding his hand.

"Wha- hey, what're you doin'?!" he yelps, jerking his hand back and staring suspiciously at Sasuke.

Clearly, Sasuke has miscalculated somewhere. But he's not going to waste his time explaining everything to the idiot when he can just prove it, so he stands up and walks away.

"Hey! Answer the question you jer-!" Natsu cuts himself off with a yelp, and Sasuke turns to see him cradling his head with one hand - the hand with a swirling black marking that Sasuke is suddenly certain will match his own. He nearly doesn't walk back, because if it bothers the idiot that much he can just come to Sasuke, but Kakashi's disproving look and the sense that that might not be his own feelings encourage him to step closer to his teammate.

Who isn't even looking at him.

Of course.

Sasuke stops just in front of Natsu and scowls down at him, waiting for the idiot to notice.

It feels like ages pass, and Kakashi rests a hand on the dobe's shoulder to keep him from interrupting, before Natsu shudders like he passed through the world's biggest cold spot and turns his gaze up to Sasuke.

"Y'know," he starts, lips curling into a grin that Sasuke knows is bad news, "I knew Sakura-chan had a crush on you. But I didn't realize Sakuni does too!"

"What."

Natsu's grin widens. "Well, Sakura-chan and I are both here. And Sakuni's missing. And I guess if this mark connects us somehow," he waves his hand in emphasis, nearly swiping Sasuke's stomach, "then it sounds to me like she's hanging out with you! Man that's gotta be weird!"

What.

Notes:

a part of this chapter confused my beta reader, and I went back and added more clarifying text, but figured I'd throw some things down here just in case – Oro's spirit/fragment/thing in the curse seal is getting a liiiiiiiiiittle confused in Sasuke – since the curse is divided between two people that fragment is feeling two people, or at least aware of them – nevermind the weirdness that is Natsu's head right now. And because of that, it's sort of screwing up its attempts to manipulate Sasuke by doing so in ways that would work better on, say, Natsu. Or Sakura. AKA it's being more obvious than in canon because it has a lot more inputs than expected and, well, Sasuke's a bit more mentally stable too, so he's noticing.
Also please know that 0% of this chapter was planned but I decided to write it from Sasuke's POV so I could timeskip a little to set up the next chapter and suddenly all of this happened.
But it works with what I already have planned so I'm sticking with it!
Feel free to ask if something doesn't make sense, as a rule of thumb if I confuse my beta reader/best friend of fifteen years, I can fairly say I'll probably confuse other people.
Also final end note – Natsu's theory at the end is wrong. It's not a big spoiler or anything, so I feel no shame in saying he is very much wrong as to Sakuni's whereabouts, but it was just too perfect a way to end the chapter…

Chapter 45

Notes:

Natsu: *finally gets his magic back*
Natsu: *immediately starts blowing shit up in spectacular fashion*
It was inevitable you guys.
Now I just gotta figure out how to get him out of all the trouble he just blasted his way into.
Also honestly this chapter needs more Naruto.
But we'll make up for it next time.
Some pictures at the bottom on the AO3 version of the chapter!
Thanks for reading!

Chapter Text

"This is so stupid!" Natsu turns and storms away, stubbornly focusing on putting one foot in front of the other, until a sudden spell of dizziness sends him crashing to the ground.

Sasuke catches him at the last moment, and Natsu scowls up into his stupid face.

The Uchiha scowls back. "I'm not the one doing this."

"Inoichi said he'd put me in chakra suppressants if I tried to go make Sakuni stop though, so it's not my fault either!" Natsu protests, jerking himself from Sasuke's arms and stepping away. Even just that little bit of distance is enough to make him feel tired, and.

No. Just no.

He spins back around to glare at Sasuke. "We need to fix this!"

"The Hokage said we have to wait for Jiraiya."

"Screw that! You don't wanna wait either right?!"

Sasuke doesn't respond, but Natsu can practically feel his agreement.

"Besides, if we fix it, then they can't keep us in this stupid place anymore!"

It's a safe-house, supposedly, is what the Hokage told Natsu when he first woke up here a couple hours ago.

Naruto isn't even allowed to visit unless he comes with their sensei and whenever Natsu thinks about it, something dark and furious curls in his stomach.

He's pretty sure it's not even that Oro-guy's influence, because the way the entire village treats Naruto pisses him off on principle.

Not that anyone believes him.

Except Sasuke, but Natsu's pretty sure that's because it makes Sasuke angry too even if the Uchiha won't admit it.

Fire flickers between his clenched fists, and Sasuke sighs, Sharingan spinning slowly as he stares.

"I'm fairly certain they're keeping us here more because they haven't caught Orochimaru than anything else."

"Then we just-!" hunt him down ourselves, Natsu almost says, but.

That's exactly what got them into this mess, even if they had no way of knowing what would happen.

And Natsu's magic is back, as strong as ever, but Sakura-chan's body isn't conditioned to handle it, he remembers hurting himself with that one attack against the Kusa-guy.

Sasuke stares at him as though he knows exactly what Natsu wanted to say, and Natsu's pretty sure it's because Sasuke thinks the same thing himself a lot.

Even if it's for different reasons.

"We don't even have a training field." Natsu eventually mutters, kicking at the wall. It's just a tiny house with no doors leading out - as though that could stop him - and three small rooms: bed, bath, and kitchen, with a small hallway connecting them.

Natsu's pretty sure Earthland has prisons more spacious, and he hasn't even been here a day.

Sasuke grunts in response, spinning a kunai on one finger. They didn't try to take any weapons, which Natsu supposes isn't how a prison would do things, but even if he wanted to practice there just wasn't enough space to throw - the size of the rooms meant even he could hit the target perfectly every time.

"If we pulled everything out of the bedroom there might be enough space to spar." Sasuke grumbles after a moment, glaring back towards the doorway.

"I don't think it'll fit in the hallway - we'd have to put it all in the kitchen." Natsu spins to lean against the wall, arms crossed. "What d'ya think they told Kizashi-san and Mebuki-san? I mean, I guess it's not safe to let them into the mindscape if they don't even want me going in, but still…"

"Hn." Sasuke sits down, tossing his kunai and catching it idly.

That gives Natsu an idea.

"Y'know... if we blew up the wall between the bedroom and the kitchen we'd have enough room to actually do some stuff - there's nothing against it that can't be moved."

Sasuke catches his kunai again and looks up, Sharingan eyes boring into Natsu's. "They probably won't like that," he says cooly, and Natsu grins sharply back.

"Well they should have given us enough room to train then. Not our fault!"

The Uchiha smirks, standing again. "You gonna pass out if we split up to move everything?"

"As if!" Natsu turns towards the kitchen, glaring with determination as he starts to move.

The dizziness rushes up not five steps through and he catches himself on the wall, panting. "I'm fine!" he barks when he feels Sasuke step closer, because this whole mess is stupid and he refuses to let some ridiculous magic brand stop him from doing whatever he wants.

Sasuke starts walking in the other direction and spots flicker in Natsu's vision, but he ignores it, puts one foot in front of the other, bracing against the wall until he finally gets into the kitchen. Moving the two shelves from against the bedroom wall is harder than it should be, every step making the world spin around him, but he finally gets the dry foods rack situated by the fridge, and the cabinet set between the stove and the far wall before finally stumbling back over and collapsing as he waits for Sasuke. He leans there against the wall connected to the bedroom until he feels the Uchiha stop moving around as well, which only takes a few moments more.

"Good over here." The Uchiha says, voice muffled, and Natsu pushes himself to his feet. All the important kitchen stuff is clear, so he calls out a warning to Sasuke, lights up his fist, and punches.

A number of squiggly markings light up with a flash, and he hears the Uchiha yelp in surprise. When he steps back, the wall is completely fine.

Tch.

He feels Sakura-chan's presence start to grow stronger in the back of his mind. Scowling, he rests both hands on the wall and lets the fire surge, carefully holding Sakura-chan's own chakra back.

The markings appear again, and Natsu keeps the fire going until they start to flake off and disappear.

"What are you doing?"

Natsu grins, and when the last of the marks disappear, he steps back and punches the wall again.

This time, his fist goes through, and from there Sasuke helps from the other side and they pull it apart, a pile of rubble growing between them.

"There were seals." Is the first thing Sasuke says when they finish, staring at Natsu. "You melted them."

Natsu laughs, stretching his arms over his head. "Yeah, I broke some fancy custom seal on Kizashi-san's bathtub too. Apparently they don't like me! But we've totally got enough room now, right?"

"The ANBU should have shown up by now," Sasuke mutters in response, staring at the remnants of the wall. Natsu scoffs.

"Please. I only broke the ones on this wall, I didn't touch the others. So unless they're being perverts they probably haven't even noticed."

"How'd you do it?"

Natsu shrugs. "Honestly I'm not even sure how your guys' seals work, I didn't even mean to break the one on the bathtub. I just lit this one on fire until it snapped."

"I can't believe you broke tou-san's tub! You never told me that!"

"Ahaha, I'm pretty sure he got it fixed, don't worry about it Sakura-chan!"

Sasuke sighs. "She's awake again?"

"Yep! But I'm pretty sure she was awake earlier, just not, y'know, here."

"A girl needs some time to herself!"

"Yeah, Lu-chan says stuff like that too. You guys are weird. We gonna spar?"

The tomoe in Sasuke's eyes spin faster, and that's all the warning Natsu gets before the Uchiha attacks.

Even with the wall gone and the furniture in the bedroom rearranged, there's still barely enough room for them to have even a half-way serious taijutsu fight.

"We could… destroy the hallway one too… for a bit more room." Natsu pants during a brief pause. Sasuke glances at it, then nods.

"Just leave everything by the toilet alone."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Natsu shakes out his hand, grimacing when the flesh around the curse-mark tenses painfully.

At least Sasuke's isn't somewhere that messes with his fighting, he grumbles to himself as he puts his hands against the other wall and carefully burns out the seals. Once they're gone, it's as easy to destroy as the first one, and then they're left with a wide space, broken up only by a single pillar in the middle.

Sasuke launches into another attack as soon as they agree it's good, and Natsu scrambles to keep a defense against the Uchiha's onslaught.

"Sasuke-kun's so amazing, right?" Sakura-chan cheers.

Natsu's pretty sure it's unfair to cheer on Sasuke when it's her body getting all bruised, but understanding girls is hard on a good day and he's pretty sure Sakura-chan is weirder than most, so he just throws himself more into the fight.

Just because Sasuke's eyes give him a stupid advantage in taijutsu doesn't mean Natsu's gonna accept losing!

Natsu and Sasuke are arguing over how to make dinner when they hear the wall grind open.

"What did you do?" Kakashi-sensei's voice rings out, disbelieving, and they trade glances.

Sasuke crosses his arms, smirking, clearly projecting an air of 'this was your idea' and Natsu nearly restarts their fight before Kakashi and the ANBU step into the kitchen area.

Naruto's just behind them, hands slapped over his mouth as he clearly tries not to laugh, and Natsu can't help grinning back at the blond, though his eyes stay on the masked men.

"Why." Kakashi says, completely deadpan.

"There were seals on these walls." one of the ANBU retorts, and Natsu gets the feeling they're glaring at him under the mask.

"The ceiling should have caved in." The second ANBU says, tilting his head up to look at it.

"Wha-?! I didn't touch those seals!" Natsu yelps, jerking his gaze up as well. "They should hold it up on their own right?!"

"The seals are inter-connected. Destroying one of them shouldn't be possible without destroying all of them. It's a failsafe to make it harder to break out." The first ANBU says, running fingers down the nearest wall.

The seal-scribbles light up, glowing all around the walls, as well as the ceiling and floor. The ANBU turn to stare at each other for a moment before they start signing back and forth, fingers flying fast as handsigns.

Naruto leaps forward to tackle-hug Natsu once they do, sending him stumbling into Sasuke, who scoffs audibly as he steps backwards to watch them crash to the ground.

Natsu's pretty sure a stray rock from the walls digs into his spine.

"You guys are okay! They moved you when I went to get some food, and then no one would tell me where, I had to find sensei and bother him until he went to Jiji who said I wasn't allowed to go alone… It was creepy!"

"Maa, Naruto-kun." Kakashi crouches down, ruffling the blond's hair as he makes eye contact with Natsu. "I do believe we need to ask some questions, or the ANBU will get twitchy. Ne~?"

"B-but!"

"We can still stay a little bit after. Also, I think your food is burning."

Natsu yelps, wiggling out from under Naruto to rush to the stove and yank the pan off the fire.

"How did you destroy the seals?" one of the ANBU asks as Natsu tries to salvage his and Sasuke's poor attempt at stir-fry.

Natsu shrugs. "I just lit 'em on fire, s'not like it was hard."

"Aa. With your bloodline?" Kakashi asks, and Natsu turns from his sad poking of the stir fry to look at him.

"It's not a bloodline! Anyone can learn it if they start young enough!"

The ANBU exchange more signs with each other, before the first turns back to them. "We will inform Hokage-sama of this development. You may stay until sunset." They both sink into the ground, and Kakashi turns a baleful eye on their dinner.

"Let's see if this can be salvaged, ne~?"

Natsu trades sullen glances with Sasuke, but steps away from the stove.

The Uchiha just offers a 'hn' in reply.

"Wow, you guys are a mess."

No one puts their walls back, which is nice, but they make Natsu burn up a whole bunch of seals too, which is annoying.

At least after the first couple times.

He tries to explain that he just lights the seals on fire, but no one believes him, so a couple ANBU make him burn a whole bunch of things again and again and again looking for some special trick they aren't gonna find because Natsu doesn't do anything special.

Even Sakura-chan starts to grumble at the ANBU after the second day, so Natsu knows they're being idiots.

By the time the third day comes around though, Natsu's gone straight past annoyed and into downright frustrated.

"There's no way I'm staying in here for two weeks." He hisses at Sasuke.

"What are you going to do, break us out?" The Uchiha snarks in return, and Natsu groans.

"Better than just staying here. I mean, what're they gonna do? Throw us back in?"

"Probably send us to an actual prison."

"Psh! We'll just break out of that too."

"Please don't, I don't want to be a criminal!" Sakura interjects, and Natsu groans.

"Okay we can't go to prison. But would they really send us there just for leaving? I'm bored out of my mind!"

"You're getting better at taijutsu," Sasuke offers. Natsu tilts his head back to glare at the Uchiha.

"Only because your eyes are cheats." He retorts, before rolling over to his stomach. "Besides! Breaking out won't even be hard, we're not that far underground so all we gotta do is blast through the ceiling and then we'll be outside."

Sasuke looks contemplative for all of a moment before he masks it. "The ANBU will be on us within moments. How exactly are we going to outrun them?"

"I dunno. But at least it would be more fun than fighting each other for the twentieth time today."

A pensive look crosses Sasuke's face, and Natsu knows he's won. He tries not to seem smug about it, because Sasuke totally will change his mind if he does.

"When we get in trouble," the Uchiha says after a moment, "I will make sure everyone knows this was your idea."

"Yeah yeah, show me which parts of the seal I need to burn to get us out without triggering the alarms."

Sasuke stands up and activates his Sharingan, bringing one hand forward to gently channel chakra into the wall.

"I'm pretty sure this is the alert thread, and I know this one is the power-channel. You break either of those and we won't even make it out. I think that one over there is one of the grounding partitions, so if you hit that it'll probably explode. There's some that look vaguely like storage seals, but I don't know for sure… anyway, those are these. Avoid them too."

"Wow you aren't leaving me with anything," Natsu grumbles as he climbs up onto the dresser to press his hands against the ceiling.

Sasuke keeps an eye on the seal, sharingan eyes tracing every pulse of light as Natsu's fire washes over the markings.

Somehow, nothing blows up.

They wait a couple minutes after Natsu finishes, just in case, but no ANBU appear either.

"We are going to be in so much trouble. You know that, right? When you guys get caught they won't let you be alone again, you'll probably have an ANBU in the room with you next time watching everything you do this is such a bad idea-"

"It's alright Sakura-chan! Besides, at least if they do that we'll have someone in here who actually knows how to cook-!"

"I know how to cook! But do either of you listen to me? Of course not! Idiots!"

Natsu chuckles nervously. "It's not like we completely ignored your recipe-"

"There were no tomatoes. Your recipes suck."

"Tomatoes don't go in stir fries!"

"L-let's just break out, yeah?" Natsu says, sliding the first dresser away from the wall. Sasuke grabs the second to put side-by-side so Natsu can brace himself easily as he brings down the ceiling.

"You're only going to have one shot," Sasuke says as he perches half-way up the wall, "if you don't break all the way through to the surface, you won't have any time for a second blast."

"I know, I know, but Sakura-chan says this is the most likely place, and you and your magic eyes agree. I can totally do this. Stop nit-picking!"

"You're going to burn my arm, aren't you."

"Only a little bit, Sakura-chan! It'll get better!"

He focuses then, grabbing his magic and building it up in his arm until it nearly starts to burn, the faintest hints of smoke starting to form over his knuckles.

He punches up, striking the ceiling and releasing all the fire, vaporizing the first layer of stone and exploding everything above it. The dressers crack beneath his feet from the force and he yelps, leaping up to catch at the rock, some of it still molten and steaming. He sticks to it with chakra long enough for Sasuke to leap on his back then scrambles up, trying to focus as much as possible on not burning.

They tumble out of the hole a moment later, Natsu's hands slightly red from grabbing so much super-heated rock but not damaged, and he pushes himself to his feet as soon as Sasuke rolls off him.

They make it barely two steps before the ANBU show up in a flurry of leaves, barely-visible shadows against the night-shrouded street.

Natsu cracks his knuckles with a grin.

"Wait- you aren't- NATSU DON'T YOU DARE!"

"ANBU-san, fight me!" He hollers, leaping at the closest one.

Sasuke facepalms behind him.

The safe-house - just a basic layout, not perfectly how i envisioned it but I gave up fighting with it once I got this far:

And, because I've been meaning to upload this one for a while, the qipao I found on Amazon that Natsu's preferred outfits are based off of! I see it styled slightly differently, the gold trimming being just a little thicker, and the white designs obviously coming in a couple different shapes, the slit coming up a bit higher on the leg to allow more freedom of movement (specially since he wears shorts under it), but this is defo the one I based them off of!

Chapter 46: Interlude VII: The Hokage's Way

Notes:

Just a brief Interlude of the Hokage's POV from last chapter!
Next chapter should be posted over the weekend like normal, barring catastrophe!
Or author distraction.
Which is pretty much the same thing.
Thanks for reading!

Chapter Text

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, this is an awful idea."

Kakashi's book is nowhere in sight, Hiruzen notes as he relaxes into his chair. He's serious.

"With Orochimaru directly influencing their minds, it's necessary to keep them separated - we don't know how this seal is meant to work, or how aware he is of the children. So what, exactly, is your problem with this, Hatake-san?"

Kakashi falls into a parade rest, hands clasped behind his back. "I understand that isolating them is necessary until we know more about the situation. But in that safe house - at the very least, I request we use my clan's retreat. It's large enough, and I can monitor them as effectively as any ANBU squad-"

"You let your emotions influence your decisions. Hatake-san." Hiruzen sighs.

Kakashi bristles, then takes a breath to settle his reflexes. "I've trained with these children for nearly two months now, Hokage-sama. I know them. And in taking all of that into consideration, I know this isn't going to work. At the very least, give them a larger safe-house so they can have a live-in guard."

Hiruzen shakes his head. "And allow Orochimaru the chance to spread his influence? We don't know that he can't, and I will not take that risk. Any larger a safe-house won't be so easily protected by seals either. This is the best way to handle it."

Kakashi scowls, though his voice is even when he speaks. "Then at least allow me to spend more time with them - I know them well, and I will be able to recognize when they are acting under their own impulses. I can have daily or even regulated meetings with Inoichi-sama to make certain nothing spreads. I honestly do not believe either of them will respond well to this-"

"You think they will resist? That they are not loyal enough to understand the necessity of this?"

Kakashi stiffens. "I… believe that their personalities are not… very compatible without a buffer to temper their impulses. And that they do not always think before they act."

Such is the way of children, Hiruzen knows. But even so.

"The seals will keep such behavior contained. And the ANBU will check in when they need to supply groceries. You and Naruto-kun will be permitted to visit briefly once the ANBU are certain everything is secure. This is final."

Kakashi's arm spasms faintly, and Hiruzen wonders what urge he was suppressing. To reach for a weapon? His book, to hide behind? His headband?

Regardless, best not push the man. Fiercely dedicated to teamwork, Hiruzen thinks Kakashi might actually oppose him for his students if he thinks he has to.

"If you still have concerns after your permitted visit, we can continue this discussion then. Dismissed, Hatake-san."

Kakashi offers a curt bow and none of his witty farewells, disappearing in a flurry of leaves. It's understandable, considering he only barely got to the fight in time to protect his students, that he might feel somewhat possessive of them in the wake of it all.

Even so, Hiruzen must consider the good of the village, especially over the lives of a traitor's son and an unnatural interloper.

It is only for Itachi's loyalty that he lets the security risk remain at all. If he cannot swear to have made every attempt to save them that he could, well.

The damage that Itachi could do should he go forward with the truth is great. Best to at least give the boy a chance.

Kakashi stands in front of his desk with a look that's equal parts smug and worried.

As well he should, Hiruzen thinks, contemplating the ANBU's report. Destroying two inner walls without triggering any of the alerts - for all that they only bound the alert threads to the outward-facing ones since such seals work better when used purely as a surrounding force, the fact that the Dragneel boy's power could be so selective…

"You don't seem surprised, Hatake-san." he says eventually, voice measured.

"Natsu is a very active person. It doesn't surprise me that he would try and give himself more space to move about." Kakashi shrugs casually, as though the boy just shuffled some furniture instead of collapsing entire sections of an elaborate seal.

Without damaging the other parts, which is nearly more terrifying by sheer implication.

"And his methods? They don't surprise you either?"

Kakashi sighs, as though the question bores him. "Natsu claims his natural power is the use of pure spiritual energy - even before he ended up possessing Sakura-chan, he supposedly shaped jutsu out of nothing else. He didn't even know physical chakra existed. Considering how unheard-of such an ability is, I've simply been keeping mark of anything he does to try and create a baseline. Considering he is capable of making fire but choosing who it burns and who it passes over without harm, something like this isn't all that spectacular."

Hiruzen would beg to differ, though he knows geniuses like Kakashi see things differently. The sheer danger of a person who can freely affect bits and pieces of a seal without taking into consideration how it's bound together, is horrifying. But, perhaps to Kakashi the complexity of making other people immune to a jutsu on a case-by-case basis is more impressive, simply because he trusts his student not to mess with… certain seals.

Hiruzen has no such luxury.

"He continues to claim his powers are not bloodline-based?" Hiruzen asks after a moment, because arguing the threat-level of Kakashi's students will get them nowhere.

The sensei nods. "He insists that anyone back home can learn if they start young enough - it might well be true, teaching children how to mold their chakra separately is possible at a young age, but the fact that he says he wasn't even aware of physical chakra means that either he lacks physical chakra entirely, or it somehow does not naturally interact with his spiritual chakra. Which is what makes me certain he's wrong. He has a bloodline, and is just unaware of it due to how prolific it is among his people."

"I see. And I have not seen a report regarding his power because…?" Hiruzen trails leadingly, letting displeasure tint his voice.

Kakashi doesn't react. "Until very recently, I only had his word and a single unusual occurrence to base everything from. As I understand, he hasn't been able to freely use his power until now. I did include in my report of the Wave mission how he managed to melt a Yuki-born's ice. I'm afraid none of us know exactly what he's capable of, but I'm equally certain that he is not a threat, Hokage-sama. Regardless of Orochimaru and whatever influence he might have at the moment."

"Would you say it likely then," Hiruzen starts, removing his pipe, "that the reason Haruno-chan cannot take control of her own mind and body, is because a person so heavily trained in spiritual chakra, which is an entirely mental power, cannot help but to naturally overpower her?"

To his credit, Kakashi considers the possibility for a moment. "You would know better than I, Hokage-sama, though Natsu-san seems rather in control of himself. I do not think the problem with Sakura-chan would be something like that."

"I see. Dismissed, Hatake-san."

"Hokage-sama-"

"In a few days, if they show no adverse signs of Orochimaru's influence, we can discuss alternate arrangements. For now, I will prioritize the safety of my village."

Kakashi bows sharply and leaves.

Hiruzen sighs.

This situation has become so complicated…

"Hokage-sama!" ANBU Tiger perches on the window sill, poised to leap away in a moment's notice.

Kakashi cuts himself off mid-argument for moving his team to a new location, resignation painted across his face.

Hiruzen scowls.

"Report!"

"Uchiha and Haruno escaped custody - Haruno attacked Gazelle-taicho immediately upon detection."

Kakashi doesn't even look surprised, merely annoyed, so Hiruzen bites down on his first order and focuses his attention on the man.

"You don't believe this to be a result of outside influence, Hatake-san?" he asks, voice edged with threat.

"No, Hokage-sama. As I tried to say before, neither Natsu nor Sasuke have the sort of temperament to behave themselves in long-term isolation." Kakashi meets his gaze evenly, and Hiruzen thinks he might believe the man.

Even so.

Attacking ANBU.

Some things cannot go unpunished.

"Have them brought here immediately upon capture. Conscious, if it's not too late."

"Hai."

Tiger leaps from the window, chakra already flaring in an alert pattern.

It takes ten minutes for ANBU to drag the bedraggled children of Team 7 into his office, which is five more than Hiruzen expected to have to wait.

Sasuke walks in front of them, arms crossed and expression annoyed, and both Cat and Boar frog-march Dragneel in, holding him between them like a fragile seal-bomb.

Gazelle has Naruto slung over his shoulder, and the blond gives him a cheery wave.

"Hi Jiji!"

Hiruzen feels ten years fall off the edge of his lifespan, and wishes he had a successor he could trust his village to.

Retirement has never sounded so sweet.

Chapter 47

Notes:

And so, after ten million years, I return.
Sorry it's taken so long, real life just fuckin bitch-slapped me and I am STILL dealing with the mess.
AKA I realized an hour ago that my electric bill is 4 days past due, so probably some fun late fees for NEXT month's…
*sigh*
Anyway, everything's a bit of a mess but it's hopefully getting better, and the chapters will start coming out on-schedule again as I get back into the swing of things. I still wanna finish this book by the end of the year dammit!
But thanks to everyone who reads and reviews, you're all awesome and I hope you enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Kakashi's pretty sure this is karma, somehow, for his own days as a genin.

Sasuke refuses to say anything other than, "It was all Natsu's doing."

Naruto refuses to see the seriousness of the trouble they're in.

And Natsu…

His most unexpected student shrugs as much as he's able with his arms held tight between Cat and Boar.

"It was fun."

The Hokage looks like he wants to throw them all to Ibiki without hesitation, and Kakashi (almost) can't blame him.

Breaking out of a secure room for fun.

Picking a fight with ANBU for fun.

Lighting three whole city blocks on fire for fun.

People thought the village was under attack, foreign jonin are demanding answers, it's a mess, and somehow the only recorded injuries are on Natsu himself.

Kakashi would really love a chance to study Natsu's power, his ability to control who his jutsu hurts and who it doesn't, but he'd been thinking of something a little more… contained.

The ANBU honestly thought Natsu was trying to kill them, before they realized the fire wasn't burning, and then they thought it was a genjutsu, and Kakashi's pretty sure the absolutely excessive amount of chakra suppressant seals stuck around Natsu's body are because they can't trust the seals are even working, anymore.

Paper reports really don't do Natsu justice, Kakashi muses.

He thinks about pulling out his book, just so he can laugh at everyone from behind it. But no, Hokage-sama looks genuinely angry now, it wouldn't be wise.

He still has to bite back a reflexive, "I told you so."

No need to invite trouble onto himself as well…

So maybe he went a liiiiiiiiiiiiiittle too far.

Natsu can admit that.

He forgot this city wasn't Magnolia, not everyone's cool about having their houses burn down every other week.

He misses Magnolia so much .

He's pretty sure the guild offers some special insurance for Natsu-inspired property damage to the city residents that comes out of his pay by default, even before the fines he has to pay to all the other cities. Mirajane lectured him on it once, when he complained about how Gray got paid a larger portion of a joint job they did once, even though the icy bastard caused as much property damage as Natsu had.

He's pretty sure Konoha doesn't have a special Dragneel Insurance Package, though, and even he can admit that was a lot of fire.

Sakura-chan still isn't speaking to him.

Sasuke looks surprisingly contemplative.

Natsu wonders what sort of idea the Uchiha's had.

Hopefully something fun.

"Do you have -any- idea what you've done?"

He glances back to the Hokage, and-

Urk!

"Nevermind the sheer amount of property damage," the Hokage says, clearly minding the property damage, "most of those buildings housed our independent jonin forces-"

"It's not like anyone got hurt," Natsu says, because he knows they didn't. And all those shinobi are so paranoid, they probably didn't lose any of their stuff either, though…

It's not like Natsu actually considered that, so he'd have to pay for it if they lost stuff, he supposes-

"My jonin have a right to feel safe in their own homes, Duragneel-kun."

Why wouldn't they-? He nearly asks, because the people of Magnolia never seemed to mind, but-

This isn't Magnolia. Isn't home. He knows that. Has known that.

Somehow the differences still surprise him.

When people see fire in Magnolia, they think of Natsu first. Wendy even mentioned it once, that most of the in-city jobs she's requested for aren't work accidents or broken limbs, but parents asking her to heal burns because their kids kept touching fire - the children too young to understand that Natsu's fire is different, and anything else will hurt them.

He doesn't really think about it much, but he's not completely ignorant to the association.

He wonders what people think of when they see fire here.

He's pretty sure it's not something as innocent as him getting pummelled by Erza for burning a single roof-tile of her favorite cake shop.

"I screwed up." he says, more a realization than anything.

"Oh have you?" the Hokage questions, voice amused.

Natsu's pretty sure amusement is about as far from the truth as he can get.

He wonders why the Hokage's bothering to pretend, but he's not about to invite the anger he knows is there.

Natsu swallows, and tries to shift his weight. The ANBU tighten their grips, so he settles carefully and tries not to scowl. No need to make everything worse.

"No one cares when I do stuff like that back home," Natsu says, a bit hesitant, not sure if the ANBU know, but the Hokage doesn't stop him. "Sometimes I pick fights with people, and then half the city's on fire, it just happens, right? It's normal, they just dock my next payout and sometimes make me help with the cleanup if I'm still around, but no one cares. I just… forgot."

He tries to shrug, and is quickly stopped by the ANBU's bruising grip on his arm.

He's not sure what else he can say.

Even before Natsu joined Fairy Tail, people were pretty used to their homes getting wrecked. They rearranged the entire city just for Gildarts, and Natsu's heard rumors about the Master's titan form wrecking a few homes too, though he doesn't have any proof.

Fairy Tail blowing up peoples' homes is just- normal. Natsu might be… a bit more prolific with it, but it's really nothing special.

"So that time you mentioned blowing up an entire mansion by accident is, hm, not so unusual for you?" Kakashi asks, an amused lilt to his voice that Natsu's pretty sure is real.

He still scoffs in response. "No! I mean- yes, a little, but not all the time! Like, one time, Lucy destroyed an entire harbor and you know who got blamed for it? Me! I'm a fire specialist, how am I supposed to flood a city? S-so don't just listen to everyone when they tell you it was me, sometimes it isn't! And the mansion really was an accident! Yeah?"

"Don't harbor cities usually have levees and dams specifically designed to protect them from floods?" Kakashi questions, voice so politely curious Natsu's pretty sure the sensei's mocking him.

"I don't really know, I'm not in the business of causin' floods, right? But Lu-chan basically just summoned a giant wave, and I know the fines were crazy high because there was a lot of merchandise that was gonna' be exported that was damaged, and I had to pay for all of it. They didn't even let me keep the damaged stuff, though with how pissed the army was I don't know I'd have gone back for it anyway…" Natsu trails off.

He's pretty sure the Hokage's eyebrow twitched.

That's…

Not a good sign.

"I see." The Hokage says sedately, "then would you mind explaining exactly how you broke out? I understand your power of course, but I was not aware you were so well-versed in seals, and surely you understand how vital it is that I understand their weaknesses."

Natsu's pretty sure there's a trap in that question, but… he answers anyway.

"Sakura-chan knows everything. She's studied all sorts of theory stuff, I didn't really understand it, but sometimes she'd have me relay stuff to Sasuke, and he'd understand so I guess that was good enough, and then all I had to do was convince Sasuke to use his magic eyes to tell me what stuff did what, and that was it! I mean, it took aaaaages to convince him, but eventually he helped out! But really Sakura-chan and Sasuke did all the thinking, I just blew stuff up!"

The Hokage stares at him a moment, then turns to the ANBU holding Naruto. "Please escort Naruto-kun out for a moment."

Sasuke visibly bristles, and Natsu tenses, the ANBUs' grip keeping him from doing anything more.

"Wha- Jiji! They're my team, why're you kickin' me out, dattebayo?!" Naruto protests, kicking his legs against the ANBU's back a bit.

They don't even react, though the Hokage sighs. "You shouldn't have been over there in the first place, Naruto-kun, and we will be talking about that. For now though, please wait patiently."

"Jiji! They're my team, and if they're in trouble we should all be in trouble together! I totally helped! I even used some of my explosive tags, it wasn't just Natsu-!"

"I'll speak with you when we're done, Naruto-kun."

The ANBU takes that as a dismissal, vanishing in a flurry of leaves, and the Hokage turns back to Natsu and Sasuke.

From what little of his face Natsu can see, Sasuke looks downright angry.

Natsu's a bit upset at the Hokage's treatment too, but it's honestly probably better if Naruto doesn't get in trouble with them, so he's not sure why Sasuke's so upset…

"Clearly," the Hokage says, once he's sure the ANBU is gone, all kindness gone from his voice, "it would take more effort than I am currently willing to expend to keep you both in one place. As such-"

"Hokage-sama." Kakashi interrupts, posture painfully straight. "As I offered before-"

"Hatake-san." The Hokage counters sharply. "We are far past the point where that would be acceptable. They will be kept separately, in different safe houses, until Jiraiya-san arrives. This is my decision."

"What?" Natsu can't help but respond. "That's so dangerous! Sasuke-"

"Will be monitored, as you will. Neither of you will be in any danger of dying. But you have proven that it will take too much effort to hold you both together, so I must do what is necessary to keep you in one place until our specialist can return to the village. Cat and Boar will take you now. The third set should work, Boar-san."

Nicer than the other one , Sasuke muses as he explores the new 'safe house'.

When he activates his Sharingan, he can see faint traces of seals around the walls, even without channeling chakra into them.

It's too quiet.

For some reason, he thinks of the stupid look on the dobe's face when the ANBU carried him out of the office.

They're my team , he said, like that was all that mattered, as though that's all that's ever mattered, and the look on his face-

Like he's being left out of something important, something that affects all his precious people; like standing in front of a closed door and wondering why everyone's always so much busier-

The new safe house still doesn't have a training dojo.

Natsu isn't there to spar.

Sasuke needs to move.

He goes through the few kata he can in the confines of the bedroom, but it doesn't help.

The dobe was being separated from them, deliberately kept out, and Sasuke's not the only one who realized.

He wishes he hadn't.

He can't stop thinking about the way the dobe looked at them.

Like they were family.

Sasuke doesn't want any more family.

Not as long as that man is still alive.

To take them away again.

Sasuke needs a distraction.

All he has is an empty safe house and his thoughts.

And for some reason all he can think about is-

He activates his Sharingan, places his hands against the wall, and tries to remember what Natsu's fire looks like.

He doesn't expect it to work, not when everyone says it's a kekkei genkai, he knows he can't copy those, but-

It burns, like he's lighting his arm on fire from the inside out, though he's only barely started to shape the chakra, his entire body rejecting the change in nature-

He breathes through the pain, because it can't take more than a moment right? They have to be on guard, but it hurts and if he doesn't stop soon he might damage something-

An ANBU appears in a flurry of leaves, killing intent pressing on Sasuke like a hand trying to hold him under water, and he drops his arms in relief.

"Can I get some books to read?" he asks, turning to lean against the wall, and hoping his hands aren't trembling.

He can't really feel them at the moment, and if he looks the ANBU will definitely notice.

Not a kekkei genkai , he scoffs internally, as the ANBU disappears as quickly as they came.

Sasuke hopes they're going for books.

He's pretty sure he can't do that again.

And the pain's no good at all at distracting him from his thoughts.

He slides down the wall to sit as pins and needles begin to race up and down his arms.

Something still feels like it's burning.

The next time Sasuke sees his idiot teammate, he's going to strangle him.

Both of them.

He wouldn't have needed to do that to try and get books if the dobe hadn't been a dobe.

A stack of books appears in front of him.

Two are clearly fictional, and the others don't look much better. He picks up the top one, a basic history text he remembers studying from in his first year at the Academy - more over-blown legends than actual historical fact, and realizes it's probably the best of the lot.

Maybe he should have specified something useful.

Better this than nothing , he tries to tell himself, though it doesn't make the frustration go away. He's not a child.

He pushes the book aside and tries not to remember that man helping him study for his first history test, both of them laying on the tatami mats-

Stop it!

He yanks the next book off the stack, flipping it open without even looking at the title.

There was blood on the trees, and Naruto's heart ached to see it.

"What?" Sasuke stares down at the dobe's name, then flips the book closed to see the cover.

"Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi…? Did a kid name that?" he glances suspiciously between the children's history book and the fictional tale in his hands, and wonders if the ANBU was actually deliberately calling him childish.

He really should have been more specific when he asked for something to read.

The exhaustion hits immediately, like being put to sleep whenever Mystogan would come by, but dirtier somehow. His head aches, a pulsing behind his eyes that has Natsu digging his palms into the sockets as he struggles to focus.

The room's big, spacious, and comfortable, and Natsu doesn't even make it to the bed before he passes out.

Time slips, after that.

He wakes up a couple times, dragging himself to his feet to try and keep Sakura-chan's body in shape and eat, and only makes it back to the actual bed maybe half the time.

Most of the time, he wakes up on the floor again.

He's not sure how long it's been, always in and out of consciousness, and it's surprisingly hard to track time even when he's awake, but he thinks it's maybe been a couple days when he falls asleep and wakes up somewhere else.

He almost doesn't recognize the Bridge, at first.

Sakuni collapses to her knees next to him.

"Finally," she breathes, lips curled in a satisfied smirk. "I've been trying to drag you here for ages."

"Naruto-kun." Kakashi sighs as he steps into his apartment and sees the blond sitting on his floor.

"Sensei!" Naruto leaps to his feet, but stops short of touching Kakashi. "Have you seen Natsu and Sasuke? Are they okay? Jiji won't tell me anything and I don't understand, it's not their fault, you told him, right? I tried to but I don't think he listened but-"

Kakashi reaches out and pats his blond student on the head. "You need to stop breaking into my apartment, Naruto-kun. One of these days I might have the dangerous traps set."

"Sensei! That's not important! Be serious, dattebayo!"

Kakashi sighs and glances down at his student. "It's not as simple as you think, Naruto-kun. Sometimes Hokages have to make hard choices. If you really want that hat for yourself, you need to understand why Hokage-sama did what he did."

"But it's not fair-!"

"If you want fair," Kakashi says, walking past the blond and towards his tiny kitchen, "go talk to your Academy sensei. That's the only place in this village that cares about fair. The Hokage has to make difficult choices, Naruto. Maybe the choice you would make is different than the one Hokage-sama made. But it would still have its own consequences. You can't say your choice would be better if you refuse to even look at what those consequences might be."

Kakashi is watching his team disappear on him, again, and knows his choice would care a lot less about the village than any Hokage's should.

He hopes Jiraiya can fix this, because if the Sannin can't…

He doesn't know what the Hokage would decide to do.

He thinks he knows what he'd do in response.

"Explain it to me then."

"Hm?" Kakashi glances over his shoulder at Naruto. The blond stands with his head bowed, eyes shadowed by his bangs, but his fists are clenched. Then he jerks his head up and meets Kakashi's eye with a gaze that's just a slightly darker shade of blue than normal. "You said there are… consequences and stuff, right, 'ttebayo? So explain it to me. Why?"

Kakashi glances between his student and the wilting cabbage he'd pulled from the fridge for a moment.

This would be a great opportunity to mooch a free meal, but…

Perhaps just this once, he'd be nice to his foolish little genin.

He can always make up for it in their next training session, after all.

He smiles widely under his mask.

"Alright then."

Notes:

and for anyone who's interested, my take and attempt at trying to justify the first couple chapters of the FT manga (for all that I understand it's just plot convenience, I am a FANFIC AUTHOR and plot convenience is just another word for WORLDBUILDING CHANCE)

one thing that always felt weird to me about the start of Fairy Tail is just HOW MANY guards were in the city. Like, I don't know how many guards the average city would have in that sort of era, but it always felt like a lot, you know? So I came up with a couple theories:
1. The army was planning to raid Bora's operation, because human trafficking on that scale is NOTICABLE, no matter how 'willing' the girls appear. The Army missed him, of course, but they'd known he'd be in the city so that's why.
Or.
2. That the city was actually a HUGE trade hub. I mean, Bora was planning to go a country over to Bosco or whatever, right? So that must be a route used for international shipping. AKA a BIG harbor with IMPORTANT trade routes to other countries in the peninsula.
Even with the money he pulls in, Natsu was probably paying for that harbor for MONTHS. I also imagine he didn't tell Lucy about it, because she's new to the guild and Natsu knows she's always worried about money, and he really... isn't.
But I don't think he'd be forgetting in a hurry just how much debt he got into for that, even if he'd NEVER hold it against Lucy, especially not when she was just protecting herself.
But if she's not around to feel guilty, and he's somewhere he feels if not safe then at least a bit comfortable, I don't think he'd avoid complaining about it.
And who knows, maybe that many guards is just normal for the Fairy Tail world and we just don't have much opportunity to see it, but this is my headcanon and I'm sticking to it because I like the idea of it.
And especially the idea of Natsu always getting blamed for massive property damage, even when it's BLATANTLY OBVIOUS he couldn't have done it.

Chapter 48

Notes:

Me, watching in horror as I proceed to have less and less of an idea of what I'm doing with my own goddamn fic.

You guys.

This chapter was like pulling teeth. It was awful. It was hard.

I am still not 100% happy with it.

But it's been over a month now, and dammit I have started and restarted this chapter THREE TIMES NOW. It ain't getting any better.

As always, the two failed attempts will be posted over in the Outtakes story on AO3.

Thanks for reading! Sorry I took an age!

Chapter Text

Sakuni's hair pours over her shoulder, firelight turning the pale strands a rich crimson.

He thinks of Erza, and misses her.

The look of worry and protectiveness on Sakuni's face only enhances the resemblance, and Natsu pushes himself up to avoid looking at it any longer.

"You the reason I keep passing out?" he asks, looking behind her to the wall of fire cutting off the path to his mindscape from the rest of the Bridge.

He thinks he sees a shadow, pacing sinuously behind the flames, but it vanishes in an instant, as though it felt his gaze.

Sakuni doesn't answer, and Natsu turns his gaze down to see her panting, arms trembling as she tries to stay on her knees even though she looks ready to just fall over. He crouches down, worry crawling through his gut.

"Sakuni? Are you okay?"

"'m f-fine," she sighs, leaning into him, eyes fluttering as though she can barely keep them open, "'s probably them though…" she flops one of her hands out, a clear and failed attempt at a graceful gesture. Natsu glances back up, following her direction, and sees someone standing in the shadows cast by the flames. Golden eyes glint maliciously as they study Natsu and Sakuni from afar, before their gaze turns to the nothing between paths.

Natsu follows, and does a double-take.

What used to be an expanse of nothing now holds two large gates, emblazoned with the Uchiha crest, and cracked open just wide enough for a person to slip through. Natsu catches a brief glimpse of blood-spattered cobblestones just as Sakuni lurches from his arms, hissing.

"Oh no you don't," she snarls, stumbling forward to confront the golden-eyed stranger, putting herself between them and the gate.

The stranger meets their eyes, grinning, and Natsu suddenly realizes it's the same person who they'd attacked in the field.

He rubs his hand and fights off a grimace, widening his stance.

The… man… laughs, his face and form blurry at the edges, like a thousand different faces all lay over the real one and constantly shift and move around.

The only thing stable is the glinting golden eyes, a serpent's gaze evaluating them like prey it plans to digest.

Natsu bares his teeth in response.

"W-we have to… contain him, somehow…" Sakuni says, posture straight but limbs trembling from exhaustion.

The Bridge wavers, colors blurring together before snapping back in place, crystal-clear. The Oro-guy croons.

"You cling to the very last of your strength, you foolish girl. What can you possibly accomplish? Even your precious ancestor will be of no use to you, when you finally lose the strength to hold him here." The man sways, like a snake preparing to strike, but doesn't move forward.

It's unsettling.

"A-ancestor?" Natsu stutters, pushing aside the creepy behavior as he wonders whether the man's as crazy as he looks. "I'm not even old enough to be her dad, I've met her dad, whaddya' mean, ancestor? That's not even possible!"

Oro-guy scoffs, pacing forward and stopping just out of reach. "Foolish children. I am Orochimaru of the Sannin, and I know more of souls and the cycle of life and death than you could say of your own nation. I have possessed countless people, and studied so many more, but you doubt that I could recognize a soul's resonance to its kin?"

"Wha-? But I'm from another world!" Natsu blurts thoughtlessly, completely confused because that… Isn't possible?

He shakes his head, then glares at Orochimaru. "You're crazy. It isn't possible at all!"

"Such is what you believe," the snake-guy croons, and Sakuni snarls.

"Don't listen to him. He likes to try and get into your head, twist your thoughts around! If we don't find a way to contain him, he'll just spread his poison even further!" she snaps, and Natsu glances back at her, though he keeps Orochimaru in his peripheral.

"Why don't we just kick him out?" he asks, and the sannin laughs.

"Oh, do you think you could?"

Sakuni grimaces. "He's anchored. To both you and Sasuke-kun, and he's not even really… real. It's like a piece, or a shade, or something, it doesn't play by normal rules in here. Destroying it or kicking it out entirely… for both of those, we'd have to destroy the anchors outside the mindscape. But we can lock him up! So you have to-"

The Bridge wavers again, colors blurring and even fading away, and Natsu finally realizes, with a burning pulse from his hand, that it's the Oro-guy trying to push him out.

He fights back, clawing his way into the Bridge again, and the sannin grins at him, lips curled into a thousand smirks and eyes glinting maliciously.

That's about when it occurs to Natsu that if the sannin's really so skilled in possessing people, he might be trying to take Natsu's place.

Fire surges, the flames barricading the path to his own mind leaping across the Bridge to surround him and Sakuni and the shade of Orochimaru, as Natsu feels fury settle in his gut.

He wonders how many people have been like Sakura-chan, trapped in the Hearts of their own minds and left to wonder helplessly what was happening as the snake-guy used them like puppets-

Jiraiya arrives a week after Hiruzen gives his order, with all the exuberance the Toad Sanin is known for. He comes to the tower immediately when Hiruzen sends his summons, which should have perhaps been his first warning.

Walking ahead of his student, in a most creative henge, Naruto eagerly 'shows the stranger around'.

Hiruzen wipes off a bit of blood from his nose surreptitiously.

He's pretty sure that can't even be called clothing, and he wonders where Naruto managed to find such… fashion.

Long golden pigtails frame a much more mature figure than Naruto usually uses for his… prank technique, and Hiruzen honestly wonders if his student even realizes who he's looking at.

The way Jiraiya seems to be legitimately drooling, he thinks he might have his answer.

Jiraiya sweeps Naruto into his lap as he takes a seat. "So, Sensei! What's the rush?" he asks with a lecherous grin, "because I've got some research to get back to, if it's all the same to you."

"Dispel the henge," Hiruzen orders, trying not to let exhaustion creep through his voice.

Jiraiya sputters. "Henge? Whaddya' mean, henge? Those're illusions, and trust me, I've felt her all up, nothin' fake here! No need to insult the-"

A puff of smoke cuts him off, and he glances down to stare into Naruto's foxy grin. "Wow! I got ya' good, didn't I, 'ttebayo!"

Jiraiya freezes, before slowly tracking his eyes up to Hiruzen.

The old man sighs. "Allow me to explain, Jiraiya-san."

Jiraiya can't pull his eyes from the kid. No one's ever held the Kyuubi from birth before, and he knows some of the other jinchurikki who were made that young developed unusual powers, but somehow he didn't-

Uzumaki Naruto grins up at him, wide and fox-like, and it occurs to Jiraiya that he groped the kid.

Kushina-chan must be trying to murder him from the Pure World, the cold shivers down his spine can't be from anything else.

Slowly, he drags his gaze away from those wide blue eyes and whisker-struck cheeks and back to his sensei.

"Orochimaru infiltrated the village," the Hokage starts slowly, shoulders weighted down in sorrow. Jiraiya hears the pain in those words like his own, spearing him through without a care.

Orochi, why?

He should have been there, but then, his entire life is a mess of never being there when he needs to be.

"Should we be having this conversation in front of the kid?" he asks, leaning back and grinning. Sensei doesn't acknowledge his antics.

"Nothing we need to discuss immediately is new to him, as his team is at the heart of this mess. It seems that Orochimaru was targeting Uchiha Sasuke."

"Oh? Not just revenge against the village then?" he asks, though the information is hardly a surprise. There were rumors from his network, after all, about a confrontation between Itachi and Orochimaru. He wonders if targeting Sasuke is revenge for losing, or if the Uchiha have something he wants.

"Huh? No, he put some sorta weird mark thingy on Natsu and Sasuke! Jiji said you can fix it, so you can, right?" Naruto interrupts, bouncing up to try and climb onto Jiraiya. He gently pushes the kid back to the ground.

"Like Anko-chan?" Jiraiya asks, tilting a lecherous grin up to his sensei as he begins to recall everything he can about her cursed seal.

Hiruzen sighs. "It seems to have been upgraded from the original design, though it's difficult to tell what changes are due to that and which come from the seal being unnaturally split between two recipients. It is my hope that you can take advantage of that to remove it from them."

"Wait," Jiraiya feels his thoughts slam to a halt at his sensei's words. "You're saying… someone got in the way of the seal? You have two people running around with unstable seals and you didn't think to mention that?! Where are they?" He stands up, mind flickering between every worst-case scenario it can imagine, and it takes all his self-control not to just bolt out the door.

He studied Anko-chan's seal extensively, he knows how absolutely foul it is, the way it dug through her chakra network, anchored itself to her so thoroughly he was pretty sure removing it would kill her-

A seal like that, destabilized and torn between two recipients…

"Jiraiya-san-"

"No. You're lucky neither of them have died, sensei, I know you're knowledgeable in seals, but surely you realized how- how dangerous this is, I need to see them immediately, it might already be too late-"

"WHAT?!" Naruto yells, spinning toward sensei with fire in his eyes. "Jiji! You said-"

Sensei stands, firmly placing a hand on the table, eyes locking with Naruto's. "Your teammates are stable, Naruto-kun, and we have kept careful watch over them. Gazelle can take you to the safe houses, though if you might wait a few minutes, there are some things you need to know about Natsu if you are to understand the situation."

Jiraiya turns around, settling carefully in the chair.

"I'm listening."

Jiraiya steps into the safe house, entrance melding back into solid stone, and sighs.

Sensei should have called me back sooner, he muses as he moves toward the kitchen. From the doorway, he glimpses the messy black hair of Uchiha Sasuke as the genin shovels some very red curry into his mouth.

"Are those… tomatoes?" Jiraiya can't help but ask, and glowing red eyes snap up into a glare as the kid tightens his grip on his plate.

"You're the seal master?" the brat asks after a moment of staring, looking away and completely dismissing Jiraiya to return to his food.

Uchihas... He can't help but groan. He strikes a pose, grinning wide.

"Yes! It is I, Jiraiya, the great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku, greatest seal master in the Elemental Nations!"

The Uchiha kid's eyes snap up to him, then back to his food, Sharingan still spinning slowly. "Natsu's asleep in the other room. Good luck waking him."

Jiraiya nearly face-faults, eyebrow twitching. "You've really got no respect, huh kid? Alright then." He claps his hands together, and Fugaku's brat drags his gaze back up to meet his eyes.

Jiraiya wonders if that's supposed to be a threat, or if the kid somehow failed to realize his Sharingan was active. He shakes off the thought. "Hurry up and finish, I need to look at both of you together. And while you're at it, tell me about your friend, 'cause from what I heard he should be awake as long as you're around."

As expected, the Uchiha's lip curls when Jiraiya calls Natsu a friend, and the kid clearly ignores his question to go back to eating.

These brats really have no respect, huh?

Somehow, Jiraiya gets the feeling that Kushina would love this team. Personally, he rather thinks he'd like to file a complaint.

The brat eats with deliberate slowness, and Jiraiya has half a mind to take the food and impress on him how serious the situation really is here but some instinct tells him to wait, and he hasn't survived this long in the dark world of spies and information gathering by ignoring those.

Even if he usually does his waiting with a beautiful lady on each arm.

"A little while ago," the Uchiha starts, setting his dishes in the sink, "I stopped getting headaches. I hadn't even realized I still had one until it faded. Then, about an hour ago, they moved me here, and Natsu still hasn't woke up, even when I tried. I figure the two are related, and he's doing something, you know...inside," Sasuke points a finger to his head, "I don't know if it's safe to wake him."

"Ooh?" Jiraiya asks, stepping out of the kitchen and turning towards the small bedroom down the hall. Sasuke follows in his wake, eyes still glinting with the red of the Sharingan. "You think he's trying to affect the curse seal from the inside?"

The Uchiha glances up at him, before his gaze turns back to the delicate pink-haired girl curled up on the bed.

"Isn't that your job to figure out?" the brat asks. "I just don't think it's smart to wake them up, since it seems like they're in the middle of something and it's helping."

"Hmm," Jiraiya muses, stepping forward to grab the girl's hand. The curse seal imprinted on it looks whole from the outside, but when he has Sasuke sit on the bed and take off his shirt, that mark looks whole as well.

It's not so surprising though, because the surface of a seal is only very rarely relevant to the process of the seal itself, beyond establishing how many points anchor the actual body of the work.

Distantly, as he channels chakra to unfurl the full expanse of the seal on both the kids, he wonders if that's why sensei made the mistake of thinking this could wait for Jiraiya to wrap up his previous job in Ta. With the anchors themselves fully in-tact despite the seal being split, and with Orochimaru being fond of traps for those unwary people who try to unfurl one of his custom works, perhaps sensei decided it wasn't worth the risk?

He tries not to think too uncharitably of his sensei, because his job was important, but this…

Jiraiya drags the unconscious girl up, pulling off her clothes with quick efficiency, and only briefly mourning the fact that she's not a buxom beauty before he settles her onto the Uchiha kid and tries to figure out what goes where in Orochimaru's seal.

It's a mess.

The Uchiha's seal is a mess of broken lines and scrambled channels, like someone took a hammer to a pane of thick glass - some pieces shattered beyond comprehension, and others just cracked or broken off to sit by themselves, large and isolated.

The girl's is melted. Entire sections of the seal are written out like normal, only to end in melted blobs of ink that should have faded from the rest of the seal, and he can't quite figure out why they didn't but it can't be good. Other parts glow an ominous burnt orange, like the glowing of coals waiting to kindle back into full flame.

Both halves of the seal are damaged in such massively different ways he isn't even sure he can piece together how it was supposed to look, but, well.

Sensei hardly raised a quitter, so he whips out his notebook (and not the fun one, alas…) to start mapping it out.

Sasuke's eyes trace the glowing, melted lines across Natsu's flesh, and Jiraiya tries to pretend the kid's just checking out a cute girl.

He doesn't tell the Uchiha to stop though, because as much as it's probably an awful idea to let him see too much of Orochimaru's work, it wasn't like the Hidden Leaf had a trained Sharingan user on hand these days… Kakashi knew the basics of course, but chakra exhaustion tends to make studying the threads of a seal rather difficult. And with the kid actually being willing to go along with a mindwalk, perhaps even willing to let Jiraiya study what he sees-

Ooh? Now that's interesting… Jiraiya guides the Uchiha into moving his teammate, lining up her elbow to a blank patch over Sasuke's navel. It fits perfectly, like that entire section of the seal was just lifted up and transposed whole-sale, and that's fascinating, because there are body markers there, clearly stating that section of the seal was supposed to be there for easier to access to the main chakra store so how did the other half of it end up on Natsu's elbow-

His pen flies across the notebook, half-jotting theories on one page while copying critical segments on the other.

He always has enjoyed a challenge.

Natsu groans, the texture of dirt unpleasant on his tongue.

The fact that it tastes faintly like sakura petals is just weird, but he's getting used to it.

"You okay?"

He's pretty sure it's Sakura-chan asking, her voice a little lighter, a little more unsure than Sakuni's confident tone.

He rolls over, ready to answer.

Sakuni beats him to it, and he realizes he can't see either of the girls.

"Yeah, I think… just tired. You weren't hurt, right?"

"No, nothing really changed here, well after the first big one anyway. Are we okay now?"

"For a little while," Sakuni breathes, and Natsu pushes himself up, slowly dragging himself to his feet. "I don't think that'll work for more than a couple hours, if that, but… as long as I can get some rest, that'll be enough…"

"Oh! Sorry! You can- I'll totally go into one of the other rooms- will you wake on your own? Do I need to-?"

"It's fine. I'll just-"

"Yeah, of course, sorry-"

Natsu makes it up the porch as Sakura-chan starts apologizing, and he can't help but laugh as he sits down across from the window.

"Natsu!" Her gaze immediately snaps to him. "Are you okay? You look hurt!"

"Wha-?" Natsu glances down, and for a second he thinks Sakura-chan might be right, before he quickly realizes those dark splotches aren't from bruising.

"Wait is this the seal? I thought it wasn't supposed to be visible in here! Sakuni-!"

The mindscape flickers around him, and Sakuni curses. "Wait! You can't wake up yet I need to-"

She lunges, hand closing like a vice around his wrist as she tries to get a better look.

Everything goes black.

Chapter 49

Notes:

Once again, it took three drafts (and waaaaay too long) for me to be even passably satisfied with this chapter. But, I actually know where I'm going now! As long as nothing else derails my Fic Summary 3.0!
New and improved and shiny!
Honestly the fact that I have to keep making new entire-fic summaries to act as my roadmap for this fic says something and I'm not sure I like it… and honestly I should have redone my summary when I realized this fic was going an unexpected direction like what, five, six chapters ago? Ten? I don't even remember. But I didn't even think about it until my beta reader suggested it when I complained to him how stuck I was and then I was like…
WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT?!
Getting this chapter to move the way I wanted it to was still a little hard, but I should be better from here on out! Honestly, I miss having a regular update schedule. My life feels so disorganized now and I blame the lack of update schedule. IT WAS AN IMPORTANT PART OF MY WEEK AND NOW IT IS KAPUT.
IT'S OKAY. THAT JUST MEANS I'LL HAVE TO WORK TWICE AS HARD TO STICK TO IT NOW.
Honestly it feels like lately, I'm updating once a MONTH instead of once a week. And I mean, I'm still updating, but it doesn't feel the saaaaaaaaaame.
For anyone who does check out my Outtakes story, the two previous attempts will be posted over there! Three tries at this chapter and three different POVs… I like some of the stuff I had in all of them, but in the end my roommate voted on this version, so let's commence!
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Text

Everything hurts, like she's cramped into a too-tight suit and it's cutting off circulation and she can't breathe. She tries to figure out what happened, they were fighting that shade, right?

No, we won. Sort of. Right?

Yeah, you'n'Sakura-chan were talkin' about sleeping or something.

Yeah, you're right-

Sakuni realizes three things at once.

One, that for the first time in her life, she's actually inside a physical body, not a mental avatar.

Two, that Natsu is somehow stuck with her, leaving their body feeling too full and stretched out.

And three, that she's naked.

And someone's hands are way too close to her hips.

She tries to kick, Natsu tries to lunge forward, and in the span of a blurry, panic-filled moment, the room ends up on fire.

Sakuni freezes, staring wide-eyed at the flames.

For some reason, she expected them to look different, feel different, from-

She feels a nudge, almost gentle, as Natsu moves to take control and suppress the fire. It's nothing at all like being in the mindscape and watching as Sakura-chan goes about her days, the limbs move and she moves with them, her awareness constantly shifting at each new sensation-

Sakuni's never had a body before, and it's unsettling.

Natsu stands up and turns, glancing around the room, and Sakuni swears she can hear two echoing heartbeats, one faster than the other.

She didn't realize bodies were so intense.

An old man clutches a notebook tightly, staring at her-at them?- with suspicion.

Sasuke-kun sits cross-legged on the bed, smirking, his eyes spinning slowly. He focuses on the old man, and Natsu drags her-their?-gaze back to him.

"Sheesh, what was that for? Touchy, are you?" the man asks, and to Sakuni his heartbeat drums, too-loud between her ears.

"Shit, you don't know how to filter, do you?" Natsu says with her mouth and her tongue and her voice and she's too-

"I don't really 'member much, I was too little when Igneel taught me how, but the thing 'bout enhanced senses is that if you pay attention t'everything you can hear, you'll never be able to focus! Just ignore the sounds that aren't important, Sakuni."

That doesn't really help , she thinks, because everyones' heartbeats are so loud and she can't just ignore it-

"You can't hear our heartbeat, right?" Natsu responds, and Sakuni sees a considering glance flicker across the old man's face but-

Yeah, that's right.

"If you actually focus you can. Probably. Maybe? I mean I know I can - I couldn't really in my body, before, but everything about Sakura-chan is so different that I couldn't help but notice it all. Now I don't, really."

Sakuni tries to take his advice, focus on herself, but that only reminds her that she's naked and someone's hands were on her body.

She tries to spin around, glare at Sasuke, because he's team and he shouldn't have let anyone do that-

But Natsu doesn't move, and agony bursts behind her eyes, her muscles seizing and-

Natsu hisses faintly, clearly feeling the same pain she is, but he still turns his eyes to Jiraiya.

She can all but feel the trust he has for Sasuke, and she just-

A situation like this-

Sasuke-kun should have-!

"Sasuke's naked too. I don't get why Sakuni's angry about it! They were just looking at the seal, right?"

"Right, right, my bad! I guess it does look a little off if you aren't sure what's happening!" The old man bursts into guffaws, before offering them a wide grin.

Sakuni wants to punch him.

"I'm Mount Myoboku's holy Master Sage, also known as the Toad Sennin Jiraiya! And I assure you, young lady, I prefer my women with a lot more oomph! So you've nothing to fear! But if I could get back to my work…" he brandishes the notebook in his hands with a grin, and Sakuni's fingers clench into a fist.

Natsu's lack of resistance catches her by surprise, and Natsu tilts their head.

"What? If you want to punch him in the face I'm totally down. But if you picked a fight with Sasuke while we're stuck like this we'd lose and he'd be smug for weeks! No way!"

"So something is different." Sasuke says, spinning Sharingan eyes focused on them. Sakuni blushes.

"Wha- huh, stop that, it feels weird!" Natsu complains, and Sasuke blinks, Sharingan flitting out in surprise. Sakuni practically feels Natsu's confusion as he glances back at Sasuke. "I meant Sakuni, she was making my face feel all warm - it was weird. But yeah… I think Sakuni's stuck here, with me. I was waking up, getting pulled out of the mindscape or whatever and she tried to grab me and stop it? And now I think we both have control, but it's not really easy to move if we go different ways..."

"Wasn't she gone earlier?" Sasuke asks, and Sakuni's first thought is-

Cha! He pays attention to us! Take that, Ino-pig!

"You make Sakuni stupid," is what Natsu says in response, looking at Sasuke-kun, and Sakuni would punch him if she weren't stuck with him.

Jiraiya laughs loudly and strides forwards to shuffle them back to the bed. "You lovebirds can figure that out later!" He chides with a grin, whipping his notebook around as Natsu leans over to stare at a fragment of black lines across Sasuke's thigh.

Sakuni whimpers.

Boys! Why couldn't I be on a team of girls?! Natsu!

"I don't really know what I'm looking at," Natsu mutters, reaching out to poke the point where the intact line of seal-work breaks apart into something that looks more like shattered glass.

"Well if you did, I'd be out a job, wouldn't I?" Jiraiya says good-naturedly, leaning forward to get a glimpse of what Natsu's looking at. "That seems to be part of the network anchor though - the seal was originally designed to mutate the chakra networks of the victims, so it has an anchor in at least one tenketsu point on every limb of the body. As you can tell, that one's pretty busted up - I'm still not sure if that happened when the seal was unnaturally split between the two of you, or if it's damage that occurred later. That's gonna require some monitoring, so I can see if anything new breaks, which is why you guys are naked. I need to draw everything out so I have an exact record. It was either this or pictures, and if you'd prefer-"

"NO!" Sakuni snaps.

"That's so weird." Natsu grumbles, but Jiraiya nods like he expected it.

"Exactly. So, if you wouldn't mind? I just need to finish this section here and then you two can put your smallclothes back on and I can get this finished."

Natsu shuffles them back, copying Sasuke's position as he glances over the lines of the seal across them both.

"Why does mine look all goopy when Sasuke's is all broken instead?" he asks, glancing at some smeared lines down their arm, and Sakuni wonders why it's not obvious to him. "Huh? Whaddya mean, it's obvious?"

"You know kid, it's weird when you talk to yourself like that." Jiraiya says, leaning over to carefully copy down lines in his notebook. Natsu glances over, and Sakuni can tell he's even doing his best to copy the smeared and melted look as precisely as possible.

He really takes his job seriously. To be expected of a Sanin, I suppose, even if he is… eccentric.

"I dunno, he seems alright to me. And I'm not talking to myself?"

Jiraiya rolls his eyes. "Sure, but it looks like you are. So, which lovely lady is it who knows what we're dealing with here?"

"Uh," Natsu starts, as Sakuni carefully tries to speak. There's a bit of an awkward sensation, where it feels like they all but overlap each other, and then Sakuni answers. "You can't directly interact with a seal from the mindscape. Or, well, I'm assuming you can't, because I didn't seem to be able to but I could be wrong-BUT! What I could do, was feel those twisted tendrils of chakra that the seal would try to produce, and I broke them! I mean- I don't really know how to describe it- I'm a mental avatar? I've never had a physical form, I've never even been in control of Sakura's body before now, I've just been her other self, and I lived purely in the mindscape. It's my domain, and that… fragment, shade, whatever it was of Orochimaru just doesn't have the instinctive control of a mental existence like I do. So it was easy to break his tendrils. I handled the ones that went for Sasuke, mostly. That guy in Natsu's mindscape handled the others, usually with fire. I mean, I guess I just figured that it was the two of us breaking the chakra-feelers that caused the seal to fragment like this? I don't really know much about seals though. Sakura and I didn't read a lot about them in the Academy…"

What guy? I don't have anyone in my head!

Sakuni sighs.

She really. Has no idea how she's going to tell him.

Especially since the jerk's refusing to talk to Natsu himself, shannaro!

Jiraiya's hands still as he jerks his gaze up to meet her eyes.

"What do you mean, Orochimaru's fragment?"

Inoichi treads up the stairs to the Hokage's office, face a professional mask. He can't blame the Harunos for being worried about their daughter - or Natsu, really: the boy's a problem, but a likable one and that's nearly a problem all its own, if Team 7's attitudes are anything to go by - but he still wishes Haruno-san would stop swinging by his flower shop every day to ask about them.

He already said he'd inform her and her husband once it was no longer classified, but in the end he supposes that's the difference between Shinobi and Civilians.

Regardless, he's sure he won't be the only one relieved when everything is over with.

Perhaps this meeting will be the end of it.

He pauses for a moment by the ANBU secretary's desk, and she waves him towards the door.

"Jiraiya-san arrived just a moment ago, Inoichi-san. I believe they're waiting on you."

"Thank you."

He knocks briskly on the door, declaring his presence, then opens it to enter the room.

Hatake leans against the wall, arms crossed and lone eye hardly blinking as his gaze bores into the back of Jiraiya's head.

Inoichi bites back a sigh as he closes the door behind him.

A long day, about to get longer, he muses as he steps forward and offers a curt bow.

"Hokage-sama."

"Yamanaka-san," the Hokage acknowledges, setting aside his paperwork and pen, "Let's get started then. Jiraiya-san, your report?"

"I couldn't get a comprehensive diagram of either seal. While there were some places that were rather easy to piece together, entire segments of the seals were otherwise damaged, and the best I have on them is guesswork. Neither of the childrens' seals line up with each other, either. This could possibly be due to the seal's center being located on different parts of the body, or something a little more complex on Pinky's side."

"Elaborate." the Hokage commands, and Jiraiya whips out a notebook to flip through.

"Well, obviously th-Sasuke's got the seal where it's supposed to be. I'd need a Hyuuga to be absolutely certain, but I'm pretty sure the mark's settled right on top of the tenketsu in his shoulder - the closest tenketsu to the heart that can be easily reached, especially in the heat of battle. And I can tell that's where the mark's supposed to be, because all sorts of other channels for the seal line up precisely - Orochimaru's perfectionist tendencies on full display, there are parts where he went through the effort of all but spelling out exactly how the chakra's supposed to move, it's so- so needlessly wordy, sensei!" The sannin's voice slips nearly into a whine as he waves about the notebook, and Inoichi's pretty sure the Hokage makes an aborted motion towards pinching his nose.

"Jiraiya-san." he reprimands, voice tired. The sannin sobers up immediately, offering an equally tired grin back.

"Yeah, yeah, right. Anyway, if we're just looking at Sasuke, it's easy to think the only reason the seals are off is cause Pinky's mark is in the wrong place. But then you actually look at Pinky, and ooooh boy. Obviously, there are parts of the seal there that seem inert simply because Orochi wrote them so specifically they literally can't function now that they're bound to the wrong body part or chakra coil, right? But the other parts - in some places, there's just blank patches where the seal should be, only the seal doesn't treat them like they're blank. Near as I can tell, the seal moves around those patches like something else is there, and it can't take it over. Pinky- the boy one, anyway, didn't know anything, but somehow I got the feeling the little lady's hiding something. Hard to say, really, she let… Natsu, was it? Do most of the talking, probably realized I'd noticed something. Beyond all that though… I can't remove this. Not right now, anyway. I'm pretty sure that even if it's possible, it's going to have to be removed from both of them simultaneously, so I'll need some time to work on a custom seal to make that happen. But there's also some things with the curse seal that I'm just going to need time to study before I can even say with certainty that removal is possible - sorry sensei, but there's really not going to be a quick answer here."

"You spoke to Sakura-chan?" Inoichi asks, but Jiraiya shakes his head nearly before he finishes speaking.

"Nah, Natsu called her Sakuni - the second personality? - apparently she tried to grab him when my poking of the seal started waking him up, and they ended up all tangled together. She mentioned a couple things though, which is why I asked you to come. I don't work with the mental side of things a lot, and while I know you're no seal master, surely you've at least studied a couple things in passing. Do you know if it's possible to alter a seal from within a mindscape?"

"Physically affect the patterns of a seal, no." Inoichi answers immediately, as he feels Hatake-san's gaze bore into him. "But some seals, like seals supposed to bind you from speaking, or ones designed to implant or anchor false memories, can be broken internally if you have enough control over your own mind and the appropriate training. It's not easy though, and even people trained for it often need a lot of time to pull it off, unless the seal is especially shoddy. And you probably know as well as I the results of a shoddy seal meant to influence someone's mind."

Jiraiya winces, nodding slowly. "That was about what I'd guessed. Orochimaru's seal isn't purely mental, so that probably explains why only parts of it are broken instead of the all-or-nothing we'd usually expect - but with what I'm pretty sure is the majority of the mental anchors all broken or melted, it's hard for me to get a comprehensive picture over here. If you've got an hour or so to spare, I'd like you to go over what I could decipher with me, see if we can't puzzle some of it out between us."

"Of course," Inoichi nods, "I'm clear until evening."

"Good, good. I'll walk out with you then. Just one last thing before we leave."

"I'll tell the ANBU to give you unrestricted access to the safe-house so you can monitor this-" the Hokage starts, before Jiraiya interrupts.

"What- you expect me to do my research in the safe house? Those kids are practically bouncing off the walls as it is, I could barely keep them sitting still long enough to copy everything down, absolutely not sensei!"

"I cannot allow this risk to run freely about my village until it's been neutralized, Jiraiya, you know this-"

"Now who said anything about being in the village?" Jiraiya crosses his arms and cracks a mischievous grin at the Hokage. "Think about it! You can't afford to keep me here, I'm too valuable managing my network - or at least that's what you always tell me when I try to spend time with my godson, so surely it still applies now? And I am more than capable of keeping my eye on a couple brats while doing my job. It'll let the kiddos burn off some energy too, so I'm not half-fighting with them every time I try to poke at the seal. Whaddya' say?"

"The risks-" the Hokage starts, and Inoichi winces as Jiraiya literally waves his words away.

"Psh, I can handle it, trust me. It's a couple of kids with a seal whose mental components are mostly defunct, which I'm sure Inoichi-san over here will help me prove in no time! And I can't really study the effects the seal is having on their chakra networks if said networks are stagnating from lack of use, now can I?"

"I can go too, for an extra eye, Hokage-sama." Hatake offers, steady and unflappable.

Inoichi somehow gets the feeling of a drawn kunai regardless.

The Hokage must as well, because his eyes narrow. "And leave Naruto-kun behind? How unlike you, Kakashi-kun."

"Of course Naruto's coming with us," Hatake all but bristles, shoulders tense.

"Absolutely not. This situation is too volatile-"

"Sensei." Jiraiya interrupts again, posture loose and open. "I can handle the kids. All three of them. And I know we're pretty sure Orochimaru's still lurking about somewhere. Kakashi can stick around and try to pin down his movements here, see if he tries to follow us - your job is to worry about the good of the village. Let us worry about the smaller things. I can take care of the kiddos, and if this morning was any indication, Naruto's only going to get more troublesome for you the longer he stays away from his team anyway."

Hatake turns to face Jiraiya, entirely scornful of his plan to leave him behind, and Inoichi wonders what the protocol is for playing mediator when three of the most powerful shinobi in the village get into an argument about child custody with each other.

At this point, he's pretty sure the only thing that can make it more hectic is if the Harunos show up and start making their own arguments.

Chapter 50: Investigation Arc 1

Notes:

Look at this, only two weeks late instead of four! I'm moving up in the world again!

I'm not really happy with this chapter, cause after I finished it I sorta felt like I actually wanted to SHOW Natsu and Sakuni resolving their situation, as well as his conversation with Inoichi and such instead of just referencing them… But I'd also just really wanted to move my plot so I think that's how this happened. Maybe I'll make an interlude later, or just give more detail in-story about what happened.

For now, hopefully this chapter's not as bad to you guys as it was to me!

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Text

"Are you guys alright?!" Naruto shouts, trying to tackle them into a hug. Sasuke steps to the side, leaving Natsu to catch the blond's full weight.

"We're fine!" Natsu yelps, trying to get Naruto to put his feet back on the ground. He wraps his legs tighter, all but clinging even as he reaches out with one hand to try and snag Sasuke.

The Uchiha takes another step back, arms crossed.

"Dobe."

"You guys are really okay, right?" Naruto asks a bit more quietly, and Natsu smiles.

"We're fine, really! We weren't even gone for that long, right? Even if it was really boring…"

"Week and a half," Sasuke offers, eyes trained on Jiraiya and Kakashi-sensei as they argue quietly between themselves.

If Natsu focuses, he could probably hear their conversation, but Inoichi already explained the argument he'd heard in the Hokage's office, so Natsu's got a good idea what it's about.

He didn't even get a chance to go by the house before being all but dragged to the city gates, cause they had Kakashi pick up a pack for him, and-

"Isn't Kakashi-sensei coming with us?" Naruto finally drops his legs to stand so he can watch as Jiraiya walks up. "I thought you were taking Team 7 out on a special mission, right?"

Jiraiya smiles, reaching out to ruffle Naruto's hair. "I meant you three, kiddo! Kakashi's got his own missions to run, but he'll check in from time to time if we end up in the same area. For now, it's just us! I hope you aren't too intimidated by my greatness!" He laughs loudly for a moment.

"Now, what say we get going, yeah? Places to be and all that! Feeling alright there, Pinky? Not gonna pass out on me are you?"

Natsu scowls. "Like hell! I'm fine! Sakuni'n'I are pretty sure we fixed that for now, anyway, and she's keepin' an eye on everything in there just in case. Let's just go, s'not like you're gonna let me stop by Sakura-chan's house anyway…"

Jiraiya sighs. "Sorry about that, kid. I tried, but sensei can be a stubborn old monkey when he sets his mind on something. But you're right! Let's get a move on! Chop chop!" He ushers them towards the gates, and Naruto only spares a moment to glance around for Kakashi-sensei before rushing after them.

The sun's warm and bright and the road is dusty, not a carriage in sight, and Natsu's pretty sure the day could only be more perfect if it was Magnolia's shadow he saw in the distance, instead of the large trees that border Konoha's main road, planted far enough back from the city wall to discourage enemies from using it as camouflage.

And maybe to prevent forest fires from spreading to the walls.

They are wood, after all.

It's still a nice day though, and he's been cooped up way too long, so he breaks into a sprint, clipping Sasuke as he passes and turning it into a race.

Naruto joins in with a laugh, and if it's a little odd not to see Kakashi easily keeping pace while reading a book and mocking their efforts, well…

At least Jiraiya's not all bad.

"So where're we going?" Natsu asks, fingers laced behind his head. Sasuke won their race (again), but it was closer this time and Natsu's not gonna let it happen again!

Jiraiya laughs from up ahead. "Oh, here and there! I've got work to do after all! Can't put my job on hold for a bunch of brats! But don't worry, as long as you don't interfere with my… ahem, research, I might teach you a thing or two while we're at it!"

"Ooh! You'll teach us awesome new jutsu?!" Naruto exclaims, all but bouncing his way forward to meet Jiraiya's eyes.

The man laughs. "We'll have to see! For now, let's pick up the pace, I'd like to hit the next town by sunset!"

"What're we gonna do there? Do you have a super secret mission? Are we gonna have to take a secret letter to the Daimyo?!" Naruto babbles eagerly, and Jiraiya reaches out to ruffle his hair mid-stride.

"Nothing like that, kiddo! Gotta meet with a couple'a friends, and maybe do some research on the side, ehehehe…"

"Wha- how is that even a job?" Naruto groans, glancing back toward Natsu, and the Dragon Slayer laughs.

"Eh, I don't really know! Mira liked to do jobs that were just talking to people when she had to go out, but I don't like 'em! They're pretty boring, so I avoided 'em, and I don't really know what you're supposed to do on 'em at all…" he scratches at his head, trying to remember the last job like that. He's pretty sure Mirajane just had to talk to some guys, something about a negotiation? It was a pretty high-paying job, Lucy would have loved it probably, but it was before she joined…

He shrugs. "Yeah, I really don't remember the specifics. But they do exist! And they're lots of money if you do 'em right! They're just so boring though…"

"Hmm…" Jiraiya glances at Natsu, a considering look in his eye, and Natsu crosses his arms to scowl back at him.

"What?"

"Oh nothing, nothing!" Jiraiya grins, waving him off.

"Uh-huh." Natsu sighs, tilting his head to look over at Sasuke. Their eyes meet for a moment, before the Uchiha jerks his gaze away to stare resolutely at the trees lining the road.

What's that about? Natsu wonders, but Sakuni's resting and Sakura-chan's s'posed to be keeping an eye on the door just in case, so no one answers.

The silence drags for a few minutes, with Naruto glancing between everyone else with an indecisive look on his face.

Natsu steps next to the blond and grins. "So, I don't think you said! What were you up to while we were stuck in that awful, stupid safe-house?"

Naruto winces, glancing at Sasuke, before he shrugs. "Nothing, really. I played a couple pranks! But I stayed away from the other teams in the exams, so it was only easy pranks against some shopkeepers really…"

"Are they still bein' rude to you?" Natsu asks with a glower, and Naruto shrugs.

"I didn't really have to talk to 'em at all, since Kakashi-sensei did all the shop- uh, I mean-"

"You trained with Kakashi-sensei? He teach you anything cool?" Natsu smiles encouragingly, and Naruto only waffles nervously for another moment before he takes a large breath and blurts out his answer.

"He didn't really teach me anything new… I mean he worked on my kata forms a bit more, a-and then he complained about my diet-! There's nothing wrong with ramen, I don't know why he doesn't get it. I tried to tell him, but then he took my wallet and said he'd just buy the groceries instead since I didn't know how to 'take care of myself', and then he'd show up at dawn and make me go out and run laps - it was like he was that green guy-! Argh!" Naruto scowls, twisting back to glare in the direction of Konoha like Kakashi might feel it.

"Wimp," Sasuke scoffs, glancing back with a smirk.

"Teme!" Naruto leaps forward to tackle the Uchiha, howling, and Natsu's all for throwing himself into the fight, but Jiraiya grabs his arm.

"You're a bit strange, you know." the old man starts conversationally, not even looking at him.

"You're one to talk!" Natsu retorts, pulling his arm away and looking up to glare at the man.

Jiraiya just laughs. "Maybe I'm not! But that doesn't make you any less odd, now does it?"

"What's so strange then?" Natsu laces his fingers behind his head again, eyes unwavering.

"That, for starters," Jiraiya replies, staring at Natsu's arms, before jerking his gaze back to his face. "You're not the least bit worried, are you?"

Natsu tilts his head quizzically. "Why would I be? We're in a forest. I'm a fire specialist. I can protect myself if I gotta, so I'm not gonna be worried about someone like you."

Jiraiya whistles low. "Y-you are seriously confident there, aren't you? Didn't hear you fare too well against my teammate, though."

Natsu scowls. "'M not an idiot. But with enough fire, you wouldn't be able to chase us if we had to run, and it'd destroy our trails too. And then I can come back and have a proper fight later, when Sakura-chan's strong enough to keep up with my style. Even if running is stupid."

Jiraiya's eyes narrow sharply. "You… wanted to get caught by the ANBU, didn't you?" he asks, and Natsu scowls.

"I was bored and I wanted someone to fight me! I used to take whatever jobs I wanted, fight whoever I wanted unless Erza was there, but then I could always goad her into a fight, y'know? I'll beat her one of these days! But now the only jobs Kakashi takes us on are D-ranks, and then we tried to have a little bit of fun with the foreign competitors and this happened-" he waves his hand sharply, "-and I just wanted to have some fun. Didn't 'xactly want to get caught, but s'not like I was planning to flee the village or anything. Sakura-chan's got a family here, I'm not about to take her from it! But then you guys took us anyway, and didn't even let us say goodbye-"

Natsu cuts off as Naruto and Sasuke glance back, arms tight around each others' throats.

Jiraiya sighs. "I am sorry about that. Even getting sensei to let Inoichi have a word with you before we left was a trial, and I know when to pick my battles, eh? But I gotta say - I wouldn't expect someone as battle-hungry as you to even realize that non-combat missions exist. How's that work, pinky?"

Natsu stares bemusedly at Jiraiya. "Whaddya mean? There're loads of no-fighting jobs. Breakin' curses, workin' with the Explorer guilds, I don't like those sorts of jobs myself but you can't really miss 'em? They're all on the same board after all! That one S-rank job about the weird island-moon curse wasn't supposed to have fighting originally, I just took it cause it was an S-rank, but then there turned out to be people to fight anyway so it all worked out! Erza was so pissed though..." he shudders, remembering that aura of doom that consumed him. He swore he could feel it crawling down his spine with every step inland she took, even though he hadn't known she was there! And then she dragged him back onto that-that boat-

He clamps his hand over his mouth and swallows reflexively as his stomach churns in nausea. Choosing which is scarier between Erza and boats is hard enough, but he's pretty sure 'both' is just a living nightmare.

"Your people have public mission boards?" Jiraiya asks casually, curiosity in his voice.

"Urk." is Natsu's only response as he tries to stop thinking about the swishing motions of a boat.

"Natsu-! What did you do to him?!" Naruto yelps, and Jiraiya backs up hastily.

"Hey-! I didn't- calm down, kid!"

Sasuke sighs audibly, and Natsu can't help but grin a little.

My team, he thinks, possessive.

He's pretty sure he can get Erza to adopt them. All he's gotta do is hand her Naruto and talk about how mean everyone is to him…

Ehehehehehe…

"What's so funny, kid?" Jiraiya asks suspiciously, and Natsu grins sharply in return.

"Well I was just thinking, if you guys don't use a mission board, where do you keep your S-ranks? Maybe I could steal one from here too!"

Naruto squawks as Sasuke raises a curious eyebrow. Jiraiya squints, clearly trying to tell if Natsu's joking or not.

He grins wider.

There's no Erza here to stop him, after all.

Jiraiya watches Team 7 bicker over dinner, some rabbits Pinky caught between them. Jiraiya had thought it would be a great idea to have the kids cook dinner, free labor and all that, but it's beginning to look like he'll need to actually get up and do it himself if he wants to eat any time soon.

Natsu sticks a piece of meat into the campfire, holding it between his fingers, staring at his teammates like he's making a point.

Jiraiya almost doesn't want to know what they're talking about, but he shifts closer regardless.

"-s'not that bad, look, I'm not gonna burn an' unless I go wake up Sakura-chan this is really the best way I know t'cook it! Rabbit doesn't go on sticks too well, 'less you're pokin' the entire animal, and our fire's not big enough to spit-cook it… Or are you volunteering to cook?"

Natsu's hand is surprisingly steady, shifting grip and turning over the meat with a casual inattention born of long practice.

Sasuke's Sharingan activates between blinks, and the Uchiha stares at the fire and Natsu's hand.

Naruto leans over from behind, as attentive as Kushina ever was when food got involved, and Jiraiya's not sure if he did the right thing, taking this team, but at the very least he thinks it's better than doing nothing.

"How are you doing that?" Sasuke asks, and if he were anything other than an Uchiha Jiraiya thinks he'd be incredulous.

Natsu tilts his head, hair just brushing the tips of the open flame.

Nothing burns.

"That," Sasuke says with emphasis, gesturing. "The chakra's all- I mean, when it was fire you'd conjured, the odd behavior sort of made sense, but I made this fire, and I didn't do anything special to it, but it's still not burning-?"

Natsu shrugs idly, reaching his other hand into the flame to pull at the meat slightly, checking how well it's cooked, before he settles back. "It's a bit harder in Sakura-chan's body, I actually gotta think about what I'm doin. It's just natural in my own, right? After all the trainin', I don't even gotta think, even if I'm asleep I don't burn, which is good when I have those weird dreams and then accidentally light everything on fire… but now it's more like practice. Sakura-chan's probably too old to be able to fully adjust to my techniques, but this much should be safe enough. Now that I can use everything properly again, I'm gonna have to find out what her limits are, I don't wanna hurt her…"

"That's pretty cool! But how'd ya do it?" Naruto asks, nearly sticking his face in the fire - Natsu swaps the meat to his other hand and pulls the blond back by his shirt casually. "I was just tryin'a look!" Naruto protests, and Sasuke scoffs.

Natsu pokes at the meat again and tosses it onto a plate, before grabbing another strip. "Do I need t'carve that other rabbit up?" He asks, and the Uchiha all but rolls his eyes while grabbing it and pulling out a carving knife.

"I don't really know how to explain it," Natsu continues after a moment, glancing over at Naruto, "Happy's the smart one, really. But I mean, there's chakra everywhere right? In the air, and plants, and stuff. Fire's got its own chakra too, even if it's not created by a jutsu or anything. So I just gotta make my chakra… shift? Or something? Til it's more like the fire's chakra, and then the fire doesn't burn me? It's like, baby-level t'do it with natural fires like this, doin' it with fires caused by jutsu and stuff is way harder, but I was really little when Igneel taught me so I don't remember too much what it was like… an' really since I started so young, I just sorta got immune to fire in general. Only that one guy, a godslayer or something? Even had fire hot enough for me to feel it. I think that's it?"

Naruto's shoulders droop, as Jiraiya narrows his eyes in contemplation.

"I don't know any fire jutsu," the blond complains, reaching over to snag the rabbit strip out of Natsu's hands as he goes to lay it on the plate.

"Oi, dobe, wait til it's all done!" Sasuke snaps, brandishing the knife, and Natsu laughs as he starts cooking more.

"Nah, if he finishes eating first that just means he gets to clean everything up! Gotta bury the bones, n'all. But, I mean, even if you can't copy my fire, you've got that demon right? It gave some sort of chakra cloak, so if you really wanted you could probably learn to control that t'protect yourself from stuff like this." Natsu flicks at the coals in the fire for emphasis, and sparks pop in the air.

Naruto winces.

"I don't want to hurt anyone…" he murmurs, staring at the fire, blatantly averting his eyes from everyone.

Natsu sighs. "I don't… think it's right that they stuck a demon in you just so you could use its power for them. But if it's so dangerous to take it out, then at least you could learn how to protect yourself with it, right? Maybe you can talk to it, I dunno, I mean there was no reasoning with Lullaby but I didn't exactly try either…"

"Never heard of a demon with a name like that," Jiraiya puts in casually, watching Natsu's expression.

He's almost disappointed, really. There's nothing suspicious or shifty, just a moment of confusion, like Natsu expects the answer to be obvious, and then a dawning realization.

Jiraiya's not sure how he feels about the knowledge that somewhere in the outer continents, there are demons just as 'common knowledge' as the nine beasts who plague their nations.

"How many of those demons are there?" Jiraiya asks, and Natsu just shrugs.

"I dunno, some guy named… Zera… Zeref? That sounds right, made 'em. I don't think anyone ever really counted how many though… sometimes they just show up outta nowhere. I only ever ran into two, but he's apparently some big famous guy and everyone talks about him a lot so there's probably loads more. I'm sure the Master could tell you how many there are…"

Jiraiya tries not to be too horrified at the idea that there are apparently demons that just run around and no one's ever bothered to count them, but from the weird look Pinky's giving him, he's not too sure he succeeds.

He forces out a chuckle, reaching over to snag one of the strips of meat for himself. "Well, I gotta say you guys don't seem to be too organized, huh? But I'm not sure if Naruto-kun's ready to be talking to the Kyuubi quite yet, he's a fox after all, and they're known tricksters. Now, important question time!" Jiraiya pauses for a moment, making sure all the kids look up at him. "Why aren't you using your spice kit on this meat?"

He waves the half-eaten strip for emphasis. "I know you have one! I saw it in your pack, Natsu, why are we just eating it plain?"

"Huh? Where?" Natsu twists around, glancing at his pack, and Jiraiya groans.

"The box, with the sakura petals carved on it. It literally says spices, please tell me you know how to read-?" Jiraiya exaggerates, staring in mock-horror at Natsu, and the pinky bristles.

"Of course I do! I just never looked at it is all! It's rude to poke around Sakura-chan's stuff without her permission!"

Jiraiya sighs.

Kids are so not his thing.

Chapter 51: Investigation Arc 2

Notes:

Welp, two weeks once again!

And I fear I gotta apologize for a cliffhanger… it wasn't supposed to end like this you guys but I was only at 2600 words and I wanted to give you MORE than that and then it happened so, uh…

Maybe I shoulda cut it off at 2600. We'll see I guess!

I'm actually fairly happy with the chapter. It was fun to write!

Hope you guys enjoy it too! Thanks for reading!

Chapter Text

It's nice having his team back! He might have thought, once, that having a sensei all to himself, teaching him and noticing him would be great, would be awesome, but that Naruto never knew what a team felt like.

Naruto's not that lonely academy student anymore, with only four people who cared about him - he needs both hands to count everyone now! And it was so hard to just focus when Kakashi-sensei tried to teach him stuff sometimes, cause he could practically tell where the spaces were, places Sasuke would ask a question or Natsu would crack a grin, and he tried his best but nothing felt the same, and Naruto probably didn't learn as much as Kakashi-sensei was teachin'.

And now it's like he got Natsu and Sasuke back, but sensei's the one who's gone, and Naruto just doesn't understand why Jiji couldn't let them all be together. 'Kashi-sensei explained all about how Hokages have to make hard decisions, and gave Naruto lots of exercises and even homework about it, and Naruto did his best cause he's gonna be the best, 'ttebayo! But it didn't make Jiji's decision make any more sense, and Jiji wouldn't talk to him so he couldn't ask.

Naruto understands some things, maybe. Sensei explained all about Orochimaru, and the awful stuff he did before he betrayed the Village, so Naruto knows just how bad it is that someone like that put a mark on his teammates. But Jiji made the wrong call, and sensei even said so!

"What would you do then?" Kakashi-sensei asks, mild and curious. Naruto scowls and crosses his arms.

"Why would I need t'do anythin'? Natsu's got it handled, I'll just figure out how to make him stop getting tired and we'll figure everything else out from there, dattebayo!"

Sensei sighs. "Naruto-kun, that's not acceptable. Not for a Hokage."

"Well, whaddya want then?"

Kakashi-sensei taps his finger on his chin, an exaggerated pose. "Well, let's put it this way - we know that Orochimaru's seal is affecting Sasuke's emotions, and possibly his mind to some extent, yes? We don't know much about how it's affecting Natsu, but Natsu's head's a bit crowded to begin with, so Sasuke's the easiest to study here. You following?"

"Yeeeeeeeees?" Naruto drags out, sensing a trap.

Kakashi-sensei's eyes curl brightly. "So. What happens if Natsu loses control?"

"He wouldn't!"

Sensei's eye cracks open. "So you're willing to bet Iruka-sensei's, and Teuchi-san's lives on that?"

"W-what?" Naruto stares, but Kakashi-sensei doesn't take it back.

"If Natsu loses control, or fails to keep Orochimaru's seal from doing its job, well you saw how it affected Sasuke. And the longer the influence is there, the worse it will likely get. Against a shinobi, Sasuke's young enough that he wouldn't stand a chance if he started lashing out. Right now. If you're blindly assuming that Natsu-kun can fight against that seal forever, without even once faltering, then you're risking the lives of all your other precious people on the hope that you're right. And there's still really no telling on how the seal is affecting Natsu himself, because he's barely been awake long enough for us to see anything. So. Actually think, Naruto-kun. They're your teammates. You care about them. But you care about other people too. What would you do?"

Naruto doesn't really want to think about it. They're his team, his precious people, and even IF Natsu stopped fighting or something, Sasuke's the most stubborn person he knows! He'd never let someone play with his head like that, ever! Not when he knew it was happening! So it shouldn't matter, even if he was Hokage right now instead of Jiji he shouldn't have to do anything to his team-

Sensei sighs, and Naruto's eyes snap to him, but before he can protest that he WAS thinking, really, Kakashi-sensei starts talking again. "Maybe that's a little too much for you. How about this? Pretend it's Manta-kun and Ame-chan who got stuck with seals like this. Does that help?"

Naruto nearly asks who those people even are when he realizes the names sound familiar.

"They're… from the Academy right? Manta-kun hated Sasuke… and Ame was always so mean to Sakura-chan!"

"That's right." Kakashi says. "They already don't like your teammates. So if they had a seal like that, then any loss of control means they'd be a lot more willing to hurt your teammates. And you don't know them very well, because you never really spent time with them. So, what would you do to protect your teammates?"

"That's not fair! Sasuke's a jerk but he could probably take both of them alone, easy! Natsu too!"

"I believe we've already talked about the kinds of tricks Orochimaru's been known to put into his seals, before, Naruto-kun."

Naruto understands what Kakashi-sensei's doing, he does, but it's not fair-!

Maybe that's the point, a voice seems to say. Life isn't fair, something that sounds like Naruto's darkest thoughts seems to hiss. He wants to shove it away like he always does - he doesn't have room for that darkness, he has precious people and that's all that matters! But… he wants to understand why Jiji did this. And to Jiji, Natsu and Sasuke aren't precious people, they're… strangers. Jiji never really met them, not outside a couple meetings, so he doesn't know them, or like them, the way Naruto does. Just like Naruto doesn't know or like Manta and Ame.

So if he has to think about it like that…

"Jiji shouldn't have separated our team."

Kakashi-sensei stares levelling, patiently, and Naruto tries to gather his thoughts, cause he's gotta say this right. It's not a test, not really, but he wants to be Hokage so it's more important than ANY test! He takes a breath, and meets Sensei's eyes.

"Konoha's all about the Will of Fire, an' teamwork. Uh- we believe that our Village is strong BECAUSE we trust our comrades, rely on them. Yeah? An' this seal, it's tryin' to mess with Nat- uh, Ame n' Manta's heads. So we can't lock 'em away! Instead, we gotta make sure they're around LOTS of people, so they never forget why they're fightin' against those dark thoughts, so they never give up cause they can see what they're tryin' to protect right in front of them! And maybe they won't be strong enough, and they'll mess up, but as long as their sensei was there, like, all-the-time there, he'd be strong enough t'hold em until they got themselves back together, and they'd fight twice as hard the next time! Hiding them away, taking them from everyone important to them, that just makes it easier for Orochimaru t'mess with them! Cause he can say stuff like, 'no one cares about you', and there won't be anyone with them to say 'THAT'S WRONG!'. They gotta be where their precious people are, and there's gotta be someone strong enough to protect everyone, but it's not right to lock them away for something that's not their fault! That's what I believe, 'ttebayo!"

Kakashi-sensei stares silently, and Naruto tries not to fidget, but he needs to know if that was okay, if that was right-

"You…" Does Sensei's eye look a little misty? Naruto squints, but then Sensei blinks and it's gone. "Yondaime-sama would have said much the same, I think. It's a good answer. Now," Kakashi-sensei stands up, turning away and heading into the kitchen, "Why don't you take some time to really think about all the safety precautions you'd need to implement something like that, how you'd approach informing everyone involved of your decisions. Let me know tomorrow what you come up with, and if it's good enough perhaps I'll take you to see if you can change Sandaime-sama's mind, ne~?"

"Wha- YOU BET, DATTEBAYO!" Naruto shouts, leaping to his feet. "Thanks sensei! I'm gonna go to Ichiraku's!"

He bolts out the door, something warm sprouting through his chest.

A good answer, echoes through his mind, something the Yondaime would have said. Naruto's not quite as certain how to feel about that, cause the man put the Kyuubi inside him, and the way Natsu's talked about it, Naruto's pretty sure that's an even more bad thing than he first thought, but… the Kyuubi was also killing everyone, and no one could fight it or make it go away, so maybe he didn't have a choice…? If Kakashi-sensei says he was the kind of guy who would agree that precious people are more important than anything…

For a moment, Naruto wonders if he left any precious people behind when he died. Was he trying to protect them, and because Naruto's own parents were already dead this was the only way…?

He doesn't want to think about it. But it's nice to know, just a little bit, that there was even one Hokage who would have agreed that locking up Natsu and Sasuke was the wrong way to do things.

He'll ask Sensei all those questions tomorrow. He's going to be the best Hokage ever, a-and it feels like Sensei really means it when he says he'll help, so… maybe he should make a list of questions?

Teuchi-jii-san will loan him some paper, and thinking is always done best with ramen, dattebayo!

Naruto wishes he had some ramen now, really. They made it to the village early in the morning, and then Jiraiya made them leave like, right after, they barely had time to explore, and it's quiet. At first, Natsu was arguing with Sasuke about tomatoes, though Naruto's pretty sure it was Sakura-chan arguing with Sasuke while Natsu relayed everything - he was smiling too much, like he was amused, and not like he was actually arguing - but then Sasuke stormed ahead in a huff to 'scout', and Natsu keeps lookin' at him like he's waitin' on Naruto to say something and he does wanna talk, about everything, about the Yondaime and the stuff that Kakashi-sensei said cause Natsu looks at things different and maybe he could help Naruto make sense of everything, but he doesn't know how to start! And he's not really sure he wants to talk about it around Jiraiya, he doesn't know the man, not really, but he thinks he remembers Kakashi-sensei saying something about the Yondaime being his student, so maybe Naruto shouldn't ask if he's around…

He's still trying to decide what to do when Sasuke drops down from the trees, eyes fixed on Jiraiya.

"It seems like there was a fight, up near the crossroads. There was a knocked over horse-cart and supplies all over the ground, but I didn't see any attackers. Looked like a merchant family."

The last real fight Naruto was in, he lost control and hurt both his teammates. Natsu's bloody face and Sasuke's burned hands flash through his mind, and it feels like someone dumped ice down his shirt. M-maybe he really should see if Jiraiya could help him, at least so he never loses control like that again!

But when he glances over, Jiraiya… he doesn't get serious at all. He grins roguishly, brandishing a notebook. "A merchant family, you say? Let's go take a look! There mi- ah, they might need our help!" he steps forward, long strides quickly putting him in the front of their group, and Naruto can't help but scowl, comparing his every move to Kakashi-sensei. He can almost see it, the way Sensei would get serious-but-not-that-serious, not the cold, angry serious, but the one where it feels like all his attention is on him, like Kakashi-sensei is listening to everything he has to say, and maybe he'll stop being serious again after, with some silly, "Maa, Sasuke-kun, worrying about poor little merchants now? You've come so far!", but- but it'd still feel like the report was important!

Jiraiya skips ahead, and when Naruto glances over, he isn't surprised at how Sasuke scowls at the man's back.

Natsu glances between Sasuke and Jiraiya, before settling his gaze in a way that makes Naruto feel like he's looking at both of them, equally, at the same time.

"He's so weird," Natsu says, and Sasuke scoffs.

"Hn."

"Guess we'd better catch up," Natsu muses, fingers laced behind his head as he tilts it back to look at the canopy of leaves above them.

Naruto groans. "Do we have to?"

Natsu laughs, and starts walking slowly. "Sakura-chan says we have to go save the merchant's wife from his 'absolutely reprehensible behavior how dare he!', so…"

Sasuke laughs slightly. "She still hasn't let that go, huh?"

Naruto looks between Natsu and Sasuke, feeling left out. "Huh? Let what go? Why's the merchant's wife need saving from Jiraiya?"

Natsu shrugs slightly, tilting his head back with a grin. "Who knows! Girls are weird, better to just accept it now!"

Naruto nods slowly. "Yeah... yeah I think you're right! I never really understood why everyone liked Sasuke, even though he's such a jerk, but maybe girls are just messed up that way! 'Ttebayo!"

Sasuke scowls. "Hn."

Natsu winces, dropping his arms to scratch at his ear. "Sheesh Sakura-chan, no need to yell. Everyone's a little weird!"

Natsu pauses before laughing brightly, and starts walking toward the road, and Naruto scrambles to catch up. Even if things feel different now, like Natsu and Sasuke sticking together more, and Natsu talking and making faces and stuff even though Naruto knows it's Sakura-chan but it's still weird and-

Everything feels different, but they're still his team and he's not letting them go!

They reach the main intersection quickly, and Jiraiya's right there in the middle, animatedly waving his hands and laughing as he talks. Natsu gets a weird look on his face, sniffing the air like he smells something weird, but he doesn't say anything and Jiraiya turns back to them before Naruto can ask.

"Ah, you made it! C'mon kids, get over here." He waves eagerly, and Naruto can't help squinting suspiciously because Jiraiya's smile is weird and Naruto doesn't like it, but Natsu grabs his arm and leads him over.

He didn't even look back at Naruto, and he wonders if Natsu even realized what he was doing.

Naruto's arm feels warm as his teammate bounds forward with a grin. "Bandits, right? Are we gonna hunt them down?"

Sasuke perks up, and Naruto feels an equal mix of anticipation and dread. Jiraiya gives Natsu a funny look, but laughs.

"Huh, your ears are pretty sharp. Yeah, it seems like a simple banditry issue. But we won't be looking for them. We'll be getting this lovely young woman and her family back to their village. You guys know basic formations, right? Uchiha, you're on point. Kid, make some clones to get the rest of this gathered up."

Naruto nods eagerly, taking just a moment to glance around the clearing and see how much stuff there is, before he puts his hands together in the sign and calls out his clones. The civilian lady starts, staring, and Naruto can't help but chuckle to himself.

That's right, 'ttebayo! I'm the best, so you can't help but stare!

It takes him a minute to realize that even though he and his clones are picking everything up, and Sasuke's already started heading down the road to make sure everything's clear, Natsu isn't doing anything. He and Jiraiya moved a little away from the civilian, and they're talkin' to each other, but Naruto can't hear what they're saying at all.

Jiraiya looks serious, but just as Naruto stealthily hands off his box to a clone and tries to sneak closer, they stop. Natsu shrugs, conceding something, but he doesn't look annoyed as he heads over to help with the boxes.

"What was that about?" Naruto can't help but blurt, and Natsu laughs.

"I'll tell ya later, promise! But now, let's get this done before Sasuke comes back to gloat about it!"

"Right!" Naruto scoops a bunch of things into a tipped-over box, and by the time Sasuke comes back everything's packed back into the wagon.

Jiraiya helps the lady onto it with a wink, as a man and a kid quickly join her. "Pinky, you take the back. Naruto, you're left flank. If it's clear ahead Sasuke, then let's move. And don't you worry about a thing, miss. You and your family are in good hands~"

Escorts are boring, and Naruto learned that well enough last time. Lots of boring, and then a fight, and then more boring. But Jiraiya sits there, chatting with the civilians, making jokes and laughing! And when Naruto tried to talk to Natsu or Sasuke, Jiraiya scolded him, cause talkin' on missions is a 'jonin privilege'. Naruto decides that he's gonna prank him so hard the next time they set up camp!

But until then, he has to stand here and watch Jiraiya make gooey eyes and not pay attention to his flank at all and Naruto can't even go talk to Natsu-!

He grumbles a bit under his breath, glancing at Jiraiya from the corner of his eyes every time the man laughs really loud.

It feels like forever before Sasuke calls back that he can see the village, and Naruto's never been so relieved to hear the jerk's voice.

Finally!

Something pinches at his neck, and Naruto slaps at it by reflex.

His hand slams into the other end of a thin senbon needle.

Chapter 52: Investigation Arc 3

Notes:

I'm so salty this chapter took a whole month.
Good news is I'm already 1k into the next chapter, so it SHOULD get done by next Monday without issue!
Also, my roommate totally misread Ibiki's name as Bikini and now I'm stuck picturing him in a bikini and if I HAVE TO LIVE WITH THIS MENTAL IMAGE SO DO YOU THANKS.
…one reader mentioned that they feel like the technical aspects of my writing are a little worse than before, even though they still think the plot's going great. As I was writing this chapter, I actually ended up wondering if maybe it's the pacing that might be the issue? Lately, with me writing the chapters over multiple weeks, I also started and stopped and started and stopped instead of writing them all in one sitting like I was doing before. I'm not entirely sure if that's what the reviewer meant, as honestly I find the review system for ff net really hard to navigate, but if anyone else feels like maybe my pacing's been suffering due to how the chapters are being written right now, let me know! I tried to have my roommate specifically check over my pacing on this chapter, but I still feel it's weak in places, and it just seems like the most likely culprit here.
Anyway, thanks for reading! Hope you all enjoy! Sorry again for the wait, and I hope you guys had a great holiday season, whatever you celebrate!
And, just to reiterate from my outtakes file… RIP MY GOAL OF FINISHING THIS BOOK BY THE END OF THE YEAR A MOMENT OF SILENCE PLEASE.

Chapter Text

Naruto grimaces at the grimy stone walls, water lapping at his ankles. "This looks familiar…" he muses aloud, and his voice echoes oddly through the tunnels.

He squints, trying to peer into the shadows and figure out which direction to go, but the darkness is too thick.

"Guess I just pick one then, huh…" Naruto strokes at his chin, like Jiji sometimes does, then points with a flourish. "This way!"

There's no response except the unsettling echo, and he can't help but chuckle nervously as he edges down his chosen direction.

He walks what feels like forever, no sound but dripping water and his own sloshing footsteps, and he's just about ready to turn back and take the other path when suddenly the tunnel opens into a wide open space.

A glowing red eye cracks open from the shadows.

"Impudent whelp…"

Naruto gulps at the rumbling voice that shakes the walls and stirs the stagnant water into making small waves.

Suddenly, he remembers why this place looks familiar.

Natsu leaps forward, scraping his arms as he braces into a roll, and barely dodges the line of kunai that pepper the ground behind him. He spins as soon as he finds solid footing again, crossing his arms into a block. He side-steps as soon as the enemy shinobi's arm makes contact, kunai barely missing his face, and Natsu has had it with opponents being so. Much. Faster than him!

He lights fire down his arms as he tries to shift his block into a hold, but the enemy leaps back with a snarl and another spray of thrown kunai.

Natsu dodges again, then throws himself down to avoid a second shinobi as they lunge overhead. He rolls sharply to the side and pushes back to his feet with a snarl.

"Jiraiya was right then…" Sakura-chan muses, sounding shocked, and Natsu spares a moment to be confused as to why that surprises her before he has to dodge again.

He retaliates with a fiery kick, grinning savagely when it connects.

"You really are a great fighter… I could never-"

"Sa-kura-chan-!" Natsu groans, kicking out a scythe of flame that forces the enemy shinobi to leap in the air - he brings his hands to his mouth, only to cut himself off, coughing lightly as he leaps away from the shinobi he'd kicked before.

Stupid stupid- he doesn't bother to finish, cutting the thought off abruptly as the second shinobi lands and leaps forward again.

His hand twinges as he blocks, and on the other side of the wagon, he hears Sasuke shout.

He hesitates, disengaging for a moment and expecting that heavy weight of exhaustion from before he and Sakuni beat up that apparition.

Nothing happens though, so he grins savagely at the enemy shinobi, slamming his fist into an open palm.

"You guys gonna give me a real fight anytime soon?" he snarks, as fire sparks around his hands.

It's uncomfortably warm, but it's not burning yet.

His grin sharpens, and then Natsu decides he doesn't want to wait anymore and he leaps towards the shinobi, fire spreading to engulf his fists, flickering at his feet-

He thinks he hears one of them mutter 'kekkei genkai' under their breath, like it's a curse, and he'd correct them, really, except then a third shinobi shows up, making a sharp gesture, and Natsu's opponents pull back, leaping away.

"Oi! Don't run, we've barely gotten started!" he shouts, more than ready to chase after them-

A hand lands solidly on his shoulder and Natsu snaps his head around to get an eyeful of Jiraiya's chest.

"Naruto's still unconscious," the man says, and the urge to hunt those bastards down and beat their faces in doesn't quite disappear, but.

Natsu's got priorities, and making sure his team is safe is #1.

He spares a glance towards the trees the shinobi disappeared into, before turning to follow Naruto's scent.

Sasuke's spinning a senbon between his fingers that smells like Naruto's blood, his red eyes trained unerringly on the forest.

"By all rights, he should be dead." Sasuke says, nearly casual.

There's a faint undertone though, and he smells like anger, and something that might be fear too.

Natsu glances down, and it's Sakura who looks at the faint mark on Naruto's throat and remembers lessons on anatomy and exactly which points to hit to kill a person.

She agrees with Sasuke in a numb, horror-filled voice.

Naruto's still breathing though, and not even quickly or shallowly. He breathes like he's asleep, and he doesn't look much different either, barring the slight traces of blood on the collar of his jacket.

"They went after Naruto first, right?" Natsu asks Sasuke, "cause I heard him hit the ground before I had to dodge the kunai."

Sasuke glances over at him, then turns back towards the forest. "Yeah, I think so. I saw the flash of silver when I glanced back to check- make sure the dobe was watching his flank, and I'd already been moving before the other senbon got anywhere near me."

"So…" Natsu muses slowly, as Jiraiya walks over, "If they aimed for Naruto first, were they just lucky? Or did they know he was…" he trails off as Jiraiya shakes his head, gesturing to the civilians huddled on the wagon-front.

Sasuke's eyes narrow sharply as he turns back to look at Naruto. "Why wouldn't they just go for all of us at once though? That way no one would have any warning."

"Cause the last thing any sane shinobi wants is someone like the kid going on a rampage. Everyone knows, on a team like this, to hit people like him first. Better to give us warning, than to miss the strike on him and end up with a full berserker fury on their hands." Jiraiya says, eyes narrowed. "Though that doesn't explain how they knew."

"U-um… shinobi-san…" one of the civilians stutters, and Jiraiya looks up with a near-imperceptible sigh.

"Yeah, let's get you guys back to the village before anyone else comes crawling out of the trees, shall we?" He grins at them, and both the woman and child immediately relax a bit.

The man's shoulders tense further, but Jiraiya doesn't question it, scooping Naruto into his arms smoothly, so Natsu decides to leave it.

For now.

"Kid still hasn't woken up, huh?" Jiraiya asks, slipping back into the room they've rented at the local inn.

"Nope," Natsu says, mostly focused on a more mental argument with Sakura-chan as to whether he can use his magic to dry her hair.

She keeps insisting it'll damage the strands, but Natsu did it to his own all the time without issue so he's pretty sure she's just bein' a baby about it.

Sasuke sighs, and in the moment when Sakura-chan's attention shifts, Natsu brings his arms up, pressing the hair between his hands, and starts warming them with his magic. Fire licks out over his fingers occasionally because his control is shot and he grimaces, but nothing burns.

Sakura-chan doesn't realize until he tries to turn up the heat and the fire spreads to flicker down past his wrists.

She shrieks so loudly he reflexively jerks his hands away to cover his ears.

"Sakura-chaaaaaaaaaaaan!"

Sasuke rubs distractedly at his shoulder. It doesn't hurt, really. But sometimes it's like he's just aware of it, for no particular reason.

It pisses him off, and he forcibly jerks his hand away.

Natsu shouts, but when he glances over the idiot's still just having his one-sided argument with Sakura about their hair, so he scoffs and turns back toward the window.

Nothing's changed, in the second he took to glance away, but there's something wrong here. Jiraiya knows it, and Sasuke's pretty sure Natsu does too.

He realizes he's rubbing at his shoulder again, and glares at his reflection in the glass. The mark looks too much like the three tomoe of a sharingan, and he hates it. Orochimaru was aiming for him, and Sasuke can't help but wonder if the man has some sort of grudge against the Uchiha.

The curse-seal looks like a mockery, really.

He has the mad urge to just rip it off, as though it isn't painted invisibly over his whole body, through his entire chakra network.

Natsu laughs, and Sasuke resists the urge to strangle him.

A tired groan distracts him, and he turns just slightly to look at Naruto without looking away from the window.

Slitted purple eyes flicker open and shut. Sasuke activates his Sharingan nearly on impulse, but there's no active chakra being used, so he doesn't see anything that isn't already there. The colors of the dobe's eyes might be a little more vivid, but-

He just doesn't know.

Even Kakashi-sensei was only an interloper into his family's dojutsu and he doesn't have anyone to teach him true Uchiha techiques-, the centuries of consolidated knowledge passed through lines of the clan-

"Naruto! You're awake!" Natsu leaps toward the bed, the dobe letting out an animalistic yelp as they collide. "How're you feeling, are you okay? You don't look hurt but you didn't wake up for ages-"

"N-Natsu? Sasuke?"

Naruto glances hesitantly between them, not even trying to sit up, and Natsu tenses like he's getting ready to fight something.

Sasuke shifts his gaze back to the window, but doesn't completely turn his back to the dobe.

He just doesn't want to deal with Natsu's griping, is all.

"What's wrong?" Natsu asks, and the faint reflection in the mirror leans over, hair obscuring Naruto's face.

"I-I… someone attacked us right? And I left you guys alone, I didn't even help, I-"

"Tch. As if we need your help, dobe."

"We're just glad you're okay!" Natsu says loudly, bouncing as he sits back, still straddling Naruto. "We totally had it handled, so you'll just have to make it up to us next time! Maybe you can save Sasuke's butt-"

"You're the only one who could possibly need saving by that idiot." Sasuke scoffs in return, and Natsu sticks his tongue out in retaliation.

Childish , Sasuke wants to scoff, but Natsu's already turned back to Naruto. "You agree with me, right? Sasuke's totally the one who needs saving here."

The dobe looks panicked for a second, before he visibly decides to change the subject.

"I just spoke to the Kyuubi!" He blurts, and Sasuke finds himself paying closer attention without even thinking about it.

"Huh." Natsu slides off Naruto, dragging the blond into a sitting position. "What'd he say?"

Naruto glances around nervously, and Natsu waves casually, predicting the blond's questions seamlessly. "Jiraiya's downstairs eatin', Sasuke's got eyes on the window, and I haven't smelled anyone lurking up here since that creepy guy tried to pretend he was paying for the room next to ours like, two hours ago. Did he really say something that bad?"

"Someone tried to pretend to be our neighbor?" Sasuke asks, and then Natsu's waving him off.

"Yeah, when I was coming back from the baths, he tried to ask some questions but honestly Sakura-chan being ridiculous was a little more important, and he wasn't a shinobi so I just told him to scram. Jiraiya already knew, I think, since he didn't seem surprised when I mentioned running into someone on my way back… it's not really important though! C'mon, Naru! What happened with the demon? Is he big? Does he breathe fire? Can I fight him?"

"Ye-no- NO! N-Natsu!" Naruto stutters, and Natsu laughs.

"Heh! Don't worry! I wouldn't want you to give up your body for something like that! But you were moping too much! Is it really that bad?"

Naruto glances away, all but curling into himself.

"H-he mentioned… my mother."

Sasuke stares resolutely at the window, and catches his Sharingan swirling back to life, a glowing, spinning red that haunts his nightmares as often as his dreams. He closes his eyes, then opens them again when those memories try to surface. He turns sharply to face his teammates and not the eyes that could so easily be mistaken for-

He shakes away the thought, as Naruto hesitantly speaks again.

"The Kyuubi said… that he was sealed in my mom first. I don't- no one ever even told me- my own mom, a-and the Kyuubi broke out when I was born, he- he killed-! Jiji always said they died in the attack but not like that!"

Natsu reaches out immediately, catching Naruto as the dobe starts to cry, and-

Sasuke huffs a little, but he slides over and sits next to them.

Only because Natsu looked ready to drag him over.

He ignores the fact that Natsu hadn't even looked at him, too busy hugging the dobe.

Sasuke's not about to get involved in that, but if he settles himself back-to-back with Naruto, like the character in that stupid book the ANBU gave him to read, watching his teammate's back while he breaks down, well.

It's not like either of those two idiots know how to read.

No one's going to call him on it.

Jiraiya treads slowly up the stairs and back towards their room. The spy Natsu mentioned in passing was gone by the time Jiraiya looked into it, and if there's a piece of him that wonders whether Natsu's acting as a plant to pass information, well.

He's a spymaster.

He questions everyone, at least a little.

But there's no sign of the man anywhere, and the innkeeper knows nothing, and the bar patrons know nothing, and the merchant husband acts like he knows nothing which isn't quite the same but Jiraiya's going to need more time to work out the information than he's pretty sure he has.

He's never been all that good at torturing information out of targets.

That was always Orochimaru's role on their team, when they had intel-gathering missions.

Jiraiya knows that not everyone who's capable of torture is a bad person. Ibiki and Iniochi and the others in the T&I department are more than proof of that.

But, sometimes, he feels like maybe it should be.

The brats in the Academy always did say he wasn't cut out to be a shinobi.

Sometimes, with one of his teammates defected from the village and the other so traumatized she just ran away, Jiraiya wonders what being 'cut out to be a shinobi' even means. He's the one who's still here, after all.

It's with those maudlin thoughts swirling through his mind that he opens the door to their shared room, and freezes in the entrance.

His three temporary charges huddle together on Naruto's futon, Naruto and Natsu hugging each other while Sasuke leans against them, Sharingan-red eyes flickering from the door to the window and back again and-

Jiraiya wishes he could take a picture of this and send it to the Pure World.

He thinks maybe Kushina would forgive him, just a little, if she were able to see them like this.

He hopes she's watching, somehow.

Sasuke's elbow slides back, tapping Naruto, and the kid starts, jerking away from Natsu and hastily rubbing his eyes.

"I-I'm fine! Dattebayo!" He glances wildly around, before his eyes land on Jiraiya. "What're you doin' here? Natsu said you were gettin' food, but you don't have any!"

"I said he was eating! Sasuke 'n' I were gonna head down once he was here t'watch you, th'inkeeper doesn't let you take food into the rooms here…" Natsu grumbles, and Jiraiya beams.

"Glad to see you're up kiddo! I was about to start training these two without you!"

"What?!" Naruto explodes, launching to his feet, and-

Well shit, Jiraiya muses, because he may be an idiot but he knows genuine hurt when he sees it. He holds up his hands in surrender.

"Hey hey hey! Sheesh, it was a joke kid. Those two wouldn't leave your side if I promised them all the S-rank jutsu I know! No need to get snappy with me!"

The look on the Uchiha's face says he probably would ditch Naruto for Jiraiya's repertoire of S-rank jutsu, but Naruto's not looking at him and Fugaku's brat probably won't verbally disagree-

"Please. Even one S-rank technique is worth more than this dobe." he tilts his head back, both a gesture towards Naruto and a way to let him meet Jiraiya's eyes, Sharingan spinning slowly.

Kami-sama but Uchiha were always creepy.

"Teme!" Naruto snaps, spinning around to try and tackle the Uchiha. Jiraiya almost has to be impressed at how smoothly Naruto ends up tangled in his own blankets - Natsu had slipped off the futon in nearly the same instant Sasuke reached for them, tossing up the tail end as he did, and the Uchiha didn't even have to stand.

"Naaaaaaaaaaaaatsuuuuuuuu!" Naruto whines, kicking his feet ineffectually, and Natsu grins.

"What, not good enough to get me back?" he says mischievously, and it takes Jiraiya a second longer than it should to realize that those two brats have effectively ruined any reasonable excuse for Jiraiya to ask why Naruto was crying, as the blond starts swearing revenge on both of them with a vengeance.

He could ask anyway, ruin this happy mood as Natsu laughs and Sasuke cracks a grin while Naruto swears a litany of pranks against both of them while awkwardly attempting to untangle himself from his own blankets, but…

There will be other opportunities to ask.

There's no need for him to take away everyone's smiles with such a serious question right now.

He can be patient, after all.

For now, he grins.

"So, I suppose this means you all don't want to learn how to walk on water?" he asks, clapping his hands together as his smile widens.

The three of them freeze, before Natsu hastily grabs one end of the blanket and yanks, unravelling Naruto in a snap while Sasuke checks the straps on his kunai holster and throws Naruto's at his head.

The kid yelps, scrambling to catch it and tie it on, and in a moment Jiraiya has three children lined up in front of him like over-eager ducklings.

He swears he hears Natsu mutter something about boats under his breath. Never again, maybe?

"Let's go then!" Jiraiya says with a flourish, spinning to lead the way out just as Naruto's stomach grumbles.

"W-wait, what about food!"

"Dobe! Just eat a ration bar, I'm not losing training time because you couldn't wake up earlier!"

"It's not my fault-!"

"Here, you can have one of mine." there's a rustle, and the sound of something being tossed lightly, followed by a grumble half-muffled as Naruto starts eating.

"Teme…"

Jiraiya starts going through the traps he'll need to set once they're out of the village. They need to have a talk, after all, but… he supposes he might as well give them that training first.

Just to tire them out a bit so he doesn't have to deal with their yelling.

No other reason.

Behind him, the kids squabble and argue quietly, like they're trying to keep him from noticing.

He smiles.

Chapter 53: Investigation Arc 4

Notes:

TA-DAAAAAA~! A little later than expected, but I got three whole hours of sleep last night so today's been wack. Also, my roommate and I bought ingredients for stir fry, but forgot to check the recipe we'd used before so we failed to get ALL the ingredients, so I didn't have chicken broth. And the best substitution for chicken broth is either water or white wine according to google. I did not want to use water, as I felt it would hurt the flavor.
I did not have white wine. BUT LOOK! WHITE WINE VINEGAR CAN BE USED TO REPLACE WHITE WINE!
…white wine vinegar does NOT go in stir fry.
My stir fry tastes like vegetable-flavored vinegar.
Never use a substitution of a substation, substitution-ception is a mistake and should not have been done.
In regards to the chapter tho, we are once again back to my 'magic is harder to control than chakra since it's less weighted', with a touch of 'Sakura's natural chakra control is part Sakura herself, and part that I headcanon that chakra control to be something the chakra itself can just be, by itself'. Like, it's not just how much you're born with, it's also that you can just be born with a chakra nature easier to control.
So Natsu has fairly good chakra control between these two things, especially now that he's got someone in his head who can explain stuff~
Now onto the chapter! Hope y'all enjoy! Thanks for reading!

(sorry for everyone on AO3 getting this a day late! Server crashes happened right after I finished editing, and I still had work in the morning, so I couldn't wait it out)

Chapter Text

"So, is water-walkin' like that whole tree-climbing thing Kakashi taught us before?" Natsu asks curiously as he kicks at the surface of the small pond Jiraiya found for them.

The man laughs as he bounds past Natsu, walking from solid ground to the water's surface so seamlessly that it has Natsu squinting and checking again to make sure the water isn't an illusion.

"It's similar enough in theory," Jiraiya starts, arms crossed as he stands in the center of the pond, "but the thing you've got to remember is that trees are solid. They don't move. Water does. Your chakra will react differently to it. Now!" He leans forward with a wide grin. "Let's make this interesting. If the three of you can manage to knock me into the water… I'll teach you an elemental technique of your choice! So get started!"

There's a string of splashes as all three of them try to get to the old man. Naruto doesn't even make it past the shallows, pushing himself up to kneel just one step into the water.

Sasuke hisses like a dunked cat, the closest to Jiraiya and still so far away, as he hastily tries to scrub water out of red-lit eyes with one hand while the other sways back and forth, trying to keep him afloat.

Natsu scowls where he stands in knee-deep water. He hadn't quite fallen over, managing to land on his feet when his chakra lost purchase, but-

He already knows this is gonna be trouble.

He hadn't quite thought it through before, but having his magic back makes it way harder to grab Sakura-chan's chakra! If he's focusing, he can do it just fine, but he can't fight if he's gotta constantly focus on everything!

Carefully, he grabs at Sakura-chan's chakra as he lifts his leg and steps up, like the water surface is a stairwell.

The moment he shifts his weight to actually bring his other leg level he tilts forward, flailing wildly before face-planting into the pond.

He's pretty sure Naruto laughs at him, though everything's muffled with the water over his head.

He finds his footing, pushing himself up, as Sakura-chan offers quiet suggestions.

"It's not really like I'm mixing up our energies, Sakura-chan," Natsu mumbles as he carefully tries to step up onto the water again, "mine just shifts around a lot more than yours, Sakura-chan's chakra is really steady…"

"A natural earth-type," Jiraiya offers, and Natsu yelps, windmilling his arms to try and keep from falling backwards.

He fails again, landing in the water with a splash, and scowls up at the man from where he's sitting. "Huh?" he asks, more confused at Jiraiya's appearance than what he said.

"It's actually pretty neat - I noticed it when I was examining you and Sasuke over there- You're a fire-type, through and through, but Sakura-chan's natural element is earth. Earth is known as the stable element, so it's not too surprising it feels that way to you."

"Uh-huh. And how's that help me?" Natsu asks as he stands up, Sakura an attentive presence in the back of his mind, hanging off Jiraiya's every word.

"Well, why don't you try to figure it out for yourself first? It's your chakra." The man walks away with a grin and a wave, heading over to Sasuke with bounding steps.

Sort of, Natsu thinks, as Sakura-chan starts puzzling out Jiraiya's tip.

"Hmm… I don't know much about elemental natures - I know there's five, Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth, and Water, and that there are some kekkei genkai like that ice-user you met, and the Shodaime Hokage, who was a wood-user. I think there was something about some special training methods for each element? But I don't think that'll help us…" Sakura-chan trails off with the air of someone trying to think things through, but Natsu's a bit confused.

"But I thought your chakra was steadier just cause of that physical chakra stuff, it grounds it more in the body so it's not all pure spirit-stuff, right? That's why you guys can do things like walk on trees an' water, cause you use that physical chakra t'interact with those physical things better than my spiritual chakra can."

"Well, yes, but element probably has something to do with it too! Even for your people, earth elements probably affect things physically more than your fire, right? Like, you can choose who your fire hurts, but that's cause your fire is entirely spiritual, which means it's entirely bound to your will - but earth is earth, and it's not just gonna become intangible cause you don't wanna hit someone. Right?"

Natsu opens his mouth, then closes it again.

Not every fire-mage Natsu knows can control what their fire burns, so he always assumed it was a Dragon Slayer thing, but… Natsu never even knew about physical energy outside of that general belief that mages were always physically weak-

"But if physical chakra affects physical things… and I was able to change parts of my body… did I just use both energies separately, when most people back home combined them a little?"

It doesn't really make sense, but Natsu doesn't really understand theory stuff too well, so maybe he's just not smart enough to know what he was doing back then.

Sakura-chan makes a considering noise. "I can't really say… since your body got left behind somewhere, your physical chakra is probably with it, but I don't even know if it's possible to fully separate physical and spiritual chakras. Maybe that's why you had to train from such a young age? But maybe, if you actually are used to using physical chakra a little, it might be easier to do this if you focus on that feeling? Then you'd ignore your spiritual chakra, and reach for my physical chakra. Would that help?"

"Huh! Maybe! I'll give it a shot, thanks Sakura-chan!"

Natsu brings his fists together, focusing. He knows what it feels like, to have scales creep over his skin, creep under his skin, allowing him to take blows that should crush his organs to paste without a mark.

He knows what it feels like to have his organs themselves change, taking on the aspects of a dragon, allowing him to use techniques too dangerous for a fragile human body.

It wasn't a structured magic, like his fire spells. No circles that could be studied, no runes to learn - the true secret of Dragon Slayer magic.

The hard part isn't focusing on the feel of that magic.

The hard part is not using it on Sakura-chan.

"Hmm, I don't think it's working." Sakura-chan muses, and Natsu wonders how aware she is of the movement of her chakra. "I think you tried to combine my physical chakra with your spiritual chakra. That won't work though, because I don't think my chakra can be separated like that… Why don't you try explaining it to me? Then I can help more, hopefully!"

So Natsu tries, haltingly explaining how his Dragon Slayer magic's supposed to work. He's never had to put it in words before, but luckily Sakura-chan's smart, so he thinks she gets the gist of it.

Jiraiya glances oddly at him, but Natsu's pretty sure the man can't hear, so it's probably just cause Natsu's standing there doing nothing while Naruto and Sasuke splash around.

"...ARE YOU TELLING ME YOU CAN TURN INTO A DRAGON?!" Sakura-chan shrieks, half-way through Natsu's explanation, and he instinctively covers his ears, to poor effect.

"What- no! I mean, probably not? Igneel never said anything about that, so I don't think so? We just make our bodies like dragons so we can use their power, but we don't actually transform… probably. There actually might have been something, I think he was tryin' to tell me about the dangers of the magic? But I didn't listen, if y'don't know what the dangers are they can't affect you-"

"THAT IS NOT HOW IT WORKS!" Sakura-chan shrieks, hyperventilating.

"Sakura-chan?" Natsu tilts his head, concerned.

"Y-you- I don't- how-" Sakura-chan takes an audibly deep breath, then snarls something about how it 'doesn't feel the same as an avatar' quietly. She takes another anyway, before speaking again. "Maybe- well- clearly even that sort of magic has a mental component. You aren't a dragon, so you're essentially tricking some of your body parts into becoming dragonic, so… spiritual chakra's used due to that mental influence on your organs? Maybe? I GUESS?"

Natsu gets the impression of Sakura throwing her arms up in frustration.

"So… what's that mean?" he asks, and he swears she grumbles something about him being stupid but he just wants to figure out how to walk on water.

Forget elemental jutsu, if he pulls this off he'll have an excuse to never get on a boat again and he's not about to let anything stop him from that!

Sakura-chan grumbles indistinctly for another moment before answering. "I'm not entirely certain. Your magic's really energetic, so it'll probably keep butting my chakra out of the way… we could maybe lock the door again and just warn Sakuni to unlock it later-"

"Absolutely not!" Natsu rejects, shaking his head and crossing his arms in an 'X'. "Next idea!"

"Uh, well… you'll probably just have to practice. I… guess maybe if you thought exclusively… I mean, not like THAT, but like… if you… KYAA I CAN'T SAY IT!"

"Whaa? Sakura-chan, don't be ridiculous, if you've got an idea just say it. I'm not gonna make fun of you or anything?"

"If- well- DON'T TAKE THIS THE WRONG WAY BAKA! But if you focused on me, then m-maybe my chakra would-" Sakura-chan stops speaking, awkwardly abrupt, but Natsu thinks he knows what she's trying to say.

"Huh, that's pretty smart. Sakura-chan's chakra is a piece of Sakura-chan so that might make it easier to use…"

"D-don't say it like THAT, shannaro! It sounds too weird!"

"Right, right, sorry!" Natsu laughs, glancing down into the water.

It's still harder than it sounds, trying to focus on Sakura-chan enough to keep his magic from interfering with his grasp on her chakra, but still being able to actually pay attention to walking on the water.

The actual water-walking itself is weirdly easy, Sakura-chan's chakra maybe a little slow to move but Jiraiya made it sound way more complicated than it actually was, and it's really less that he has to move the chakra around constantly and more that the chakra just has to be… flexible enough to move on its own as the water flows around it, without being so loose that it just flows away with the water.

It only takes a couple tries to find the right consistency for the chakra, but actually holding it- sometimes it's his own magic, interfering with his concentration, but sometimes it's everything else. Now that he's not talking to Sakura-chan, it's harder to ignore the way everyone keeps glancing at him, the nervous looks on Naruto's face and the considering one on Jiraiya's. Sasuke focuses mostly on his feet, clearly more interested in trying to copy Natsu's chakra, but-

Really Natsu just keeps wondering why Naruto looks so nervous.

Hesitantly, he makes his way over, half-wondering if he could just… light something on fire while walking on the water?

And then he falls in again, losing his grip on Sakura-chan's chakra, and he groans.

This is gonna take so much practice… he grumbles mentally, pulling himself back onto the water's surface. He sits there for a moment, scowling at the water, and falls in again with a yelp when Naruto swims over and asks with a wide grin, "Are you channelling chakra through your butt?"

Sakura-chan shouts angrily in the back of his mind, practically shoving an impulse to hit the blond at him, which Natsu brushes aside.

"He's just curious Sakura-chan~!"

"Boys!" she scoffs, and Natsu's left with the faint impression of her spinning around and refusing to look at anything.

He turns back to Naruto with a blink.

"I mean you can expel chakra from anywhere? I think? I don't actually know but Jiraiya was kneeling earlier, when he was talkin' to Sasuke, so if you can kneel why can't you sit? But it's a good thing you're here, cause I was gonna ask why you looked so nervous!"

Naruto opens and closes his mouth a couple times, glancing anywhere but at Natsu while he tries to keep his head above water.

"I… last time Natsu-kun tried to help me I hurt you, so… but you're still so good at it and-" Naruto sinks into the water until just his eyes are above, blinking owlishly.

"Oh." Natsu remembers that explosion of chakra, the poor reaction Naruto - or more likely the Kyuubi, now that he knows about it - had with his own chakra. "Well, uh… maybe if Sakura-chan doesn't mind helping, she's good with words. We could probably explain it for you, I think…"

"Really?!" Naruto propels himself upward, swimming forward and tackling Natsu into a hug, "Thanks! Whaddu we need to do, Sakura-chan?!" he basically yells into Natsu's face, like Sakura-chan wouldn't be able to hear him otherwise, and Natsu pushes him away with a groan.

"Not so louuuuuud she can hear just fine!" he complains, ears ringing, and Naruto lets go with a nervous laugh, hand raising to rub at the back of his neck before he starts to sink and has to hastily flail his way back up.

Sakura-chan feels all… tense and prickly, which is confusing because she's just as loud as Naruto, so Natsu doesn't know why him yelling would upset her, but she starts lecturing the moment he's got his feet on the water again, not even giving him time to ask what happened.

She keeps being prickly even as she lectures, right up until Sasuke hobbles closer, and-

Natsu really doesn't understand girls.

Pinky the lady's got a brain on her , Jiraiya muses as he listens to Natsu parroting back words. Every now and then he stops, tilting his head slightly before saying something else, often clearly a response to a question, but then he's back to narrating and-

Jiraiya will admit, Sakura's smart. He's pretty sure she's a little too smart actually, at least for Naruto - the kid started looking lost half-way through the explanation, poking the water with a confused expression.

Sasuke's slowly running kata, and Natsu offers a very confused and awkward, "Good job Sasuke-kun?" before immediately trying to spin around to face Naruto, only to fall into the water with a splash.

Jiraiya snorts, then pulls out a notebook.

Kiddos aren't tired-out enough yet for a serious conversation, and Natsu's predicament could be great material, if everyone was just a... little more mature… hmm...

Naruto's trying, he is, but for some reason he's still not good enough. Natsu's a natural, and Sasuke picked it up so fast, and he's pretty sure that even if it were Sakura-chan instead of Natsu, she'd be a natural too, but for some reason he just can't get it.

It shouldn't be harder than tree-climbing, it uses more chakra, and Naruto got the hang of that so water-walking should be easy now but it's NOT!

He can tell Natsu wants to offer to help like he did before, but Naruto can tell Kyuubi's chakra is still so active, and he doesn't want to hurt Natsu again, and Natsu doesn't ask which is good but he still doesn't want to be the one holding his team back-!

"Wait, what did you say?" Naruto asks, freezing in shock before he hastily starts kicking his legs again to keep from sinking.

Natsu blinks. "Uh, about how my chakra keeps gettin' in the way while I'm trying to use Sakura-chan's chakra for this? I was just complainin' really, Sakura-chan's still trying to think of a better way to explain this for you-"

"No no no, I…" Naruto trails off. It still feels… wrong, somehow, to talk about it like this, he knows Natsu doesn't care, but he still hesitates while he finds the courage to finish. "Is it… maybe cause the Kyuubi's chakra is messing with my control…?"

Natsu blinks, tilting his head. "Yeah, that could be it. It's the Kyuubi that heals you, right? And Sakura-chan said you should have died before, so maybe he had to use way more power than normal… I guess it could still be messing with you. Whaddya' think Sakura-chan?"

Naruto's breath stutters in his lungs. He'd forgotten until just now, but…

Sakura-chan was never told about the Kyuubi, right? She hadn't started being able to see things until after that, and no one really mentioned it before-

Natsu and Sasuke don't care! And Sakura-chan's the best, she won't either! She won't, 'ttebayo!

He misses whatever Natsu says next, trying to convince himself, but-

"I dunno, ask your stupid 'kage, I'm not the one who stuffed a whole demon in an innocent kid just cause I wanted more power. Seriously, who does that?"

Jiraiya's gaze feels like a solid weight at Natsu's words, and Naruto sinks into the water. He never had a chance to find out what Jiraiya thinks of him, doesn't know how he'll react when it's in the open like this-

But it's still so- so nice, to hear Natsu say that, like maybe it wasn't okay and everyone else should know it's not okay too, like it's okay if Naruto didn't want this burden and didn't ask to be their sacrifice from the demon's rampage and-

He thinks, now that he knows the truth, that it's nice to know there's even one person who would say it was wrong to do it to his mom too.

Because Naruto has a mom- had a mom, and she loved him, he doesn't think the Kyuubi was lying about that he seemed so angry when he mentioned her stopping him from killing Naruto, from… from killing his future jinchuuriki before anyone could make him that, and his mom stopped the Kyuubi, because- because she-

Everything still hurts. He didn't- when he first saw the Kyuubi he thought it would just threaten him, or promise him power if he let it out, he didn't think that-

He wonders why Jiji couldn't have told him about his mom, couldn't have told him they shared this, wonders why Natsu's the first person to look at him and say 'this is wrong!' instead of 'this is your fault'-

Jiraiya doesn't say anything. And Natsu starts to speak again, with that same voice he used before, while he was repeating what Sakura-chan said, and he sounds so much like Sakura-chan-

Natsu's voice always sounds like hers of course, but when he's copying her he even mimics her speech patterns and so then he sounds exactly like her, and it's almost like it's Sakura-chan who's talking to him and-

Naruto's still really confused about this, and he wishes he could have met Natsu without Sakura-chan having to go away, but he tries to pay attention, and a few minutes of splashes and attempts later, he finds himself standing on the surface of the water like it's no different from the ground.

Natsu beams up at him, swaying his arms idly through the water to stay afloat, and Naruto grins back, jumping in the air and pumping his fist.

"I did it! D'ya see, d'ya see? I got it! You're the best Sakura-chan!"

Jiraiya interrupts his celebration with a firm clap that sends him splashing back into the water.

"Alright! Now that you all've got the basics down, think you're good enough to take me?" Jiraiya grins sharply, continuing with a mocking lilt, "Or are you gonna call it done for the night?"

"As if we'd ever!" Naruto yells, scrambling to try and stand on the water again. Natsu offers him a hand, eyes bright as he grins.

Naruto barely gets both feet on the water before Sasuke leaps forward and tries to sweep Jiraiya's legs out from under him.

Naruto groans. "Oi, teme, wait up!" He tries to run but stumbles as he loses his focus - Natsu catches his arm, and Naruto bites off a quick "thanks!" before leaping forward again.

And then it's the three of them together, dancing around Jiraiya as they try to knock him in.

Natsu's the first to get knocked back into the water, and he comes up spluttering, but Naruto and Sasuke aren't far behind. Jiraiya evades them all easily, laughing uproariously every time they get dunked, and Naruto knows getting annoyed makes it harder to control his chakra but Jiraiya won't. Stop. Laughing!

"Aaaah! We can totally do this!" he can't help but shout as he scrambles back onto the water's surface, before he catches sight of Natsu back-floating with a grumpy expression.

"Eh? Natsu? Don't tell me you're giving up!"

Natsu groans. "Sakura-chan's chakra stores are so smaaaaaall…" he mutters, glaring at the sky. "An' since I don't have that physical chakra stuff, I can't use mine for this…"

Jiraiya chuckles. "Well, I suppose you weren't awful… I suppose I can give you another chance tomorrow. Now, why don't you go get dried off? It's about time we had a chat, I think."

He skips off the pond and quickly makes a fire, as Naruto glances at Sasuke.

"What're we chatting about?" he whispers loudly, and Sasuke shrugs with a "hn" as he walks carefully back to shore, Natsu swimming behind him.

Somehow Naruto gets a bad feeling, and he can't help but shiver as he follows after his team.

Chapter 54: Investigation Arc 5

Notes:

A little late, but thankfully not as bad as SOME of my stretches of non-writing. Mostly because this time it was all real life hating me with little to no writers-block related issues. Once the universe stopped hating me, it was pretty easy to write it all!

Ironically, the reason it's three days late from my normal Sunday/Monday posting is cause I got kicked out of the coffee shop on Sunday cause they were closing, but this chapter just wanted to be LONGER.

Like.

Reverse-writer's-block I guess. This chapter was just like, bruh we're gonna be long, and I'm just like THEY LITERALLY CLOSE IN TWO MINUTES BRAIN!

So yeah, I hope that means it balances out? Lol

Also, warning to those who care (and don't mind minor chapter spoilers) – I have chosen to introduce one of my favorite fanon tidbits into this fic.

I will be honest, I actually forgot it WASN'T Naruto canon until my roommate was like, BRUH I DON'T REMEMBER THIS DID I MISS SOMETHING? And then I was like oops but I decided to keep it in anyway. Cause I very much love the angst-potential of Kushina and Minato wanting to adopt Kakashi before they died.

Oops.

Anyway, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy! I'm a little nervous because this chapter didn't have as many issues pointed out in it as last chapter, and I am ironically the kind of person who feels better when my beta readers find LOTS of errors instead of only a couple I do not know why please don't ask-

ANYWAY yes thanks for reading again I'm gonna stop rambling now.

Chapter Text

Naruto hadn't even realized how much time had passed while they were practicing their water-walking, but it's almost dark by the time Jiraiya starts the fire, and it's cold.

Wind blows through the trees, and he shivers, scooting closer to the fire while shrugging off his jacket. One glance at Sasuke nearly has him choking on a laugh, the jerk practically sitting on the firestones, goosebumps up his arms, staring at Jiraiya and resolutely refusing to shiver.

He sneaks a glance at Natsu, already snickering as he pictures Natsu all huddled up and shivery, only to stop and gape once he turns around.

Natsu's sitting cross-legged, leaning back on his hands with steam wafting off him, every now and then a little bit of fire showing up and disappearing again and that's so not fair-!

But also really really cool.

He leaps over, his own chill all but forgotten as he tries to ask how Natsu's doing it, cause he said he was out of chakra, 'ttebayo-!

Natsu's warm.

Waaaaaaay warmer than the fire, even just sitting next to him it's like Naruto's in one of those fancy onsen where the room's enclosed so everything is suuuuuper warm and cozy and he cuts off his questions as he scoots closer.

"So waaaaaaarm," he melts, sprawling over Natsu's legs, and in the time it takes him to blink, Sasuke's showed up too, not touching but still sitting close on Natsu's other side.

The goosebumps fade away, and the jerk stops looking like someone swapped his spine with a metal rod, gradually relaxing as the chill fades away.

Jiraiya whines.

"What, is my fire not good enough for you brats?" he asks with a stern expression.

Naruto sticks his tongue out at the man as Sasuke gives a disinterested 'hn', like he always does, seriously, it's not like it makes him cool or anything, 'ttebayo!

Natsu's the only one who really answers, voice tinged with bemusement. "I was just trying to dry off?"

Jiraiya sighs.

Jiraiya's not blind, or an idiot, despite what some people would say. He sees the wisps of flame flickering over Pinky's body, sees the careful focus on his face and the way he'd pressed his fists together when he first sat down - some foreign-style handsign, or just a focusing aid? - so it's easy enough for him to understand how Pinky's warming up.

What he can't understand is how it's possible, because everything he knows about elemental chakra says it's not. Even someone with full mastery over an element shouldn't be able to use it like that, not without burning so much power just by converting their chakra into pure heat, which isn't impossible for fire natures but the kid would be a literal beacon to anyone with even the vaguest amount of chakra sense if that was what he was doing, so Jiraiya knows it has to be something else.

Kakashi was right about one thing, his abilities just don't make sense, not to anyone who knows more than the bare minimum of how chakra works.

As a seal master, Jiraiya knows a lot more than the bare minimum.

Now if only the kid would let him figure it out.

Pinky's just way too observant, at least when it comes to a fight though. Jiraiya had been planning to fall in, fake a distraction and make it look like they won, just so he could test Pinky's skill with elemental chakra - he was gonna put the kid on the actual leaf-training exercise to see if his spirit chakra responded differently to it, but at this point he's half-wondering if the foreigner's got a sixth-sense for people trying to go easy on him, cause his attention always sharpened, lightning-quick, whenever Jiraiya even tried to fake a falter.

And he's a spy, he knows how to fake a fall and make it look perfectly natural, there's no way the kid should be able to see any physical signs of his subterfuge - in the safety of his mind, he groans.

He doesn't want to just give the brats jutsu, they'll start to think they deserve it, and they'll never stop pestering him for more, but if Pinky's not gonna let him fake a loss, he's going to have to consider it.

For now though, there's an entirely different subject he's going to need to consider.

He slips easily around the fire, until he's sitting directly opposite the three genin, and has to take a moment to wonder if he could work this into a novel - a lovely lady, blessed by the spirit of a natural onsen, who gives warmth and comfort to anyone close to her…? - he jots down the idea for future reference, because if he has to put up with these brats, the least they can do is keep giving him good material, and at least they haven't disappointed him in that yet-

His pen freezes, mid-way through a stroke, as he catches sight of Sasuke rubbing his shoulder.

Natsu's hand twitches simultaneously, and oh that was foolish.

Considering how much of the seal didn't graft properly to the kids' chakra networks, he thought it would be safe enough for them to use their chakra - it's not like he can put an imprisoning seal atop Orochimaru's work when it's so fragmented, he could very easily kill the kids if even the slightest thing went wrong, but he'd been pretty certain that the seal was poorly-anchored to their networks enough that they should be able to use their chakra safely.

Perhaps that's unrelated…? He muses, because he didn't see any signs of it after the bandit fight, and Sasuke used a few jutsu then, so-

Fugaku's brat did, yeah, but Natsu?

He thinks on that for a moment, but… he's pretty sure that's right. Natsu used his fire, of course, hard to miss that, but Sakura-chan's chakra? Not at all.

And if Pinky's fire-spirit-chakra isn't affected by the curse seal, then maybe there wasn't a reaction - not until both of them were using their chakra, simultaneously.

"Your seals bothering you?" he asks, only to blink in surprise as Naruto's hand jumps towards his stomach.

This entire team's a mess, he thinks, maybe a little fondly.

"Not you, Naruto, though if something feels wrong with it let me know immediately. You two - anything changed at all?"

"It just itches, a little," Natsu muses.

"I can't ignore it, it's like it's demanding my attention." Sasuke all but growls, though his eyes stay night-black as he glares at the campfire.

"I guess, maybe a little?" Natsu agrees, tilting his head. "Ne, Sakura-chan, does anything feel weird for you?"

Naruto sits up, staring in concern at his teammates, as they wait for Sakura to answer.

Natsu shrugs after a moment.

"Sakura-chan says she doesn't feel weird, but that she's gonna holler and see if Sakuni's got any problems right now. D'you think there's a problem?"

His tone is casual, but his eyes are serious as he meets Jiraiya's gaze across the campfire.

"The seal, from what I can tell of yours and what I know of Anko-chan's, is designed to infect your chakra network - the more you use your chakra the easier it's supposed to be for it. But all those components are pretty badly degraded on both your and Sasuke's marks, to the point I rather doubted it would work at all. But now, after both of you used your chakra so heavily, if it's reacting… perhaps those segments aren't as defunct as they looked. If you don't mind, before we get back to the talk I had planned for you three, I'd like to take another look and see if anything physically changed."

He (reluctantly) puts away his Notebook to swap out for a different book, the one he'd purchased blank specifically for Orochimaru's fragmented seal. Sasuke slips off his shirt with a scowl, while Natsu has a brief argument with Sakura before finally sliding off his qipao.

Jiraiya pulls out his brush and ink, making a couple delicate strokes across both their curse-seals, unfurling the full depth of Orochimaru's work.

He carefully goes through everything he can see, comparing it line-by-line to his painstakingly drawn copy, and finds himself squinting suspiciously at one of the shattered lines sweeping down Sasuke's right shoulder.

"What's wrong?!" Naruto yelps, leaping forward to try and look over Jiraiya's shoulder, and he pushes the kid away with half a thought, hastily flipping pages in his notebook and looking for the comparative matching-point on Natsu.

He ignores Pinky's commentary as he has to push the qipao up a bit to study his thigh, but-

He compares the marks again, and scowls.

"Is it… repairing?" Natsu asks, sounding confused but not at all worried.

Jiraiya hates kids.

"Noticed that, huh?" he asks gruffly, already feeling a headache throb behind his eyes.

Natsu shrugs. "Sakura-chan did, actually, they all just look like squiggles to me."

Jiraiya chuckles, shuffling over until he can see Sasuke's back. "Oh come now, they aren't that bad-"

"Are Natsu and Sasuke... gonna get worse, 'ttebayo?" Naruto asks a bit hesitantly, squinting as he tries to spot the changes.

Jiraiya shrugs a bit, brushing Natsu's hair out of his way. "Well, half the reason we couldn't remove Anko-chan's seal was because of something similar - the seal's pretty large, as you can see, even though Orochi did a pretty good job at condensing it for easy application - but that just means that there's a lot of parts you have to try and remove. Normally, for large seals like this, if you want the person to survive removal, you pull it apart in sections - figure out which ones are critical, save those for last, and sort of chip away at the seal, pulling off the smaller and less vital components first. When we tried that with Anko-chan though… they just grew back. And with how deeply the critical components of the seal were worked into her chakra network, lifting the entire thing off in one go was almost certain to kill her. Technically I could remove it from her, but in even perfect conditions I'd say there's less than a two-percent chance of survival, and Anko-chan eventually agreed not to risk it until I could make something better."

He pauses a moment, turning Natsu's hand over as he studies the mark's heart.

"We never found the self-repair at all, so we weren't able to isolate it," he continues, trying not to let the displeasure seep through his words, "and I didn't see anything that looked like that on your seals either. Are you feeling more sleepy than usual?"

Pinky shakes his head, glaring lightly at Jiraiya's grip on his arm like it offends him. "Sakuni says she hasn't noticed anything changing, but she also said somethin' 'bout that Oro guy bein' slipperier than a snake and that she can't be sure, so…"

He shrugs, annoyed but not worried, and Jiraiya sighs.

"Seriously, kid, does anything freak you out?"

"You mean like that time Gray was making ice cubes for everyone cause the freezer broke, but he took off his clothes and then he was just laying on the counter naked and making them? That was really freaky. I actually wished Erza would show up then, it was too horrifying to watch…"

Jiraiya's never been one to question his own sanity, but he's pretty sure he didn't hear that right. He takes a deep breath, glancing over to the rest of Team 7 - the Uchiha looks rather disgusted, where Naruto only looks curious and excitable.

Uzumaki through and through, he can't help but muse.

"Was it like my Sexy jutsu?" he asks, leaning into Pinky's space with a foxy grin, and Natsu scowls while pushing him away.

"Ugh, no, he's just a stripping pervert, that's normal, the freaky part was the way everyone was still getting ice cubes from him like- like- I dunno, it was weird!"

Natsu crosses his arms, scowling, and Jiraiya rolls his eyes as he tugs the one he was re-checking back over.

"You've got some weird friends there, Pinky," he muses with a grin, turning around to go over Sasuke's legs.

"Wha- he is not! He's a pervert! And he always gets on my nerves, and he keeps saying he's better than me even though he really isn't, I could kick his ass from here to Konoha and back if Erza didn't keep getting in our way-!" Natsu pauses for a moment, then finishes, "And he's always naked!"

"I, uh, think you said that already." Jiraiya offers, trying to keep his grin out of his voice. The suspicious stare he feels drilling into his back makes him think he might not have succeeded, but luckily Naruto's such a good distraction.

"Y'talk about Erza a lot, but who is she?" he asks, an air of innocent curiosity about him, and Jiraiya doesn't need to see more than the curl of his lips to know Naruto's more mischief-making than asking.

He turns a bit more, just in time to catch Natsu's full-body shudder.

"She's one of the strongest people in our guild, I guess. I haven't beat her yet, but I'll manage it for sure soon! She uses swords mostly, and just cuts people up and stuff. She always gets mad if Gray and I are fighting though…" he shudders again, eyes haunted.

"What's she look like?" Naruto asks, voice soft but eyes sparkling, and Jiraiya almost feels bad for Pinky, really, cause the kid's too into missing his friends to realize the trap he's walking into.

Doesn't feel bad enough to help, though.

"Well… she's got really red hair. Like, super super red. Happy always said it looked like the blood of everyone she beat up… and she's always wearing armor, and her eyes are brown… I dunno, I've never really bothered describing anyone before."

Jiraiya really tries not to jump to conclusions, but how common can redheads with terrifying auras really be?

"You could always show us with a henge!" Naruto says eagerly, and oh Jiraiya hates to be the ruiner of good fun, but…

"Not without a full night's sleep he's not, with all the chakra he's burned. I don't wanna tempt this seal anymore than we already have, at least until I have a better idea of what's going on. Got it?"

Naruto pouts at him, as Jiraiya puts away his supplies and brushes himself off.

"Nope, put that look away blondie, we've got a real talk to get to now. You two can get dressed again, I'll go over these notes some more later and see what I can figure out, and you guys can have your little friend chat tomorrow, yeah?"

He sits down again, facing the kids, and holds back another sigh.

He really should have kidnapped a jonin, any jonin, if only to spare himself the duty of being responsible.

He can all but hear the arguments, and he hasn't even said anything yet.

Kami why did it have to be kids again?

"So," Natsu starts, trying really hard to ignore Sakura-chan's complaints about perverts, "is this that talk about the bandits, or is it a different talk?"

Jiraiya huffs a laugh. "You don't let things go, do ya kid? We'll get to our would-be attackers in a bit. For now, we've got some more important things to discuss."

Sakura's thoughts almost immediately turn to Naruto, and Natsu sighs.

She's not… scared, really, he thinks, but she's a lot more uncomfortable. So far she hasn't really said anything as to why though.

Naruto looks pretty uncomfortable himself though, and Sasuke downright annoyed, though that's probably half losing training time and half really wanting to hunt down those bandits and get revenge.

Natsu can't really blame him - they tried to kill a member of his team after all, and he's still not sure why it didn't succeed beyond the knowledge that the demon healed him.

"First up, you two - since we're on the subject." Jiraiya begins, leaning forward as he makes eye contact with first Sasuke, then Natsu. "I don't want either of you using chakra if you can avoid it until I've had time to go over everything and evaluate it. Yes that includes your dojutsu, Sasuke."

Jiraiya stares down Sasuke's glare, and Natsu tilts forward to clasp his ankles. "Does my fire count too? Cause it's not really chakra-"

"In the interest of fairness, yes. Kami-sama knows I probably can't enforce that, since you use it for everything, but I will find a boat to stick you on if I catch you. Honestly, I should only need tonight and part of tomorrow to go over everything. The two of you can behave yourselves for that long at least. If anything comes up that might make it take longer, I will let you know but seriously - this isn't a forever thing, this is just to be long enough for me to figure out exactly what all the changes are and maybe come up with a few theories as to the whys and hows. Alright? We are going to go after those shinobi later, I just want to know what the consequences will be for you guys before we learn the hard way. So behave."

Natsu feels a sudden swooping sensation in his gut, and can't help protectively curling his arms about himself.

Boats are awful blackmail… he grumbles to himself.

He has a vague sensation of Sakura-chan patting at nothing as she coos a soft, "There there."

He wishes he could console himself with the knowledge that Kakashi would never threaten him with a boat, but honestly Kakashi-sensei would probably make him try to fight on a boat as training and it would suck, why are all his friends like this-!

"Oi. I want some verbal confirmation here, brats. Day and a half. No chakra."

Natsu and Sasuke trade glances, Sasuke scowling fiercely.

"Maybe ask him to teach us more about seals? That way we could still learn things, and you, me, and Sasuke made a pretty good team breaking those seals at the safehouse, before…" Sakura-chan offers, a little nervous, and Natsu attempts to give her the impression of a groan.

He doesn't want to learn something boring like that… but it could be useful, especially since Sakura-chan's already pretty good at recognizing stuff, and it would let her train a little too, so…

He sighs, shifting to prop his chin in his palm as he looks up at Jiraiya. "W'll you at least teach us some of that fancy seal-crafty-stuff if you're gonna make us promise something like that?"

Jiraiya looks for a moment like he's going to refuse, before Naruto all but leaps forwards. "Really?! You can teach us something like that?" Natsu grabs him around the waist before he can vault into the fire, as Jiraiya groans.

"Yes, fine, if you two promise to behave yourselves I can teach you some basics. Deal's off if I catch either of you doing anything without my say-so. Got it?"

"Fine," Sasuke bites out, definitely not happy.

Natsu shrugs, offering a casual, "Sure!" to Jiraiya's hard stare, which only makes his focus sharpen.

Natsu grins, and Jiraiya visibly rolls his eyes. "Alright, now onto your part, kiddo." he turns toward Naruto as he speaks, still being held by Natsu.

He feels his teammate gulp, tensing in nerves.

"Why can't we hold Sasuke-kun like this? And why's he so nervous anyway!" Sakura-chan groans, and Natsu sighs as he lets Naruto go, patting blond hair briefly when he glances back in confusion.

Natsu's pretty sure Sasuke would try to tear his arms off if he ever held the Uchiha like that, but he doesn't say that to Sakura-chan. He's learning! Somewhat.

"Whaddu I need t'talk about?" Naruto grumbles, arms crossed.

"A lot," Jiraiya starts, before softening his tone. "But for now, why don't you tell me what the Kyuubi said to you that was so bad it had you crying earlier. Don't bother looking surprised, the kind of injury you'd had it's the only thing that makes sense kid. But I'm in charge right now, and I need to know what the demon was saying to you. So let's start there."

Naruto twitches a little, glancing over at Sasuke, shoulders creeping up to his ears.

Natsu's not really surprised when Sasuke actually decides to help. "Nothing bad. He deserves his privacy, doesn't he?" lip curled into a sneer, Sasuke's body language all but screams stop wasting my time.

Natsu's not impressed.

He isn't.

It's a cool trick, but anyone could do that, just say everything without saying anything.

Sakura-chan's not impressed either, but that's because she's fantasizing and Natsu wishes plugging his ears would help.

Jiraiya pinches the bridge of his nose.

"It really doesn't work like that, kid. Sorry, but I need to keep aware of what's going on here. So. Do me a favor and make this easy on everyone, yeah?"

Naruto shuffles a bit nervously, before drawing his legs in and wrapping his arms around them. He doesn't look at Jiraiya as he speaks.

"H-he just… talked about my mom and stuff… an' he said somethin' about how her village sold her to Konoha so she could be his jinchuriki when your other one died, and…" he tenses, like if he curls deep enough into himself he won't have to hear if that was true or not. Natsu's already shifting to pull him into a one-armed hug that Sakura-chan doesn't even pretend to protest.

"They WHAT?!" She spits, scathing fury burning through Natsu's mind, as Naruto uncurls just enough to throw himself back into Natsu's hug.

Jiraiya sits frozen, all but gaping in shock.

"-sold her to Konoha? Like a slave?" Sakura snarls, and… Naruto hadn't mentioned that before.

Natsu wonders if he just hadn't got around to mentioning it, or if he'd been avoiding it before. He tightens his grip around his teammate as Jiraiya hastily starts waving his hands, shaking his head vigorously in denial.

"No, no, Naruto, I swear it wasn't like that!" he yelps, all but leaping over the fire to try and approach. Sasuke slides between them smoothly, arms crossed, though his Sharingan isn't active.

Natsu wonders how long that will last, even as he carefully ignores the extra loud pops spit up by the fire.

Jiraiya falls back on his heels a little, then crouches down.

"Naruto-kun, I swear your mother wasn't sold. That- the situation was a lot more complicated, I- Sensei asked me not to tell you, you're not supposed to be told anything until you actually get promoted to chunin but-" he stutters, shrugs a little, then fully sits down.

"Uzushiogakure, before it was destroyed, didn't really do Kage like the rest of the shinobi villages," Jiraiya starts, voice soft. Sasuke shuffles back a little, until he's standing just ahead and to the side of Natsu and Naruto.

Natsu's not even sure when he pulled the kunai, and if Jiraiya notices he doesn't say anything about it, only continuing his tale once he's certain Naruto's paying attention.

"They passed their rulership down like the Daimyo do, through families. And Uzumaki Mito married Senju Hashirama, back when he founded Konoha. Our villages were allied from the very beginning, and Mito-san was the very first jinchuriki, not only of the Kyuubi, but ever. She invented the sealing technique, and she did it to save Shodaime-sama and the village. But when she started getting old, not only had the other villages all made jinchuriki of their own, but the Kyuubi was furious. Partially from what Madara had done, and partially I'm sure from being imprisoned by Mito-sama. She was afraid that if she just released the Kyuubi, it would rampage and destroy Konoha in vengeance. So she sent an envoy back to Uzushio, requesting an Uzumaki who could take the Kyuubi and keep it from killing anyone. They sent the daughter of their Kage, all but a princess of their village, and I know the Kyuubi wasn't transferred immediately. When your mother, Kushina, came to Konoha, she spent a few years in the village, both learning from Mito-sama on how to control the Kyuubi and attending the Academy and getting a Konoha-style education." He pauses for a moment, a fond if sorrowful smile on his face.

"Kushina-chan was- amazing. Vibrant and full of energy, and she loved pranks and ramen and she would never shut up, and she ended all her sentences with dattebane, and you're so much like her, you know." Tears drip down Naruto's face, and he doesn't even try to scrub them away, staring desperately at Jiraiya.

"Did she really want to be a jinchuriki though?" Natsu asks, dropping his chin on Naruto's head, a small comfort as the blond's breath hitches. "It sounds like your Mito lady asked for a replacement, and her village leader, her dad, just sent her over. Did she even want to?"

Jiraiya opens his mouth, closes it, then takes a deep breath before answering. "Someone had to. If she'd refused, they'd have just had to find a different Uzumaki. It's not like we could just let the Kyuubi go and hope it didn't kill us all. She was always the kind of person who wouldn't stand to see her people suffer a burden she wasn't willing to carry herself. But no one forced her. It- it wasn't like with Naruto, she did have a choice. The choice may have been her or someone else, but she could have said no if she'd wanted. Back then, Uzushio was still standing strong, the Uzumaki clan hadn't been slaughtered to the last yet, there were other choices. Now… well, there might be one or two who managed to run away, but if they did I've certainly never found one. Naruto probably is the last of his clan, and only the Uzumaki have the special chakra required to keep the Kyuubi sealed. Anyone else would die."

Sasuke tenses, when Jiraiya mentions Naruto being the last of a clan, and Sakura-chan, Natsu gets the impression, is crying.

"That's so unfair…" she says, and Natsu hugs Naruto tighter, responding to her impulse.

Personally, he's half-way towards plotting the logistics of burning down the entire village, but he can agree that Naruto deserves more hugs.

That's about when Naruto starts sobbing in earnest again, turning to fully curl into Natsu as he cries.

Jiraiya looks heartbroken, edging cautiously around Sasuke to rest a hand on the blond's back.

"I… your mom was a great lady. She… she wanted to adopt Kakashi, you know? After his dad died. I don't know if it was ever finalized, but that's half the reason he was chosen to be your team's sensei. The other half was his Sharingan, but… I know he refused to train Sasuke unless he could train you too, and that's why you guys got put on a team together even though you didn't get along well. I've got some great stories of pranks your mom's pulled before, if you ever…"

Jiraiya trails off awkwardly, clearly trying to give comfort but not quite sure how, and Natsu decides he really is a good guy.

The way Sasuke plops down, not touching but well within group-hug range, and doesn't resist when Natsu reaches out to pull everyone together, says he probably agrees too.

Natsu figures the bandit-shinobi talk can wait a little while longer.

Though the next time he sees Kakashi-sensei, the man's gonna be lucky if he gets away with only his hair set on fire. Practically Naruto's brother and he didn't even say anything-!

Maybe Naruto will feel better if they come up with a good joint prank.

They could get that green muscle guy to help too again… hmm...

Chapter 55: Investigation Arc 6

Notes:

Sorry this is so late! First there was those 32 death threats that some person and/or bot spammed into my comments that I STILL haven't cleaned up, then there was a drs appointment that made it impossible for me to walk for a weekend, and… well I have no excuse for the third weekend.
I was binging Esama's Assassin Creed fics and my brain just could not settle down into my own work until I'd finished ALL of them.
(ironic because AC is a platforming-style game)
(guess who really REALLY sucks at platforming games)
(I've played like 2 hours tops)
(oof)
ANYWAY I sorta feel the need to apologize for this chapter, because once more, we STILL don't get to the core of the plot I wanted to hit in this arc.
My roommie says she really likes where it ended up going but BRUH I JUST WANT TO MOVE THE PLOT FORWARD I KNOW ALL THESE CHARACTER-DEVELOPMENTS AND FEELS ARE GOOD AND ALL BUT I'M PRETTY SURE THERE'S STILL A LINE AND I HAVE CROSSED IT.
Anyway, thanks for reading! Hopefully you don't mind another chapter of Team 7 Feels. I swear we'll get to the plot next chapter!
Enjoy~!

Chapter Text

They don't get around to talking about the bandits that night. It's a bit annoying maybe, cause Jiraiya knows something, and Natsu was hoping to figure out what, but…

Naruto's more important.

The blond cries for a few minutes, Jiraiya awkwardly squirming through Natsu's forced group-hug, before he realizes. It's almost funny, how sharply Naruto's crying cuts off as Jiraiya's words finally pierce through his mind and he realizes Jiraiya knew his mom well enough to tell stories. He practically explodes with questions, tripping over his own tongue as he tries to ask about her pranks and her friends and her favorite ramen and what she looked like and everything all at once, Jiraiya all but leaning away from the onslaught.

Natsu lets Jiraiya go as Naruto pauses for breath, and the old man smiles a bit sadly.

"Well let's see here," he says, trying to sound cheery. "I know her favorite ramen was Shio-"

"Whaa- really?!" Naruto all but leaps toward Jiraiya, practically smushing their faces together. "Really really? She did?!" Jiraiya leans back, gently trying to push Naruto away.

"Yes, really brat. Sheesh, is it that surprising?"

"I-I mean, I like miso better, it has a richer flavor, b-but… my mom had a favorite ramen, that's-" he trails off, picking at the hem of his shirt. "I know what my mom's favorite ramen is…" he mutters, voice soft but awed. Natsu drags him back into a hug as Sasuke rolls his eyes, scoffing quietly.

Jiraiya looks like someone slapped him with a fish.

"Naruto…" Sakura-chan murmurs. "I guess I never really cared to think about it, huh? What it must have been like, not ever knowing your parents… all I did was get angry at him for acting out, a-and even if I never said it I thought such mean things like 'if he just had parents to discipline him he wouldn't be so annoying!' and- and I never even tried to understand what…"

Natsu hums, dragging Sasuke closer as he leans forward to rest his chin on Naruto's shoulder. "Does Naruto look like her?" he asks, when he realizes Naruto's not going to say anything else, and the blond jolts under him.

Jiraiya shakes himself, glancing at Natsu before looking down at Naruto. "A little, I suppose. The shape of his face is more like hers, but the colors are all-" he cuts himself off a little, then continues with a smile. "Kushina-chan was an Uzumaki, obviously, you got her name, and she really had the clan's bright red hair. Anyone who looked at her knew she was an Uzumaki, there was really no mistaking it! Had a pretty nice ra- uh, I mean, her eyes were a purple violet? She was kinda short though…" Jiraiya trails off with a nervous chuckle, before he scrambles toward his pack. "I, uh, think I might have a picture, from when M- um, anyway, I'll just show you, gimme a sec here…"

He digs through the pack, before gently lifting out an old, beat-up journal and moving to sit back down next to them.

"This notebook was a gift from her, actually. Konoha doesn't have a lot of seal masters, but the Uzumaki clan always had a talent for the art so good some people swore it was a kekkei genkai - Kushina-chan always liked to laugh at my seals, said they were way too boring, and sometimes she'd just give me little presents like this, with 'proper' seal-work in them. The notebook's basically full of storage seals, see?" he gently thumbs through the pages, a whole bunch of squiggly circles showing one after the other.

Natsu's pretty sure they're all different, but other than that it doesn't really mean much to him, though Naruto reaches out to tentatively touch the book.

"My mom… made this?" he asks, fingers a hair's breadth away from the page. Jiraiya reaches out his free hand and ruffles at Naruto's hair.

"Yeah, she did kiddo. The seals aren't really big, they can only hold small things, so I mostly use it to store my pictures and stuff… here."

He flips a couple more pages, pressing one finger gently to the seal there, and with a quiet pop and not a wisp of smoke to show for it, a picture appears atop the notebook.

"That's my-!" Sasuke cuts off with a snap of teeth, staring wide-eyed at the photo as Naruto picks it up with trembling hands.

Natsu tilts his head a little, to get a better look.

The first thing he really notices is Jiraiya laying on the ground in the picture, a redheaded woman standing with one foot on his shoulder, head thrown back in laughter. The picture's a little blurry, like it was taken really quickly, and to the side there's a black-haired lady with one hand covering her mouth like she's hiding a grin.

Some sort of sticky-looking sauce is all over Jiraiya's hair.

Naruto lifts a trembling finger, stroking it down the redhead's face. "She… t-that's my mom?" he asks, voice trembling, photo shaking unsteadily in his grip.

Sasuke reaches over and grabs his wrist, holding it stable, and that's about the time Natsu realizes the black-haired woman looks a lot like him.

Sasuke's sharingan spins active, and Jiraiya opens his mouth - probably to tell him off, but then he closes it without saying anything.

"Oh Sasuke-kun…" Sakura-chan whispers, but Natsu gets the feeling she's looking at both women in the picture, not just Sasuke's mom.

"What'd'ju do?" Natsu asks, a bit curious, cause it sure looks like they'd been beating Jiraiya up.

The old man laughs. "Kushina-chan found out that I had dragged, uh,her boyfriend into peeping at a hottub with me - it was really fun, you know? He could be pretty easy to trick into peeking, and the way his face would light up, it was hilarious. But then Kushina-chan found out somehow, and she was so mad at me for 'trying to corrupt' him, so she went and got Mikoto-san. I never really spent much time with her, but she was really good with her Sharingan. Kushina-chan would rope her into pranks sometimes, I hadn't even realized they'd laid a trap for me until I was half-way in it, Mikoto-san's illusions were legendary in ANBU before she retired when Ita- uh…" he stutters a little at the way Sasuke's grip spasms, then shakes his head. "Anyway, even though she retired she didn't really lose her skill, she could trap just about anyone in an illusion, by the time I'd realized what happened it was a bit too late to escape… I think the picture was taken by Rin, one of Kakashi's teammates. I don't really remember for sure, Kushina-chan just gave me the picture for my birthday later that year so I would 'never forget the consequences of trying to corrupt her boyfriend'. I didn't interact much with the Uchiha, I think this is one of the only pictures I have of her, though I've got a few more of Kushina-chan."

"O-oh. That's… Sasuke's mom then?" Naruto asks, voice tinged with amazement. "Our moms were friends? Like-"

Sasuke jerks his hand away, then slips out of Natsu's loose hug. "We're not friends dobe." He scoffs, turning away, but Naruto's eyes water anyway, as he hugs the picture close.

"A-as if I'd w-wanna be friends with a jerk like you anyway," he stutters around sniffles.

"Boys," Sakura-chan can't help but groan. "Ugh. It's not like they're fooling anyone!"

Natsu thinks she sounds a little teary too though.

"Yeah yeah you're rivals and you don't need friends yadda yadda can I have my picture back before you snot all over it?" Jiraiya asks, wiggling his fingers with a pretence of impatience.

Naruto hands it back slowly, staring at it like he wants to commit every inch of it to memory, and Jiraiya sighs.

"I'll make you a copy when we get back to Konoha, okay kiddo? Hell, I'll make you a copy of all of them, but let me put this away before the humidity damages it, alright?"

"You'd do that for me?!" Naruto yelps, then tackles Jiraiya into a hug as he starts bawling.

Sasuke grimaces, shifting uncomfortably for a moment as Jiraiya carefully holds Naruto with one hand and seals away the photo with the other.

"Make… two copies?" he asks, so quietly Natsu almost wonders if Jiraiya even heard it.

"Sure thing, kid." The man says, just as softly, and Sasuke looks away sharply.

Well crap , Natsu muses, staring at them. Hope the Master doesn't mind a couple more members…

I'm just gonna have to figure out how t'take em back with me.

Can't be that hard, right?

Somehow Jiraiya gets all the brats back to the inn and into bedrolls. He doesn't have to tuck any of them in, thank the Kami, and he does his best to pretend he can't hear Naruto's eager whispers as he tells Natsu what he plans to do with all the pictures.

Jiraiya's pretty sure the kid's overestimating just how many he's got, since he's pretty sure sensei will have his head if he gives Naruto any pictures of Minato…

Well, there is that one picture, Kakashi's team photo. Minato gave him a copy, and if he's giving it to Naruto just so he has a picture of Kakashi then no one can complain, right?

Kid's been staring at a stone bust of the guy for years and never once saw a resemblance so maybe one picture won't be a big deal…

Jiraiya doesn't even try to sleep.

He never…

It made sense, when sensei said it would be better to not tell Naruto anything until he made chunin. Minato made so many enemies, and a secret shared is a secret no longer. Just look at the Kyuubi. They told the clan heads, and suddenly the entire village knew and sensei had to scramble to pass laws in order to keep it from spreading any further, there were honest executions to force the village to take it seriously and hopefully keep word from reaching Konoha's enemies while she was still too weak to protect the jinchuriki. Even then Naruto spent his first few weeks literally living in the Hokage's residence, attended by a full squad of ANBU every second of the day until things calmed down enough to risk putting him in an orphanage.

That Konoha's enemies are only just now realizing that they fabricated Minato killing the Kyuubi, only just now starting to realize what Naruto is, after he's gone outside the village on jobs…

It's more years than they'd originally thought they could keep the secret, and it has to have been worth it.

Right?

The look on Naruto's face when Jiraiya told him Kushina's favorite ramen, as if knowing something so small and unimportant was worth more than even being handed the Hokage's hat, makes Jiraiya wonder.

It was the smart thing to do, not telling him anything.

No one realized Konoha had a jinchuriki. He wasn't kidnapped like Kushina-chan, he wasn't targeted by assassins like Minato, he was safe-

He glances over to the kids, Sasuke tense and twitching in sleep, Naruto with half-dried tear stains down his cheeks, and wonders if safe came at the price of happy.

He's missed a lot, being out of the village for so long huh?

He had a job, a critical one. Tsunade was gone, and Orochimaru a traitor, and Jiraiya was the only one of the sannin left, and after the Kyuubi Konoha needed to be strong, look strong.

He was hardly the only shinobi to make sacrifices to try and keep anyone from taking advantage of her weakness.

It was years before Konoha's information networks stabilized, years before they didn't need his constant supervision, and just as they began to make a full recovery from the Kyuubi's rampage then there was the Hyuuga situation and then Itachi's rampage, and he barely had a chance to breathe before he was back in the underbelly of the world, manipulating information and doing everything in his power to spin it as, 'look at Konoha, surviving so many tragedies without a single faltering step' instead of the much more accurate reality of Konoha falling to pieces in the wake of Minato's death.

A distant part of Jiraiya wonders if this is just what happens when you let the Child of Prophecy die instead of being there, instead of saving him.

Is this what the Toad Sage meant, saying the Child of Prophecy could destroy the world by Jiraiya's actions? He wasn't there and now it all falls apart...

It was the birth of Minato's son, and he should have been there, not halfway across the world in Kiri of all places-

"The life of a shinobi, huh?" Jiraiya muses quietly, leaning back against the wall. "Putting the job before your family until you don't have any family left to leave."

"That sounds awful."

Jiraiya snaps his gaze back to the kids, he could have sworn they were asleep-

Natsu's sitting on the futon, hair a tangled splay down his shoulders, green eyes boring into Jiraiya's own.

"You should be asleep kid." he gruffs, playing it off with a casual stretch, but Natsu's eyes only narrow.

"That's not how it should be," Natsu argues, shifting around until he can clasp his ankles, leaning forward. "You don't put work before your friends! Even if Konoha's a yami guild, you guys are still a Guild. You still fight for your precious people, even if you're stupid with it! So why would you ever put some stupid job before the very people you're trying to protect? What good does that do?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that, kid."

"Bullshit! It's only complicated if you make it complicated! You fight for your friends. Even Kakashi-sensei agrees that friends are more important than anything else! Why's it different for you?"

"I don't know how it is where you're from," Jiraiya starts, as Sasuke blinks awake, "but in case you haven't noticed we're not the most politically stable place around. Any sort of weakness, and the other nations will start a war to take advantage of it, try to claim our territory and our bloodlines. When your jobs are important enough they can start or stop entire wars, sometimes you have to make that sort of call."

"Or," Natsu grumbles, "You could take your friends and leave the stupid yami guild before it kills what's left of em. If it's the guild that's putting your precious people in danger, you either change the guild, or you leave it. You don't just ignore the problems and hope that no one you care about is gonna die! That's not how yami guilds work! They'll just take and take and take until you've got nothin' left to lose unless you do something about it!" he throws his hands up, tipping over until he sprawls out on the floor.

Jiraiya sighs. "That's called treason kid."

"Yeah I figured." Natsu grumbles, speaking to the ceiling. "Unlike normal guilds, most yami guilds don't like it when their guys try to leave. If I ever wanted to leave Fairy Tail, I'd just be like 'Yo, gramps, I'm outta here!' and he'd ask if he needed to tape the rules for leaving to my head or something to make sure I remember, and I'd light 'em on fire, and that'd be that, y'know? No one would care- well, I mean, they'd care cause we're all friends, but it wouldn't be a bad thing, right? They'd just be all, 'You'd better keep in contact! And we're not paying your bills anymore either so don't come crying to us when you light another mansion on fire!' and… I dunno. I don't wanna leave, but if I did, no one would stop me. That's how it should be. It's kinda sick they'd force you t'stay, but I guess that's yami guilds for ya…"

"Your guilds must be pretty small, huh?"

"Bout a hundred guys in Fairy Tail, yeah, though we're one of the city guilds - that means we're the only guild in a particular city, so we've kinda got exclusive contracts with the citizens. Some cities have loads of guilds, and some guilds are way out in the middle of nowhere, but yeah, the guild itself only has like a hundred or so. But what's size gotta do with it? You'd think it'd be easier to leave if you have more people, not harder. Sheesh."

Natsu sits up again, ineffectually batting hair out of his eyes as he does.

"Thought so," Jiraiya says. "Your guilds… probably act a bit more like we did a hundred years ago, in the Warring Clans era. Clans didn't always mean everyone was blood related. The more powerful clans would have retainers, artisans, craftsmen, who'd move with the clan and were considered a part of it. Couple hundred people or so at a max, and usually much smaller than that. And people did leave those clans, all the time. Usually unless you were directly related to the main family, even if you were blood it wasn't a huge issue if you decided to strike out on your own, though each clan did handle that differently. But once everyone came together to form villages, well. That changes stuff. Civilians can still come and go as they please, for the most part, but those of us who choose to become shinobi, it's- Konoha's a Village, kid. The shinobi protect the village. Protect the people living in the village. We work with the Daimyo to protect the people in the country to an extent as well. When you choose to be a shinobi, you're choosing to be a part of that. And if you defect, you can hurt a lot of innocent people by it, even just indirectly. Once there's that many non-combatants to protect, there's just sacrifices that have to be made. I chose to be a shinobi. It's not like I was forced into the academy or anything."

Natsu scrunches his face, visibly dissatisfied.

Then he tilts his head, and Jiraiya's got about a moment to realize he's probably listening to Sakura before he starts talking again.

"So, does the Daimyo call people traitors if they decide to leave his court, even after agreeing to serve there?"

Jiraiya sighs, more heavily this time. "Kid, it's- this is getting way off track. Sakura-chan's own dad retired from the Shinobi corps, my teammate Tsunade has even left the village and hasn't been back in years. It's not impossible to leave. There's just a difference between one person deciding to leave, and an entire group of people deciding to leave at one person's prompting. I was just moping because my job's one of the most critical in the village and sometimes that means I'm not where I want to be, is all."

"So you're saying that you wouldn't be allowed to leave even if you wanted to? Cause you're so important?" Natsu asks with a grin that looks like it should be fanged.

Jiraiya groans.

"Go back to sleep kid. Please. We'll be getting up early to talk about those bandits, and I'm not gonna have pity on you when you're dead on your feet because you stayed up past your bedtime."

Natsu tilts his head again, then shrugs. "Yeah, sure thing." He says, entirely too easily, before twisting around to get back under his covers.

Jiraiya has a Bad Feeling.

Sasuke shifts a bit, and Jiraiya sends him a mild glare.

"That means you too, Uchiha."

Mikoto's spawn smirks at him, before rolling over and pulling the blanket over his head.

Jiraiya really regrets taking this team of brats.

At least it's only temporary. It's okay, you can give 'em back to Kakashi soon.

As long as they don't decide to mass-defect and start a rebellion against Konoha.

Kami-sama why me?!

Chapter 56: Investigation Arc 7

Notes:

My roommate and I got into an argument on whether or not 'basically' and 'practically' are synonyms.
I use them as synonyms.
According to her they are actually very different.
Y'all why do I have writing as a hobby when I clearly don't know shit about this stupid language.
*sigh*
English is rude.
Anyway, this chapter happened slightly differently than I expected – though the actual events themselves stuck to my original idea, some things Natsu did, especially near the end, were totally unplanned but they just worked better than my original idea I guess.
Anyway, sorry for the delay! I'd like to say it won't happen again though, if I might be so bold.
I mean I can't swear it won't, but I have a really clear idea of how it's all going now, to the point I felt brave enough to give an actual number for remaining chapters, which should hopefully prevent writer's block.
Also I have finished binging Voltron which means it should stop distracting me as well lol.
Miraculously, I came away from that show without any urge to write fic.
Let's hope it holds.
Anyway, once more, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy! Sorry again on the delay!

Chapter Text

"Sir, we should leave. Jiraiya of the Sannin-"

"Is handicapped by his need to babysit a bunch of children, two of whom bear Orochimaru-sama's own mark. We can use that."

"Sir, there's still enough time before the plan- if the Sannin catches wind of it, he could warn Konoha before we're ready. That could ruin everything! It would be better to retreat now, and do our work elsewhere."

"And waste this opportunity? We'll never see a better chance to get rid of Konoha's last Sannin. And if he chooses to save his own skin, well. Orochimaru-sama will have plenty of use for those branded children, or even the jinchuriki. We can take our pick. But the Sannin can't protect all of them. We'll continue with our mission here. It's not up for debate."

"...Yes Sir."

Naruto had a dream.

A really really nice one, where his mom (his mom!) showed up, and gave him the biggest hug, and told him how much she loved him and missed him and how sorry she was that she'd died and couldn't be there as he grew up, and how she and his dad were both so proud of him-

Naruto wakes up, pillow damp and gross with tears where he'd been laying on it, and he wishes he could go back to sleep.

It felt so real.

The dream slips away and already he doesn't even remember what his mom's voice sounded like, but his chest still feels so tight, a little bit like she's maybe still squeezing him in a hug, and Naruto wraps his arms around himself and pretends he's hugging back.

"Naruto! You're awake!" Natsu shouts, and then a heavy weight drops itself across his sides.

Naruto groans.

"Natsuuuu…"

Natsu laughs. "C'mon, get up, quick, before Jiraiya gets back from makin' arrangements! I was s'posed to wake you up ages ago but you seemed like you were havin' a good dream and if you're not dressed I'm gonna be in trouble…"

He trails off with a whine, but when Naruto slowly shuffles to see his face, Natsu's grinning widely.

Sasuke sits in the background, looking as stupidly put-together as ever.

One day Naruto'll catch him looking like a slob! Dattebayo!

But then Natsu's getting off him, and grabbing his arms to drag him up, and then Naruto's stumbling in the direction of the bathroom with barely an idea of what happened-

He blinks stupidly at the mirror for a moment, before shaking himself and grabbing his toothbrush.

Right.

The sooner they get done here, the sooner he can make that old pervert give him more pictures!

He absolutely remembers that comment about his mom's body and he's not forgiving it anytime soon, never!

He rushes through morning preparations, cackling to himself as he considers his revenge, and in no time at all he's back in the room with his team, waiting for Jiraiya to show up so they can get a move on.

He can't stop bouncing everywhere.

Everything's-

It's almost too much, he's just so happy, he has a mom and he knows what she looks like and he knows she likes pranks and ramen and she was friends with Sasuke's mom a-and-

Some distant part of him remembers that she's dead, but he's just so happy to know about her, to know her name, Jiji never told him anything, and he's so happy it's like he could float away.

Sasuke gets grumpy and tells him to stop moving so much, but Naruto doesn't want to, he never wants to settle down again, he wants to scream to everyone that'll listen that he has a mom and her name is Uzumaki Kushina and she loved him-!

He thinks, maybe, it'd be nice if people looked at him and compared him to his parents, instead of the Kyuubi.

It would be even nicer if they looked at him as himself, not compared to anything, but if he could be Naruto, Kushina's son, it would still be so much nicer than being Naruto, Kyuubi Jinchurikki.

The door clatters as Jiraiya shoves it open, and Naruto yelps as he tumbles off the window sill he was trying to stand on.

"Hope everything is packed, cause breakfast is ready downstairs and we need to get a move on! We're burning daylight here, let's go!"

"Wha- we're not burnin' anything, the sun's barely up!" Natsu protests, tossing Naruto's pack.

Naruto laughs sheepishly - he hadn't even realized Natsu did it for him, ah man…

Jiraiya scoffs, doing a quick scan of the room as they walk out, and then he's hustling them down the stairs and to the dining room, straight for a table already laid out with food.

Naruto hadn't even realized how hungry he was until he looked at it, and his stomach groans furiously at the sight.

He's got a plate piled with food before he quite thinks about it, and then Natsu and Sasuke sit down, and they eat breakfast together.

Like a team.

(like a family)

Naruto wouldn't be able to stop smiling if he tried.

Natsu leans over the gutter, scowling at the closed window below. "We really gonna be able to learn anything?" he grumbles, crouching on the edge of the roof. "The building's really well insulated, everything's muffled!"

"What?" Jiraiya steps forward, his geta clacking on the tiles. "We're just seeing who goes in and out, Natsu - see who's suspicious. I'd sneak in to eavesdrop if I could, but I don't think it's a good idea to leave you kiddos out here on your own, with how well-informed those guys seemed to be..."

"Whaaa? You mean we're just gonna be staring at the road?" Naruto groans, dropping into a squat. "I thought we were gonna be like spies!"

Jiraiya raises an eyebrow. "You're way too loud for that kid."

"I can be quiet! We spied on loads of people before!"

Jiraiya raises a skeptical eyebrow at them.

"Well I'll believe it when I see it. Now, we've got a bit of time before anyone bothers to show up, so let's talk positions." he crouches down and takes a moment to catch their eyes. "We know the merchant we escorted is shifty. All we want to do is find out if it's just him, or if there are others involved. So, Sasuke, you and Natsu are going to cross over to that butchery, there. It's got the most window coverage for this building, so you should be able to follow people inside fairly well. Naruto and I will keep an eye on the entrances, see who comes in and out - Naruto, we'll be using a couple clones here to watch the front and the back. And remember, we just want to figure out who all's coming to this meeting, and how many of them our friendly merchant decides to talk to. Nothing else. Right?"

"That'd be easier if we knew what they were talking about though…" Natsu grumbles, peeking over to glare at the windows again.

They don't have any visible way to open them that he can see.

"Not exactly feasible here, kid. I don't feel comfortable going in myself, and sending a clone is just asking for trouble. Too many ways we can show our hand there, especially since the merchant doesn't know we're on to him and we want to keep it that way." Jiraiya chides, and Natsu rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, I know, it'd just be so much easier if those windows actually opened."

Jiraiya's attention sharpens, and he steps closer, peeking over the roof himself. "You really think you could hear 'em if they were?" he asks, tilting his head as he examines them from above.

Natsu shrugs. "My sense of smell's better than the others, but that's mostly cause it's the one I've practiced the most here with Sakura-chan… her body's not really made for handling everything I can sense, so I try not to do it too much… smells are easier than sounds. But I could, yeah, unless they close too many doors, I guess."

Jiraiya hums consideringly for a moment.

"Alright, slight change of plan! Naruto, you're going to be the one watching Sasuke's back. Uchiha, same as before, try to keep a visual as much as possible. If you need to move around you can, just don't get seen. I'll go down and see if I can cut some holes into the windows without compromising them. Pinky, find a good place to settle down and we'll see how it goes from there. Now scat!" he waves his hands at them, shooing them off, before leaping nimbly to the ground.

His shoes make no noise as he lands, and Natsu wonders if it's sort of like the tree-climbing exercise, some way to use chakra to muffle footsteps?

He shakes off the thought, carefully moving around the roof until Sakura-chan points out a dip.

"Looks like maybe a whole new wing was added here, see how the tiling is different? It's even a bit lower than the rest, you could probably tuck in there, though I don't know how well you'll be able to hear anything…"

"Ooh, thanks Sakura-chan! Let's find out!"

It's a tight squeeze, even for how tiny Sakura-chan is, but she was right, and the old and new sections overlap enough to make him all but invisible. Even someone running quickly over the rooftops probably wouldn't see him unless they had stupid magic eye powers like Sasuke.

It is a bit muffled though, tucked away in the corner like that, so Natsu twists around, trying to find a good angle.

As he moves around he focuses on his senses - he knows what he should be able to hear, in his body, and it's nowhere near what he's hearing in Sakura-chan's so he focuses, eyes closed, and slowly it's like the world opens up.

It's too much.

All of those things he's supposed to be able to filter out, Sakura-chan's beating heart and every breath and every blink, suddenly they're so loud, along with everything else-

The creaking wood of the building, the glass settling in its frames, the striking of the blacksmith's hammer two streets down- Natsu doesn't need all that, he just wants this building, he just wants the people inside the building, and normally he can just focus on that, let everything else drown out in the sounds he wants to hear, but it's just- not-

Working-!

"You alright kid?" Jiraiya crouches by his head, and Natsu groans.

"Just fine." he resists the urge to cover his ears. Everything's ringing, like something really loud went off right by his head, but nothing has and- and-

Sakura-chan's really not able to handle this, huh?

He's not really sure why, because her body handled scent really well, for not being trained at all at least, but the sounds are overwhelming.

He grits his teeth.

As if I'm gonna let this stop me!

He slams his eyes closed again, ignoring Jiraiya, and tries to focus.

He hears it when the old man moves away, and, slowly, he starts to make sense of everything else.

Sounds-far-away get labeled unimportant, and while they don't filter like they're supposed to, Natsu manages to ignore them for the most part.

He's gonna pay that stupid blacksmith a visit after all this is over though, it's awful-

He takes a breath, lets it out, and very carefully doesn't think of the forge-fire he can hear popping from the meeting hall.

Part of him wonders if he could stir it up from this far away, and then he very pointedly turns his attention away.

Sakura-chan will yell at him if he lights the city on fire, he tells himself, and tries to pretend that that's actually a real threat.

At the very least, Jiraiya probably would stick him on a boat, if he didn't run fast enough, so-

Natsu carefully ignores the sounds of crackling flame, carefully ignores the curious question of whether he could light stuff on fire from that far away too, because if he thinks about it too much more he's gonna try and he's got a job to do-!

People start arriving to the meeting hall.

Natsu hears someone step on the roof above him, then leap away, and he thinks it's Jiraiya finding a better position - he hears Sasuke hiss at Naruto to get down, hears a tile shift under someone's weight, and he can't quite tell whether it was Naruto or Sasuke, but he's not supposed to be listening to that he's supposed to be listening to-

"Aah, Takagi-san, I'm glad to see you! I heard you ran into trouble on the road."

A nervous laugh, then, "Yeah, I thought I was dead for sure! Luckily it seems like Konoha had a team out here, they were able to help us get back safely. How's the market faring? I haven't had a chance to set up a stall yet, my wife wanted to take some time to relax…"

"Oh? Was it very… relaxing?" the first man asks, voice thick with teasing, and the merchant sputters in offense.

The idle chatter continues for a while, other people joining in or having their own conversations, and wow Natsu did not expect it to be this boring.

They're having some sort of exclusive meeting- some sort of merchants' gathering- but loads of people who normally go to those meetings are missing, according to Jiraiya, so it's basically a secret meeting for all that they're having it in the open. And they're just standing around making jokes with each other!

Natsu groans quietly into his arms.

The meeting doesn't get any better. They break up into a bunch of small groups and talk about the roads, and a whole bunch of trade stuff he really doesn't understand, and the prices of this or that and how long it takes to get from here to there, and the merchant they're following doesn't say anything suspicious, he just talks about normal merchant stuff, and Natsu's head is pounding and they're just wasting time-

"That's kind of weird, isn't it?" Sakura-chan asks, and Natsu gives a bleary 'huh?' in answer, eyes squeezed closed.

"That one merchant, with a deep voice, earlier he was talking about picking up two wagons full of goods to trade. But talking to that lady just now, he bragged about having a one-and-a-half load, lined up to sell. What happened to the rest of the second wagon?"

Natsu groans again. "Great. Our suspicious merchant is actually just a smuggler, and we're wasting our time." he grumbles, but Sakura-chan hums consideringly.

"Maybe. But something doesn't feel right…"

"What else would it be? That guy wasn't attacked like our… client dude. So they've gotta be smugglers, right?"

"Not exactly," Sakura-chan starts, before Natsu's attention is pulled away.

"Hey, is it just me or is our guy heading back towards the doors?" he asks, trying to place where all the voices are.

It's hard, especially when the sound's not travelling cleanly, but he's pretty sure their guy is getting closer to the doors as he talks to people.

Even though they were pretty sure this meeting was gonna last an hour at least.

"It's barely been twenty minutes," Natsu hisses, and slowly cracks open an eye. Maybe he can signal Sasuke to get a better look-

There's a soft thack, barely recognizable as a footstep for how near-soundless it is, and Natsu freezes.

Even at his sharpest, he can't hear Jiraiya if the man doesn't want him to.

But both Naruto and Sasuke are way way louder.

There's someone else on the roof, not five feet away, and the merchant dude they were following slips out of the building, Natsu knows, because the wind blows his scent clear and fresh across the rooftops.

Those feather-soft footsteps start again, walking away towards the front of the building, and then there's a rush of air and a slightly heavier landing.

The merchant whimpers.

"Is it done?" a feminine voice asks, and the merchant must bob his head a lot, because Natsu can practically hear his hair thumping against his shoulders.

"Yes, yes, like you asked! Only Sakuragi-san kept physical records, they should be in his house. Everyone else knew better, there won't be anything to trace back to you- I- I can go now, right? My family- I did what you asked so-"

"Of course! By all means, please, go. A deal's a deal."

Natsu scrambles out of his hiding place as the merchant babbles his thanks, barely understanding why beyond the fact that the lady's voice just sounds wrong and then everything happens at once.

There's a choked gurgle, the unmistakable sound of a man drowning in his own blood, and then Naruto yelps and Sasuke snarls and Natsu throws himself off the roof just in time for the building to explode, flames surging with a vengeance that Natsu's pretty sure isn't natural.

People start screaming, inside the building and throughout the town - if the shinobi lady stays or leaves Natsu can't tell, his ears ring and there's blood dripping from his nose and he needs to get in the building, he's the only one who can, so he pushes everything else away and leaps through a hole that he's pretty sure used to have glass in it.

It's unnaturally hot, and in some places the flames flicker with unusual colors, the air smelling thick with both smoke and chemicals.

Sakura-chan mutters nervously about the different colors and smells and what they could mean for how the fire was started, but Natsu can't pay attention, because there're people and they're probably smugglers, but he can't just let them burn to death so he charges through, magic surging as he tries to take control of the blaze.

The first three people he finds are already dead.

Natsu curses, as Sakura-chan stutters and then sharply pulls away, no longer watching. Natsu can't hear over the crackling fire and groaning wood, can't stop and focus without making things even worse because Sakura-chan's body's going to start burning if he stays for too long, and all the chemicals have destroyed whatever scent the people at the meeting left behind.

So he runs blind, trying to recall where he heard the most voices, and finds more corpses.

There's something wrong with that, he thinks, because yeah Natsu's always been an awful judge of how dangerous a fire really is for most people, but-

Surely if it killed everyone so quickly, it should be hurting him and Sakura-chan more, right?

Someone coughs, close enough to be audible over the fire, and Natsu spins around without hesitation, following the hacking to a small meeting room, wall half-collapsed and giving him a clear view.

More corpses.

And a single man, large and dressed in ridiculously fancy robes, coughing like he's going to choke up a lung.

Natsu's not even sure if he can lift a guy that big, but he rushes forwards anyway, grabbing the man's arm and dragging him upright.

The guy jumps, staring at Natsu with a weirdly unsettling look, but he doesn't have time to deal with that so he turns around and runs, dragging the big guy behind him.

The man makes it a few stuttering steps before he starts choking again, and Natsu has a visceral urge to just pick him up and throw him out of the building.

Sakura-chan's so short, her arms are so tiny, Natsu's not even sure how he could pick the guy up, but his face is starting to feel really flush and there are shiny speckled burns dotting his arms.

He doesn't have time.

The henge is supposed to be an illusion, a changing of visual appearance without actually affecting the body.

But Natsu knows magic, at least, is capable of actual transformation. Macao and the Strausses all use it, so maybe if he just pours enough of his magic into a henge-

There's not really time to think it all through, and he's never gonna say it but he's so glad Kakashi-sensei made him drill handsigns so much because his fingers don't falter, and then Sakura-chan's chakra is surging, and he throws his own magic into the mix, and then it's less of a pop and more an instant of burning agony, not physically but in what Natsu's pretty sure is their chakra network-

He chokes, falling to his knees and then shoving himself back upright a bare moment later, and his body feels half un-real - like it would just disappear at the slightest poke, and he's losing power scary fast so he spins, stumbling for half a second as he gets his shoulder under the the guy, and then he's off.

He retraces his steps because that's safer than trying to navigate a building that he's pretty sure is falling apart at this point - at least the route he came in on is mostly clear, from where he tamed the fire to make it through. New flames have spread through, but the building's still in one piece here so he runs, and somehow-

He makes it.

Someone catches him as his henge pops entirely, and he feels too big and too small all at once-

It's almost a relief when everything goes black.

Chapter 57: Investigation Arc 8

Notes:

The fact that I keep promising that THIS time I've got my shit together and the chapter will be on time, and then everything proves me wrong… I'm not even gonna make promises. I hate it, y'all probably don't like it, but ugh the universe is determined to hate me.
I've got a rash under my armpit that's NOT going away even though I stopped using deodorant over a month ago, knots in my back so bad they're making my fingers go numb sometimes and then if my roommate tries to massage it it literally HURTS like not the good hurt but like CRYING-hurting because my back is literal hell I guess, I STILL haven't filed my taxes, I STILL haven't transferred my 401k from my old job's agency to my new one's (even though I changed jobs over SIX MONTHS AGO), and all the stress is making my executive dysfunction even worse, to the point that I will literally stare at my computer screen for HOURS, doing NOTHING, as I tell myself to just pick a task and start – writing, making a dr's appointment, taxes, ANYTHING.
And then I do nothing.
And then I scream internally forever as I try to do something but keep failing in a never ending loop of WHY AM I LIKE THIS?!
Finally managed to request time off from my boss though, so that I can make the arrangements for having my sister come out and live with me, so at least I've done SOMETHING productive.
As far as the actual chapter goes, this one went through more intense editing than usual, an entire segment got completely re-written, which changed enough of how the chapter went that I had to make minor edits through the rest of it – personally I feel like the re-written segment improved it for the better, but honestly this fic sometimes feels like a tree and I'm staring at it wondering how it ever grew so big, because I thought they were FLOWER seeds or something.
I don't know, that analogy got away from me.
Anyway, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Jiraiya does not get paid enough to deal with these brats.

He's got an unconscious kid, two more panicking ones, a sleazy merchant choking out his lungs while shiftily looking around for a way out, and an enemy shinobi he can just barely sense, already fleeing the scene.

Jiraiya makes a clone to pursue them, and then another to try and get the fire under control before it spreads.

And then, miraculously, Naruto and Sasuke start tying up their captured merchant before he can make good on his intent to bolt, and Jiraiya's left with just Pinky, sprawled in his arms and nose steadily leaking blood.

It's going to be a long day, he can already tell.

Jiraiya figures it's best not to stick around town, especially not when there could be any number of spies around to report his still-breathing merchant to the enemy shinobi. He could handle anyone they sent, of course, but the last thing he wants is the kids freaking out, or worse - trying to get involved.

Kami-sama these brats have the worst luck.

He scoops up their quarry, coughing weakly and demanding to be released, and gestures for the kids to pick up their teammate.

"We're heading back to our camp," he says, watching in amusement as Naruto all but forces Sasuke to carry their unconscious trouble-maker.

He'd ask, he really wants to, because Naruto's been practically attached to Pinky for as long as Jiraiya's been with the team, but he can't risk knocking their merchant unconscious and giving him health complications, so…

Jiraiya will just have to put his curiosity to rest for now, he supposes.

Ah, the sacrifices he makes for the mission.

He's sure he could get even that legendary Uchiha composure to break, with this sort of situation!

He shakes the thought off with a sigh, and waves the kiddos into motion, positioning himself in the rear to keep an eye on everything.

It's a quick trip to the lake, the kids laying down Natsu, Sasuke's face pinched and annoyed as Naruto's twists up in worry.

Jiraiya's going to have to deal with that…

Later.

Pinky's not awake, which means whatever information he's got is useless to Jiraiya right now. But he blatantly ignored Jiraiya's orders on chakra usage to run into a chemical fire, all to save the life of one civilian merchant, so Jiraiya's going to trust there was a reason for it.

Kid's not an amature at least, so he shouldn't have to worry about Pinky doing something that reckless for no reason.

Kid's an idealist though… could have rushed in just to save a life, nothing else to it.

Jiraiya shakes off the thought and looks at the merchant, then at Naruto and Sasuke, sitting by their unconscious teammate.

He needs information, and the sooner the better but, well.

His best techniques take time.

And he doesn't have enough of it, with an attack like that already behind them. Who knows what else could happen, now that they're involved.

And something tells him they're about to get very involved.

So he puts on a friendly smile with just a little too much tooth to it, and looks at the merchant.

"Do you know who I am?"

The man's eyes skip across his face, just that side of too quick, and Jiraiya's sure the man does.

He shakes his head though - an attempt to get set free, or an attempt to lay the groundwork to deny everything?

Guess that'll be something to figure out.

"I know who you are," Jiraiya continues when he's certain the man won't speak. Playing omniscience isn't his preferred strategy, too much of a chance to say something wrong and show his hand, but he thinks the guy's just scared enough for it to work, as long as Jiraiya's careful. "You came from Kiri, didn't even get a good haul for all your trouble - I hear their trading tariffs are still obscene for your average dealer. Had to have been miserable, right? Maybe you picked up some extra cargo, just a couple things, no one was supposed to know - only someone did. Tell me, who could want to kill you so badly? This was no Kiri assassination, not unless they're hiring out these days. Perhaps I can even arrange some protection, if I know who I'm dealing with."

It's an empty promise, as much as Jiraiya wishes it weren't.

He's in no position to be offering a guard, and Konoha will take far too long to send someone.

Even if it's part of the job, lies always feel like ash on his tongue.

"I-it wasn't-" the man breaks off into coughs, wet enough that Jiraiya's pretty sure there'll be blood coming out soon.

Man probably needs a medic more than a protection team at this point…

"It was just some weapons…" the merchant all but whispers, and a stone drops in Jiraiya's gut.

Merchants being assassinated by foreign shinobi, after smuggling weapons?

And with Orochimaru being in Konoha itself, and those rumors about Otogakure…

He's not seeing a pretty picture here at all.

It's not hard to get the man to spill once he starts talking, but that's half because the guy doesn't seem to know much at all.

A couple names of people who might have been paranoid enough to keep multiple sets of physical records, a few addresses, and not much else.

Jiraiya has half an urge to wake Pinky up, just to try and confirm what he's got, see what else the merchant is hiding, because he knows there's something left out here, but.

He saw their original target run out, and get cut down.

If he wants to find any paper trails, they're out of time.

"Out of everyone you named, who's the most likely to have records?"

A point in his favor, the merchant doesn't hesitate. "Sakuragi-san."

Jiraiya nods, and smoothly proceeds to knock the merchant out before he creates a second shadow clone.

Shinobi secrets, and all.

Then he glances back to the kids, and sighs.

Time really is of the essence here… he can't quite keep a scowl off his face as he jerks his thumb to the clone.

"Uchiha, you're with him. Information's the priority here, so once he gets you in close I want you to activate your dojutsu and memorize everything. I'll- I'll worry about the seal, keep an eye on Pinky's just in case. Get going."

Naruto lets out a half-hearted protest as Sasuke immediately scrambles onto the clone's back, and Jiraiya waves him over.

"Help me re-do these bindings, I think it's putting too much pressure on his lungs. They won't be long, half an hour at most, kid."

It's the best distraction he can offer. His first clone hasn't dispelled yet, so hopefully it'll still be following that kunoichi - best case scenario, he gets the base and the paperwork all in one go.

A guy can dream, at least.

Natsu groans at the overwhelming scent of sakura petals.

"S'kura-chan?" he mumbles, eyes closed.

"Nope. Sorry about this, but we have a bit of a problem."

Natsu bolts up at Sakuni's voice, drawn tight with exhaustion.

Her hair hangs limp and loose, and she doesn't look hurt, really, but her entire appearance is sloppy and tired. He scrambles over, concerned, and she waves it off with a tired smile.

"It lasted longer than I thought it would, that bastardized trap we'd made for that shade, but I think something happened? It sort of fell apart a little bit ago… I tried to get that stupid jerk to help, but he's still not leaving your mind so that was a waste of time…"

Sakuni trails off into curses, and Natsu still wants to ask what jerk, because he's not supposed to have anyone in his head, but Sakuni's dodged the question every time it's come up, and it seems like they've got more important stuff to do than play at interrogation.

He's not forgetting, though! They'll talk sooner or later, and he won't stop asking til he gets an answer!

For now though, Natsu focuses. "I don't see 'im anywhere," hestarts, glancing around the Bridge for their errant visitor.

It's quiet.

There's the flickering fire that cuts off his own Heart from everything else, a shadow unmoving just behind it, and there's Sakura-chan's tree-lined path, still warm and inviting.

And the Uchiha gates, still so new and strange, still cracked open just a bit. They feel ghostly, like something that isn't supposed to be there, two minds unnaturally joined together by this stupid curse seal. Natsu's still not sure about the whole Ancestor thing, but at least it's never felt unnatural being with Sakura-chan and Sakuni, if anything it's been the opposite. A little too natural, even while it was so so wrong, because Sakura-chan should have rejected him, her body should have rejected his soul, it's not supposed to work like this.

Sasuke's gates stand as part of their Bridge, an unnatural entrance to a mind that isn't supposed to be there, and it's not hurting either of them, being connected like this, but.

Natsu has a bad feeling.

Especially when he still can't find that snake-shade guy, and that gate's still so ominously open.

"Is… Sasuke okay?" he asks, softly, and Sakuni's sighs.

"The shade's not over there. Not- not really. You can feel it, right? The way it's trying to influence you?"

Natsu considers for a moment, then shrugs. "No, I don't feel anything. Do you? Wait- is this like how Sasuke was having weird thoughts and stuff?"

Sakuni stares incredulously for a moment, then groans. "Guess that loser's good for something," she mutters, glaring at the wall of fire still cutting off Natsu's Heart from the rest of the Bridge. "But yeah. I'm protecting Sakura-chan, of course, she shouldn't feel anything, but Sasuke doesn't have that. I've been doing my best, destroying any tendrils of chakra as I find them, but they're getting subtler- harder to spot. We need to drag the shade back into the open, so we can lock it up again, but it's just going to keep failing… probably faster too as it gets more used to how our minds work. It's just- I don't know what we can do, long-term, to stop this!" Sakuni stomps her foot, furious, and still so exhausted. Natsu couldn't ignore the concern if he wanted to.

It really isn't right, leaving her to do this all alone!

He's not sure what else he can do though. Sakura-chan doesn't seem to be able to slip out of the cabin like Sakuni could, he still doesn't know why, so it's not like he can stay here and help. And leaving Sakura-chan to fight like this, that's even worse. Even if he doesn't know why Sakuni is so much older, she still is, and somehow more… something- but-

Natsu groans, scrubbing at his head for a moment.

"Argh, enough! Let's just beat this guy up again, and then kick Jiraiya's ass and tell him to hurry up already!"

Sakuni snorts, offering him a tired grin, and then they get to work.

They need to talk. Sakuni knows they need to talk, about the seal, about what that shade said before, about who Sakura is and how Natsu's affecting them and how Natsu affected her, changed her-

About things Natsu doesn't even know he's forgotten.

The curse seal's really a double-edged blade. Sakuni knows she wouldn't have been able to leave the mindscape like she did before without it, it's destabilizing things and giving her more freedom, more power, but. Well.

It's destabilizing things. And what's giving her more power now is going to start hurting Sakura soon, and that's not something Sakuni will ever be willing to do.

Her job is to protect Sakura, to protect her Outer self, from those threats that target deeper things than flesh.

And if this shade keeps doing things like he is, she knows Sakura's going to be affected.

A part of her wishes she could be selfish, but. She is Sakura, and Sakura is her.

They both care about Sasuke too much to leave him to suffer the burden alone, but if Sakuni doesn't find a solution soon she knows it's going to come down between Sakura or Sasuke and-

She's older now, changed, maybe, by Natsu and his mind and the things that sleep inside it.

She doesn't want to make the choice, but she can if she has to.

Even if neither Sakura or Natsu would ever forgive her for it.

For now though.

For now, Natsu's trying his best, and there's so many things he doesn't realize, about himself, and his power, and how it's affecting Sakura and how it's affecting himself in turn and-

There's a chance, Sakuni thinks, that maybe it won't come to that sort of choice at all.

When he stands there, in the Bridge that is Sakuni's own Heart, wreathed in fire and burning with the force of his determination, Sakuni almost thinks there's no need to worry at all.

He turns to look at her, grinning sharply, eyes wild with exhilaration, and Sakuni can't help but grin back.

It feels like anything's possible, standing there with him, side-by-side, unburned by the raging fire.

Knowing that even if the fire were real, and not a mental projection, it still wouldn't burn, because Natsu wouldn't let it-

Well.

Standing like that, Sakuni feels like she could do anything.

Like nothing could ever be impossible as long as they worked together.

Natsu's family… I hope they know how lucky they are.

"Ne, Sakuni, c'mon! Let's fight!"

Well.

If they don't already know, she'll just have to find a way to follow Natsu back so she can beat it into their skulls.

For now, she's got an entirely different skull to beat in.

"Right!"

Sasuke clings to the clone's back as it leaps through the town. They might be too late, might not be able to get anything, but if there's something to see Sasuke's Sharingan is their best bet.

So he doesn't mention the throbbing ache in his shoulder, or how, just for a moment, he'd calculated how to best snap the clone's neck, before he remembered it was a clone and not actually Jiraiya.

It's just more proof of how much he needs Natsu to protect him, and he knows he didn't really want to drop his teammate, but he still wishes Naruto had carried him.

Maybe then the thoughts wouldn't have come.

He can't afford to think about this now though.

Jiraiya- Jiraiya's clone taps his leg, a prearranged signal, and Sasuke activates his dojutsu.

The world snaps into perfect clarity. He can see everything, could do anything, and for a moment there's burning fury at Jiraiya, who dared to tell him he wasn't allowed to use his family's own power-!

He stomps it down, it's a distraction, he doesn't need to think about that now, for now he has a job.

Masterfully constructed chakra threads open the window just before the clone and Sasuke sail in, and Sasuke is absolutely going to learn how to do that.

It takes only a glance to know someone's already been through the room, and clearly even Jiraiya- or his clone- can see that as well, because he leaves immediately, into the rest of the house.

There's a door across the hall, and a flash of movement-

The clone bursts into the room, Sasuke keeping his eyes wide open-

Everything imprints.

The crackling fire, devouring books and furniture and loose papers deliberately tossed. But the shinobi, already fleeing out the window, didn't put them face-down and Sasuke will never forget the scraps of still-burning parchment he can see, or the fully-intact one still in the shinobi's hand that may have only faced them for half a second, but even that's as good as an hour to his eyes.

The clone reaches into the flames without fear, shifting as many papers around as possible, as quickly as it can, and Sasuke memorizes everything.

Then they're gone, fleeing back out of the room and exiting at the other end of the house, rushing back to their meeting point.

Sasuke deactivates his Sharingan, and tries to ignore his shoulder.

Tries to ignore the urge to destroy the clone and rush after that shinobi, because he could catch them, he knows he can, and maybe those papers were important-

Sasuke's grip tightens around the clone's neck, and it looks back at him a moment. "Alright kid?"

Sasuke takes a deep breath, loosening his arms.

He tries not to feel too pathetic, as he wishes for Natsu to get better soon.

The clone, at least, seems to take Sasuke's silence for confirmation, and doesn't say anything else the whole way back.

Sasuke only thinks about destroying it three more times.

He wishes the urges didn't feel so much like his own, because if someone is going to mess with his head they should at least do so in a way he can fight-

His shoulder burns.

Sasuke grits his teeth, and the clone slams to a stop fast enough for their heads to collide.

Sasuke jerks back, annoyed- practically furious, but freezes as he spots the shinobi standing in the tree.

"Just a clone, huh?" The shinobi muses with a grin. "Must be our lucky day then! We'll be taking the kid, if you don't mind."

He drops down, and there's a slight rustling in the bushes as more shinobi come out. Sasuke lets his Sharingan whirl to life, as he drops carefully off the clone's back.

There's eight of them.

And they look pretty confident. Sasuke's shoulder burns, and he knows a clone can only ever take one good hit.

Fuck.

He grabs a kunai and turns, putting his back to the clone. Jiraiya's a Sannin, so even a fraction of his strength should be enough to take these guys, is what he tries to tell himself.

He actively avoids thinking about how a single clone, in this situation, is probably useless.

Sasuke can make it work.

He has to.

Naruto tries to sit still, he does, but Natsu's burnin' up and Sasuke n' Clone-Jiraiya are late and the real Jiraiya's pokin' around that nasty seal and he looks worried but he won't say anything-!

He leaps to his feet with an aggrieved shout and starts pacing again, wishing he could do something.

He keeps pacing, for ages and ages until he knows that Sasuke and Clone-Jiraiya are really really reallylate, and then he can't hold back anymore.

"We've gotta go look for them!"

Before Jiraiya can respond though, he remembers Natsu, Natsu who's asleep and still way too hot, and can't help but scrub violently at his head.

"What do we do?"

"Calm down, kid." Jiraiya says, voice even and calm.

Naruto wants to scream.

How is he not freaking out, 'ttebayo!?

But even if he doesn't understand, even if he's so worried he feels like he could explode, somehow it's nice, that the old man can be so calm.

It makes Naruto think everything really is alright.

Jiraiya waits until Naruto stops vibrating so much before he continues.

"My clone hasn't dispersed yet, so I'm sure they're fine - and look! The parts of the seal that'd been repairing themselves before are breaking again, it's actually really fascinating, c'mon kid, your mom was great with seals, it'd be a shame if you didn't learn a thing or two-"

It's a clear attempt to distract him, Naruto's not an idiot, no matter what that jerk says!

But-

"SHE WAS?! I- You said- I thought you meant that she p-put the book together after buying them o-or something- she actually-" Naruto stops, as his mind catches up to the rest of Jiraiya's words.

"WAIT- Whaddya mean your clone hasn't popped yet?!" Naruto's so torn - it's possible to tell when the clones pop? HIS MOM WAS GREAT WITH SEALS?! He wants to ask everything, a-and it sounds like Natsu's getting better too, even if he still isn't waking up yet, and Jiraiya says everything's fine so it's gotta be and-

The old guy laughs. "Kid, your mom could spin circles around me with her seals, she was one of the best in the village, and when she hosted the Kyuubi it was a seal of her own invention she used to do it, though I think Mito-sama helped her construct it…" he trails off with a shrug and a grin, as Naruto inches close. "And she personally hand-crafted every single seal in my storage booklet."

"S-she was that good?" he asks, a little hesitant, because it's weird to think that his parents could have been so awesome, that his mom, who had the same name as him, could have been so awesome, but people still didn't-

No! He'll show them! Maybe they don't see it yet, but he's gonna be the best Hokage ever dattebayo!

Jiraiya reaches out and ruffles his hair, a grin he's almost scared to call affectionate on his face.

"Course she was kid. Now what's this about the clones?" His expression turns stern, but Naruto's pretty sure the guy's making fun of him, and not actually angry, so he scowls right back.

"Whaddya mean? I meant what I said, how d'ya just know your clone's still there?" he crosses his arms and glares.

Jiraiya blinks stupidly. "Uh. Kid. You- you had to have realized, right?"

Naruto squints suspiciously. "Realized what?"

Jiraiya slaps a palm against his face, dragging it down in the universal sign of exhaustion. "That you get the memories of your clones when they dispel?" he says like a question, peeking one eye out from between his fingers.

"Whaaaaaaaaa?" Naruto's face scrunches in confusion, and he tilts his head at the guy. "I haven't noticed anything like that!"

A white eyebrow twitches in visible irritation. "How the- you've never noticed?! Kid you spam those things like they're going out of style! You have to have noticed!"

"Nope!" Naruto says, popping the 'p' as he does. "Never noticed a thing. Maybe you're just crazy?" he cracks a wide grin, and he's pretty sure he hears Jiraiya mutter prayers to the kami-sama under his breath.

Naruto's amusement's short-lived though, as Jiraiya launches into a lecture of all the boring theory behind the jutsu- he skipped those parts in the scroll for a reason, they're too dull!

He groans loudly, and Jiraiya just talks louder, a smug grin on his face as Naruto's brain starts to feel like it's leaking out of his ears.

Then he stops, mid-word, and Naruto starts to feel sick to his stomach.

It almost isn't a surprise, when Jiraiya's amusement fades into a serious look, and he says those words.

"My clone dispelled."

Notes:

and I guess, for anyone who's interested, I do have a tumblr? I really don't know how that site works, but enough of the other fic authors I follow post status updates, so I'm slowing getting into the habit of that! I also plan to start posting some original fic prompts, maybe even snippits from my original novel when I finally start editing it...
I dunno, basically, I've got a tumblr and I don't know how to use it but I guess I'm just gonna throw writing updates and original works up there for anyone who's curious. Also probably lots of reblogs lol. Thanks again for reading!

Chapter 58: Investigation Arc 9

Notes:

First, I gotta say guys. Taking two weeks where I didn't even TRY to force myself to write this fic was really nice, this chapter flowed out so NICELY! It was done inside of 3 hours on Sunday.
And then it was gone over by my betas by Monday evening.
And then a combination of cooking woes, migraines, and insomnia conspired to keep me from going over their edits to post it.
*sigh*
Clearly the universe hates me.
But honestly, I'm SO happy with this chapter, I just really really like how it went?
Hopefully you guys enjoy it as much as I do!
As always, thank you for reading!

Chapter Text

Natsu wakes up to the overpowering smell of ramen, and for a single, long moment wonders how he got stuck in Naruto's head and if the demon in him actually liked ramen too.

Then he opens his eyes and realizes, with his face buried in a bright orange jacket, that Naruto's carrying him.

The ramen smells so fresh though, and Natsu's pretty sure the piece of jacket he's leaning against is slightly damp, and now he's hungry.

His stomach rumbles loudly, and Naruto nearly trips in response.

"Natsu! You're awake!"

Even as Naruto goes to set him down, Natsu knows something's wrong.

Normally the blond would yell, excited and eager - this quiet response, more relieved than excited and more worried than eager, is not what Natsu wants to hear.

He gets his feet under him and glances around, looking for enemies.

There aren't any.

But they're also missing half their team, Jiraiya and Sasuke nowhere to be seen. A near-army if Naruto clones is in their place, some bunched around an unconscious man Natsu vaguely recalls, and the others spread out in a clear defensive grid.

Something has gone very wrong.

How?! I wasn't even out for that long!

He turns to ask Naruto, but the blond's eyes are everywhere but on him, scanning the forest without pause.

The clones are too, now that he looks, and that's worrying too.

He reaches out and pokes Naruto's shoulder. "Hey, c'mon- what's up? Where is everybody?"

Naruto babbles, grabbing Natsu's hand and dragging him back into motion as he does. "We split up- Jiraiya made a-a shadow clone, like I do, and it left with Sasuke to go to some Sakuragi-guy's house for some info or something, and Jiraiya and I stayed with you and that guy, and- and we were just- and then Jiraiya's clone popped, and Sasuke's all alone, but the clone got him to run away before it 'sploded, and Sasuke was running this way, so we're supposed to look for him, a-and meet up, and the real Jiraiya was goin' after the guys they were fighting, but Sasuke's not here and I think we passed where we were supposed to find him and I don't know what to do but maybe I didn't pass them maybe I'm just not there yet I don't know I thought if I made enough clones it would be faster, and Jiraiya said s'mthin about how I can like remember their stuff or something but no one's found Sasuke and I don'tknowwhattodo-!"

Natsu stops, twisting his arm to grab Naruto's wrist and make the blond stop as well.

"Right." he says, when Naruto turns, mouth open, to argue. "Sasuke's missing and Jiraiya's fighting some guys, and we don't know if there's more of em, yeah?"

Naruto nods hesitantly, body all but vibrating with the need to move.

Natsu's not good at this whole planning thing, but he knows Sasuke.

And he knows criminals.

He grins savagely. "Alright then. Instead of just running all over the place, let's just make Sasuke come to us!"

"Wha- how?"

All the clone Narutos turn to look at him too, a hundred-man stare boring into him from all directions.

Natsu slams a fist into his open palm.

"We light everything on fire! The enemy shinobi guys will come after us, and Sasuke will too, just to yell at us for being stupid. And since Jiraiya's fighting the shinobi guys, so will he! And then we'll have everyone. Perfect, right?"

Naruto gapes at him for a minute, but then the clones explode into a flurry of whispers, and Natsu catches some words here and there about prank supplies and stuff being duplicated with the jutsu and explosions-

The real Naruto scratches his head. "You think it'll work? What if there's too many bad guys, if they got here before Jiraiya and Sasuke we'd be screwed, dattebayo."

Natsu shrugs. "We'll figure it out as we go along! Or-" he changes tracts at Naruto's squinty glare, "we could build, uh… traps? Or something? Like when we were catching Tora, but, y'know, people-sized. Sakura-chan can help! Right?" He tilts his head, as he gets a bleary sort of feeling from Sakura-chan. Sort of like she was sleeping or something, 'til he called her.

"Hm? Yeah, I know a couple basic Academy ones… I don't know how much good they'd be against Jonin though." She hesitates a moment, then Natsu gets a feeling like she took a deep breath. "Naruto's probably good though. Since he does all those pranks, a-and some of them are really stupid, but some of them- aren't. So. Uh. Pranks are just traps that don't hurt people, right?" she trails off, a bit uncomfortable, and Natsu's grin widens.

"Ne, Naruto. How many pranking supplies did you bring with you?"

Naruto's eyes light up.

The answer, as it turns out, is more than feasibly possible.

This is gonna be great.

Sasuke should have kept going the direction the clone told him to. He knows that, he knows this is reckless and dangerous and something even the dobe would probably call stupid, but-

They need those papers.

Right?

They were important enough Jiraiya even changed his mind about the chakra restriction, and even if the man hasn't explained anything, Sasuke can tell it's serious.

So he just-

Needs to find that shinobi, just long enough to see everything.

After all, the papers an enemy chooses to keep have to be more important than the ones they choose to destroy. Right?

Sasuke's pretty sure it's not the seal talking. He… felt… something, a little while ago, and it was probably Natsu fixing whatever was going on - his shoulder doesn't burn, at least so that's got to be it - and if it's not the seal trying to twist him into doing it, then it can't be that bad of an idea.

If only he could find a trail.

He tried to pinpoint where the shinobi would have left the city, but he must have taken a turn somewhere, because there's no trail for Sasuke to spot.

And if the shinobi exited from one of the main gates, even his eyes won't be able to spot a trail with all those competing footprints.

He glances into the forest.

There can't be that many places to hide an armed force, not without leaving some traces. He could scout a grid pattern, as long as he's careful, as long as he doesn't get caught-

The explosion's almost deafening.

Those idiots!

Sasuke doesn't even know how they got into a fight- they're supposed to be with Jiraiya-!- but the unique blend of Natsu's chakra is unmistakable and that direction is nowhere near the pond they were camped at before so-

He pivots, bolting towards the flames, and he swears to kami-sama abovethat if Natsu burned those papers he's going to strangle the idiot.

He's absolutely not relieved to know the idiot's awake again.

He already knew that, because the mark's not burning.

So that light feeling in his chest is just glee at finding his target.

That's all.

He grins sharply, and picks up the pace.

They'd better make sure to leave him some.

Jiraiya sees the fire, and curses.

He is never babysitting Kakashi's brats again.

Can't leave them alone for two gods-be-damned seconds!

It's a pretty good plan, for the first thirty seconds or so.

That's about how long it takes for the enemy shinobi to show up, armed and pissed.

Natsu's kinda glad they stuffed the merchant up one of the trees, cause damn there's a lot of 'em. Way too soon, too.

And then one of them spots a Naruto clone, and everything seems to spring into action at once.

The shinobi move forward, the traps go off, the clones attack, the shinobi realize they're fighting a veritable clone army in a booby-trapped battlefield and try to retreat, and absolutely none of this was in the plan, but Natsu can't just let them run away!

He's halfway out of his hiding place when he feels Sakura-chan's hesitance, and he doesn't want to stop, but then she speaks.

"It's weird, don't you think? There's too many of them, and shinobi don't travel in large groups a lot- they'd just break into smaller teams. Do you think their base is near here? Maybe we can find it?"

Natsu freezes.

That's-

He glances at the shinobi, still fighting the clones as they retreat, and he wants to fight but he's still so sore and Sakura-chan's already talking about information and stuff they overheard and-

He grits his teeth and turns in the direction he's pretty sure most of them came from.

"Keep them busy!" he hisses to Naruto as he passes, and the blond's eyes fill with determination as he brings his hands together.

"Right!"

The forest explodes into orange as dozens of Narutos spawn into existence.

Natsu dashes forward, dodging between clones as he tries to figure out how fast they moved, how far they must have travelled, where the base is, but he's not good at this-!

Then he stumbles, trips down a gully he hadn't spotted, and finds two shinobi hastily dissembling the remains of a camp.

The shinobi explode into action, one lunging forward as the other starts making handsigns, and Sakura's cry of, "Those are fire-signs!" is just barely enough warning.

He ducks under the first shinobi's attack, lunging toward the second, and he viciously ignores the burning in their chakra pathways as he calls up his own fire, the two techniques colliding and clashing in a way he's never seen fire clash before.

They almost look physical as they slam into each other, but Natsu's better at this, whole new world or not fire is his element, and he puts it all out, the lingering magic in his own flames smothering the shinobi's, and by the end of it, the camp's remains have only been lightly singed.

Everything hurts.

But Natsu's never let pain stop him before, and he's not about to start now. He lets his momentum carry him, crashes into the second shinobi and then flips, spinning to land a foot into the side of the man's head as he scrambles to recover.

He goes down, but then the first shinobi is back on him, way too fast, and Natsu reaches for his fire but his arm burns, like a muscle pulled too far, and all he gets is a heat shimmer-

The kunai slips under his guard, and Natsu slams his arm down, blade deflecting to scrape along his forearm and bicep-

He backpedals, trying to get out of range, catches a stray thought from Sakura-chan about the curse-mark making the chakra strain worse, grits his teeth, and kicks fire.

The second kunai clips his bangs, strands of pink hair drifting loose across his nose, but he's out of range and the shinobi's eying his legs warily.

Natsu grins and refuses to let his muscles tremble.

Fights aren't fun if they're not challenging, after all.

He grabs a kunai of his own, so comfortable in Sakura-chan's grip but so strange if he thinks about it-

So Natsu doesn't think.

Instinct is all he's ever needed to fight, and if Sakura-chan's own instincts are good with a kunai that's enough for him.

He goes on the offensive.

His arm burns inside and outside, two bleeding scrapes and an ache nowhere he can physically point to, but the strike didn't dig deep enough to make him falter, and all he really needs is a way to deflect the enemy's blade without slicing himself up.

Kami-sama but he misses his scales.

He imagines them, creeping up his neck and down his arms and protecting his skin, and then hastily shakes off the thoughts when those areas start to burn from the inside as well.

And he thought Edolas was bad.

At this point, Natsu's pretty sure having no magic was easier than having such an incompatible half-mix of magic and chakra.

He dodges a swipe at his face, flips the kunai he's holding into a more angled grip, and stabs. The blade sinks in.

He must not be very good, Natsu thinks distantly as the man yanks his arm back instead of to the side, tearing a large gash down his entire forearm.

Natsu'd expected him to dodge entirely.

His kunai slips free from the base of the man's palm, as the shinobi continues to stumble backwards, and Natsu's holding a blade dripping blood and he's frozen.

He didn't dodge.

Stabbing people is usually Erza's thing. And even then, she never stabs anywhere that would leave this much blood.

It's a stupid thing to freeze over, Natsu thinks distantly, as the shinobi curls his arm up and pulls a kunai with his left hand.

Then the man lunges forward and Natsu snaps out of it, bringing his blade up to guard-

His hand, actually, empty of a blade because he must have dropped it, shit-!

Sasuke slams into the shinobi, an aerial tackle that sends the man crashing into the ground with enough force that Natsu hears something crack.

The man's unconscious when Sasuke gets up.

Still breathing, but his arm's laying at his side now, spilling blood quickly enough that Natsu wonders if they've killed him anyway.

Sasuke stares at the blood a second too long, something haunted in his glowing red eyes, before he sharply jerks his gaze away and towards the remains of the camp.

"Help me look for the papers." he all but snaps, and-

Natsu's not sure if he wants to ignore this, but Sasuke's arms are trembling, and he's all but peppered in wounds only half-treated and-

Well.

Natsu's always thought of himself as a simple enough guy.

Team first.

Friends first.

Everyone else second.

He grits his teeth, steps around the steadily-growing pool of blood, and grabs Sasuke's arm.

"You're hurt."

Sasuke stills, breathing just slightly too hard.

He shakes his head. "There's some papers - that shinobi ran off with them. We need to find them. They're important-"

"Not as important as you." Natsu interrupts. "They're not going to grow legs and run away. You're hurt. I'm hurt. Let's worry about that first, and then we can go looking for those papers. Alright?"

Sasuke spins to look at him, Sharingan-eyes bright, and Natsu sees when his gaze locks onto the two gashes on his arm.

The Uchiha clenches his jaw, and jerks his arm out of Natsu's grip.

"Fine. But we'd better be fast, before the dobe runs out of clones to distract those guys with."

Natsu's a little shocked, and Sakura's presence stutters with worry.

He tries not to think about how she was gushing a few seconds ago, girls are weird.

"Jiraiya's not here yet?"

"I didn't see him." Sasuke responds, holding steady as Natsu tries to patch a scrape on his collarbone.

The mage curses and picks up the pace.

Rushed medical care is better than no medical care, or something like that, he figures, and Sasuke must agree because he's just as quick slapping bandages on Natsu's arm.

Then they're done, and Natsu glances between Sasuke and the distant sound of dozens of Narutos screaming in fury.

He breathes in through his nose, regrets it when all he smells is blood, and breathes out sharply. "Let's tie them up, then you go help Naruto. Sakura-chan and I can look for the papers."

The words come out bitten-off, sharper than intended, he wants to fight.

But Sakura-chan has an idea, and even if he doesn't want to admit it he's pretty sure he needs a solid twelve hours of sleep before he's really in any shape to fight again, and Sasuke's hurt but not badly so-

It's the best division they've got.

Tastes like ash to say though.

Sasuke must read it all on him though, because the Uchiha just sighs and nods, pulling a coil of ninja wire out of his pouch.

"I saw the first sheet - it was just a list of goods, with some annotations that were probably in code. I couldn't make sense of them, but the rest of the papers should help. There were eleven sheets."

Natsu nods sharply. "We'll find 'em. Go help Naruto."

Sasuke takes off as quickly as he arrived, and Natsu surveys the ruined camp.

"So what're you thinking here, Sakura-chan?"

"W-well- um- I don't really know how- uh, that is…"

Natsu tilts his head a little. "You don't need to be nervous! I'm bad at all this economics stuff, so I don't really think I have room to judge here."

He gets the impression of Sakura-chan taking a deep breath.

"Alright. So- we know those merchants were all smuggling. And we know that all of them were involved in something. And it was- hard, when you ran into that building and I know I stopped looking after a bit but I saw some insignias and I think I recognized them? Some of them anyway. One of them had the marks of the Ton'ya, they're a really big merchant clan, one of the few that actually operate in multiple countries? Um. There were, uh, classes on it, for Kunoichi-"

"That's cool. So what's special about these tonya guys then?" Natsu crouches down, sorting through some of the supplies.

"Ton'ya, you can't just slur it together like that-!" Sakura huffs, "anyway, they're an international trading clan right? They got those rights at the end of the last war, the Daimyo were all worried about how much damage it had caused, and they practically forced the shinobi to accept such a thing in order to repair the economy. And since everyone was fresh out of the third shinobi war, no one wanted to go to war with the Daimyo too, right? Especially since the Samurai clans in the land of Iron were being very supportive of the idea. S-so- uh- anyway-"

Sakura stutters to a stop as Natsu hums consideringly at some papers. He's not really sure what makes a shipping list different from a grocery list, but he figures he should just take every paper he finds maybe.

Better safe than sorry.

"Sakura-chan?" he prompts after another minute, when she doesn't say anything.

"Oh! Right, um, where did I- right. So anyway, no one really liked the idea of a single merchant group working in all the countries, that's a huge security risk - I think the shinobi figured that at least it was easier to trust native merchants not to betray you, but people who worked so internationally couldn't be trusted? Basically, what I'm saying is shinobi don't trade with the Ton'ya. Ever. Most shinobi villages even have their own merchant clans, and they basically blatantly refuse to use the Ton'ya's services at all. I'm sure Hokage-sama keeps an eye on them, they're a big threat, but no one hires them. So, it's a bit strange that these shinobi did, right? Like really really strange."

"Ooooh, so you think they're up to something. Like something a lot bigger than just some smuggling for extra cash?"

"Exactly. It's a pretty universal thing, that the shinobi all consider the Ton'ya an insult to their system. And if a shinobi did decide to take advantage of a clan like that, well. Kinda hard to believe they'd do it just for innocent trade."

"Especially since the shinobi killed off all the merchants."

"Yeah."

Natsu nods, because yeah, Sakura-chan's making a lot of sense.

But he's still a bit confused, because, "Wouldn't… those Daimyo guys be really upset if they found out a shinobi was killing their special merchant group?"

Sakura's silent for a really long time, but Natsu's found a new stack of papers and ends up a bit distracted as he tries to fit them all in his kunai pouch.

It's almost surprising when she starts talking again.

"I- I don't really- I mean, we don't know who those guys are, right? They had blank headbands. If Konoha got blamed for it-"

That's not a pretty thought.

Natsu doesn't like Konoha, really, and if they disappeared it'd be a lot easier to take his team with him back to Fairy Tail, but this world-

He's pretty sure disappeared would mean slaughtered to the last and-

He doesn't want that.

He glances back to the two shinobi they'd captured, sighing in relief when they're both still breathing.

Must have tied everything tight enough.

He goes back to digging through the luggage, but he's pretty sure he's found everything worth finding.

That's how Jiraiya finds him, one kid under each arm and an unconscious merchant thrown over his shoulder, killing intent all but boiling off him.

That's also about when Natsu remembers that he and Naruto completely disregarded the man's orders.

"Oh shit-!" he tries to bolt, and all but slams into the ground when Jiraiya's foot stomps into his back.

"Going somewhere?" the man asks, tone so cheery Natsu's pretty sure it loops all the way back around into pissed off.

He gulps.

The pressure increases.

Natsu laughs nervously, face smushed into the dirt.

"You're welcome?" he tries to say, but then there's dirt in his mouth and he's pretty sure it's not understandable at all.

The killing intent increases.

Sakura-chan very blatantly moves away, he can practically feel her plugging her ears and singing, "la la laaaa~" as she leaves.

He wonders if Jiraiya will believe it was an accident.

Chapter 59: Investigation Arc 10

Notes:

A lot later than I'd like! It was actually finished last week, but my beta reader and roommate both agreed that the ending of the chapter was really weak, so I added more onto it until I got to a better end-note.
It actually worked out to allow me to end this arc, and set up moving to the next one (…depending on how my brain goes, I will probably have to add 6-7 chapters to my total chapter count pls pray for me), although I feel like the chapter in general could have been better.
Transitional chapters are always hard, and everyone agreed that Natsu's POV should have just been told from Jiraiya's instead but I couldn't bring myself to rewrite it. I should have, honestly, but Jiraiya's voice is always hard for me to get down, so… it's not that Natsu's POV is bad, just that it adds nothing emotional to the events taking place, and in a fic where you're changing POVs all the time I think the general rule is to choose the most impactful perspective? Not just the most informative one, and both of those would probably have been Jiraiya…
Anyway! I'm happy that I've settled this arc (and yes I know there's a loose end, but I promise that one's on purpose), and hopefully the others will not make me add too many more chapters to my total count!
Hope you enjoy! Sorry for the delay!
Thanks for reading!

Chapter Text

The brats, although blessedly silent, sit in various states of disgruntlement. Jiraiya doesn't count on their relatively good behavior lasting, but he'll take what he can get. So Jiraiya finds himself twisting the rope's edges between his fingers, wondering how pissed Kakashi would be if he just… tied them up.

Just for a little while!

Long enough to teach them a lesson maybe - though with kids as stubborn as this that might take all year…

He loops the rope around his arm and suppresses the urge.

He can always tie them up later, if it comes to that.

"So," he starts, and three heads snap to him in sync, "why don't you start explaining now, and I'll decide how much trouble you're in?"

He's not too surprised when it's Pinky who speaks up first. Natsu's a bit too old to be as easily intimidated as the others, and- quite frankly- utterly shameless.

"Well we couldn't find Sasuke even though Naruto had loads of clones looking for him, so I was just like, let's make Sasuke come to us! And then we blew up everything. We built some traps and stuff too, just in case those guys got there first, so we weren't stupid."

"Yeah! We just didn't realize we were already right on top of their base, 'ttebayo!" Naruto interjects, arms crossed as he stares evenly at Jiraiya.

"And once they attacked us, well, we kinda had to defend ourselves right? And we got all of these records too!" Natsu fans out a large stack of papers, eyes glinting in a way that just spells trouble.

Jiraiya really should have demanded that sensei send Kakashi with them.

Damn brats , he thinks, more fondly than he's willing to admit, as he grabs the papers. Natsu doesn't hold on to them, at least, letting them go easily before resting back on his arms, hissing in discomfort as his right arm takes his weight, and quickly sitting back up.

Because he tried to deflect a stab.

With his arm.

Jiraiya desperately wants to ask why anyone would have such backwards instincts, but at this point he knows just enough about their interloper's powers to know it would just give him even more questions. He turns his gaze to Sasuke.

"Alright then. Why weren't you where you were supposed to be?" He asks, and Fugaku's brat scowls at him and looks away.

Jiraiya groans. "I need answers here, kids. This was- do you have any idea how badly this could have gone?"

Naruto shifts uncomfortably as Natsu glances away. Sasuke tenses.

"But it… didn't?" Naruto offers tentatively. "It worked out really really well! We found Sasuke, we got loads of information, and we beat those guys up! It totally worked!"

"You got lucky." Jiraiya retorts. "You're lucky the smoke from your little explosion didn't finish killing the only live lead we have to this mess. You're lucky you got so close to the base without being detected and that you took those guys by surprise. You're lucky Natsu didn't get himself killed fighting two people alone while in that sort of condition! And I'm sure the Academy covered this for you - but it seems obvious to me that you forgot- or chose not to remember. When the only reason your plan works is because of luck, then it isn't a good plan. Luck is an integral part of shinobi life, but if your entire plan hinges on it, you've made a mistake. Understand?"

Pinky scowls. "It wasn't luck-! I had those guys handled, I just. I dunno, I expected him to dodge and then he didn't, so I froze up. That was stupid, but even if Sasuke hadn't shown up, I'd have been able to handle it. There wasn't anything lucky there."

Jiraiya gives him a disbelieving stare, just long enough to make Natsu look away with a grumble, then turns back to Sasuke.

"I know you didn't do what I told you to. I don't need excuses, kid. I just need an explanation. Why?" He leans forward, catching the Uchiha's gaze, and doesn't look away until he gets an answer.

"I- those papers were important. I thought I could pick up that shinobi's trail and get them back. When I saw the explosion I just… figured that Natsu and Naruto had found them instead. It was clearly Natsu's chakra, and he wouldn't just blow something up for no reason-" Sasuke cuts off with a scowl, clearly processing that his teammates actually did blow everything up for no reason.

Jiraiya's not quite capable of feeling amusement, not for something this serious, but he gives them a smug grin regardless.

"You kids. Were so. Lucky." he states with finality, and by some miracle he thinks they might actually listen this time, as they exchange glances with each other.

He carefully doesn't say just how unheard of that sort of luck is. He hardly wants to give them any ideas, but-

Well.

It's been years since he last saw a plan fall together so perfectly, and by complete and utter coincidence at that. It is pretty impressive, for all that he'll never tell them so.

He flips through the papers Natsu handed over, then glances over at Sasuke.

And sighs.

"Alright. Here's what we're going to do - Uchiha, I need you to draw me copies of everything you saw - including the papers that shinobi was carrying. Even small marks or crossouts - as close to identical as you can. There's no telling what's important and what isn't, so I'll need to check over all of it. Pinky, you and I are gonna wake up our merchant friend and get some more answers. Naruto, make some clones and keep watch. And don't for a second think any of you are in the clear. As soon as we get away from this village, you are all in trouble - got it?"

The brats all chorus agreement, and Jiraiya lets out a breath as they get moving. One problem down, only a dozen more to go.

The clone he sent to help with the fires dispelled nearly an hour ago, but the one he made before that, to pursue the arsonist, still hasn't.

Somehow, Jiraiya has a feeling that there's nothing good waiting when it finally does. He's not going to force it to, though, not if it feels like it still has a job to do.

As he crouches by their… not-quite-prisoner, Jiriaya wonders just how big this is. He knows pretty much all of Kiri's merchants, by name if not by face. Hell, half of them feed him intel without even knowing it, just by doing their jobs.

He can't say he's surprised one would try some shady dealing, considering the state of Kiri even the accepted merchants don't make quite as much off deals as they used to, before the civil war. But with some of the rumors he's heard from the Land of Waters, the idea that it could be something a lot bigger than an independent smuggler is… all too likely and also not what he'd like to hear.

Then Natsu's there, dropping down beside Jiraiya and the merchant, looking a bit worse for wear, his exhaustion clearly visible. His eyes are determined, though, and that's enough for Jiraiya.

He doesn't know much medical jutsu, just the basics really, but that's more than enough to pull a man back into consciousness - the interested glint he spies in green eyes make him wonder if Natsu has a hidden fondness for healing, or if it's the girl who wants to know.

And then the merchant wakes with a gasp, reminding Jiraiya that he's got more important questions to be asking.

"Sakura-chan had some pretty good ideas," Natsu starts, as Jiraiya unties the merchant and helps him drink some water.

"Oh? Let's hear it then - what did you come up with?" the old man prompts.

So Natsu explains, reiterating Sakura-chan's theories as best he can - about the Ton'ya, and the fire, all the stuff they overheard before it, and how the shinobi might want to frame Konoha. Jiraiya doesn't look at him, eyes carefully trained on the merchant, but if there's anything to be found in the guy's face he certainly doesn't react to it.

Doesn't react at all really, though the merchant starts looking progressively more nervous with every word Natsu speaks.

"What's your name, again?" Jiraiya asks, once Natsu's trailed off.

The merchant trembles and doesn't speak.

"He was… in that back room, right? We heard him through the south-facing windows. I think it was… Jun...ki? I think. It might be his given name though, he was pretty annoyed when that other guy called him that…"

"Sakura-chan says one of those guys called him Junki, I think she was paying more attention than I was too, so she's probably right…" Natsu offers, when the silence drags on. The merchant flinches.

"Ah, so it's you!" Jiraiya says with a grin. "Takara Junki, one of Kiri's independent traders, right? Here I thought you independents hated the Ton'ya as much as us shinobi. What were you doing rubbing shoulders with them, hm? And on top of smuggling weapons, at that?"

"I-I didn't realize!" the man stutters, looking rapidly between Jiraiya and Natsu. "I didn't realize we'd be involved in something like this, it was just easy money-!"

"Now, now, Takara-san. You know there's no such thing as easy money in shinobi territory. This will all go much easier for you if you're just honest." Jiraiya crouches by the merchant, looking so friendly, that the anger Natsu can clearly smell off him feels nearly unnatural.

"Ne, Natsu."

"Hm?" Natsu tilts his head, Takara's eyes snapping toward him to follow the movement, before skittishly returning to Jiraiya as the man flashes a smile.

"That woman, who was at the fire - did you see her at all, in the forest?"

Natsu squints. "Huh. Now that you mention it, there weren't any girls there! That's weird, right? Did we miss her?"

"I-is she talking to herself?" The merchant stutters, and Natsu scowls at him.

"'M talkin' to Sakura-chan. And Sakura-chan says the lady shinobi-" - "Kunoichi Natsu, don't even act like you don't know that-!" - "wasn't around at all when we were fightin' before. Do you think they had two camps?"

Jiraiya nods. "That would explain why my clone still hasn't dispelled… if he followed her to a different camp than the one we attacked. Don't suppose you'd know anything about that either, hmm?"

Takara coughs weakly, his entire posture slumping.

"I really don't know much," he starts at last, staring down at his hands, "and that's by design. It's how you shinobi operate, I don't know why you expect this to be any different, always so full of secrets…" he speaks sharply, even through the clear exhaustion, but Jiraiya doesn't react.

"It's not just us - and not just weapons. Food, medical supplies, tools - I don't really know how much of each. We'd lose the supplies in 'bandit' raids. That way there wouldn't be a record of the goods, as long as we got them past the border checks, and- and most of those aren't manned by shinobi, they're manned by the Daimyo's men, especially the ones the Ton'ya use-"

He hesitates a moment, and continues in a softer voice. "I suppose I should have expected this. The money was- too good. And the job, too easy. And shinobi were involved, multiple groups of them - even with those blank headbands, I've traded with enough of your ilk to be able to tell at least when people are from different villages. Should have known they'd betray us like this…"

"How many different villages?" Jiraiya asks, voice as friendly as ever, and even Natsu can see-smell-sense his anger spike.

"Is this- is someone trying to start a war?!" Sakura-chan asks, and Natsu can all but feel her fear.

Takara sighs. "Two, I think - maybe three, or maybe just one person from a third village. I only saw her once, she collected some of the medical supplies we'd brought in - about a month ago? She didn't seem to fit in with the others. A little young too. Maybe she was just a new recruit."

"Did anything about her appearance stand out to you?"

Takara scoffs. "Only in that she was so indescribably plain that even a fool would know she was in disguise. It was her body language, mostly, that made me think she was younger. I couldn't tell you more than that."

Jiraiya strokes his chin in obvious contemplation, and Takara curls deeper into himself, resignation pouring off him in waves.

"Well-" the old man says after a moment, putting his hands on his knees and leveraging himself up - Natsu's pretty sure Jiraiya's putting on a show, though he's not quite sure what the point is.

The Sannin stretches dramatically before suddenly hovering over the merchant, arms crossed, expression grim.

"You need medical attention, and if I drop you off at a doctor's here, you'll be dead by tomorrow. I might know someone who can help you out though, if we're quick about it. In return…" he trails off, staring expectantly down at Takara.

The man doesn't look up. "If you're going to heal me, only to execute me for treason, why would I bother?"

Jiraiya smirks. "Now who said anyone had to be informed of this?"

The merchant's head snaps up, and Jiraiya crosses his arms. "You'd just have to do me this teensy little favor, and then you can run along back to Kiri or wherever your heart desires. We'll even take care of these guys before they can come after you. What do you say?"

Natsu's not too surprised when the merchant agrees without even asking for terms, after that. Even he can see the implicit threat in Jiraiya's offer, can see that Takara has no other choice.

Jiraiya doesn't feel any less angry even as he grins and hustles Natsu and Takara back to the center of their camp.

Natsu won't admit he's still a little creeped out at just how good these guys are at acting.

Sasuke glances up at them as they sit, eyes glowing crimson, and then immediately turns back to the papers he's painstakingly writing on.

I take it back! That's even more creepy! How does anyone write that slowly?!

Natsu can't help but stare, as Sasuke writes lines with such careful precision it's like he's moving in slow-motion. It is, officially, the weirdest thing Natsu's seen in a long time.

How does anyone have the patience for that?!

Kakashi walks back into his makeshift camp, spots the toad staring intently at Pakkun while perched on his bedroll, and very nearly turns around and walks right back out.

"Ah, Kashi-kun!" The toad hails, raising a webbed foot in greeting. "Jiraiya-san said to tell you that he hates all of your brats and he hopes that you'll take them back as soon as possible. In the meantime, there's a couple things he'd like you to look into, since you're out this way." It reaches behind to pull a scroll off its back, holding it out.

Kakashi steps forward to pluck it up, scowling. "I already have three other jobs out here, so I hope this can wait-"

"It can't." The toad meets his eye, entirely serious. "This is an order from Jiraiya of the Sannin - please look into this information immediately, and send a response through your summons or in-person. Do not bring any additional shinobi into it without further orders. If you go through the provided information, it should all make sense."

A heavy weight drops into Kakashi's gut.

Something very serious, then.

"Understood. Please inform Jiraiya-sama that I'll report back as soon as I have what he needs."

The toad nods, then disappears in a puff of smoke.

"What've we got, Boss?" Pakkun asks, trodding forward.

Kakashi unfurls the scroll and quickly scans the contents. "...trouble." is all he can bring himself to say, as he looks at the information - and if this is only the pieces Jiraiya wants him to verify, what else did the man find to reach a conclusion like that-?

What sort of mess has he dragged my precious little students into?

"Pakkun, change of plans. We'll be cutting southwest - I'm going to need you, Urushi, and Bull to finish up the job here, then go back home. Make sure to rest, I'll likely be summoning you guys again soon."

Pakkun shifts his weight. "Not gonna be easy without the opposable thumbs. But I think we can manage. Don't push yourself too hard."

Kakashi nods sharply, an empty promise and they both know it, and turns to pack up camp.

Looks like another sleepless night…

Jiraiya's clone dispels just as they're leaving the forest, and he bites off a curse. He's had a lot of practice, processing memories while moving, but it's always worse when the clones are forcibly dispelled. The memories slam in, an echo of a stab into his abdomen, quickly followed by over a day of careful studying and information gathering- he knows the lay of the camp, the number of shinobi, knows that he tentatively pegged one of them as a Suna-nin, though whether they're a deserter or loyal requires more research than he has time for.

One option is infinitely preferable to the other, because it's one thing if Orochimaru united some minor villages against Konoha, but if he's sunk his claws into one of the greater hidden villages they're in a lot more trouble-!

Then the other memories settle - the overheard conversations, the sparingly used chameleon jutsu and a henge or two when he knew it wouldn't be noticed and-

They know Takara's alive. We've gotta pick up the pace.

The shinobi spent enough time chasing the clone that their trail should be dead now, but if they have even one sensor who caught wind of Natsu's unique chakra, that might not mean much. Naruto's, at least, is mostly muted by the seal unless he's using it.

"K'so." he snaps, steadying his grip on the merchant. "Oi, brats. Let's pick up the pace! We've come too far to have this guy croak on us just 'cause you wanted to sight-see!"

Jiraiya's attempt at encouragement works about as well as he expects - Naruto immediately protests being distracted as Sasuke grunts in recognition of the order.

And Natsu glances back, just once, head tilted like he's sniffing the air.

"Yeah, he's not smelling too good." he offers, and Jiraiya's only a little irritated that he can't tell if Natsu bought the excuse or if he's just pretending to. The kid doesn't really seem like he'd be all that good at subterfuge, but he's also sharp in an instinctual way that makes it hard to tell what he knows and what he's just guessing at.

Well.

As long as it keeps them ahead of the enemy, Jiriaya will take it either way.

It's a pity they're stuck with running as the best option here, because Jiraiya's clone was pretty sure it was a smaller group than the one the kids picked a fight with, and if he didn't have a dying civilian who he needed to keep alive, he could just deal with them as well.

Well, nothing for it. Just gonna have to hope that intel's still good, cause this guy's got one chance at a doctor if I want to get anything done here.

Kami-sama, this is ridiculous. That Team 7 "curse" nonsense was supposed to be a joke!

"So, why's that guy so important anyway?"

Naruto's tried to think it through - really, he has! But it just seems like they're running all over the place to help some guy that they already got all the information from? They already beat all those shinobi, and Jiraiya even got someone to pick them up and stuff, so if they just left him alone it's not like anyone would come after him!

"I think… Jiraiya wants to use him to make contact with some of the other merchants." Sasuke offers - Naruto tries (and fails) not to scowl at him.

"Yeah but why?"

"Because only a dobe would think that he didn't need to find more people to verify the information from."

"Wha- I knew that! I totally knew that! No need to show off-!" Naruto sputters. "Natsuuuu! Tell him I knew that!"

Natsu laughs softly, landing on the branch next to him, arm tucked to his chest. He looks a little better after some sleep, but he's still really tired.

Naruto really wants to ask if it's weird that the scar on Natsu's left arm doesn't match the new wounds he's got on his right, but he still remembers Sakura-chan's punches and Natsu hasn't punched him at all yet but he doesn't wanna take the chance!

Natsu leaps for the next branch. "Well I didn't really think of it like that either. Juni's dying, so unless he gets a doctor it doesn't even matter if there were still shinobi after him, yeah?"

Naruto nearly slips off the next branch. "What?! He's not dying! ...is he?"

Sasuke's eyes cut back to him, incredulous. "Dobe. He was in a burning building. With all that smoke-"

"But Natsu's fine! And he was in there too!"

Naruto points for emphasis, and nearly unbalances his next leap.

He's pretty sure Jiraiya groans behind them, and fights off a blush. I-it's not like he fell!

"I mean, the air was really bad in there." Natsu starts, and Naruto doesn't wobble that time! Hah! Natsu continues easily, "Sakura-chan was trying to figure out what chemicals might have been all mixed up in there, before she d'cided to leave. And that Juni-guy was really deep in the building. I just sorta ran in and out, but he was stuck and he probably breathed it for ages. Guess that would mess anyone's lungs up real bad, since it wasn't just smoke but it was all those chemicals too… It really stank."

Naruto goes to reply, cause maybe Natsu isn't okay, not if it was like that- whatifhe'sgonnadieohnoohno-!- when Natsu cuts him off.

"Huh. Yeah that makes sense." he shakes his head a little, and glances back at Naruto. "Sakura-chan says that maybe it was chemicals first, and then the fire. Cause way too many of those guys were dead, and something had to kill 'em since the fire couldn't'a done it so fast. And this Julie guy's from Kiri, and those guys are apparently big on poisons or something? So maybe he just resisted it. I dunno, sounds like a pretty good idea to me."

"You were poisoned!?" Naruto actually does fall out of the tree this time, trying to spin to face Natsu properly, arms flailing in panic, as he slips right off the branch.

Natsu and Sasuke both leap forward, grabbing his arms before he can fall far, Natsu's fingers spasming around his wrist and-

Shit-!

Naruto scrambles to find purchase, 'cause Natsu's arm is stil hurt he shouldn't be grabbing people like that crap crap crap-!

He gets his feet stuck to the trunk of the tree, then his hands, crabwalking up to the branch as Natsu and Sasuke watch.

Sasuke turns away with a huff, the jerk, but Natsu grins as he gets back on the branch so Naruto figures it evens out.

Jiraiya gives them a deadpan stare as he steps onto the branch.

"We gonna get moving anytime soon?" he asks, nonchalant, and Natsu gives him a weird look.

What's that all about? Naruto wonders, but he doesn't have time to ask, as Jiraiya hustles them onward.

"C'mon brats, we're almost there. Pinky can get himself checked out once we're sure Junki-san isn't going to croak on us."

"Ahahaha, so that's his name! I totally forgot!" Natsu laughs, then leaps away when Jiraiya aims a slow kick at him.

Naruto quickly scrambles after when those intense eyes land on him next.

He totally doesn't gulp.

It's not like Jiraiya's intimidating or anything, 'ttebayo!

Just… maybe a little… intense.

Which isn't the same thing at all!

Naruto quickly catches up to Natsu and Sasuke, and the jerk scoffs a quiet dobe under his breath but Naruto is absolutely the better person here, so he doesn't respond, instead siddling closer to Natsu.

If he really did get poisoned, then who knows when he'll pass out again! So Naruto'll just have to keep an eye on him!

Natsu gives him a weird look, but doesn't say anything, so Naruto figures that's agreement.

Hah! Take that, teme!

They skip lunch, running through with a litany of complaints that are thankfully silenced by a pointed reminder of their dying merchant, and Jiraiya sighs in quiet relief when they reach the town a few hours later.

Now, where did his contact say the lovely Mii-chan was staying again?

Chapter 60: Investigation Arc 11

Notes:

I am embarrassed.

I don't even want to admit how long this chapter has been completed.

I keep meaning to post it and I keep NOT and at this point it's been so long I feel like I'm actually humiliating myself.

I know part of it is that I wanted to have the next chapter finished before I posted this, because this chapter is slightly filler-y in that all the actual plot progression happens off-screen with Jiraiya and can't actually be seen until next chapter or the one after and I didn't want to give you guys basically fluff without something else to back it up but UGH.

My brain just keeps writing OTHER fics and even some original short stories instead of this fic, so I'm hoping that by posting this chapter regardless it will help my brain refocus. I don't know how to post onto without uploading a word doc though, and (as per my tumblr) I haven't really been able to use my computer with Word on it, so I guess I'm gonna have to figure that out so I can cross-post this...

Anyway, I'm sorry for going basically two months without an update, AND giving you fluff instead of plot, but these kids needed a break and honestly I still think it's very cute even though I wrote it like a month ago...

*sweatdrop*
(shame)

As always, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy!
Wish me luck on getting the next chapter out at a reasonable time, because my brain fuckin needs it, how is it so hard to STAY ON TRACK AAAAAAA-

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Sasuke stares at Natsu's back, watching him chat casually with Naruto.

Poison lingers in his mind and he recalls the way Natsu froze and stared at that enemy shinobi until Sasuke crashed his way in.

Natsu's not the type to freeze. Sasuke would like to think he knows the guy well enough to be certain of that , regardless of the situation. But poison can do a lot more than leave someone frothing at the mouth, and everyone knows that poisons will often react differently on civilians than shinobi.

Natsu tilts his head to the side, a tell he's started to develop whenever he listens to Sakura, and Sasuke looks away sharply.

He's not sure how he feels about Sakura, really. A useless fangirl, chasing after him without ever once asking if that's what he wants , barely talking to him at all except to demand his opinion on Yamanaka.

Except that's not how she is at all, anymore.

The dobe eats up Sakura's words, quickly jumping into a conversation with her, Natsu an uncomfortable mouthpiece between them.

Sasuke's pretty sure Natsu's twitching eyebrow signals him rapidly paraphrasing Sakura's words - she never had patience for the dobe before and that, at least, seems to have stayed the same.

To an extent.

It's easy to forget about her, almost, when Natsu isn't acknowledging her. He wears different clothes, speaks in a different manner, words rougher and occasionally slurred together, the casual speech of someone who doesn't really care about being polite.

He doesn't hesitate to get dirty, or throw himself into fights, and doesn't follow Sasuke around with wide eyes.

He's loud, really, and Sakura was so quiet.

And yet, somehow, all those annoying aspects of Sakura, that made him wonder if his team was some sort of joke, if he'd be better off trying to figure things out on his own, were covering up something else. Something he'd realized before, in the safe house, but never quite took the time to acknowledge.

She's smart .

Without her stalking and stuttering and absolutely pathetic and nearly civilian behavior, she's really intelligent. Hearing Natsu parrot her words and ideas, her input and advice, it's something Sasuke can't deny.

They work well together, Natsu and Sakura.

Their team works well together, the four of them balancing each other out in a way Sasuke hadn't realized teams could do .

Ita-

He left his team behind so quickly, and everyone barely even spoke about them. Sasuke doesn't even remember his teammates' names, and-

All this time, on some level, Sasuke's been thinking that a team would only hold him back, that he needed to leave them behind to reach his own potential. To catch up to that man .

Now, he wonders.

He's not sure if he'll get the chance to learn. He's not deliberately blinding himself like the dobe. The idiot clearly goes out of his way to forget, but Natsu's not quiet about wanting to go home.

He'll leave, eventually, just as soon as he finds a way, back to his friends and family.

It burns, somehow, like a betrayal, something tight and angry clenching in his chest at the idea that Natsu could just come into their lives and then leave .

It's not fair , Sasuke thinks, but life's already taught him that fairness is for other people.

All he can do is hope that, at the end of everything, Sakura will still be a half-decent teammate even after the moron leaves.

It takes three long days for Mii-chan to heal Takara-san. Luckily, Jiraiya thinks, she chose a good town to visit. Their hot springs are easily visible with just a little bit of effort, and Jiraiya's muses are absolutely inspired here. His clone was a tad reluctant to miss out on the sights, but tragically, Jiraiya's learned what happens when he leaves the brats alone unsupervised.

In the distant corners of his mind, he recalls that he still needs to dedicate some time to Orochimaru's messed-up seal.

Well, no one said he couldn't combine business and pleasure.

And who knows what sort of genius ideas might spawn?

So Jiraiya pulls out his sealing notebook, alternating between research and Research .

And they really are such beautiful ladies, he can already feel his productivity going up!

He gets so engrossed in both parts of his work, that he misses the ominous creaking of the branch he's decided to use as a perch.

Oops . As the ladies of the hotsprings descend upon him in a vengeful fury, Jiraiya takes the opportunity to appreciate them at a whole new angle - most women, after all, don't bother to do more than throw on a towel before rushing over to beat him up, so he doesn't try too hard to get away.

And if a token protest here or there has some… advantageous outcomes, well.

That's hardly his fault.

The moment Takara-san is well enough to not need constant medical attention, Jiraiya hustles everyone out of the village. He's got a few ideas for how to handle Orochimaru's seal and no time to test them out, because they've already lost so much time and he can only hope their targets haven't already been killed by the shinobi who hunted his clone.

Or anyone else who might be working with them.

They run through the night, making it to Ryokan only a few hours past sunrise.

"Alright." Jiraiya looks at the kids, as Takara-san cleans up in the inn's bathing room. "I'm going to go with Takara-san and see what we can find. You kids are going to stay here . Maybe get some sleep. You have enough money to get something to eat, but let me reiterate: you're going to stay in the inn . Got me?"

"Hn."

"Sure thing Ero-sennin!"

"What if we get attacked?"

Jiraiya bites back a groan. Half for Natsu's bright-eyed enthusiasm for battle, and half for Naruto's new… nickname.

Of all the people who could have found him grop- uh, escaping some beautiful, buxom ladies, why did it have to be the kid?!

"You're not going to get attacked," Jiraiya starts, and then realizes who he's talking to. The ridiculous team who has the luck to accidentally trip over an enemy squad's main base . He quickly corrects himself. "You're not likely to be attacked - either we got here way before the other teams, or we're too late and they'll have already moved on. But if, by some miracle, your terrible luck manifests in this completely normal inn being attacked, your orders are to run ."

"But-"

"No buts," Jiraiya cuts across Natsu and Naruto's simultaneous protest, "absolutely not. I already made one exception for you brats, and your chakra, I'm not making another. I've got some ideas for how to fix your problem, but you can't make it worse before I get a chance to try them. So if you get attacked, you stick together , and run away . And if, for some inexplicable reason , you can't get away, just- ugh. Try not to make everything worse. Or light half the village on fire. Or dump the Kyuubi's chakra everywhere. Or whatever brand of destructive crazy you've been hiding from me, Uchiha. Alright?"

Sasuke scoffs, and Jiraiya could swear he almost rolled his eyes. Hah! Progress!

The other two mumble their agreements, and, well. That's just going to have to be good enough, honestly.

...somehow, Jiraiya gets the feeling this isn't going to end the way he wants it to.

"Nah, you should definitely go out the window. Sakura-chan says the innkeeper will probably tattle on us otherwise."

"Really?" Sasuke raises an eyebrow, expression otherwise deadpan, and Natsu chuckles a bit as he waves away the question.

"Okay so it was more like, 'Natsu, don't you dare disobey Jiraiya-sama! He probably has the innkeeper watching out for you anyway so you'll just get in trouble!', but really that just means we can't use the door!" he offers an upside down grin to his teammates, as Sakura-chan despairs loudly from the mindscape.

"Besides, it's not like we'll go far! Just someplace open enough for a bit of sparring, yeah? I don't wanna be cooped up in here, when all we've been doing is running all over the place…"

"You're going to get in somuch trouble, don't say I didn't warn you!" Sakura-chan shouts.

"Hn." Sasuke sounds mostly uninterested, but he turns from the door to look at the window anyway, so Natsu's pretty sure he's convinced.

Naruto hesitates. "We're already in a lotta trouble with Ero-sennin though, right? What if they lock you and Sasuke in the rooms again when we get back to the village or something?"

Natsu flips back to his feet and shrugs. "Eh, we'll deal with it when it happens. B'sides, you can henge your clones right? Just make em look like us and the innkeeper will never know we're gone! And then all we gotta worry about is getting back before Jiraiya does! It's just a little bit of sparring!"

Naruto grins, nervousness dispelled, and brings his hands together to summon his clones. A quick henge later, and they slip out of the window and up onto the rooftops.

Sasuke takes the lead as Natsu keeps pace with Naruto, offering the blond a wide grin. "Even if we do get in trouble, I don't think Jiraiya would let 'em separate us. Specially not after he promised you and Sasuke those pictures, y'know? We'll probably just be stuck doing boring D-Ranks for forever or something." Natsu wouldn't call himself too great at the whole 'encouragement' thing, at least outside of a fight, but Naruto brightens up anyway so he's pretty sure he didn't do too badly.

Sasuke leads them to a clearing just outside of town, and Natsu slams his fists together with a grin. "So, rules?" he asks eagerly.

It's been over five days since he had even a basic spar .

So sue him.

Luckily, the rest of his team is just as eager.

It devolves from there.

Somehow, nothing goes wrong. They sneak back into the inn sweaty and exhausted - or at least, Natsu amends to himself, he and Sasuke are exhausted. Naruto's energy seems as limitless as ever and even when he does collapse from exhaustion, a five-minute break seems to be all he needs to hop right back into it, as energetic as ever.

The clones offer a cheeky wave at their sprawled-out forms before dispelling, and Naruto groans.

"Oh Kami-sama they messed with my bag." Natsu nearly looks, but really he'd just rather lay here...

"You guys should take a bath." Sakura-chan grouches, and Natsu rolls over with a huff. Did she not hear him? If he gets in a bathtub he'll probably fall asleep and drown in it, and he's pretty sure they don't stink that bad-

"No seriously. If Jiraiya-san comes back and sees you all like this, he's gonna knowyou snuck out. If you planned on doing this againyou need to take a bath. Now."

Natsu snaps up. "Oh no, you're right - y'guys, get up, c'mon, let's go to the baths."

"Wha- why do we gotta do that?" Naruto asks, elbows deep in his pack.

"Cause Sakura-chan says Jiraiya will know we snuck out if we don't. C'mon Sasuke, get up."

That gets them both moving, Naruto shifting around his bag with a purpose to pull out clothes as Sasuke rolls to his feet.

Natsu grabs the first qipao he finds and the three of them hustle to the bath hall.

"This inn's a lot bigger than the other one huh?" Naruto muses as they cross the building and find an attached onsen on the other side.

"Y'think Jiraiya picked this one on purpose?" Natsu asks, sniffing suspiciously to make sure Jiraiya's not lurking around for… research .

"Ugh, Ero-sennin would wouldn't he?" Naruto groans.

"I can't believe how pathetically he got beat up," Is Sasuke's only contribution to the topic.

Natsu snorts. "Sorry I missed it - woulda been funny to see."

Naruto laughs as they head in.

"Natsu… you can't go with Naruto and Sasuke! I'm a girl!"

"Wha?" Natsu tilts his head. "But there's some people in the girls' side, it'd be weird to be in there when I'm a guy, right? Erza always said I'm not supposed to so-"

"It's alright Sakura-chan! If any gross perverts try to check you out, we'll beat 'em up!" Naruto offers brightly.

Natsu doesn't cover his ears at Sakura's responding shouts, but it's a very near thing.

"I could probably wait til those girls leave, I guess…" Natsu grumbles, a bit annoyed. "I mean, you're not like Lu-chan at all! So it's not like anyone would know you were a girl the moment they looked at you…"

"What was that?!" Sakura yells, and Natsu shrugs in response.

"You're really flat, Sakura-chan. That's a good thing-!" he hastily tacks on as he feels her building ire, "'cause it's way easier to fight without all that extra stuff getting in the way-"

"SHANNARO!"

Natsu swears he hears something crack as he gets the vague impression of Sakura-chan punching the window.

"...uh, Sakura-chan…?"

"Let's just hurry up before we get caught." Sasuke says, grabbing Naruto's arm.

"The dobe and I won't look, just wrap up in a towel before coming to the bath if it's a big deal."

"Why is it a big deal?" Naruto asks as he follows the Uchiha.

"Civilian stuff. K...aa-san said once that the Uchiha used to have an onsen on our private property that was open to anyone in the clan regardless of gender, before we moved to the new compound. I think it was cousin Shisui who asked. I don't really know why civilians don't like it."

Their voices get a bit muffled from the sounds of water splashing.

"Sakura-chan?"

"I- I know- historically, shinobi always used- but it's- I mean- Sasuke-kun…"

"Well, I don't really get it. But you have that weird rivalry with Inoichi-san's kid right? We could always brag a-"

"SHANNARO! YES! TAKE THAT INO-PIG! LET'S GO!"

Natsu rubs at his head. "Sheesh, not so loud!" he complains with a grin as he heads in.

What a change of pace.

I really don't understand girls at all!

Somehow though, once they've all cleaned and they relax into the still-empty onsen, Sakura-chan's confidence evaporates. She gets stuttery and nervous and if Natsu even looks at Sasuke she freaks out and he can practically feel her flail through the mindscape.

"Aren't you supposed to pull your hair up in a bath?" Naruto asks, paddling over.

Sakura-chan freaks out some more, as Natsu groans.

"Probably. It took me ages to learn how to put it in a ponytail though, I dunno how to do that weird bun-thing for baths…"

"Oi, teme!" Naruto turns around and splashes some water in Sasuke's direction. "You've had your cheat-eyes active a lot - can you copy hairstyles with 'em?"

"They're not cheats - a-and just because I know what it looks like doesn't mean I know how to do it!" Sasuke crosses his arms, glaring, and Naruto grins .

"You stuttered! You totally stuttered! You know how! Heh, are there baby pictures of you with girl-hair, teme?"

"There are not !" Sasuke snaps back, genuinely angry.

"It's okay, really!" Natsu waves his hands in front of his face. "It's not like it'll take long for me to dry it I can just-"

Sasuke sighs. "Annoy Jiriaya by using chakra to do it?"

Natsu wilts. "Oh yeah…"

"I-" Sasuke cuts himself off, gritting his teeth. Then he takes a deep breath and scoots over. "I can't do anything complicated. So just- stay still."

Then he reaches over and grabs Natsu's hair without any additional warning, twisting and pulling it at random.

Sakura-chan devolves into a stuttering mess, so Natsu can't even ask her if she knows how Sasuke's doing it.

"Oi, where's your hair tie?" Sasuke asks eventually, one hand resting on Natsu's head and the other extending into his line of sight.

"Uh, I left it in the cupboard?"

Sasuke groans. "Dobe, go get it."

"Wha- why me?!" Naruto immediately protests.

Natsu can't see Sasuke's responding glare, but he's pretty sure he feels it.

"Because if I let go this is falling down, and I am not doing it again."

"Fiiiiiiiiiine." Naruto grumbles in return, pulling himself out and darting into the washing room.

He returns in a rush, jumping into the bath and then immediately yelping as he bobs to the surface.

"That's way too shallow!" he complains, one hand rubbing at his back as the other holds out the hair tie for Sasuke.

The Uchiha scoffs as he snatches it from Naruto's hand and starts twisting it around Natsu's hair.

"There. Tch. All this time, the only reason you were wearing a ponytail was because you couldn't be bothered to learn anything more complicated?"

"Hey!" Natsu crosses his arms. "I'll have you know I can braid too!"

The deadpan look Sasuke gives in response to that is totally uncalled for.

"I think it looks kinda cute! Who knew teme could do it so well!" Naruto offers cheerily, hands miming a picture frame.

Sakura-chan snaps so quickly from fantasizing to violence that Natsu swears he gets whiplash from it.

"Beat 'im up, shannaro! Pound him into the dirt!" she demands with vigor - Natsu compromises, splashing water in Naruto's direction.

...somehow, Natsu gets the feeling he shouldn't be surprised that it ends in a splash fight.

"Wha- I- why did I expect anything else?"

Natsu looks up, still in the process of giving Naruto a knuckle-sandwich as Sasuke tries to strangle him from behind, at the sound of Jiraiya's exasperation.

"Oh! You're back!" Naruto chirps, letting go of Sasuke's leg.

They take a moment to detangle themselves as Jiraiya pinches the bridge of his nose.

"I came back to six complaints - did you brats even notice the other bathers coming by?"

"There were other bathers?" Natsu squints, trying to remember.

He gets the sensation of Sakura-chan violently banging her head into a wall, chanting "Baka, baka," under her breath.

"Well there would have been, if they hadn't been chased off by a bunch of rough-housing scamps. The innkeeper is fining me! Me! I thought I told you to behave!"

"Nooooooooo," Natsu starts, and Naruto picks up with a flourish.

"You just told us not to leave the inn!"

"There's not a lot to do here." Sasuke levels a challenging stare at Jiraiya, and the man scowls.

"Alright, you lot. Get out of the baths, c'mon. I'll give you some scrolls to study tomorrow, dear Kami-sama ."

He walks off, muttering under his breath, as Naruto and Sasuke climb out of the onsen.

Natsu looks around.

"Huh. Did you guys see where the towel went?"

Sakura-chan screeches and- and practically faints and that shouldn't even be possible she doesn't have a body-?!

"O-oi, Sakura-chan, what's wrong?"

He gets a concerning gurgle in response, and he's nearly ready to toss out all Inoichi's requests and dive in to make sure she's alright when Naruto triumphantly fishes the towel out of the water.

"Found it! Hurry up, let's go, I'm hungry!"

"I don't think Jiriaya offered any food dobe." Sasuke rolls his eyes as Natsu pulls himself out and wraps the towel quickly.

Naruto wails as they head back into the washroom, and Natsu realizes a couple guys really were in there.

"Finally," one of them scoffs, marching through them with an impatient huff.

Natsu exchanges his soaking wet towel for a dry one and heads toward the cupboard he put his stuff in.

He's half-way through getting dressed when Naruto snaps.

"What do you think you're lookin' at, ya creeps?!"

Natsu spins around just in time to watch Naruto sucker punch a guy who'd been-

Watching him?

In the time it takes Natsu to realize what, exactly, that meant, the guy's friend moves to pull Naruto off as Sasuke moves in with a kunai and the first guy runs in from the onsen, and Natsu's just kind of dumbfounded.

"Dude. Were you seriously checking out a twelve- year-old?" he asks, just as Jiraiya barges into the room.

Predictably, the inn-keeper charges them more fines.

Notes:

as far as Sasuke actually knowing hairstyles is concerned, I like to headcanon that he had a phase as a little kid where he'd always mess around with Itachi's hair.
Itachi once sat him down and explained shinobi hairstyles for keeping it out of your face in combat and stuff, and while most of it went over little!Sasuke's head, he still learned how to do a couple simple things.

Itachi absolutely went to some sort of meeting or mission with his hair in a very messy bun courtesy of Sasuke wanting to do his big brother's hair before a mission.

Chapter 61: Investigation Arc 12

Notes:

RIP Jiraiya he really CAN'T leave these kids alone.
I still need to correct my total chapter count but with how bad my ability to estimate is, I don't know how much longer it'll beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee I THOUGHT 70 WAS GOOD AND ACCURATE AND MORE THAN ENOUGH BUT NOW I KNOW IT'S NOT AAAAAAAAAAAGH.

Anyway, I'm slowly going to start titling my chapters with the arcs they cover because it's getting real annoying always having to go back and reference stuff and never being able to find it.

I had to go back to the Wave arc for this chapter, to confirm something, and I was like, "that was about chapter 10 right?"

lol joke's on me it started at chapter 23 and ended on chapter 30.

As always, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Jiraiya despairs . Getting the brats to go to bed wasn't all that difficult, but now he's faced with the prospect of getting everything ready for tomorrow, which is a lot harder now that he has to consider scrolls .

He was babysitting some kids while connecting with some of his more local spies in addition to seal research on the side! That's all this was supposed to be! He doesn't have a library's worth of jutsu scrolls on hand.

He's got some stuff on seals, notes both his own and gifted to him, mostly for the higher-level stuff that he'd rather reference than trust from memory. Can't be too careful with some bigger seals, especially seals like a jinchuuriki's or Orochimaru's custom abominations.

He can't exactly hand those to the kids though.

And he can't afford to make a clone when he's busy with Takara. Most of the time, if a clone suddenly dispels it's not going to make him break cover and ruin an infiltration, but with how big this whole mess is looking, Jiraiya can't take that risk here until he's certain about what's going on.

Not that he doesn't already have an idea.

He's just really hoping he's wrong, though he's already written up a preliminary report just in case.

He'll send it off tomorrow if he doesn't find anything to contradict it.

Should probably draw up a second copy for Kakashi, since he's investigating this himself.

That settled, Jiraiya scowls down at his belongings.

No scrolls appropriate for genin magically materialize before him.

But if he doesn't give these brats something to distract themselves with, they'll bankrupt him!

Nevermind the fact that he's pretty sure they did a lot more than just break his wallet. Too smug by half, the hellspawn, and all his instincts scream that they were doing a lot more than just wrestling in an onsen.

Unfortunately, he can't quite decide whether they snuck out, or practiced with their water-walking. Either one's likely, and if he accuses them of one but it turns out they did the other, they'll never let him forget it.

No matter which one it is, he needs something to distract them tomorrow, and he needs it now .

Maybe a creative exercise…? He could give them some sort of test or project…

Hmm…

"You kids better appreciate this because I spent all night working on it for you brats." Jiraiya starts, first thing in the morning, ignoring their bleary stares with sadistic amusement.

Natsu's only thought is that Kakashi pulled it off better.

"Huh? Whassat, Ero-sennin?" Naruto slurs around a yawn, and Jiraiya levels him a scathing look.

" This , is what you kids are going to be doing instead of earning me more fines . Got it?"

He drops a small pile of papers and notebooks in front of Sasuke with a thwap . The Uchiha barely reacts beyond a blink as he stares up at Jiraiya.

"You're giving us homework ?" Naruto screeches, scrambling to his feet and pointing accusingly at Jiraiya. "Oi! We graduated the academy already, you can't give us homework!"

Jiraiya puts his hands on his hips. "I can do whatever I want brats, and don't you forget it! But no, it's not homework, even though I was very tempted."

"Then what is it?" Naruto asks, crossing his arms as he radiates an aura of skepticism.

"No trust," Jiraiya grumbles under his breath, before shaking it off. "This," he nudges the pile of papers with his foot, "is a puzzle! It's a sealing scroll, and inside it is a scroll detailing how to perform a jutsu of my own invention, designed for spying! Obviously, you two are not allowed to actually practice the jutsu, or unseal the scroll. But if you try to unseal the scroll the wrong way, it'll catch fire and destroy the scroll inside it with the jutsu! So the three of you can stay here, figure out how to properly unseal the scroll, and then blondie over here can get it out! Might even learn a thing or two about how seals are constructed, since I drew up a small list of basics in the notebook for you."

Natsu's half way to despairing over all the thinking , Sakura all giddy with excitement behind him, as Jiraiya suddenly looms over everyone.

"Now. Let me be clear. If you brats try to do anything else, try to build your own scroll, try to dissemble it with your fancy kekkei genkai, try anything other than decoding it and reading the contained scroll, I will make personally certain that the only mission you'll be taking for the next year is Tora duty. Are we clear?"

Naruto's head bobbles so fast it's a miracle he doesn't make himself dizzy, and Natsu hastily nods in agreement.

That cat's more a demon than anything Natsu's ever fought, and even Sasuke nods sharply, whole body tensed.

"Good!" Jiraiya claps his hands, voice suddenly cheery. "Then I'll leave you kids to it. You've got enough money for breakfast and lunch, I should be back by dinner, but if I get a single fine from the innkeeper when I return, I'm making you all eat ration bars instead. Any questions?"

"Um," Natsu starts, and Jiraiya sends him an absolutely exhausted look. The kid pushes through anyway, "what do we do if we get the scroll unsealed and it's nowhere close to dinner time?"

Jiraiya's face splits into a truly wicked grin. "Well, if you get that far without burning up your scroll, that's what the other two are for. If ."

With that, he bids them a cheery farewell, and all but skips out the door.

Natsu stares down at the pile with growing dread.

"Wait so, if those are three different scrolls, then we only have one try to get each of them right…?"

Naruto whimpers. "What're we gonna do ?"

Sasuke picks up the notebooks, flipping them open.

One's completely blank, pushed aside in favor of the other.

"Homework, I guess," he offers, lips tilting up in a smirk as he stares at Naruto.

Sakura presses forward so eagerly that he honestly wishes he could just swap and leave it to her.

He can already feel his brain steaming.

Natsu swears his eyes are bleeding. The words are swimming, characters blurring into one another as his brain melts.

"Stop being dramatic and just focus!" Sakura-chan scolds. "I can't read if your eyes are glazed over!"

Natsu thinks he'd like to never read anything ever again.

"Can't we just sneak out anyway…?" he grumbles, listing sideways until he collapses into one of his teammates.

He's unceremoniously shrugged off.

Sasuke, then.

"Absolutely not! We're gonna figure this out and make Ero-sennin regret his words!" Naruto crows, which is easy for him to say, he can actually tell the stupid squiggles apart-!

Natsu groans, clawing his way back to an upright position.

"This is way harder than I thought it'd be… no wonder he was so smug."

Even Sasuke sounds vexed when he says, "He's a sanin, and considered one of the best at his job. If it's a jutsu he invented, it's worth it."

"I mean, probably," Natsu concedes, slumping as he looks back at the notebook, "but it literally all looks the same to me and I'm bored ."

"How hard d'you think this is to copy?" Naruto asks, squinting as he twists and turns one of the seals they need to decode. "Like, is it just copying the lines…?"

"One way to find out." Sasuke offers, pulling the book of notes away from Natsu.

"I think seals have to be drawn in a certain order though…? Jiraiya-sama didn't include anything like that but we aren't really supposed to be making one…"

"Sakura-chan says there's probably an order or something." Natsu repeats, propping his chin on his hand.

"And we probably gotta stick our chakra in it somewhere to make it work too…" Naruto adds, chewing on a fingernail. "That'll be tricky. But it'd be better than ruining our scrolls… Ne, teme, could you-?" he gestures, and Sasuke huffs, offended.

" Yes ." he emphasises, grabbing a blank sheet of paper. "I don't need my Sharingan for everything. " Then he glances at Natsu, "Oi, make yourself useful and see if you or Sakura can recognize anything in this sea from the one at the safehouse."

Natsu reluctantly grabs his own papers, tilting his head as he stares at them. "I barely even remember that thing," he admits to Sakura-chan, and she sighs.

"Let's piece together what we can, Sasuke-kun can check it over after. I remember there were those… wells, right? Where it stored chakra? I think they looked a little like… uh…"

Natsu gets an impression of Sakura tracing on the window pane and has absolutely no clue how to draw that.

"Ne, Sasuke, you stared at that seal with your Sharingan right? Could you maybe… copy that one too?"

"No."

"What- why not?!" Natsu protests, and Sasuke stares at him for a moment, as though questioning Natsu's intelligence. "Looking at stuff with my Sharingan is really different from looking at them without it. I remember them perfectly but they don't look the same without my dojutsu, and I can't just copy them. This ," he gestures at Jiraiya's work, "is easy. I can look at it and copy it out, because they both look the same, because I'm not changing my eyes ."

Natsu slumps. "Okay, okay, I get it. Sakura-chan's just not a visual memorizer, we don't really remember what that seal looked like."

"Just- do your best. I'll see how accurate it is later."

Natsu groans, squirming into a more comfortable position. "Fine, fine. Sakura-chan, can you do that thing again? But like, slower? Ugh this is gonna suck."

A ball of dread slowly settles into Jiraiya's gut. Not all of Takara-san's merchant contacts are in on the smuggling. But enough of them are. And most are the same thing, weapons, surplus medical goods, some kami-damned field rations . Not shinobi rations, but more generic ones from the land of Iron… It paints a picture, and Jiraiya doesn't like it.

Especially not when other merchants were assassinated .

Leaving the kids unsupervised was a difficult enough decision to begin with. Now he's wondering if he should find a safe place to put them so he can investigate properly.

Because just adding what he got from those papers to what he's hearing now, the numbers are far too big for anything he wants to bring genin to.

He needs to interrogate a shinobi. Something's going on here, and he needs answers.

Before his trouble-magnet brats get themselves killed.

He can't afford a shadow clone here.

Maybe summon a toad…?

Something to consider for tomorrow, he decides, carefully extracting himself from a conversation about tariffs. For now, he needs to find someone a little higher up the… food chain, so to speak.

There's a lot of civilians travelling through Fire.

The final phase of the exam is in less than two weeks, so that wouldn't be too surprising, but something tells Kakashi there's more at play here.

And it's not just Jiraiya's report.

"What do you think, Pakkun?" he whispers to his companion, staring at the small group of civilians.

"I think you're an idiot and you're going to get yourself pulled from active duty on psych eval."

"Nonsense, Hokage-sama likes me too much."

Pakkun gives him the deadpan stare that comment deserves, and Kakashi quickly pretends to be reading.

Pakkun continues to stare, and Kakashi breaks.

"Look, either they're innocent, and we apologize and go on our way, leaving behind a couple civilians ranting about how evil shinobi are, no big deal, or they're not , and we get some valuable information about what's going on."

Pakkun continues to stare.

Quietly, to himself, where no one can hear, Kakashi will admit that the plan is a little more Natsu-like than he should be comfortable with. It's true what they say, students really do grow on you - like a flesh-eating vine maybe, but Kakashi thinks he's doing this whole teacher thing right. Ah, what growth.

"I've done worse in ANBU." he mutters, and Pakkun rolls his eyes.

Fair.

"I'm doing it anyway." he says, ignoring Pakkun's muttered -don't say I didn't warn you- as he tucks away his book and leaps for the group of civilians.

One of them pulls a kunai as Kakashi crashes into their group, and he has a moment to think, ah, vindication, before he gets thrown into a six-on-one fight with at least two jonin.

Maybe he really is taking too much from his precious little genin though, because it's the most fun he's had in weeks .

"So is it just Sakura-chan or does this seal look simpler than the other two?"

"..."

"..."

"...HAVE WE BEEN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE HARDEST ONE ALL THIS TIME?!"

"RIGHT? WHY DIDN'T JIRAIYA LABEL THEM?"

"Could you two stop yelling? Before the innkeeper comes to investigate? And hand me that scroll before you break it, moron."

"...I have never felt so betrayed in my life."

"Right?! When Ero-sennin gets back I'm going to shove it down his throat ! ...Ne, teme, could you-"

"What does it look like I'm doing? Shut up and let me concentrate."

"Right, right- ne, Natsu, wanna look at these two? Compare 'em while Sasuke does his thing?"

"...ugh, sure. Tomorrow we're sneaking out. If I have to deal with another day of this I'm burning down the inn."

"It isn't as bad as the safehouse."

"I was unconscious for most of the safehouse!"

"Weak."

"What was that you-!"

"Wait Natsu don't fight around the scrolls-!"

"Naruto lemme go-!"

"...Do I even want to know?"

The kids are definitely sneaking out. Gamaden reports it's just pure taijutsu sparring, that they leave Naruto's shadow clones in the room, and sometimes they just puzzle over his seals outside instead of inside.

If Jiraiya weren't neck deep in a right mess , he'd call them out on it. For now, he's a bit worried if he says anything they'll just try to be even sneakier about it next time, and the only thing worse than them sneaking out would be them sneaking somewhere he can't find them .

He consoles himself with the memory of the kids finally figuring out how to unseal the first scroll, only to scream when they realize he wrote the jutsu in code. Aah, it's the simple pleasures in life, truly.

He's so glad they figured it out before he left that morning, just so he could witness it. It would have been a crime to miss it.

Gotta keep those custom jutsu protected from unwanted eyes! Not that the brats had any appreciation of his impeccable logic.

He'll make sure they really do spend the next year running the most miserable D-Ranks he can find, if he has to assign them himself!

...he can't wait til the kids realize they have to unseal all three scrolls in order to break the code and figure out the single jutsu.

He'll have to sleep with one eye open, but he already knows it's going to be the most hilarious thing he's seen in his life .

Cackling, Jiraiya heads off.

He's going to have to move quick, if he wants to get to Kemuri and back before dinner.

He double-checks his disguise, his gear, thinks over his last interactions with Gamaden and the brats…

Everything's in order.

...So why do I feel like I'm forgetting something important?

They're having a free-for-all spar, scrolls carefully put out of the way so they don't get damaged, when Naruto trips and freezes.

"Dobe, what are you-"

"Someone just broke into the inn and killed all my shadow clones."

Natsu feels a cold chill go down his spine. "Who?"

"I dunno, I didn't recognize them, it was too fast-"

"Calm down," Sasuke orders, eyes flickering red for just a second. He takes a deep breath and they settle back to normal. "We can't stay here."

"Right, right, it's an open clearing- where's Jiraiya? He was with those merchants, right? Tryin' t'figure out what they're up to?"

Natsu nods, as he scoops up the scrolls and shoves them in his kunai pouch. "Yeah, over on the west side of town. If we head over there it should be safe enough."

"Right. Shiiiit, we were so close on that second scroll too! Why now ?!" Naruto scrubs his hair, tugging at the tangles.

"Let's just go ." Sasuke grumbles, and, yeah.

Natsu definitely understands.

But Jiraiya did say not to fight, and anyone willing to just assassinate three kids in their room probably should be avoided.

...even if it's really annoying .

Natsu stumbles to a stop, gagging, before they ever even get close to the merchants.

Naruto panics. "Natsu! Are you okay? You're supposed to be better there haven't been any problems the poison's supposed to be gone-"

"I think the merchants are dead." He mutters, hand clenched over his nose as he backs away. "It reeks ."

"What- but Ero-sennin's with them, he was doin' that- right? They can't have- he's super strong, isn't he-?!"

Natsu's face nearly turns green , before he drops his hand and steels himself. "Guess we won't know unless we look. Maybe he ran back to check on us but since we weren't at the rooms we missed him?" his voice is still really tight, and Naruto wonders how bad it smells, to get Natsu to react like that.

...he doesn't have to wonder for long.

Sasuke looks away sharply, breathing uneven and rapid. Naruto wishes he could too, but he's just never seen so many bodies .

He- were there really that many merchants? Ryokan's big, but that- that's way too many! Right?

He tries to ask, but Sasuke has his eyes clenched shut and Natsu's pinching his nose closed again, carefully poking his way through the bodies.

His voice comes out nasally when he speaks. "I don't think Jiraiya's here. I don't-" he lets go of his nose for a second, sniffing, then immediately slams his hand back over his face. "'S kinda hard to tell, but I don't think he was here at all today. Don't smell him even a little bit."

"Wha- but if he wasn't here then-"

"Well what do we have here? A couple kids, lost their way home?"

Naruto spins around, putting his back to Sasuke's, as Natsu resolutely drops his arms into a fighting stance.

That's-

"We can't fight that many." Sasuke's voice ghosts out, quieter than Naruto's ever heard him.

Something's wrong with Sasuke.

It-

Natsu's too far away, and something's wrong with Sasuke and that's a lot of shinobi and there's so many bodies-

He tries not to panic.

"It's nothing personal, kid," a different shinobi says, "we just need leverage to keep your sensei from sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. He's gettin a little too close to things our employer would rather stay quiet, y'know? So why don't you just save us the trouble and come along all quiet-like? No need for anyone to get hurt."

"Much." the first shinobi adds, leering at them.

Naruto really tries not to panic.

The red bubbles up anyway.

Notes:

I apologize for the cliffhanger. I didn't expect it to end like that. The attack was always gonna happen, that filler chapter only made space for itself because my brain was telling me I couldn't be TOO cruel to Team 7, but this attack on the merchants was always gonna occur.

I just originally planned to end this chapter with a certain scene that will come in NEXT chapter, but my brain stopped here and wouldn't go on.

RIP Jiraiya, how could you forget to tell your kids you were going out of town?

Chapter 62: Investigation Arc 13

Notes:

Sorry this is late! It was finished a little bit ago, but it took longer than I meant it to to get it edited!

It's a bit longer than normal, as we're wrapping up the Investigation arc and heading into the climax, so hopefully that makes up for it at least a little bit!

As always, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Text

There's so much red . Bodies scattered across the ground, left to lie where they'd fallen, the earth radiating a scent of wet dirt and blood .

Blood sprayed across the sides of buildings, pooling in the road, soaking clothes and making a formerly pristine business district look like something out of a nightmare-

Like something out of his nightmares.

The world spins, he's breathing too fast, he needs to steady it he knows that he-

...Sasuke never thought he'd-

He trembles, gasping out breaths as he tries to calm down. Natsu's talking fast, Naruto's back hot against his own, too hot, he hears growling and Natsu's talking faster he needs to-

He can't use his Sharingan. Not here.

He can't ever have something like this burned behind his eyes, can't-

For the first time in his life, Sasuke's afraid of what he'd see if he used his dojutsu.

How much clearer could this carnage become-?

He wishes he could fight blind, for a moment, like Natsu- but he's an Uchiha, and the one thing no one in his clan ever considered was fighting without their eyes.

He doesn't know how-

Natsu stops speaking, meaningless words cutting off sharply, and Naruto's roar trembles through Sasuke's chest.

Then the steady warmth burns , and Sasuke jerks himself forward even as he feels Naruto leap-

No no no nononononono-

They can't separate- they can't fight here-!

Sasuke spins, chasing after his teammate-

Natsu's taijutsu is a vicious flurry of movement, holding an edge Sasuke hasn't ever seen before, as he ducks and weaves between three shinobi.

Ahead of him, Naruto charges in with claws and a red sheen of chakra - not quite thick enough to form the tail Sasuke saw once before, but dark and wild all the same.

Sasuke doesn't know what to do. There's too many, far too many, and every time he catches sight of the business district, the blood and the corpses, he stutters , and two more are heading towards Natsu but Naruto isn't even trying to block, just charging in with fury and chakra and-

Sasuke never asked how much Naruto can heal. How many blows can he take before-

Sasuke never asked and-

He can't watch more people he cares about die in the middle of a bloody district, can't watch his teammates die in a street that looks more and more like home with every single blink-

Sasuke snaps out his wrist, shuriken distracting another shinobi, forcing them to dodge back from Naruto, eyes narrowed to slits as he tries to see as little as possible of the streets without compromising his ability to fight-

He loses track of Natsu after that, consumed in the pace of the fight, dodging enemies and Naruto alike as he tries to keep them off his rage-blind teammate.

He runs out of shuriken, finds himself down to his last kunai, and now would be a great time for Naruto's shadow-clones and their ability to copy his weaponry, but the blond is only half in-control, not quite lost to bestial incoherence but not using any sort of strategy , just brute force and his corrosive chakra.

Sasuke needs to check on Natsu, but looking for Natsu means looking at the street and the corpses and the nightmares-

Two shinobi step between him and Naruto, cutting him off from his teammate.

He flips his kunai, leaping back as he brings his hands together, tossing a fireball at his opponents.

They leap apart, then dash forward, closing him in with a pincer attack-

He spins, leaping toward the one at his right, calling out for Naruto as he does.

He can't take them both but-

But Naruto isn't buried like he was before, and the one at Sasuke's back should be between them-

He ducks low, dodging his opponent's lunge, and lashing out with his kunai.

The man spins away, kicking out and launching Sasuke back towards the other shinobi-

He twists in the air, trying to see-

A hand grabs his arm, fingers clenched tight enough to bruise, and then a scream .

Sasuke crashes to the ground, jerks his arm back, and nearly falls over when he's released.

A glowing red tail wraps around the torso of his second opponent, pinning the man's left arm to his side, and his skin blisters and burns beneath it.

The tail swings, first left, and then right, tossing the shinobi away, and Sasuke scrambles up, stumbling backwards more on instinct than anything, as his first opponent lunges just before him.

Eighteen shinobi.

Five went after Natsu, three are down.

One might be dead, just another corpse on the street, but Sasuke can't look, doesn't want to look-

He doesn't know where his last kunai went, still hasn't seen Natsu, and Naruto has scratches and scrapes that aren't healing despite his bubbling red cloak-

He only knows a couple fire jutsu, the basic academy set, and he can't do either of them without handsigns which means he needs time but he's not getting it-

Naruto screeches , entirely animalistic, and leaps past Sasuke- he hears cursing, would almost curse himself because there's too many to keep track of -

But then his first opponent is leaping back in, two more flanking him, and Sasuke slams his hands together for a substitution-

He needs to get out , now , his mind scrambles as he tries to remember something he could substitute with behind him, because he can't leave Naruto's back unguarded but he needs to get clear -

Two of the shinobi collapse as the third leaps backwards, just barely dodging something that moves too quick for Sasuke's non-enhanced eyes to see.

Then a silver blur crashes into the third shinobi and flips past, up to a roof and then down behind Sasuke, moving towards Naruto-

Sasuke's breath trembles out, relief overflowing.

They're safe .

Stupid stupid STUPID-!

Jiraiya curses, racing back to Ryokan. Heading a town over to Kemuri to follow a lead shouldn't have been an issue. But then his lead pointed him to Kurikotan, and it was only an hour away, by a shinobi's pace. But then Kurikotan pointed him to Minatoro, with only a few tidbits of information to justify it, and that's when Jiraiya realizes he's being led away.

Sloppy on the enemy's part. Kemuri had enough information to justify moving one town out, but they should have given up a little more if they didn't want him suspicious.

Even so, he's still nearly three hours out and while he can cut the time in half if he pushes himself, well.

A lot can happen in an hour, when shinobi are involved.

So he pushes himself faster , racing through the sprawling forests of the land of Fire at breakneck speeds.

He's Jiraiya of the Sannin . Three hours?

He'll make it in forty minutes.

Tops .

He catches his first glimpse of Ryokan just in time to see a plume of fire, chased by the echoing sounds of an explosion the way thunder chases lightning.

He pushes faster .

Sakura's a trembling core of horror at the back of his mind, and it's awful .

He's seen death like this before-

Fire and blood and the scent of roasting flesh-

He resists the urge to rub his neck as Naruto roars , the sound of it-

He doesn't know.

He shakes off the thoughts, confusing and unimportant, shakes off the twinges of a scar he doesn't even have right now, and shifts his footing.

"You sure three ain't too much here? Might be better to focus on the jinchuriki-"

Oh. An idiot . Natsu grins sharply, and doesn't give the man a chance to finish, lashing out with a right-hand jab before twisting back and scything fire at the two who try to take advantage of his opening.

They won't underestimate him for long, and-

So many people are dead.

Jiraiya's missing, and his teammates are children fighting against killers and he may not be able to smell much but blood and waste, but he doesn't need his nose to have caught the signs of Sasuke's panic.

He doesn't have time to worry about going easy and being careful.

His fire burns hot , searing the tips of his own fingers, melting the soles of his shoes, and he kicks them off, one slamming into the face of an enemy-

The man screams , melted remnants of the sandal sticking to his face as he stumbles back, and Natsu darts back into the fight, fingers twitching.

He can't use fire down his right arm, the curse seal twinging and reacting every time he tries.

The third time it happens, at Sakura's uncertain suggestion, he disengages from the fight with a swathe of fire, long enough to pull a kunai free of his pouch.

Jiraiya's sealing scrolls brush against his fingers, and he feels a ghost of an idea from Sakura-chan-

He doesn't have time to see what she's thinking, the shinobi back on him and giving him no chance to ask.

The blade's a distraction, at least, an easy way to keep from tossing fire down his arm and making things worse, and it comes in handy as he catches one shinobi across the hip and another at the wrist-

For a moment, things almost seem to be going well.

They can't predict his fire, as he staggers it through his strikes, sometimes going in with blade and fists and sometimes with the heat of fire across his knuckles, lancing out from his kicks-

It keeps them off-balance, keeps them guessing, and while a fight of stamina's not smart, he knows he can keep them off long enough for Sasuke or Naruto to turn around and take care of it.

And then he's throwing himself to the ground through nothing but pure instinct , rolling sharply to the side and flipping to his feet with a sharp back-kick of fire, giving him just enough clearance to realize two more have joined his corner of the fight.

"Get clear! I have an idea-!" Sakura-chan screams, which is easier said than done-!

Natsu curses as he leaps away from a strike, hand aching as he throws out more fire in retaliation.

He's going to have to figure out how to build Sakura-chan's fire resistance he can't fight like this-

His feet ache too, Sakura-chan's callouses all wrong for barefoot combat, even without the fire making everything worse, and five really is too many opponents when he can't rely on his nose and the wind to track the ones behind him.

All he can smell is blood and death and the stench of bowels exposed to open air.

Something screeches, animalistic and mad, as Natsu spins around and catches the back of his kunai along a shinobi's cheek.

The enemies surrounding him jolt, clearly concerned about the fight with Naruto, and Natsu takes the opportunity to shoulder himself past the shinobi he just cut, kicking fire at the back of the man's knee as he launches forwards.

"I'm as clear as I'm getting Sakura-!" he snaps, switching the kunai to his left hand and jerking out Jiraiya's scrolls.

"The ones that we duplicated- shove chakra in them and then toss them! Defective seals usually explode-!"

Natsu doesn't have time to sort out the Sasuke-made seals from Jiraiya's works, but then, he doesn't really have time to remember how to grab Sakura-chan's chakra either.

He shoves his magic through all of them, reaching for the lines and the power sleeping in them, tossing the scrolls out in an arc as he does.

His right hand tingles, uncomfortable, as he lets his magic surge , and as predicted, the scrolls explode.

Well.

It's probably more his own magic than the scrolls themselves, Natsu muses idly as he clears more space between himself and his enemies.

But it's always nice when the things he's trying to blow up actually want to blow up.

The explosion - or perhaps explosion s , technically - rattle the street, nearby windows shattering with the heat and force of it.

The scent of burned flesh intensifies to something near-unignorable, and Natsu shoves the not-memories that try to crawl through him down. He painfully tightens his grip on the kunai, pulling a second one from his pouch as he feels Sakura tentatively peek out between her fingers at the carnage.

One shinobi still stands, another dragging himself back to his feet.

Three don't move.

Sakura-chan buries herself back into the corners of her mind with a cry, as Natsu slips into a ready stance.

They might be dead. They might not be.

But he doesn't know where his team is and the last thing he heard was Naruto's demonic shriek-

He can worry about everything else after he makes sure they're alright.

His hands don't tremble.

They feel like they should.

And then with a spurt of blood nearly small enough to miss, both his remaining opponents fall dead.

"I got here in time," Kakashi-sensei sighs in relief, Naruto slung over one shoulder and two kunai palmed in his free hand, both eyes clear and narrow, with Sasuke standing just behind him. "Thank the kami-sama. Where's Jiraiya?"

Kakashi's never been so relieved to see his brats. They're a mess , Naruto dazedly crawling back to consciousness, littered in cuts and scrapes, Sasuke still trembling minutely and refusing to look anywhere but at his team, and Natsu looking more like a feral demon-kid than Naruto ever has, wild-eyed and grinning like he should have fangs, arms and legs burned and bleeding, hair a dirt-and-blood crusted tangle.

Kakashi almost wants to hug them.

And then, before he even has the chance to reiterate his question and find out what happened to the sannin who was supposed to be watching them , the choice is taken entirely out of his hands as Naruto leaps up.

"Kakashi-senseiiiiiiiiiiii-!" he cries, slamming into Kakashi's legs with all the force of a Snow-Country train.

Kakashi ruffles his hand through the blond's hair, assuring himself of the kid's safety.

It was horrifying, that moment when he first laid eyes on his students - Natsu desperately breaking away from an overwhelming fight, Sasuke panicking as he tried to watch Naruto's back.

And Naruto , shrieking and throwing himself at the enemy again and again and again , and Kakashi was already remembering things best left forgotten and he didn't want to subdue his genin-

And then Naruto stopped .

Kakashi can't admit to how relieved he was, when the blood-red cloak receded, and his student collapsed.

Perhaps Jiraiya really was capable of watching the kids for a while.

Not that he'll ever say as such to the man's face.

"Maa… I'm glad Jiraiya was able to help." He offers with a smile, patting Naruto's head.

...the kid still hasn't let go.

Genin , he scoffs, a little bemused. He certainly wasn't that clingy as a brat.

Naruto blinks up at him, completely lost. "Huh? Whaddya' mean?"

Kakashi resists the urge to groan. Barely. "The Kyuubi's cloak faded when I showed up. Your control's improved."

Naruto blinks, then ducks his head into Kakashi's hip.

He pats the blond's hair again, more reflex than intent.

"I just- I don't- I don't wanna hurt my team again- so I was trying- I was trying so hard sensei I tried so hard- "

Oh.

He's crying.

Naruto's shoulders shake as he sobs quietly into Kakashi's vest, and Kakashi suddenly remembers why he argued against Hokage-sama for weeks about not taking a team.

He hates crying.

"Maa, there there, everything turned out fine, ne~?" he offers, patting Naruto's head gently. "Your teammates are fine, you did well." Yeah, that's right, Minato-sensei said once that compliments help when people are crying- or was that for angry people? Kakashi doesn't remember but it seems like good advice regardless. "You managed to keep them distracted long enough for me to get here, ne? All of you did well, Jiraiya-san shouldn't have left you alone with this- do you know where he is?"

"Nope," Natsu pops, leaning back, and then jerking forwards with a hiss when he puts weight on his hands. "Oh that hurts so much more than it did just a minute ago-"

He cuts himself off, launching to his feet and spinning to look out toward the edge of the village, and Kakashi takes the warning for what it is, twisting to shove Naruto gently behind him as he pulls a kunai with one hand and lifts his headband with the other-

Jiraiya slams into the street with enough force to send even blood-soaked dirt spraying, sharp eyes cutting across the scene to take stock of the situation before his battle-ready stance settles into something more relaxed.

"Hatake. I thought you were still investigating near the borders?" Jiraiya asks with a narrowed gaze, and Kakashi sighs, slipping his kunai away and pulling out a book.

"Well, you know how it is, when I got your second report and learned it came from Ryokan, I just couldn't stay away~ it's been so long since I last saw my cute little genin~"

Jiraiya's killing intent sharpens, and Kakashi scowls behind his mask as he snaps his book closed.

"Fine, fine, no need to get angry. We need to talk. This is a lot bigger than I think you've realized, and I couldn't trust the information to a messenger. Do you have a safe place?"

"They killed all the shadow clones Naruto had in the inn…" Natsu muses, leaning into Kakashi's side casually.

He glances down at the kid. If this one cries too he's dumping them on Jiraiya and getting out of here.

Jiraiya's face makes a complicated expression at Natsu's statement, but the man pulls up a front and grins despite whatever news so distressed him.

"But of course! Follow me!"

Natsu leans more weight against Kakashi, and the jonin can't help but sigh.

"Just this once, you hear me?" Kakashi grumbles, before scooping the genin up.

Natsu yelps and flails, protesting that he can walk, even as Naruto whines behind him to be picked up too.

Aah, genin.

How Kakashi missed them.

Kakashi-sensei's back and- and it feels so good .

Ero-sennin's not bad, Naruto thinks he could even be good if he weren't so busy with his job, but-

Something about Kakashi-sensei makes him feel so safe.

Not that that means he's off the hook, 'ttebayo!

He didn't even tell Naruto that he was family-!

Almost family, a voice whispers, and Naruto shoves it away.

Natsu's still hissing and snapping that he's fine, as Kakashi-sensei pins him down and cleans his burns.

Ero-sennin keeps looking like he wants to say something, but the one time he tried sensei growled so he's being quiet while Kakashi-sensei takes care of their wounds.

Naruto scoots a little closer to Sasuke.

"What happened to his shoes ?" he asks, and tries to ignore how the Uchiha still trembles a bit.

He wants to ask what's wrong, but-

Sasuke has some small burns, burns Naruto can't help but recognize-

He clenches his eyes shut, pulling away from his teammate.

He was trying so hard, but he still hurt them-

Sasuke leans back into him, and it's so surprising Naruto freezes, panicking.

He doesn't say anything, frozen stiff, and Sasuke doesn't either, acting like he's not even aware of what he's doing, and they sit like that for what feels like years before Kakashi-sensei finishes with Natsu and turns towards them.

"The most recent intelligence says he was in Kusa," sensei says out of nowhere, and Naruto sees Jiraiya open and close his mouth, clearly annoyed.

He has no idea what that means, but Sasuke must, because he goes reaaaaally stiff, trembling gone.

"Wh- that's so close-" Sasuke cuts himself off, and Naruto has no idea what that means, no idea what sort of tone that even is-

Sasuke curls into himself.

"Why-?"

"I don't know. We've kept track of him, just in case he planned to… maa, you know, but unfortunately his motives are a matter of guesswork. He hasn't come this close to Fire in over two years now, but. He's not here , Sasuke-kun. Not here."

Naruto wants to ask, wants to ask so badly , but Kakashi-sensei's never sounded so concerned before.

Naruto didn't know he could even feel that sort of soft concern.

Sasuke's next breath comes out shaky, uncertain. "It just-"

"I know. I was in the first ANBU response team. I saw."

Something in Sasuke snaps , then, and it's almost like Naruto can feel it .

"Where were you?! He had- there were so many- hours, it should have taken hours-! So where-?!"

He's surged up, pushing Naruto aside as he hisses in Kakashi-sensei's face, and it feels like it's a question Sasuke's asked before, somehow.

Naruto knows all too well what it sounds like to ask a question so much that he can't even finish it anymore because he already knows the answer.

He surges up to his knees, wrapping his arms around Sasuke.

He doesn't really understand, but he knows that pain, knows how he asked and asked and asked about his family, until he couldn't even bring himself to do it anymore, until someone finally answered-

"I'm sorry." it's another surprise, hearing Kakashi-sensei apologize so bluntly. "I know you've heard this a hundred times before, and I know how dissatisfying it is- but we didn't know . He was ANBU, a Captain at that. He kept the alert from going out."

"Bullsh-" Naruto closes his eyes, hugging tighter as Sasuke lunges. "Let go of me-!"

The same answer, over and over and over again: "Your parents loved you very much. They died in the Kyuubi attack. I'm sorry, Naruto. I'll tell you when you're older. I promise you'll understand."

It haunts him, haunts him because he just wanted to know something , anything , and no one would-!

Not until the Kyuubi.

Not until Jiraiya .

His heart still feels like it could burst, the facts about his mother a swirling current of happiness curling through every fibre of his being.

Even if no one said anything until the Kyuubi said it first, he still knows now.

So maybe-

He uses Sasuke to pull himself all the way up to his feet, ignoring his teammate's snarling.

"Don't you have any ideas though?" Naruto asks, a little hesitantly, not quite letting go of Sasuke's shoulder, even though he half-expects to get punched. He doesn't really know what's going on here, but he knows those feelings .

Maybe his help won't be appreciated, but if he can-

He stares into Kakashi-sensei's eye, hoping maybe he'll just understand without Naruto having to try and explain-

Kakashi sighs, reaching over to ruffle their hair. Then he sighs, looking away, hands still resting on their heads.

"I- do have a theory. I'm not- I truly can't tell you some things, Sasuke, you have to understand that the entire situation is still under highest clearance, and you don't have that yet. But- well. I think that perhaps he wasn't the only ANBU to… break loyalty. I noticed something was wrong in the district as soon as I went on patrol, and raised the alert. The previous patrol team disappeared by the time we thought to start looking for them. No one found any bodies. I really can't say more than that. But he was well-liked. It's not impossible to think some people were willing to help."

Sasuke ducks away, pulling out from under Kakashi-sensei's hand.

Naruto's starting to think he knows what they're talking bout now-

That smell of blood Natsu mentioned back then, and the way Sasuke reacted-

He knows Sasuke used to be less of a jerk.

Or maybe just a different sort of jerk. Always acting like he was better than everyone else, always coming to school with really big bentos- he never even finished them! And- and he never shared but Naruto could only stare -

And then he didn't come to school.

And then he did, but he never talked, not about his big brother, or his extra training, or his cousin this-or-that-

And he never brought a bento again.

And the military police disappeared too, which Naruto didn't think too much on. They were really good at catching him in his pranks, so he was just glad that there was no one who could get him, though it was kind of weird where they all went…

And they always had those same fans that Sasuke always wears-

Naruto thinks he maybe knows what happened.

He's known Sasuke didn't have any parents for a little bit, and he also knows Sasuke did , once, and sometimes he'd wonder which was worse, maybe, on those bad days when everything hurt so much -

"As cute as all this is, you said this was urgent." Jiraiya interrupts, before Naruto can even scoot in to try and help-

He scowls. His teammate hurting is urgent! Even if he is a jerk , Naruto tacks on hastily, squinting at Sasuke as though he might have heard.

Sensei sighs though, and nods.

"Sunagakure is working with that new village, Oto, for a joint invasion of Konoha. There's reason to believe Orochimaru is behind it. Most of the shinobi are already in place, the ones I interrogated implied they were just waiting on the final order to attack. Their absence will likely be noticed soon though, so we need to move quickly if we're to get back in time."

"What-?" Naruto sticks his finger in his ear, trying to clean it out, attention snapping back to the adults. "Whaddya mean they're gonna invade Konoha- ? What's that even mean- ?"

Sensei ignores him. "Even if it isn't directly Orochimaru, with him still nearby, he could be taking advantage of the chaos. At the very least, you need to get back there as soon as possible. I likely should as well, but-"

Sensei looks at them, then, a visual gesture, and Jiraiya nods.

"I'd begun to suspect as much myself, though I've had a bit less luck finding anyone in-the-know enough to ask… If you already have a report written up, give it to me, I'll compare the details with what I've found."

Kakashi-sensei hands over a scroll before Jiraiya even finishes, then rests a hand back in Naruto's hair.

"And the brats? We can't take them back to Orochimaru's influence like this- have you found anything?"

Jiraiya grimaces, and Naruto feels worry settle in his gut. "I have a few ideas, one of which I actually feel pretty good about, but… even if we rushed it, it'd still take a couple days. I don't know if we have that sort of time, not if you left a trail. But if it's a joint invasion, Konoha can't be down someone like you- K'so, this is a mess." Jiraiya jerks a hand through his hair, scowling. "Can't leave the brats alone, either, kami-sama save us all…"

"I, uh," Naruto jumps a bit at Natsu's voice - he's been so quiet since Kakashi-sensei finished patching him up, "I actually had an idea? With Sakuni-chan. But we sort of need Inoichi-san's help… and it sounds like you guys really really need to get back to the village anyway… so maybe if we snuck in, so that guy didn't realize you knew anything, we could fix it before anyone knows we're there?"

Jiriaya turns, arms crossed, as he glares down at Natsu. "Details kid. I'm not dragging you unlucky brats into an active warzone because you had an idea ."

Kakashi-sensei chuckles, pushing Naruto and Sasuke back a step. "Come along, you two. Let me patch you up while they argue it out, ne~?"

"Wha- but I wanna-"

"Hn-"

"No protests~! The adults are talking!" So saying, Kakashi-sensei hustles them out regardless of their complaints, grinning all the while.

Naruto takes it all back.

He didn't miss Kakashi-sensei even a little bit .

"...so, she figured, since I can sorta affect things I really shouldn't be able to with my fire, with a bit of extra help and someone working on the outside, we could just- burn it out? I dunno if that'd work with the ideas you had but we definitely need someone who knows a bunch about seals to be tracking it out here and-"

"No, no, I get you kid." Jiraiya groans, pinching the bridge of his nose.

It's insane .

Absolutely mad .

Inoichi'll likely have an aneurysm just hearing it, even before he hears he has to get into that mess.

"And you're sure you can burn it out?" Jiraiya feels the need to question, because - again, what ?

Not a kekkei genkai my ass, he grumbles, as Natsu drags his fingers through his hair and gets them tangled on all the blood still caked into it.

"I mean- we're not like, certain -certain, but Sakuni said something about the guy in my mindscape and how he could help or something… And I mean. It's our head, y'know? So it really should be easy to just burn anything that isn't us. But you said back then, something about the seal being self-repairing and stuff - the only part we're not sure of is what happens if that shade thing manages to like, bury itself somewhere we can't find it. Which is why we need Inoichi-san, b'cause Sakuni and I just don't know if we could stop that ourselves… As long as he can do that part though, I know it'll work."

Natsu pauses, then scowls. "Dunno if there'll be side-effects though, since Sakura-chan's body's so much weaker than mine…"

Putting aside every question he has about the person inside Natsu's head , because if he asks he's probably going to want to tear his hair out in frustration, Jiraiya thinks it through.

He'd have to modify the seal ideas he'd already been working on, direct them more for chakra-monitoring and maybe add a couple hooks there and there -

Three, four hours tops? Probably less, unless something goes wrong.

Should be more than enough time - I can merge Hatake's report with my own en-route, and he can deliver it to the Hokage while I get Inoichi in on this. Everything goes well, Orochimaru won't even know I'm in the village til we're done.

Ifwe can get there before the dead shinobi are discovered.

It's a risk, Jiraiya acknowledges, carefully weighing his options.

But is it more of a risk than taking either himself or Kakashi out of action for an invasion?

And considering the kids' unholy luck… will they even be safer out here?

The answer, Jiraiya knows, is an all-but-resounding No.

The kids could - and have! - found trouble in a locked safe-room.

And that was without Naruto.

...he really should have taken that into consideration before he agreed to watch them.

Sighing, he nods. "It's the best we've got, that's for sure. Let's find your team, brat. Faster we get out of here, faster we can get this dealt with."

If this backfires, Jiraiya's forswearing all responsibility.

Team 7's luck is obscene and he will not be held accountable for it!

Nope! Nada!

Sensei'll just have to deal with it !

Chapter 63: The Sound-Sand Invasion 1

Notes:

Welp, here it is! The start of what we will affectionately call the Chunin Exam arc, even though Team 7 has missed almost all of the actual exam parts lol. With a couple cameos from characters that people have been asking to see for a while now, pending proper introductions!

One much sooner than the other.

Sorry as always for the delay, my brain only wanted to write original ficlets lately, so I didn't get this chapter out as soon as I wanted to... Hopefully it'll be willing to cooperate for just a bit longer!

As always, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Text

Being carried sucks . It was bad enough when Kakashi-sensei grabbed him before, just because he'd leaned on the man for a minute! Not even! It was just nice having his scent again, and maybe he was a little dizzy since the adrenaline from Jiraiya's arrival faded but there was no need!

...except then sensei picked him up again , rushing out of Ryokan with Natsu stuck piggy-back, a pack bouncing beneath the genin, holding what supplies were still intact from their room. Natsu managed to escape with an intact qipao, and Naruto's ramen cups had miraculously survived the pillaging. He tries not to feel too guilty about Sakura-chan's missing spice box, likely stolen by the shinobi who'd broken in.

Jiraiya's small pack was too booby-trapped to be searched, the man saying something about how traps can be rigged to explode after being moved a certain distance, and that the shinobi likely decided not to steal it wholesale just in case.

Natsu slumps against Kakashi's shoulder, desperate to distract himself from the utter misery of his position. At least I'm not with Jiraiya , he muses, catching sight of the sannin running ahead of them with both Naruto and Sasuke in his arms.

All he has to deal with is a pack.

...and being carried .

It's a long trip to Konoha, dragging out at a snail's pace as Natsu can't even burn off any energy, stuck being carried the whole way because even with deadweight Kakashi-sensei is faster than him.

Natsu grumbles into the man's vest a bit. Even in his own body, Natsu's pretty sure he wouldn't be fast enough to catch up which just makes it worse .

Kakashi-sensei chuckles. "I'm pretty sure I already mentioned it, Natsu-chan. Shinobi use chakra to enhance physical attributes. Maintaining a speed like this is as much about how much chakra a shinobi has as it is about muscle strength. And stamina, and chakra control, and mental state-"

"Wha-? What's mental state got to do with it?" Natsu sits up a little, trying to look at Kakashi.

"Concentration…?" Sakura-chan questions, just as Kakashi-sensei answers.

"Well, mostly your ability to focus. Enhanced running like this requires precise chakra control, sustained over long distances, meaning that if your concentration wavers at all, well. Best case scenario, you'll just get tired. Worst-case, you can really hurt yourself, by over-flooding your legs with chakra and damaging the pathways there. I've heard a tale or two of someone literally blowing out a tenketsu point as well, though I've never seen it happen."

"Huh. So, 's it a bit different from tree-hopping then?"

"Why don't you tell me?"

Natsu scowls, propping his chin on Kakashi's head, then quickly moving away when he nearly bites his own tongue with the jonin's pace.

"...not a thinker," Natsu grumbles, face buried back in Kakashi's vest as he slumps a bit.

"I think you're smarter than you give yourself credit for. Go on - don't as Sakura-chan either, just figure it out. You've already tree-hopped before, so it shouldn't be hard to tell the difference. You're good at sensing, after all, aren't you?"

Natsu scrunches his nose, thinking. "Only if I can feel the chakra," he mutters absently, as he gets the sensation of Sakura-chan physically putting her hands over her mouth.

"Go ahead then," Kakashi-sensei offers, and Natsu startles a bit, "my family's chakra is very dense. It has a number of uses in combat, but the greatest is that it's hard for other people to manipulate it. You won't be able to shake my control without actually putting some effort in."

Natsu hesitates, then slowly adjusts his grip so that one hand rests closer to sensei's naval than his heart.

And then, pulling up a thin sheen of chakra, he feels .

Kakashi-sensei doesn't even try to stop him, though Natsu can tell, instantly, that the man could if he wanted.

The chakra's everywhere , and it's overwhelming. Natsu can't read anything from it, it's just a storm of thick, heavy energy pulsing to a beat he can't understand - and then Sakura-chan gasps in realization, and it flows through them, the understanding-

The chakra is thick, heavy, a little sparky even, but more than that, it really is everywhere.

"Pretty sure blowing out a tenketsu point is the leastsort of harm you could cause yourself!" Sakura-chan shrieks, almost horrified, and Natsu almost has to agree.

Maintaining a speed like this, over such long distances… he can feel the chakra travelling through the legs, strengthening them, loosening the muscles and keeping anything from locking up or giving out-

Strengthening the lungs, the heart, even select points in the head , hearing and sight carefully enhanced to keep up with the speed so they're not running blind -

There's chakra leaking out too, not much, and he has no idea what for until Sakura-chan mutters about wind resistance, and how shinobi are trained to run bent with arms behind to minimize it, and she never understood why except maybe to present a smaller target because wind resistance doesn't affect speed enough for it to matter and it really felt like charging with her head and neck being the easiest targets wasn't smart at all -

But they are moving fast enough for it to matter, fast enough that Kakashi-sensei is leaking a delicate thread of chakra to protect both them and himself from wind that would be almost cutting otherwise, nevermind the harm small debris like twigs could cause-

He pulls his chakra back slowly, slumping over Kakashi again. "Your explanations suck ," he grouses, "you made me think it was all in your legs-!"

Kakashi-sensei laughs. "Maa, it practically is though."

"Is not-!" Natsu and Sakura shout simultaneously, and Kakashi chuckles.

Natsu wonders how upset Naruto would be if he strangled the man. Just a bit.

His stomach growls.

Sensei hands him a ration bar absently.

Natsu should probably rinse off the wrapping, considering how much blood went spraying around earlier, but…

Meh.

It probably won't kill him.

They were in pockets so it's fine, probably.

He chews lazily, head resting uncomfortably on Kakashi's shoulder.

He could almost fall asleep to that, the rhythmic pulse of sensei's chakra, the sound of his heart beating beneath that pulse…

He drifts.

"Natsu."

"Hnngh…"

"Natsu."

"F've more m'nutes…."

"Natsu I will drag you up."

"Wha- Sak'ni…?"

Inner sighs, hands on hips.

"No, I'm your mother- who else would I be?"

A little harsh maybe, and Sakuni really shouldn't be taking out her temper like this, but.

It's not really like Natsu remembers enough for the digs to hurt anyway.

No.

No .

She needs to hold it together. Just a little longer.

"Sheesh, someone's snappy." Natsu teases, sitting up and smiling at her. Sakuni wishes she had the energy to tease back.

"Were you able to speak with Jiraiya-san?"

Natsu doesn't quite sulk, but she gets the feeling it's a near thing. "Straight to business huh? Yeah, I did. We're taking the express route back to Konoha, and we'll speak to Inoichi-san and give it a shot ASAP. Why? Something wrong? I didn't think it was a rush - well, more than like, the average level of rush. Ish. Something like that. You know what I mean."

Sakuni can't help the sigh of relief.

And the rising feeling of dread.

"How soon til we get there?"

Natsu shrugs casually. "Tomorrow at the latest, though I think they're hoping to get there under the cover of nightfall. But it took us days to get out that far, I dunno, even if they're using chakra to go faster, can we really cover all that distance in one? Like, Kakashi-sensei doesn't have the biggest chakra reserves right? So..."

Sakuni would love to think about that, but- but if they're arriving tonight then she can't-

There's something that has to be said, before they try to remove the seal.

For something as delicate as this, Natsu can't be distracted.

Which means he has to know.

Now .

"Oi. Natsu, there's- there's something you need to know. Before we do what we planned to remove the seal. Um, about- about the guy in your mindscape."

Natsu tilts his head, curious. "Yeah? What about 'm? I've never heard anyone in my head like Sakura-chan could hear you, so…"

Sakuni can't help but shift her weight a little. "You're… not going to like it. You're going- going to be mad. At him. Probably."

Natsu stands up slowly, glancing between her and the path to his own Heart. He hesitates a moment, then steps away from her.

"If you're that worried, you can stay here then? I'll go see who it is for myself. You can keep an eye on the shade-thing or something."

Sakuni shouldn't but- she nods, backing away as Natsu turns and walks down the bloody path without hesitation.

He's not the kind of person to hurt someone just for delivering bad news but-

Sakuni shudders.

With that thing involved, she doesn't want to take chances that anyone's emotions could be… compromised.

The shriek of pure fury that erupts a few minutes later, she thinks, neatly proves her logic. She trembles, as the temperature even in the Bridge begins to climb.

Hopefully they won't break anything just yet.

She's only barely holding on as it is.

Natsu wakes up pissed . Snappy and snarly and hurt , somehow, and Naruto's not even sure how that happened while he was sleeping , but- but it's impossible to miss.

Natsu went to sleep and woke up hurting , hurting so much he couldn't keep it in and keeps getting mad and-

It's not like he tried to hurt anyone, just snarled at Kakashi-sensei a lot when the man wouldn't put him down and let him move , but still.

Naruto's… never really seen Natsu angry before. It's new, uncharted territory, and even if Natsu's not really violent with it like Sakura-chan could be, it's still a bit unsettling, especially when everything was normal before.

"Well someone woke up on the wrong side of bed," Jiraiya teases, Natsu only growling in response.

"Careful there - I've already got one student growing claws, I don't need two." Kakashi-sensei's voice is light, but there's something sharp underneath it, and Naruto's gaze snaps to Natsu's hands almost without thought.

There's not really claws, that he can see, but- but something about them looks weird .

Natsu mutters an apology as he flexes out his fingers, and it almost looks like there are scales peeking out from between the bandages.

Naruto glances over at Sasuke, but his teammate doesn't do anything, just staring out into the forest and ignoring him.

Like he has the entire trip.

He paid attention a little when Kakashi-sensei and Natsu talked about the running technique, but-

Well, normally Naruto would needle Sasuke a bit, get him riled up and talking , but he can't really do that with Jiraiya carrying them both. He's stuck within strangling-range, and he's not sure he likes his chances.

It's a long, boring run to Konoha. Naruto falls asleep himself at one point, blearily crawling back to consciousness when Sasuke jabs him in the leg and hisses at him.

A moment later, he's set on his feet, stumbling a little as he shakes the last of the sleep off himself.

"Did we make it?" he mumbles, rubbing his eyes a bit and blinking around.

"Shh," Ero-sennin waves a hand at him, and Naruto bites back the rest of his questions as the man knocks on a door. Blond hair pokes out, and Naruto recognizes the guy a little from when he spoke to Team 7 before, back when Natsu first showed up.

"Jiraiya-san-? You're not supposed to be back yet-"

"It's urgent. We need to borrow a T&I room, one of yours. I'll explain once it's secure."

The man sharpens . Every ounce of 'casual' vanishes, replaced by the hard lines of a shinobi, even in his sleeping yukata.

"Papa-?" a voice, broken by a yawn, "who's at the door?"

"Duty calls, I'm afraid. Tell your mother I'll be out for the rest of the night, and will likely miss breakfast."

"What-! But you were supposed to train with me more, the exam's only a few days away-!"

The door shuts, the voices instantly cut off, and Jiraiya settles back with them, shaking his head when Naruto opens his mouth.

Naruto scowls, waiting -a bit impatiently- until the guy, Ino's dad, he's pretty sure now, comes back out. He takes quick stock of them, eyes narrowing slightly at the sight of Kakashi-sensei, but Jiraiya shakes his head.

"Once we're secure, he's going to deliver our report to Sensei - we want as few people in the room as possible. If you have a coworker who can stick with Naruto for a bit as well, we can't have anyone knowing we're back until after we're done here."

Inoichi nods, and Naruto bites hard to avoid saying anything.

He resolves to yell at them as soon as they're in that T&I place, but-

But-

It's so cold , is Naruto's first thought, as they slip through the non-descript door and into a plain, boring hallway.

There's nothing special whatsoever, but it's freezing .

And then there's another door, and then a locked door, and then there's stairs, and another door at the bottom-

As soon as Yamanaka-san opens the door, there's a scream.

Naruto jumps, trying to leap back and tripping over the steps, plowing into Sasuke who grunts as he takes his weight-

Ino's dad grumbles. "My apologies. Anko-san forgot to close her door again." he mutters a curse, striding forward quickly and snapping something out that gets an immediate apology, and then the sound disappears .

And suddenly it's another normal, boring hallway, except for the blood on the floor.

Sasuke's stiff behind him, and-

"Where… are we?" Naruto murmurs.

"Hellhole, probably."

Naruto jumps a bit at Natsu's sudden answer, and when he glances up there's a sharp glare etched into Sakura-chan's face. Somehow, he seems even angrier than before, and Naruto didn't even think that was possible .

Ino's dad sighs. "It's a necessary job, and a very secure place for what I'm beginning to suspect is your plan to fix your little… issue."

"Necessary my ass you damned-"

"Natsu."

Kakashi-sensei's hand comes down, gently resting on Natsu's still-dark hair, not quite crusted with blood anymore but not back to its normal, soft pink either. "We've got more important things to worry about right now than Inoichi-san's day job, such that it is. You can argue with him later."

Natsu snarls again, stalking forwards with a sharpness that feels almost predatory, and Naruto's a little confused but-

He's not stupid.

Logically he knows, even from the Academy, that T&I is the department that interrogates prisoners and stuff. And with people trying to invade Konoha they probably have lots of prisoners they're trying to get info from.

Jiji probably knows something's up, at least.

He just-

That scream was-

It's one thing to know, and another to know , really, so Naruto sticks close to Jiraiya as Inoichi leads them through deceptively normal hallways until they reach another room.

The room's scary , when Inoichi opens the door. Scary and cold and devoid of comfort, a large bed that barely looks like a bed with all the- the handcuffs and leather straps and stuff, a wall covered little cups and holders that have blood spattered around them and Naruto tries very hard not to think about what gets put into those cups and things because-

Natsu stalks past him, still predatory and angry , spinning around to sit sharply on the edge of the bed, arms crossed as he stares at Inoichi. Sasuke joins him a moment later, and then Kakashi-sensei rests a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Come on. I know where the breakroom is, Inoichi-san already signalled to have someone meet us there."

Naruto doesn't want to leave, not with Natsu so angry and Sasuke still so stiff , not in a room where people have probably been tortured , not even if Jiraiya's watching them-

Sensei pulls him away though, gently tugging him back until they're gone and the door shuts heavily behind them and-

Naruto trembles, then.

Kakashi-sensei sighs.

"The first visit to T&I is always the worst. I may have hid it better, but even I was freaked out, the first time. It's okay. Inoichi won't hurt them - you're lucky that your first visit gets to be under such good circumstances. If you want to be Hokage one day, you'll probably have more unpleasant visits later."

"What-? Why?" Naruto twists to look up at Kakashi-sensei, confused. "Why were you here? And why would I ever-?"

Kakashi-sensei sighs. "Well, for me, I got separated from my team back during the war. I didn't get captured, but I was away for long enough that policy kicked in - I was required to be checked out by T&I to make sure I hadn't had my mind tampered with or anything. There's a lot of policies for that. During war, if you're absent for more than forty minutes while on or near the frontlines, you have to be checked out by T&I. Outside of wartime, if you're unexpectedly absent from your team for over three hours in neutral territory, or an hour in another village's territory, it's mandatory check-up time. If your team leader thinks you're behaving suspiciously after any amount of absent time, it's a mandatory checkup. If you're known to have been captured by foreign shinobi for any amount of time, even as little as five minutes, it's a mandatory check-up. If you get drugged at any point during a mission and it wasn't on purpose, check-up. Even if it was on purpose sometimes they'll give you a check-up anyway, just to be safe. The higher-level missions you go on, the more likely you are to hit one of those scenarios. So I'm sure you'll come here sometime in the future for much less pleasant stays, if you keep shooting for Hokage."

Naruto shudders a little. "Are checkups… bad?"

Kakashi-sensei shrugs, holding another plain, boring door open for him. It leads to… another plain, boring room with a metal table bolted into the floor, and no chairs to sit on.

Then Kakashi-sensei passes him and opens a secret door, and finally they move to a normal-looking room, that isn't boring at all, with squishy chairs and a fridge and- "Is that a stove?" he asks, squinting, and Kakashi-sensei chuckles.

"You still have your cup-ramen on you? I won't stop you if you want-"

"YES-!" Naruto all but screams, darting forward and digging around until he finds a good pot for boiling.

"Didn't you say some guy was s'posed to be here?" he asks while staring intensely at the pot, looking for the slightest hint of bubbling.

"I'm sure he'll show up shortly. But, to answer your question… hm… I guess it really depends on who's doing your checkups. And also what rank you are. There's different policies after all, especially if you go into something as secure as ANBU, or have a leadership position on a team or in general. A plant of any level can cause serious harm to a village, but it's also true that invasive exams can damage a shinobi in the long run, so they try not to perform the truly invasive tests unless you were either on a very particular mission or have a position of high authority and access within the village. A genin like yourself would likely just get mind-walked by someone like Inoichi-san. Although, admittedly, for you I'm not sure what they'd do. The Kyuubi could well just eat the mind-walker after all… maa, I'm sure they'd think of something. Otherwise though, there's a few other useful tricks they have, like special seals designed to dissect chakra in order to make sure there's no tampering - those were invented by Jiraiya-san, back when he was trying to remove Orochimaru's first curse-seal. It didn't work, obviously, but I hear T&I has found a lot of good uses for it to harmlessly check for tampering in peoples' chakra networks. There's a few other tests I can't tell you about, as they're performed when shinobi are asleep to prevent anyone from tampering with them, but that's about it. Konoha does try not to torture her own men after all."

Another wall opens just as Naruto pours his boiling water carefully into the ramen cup, a guy he's never seen before stepping through.

Naruto finishes pouring before squinting up at the wall. "How many secret doors do you have ?" he asks, and the new guy cracks a grin.

"As many as we want. I'm Takahiro - I'll be babysitting while your sensei goes to report to admin. I hear you guys have had quite a trip."

"And I'm sure you know all about clearance levels - the details are for Inoichi-sama and the director only , so don't go interrogating my brat. Naruto, just ignore him if he gets too pushy. T&I is staffed mostly by the curious so he'll try to get anything and everything out of you just because he can."

"Wha-" Naruto protests around a mouthful of noodles, but Kakashi-sensei's already gone.

He stares suspiciously at the new guy.

"Is your name really Takahiro?" he asks, and the man grins.

"It's the only name you need to know. No need to be so suspicious! We're all Konoha shinobi here, I'm not going to hurt you or anything! I just know how boring it is, sitting around, while you're team's stuck with the Yamanaka. They're no fun if you ask me, and it's so awful waiting on results. So there's nothing wrong with chatting to pass the time is there?" He smiles, and- and it's not slimy at all , but it feels like it should be, so Naruto turns away and slurps his noodles louder.

Maybe he'll just keep making ramen, if he's constantly eating, the man can't trick him into saying something!

That's right, 'ttebayo! He's not saying anything!

Chapter 64: The Sound-Sand Invasion 2

Notes:

I am so so so so SO sorry for the delay!
Holidays are a hard time for me, mostly because the only time I can present-shop is over the weekend, which is when I do most of my writing...
But good news! You guys get a double-update!
I finished this chapter, AND the next one! As soon as I finish editing the next chapter, I'll post it, likely tomorrow! And if I'm super super super lucky, I'll finish a third chapter and you guys can get a triple.
...maybe I can take my laptop to work, since it's holiday week this week I'm unlikely to be super busy, I could maybe write and just give chapters up til christmas...?

We'll see if that works out, I don't wanna make promises. But nyush! Two chapters for certain, and 60% odds for a third, I'd say!

Once again, sorry for the delay, and thank you as always for reading! Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Text

"Do you have any idea how reckless this is?" Inoichi hisses, aghast.

Burning out the seal - from within the mindscape-

The sheer damage it could cause-

" Are you mad?! " He can't help but snap, voice raising, as he looks between Jiraiya and Natsu.

The Uchiha is a tense ball of worry and surprise, clearly not having been briefed on the plan beforehand, Natsu a near- simmering presence beside him.

Jiraiya sighs.

"I wish we had time for a different path. But Orochimaru wasn't in the village just to get his hands on Sasuke - he's got Suna wrapped up in plans for an invasion, a large number of shinobi have been infiltrating our borders, weapons and supplies smuggled in by merchant groups who were later assassinated - including the Ton'ya, which is already going to be a nightmare with the Daimyo by the end of this. We can't afford to have this level of weakness right now, especially when we don't know what level of influence Orochi can exert over his seals. We're going to have to take the risk, Yamanaka-san. And you're going to have to help us."

Inoichi gives in to the urge to scrub at his face.

This is-

Did they even consider -?

...he's going to have to ask.

Biting back a groan, Inoichi drops his hands. "Even if Natsu-kun knows his own mind well enough to burn out the seal from it, what about Sasuke? This is quite a risk to begin with, but it seems even more dangerous for him."

Natsu scowls. "I'm gonna help Sasuke - gonna use that trick you showed me for m- Sakura-chan's parents, and pull Sasuke in. Then me 'n' Sasuke will work in his head, while Sakuni and- and- he'll work in my and Sakura-chan's mindscapes. And you'll keep the shade-thing out of our way and stop it from slipping off and hiding somewhere dangerous. And Jiraiya'll use his seals to stop any of the chakra from slipping off and hiding somewhere too. Since Sasuke 'n' I are both guys Sakuni thought it'd be easier for us t'work together - you'd probably be best in there, but you can't use the fire like me 'n' him can, and I dunno how to stop that shade from sneakin' around, so… it's the best way to do it. Sakuni'll make sure she and Sakura-chan don't get hurt."

He crosses his arms then, and Inoichi stomps down his parental instincts.

Whoever he'll be meeting inside Natsu's own Heart is someone who's caused a lot of distress for the kid, that much is obvious.

He wants to ask, but now isn't the time.

The word invasion echoes in his head. Sure, they'd suspected something with Orochimaru's presence. The man hid himself masterfully, infiltrated the village, attacked Team 7, and then disappeared without a trace . It was unusual, unexpected - the Snake Sannin had never been the sort of person to take large risks for only a single objective, and everyone knew there had to be a secondary goal.

Clan secrets were locked away, dangerous records either sealed or destroyed depending on whether they were truly necessary , children kept careful track of and patrols doubled.

Even the slightest suspicious behavior investigated, people interrogated-

No one believed the Uchiha was all he wanted, but while they'd certainly found a surprisingly large number of spies, none of them knew anything - near-civilians paid to send information to a false ANBU on a number of subjects.

A thorough investigation of ANBU revealed an unnerving number of stolen uniforms that Hokage-sama appeared to have been aware of, and a secondary investigation Inoichi wasn't permitted to be a part of revealed that two were not expected.

At least two stolen ANBU uniforms, and an alarming number of not-quite-stolen uniforms that he wasn't allowed to know the purpose of.

Clearly, Orochimaru's theft blended in among the others.

An invasion, though.

Joint-coordinated with Sunagakure.

They knew it had to be big, but for one of the five Villages to participate…

He wonders, now, if Orochimaru's attack on Team 7 was meant for Konoha to pull in her shinobi from the borders.

In anticipating a second attack within the village proper, they'd pulled the majority of their reinforcements from the western border - trusting, if barely, their alliance with Suna to mean they needed less men stationed there in face of an in-village emergency.

Now, he wonders if they played straight into the Sannin's hands, making it easier for Suna to smuggle an army across their borders.

Sasuke, half a diversion and half a secondary prize - a prize lost with Natsu-kun's interference, but the diversion perhaps only more impressive for it.

After all, there was no hiding what had happened from the other villages, not with the interloper's impressive fire jutsu.

And of course those villages demanded more security for their own participating shinobi, forcing Konoha to call back a few more than they'd have preferred from their borders in order to prevent being accused of endangering the Exam attendees unduly-

How much of it Orochimaru planned, and how much he only took advantage of, Inoichi can't quite say.

But he doesn't doubt that the invasion, at least, had always been the Sannin's goal. He'll have to speak to Shikaku, as soon as they're done here, if Hokage-sama doesn't brief the Nara first.

Which means…

Grimacing, Inoichi sets himself in the chair. "Draw what seals you need, Jiraiya-sama. Let's get this over with."

"-so then Jiraiya showed me this picture of my mom and she was so cool and Sasuke was all like-"

Natsu digs his fingers into the wood frame of the bed, trying not to move as Jiraiya sketches ink across his back.

He doesn't want to be angry, not really.

Igneel's alive , he's alive , that's what's important, because Natsu always refused to believe he was dead but everyone always said that the dragons had all died and sometimes he couldn't help but doubt but Igneel was too strong to die, and he believed that and-

And he was right.

Igneel's alive .

That's-

That's a good thing.

A happy thing.

He shouldn't be-

He doesn't want to be-

But-

But Igneel won't explain anything, anything at all , no matter how Natsu asked he just said he had reasons , again and again and-

All Natsu wants is to know why , why Igneel disappeared, why he was alone-

He waited! And waited and waited and waited for days for Igneel to show up, and he never did, and Natsu had to leave eventually, had to find food, had to find a place to sleep now that he no longer had a dragon's great wings to shelter him from the rain-

And now-

Now he finds Igneel but Igneel can't even tell him why -

He waited for so long, and searched for so long and Igneel can't even tell him why he had to- to- to stick himself inside Natsu, to disappear without a word-

Natsu doesn't want to be angry at his father now that he's finally found him again but he just can't help it, the pain and fury and betrayal that he shouldn't feel because it's Igneel , his dad , and Igneel wouldn't do something like that without a good reason but-

But Natsu's alone and he doesn't know how to get back home and he's basically stuck working for a yami guild and he just can't-

He just wants to know why -

All Igneel did was talk about stuff like antibodies and keeping Natsu from turning into a dragon but they were in the Heart of Natsu's mindscape and he knows it wasn't the full truth.

Not even half of it.

There was a reason and Igneel won't tell him and-

And if it were really just about the antibody-stuff, Igneel would have told him way back when he first warned Natsu about the dangers of Dragon Slayer magic. If it were really just about helping him not turn into a dragon, Igneel wouldn't have done it without saying anything to Natsu. And he'd have told Natsu how long it would take, and when they could be together again, and-

And he didn't .

He didn't do any of that, never even warned Natsu to begin with-

Maybe all the paranoia of the yami guild is wearing off on him, but Natsu feels like, since it isn't something Igneel ever warned him about before, there probably is another way to get those antibody things.

And Igneel was planning to use that other way.

But then something happened, something Igneel won't tell him about , and everything changed.

Natsu doesn't remember his human family - flashes, glimpses, he had a sibling he's surehe did - but he never needed to, because he had Igneel , and-

And he never really thought Igneel would leave him too.

And now Igneel won't even be honest with him and- and-

What if he leaves again?

Natsu shoves the thought away, vicious and furious, and only barely remembers not to move.

Igneel had a good reason for this, he tells himself, again and again, and he can trust Igneel, that's always been true, they're family and Igneel loves him as much as Natsu loves Igneel.

But somehow it just makes it hurt worse , because-

Because-

Why doesn't he trust me, too…?

"-and there we go! Time for you kiddos to lay down and get situated, let's get this started."

Jiraiya interrupts, and Natsu shoves the thoughts away viciously.

Whatever else is true, Igneel would never hurt him - not intentionally, anyway- and they've got a parasite to burn out.

Once they've got rid of that thing, though-

Well.

Natsu's going to park himself in the mindscape and refuse to leave until his dad actually talks to him , no matter what!

...maybe he could ask Inoichi-san for tips on how to trick people into saying things…? He's not really good at that sort of thing - he doesn't really want to think about how Inoichi-san learned- but he could probably pick up a trick or two-

"Oi, brat, are you listening to me?"

Natsu jerks his head up, to find Jiraiya's face not two inches from his own.

Oops .

The old man straightens, crossing his arms as he looks down on Natsu, and the Dragon Slayer laughs.

"I'm movin' I'm movin'," he flops down onto the… bed of dubious usability, and he's pretty sure the Council's prisons have more comfortable slabs of rock for criminals to use, but if he complains Inoichi-san will probably tell him something he really doesn't want to know so he bites back the urge to say anything.

It's… easier to forget Konoha's a yami guild when people like Kakashi-sensei and Jiraiya seem so-

So normal-

Which is why he's going to take them all back home with him.

If they're that normal despite being in a yami guild, then it means they don't really want to be in a yami guild, they just don't have a choice! So if Natsu takes them all with him, it won't be an issue!

...hopefully.

Not the time, he chides himself, and drags his focus over to Sasuke.

They probably should have warned his teammate before they got there, but… Natsu sort of forgot between Kakashi and Igneel and everything else-

At the very least they should have warned Sasuke that Natsu was about to get in his head, but it's too late now, and they really do need to get rid of the seal.

Keeping that parasite away from Sasuke's gates and cutting off a lot of his bigger tendril-things helped get rid of that distance issue, but Natsu knows there's a lot of smaller tendrils they missed, and they can't risk leaving even one around.

Which means there's no choice.

Inoichi-san's fingers ghost against his temple, pulling him down, and Natsu extends his own chakra-laced fingers towards Sasuke, tries to make sure he'll land in the right place-

And then in a disorienting swirl, Natsu and Sasuke both land in a barren street, Inoichi nowhere to be seen.

"This must be your Field…" Natsu muses, looking around. "It's… well there's nothing really here…"

Sasuke scowls. "Are you just going to stand there or are we going to do something-? "

"Right, right," Natsu chuckles, glancing around. "Where're the gates? That's where everything connects to Sakura-chan and me, so that's probably where that snake guy's influence is strongest…"

"You couldn't have dropped us there in the first place ?" Sasuke asks incredulously.

Natsu protests. "Hey, I can't control where I land! Heads are weird places, and the Bridge is super weird, okay? It's easier to just show up in the middle of the Field!"

Sasuke scoffs, but it feels a little amused to Natsu, so he throws his hands behind his head and meanders after his teammate as the Uchiha leads the way.

Igneel will take care of things on the other side.

This will work.

Natsu doesn't need to worry.

"-and Natsu said-"

"Natsu?"

"Yeah, he- uh- th- I- um… I… didn't say anything? Ehehehehehe..."

Igneel's form is massive , dwarfing them utterly, and if Sakuni weren't so exhausted she'd be amused at seeing Ino's dad so speechless in the Dragon King's presence.

Igneel, for his part, seems mostly annoyed and distracted. Perhaps a bit aloof.

She's argued with him enough regarding what he should tell Natsu to know the dragon just doesn't want to admit she was right.

And then Inoichi mouths a word that looks like jinchurikki , and Sakuni would correct him, she really would , but they've wasted enough time with his shock and they need to get started, so she shakes him out of it.

"A-ah, Yamanaka-san, we need to get started now… Igneel's the one who taught Natsu his fire, so you can leave the threads to us - you just need to pin down the shade… Do you-?"

Inoichi physically shakes himself, still looking a bit stunned, then turns toward her. "I should be able to handle it well enough - the two of you will be fine?"

There's a concern there that Sakuni appreciates, really, she does , but they don't have time for it.

"We're fine. Natsu and I tried to trap the shade over there, it should still be pinned. If not though, there should still be traces…"

Inoichi's brow furrows, but then he nods, and Sakuni sighs as he strides toward the tangled mess of vines and fire Natsu and Sakuni had thrown together to try and pin the shade.

"Guess it's just you and me, big guy. Let's get started."

Igneel chuffs, scolding, but fire twists obediently through the Bridge regardless.

They get to work, then, Sakuni fighting not to tremble.

Her exhaustion can wait .

Until her Outer is safe.

Until Sasuke and Natsu are safe.

Just a little bit longer…

She can hold on.

She can .

Igneel's warmth at her back isn't as reassuring as Natsu's.

She wonders what the difference is.

Just a little more…

"It can be hard, sometimes, to watch a teammate grow into something new and unfamiliar. But, Naruto, male or female they're still your teammate. You don't need to worry so much about these changes as you think- your friend isn't broken, they're just learning and growing into themselves, and, really, puberty is exactly the sort of time I'd expect for things like these to start…"

"Ahahahahahaha, I-I guess you're right, Natsu's Natsu and Sakura-chan's Sakura-chan after all… y-yeah, that's it, I'm just being silly-"

"Ah. Naruto, are you by chance saying that Natsu and Sakura are different people ?"

"...oh shit wait no that's not what I said you were totally right before it's just a little weird right I'm just not used to the-the name change or- or something- um-"

It's almost beautiful , Jiraiya thinks, watching the seals across the kids glow in fiery shades and then disappear.

Some smoother than others.

He's learning so much about the curse seal, just by studying which parts of the seal fight the hardest against the glow that signifies Natsu's kekkei genkai.

He takes careful notes, sharp eyes dissecting every inch of the seal, occasionally modifying his own seal as necessary.

By the end of this, he'd like to be able to remove Anko-chan's as well.

Heat radiates from the children, not quite enough to smear and melt his own seal lines, though it's certainly done a fine job of chasing away the chill of T&I.

Sasuke's skin flushes pink.

Jiraiya makes a note to have him checked out for burns, after, and adds another line to his seal.

He's never been fond of live-modification, but, well.

Needs must, and all.

A new section of curse seal begins to glow, and Jiraiya times it in his head as he finishes his own alterations.

Didn't fight much, he muses, as the section fades away.

He casts an eye over the kids, looking for the next patch to time as he puts the finishing strokes into his alteration.

And then a warning chimes through the chakra filling the room, as something attacks a piece of his seal.

Ah, there it is .

This bastard, always chasing after myart! But I'mthe master here, and these kids are counting on me-!

Jiraiya moves around the table, already plotting out the next alteration to his seal to keep that parasite from pulling any tricks.

He's got a job to do, and he doesn't intend to fail.

The air shimmers around Natsu like a heat-haze, something indescribable lingering like an aura.

Sasuke knew what Natsu looked like, he's hardly forgotten that henge, but it's an entirely different matter to see his teammate moving , animated and himself in a way he's just never been in Sakura's skin.

He looks more comfortable in his own form in a way he never is outside the mindscape, and Sasuke can't even say what it is about him that's changed, really, except for his appearance.

It's also so easy to forget he's an adult, out in the world, when he wears Sakura's skin and Sakura's clothes and speaks in Sakura's voice-

But he is .

He walks with all the confidence Sasuke's ever seen in older shinobi, like nothing can go wrong because he knows he's stronger than his opponent-

It's not reassuring.

It isn't .

It's the bare minimum Sasuke would expect from anyone trapezing around his mind, so he appreciates the proof.

That's all .

Sasuke doesn't say any of that out loud.

It has nothing to do with the fact that people can't lie in a mindscape.

"...how does your fire work?" Sasuke asks after a long minute, as Natsu gets his fingers on some disgusting… tentacle… thing that was lurking between the cobblestones that line his district.

He resolutely does not think about it.

"Huh?" is his teammate's intelligent reply, suddenly reminding Sasuke that his entire team is full of morons -

"Whaddaya mean? I just wanna light stuff on fire, so I do."

Sasuke scowls. "I've seen your fire with my Sharingan. I tried to copy it once, but all it did was hurt , and I got maybe a bare lick of flame. It didn't even feel like yours. So there's gotta be a trick to it, right?"

Natsu snaps his head up, glancing at him before hastily turning back to the weird tentacles when they try to slide away from him.

"Whaddaya mean you- nevermind of course you- when though-? Y'seriously tried to copy me -?" his teammate rambles, before letting out a triumphant HA! as he finally burns out the tentacle and moves on to the next one, "Look, I dunno how to explain it. My stuff pretty much just uses Spiritual Chakra, right? None of that physical stuff to weigh it down. Kakashi-sensei says that sort of thing is really hard to do, and I learned as a really young kid so I can't really say if he's right or not. And even then, the kind of fire I use is pretty special compared to others, even if you wanted to use magic it'd be pretty dangerous to use my magic… 's considered a Lost Art for a reason, y'know? Guess if you figured out how t'split up your chakra I could try to teach you some stuff, but I dunno if it'll even work , an' I'm definitely not teachin' mine so-"

Natsu cuts off with a hiss as a large tentacle lurches from between the stones and tries to strangle him- Sasuke could almost swear the thing has glimmering white scales , but he doesn't see any eyes or head so that doesn't make sense -

Natsu gets his hands around the not-quite-a-snake and burns , fire engulfing them both in an inferno nearly too bright to look at.

When it fades, ash slips through Natsu's fingers, coating the ground in a fine layer.

"Shit, this thing's seriously aggressive. Is Inoichi-san really doing his job right…?"

More white-scaled… things … burst from the earth, and Sasuke steps closer to his teammate.

"This is my mind," he grunts, taking a stance, "So shouldn't I just be able to tell it to go away-? "

"With all the claws he's got in you? Don't think it'll do ya any good. But y' could change what this place looks like, maybe make it somewhere a little harder for him to hide…?"

Sasuke nearly snaps to ask how , but then the not-tentacles reach for them, and his idiot teammate laughs as the fire rages higher.

When this is done , Sasuke promises, I'm going to strangle him.

Chapter 65: Interlude VIII: Ino's Rival

Notes:

So, next chapter is ~1/4 done. I think I can get it posted before Christmas, so that's what I'm gonna aim for!
And if I write more than that, well, who's gonna complain? We'll see how it turns out!
…also in today's news, I thought I had all of next week off for the holiday but it turns out I only have three days off so I'm sulking.
I SWEAR SHE SAID A WEEK AAAAAAA-
*cries*
Anyway, as always, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Text

Papa comes home exhausted , all but stumbling through the door and onto the couch.

Every request for training dies on Ino's lips as she sees her father melt into the furniture, pure exhaustion lining every inch of him.

Carefully, Ino moves forward until she can sit next to him.

"Daddy? Are you okay?"

Papa glances over at her question, a slight smile lighting his face. "Oh, Ino… I'm sorry flower, I was going to teach you today…"

Ino chews at her lip- her papa's exhausted , she can't just say what she wants to, she knows that's not fair-

"What happened…? Some sort of emergency?" she asks tentatively, half-expecting her father's oft-given answer of confidential .

So it's a bit of a surprise then, when he answers.

"Aaah, Team 7 brought me a mess again, as usual. I think they're alright, though it took more work than expected…"

Ino fights not to squeal. "Sakura's back? I haven't seen her since our Team assignments! Oooh she's had Sasuke-kun to herself for so long- I need to catch up-!"

"Ino- wait-!"

Ino almost stops, but-

Sakura .

And Sasuke-kun. She barely pauses enough to throw on her shoes before darting out, feet turning on pure instinct to Sakura's house.

She hasn't really… well.

They're rivals now, so she can hardly be expected to visit Sakura anymore, but-

Somehow, she didn't expect that getting their teams would mean never seeing Sakura again.

But there's always something and Sakura doesn't even try to talk to her and-

She expected the boasting, at least, about being on a team with Sasuke-kun, expected Sakura to come by the shop and buy flowers and gloat and then Sakura didn't and Ino was-

Maybe angry, a bit, that it felt like once she had Sasuke-kun Sakura was too good for Ino, didn't even try to pretend at their rivalry because she'd already won-

Ino's been avoiding Sakura, really, is it, because Sakura's been avoiding her .

But-

But then Sakura's team - Sasuke's team - didn't even participate in the Chunin exams, not even in the first test, and-

Ino's not worried.

She isn't .

It's just- a little odd, is all.

And sure, the exams turned out to be really scary and the final exam's going to be worse because she won't have her team with her for it but-

Ino has a feeling that something is wrong with her friend rival, and she's tired of waiting on Sakura to come to her.

So she'll just have to figure it out herself, and then maybe tell Sasuke-kun aaaaaall about the exams later, because she got to participate and Sakura didn't and Sasuke-kun will want to hear everything -

Ino grins sharply as she knocks on the door to the Haruno household, rocking eagerly onto the balls of her feet.

The door swings open, and Ino leaps forward, hugging Sakura's mom. "Hey Haruno-san! I heard Sakura-chan's back from her trip! Do you know where they went? I hadn't even heard they left, my dad just came home from helping them with something, I haven't seen Sakura in aaaages , is she here? Did she take a bath, am I interrupting-?"

Haruno-san's fingers brush gently over Ino's shoulder, hesitant. "Th-they're back in the village?" she stutters out, voice wavering in hope and-

Oh no.

"Um… y-yeah? Daddy said they'd brought trouble back and he'd been helping them and- oh no, he told me to wait but I just ran out anyway- Is- Is Sakura-chan in the hospital? Ohmygod I'm so sorry I didn't know I should have-"

Haruno-san's arms come around her, tight and warm as she's wrapped up in a hug, and Ino eagerly returns it.

She's always liked Haruno-san's hugs.

She didn't miss them when she and Sakura became rivals.

She didn't .

"Aah, it's alright Ino-chan. Things have been… really complicated, I guess, I'm sorry- I thought your father would have told you. Why don't we go talk to him, ne? He'll know where to find everyone, I'm sure."

Ino nods, stepping back from the hug. "Yeah! Just because she got put on a team with Sasuke-kun doesn't mean she can avoid me forever! Let's go!"

Ino marches out, though she does pause to wait for Haruno-san to come out-

Huh? Is that Sakura's dad?

It's not like Ino's never met the man, but… only one or twice, back before she and Sakura were rivals.

And yet there he is, walking up with his wife looking both eager and worried and-

Something really big happened with Sakura and her team, didn't it…?

What Ino doesn't understand is why her daddy never said anything.

Even Haruno-san thought he would so… what's going on?

No way am I leaving without answers now!

Ino leads the Harunos eagerly back to her house, fully prepared to pester her father into answering no matter how long it takes. Her rivalry is on the line! And Ino's not going to lose, not to- to that billboard brow!

"I'm home!" Ino calls as she steps inside, slipping off her shoes.

"Ah, Ino-chan," her father starts, sounding so relieved - and then he freezes, turning the corner and making eye-contact with Sakura's parents.

Definitely something big , Ino confirms, eyes narrowed, as her dad sighs. She almost feels guilty for how his shoulders slump, but she's hardly going to take it back now when she knows something's wrong , so she crosses her arms and stares at him.

"Daddy? What's wrong with Sakura-chan?" she asks, eyes watering, and the tears are easy to fake when the concern is so real -

They're rivals, after all.

Of course she's worried.

Her dad slumps even more. "I really… can't tell you most of it, flower. But they're fine-"

"I want to see her."

Papa scowls, though Ino thinks it's not really directed at her. "I can't do that-"

"We'd like to see our kids, Inoichi-san." Sakura's dad says, voice not quite cold but definitely angry and what- ?

Kids ?

Did- Did Sakura-chan get-

No. No way.

She wouldn't-

Not with Sasuke-kun-

Not without-

Did- did something go wrong on a mission-?

Is that why-?

The tears aren't fake anymore, and Ino will admit she's panicking.

"Daddy- daddy what happened to Sakura-chan what happened why- what's wrong what happened- I need to see her I need- I- I-"

Her dad's suddenly there , arms wrapped around her and Ino needs to calm down , she can't get her dad to let her see Sakura-chan if she's not calm -

"-Ino, flower, she's safe, I swear she's safe- it's complicated but she's fine I don't know what you're thinking but I assure you she's fine , shh, shh-"

Ino stutters. "H-he said kids , it's been months , I h-haven't seen- not once- a-and there were those rumors about their first mission- what happened- what h-happened-"

Her dad freezes , whole body turning to a statue, Ino still cradled in his arms, before he sags.

"Oh Ino, no, no, nothing like that- we'd have told you- I'd have told you, we wouldn't have separated you if- it's just… it's classified, flower, and I can't speak about it without Hokage-sama's permission. Alright?"

If he weren't holding her up, Ino thinks she would have collapsed.

She's okay she's okay she's okay-

But why can't I see her?

Ino curls deeper into her father's arms.

"I need to see her- I need to daddy I need- I need to see her-"

"I can't believe you didn't tell her anything - has she spent all these months thinking Sakura didn't care anymore…?" Haruno-san murmurs worriedly, and Ino trembles slightly.

Something's wrong-wrong-wrong-

Ino extracts herself from her dad's hug, hastily wiping her eyes as she steps between Sakura-chan's parents.

She knows what confidential means, knows she can't just ask her dad to break his vows but-

But this is Sakura .

Her best-friend-turned-rival.

If something's wrong-

She has to try.

And Ino knows something is very very wrong.

Nothing she says can sway papa. She can't see Sakura at all , because Sakura is tied up in something big and confidential and-

She asks about Sasuke-kun.

Same answer.

After a long moment and a lot of dithering, she asks about Naruto. He's loud and annoying and really Sakura-chan deserves much better (but not Sasuke-kun. He's hers!) so his crush is irritating but-

Papa hesitates, then shakes his head. "And let you harass the boy into telling you everything? Ino, confidential means confidential . I'm sorry."

Ino stomps up to her room and slams the door, ignoring her father when he tries to talk to her.

She's not really angry, her dad's T&I, she's known what confidential meant since before she could walk.

But pretending to be angry will get him to leave her alone for a little while as she plans, because.

Her papa's T&I. And Ino is absolutely incapable of letting something go once she's curious.

She waits until papa leaves for work again, and sneaks out.

The Uchiha compound is empty (and maybe a bit spooky, but Ino's not going to say anything about it), and Naruto's apartment is… a disaster. Just stepping into it makes Ino feel like she needs a shower, she doesn't even want to know why Kiba knows where Naruto lives.

It's obvious no one's been home in a while.

It looks like it's been longer since Sasuke-kun was home than Naruto, though, and that-

The only way that makes sense is if whatever happened to Sakura and Sasuke-kun didn't happen to Naruto.

Ino wants to be angry at Sakura. Clearly she did something with Sasuke-kun, to get ahead of Ino.

Ino tells herself this, over and over.

…so why is she still more worried than angry?

Sakura did something, she had to have done something to Sasuke-kun, that's all, that's all it can be because-

Because-

Ino goes back to Sakura's house.

She shouldn't, because her father said it was confidential, but-

Ino can talk Sakura's parents into telling her, she knows she can-

She could slip into their minds, question them in a place they can't lie to her, and they're just civilian, they couldn't really stopher-

Ino shouldn't do this. She knows she shouldn't do this - she's a genin now, and she knows that means she can be arrested and tried for breaking a Classified restriction like this but-

She has to know.

She has to.

She slips in through Sakura's window - it's late enough they're probably asleep, and Ino can't be seen standing on the doorstep, or someone might talk to her dad-

And it's not the first time she's snuck in like this, anyway, she still remembers that time Sakura got grounded and Ino snuck her sweets and played quietly with her, getting shoved under the bed when Sakura's mom came to check on her-

She feels like a thief.

Creeping through Sakura's room, so different from when they were friends but still so undeniably Sakura -

Then through the hallway, and down to the other bedroom-

Her hand hovers over the doorhandle, and Ino questions, just for a moment, if she really should-

But she's come this far.

And Ino can't leave without knowing what happened to her friend rival.

She opens the door, slipping into the room with a shinobi's grace, eyes focused on the bed-

Only one person-?

An arm slams against her throat, pinning her back against the doorframe, and suddenly she remembers that Sakura's dad is a retired shinobi himself-

She squeaks, pushing a little at his arm, and sags in relief when he lets her go.

"Ino-chan? What are you doing here so late?" he asks, stepping back to give her space as Ino gets her breath back.

"I-I snuck out. Papa won't tell me w-what happened to Sakura-chan and-" She needs to stop babbling, needs to sound serious and maybe then someone will explain -

She catches a glimpse of concerned eyes as Mr. Haruno glances away, back towards his wife.

"Oh. I… I don't know, Ino-chan. We could get in a lot of trouble…"

He runs his hand through tangled pink locks, shifting away from her, and-

Ino hadn't really thought too much about it, that she wasn't the only one who would get in trouble for this but-

But she's come too far now.

"If I used my clan jutsu, and entered your mind… you're basically civilian, you couldn't get in trouble for that…" Ino offers, tentative, because for all that she'd considered it as an option-

She'll get in so much trouble -

Sakura's dad looks at her, face drawn and concerned, and-

He probably knows how bad that would be, for Ino, but-

"She's my friend ," Ino admits, and as much as they're rivals, they're still friends - they have to be, and Ino's not going to deny it anymore- "I need to know. Please . I don't care how much trouble I'm in, b-but I need to know and no one's t-telling me anything-"

"Oh sweetie," Mrs. Haruno starts, slipping from the bed and wrapping Ino in a hug, "I know you're worried. We don't know much ourselves though… something happened just after the chunin exams started and we haven't been allowed to see them since…"

Ino latches onto the information with a vice grip. "Them? So… there's another kid…?"

Mrs. Haruno sighs. "C'mon," she offers, leading Ino to the bed, her arm never once dropping from around Ino's shoulders, "It's… it's a bit complicated."

Ino quickly finds herself tucked between Sakura's parents on the bed, biting back her impatience as they gather their thoughts and try to figure out what to say.

She's so close.

She's not going to make them change their minds by being rude and rushing them.

"It started back with the final test - where the jonin-sensei decides if they want to keep the team." Sakura's dad begins, face drawn in what Ino thinks is worry. "Kakashi-san used a genjutsu on Sakura, and when she broke out of it, she… wasn't Sakura anymore."

Ino bites her lip on an exclamation, unwilling to interrupt, but-

But-

That can't-

She clenches her fists, she never knew patience could hurt so much, and eventually he continues.

"Sakura was still there, apparently, your father learned. Trapped in her mind somehow, and nothing he did could get her out. The person in control of her body's a young man named Natsu, and he's as trapped as Sakura is - he and some friends were trying to defend from a powerful jutsu and he somehow got thrown into Sakura's body, and he's been looking for a way home ever since. He's- he's a good kid. Surprisingly skilled at your family's techniques, once he got the hang of them- he often takes Mebuki and I into their mindscape so we can talk to Sakura-chan. We're not supposed to tell anyone about Natsu. I think the official story, if we get questioned, is that once Sakura reached puberty she started questioning her gender and we're simply accommodating her… But like Mebuki said, we haven't been allowed to see Sakura or Natsu since just after the chunin exams started…"

Ino reels .

Sakura- got possessed ?

She tries to imagine it, Sakura trapped in her own head, as some boy runs around in her body-

Ino shudders, curling into herself. "There- there has to be something we can do-"

Mrs. Haruno strokes her hair, and Ino leans into her. "It's not that simple - and Natsu isn't a bad kid, he- well. He could pass for Sakura's brother, really. He's fierce and determined, and so empathetic - sometimes, it's almost like Sakura just shed all her insecurities and found her own will of fire as you shinobi say…" she trails off with a smile, then glances back at Ino, fingers still stroking her hair, "And then he says or does something even Sakura at her most confident would never do, and I remember he's his own person, but… He fits, you know? There's… a space here for him, in this family, if he wants it… and you know what the biggest proof is?" Mrs. Haruno's grin widens, and Ino just barely bites back a question of since when were they trying to prove this "Natsu" was related to them- "Him and Sakura, their hair is the same shade of pink!" her voice lilts, teasing, as she taps at her head knowingly and-

Ino thinks about it, Natsu, and Sakura-chan, and their… situation.

And Ino knows that long-term possession is hard, because bodys tend to reject spirits that aren't their own if they linger too long.

She also knows that Yamanaka don't have that problem with each other, because being family helps , it reduces that strain, the closer the better.

But even if that's true-

It doesn't help Ino find her friend at all.

She curls her legs up onto the bed, only remembering at the last moment that she still has her shoes on.

"Sorry- sorry-"

"It's fine," Mrs. Haruno offers, "I can't imagine how hard it is to find out like this. We honestly thought your father would tell you something, at least, and it must have been so painful, thinking Sakura didn't want to see you anymore…"

Ino sniffles. "I just wanna talk to her…"

Mr. Haruno slumps. "We do too… Natsu's… a good kid, really, but he's also fairly high-strung and- I'm pretty sure that fire in the jonin apartment district was his fault. It happened just after he stopped coming home. I just- worry that he's getting into trouble, but they won't even let us talk to him and it doesn't really help…"

"Yeah…" Ino agrees, leaning into Mrs. Haruno. This is-

It's a lot more than she expected, and Ino doesn't know what to do with it all, and Sakura's probably somewhere in T&I and even if Ino knew where the offices were located she absolutely can't go looking, she's already going to be in so much trouble when her papa realizes what she did and-

Ino wants to see her friend again. She wants to call her names and get called names in turn and make fun of her for being on a team with Sasuke-kun for so long and still not being able to make any moves and-

And Ino can't do any of that.

She can't even hug her.

She-

Ino's never felt so useless.

Curling up in Mrs. Haruno's arms, she cries.

Tomorrow-

Tomorrow she'll come up with a new plan.

For now she just wants a piece of her friend. Just this much.

Sakura's mom hugs her fiercely, a gentle hand resting on her back that must be Mr. Haruno, and at some point, Ino falls asleep.

They're still curled up on the Harunos' large bed the next morning, when Inoichi Yamanaka knocks on the front door with sharp finality.

Chapter 66

Notes:

...I'll be honest, I feel like the emotional depth is REALLY WEAK in this chapter.

But my beta reader says it's good? And to be honest I re-wrote this thing THREE TIMES and STILL couldn't get it right, so at this point I'm just crying and throwing up my hands and saying DONE IS DONE.

If I look at it much longer I'm going to scrap it all and go for re-write number FOUR and who knows how long it'll take for me to get it out to you if I do that.

So here's to hoping it's not as bad as I fear, and my beta reader's actually right on this one.

I JUST FEEL LIKE I DID KIZASHI REALLY DIRTY OKAY, I LOVE MY VERSION OF HIM AND WANT TO DO HIM JUSTICE AND I DON'T FEEL LIKE I DID. BUT IF I DON'T CALL IT DONE NOW I NEVER WILL.

So yeah, here's the much late and much-redone chapter, hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading!
(I'm ALMOST done responding to my older reviews)
(hopefully I can actually stay ON TOP of them this time but that is... probably asking too much of my brain which decides whether it has the ability to handle that sort of thing based off coinflips)
(which sucks because I LOVE reading reviews and I feel like answering them is basically the same thing but apparently my brain doesn't agree and will sometimes read a review twenty times and enjoy it every time but never actually write up an answer rip)

Chapter Text

The Harunos are a merchant family, and not particularly noteworthy at that, Takahiro thinks as he flips through the records, lingering on Haruno Kizashi's brief time as a genin of Konoha before moving on.

Haruno Mebuki, formerly Ito Mebuki before her marriage, is a merchant from a family of merchants and small-time craftsmen going back as far as Konoha's records have bothered to keep. And even those records only go as far as they do because six generations back Ito Akisane married Chikime-san of no recorded family, who was a vassal of the Uchiha clan and the clan head of the time did a thorough background check of the man marrying into their civilian line.

Aside from his time as a genin, however, there's surprisingly little in Haruno Kizashi's file. Notes on him, his parents (small-time craftsmen, fitting with the rest) and his grandparents (similar jobs for his father's parents, absolutely nothing listed for his mother's-), it's almost amazing they let someone with such empty records join the academy to begin with.

There are pictures in the file, and Takahiro flips through them absently: Kizashi himself (dark pink hair, larger build, eyes on the bluer side of dark green), his father (brown hair, brown eyes, definitely enjoys his food), his paternal grandparents (the man again brown-haired and brown-eyed, the woman black-haired and hazel eyes), his mother (blue-green eyes, strawberry blond hair, well-muscled), and… her parents.

If Sekiryu Hisako is a well-muscled woman, her parents are… undeniably shinobi. There's no mistaking that sort of appearance, that sort of posture , even in a candid photo like this. Sekiryu Fukumatsu, no maiden name listed, has the same green-blue eyes of her daughter and grandson, and bright blond hair. Sekiryu Makoto, though. Black eyes, pink hair. Bright pink. Not Kizashi's muted color, but as bright as Sakura's.

There's no mistaking their occupation. And while bright colors don't always mean a kekkei genkai, the shade is… distinctive.

And there are no records of the Sekiryu, and no matter how much he tried to backtrack, Uzumaki-kun spoke very clearly about Haruno Sakura's split personality as though it were just another person, not a side-effect of intense trauma.

There's something to investigate here, Takahiro muses, drumming his fingers against the table. Perhaps something in ANBU's records? He doesn't have the clearance for that, but the Gazelle will look it up for him if he asks…

Takahiro takes his time as he puts away the records, making sure they don't look disturbed as he gets ready to leave, more a matter of habit than necessity.

Though he'd hate to be banned from his new interest when he hasn't even figured out the mystery yet.

Humming idly, he puts the finishing touches on his work and then strides out of the records room at a brisk pace. He's got some paperwork to wrap up before he can leave the office and hunt down his friend for some… off-duty sleuthing.

He can hardly wait.

"A dragon?"

"I don't know… what else to call it. Its shape was like no drawing I've ever seen, less serpentine, closer to a long-necked lizard with wings. It was very reptilian though, and 'dragon' feels like the only possible descriptor…"

Inoichi slumps into his chair, exhausted as much from his time in Natsu's mindscape as from Ino's antics.

He doesn't even know where to begin addressing everything she did and-

He should tell Hokage-sama.

He doesn't.

"And there was no trace of a seal?"

Inoichi sighs. "No - it moved freely throughout the connection point of Natsu and Sakura's minds, and went just as freely back to Natsu's mindscape once we were done. It also didn't allow me to follow, and I thought it wiser not to push, but… Hokage-sama. The path connecting Natsu's mindscape to the bridge was… I don't know. For someone as kind as that boy, I can't understand why it looked like that. I don't believe he's lied to us about anything, so I can only assume it's the creature influencing him but even that doesn't explain-" Inoichi drags a hand through his hair, scowling.

Nothing makes sense . And every time he thinks he's starting to understand the situation between Natsu and Sakura, something comes through and makes it even more complicated and now he has to wonder if the dragon has something to do with why they're both stuck, but if that's the case, how is Inoichi to help? If it's the will of that creature for them to be trapped together, they can't just leave it but Inoichi saw what it was capable of and he can't fight that -

The imminent invasion is its own cause for concern, on top of everything else, and Inoichi has barely slept in the past two days, making reports and doing his job and chasing after Ino and-

He doesn't have time to worry about anything else.

At this point though, he doesn't have much of a choice either.

"Let them out."

"Hokage-sama?" Inoichi snaps back to reality, turning to look at his leader in confusion.

"We know Orochimaru still has a spy somewhere in the village. We need to keep him from realizing we know about the invasion as long as possible. He's very proud of his work. The idea that we could have removed the curse seal will offend him, hopefully distract him long enough for us to put the last few things in place to minimize any damage. If we're especially lucky, he may make a second attempt at targeting them, allowing us a chance to capture him or whoever he sends to do the job. I won't count on it, but it's a possibility that works in our favor."

He pauses, taking a drag at his pipe, before continuing.

"And perhaps having their child back where they can see her will stop the Harunos from raising such a fuss every time a jonin stands still long enough for them to catch up to them. I've got a number of complaints still on my desk from shinobi blindsided by them and would like that number to go down."

There's a lilt of humor in Hokage-sama's voice, but none in his eyes. Inoichi takes the reprimand gracefully.

He may not have tried quite as hard as he could have to convince them to have patience, so it's only natural they went to other sources to find information.

"If that's all then, Hokage-sama?"

"Nn. For now. Please keep me updated on the situation."

Inoichi bows sharply and leaves the room. And considers.

Letting Ino see Sakura and Natsu when he's already avoided reporting her for her behavior would… basically be giving her what she wanted.

But she's distressed and upset and Konoha emphasizes in the Academy how important care for one's comrades is.

As a genin, she hasn't really had to learn how to put aside that care in order to do her job. Genin are meant to build bonds both to their team and their village, it's only after they're promoted that learning the exceptions becomes more important.

She's not ready to learn those lessons. Not yet.

Tomorrow . He decides.

The kids probably need the extra time to rest anyway, so he can go down to T&I in the morning and then let Ino visit her friend for dinner. Enough time for it to feel like a punishment, hopefully.

Perhaps he should have a talk with her, just to stress the seriousness of the situation…

There's Nothing happening.

Nothing at all.

His father hasn't been more stressed the past two days and his mother did not make a trip to the forest to stockpile medicine and there is Nothing Happening.

Shikamaru's pretty sure getting out of bed this week was a mistake.

It's not even half over.

Perhaps he can talk the deer into letting him nap in the forest…?

…well. In order to do that, he first has to escape Ino, and she's in a fit .

Shikamaru doesn't like his chances.

If he gives her what she wants, the odds of her going away faster…

Acceptable. He decides, and makes sure to look as exhausted as possible when he finally gives in to her pestering.

"What, Ino?"

"I'm grounded - Asuma-sensei's been told to walk me home after training so I don't sneak off-"

Wait, what?

"So I need you to take that genius brain of yours and do me a favor."

Troublesome.

"Grounded, huh? Sounds nice."

"I'm being serious Shikamaru! I need you to find out everything you can about what Sakura's been doing since we graduated the Academy! Everyone she's talked to, everywhere she's gone-! I'd do it myself but I'm stuck for the next week , alright? So just find out everything you can and let me know afterwards, alright?! That whole thing with them being banned from group training-"

"What, you care about that now ? I thought you said it wasn't important! And anyway, there's more important things to be doing than spying on your rival," Shikamaru grouses, steadfastly refusing to be curious.

Looking into something about Sakura got her grounded…? A piece of him wonders, and Shikamaru shoves it away.

There is Nothing Happening, this has No Relation to anything that's up with his dad, and Shikamaru will Not look into it.

No matter how many puppy eyes Ino gives him.

Asuma-sensei's arrival saves him from the threats Ino starts unleashing beneath her breath, and Shikamaru's going to have to plan an escape route if he doesn't want to get caught after training ends…

"Natsu? Are you sure it's okay-?"

Natsu laughs, hands latched around Naruto and Sasuke's wrists, dragging them forward gleefully.

"Of course it is! Besides, you guys haven't been home in so long, all your food is probably rotten anyway, so just eat at my place! We can go shopping later!"

Sasuke scowls, but doesn't protest, which-

It's not that Naruto doesn't want to hang out with his team more! It's just-

He's pretty sure it's not okay to just show up at someone's house without warning, and he's got enough money for Ichiraku's, and there's no need to intrude…

Natsu doesn't hesitate though, dragging them through Konoha's streets eagerly, heedless of both his bare feet and Naruto's feeble attempts to pull away.

He catches sight of someone he would swear is Shikamaru, but before he can decide if he wants to call out to him or not, Natsu turns down a somewhat-familiar street, and the next thing Naruto knows, they're barging into a house at-speed.

"I'm home! And Naruto and Sasuke are staying for lunch!"

Something shatters deeper in the house, and Naruto flinches-

And then a warm arm catches him about the shoulder, and the next thing he knows he's squished into a group hug, and he's pretty sure Sakura-chan's mom is crying.

"Mebuki? I thought I heard- ah. You're back! Welcome home!"

"Ehehe, sorry it took so long! I'm surprised you're both home!"

Naruto's finally released from the crushing hug of Sakura-chan's mom, and he won't admit to how relieved he is when he sees Sasuke looking just as uncomfortable as he feels.

He just wants that guy to be as miserable as he is, 'ttebayo! That's all it is!

Sakura-chan's dad just laughs, swooping in for his own brief hug. "Ino-chan came by and let us know you guys were back in the village, so I was hoping you'd come home soon… I took a couple days off. You'll have to tell me what you've been up to, how is Sakura? …and why don't you have any shoes?" he glances pointedly at Natsu's feet as he hustles them towards the kitchen, and Naruto hastily shucks his own sandals before following.

Natsu launches into talking about their fight with those shinobi, and how he melted his shoes and his spare set got stolen and-

And Sakura-chan's mom has a scary look on her face, that keeps getting scarier with every word Natsu says and Naruto's pretty sure he should do something, but he doesn't know what -

Sasuke looks really uncomfortable.

And then Sakura-chan's dad is there, ushering them into seats and asking if they have any food preferences and Natsu's still talking and Sakura-chan's mom looks like she wants to stab something and-

Naruto hastily mutters that anything's fine, elbowing Sasuke when he doesn't respond until the Uchiha grunts a casual, "Whatever," in their general direction, and Kizashi laughs as he sweeps into the kitchen.

"They just left you alone, after all that work to take you out of the village, is that what I'm hearing you say?" Sakura-chan's mom cuts in, voice thick with displeasure, and Natsu just laughs it off.

"Yeah, pretty much! It all worked out though, Kakashi-sensei found us before things got too bad, Jiraiya was pissed , apparently he wasn't supposed to be there, but it was important or something so we just came back! Sorry they didn't let me come back sooner, I did try to convince them before we left but they just ignored me…"

Sakura-chan's dad comes back with the food before anything else can be said, and- it's weird, sitting at a table like that, Sakura-chan's mom asking them all questions about their time outside the village, humoring Sasuke's wordless grunts and Naruto's own nervous answers, Kizashi getting up and making more food without a word when Naruto glances mournfully at his empty plate-

It's warm, Naruto thinks, answers getting longer and more energetic as the conversation goes on, it's- their eyes, they're warm…

Sakura's parents aren't ignorant civilians, blathering on about civilian things.

Sasuke would like them better if they were.

Instead, they listen to Natsu and Sakura speak (though he doesn't think they've caught on quite yet, that not all the words are Natsu's - it's clear the moron's forgotten to tell them, but Sasuke's not going to bring even more attention to himself) and they eagerly ask questions and interact and-

They're a family.

Sasuke wishes they weren't.

It hurts.

When Sasuke refuses to engage, the adults trade knowing looks and- and Mrs. Haruno keeps including him in the conversations, even when he doesn't respond, and her husband smiles when the dobe drags him into an argument (he should know better than to respond to the dobe, he's not so childish as to be goadedbut the dobe will never learn if no one teaches him, is all-) and-

Kakashi-sensei can lecture about team-as-family all he wants.

Sasuke doesn't want another family.

He doesn't need one.

And he doesn't need a bunch of civilians inviting him into their conversations and their homes and-

And then Natsu brings up the fact that all their food rotted and that they've got to go shopping and-

And the Harunos just offer to take them.

Just like that.

Willing and eager to spend more time with Natsu, more time with them , as Mr. Haruno immediately asks what kinds of food they usually buy so he can plan their route through the markets and his wife asks if they lost any other provisions to the foreign shinobi because she knows a few shops they can go to to resupply and-

They care .

Sasuke wishes they wouldn't.

"We'll do the dishes." Uchiha Sasuke stands up suddenly, hands planted on the table as he meets Kizashi's eyes.

Kizashi tries not to think too much about how very like his cousin Sasuke looks at that moment.

"You're guests ," his wife starts, immediately turning towards the kitchen, before she's cut off.

"You fed us, without warning or preparation, from your own stores. This is the least we can do, in respect to your generosity."

Kizashi hums. "The offer's appreciated, but please don't feel obligated. You're our child's teammates, so the rules of hospitality don't have to hold you."

Sasuke grimaces for a moment. "You guys should- talk to Sakura anyway. We don't need to be there."

Kizashi can't help raising a brow, curious, and he'd nearly push the argument, because now that Natsu's back they can talk to Sakura whenever they want, but Mebuki immediately takes the Uchiha up on his offer before Kizashi can say anything more, and-
Well.

He's missed his daughter too.

"Alright. All the stuff you need should be in plain sight, I pulled it out when I was putting the dishes back in the kitchen, but holler if you need anything."

Sasuke nods sharply, grabbing Naruto by the wrist.

"Let's go dobe."

Kizashi keeps half an ear on their argument as his wife hustles Natsu up the stairs to find spare sandals, idle curiosity dragging his feet.

"Why are we doing dishes? Since when do you even care about all that polite stuff, teme?!"

"Do you really want to go shopping with them?" the Uchiha snaps back quietly, and Kizashi quietly backs down the stairwell.

"Wha- what's that got to do with anything?!"

"We can't just run out the door, not with how much you ate dobe , but if we finish the dishes before they get done talking we can leave a note or something saying we've gone on ahead and then we just need to not be in the same parts of the market as they are! Now hurry up and grab a rag!"

"We're just running away?"

"What, you want them to spend more money on you? They're not your family!"

"Well- no, I just- won't they be mad?"

"...that's why we're doing the dishes first dobe."

"Oh! Oh, okay- um. How do you do dishes?"

"...what."

"Well- it's just- I only really have like, ramen and cereal right? So I just rinse the stuff off and then use em again but last time Kakashi-sensei was over he said something about how that was bad for you and stuff and he was going to show me how to do it properly but then you guys broke out of that safehouse and everything got crazy and he never got around to it so, uh-"

"...if you weren't a demon dobe , you'd be dead . Fine. Idiot. Get over here, I'm only showing you once and you'd better not slow us down because I am not going shopping with them, are we clear?"

Kizashi bites back his amusement, creeping up the stairs again as the boys start arguing against the background noise of water, and finds his wife and kids in Sakura and Natsu's room.

Natsu rolls onto the balls of his feet, grimacing at the pair of sandals he's put on, a small pile beside him.

"They definitely pinch a bit, but I guess we're going shopping anyway so I can get new ones… I think it'll be fine til then."

"They certainly look like the best we've got," his wife muses, playing with the straps a little before standing up. "Better?"

Natsu hums, moving around. "...not much, but it's only a couple hours."

"That's good to hear," Kizashi offers, leaning against the doorway, "-though your teammates are quite the plotters, I've found." Natsu laughs, and Kizashi can't help but smile in return.

"Yeah, I heard 'em! It's not like I can't find 'em anyway even if they do leave before us, I'm better at trackin' than they are at hiding." Natsu's grin is sharp, and then it falls a little as he tilts his head to the side. "Yeah, that's fair, they do fight a lot huh? Hopefully they don't break anything else!" Natsu laughs again, bright and happy, but this time it feels like ice slipping down Kizashi's spine.

Mebuki asks Natsu what he means, why he said it like that, but Kizashi doesn't need to wonder. Natsu's been doing it over the entire meal, after all.

"Sakura?"

Natsu tilts his head again, a blatant ( new ) tell, and grins. "She says hi! Hey! Fine, fine, she's mostly just crying about how much she misses you guys- can we just do this in the mindscape Sakura-chan- I'm not saying that no way-! I-"

"Is this-" Kizashi starts, then stops. He doesn't quite know how to ask, doesn't quite want to ask, but- "Has Inoichi-san… found a way to undo this?"

Are we going to have to say goodbye?

He can't quite find the strength to ask the second question, and will never be able to put into words how relieved he feels when Natsu shakes his head.

"Nah, Sakura-chan's still really stuck, some things just got knocked loose when that Orochi guy stuck that seal on us, so now she can see and hear things. It's cool, because she's really smart so she can come up with awesome plans all the time! But she can't really talk herself, so y'guys'll still have to come into the mindscape for that, but it's probably not a good idea to do it right now cause that seal messed up so much stuff and Inoichi was goin' on about being safe and not doing anything stupid til he was 100% sure we were okay which we are he's just bein' stupid , but Sakura-chan's responsible so she's sayin' we gotta listen to him and all…"

Natsu trails off, looking away, scratching awkwardly at the back of his head and Kizashi shoves away thoughts of Orochi for later. "We… did miss you guys. Both of us. So- it's- nice to be back?" Natsu smiles a bit awkwardly, looking back up at them, and the only reason Kizashi doesn't sweep him into a hug is because his wife beats him to it.

"We missed you too," she murmurs into his hair, " both of you ."

Natsu opens his mouth, closes it again, then tucks his head into Mebuki's shoulder.

He doesn't hug her back, but-

Kizashi sees his fingers twitch.

Natsu's never really shown himself to be the self-conscious sort, but some things should never go unspoken, as Kizashi's mother always warned. So with that in mind, he steps forward and ruffles the boy's hair lightly. "She's right, Sakura isn't the only one we missed, Natsu. And whenever you find your way back home, we're going to miss you then, too. You're part of this family, no matter how unexpected your arrival. Alright?"

Natsu's arms come up hesitantly, and Kizashi isn't really surprised when he brushes them both off himself with a laugh. "Alright, alright, I got it I got it- we can finish this later though, cause unless we actually wanna let Naruto and Sasuke run away, we need to head down now!"

He slips between them and bolts out the door, and even from upstairs Kizashi can hear the shouts of the kids as Natsu foils their plans.

He turns to his wife, grabbing her hand. "Seems like our kids really want to stay as only children, huh?" he teases, and Mebuki laughs wetly in response.

He wipes her tears casually, a smile lighting her face at the action.

"Well, Sakura always did say that she only wanted a little sister and that boys were stupid… but I think we can win them over."

Kizashi laughs and pulls her into his arms. "With a lady as clever as you on our side, it'll be no difficulty, hm~?"

She lays his head on his chest, and Kizashi thinks it's quite impressive that he resists the urge to sweep her off her feet.

A shinobi's strength has more uses than killing, after all.

"Seems like their teammates could use an eye or two looking out for them too," she muses into his shoulder, and Kizashi hums in response.

"You think? Uchiha-kun seems a bit prickly."

"They're our kids' team, right? My shinobi husband taught me once that teams were everything to Konoha's forces. We're just taking care of our childrens' teammates, as any good parents would. Hm?"

Kizashi remembers how much his wife stressed when he learned their daughter was on a team with the Uzumaki boy, how worried she was that Sakura would be hurt by him, or more likely, by the demon he hosted.

He remembers how upset Sakura was at that team posting, how much she'd vowed to ignore him and focus only on Sasuke-kun - completely heedless to all her father's attempts to remind her about how important teamwork was to Konoha.

He's certain both of his ladies would have come around on their own, to understand that jinchuriki were victims and not threats , because they're both bold, brilliant women who could never be blinded for long and certainly not in the face of the sheer sincerity Uzumaki-kun radiates like sunshine .

Sooner or later, they both would have understood.

Kizashi does think Natsu might have had a hand in hastening that, though.

He's wise enough not to say as much.

"We should probably head downstairs and make sure their teammates don't tie Natsu up and make a break for it - they're both a bit uncomfortable, I think."

Mebuki draws back, a serious expression on her face.

"Boys!" She scoffs, shaking her head. "All three of them, they're going to be stubborn about this aren't they?"

She doesn't wait for an answer, marching downstairs briskly, and Kizashi laughs as he follows her.

Now is probably not the best time to remind his darling wife just who did the pursuing in their relationship, because then she just might accuse him of infecting the boys with his "emotional stupidity" as she so fondly dubbed it all those years ago…

But at least he knows she has experience in winning over stubborn, traumatized boys who don't know how to handle the idea of family. It may have taken her some time to warm up to Natsu, but…

The boys are in good hands, even if they won't admit it.

Kizashi will stand back and let her work her magic.

"Wait. Wait do we have to go back there again?" Horror creeps through Natsu as Mebuki-san leads them down a very familiar road, and he stops dead in his tracks. "O-on second thought, I'm gonna go back with Kizashi, make sure he knows where to find Sasuke's place, you guys go ahead without me-"

Sasuke's fingers close around his wrist in a vice-grip, Naruto quickly grabbing his other.

Oh crap.

"W-wait, you guys don't understand, you don't want to go there either, it's awful -!"

"Oh I don't know, putting Naruto and his awful orange fashion sense in front of Mikki-san might be a show," Sakura muses, and Natsu groans.

"Sakura-chan, don't encourage them! S-seriously I can get new clothes somewhere else! Anywhere else! Mebuki-saaaaaaaan-!"

Sakura-chan's mom just laughs , the traitor, and holds open the door of the shop to wave them in.

"Ah?! What's this! My favorite little customer! Saku-chan, have you finally changed your mind about-"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT! NO RAINBOWS!" Natsu shouts, pulling free of his teammates and beelining straight for where he found the black qipao before.

…they aren't there.

Natsu flips through the clothes, squinting, but-

Nope.

Nothing.

"Oi, where's your normal clothes, ya jerk!?"

"Those? I got rid of them boring things, c'mon Saku-chaaan, I've got some lovely new options for you-"

"Teme, look, it's orange -"

"...I dare you to buy that and wear it to training."

"Only if I get to pick one out for you too, 'ttebayo."

"Hn."

Natsu panics. "Nonono you guys can't seriously be looking at this stuff they're ridiculous, don't encourage him-"

Mikki spawns in front of him, arms full of brightly-colored outfits.

"Ah, come now, don't be like that~! Here, take a look at these, yeah? Perfectly lovely outfits! And if ya find one ya like, I might be able to dig up a borin' black qipao outta storage. Maybe I missed one or two when I threw em out. Whaddya say, Saku-chan?"

Natsu snarls. "This is extortion, you-"

"How does this one look?"

Natsu scowls as Mebuki-san holds out a pale orange cream colored qipao with white flowering designs on it.

"Oh wow where did you find that, Haruno-san?! It looks amazing! Natsu, you gotta try it on! Lemme see, lemme see!" Naruto interjects, leaning over to get a better look at the outfit.

"Since when is Mom 'Haruno-san'?!" Sakura-chan wonders, and it takes everything Natsu has not to tell her to focus on the much more important things going on.

Especially when he sees that Naruto's got some weird orange monstrosity tucked under his arm, Sasuke trailing behind him and comparing two outfits of his own.

One pale green and the other in lilac and Natsu wants to scream .

…if he doesn't pick out a colorful monstrosity himself, those three will absolutely gang up and choose one for him.

Scowling, Natsu tosses a glare at Mikki before suspiciously going through the man's suggestions.

Sakura-chan herself is suddenly… and suspiciously… silent.

And giggling.

And useless .

That orange abomination really is the best of the lot!

The look of satisfied victory on Mikki's face makes Natsu want to punch him and then light the whole store on fire .

Mebuki-san is a little too eager as she makes the purchases, and Natsu's 90% certain she adds some sort of hair accessory to the pile, but he's too relieved by Mikki actually adding some black and gold qipao to the pile and he can't swear he didn't imagine it-

Maybe he can burn the thing when he gets home…?

"Ne, Haruno-san, can we try everything on at your place?" Naruto asks, grin fox-sly and full of mischief.

Sasuke smirks, in clear support as he reorganizes his own purchases, and-

Natsu is going to make them pay for this .

Chapter 67: The Sound-Sand Invasion 4

Notes:

So! I know at this point everyone expects the chapters to take a month or more (RIP) but this time, for people who don't follow my tumblr, I have cool stuff to offer!
And by cool stuff I mean a picture! My sister drew fanart! At this point I now have two (2!) fanarts so I'm just gonna make a story in this series for it all!

Also, general warning for this being a transitional chapter, and as such it may feel a little rushed? Which is probably better than having it drag out for a transitional ARC or something (which I have more than proven myself capable of doing... oof) but yeah. Finding the line between moving too fast and moving too slow is still a work in progress!

As always, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Text

"Ooh~? Back so soon, Kabuto-kun?"

"Orochimaru-sama. Team 7 has returned to the village. It… appears as though your seal is missing."

"What."

"I haven't yet tried to contact them directly, but even from a distance, I've seen no sign of it on either of them, the Uchiha or the girl. Mitarashi has also been unusually busy, speaking with either Jiraiya or Inoichi every time I've checked in on her."

The snake's fingers still, then curl around the armrest. "I see. Leave Anko for now then. Make contact with the children - they're young, and may know some of what happened. Find out."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama."

"I suppose Hatake is back as well?"

"...I wouldn't know, Orochimaru-sama. I haven't seen him, nor has anyone mentioned him. If he is, he's laying low. Should I look?"

"No. Figure out what happened with the genin first, but make certain the men know to expect him to show up. I'll not take chances."

"Understood."

"Pfft-!"

"If you-"

"Pff- ehehehe-"

"If you don't-"

"T-teme, teme, it's- ahahaha-"

"Are you done ?"

Natsu yanks the last ribbon out of his hair, glaring at his teammates. "I will tie you up with these ribbons and light you on fire -"

Naruto rolls over again, muffling his laughter into the carpet.

Mebuki snaps another picture with her camera.

"Oi!" Natsu snaps, making to lunge at her. Sasuke intercepts him smoothly, looking absolutely unnatural in Natsu's opinion, with his hair pressed flat, clad in lilac and sky-blue robes.

They'd look good on just about anyone else, Natsu's pretty sure, but the colors do not flatter the Uchiha well.

He groans.

"I hate you both," Natsu protests vaguely, burying his face in Sasuke's shoulder so he doesn't have to look at the eyesore anymore. "Why would you do this."

Naruto hasn't stopped laughing since Natsu first came out of the bathroom, dragged unwillingly by Mebuki into the living room so she could get her pictures.

Sasuke smirks. "Vengeance."

Natsu groans again, turning sharply away from the Uchiha to drag Naruto off the floor. "I should kick you both out. You've clearly overstayed your welcome."

"Don't be like that Natsu!" Naruto protests, still giggling. "It looks really good on you!"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Natsu snaps, grinding his knuckles into Naruto's head.

"The ribbons were a little ridiculous," Sasuke chimes in, and Mebuki giggles.

"I may have gotten a bit carried away… but the qipao really does suit you! You should keep it! Ne, Sakura?"

"I never really thought about wearing orange… Naruto's always so much of an eye-sore, but it really is pretty…"

"What- noooooooo Sakura, not you tooooooo-"

Mebuki claps her hands. "Then it's agreed! You boys want to spend the night? Don't feel like you have to, but we've got the space!"

Naruto and Sasuke trade smirks, and Natsu despairs.

…how many outfits did Sasuke buy again? Natsu hadn't paid attention, but that bag is a little big for just one, isn't it?

…somehow Natsu feels distinctly plotted against.

He'd better talk fast.

Papa walks with her to the Haruno home, his hand a constant weight on her shoulder. It feels like a restraint, a reprimand, for all that it's just a gentle touch, and Ino bites her tongue against the guilt.

Papa didn't tell Hokage-sama what she did.

Ino knows that means he as good as lied to their Hokage to keep her out of trouble and- and Ino didn't-

Now, if people find out, it won't be just Ino getting in trouble and she didn't think it would end up like this but now-

What if they find out that she pushed Shikamaru to look into things? Would that be enough for them to realize what she did, get her and papa and the Harunos into trouble?

Did she… make a mistake?

She almost doesn't want to go, doesn't want to see the family she put in such a bad position so soon, but-

This might be the only time she has to really see if Sakura-chan's okay, papa and Haruno-san can say Natsu's a good person all they want but Ino needs to see it so everything else can wait -

But that doesn't make the tension go away, when they arrive and papa knocks sharply on the door.

No one answers.

After a minute of anxious waiting, Ino turns to her dad. "Are they not home?" she asks, and papa frowns.

"They know we're coming, so they should be."

He knocks again, louder, and there's a sudden crash before the door's wrenched open by-

"NARUTO?!" Ino can't help but shout, pointing at the unexpected blond in his eye-searing orange… kimono?

Ino drops her arm, surprised, and suddenly feeling quite underdressed in her normal day clothes.

"I'm sorry-"

"Um, what-"

Naruto and Ino start speaking at the same time, and when Naruto trails off Ino speaks over him. "What're you wearing ?"

Naruto blinks, surprised. "Oh, this? We went shopping to replace all our stuff yesterday, an' Sasuke an' I bought some ridiculous outfits t'make Natsu mad, an' Haruno-san said she was havin' a dinner party today so since they're fancy-clothes we decided to wear em - but Natsu's tryin' to burn down the house cause he doesn't wanna do it again, so it's kinda a mess- y'guys are a little early, might be safer to hide in the kitchen with Kizashi-san until we get Natsu t'stop fightin', 'ttebayo."

Ino jerks to face her dad, worried, but papa just laughs. "We'll take your advice then, Naruto-kun. Do let me know if you need any help."

Naruto laughs. "Nah, the jerk's got everything handled! Y'know where the kitchen is?"

At papa's nod, Naruto waves them in and then runs off deeper into the house, leaving Ino to awkwardly slip her sandals off in the hallway.

"If he's burning down the house, is it really okay?" she asks quietly, glancing down the hall, and papa just smiles a bit.

"Ah, Natsu-kun wouldn't actually do that, so I'm sure Naruto-kun was exaggerating a little bit. We can go peek our heads in if you'd like."

Ino nods sharply, and then quickly takes the lead towards the living room before papa can change his mind.

She's not quite sure what she expected, but the living room actually being on fire… wasn't it.

Ino can't even see what's going on for a minute, the bright glare of the flames blinding her, though by the time her eyes adjust she almost wishes they hadn't.

Naruto's clinging to one of Sakura's arms, legs wrapped around her waist, as Sasuke-kun pins the other down, Mebuki-san tying a bright orange ribbon into her hair-

Sakura whines , the ribbon lighting on fire, the edges burning and curling, only for Mebuki-san to immediately clench it in her fist.

"It's only one ribbon Natsu, I promise!" She protests, tying it up again, and- Natsu groans.

"You guys are eeeevil ," sh- they? Whine again, and Ino shifts uncomfortably to look back at papa.

"What-?" she begins to ask, only for all the attention to snap to her.

Ino catches a glimpse of Mebuki-san hastily finishing with the ribbon as Natsu's focus shifts to her.

"Oh! You guys are already here? Since when?" Natsu asks, and Ino nearly answers, before Naruto cuts across.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you but noooooooo Natsu was too busy fighting over a ribbon- even teme 's wearing a ribbon! Whaddya have against 'em anyway?"

Ino jerks her gaze back to Sasuke, ignoring the ensuing argument, and-

Naruto's right. Sasuke-kun's hair isn't really long enough to tie back, but he still has a red and white ribbon braided through it, that curled back around the top of his head in an elaborate style.

When she looks back to the arguing duo, Naruto doesn't have any ribbons of his own, but his hair is pulled back from his face with a bright orange strip of cloth acting much like a headband, the ends trailing down his back.

Sakura- Natsu's hair is half pulled up into a high tail, tied back with a ribbon in a much softer shade of orange than Naruto's, wearing an orange kimono of the same orange creme with delicate white flowers decorating the hems.

It's cute .

It's less cute when Sakura crosses her arms, scowling at Naruto and Sasuke-kun. "I don't have anything against ribbons! I just don't understand why my hair's gotta be in some weird style! It was fine the way it was!"

Mebuki-san wraps her into a hug. "Everyone else decided to dress up, so obviously Natsu does as well! But if you really don't like the style, we can pick a different one."

"It's… fine." Natsu says, shifting a little until Mebuki-san lets him go. The singed edges of the ribbon flutter as he walks over.

Somehow Ino doesn't expect him to talk to her though, leaning up into her space with a wide grin and eyes glinting mischievously. "So you're Sakura-chan's rival! She talks about you sometimes! Ne, Ino-chan right? I've got a question for you!"

Mebuki-san brushes down her own kimono, colored in soft pinks and whites, smiling at them. "I'm going to go help Kizashi with dinner, it should be done soon!"

"Sure?" Ino offers in response to Natsu as Mebuki-san leaves, and Natsu's grin widens.

It looks so unnatural on Sakura-chan's gentle face.

"Do you take off your clothes in public a lot?"

Ino slaps him.

She doesn't even process it really, until she hears the resounding smack and sees her friend flinch backwards and out of range from her follow-up punch.

The interloper in her friend's body just laughs.

"Ahaha, good! That's a no isn't it? Cause I've already got one stripper-pervert for a rival, I don't need two!" he crows, grin quickly replacing the momentary surprise on his face, and Ino raises her fist to punch him again.

He dances out of range, then brushes aside her arm to move in closer, considering. "So, what's it like being normal rivals then, if you're not a pervert? I've never really known, so you gotta tell me! Wha- no, Sakura-chan- I'll explain later- just lemme ask!"

He glances back at Ino, expectant, and she's so confused no one said-

Then Naruto interrupts.

"I dunno, wasn't there that whole thing where Ino tried to steal Sasuke's underwear that one time? That's still a pervert thing, right?"

"...what."

Ino panics. Why does he even know about that?! We never said anything to him!

"It's not what it sounds like papa! It was just- um-"

"Wait so Ino-chan really is a pervert rival then?" Natsu asks, as Sasuke-kun scoffs.

"I'm leaving."

"Wait teme, no way, you can't leave me here alone!"

"An underwear thief ?" Natsu mutters, a little disbelieving, and Ino quails.

"It seems like we have quite a bit to talk about when we get home, flower." papa chides.

…perhaps dinner really was a bad idea, Ino admits, if only to herself.

She's going to be grounded for months at this rate.

Inoichi is two seconds away from asking for some alcohol to go with dinner, and they've barely started serving it.

Perhaps he should have had more of a presence in his daughter's school life, if the conversation is anything to go by. In the wake of the massacre he was so busy though, him and most of the upper level shinobi, working double-time to fill in the gaps the military police used to cover and all the nasty issues that came from a village losing an entire clan in a single night. Civilian panic, enemy infiltration, the hungry vultures circling Konoha and looking for weaknesses-

Inoichi almost doesn't remember what it was like to have a light work load anymore, because the lack of manpower never really went away. They just got better at managing it.

There's been talk, he knows, of relaxing the Academy standards in order to get their numbers increased. Most everyone with sense shut it down, of course, but it doesn't change the fact that a clan of over four hundred people is not something easily replaced.

Even though over half of those were civilians, it doesn't make up for the hundred good shinobi they lost.

There are quite a few days where he wishes he'd pushed harder for the teenage ANBU to receive mandatory therapy with a Yamanaka. ANBU does have their own therapist, he knows, someone with a high enough clearance level to work with them, to notice any serious issues and address them.

But the ANBU therapist isn't a Yamanaka, and perhaps Inoichi is biased but he's fairly sure one of his men could have caught the psychosis before Itachi snapped.

"Inoichi-san?" Mebuki offers the pot of tea she's holding like an offering, and Inoichi smiles.

"Ah, my apologies, just thinking about work. Thank you," he adds as she fills his cup, and then he glances across the table. "Everything looks delicious. Thank you for having us."

Mebuki laughs. "Oh it's no trouble! I'm glad you could make it!"

The table dissolves into gentle chatter as they eat, Team 7 bickering amongst themselves as the Haruno parents add their own thoughts here and there.

Ino plays nervously with her fork more than she eats, constantly glancing at Natsu.

Inoichi's not quite certain what to say to her. He's long since grown accustomed to Natsu, to the boy's strange quirks and body language, and the way it all clashes against Sakura's delicate form. Wearing half-sleeves the way he is, Inoichi's pretty sure Ino hasn't even realized there's scars now.

Inoichi wishes he had a solution, to return Natsu to where he belongs, for Ino's own peace of mind as much as his desire to lighten his workload again. But sitting at the table, watching everyone interact, he knows at this point that it's not going to be so easy. At least, not if he wants to keep the jinchuuriki and their last Uchiha from defecting from the village to follow him.

Probably not something he should tell Hokage-sama, if he doesn't want everything to blow up again .

It's a concerning situation of course, but locking Natsu away will only cause more problems, especially at this point.

I… am in so much trouble.

"So! Ino-chan!" Natsu suddenly speaks up, roping Inoichi's daughter into the conversation. "We're kinda stuck being bored for the next few days cause our sensei's doin' stuff without us. We were thinkin' of trainin' on our own, but then Jiraiya gave us that stupid lecture about what happened last time we decided t'do somethin' unsupervised, so you wanna ask your sensei if we can join you guys?"

"What-? Um- yes! " Inoichi pretends not to notice his daughter's quick glance at him. She probably wants to drag them into meeting Shikamaru, accidentally revealing the secret to the Nara, but.

Well, Inoichi's pretty sure Shikaku's kid has already figured it out, and it seems like a good way to keep Team 7 from poking around any more foreign shinobi, which will hopefully keep them safe.

…Inoichi isn't going to count on that of course, but it does seem the best option.

Though he may need to swing by Shikaku's place and make sure his son knows not to say anything about Natsu. The kid's smart, but some things should be emphasized aloud.

Ino eagerly participates in the conversation after that though, asking about training and their sensei and the missions they've taken-

Ah. Inoichi's going to have to actually pay attention, isn't he?

None of those kids would know confidentiality if it bit them in the ass .

Working even on his evenings off is really becoming far too common.

Natsu misses his guild like a limb . Like a constant sense of something missing and then he tries to move it and it doesn't -

It's not really like he minded the qipao, though he's still annoyed that it doesn't look cool . Cute isn't his style! That's Lucy's job! But really-

Really he just hated how much he'd expected Happy to show up with a camera, cackling about blackmail.

Hated how easily he could picture Erza dragging them all dress-shopping, under some vague pretense of a mission, the way she'd force Gray into a dress while Lucy used her fancy magic tools to change the colors of everything until it was perfect -

It was just-

The exact sort of insanity he expects from everyone back home, and it's stupid how wrong it feels to do that sort of thing without them.

Erza and Mikki would be terrifying together, he muses, and can't quite help laughing at the image of Erza berating Mikki for taking too long on her order, as Lucy and Mira compare styles with their fancy girl-talk that Natsu never understands no matter how much he tries.

He wonders vaguely if Mikki could make a dress that could hide a sword. Erza would love something like that, even though she uses her Requip she'd think it was so cool and maybe he could bribe her with it the next time he blows up the guild hall fights with Gray.

Could he make an outfit for Happy…? Wendy and Charla made Charla's outfit themselves, didn't they…? Hmm…

Natsu toys with the idea, thoughts meandering as he wonders if it's even possible to take anything back with him to his world when he doesn't have a body here.

Sakura's parents chat casually inside, as Sakura-chan herself muses quietly about Ino and how much she hadn't realized she'd missed her friend, and Natsu's almost asleep, there on the rooftop, when the explosion trembles the building.

He scurries to his feet, nearly tumbling off the roof at a second explosion, a bit closer, and catches sight of a massive plume of smoke drifting above the nearest wall of the village. Cursing, he dives off the roof and catches the sill of their window, pulling himself in and grabbing his gear.

He nearly runs into Mebuki-san as he darts out of the room, and she pushes him along.

"Naruto and Sasuke were meeting up in the Uchiha district, right? You should catch up with them, stick together. Your father and I will make sure the others on the street get to the bunkers."

Natsu nods, jerking on his sandals and running out the door.

"Should we catch Naruto or Sasuke first?" he asks Sakura, and turns immediately when she says Naruto.

"The explosions were closer to Naruto's home than Sasuke-kun's, and he lives closer anyway- better to travel together, especially since his clones can find Kakashi-sensei and see what's going on!" she explains as he runs, and Natsu grunts.

Sounds good to him.

He picks up the pace, tearing down the streets towards the blond's apartments, and nearly collides with his teammate halfway there.

"Natsu! Where's the jerk?!"

Natsu shakes his head. "Came for you first, you were closer. He's home right? We weren't meeting Ino-chan's team til later…"

Naruto nods. "Yeah, should be. But you know the guy, if he heard the explosions he'll probably run off and do something stupid, so we need to get there quick."

Natsu nods, then takes off, carefully forwarding Sakura-chan's words. "You should make some clones, send them to find Kakashi-sensei and Jiraiya, and keep an eye on the other streets, just in case we miss Sasuke."

"Right!" Naruto brings his hands together, dozens of copies spawning and then breaking off in different directions.

They make it to the Uchiha compound in record time.

"If Sasuke-kun waited for us, he'd be near the gates, right?" Sakura-chan asks nervously, and Natsu grimaces.

"Probably. Let's go make sure though."

They don't have to go far to catch the signs of a fight. No blood, but a couple kunai left on the street, the walls freshly scorched-

Natsu takes a deep breath through his nose as Naruto scrambles to make more clones, sending them through the entire compound.

"Two attackers," Natsu growls, nose scrunching, "and they both smell foul ."

"Of course that jerk's in trouble. Whaddu we do?" Naruto hops in place, concerned.

"We go after him of course. Send some more clones to tell Kakashi-sensei what happened-" at a prompt from Sakura, he adds, "and Inoichi too. I'll see how far I can track them!"

Naruto nods, the air filling with smoke, and they're off again.

Chapter 68: The Sound-Sand Invasion 5

Notes:

Clocking in at 10,030 words, this hopefully makes up at least a little bit for the billion year delay in posting xD

Said delays brought to you by a huge fight with my sister and more mental health issues than I can shake a stick at, but I am still alive and doing my best to finish this fic!

(fun note, said mental health issues got so bad my roommate straight up called a therapist and scheduled appointments for me - with my knowledge, she didn't go behind my back, but she was like no you need help and if you can't make the phone call I WILL but it turns out the therapist has a waiting list for new patients so now we're waiting to hear back that I can go so *shrugs* we'll see)

Said roommate is also my beta reader, who was unable to beta read because shortly after said phonecall her body ended up deciding to pass a kidney stone and she's been MISERABLY sick from it. As her job is less typo correcting and more making-sure-the-characters-are-in-character, people MAY be more OOC than usual.

If anything is especially egregious, lemme know, and I'll make sure to fix those scenes before writing the next chapter.

I'm mostly worried about Shikamaru, and a little bit about Naruto, I think I did okay with the others.

Also, for those whose reviews I haven't responded to (basically everyone since I went dark, rip) I have read them all! some multiple times, they make me happy xD
But replying to reviews is one of those things I find hard somehow, I always overthink it and feel like my replies are awful so I usually have to be in a really good headspace to reply to them all, since my constant need to rethink literally every word tends to be very draining. So sorry!
And to the one person who did that absolutely magnificent fanart a couple months ago, I will add it to the fanart collection! Hopefully soon, it just got stuck in the 'review' box of my brain and as such I couldn't bring myself to add it because I couldn't add it without feeling like I should reply to your review and I couldn't reply to the review cause my brain was like "too much energy".
I'm still in love with it tho.
Sometimes just go to look at it and be like what did I ever do to deserve how beautiful this is?
Because really. It's magnificent.

As always, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

Chapter Text

Ino scrawls furiously in the dirt, one half-written insult turning into another between one stroke and the next in a mess of coded shorthand and natural characters, as she waits on her teammates to show up. Her stick jabs harshly, carving a deep line into the dirt.

Natsu doesn't make sense , and she needs Shikamaru to hurry up and get here already, so she can scream at him over it. Ino's usually the people-person out of them but all that genius has to be good for something and she could really use a second opinion here!

Technically, Choji's not supposed to know about anything, so if Shikamaru keeps dragging his feet - even though she told him to be early dammit! - she might have to ask sensei to work with Choji one-on-one for a bit… which she's not sure he'd go for, because Asuma-sensei has absolutely been briefed on everything, there's no way Papa wouldn't have warned him at least, but- she needs answers . And maybe if she's lucky, Shikamaru's already found them for her.

Because… it's just. It's not Sakura . Natsu isn't- and sure, Ino knew that, it'd all been explained to her before she went over for dinner but- seeing is different somehow. Natsu is different, and she'd tried to imagine, really, between the Harunos' and papa's own words, but none of it came close to how she felt when she finally met him face-to-face and-

The dichotomy, between Sakura's face and body and voice and that strange, confident person behind them- she couldn't even get a real read on his personality, constantly side-tracked by how un-Sakura-like he was and-

She needs a second opinion.

Sasuke-kun and Naruto, they're- they don't count , clearly biased. It's almost- Ino knows teams aren't assigned randomly, knows that Naruto, Sasuke-kun, and Sakura-chan were put on a team together for a reason . And those reasons usually have to do with either personality compatibility, or technical compatibility, or preferably both. Ino couldn't really… see either, with Team 7. When the teams were assigned, she couldn't have really guessed what would happen outside the second generation Ino-Shika-Cho, and even that wasn't guaranteed, but- when she saw Team 7, she didn't expect them to be the kind of team that really got along .

It's not really unheard of, she knows some clan members who have teams that they work with regularly, practically permanently, but don't actually hang out outside of missions and training, because they're great technical fits whose skills work great together but aren't actually friends . And maybe it's cruel, but she… sort of thought Team 7 would be like that.

Like maybe there was just something Ino wasn't seeing in their skills, that would make them a great combat team or something, and they were gonna be one of those technical legends like cousin Inosuke whose team is so good at infiltrations that they were too good, and couldn't even be in ANBU because they were too unmistakable and wouldn't be able to keep their identities quiet.

She's never even met her cousin's teammates.

And yet… Team 7 had a sleepover . And half the dinner conversation was them planning out pranks on their Sensei for some… slight that she never quite got out of them, and they were just-

They're a team . They bickered over prank suggestions and methods and spent way too long coming up with the perfect prank that included all of their ideas equally, but at no point did they ever feel like anything less than a closely-bonded team.

It hurts.

It hurts because, even though Sakura was there , even though Natsu offered her ideas with a level of brash disregard that she knows Sakura-chan didn't present them with, Ino feels like…

It feels like Team 7 grew around Natsu.

Not the other way around.

It feels like Natsu is what made Team 7 grow outside of what she expected, and- it's not right!

It's not right because Ino's not giving Sakura enough credit , because Sakura fits in her team, fits with the boys, so maybe they could have become this without Natsu but she can also see-

Ino sees the little things, the way Natsu thinks when he's listening to Sakura, and… she sees all the little signs of Sakura's nervousness and hesitation that don't even come across really, when delivered with Natsu's brash confidence that make anything Sakura said sound like a foregone conclusion.

Sakura's her friend . And she's so smart , when Ino originally teased her for her big forehead, she did so by saying it must be so large to fit her big brain in it and-

Sakura's always been really smart, and Ino's always seen it, but while Sakura was always happy to answer textbook questions and tell people what the right thing to do was in any situation, the moment the situations grew beyond her lessons Sakura, struggling with her civilian heritage, always defaulted to any clan kids on her team to have the right answer.

Natsu does no such thing.

He doesn't defer to Sasuke-kun's perceived expertise, and doesn't look to her or her dad either, just presents Sakura's ideas right alongside his own, completely disregarding anything Sakura might worry about.

It's-

It's everything Sakura has the potential to be, if she just gained more confidence in herself, shown through a distorted mirror of someone else's charisma.

It's. Not. Fair .

Sakura should have been given the chance to grow into her own confidence, her own charisma, should have learned to present her ideas with the certainty of knowing she's right and not worrying over opinions, and maybe she is growing, but she shouldn't have had to lose her life to do it .

There's a stranger wearing her face and speaking her words and it's-

It's not his fault.

Ino seethes but she knows it's not, she knows Natsu doesn't want to be here at all , would rather be home with his own friends and in his own body, she's good enough at reading people to see the homesickness he tries to ignore, saw that strange mix of thrilled and upset that flickered through his eyes when Naruto blabbed about her little thieving escapades.

She knows he found the accusation of her being a pervert both a painful reminder of his friend and also a comforting similarity.

Even if it is a dirty, filthy lie.

Naruto is dead meat when he shows up for training, she will personally make sure of it.

But that's-

That's why she needs Shikamaru to get off his lazy ass and hurry up already , because she needs someone to take this whole… mess … in her head, and make it make sense, and help her find a way to both support Sakura in being the kickass kunoichi she's always had the potential to be, and also help her figure out how to handle Natsu, because… she's beyond lost with him.

She can admit that much.

And talking about men she's beyond lost with, where is Shikamaru?!

Ino stands in a huff, kicking dirt haphazardly over her scrawled insults - against Natsu or Shikamaru? …Probably both. They deserve it. - and storms off, fully prepared to march straight to the Nara compound and drag her lazy idiot out of bed by his stupid hair if she has to -

A kunai slams into the ground not an inch from her foot, buried to the hilt with the force of the throw, and Ino stumbles backwards. She's nervous, but not quite sure why.

"Haha, very funny sensei, did-" she cuts off, an ANBU right there , not inches from her face, and she tries to stumble back, something about the mask is wrong she's seen plenty of ANBU and it's not right-

Natsu grits his teeth against the urge to gag as he takes another deep breath, trying to decipher the mess of scents, nose overwhelmed with the scent of wrong , of death and rot that's simultaneously both snake-like and oily , like something half a moment away from catching fire.

And not in a good way.

Or maybe like it needsto catch fire, burn off all that bad stuff…

Well. No matter how he tries to describe it, it's disgusting , and if they'd done anything other than kidnap Sasuke, he'd turn around and go head towards the fighting they caught sight of while following the trail to the forest.

"They stopped here… for a little while, I think." Natsu grumbles, rubbing at his nose. There's a headache settling behind his eyes, but he can't deal with that so he ignores it. "Smells like there's even more foul people, I think they got backup… The scents are everywhere though, and I think maybe the new guys circled the area before joining up? It's all jumbled…"

Natsu moves a little further into the trees, taking another breath. Trying to find Sasuke beneath all the stench is hard, but he doesn't think their teammate was very cooperative, and there are traces of him around. Natsu's just gotta find em.

"So we're outnumbered now?!" Naruto groans, peering suspiciously at a bush when Natsu glances at him, "These guys can't be weak either, since they took Sasuke from his own front gate and no one in the village noticed… I know his compound's kinda far away but there's always people on that street! They had to have grabbed him so fast, or knocked out everyone else, but I didn't see any bodies, did you? And-"

"Genjutsu could have done it… most of the people over there are civilians, it'd be easy to make them just walk away, so they could snatch Sasuke-kun without attracting attention. I don't know how they would have dodged the patrols though, but Orochimaru wasa Konoha shinobi, maybe he's got some insider-info…"

"Great…" Natsu grumbles, stomping around the circle and taking another deep breath. "Sakura-chan thinks they may have a genjutsu user, who just made the civvies walk away."

Huh… that smells promising. Natsu takes a few more steps into the trees, ignoring the building headache as he expands Sakura-chan's senses as much as he can.

"Why'ould they do that? Don't Sasuke's magic eyes make him immune to genjutsu or something?"

Got you. Natsu grins as he catches Sasuke's scent clearly a little deeper in. Kid must have tried to spit at someone, the dirt's not wet anywhere that Natsu can see but it's got that distinct tang to it that spit always does.

"Found the trail - we should hurry, if they got backup they may start trying to cover it so we need to move faster. Your clones find Kakashi-sensei yet?"

Naruto shakes his head as they pick up the pace, following that disgusting stench. "Found Inoichi, but no sign of sensei or ero-sennin. A lot o'the clones got destroyed when they tried to get closer to the areas with the fighting, and if either of those guys are in the middle of it, I'm not sure they'll get through…"

Natsu groans. He's all for fights, fair or not, and Sasuke can't be too hurt or he'd smell it, but he doesn't like the way these guys smell and the last time he picked a fight with someone who didn't smell right, he got himself cursed with the creepy snake guy to begin with.

"This forest is part of the Nara clan territory. Maybe we could see if any are around, and ask them to back us up? They probably won't appreciate having enemies on their territory anyway, and they know the forest better than us. Could maybe head them off before they leave the village proper…"

That's-

"But if we can't find them, we can't afford to waste all that time looking, Sakura-chan!"

"..."

"With clones, Natsu."

Natsu does not slip off the next tree branch. "Right. I knew that. I totally knew that. Hey, Naruto, wanna make some extra clones and have em look around for those Nara guys? Sakura-chan says this is their property and that they'll give us a hand!"

Naruto whoops. "You got it!" A bunch of small pops, followed by cries of excitement as the clones challenge each other to see who can find the Nara first.

Then Naruto's right beside him, as the clones scatter. "Inoichi said that Orochi guy was finally spotted near the Hokage tower, and that some of his guys stole ANBU uniforms? He said we should be s'picious if anyone dressed in a uniform shows up and tells us to leave Sasuke t'them."

Natsu scoffs, grinning at Naruto. "As if I'd listen to any asshole who said they were gonna get Sasuke back themselves anyway! He's our teammate, so it's our job to rescue him! Right?!"

Naruto grins back, fierce and predatory. "Right! He's a jerk but he's our jerk and only we get to punch his stupid smug face in, 'ttebayo!"

Natsu laughs, leaping to the next tree and taking another deep breath.

Still haven't split up or doubled back yet, it seems.

Good.

He refuses to miss anything. They're gonna find Sasuke and beat some losers up and maybe get to fight one of those giant snake monsters after, and as far as Natsu's concerned, that sounds like an absolutely perfect day.

Sure, maybe the village got a little blown up.

But Magnolia gets blown up all the time , they'll live.

He hopes someone got that stupid safe-house.

Maybe after they find Sasuke he can go… make sure of it.

Sakura-chan can totally help him make it look like one of the enemy's explosions.

No one has to know it was him.

Plan set, he picks up the pace again.

The faster they find Sasuke, the faster he can have fun .

It tries not to gag. Good thing Natsu's not here… it thinks, plugging its nose with one hand. It's a clone, so it shouldn't really matter how bad it smells, how disgusting this is, but it's still Naruto and the Boss wouldn't enjoy this either.

Boss'd probably puke. The clone chuffs, glancing up as the ground above shakes, dislodging… something, that splats unpleasantly against it's face.

The clone yelps, hastily scouring the gloop off with its sleeve - it doesn't even want to know what's stuck up there, so it tries not to think about it.

…the Kyuubi's sewers were definitely much nicer than the cesspit beneath Konoha's streets.

But they were still sewers.

…maybe the Boss should see if they can make it nicer in there? Just 'cause the Kyuubi hasn't taken a massive dump in their mind doesn't mean he couldn't and the clone is suddenly very concerned by the prospect.

Can the Kyuubi poop?

He's literally imprisoned in a sewer in Naruto's mind, that's- that's a really concerning question! It may not be the clone's mind but it's like- their parent? They're born from Naruto's mind so that creepy sewer place is like their mom or something-

Wait no BAD THOUGHT BAD THOUGHT-!

Right.

Make Boss get that sewer out of their mind somehow. The clone doesn't want these existential crises.

But that's for later. Now-

Aha!

Up ahead, the clone spots the ladder it was looking for, and rushes forward to climb it. Finally, freedom from this cesspit of grossness and poop!

Something plops off it's leg, and the clone chants a chorus of don't think about it as it scrambles up the ladder.

Not important.

Freedom now.

Disgusting poop gloop never.

The Boss can deal with that.

It climbs a few more rungs, keeping track of the sounds of fighting above. It can't be too slow, or Kakashi-sensei will run off to another fight and it'll be stuck in the sewers even longer , but it knows that if goes too fast it'll come out in the middle of the fight and probably pop.

…the ladder is slick.

Hopefully with sweat-

Wait. Do… do clones sweat?

It pulls a hand off the ladder, trying to pat at its armpits, when the ground shakes again, even bigger than before, and nearly throws it from the ladder.

…another existential question to haunt the Boss later, then.

Wait, it got quiet! Did the fight end?! The clone shoves the plate off the sewer entrance, hastily trying to scramble out, and nearly loses an eye as a kunai just barely misses it.

The clone yelps and its foot slips on the ladder as it tries to back away from the blade and-

A hand firmly grasps its jacket, saving it from a fall to certain death, and the clone cracks open one eye slightly as it's pulled out of the sewer.

"Sensei!" The clone cries excitedly, and heedless of its state of general disgustingness, wraps his waist in a hug.

…maybe not entirely heedless.

Boss'll be so mad that it got the first prank in.

Kakashi-sensei shoves him away gently, scowling. "Naruto. You're a clone, right? What are you doing out here."

It's a demand more than a request, and the clone bites back a cheer of success. Sensei did not appreciate the mysterious gloop! HA! Take that!

Oh. Right. Shaking its head and gently slapping itself in the face, the clone kicks over the sewer cover before answering. "Some assholes kidnapped Sasuke from his house. Natsu an' real-me are runnin' after 'em, but us clones were s'posed to try and find you or ero-sennin for backup cause there's lots of 'em and they all smell really really bad . Boss thinks the creepy snake guy's involved an' we wanna make sure we can take 'em."

Sensei freezes, then spits a string of curses. "I can't help, and Jiraiya likely can't either," he growls, body language a display of coiled fury , "the Suna jinchuriki is missing. And we know there are Suna shinobi working with the invasion forces. If we can't find him before he unleashes the demon, who knows how many they'll kill? He could be anywhere , and Jiraiya and I are the best suited for fighting him. You're going to have to find another jonin to help - try Gai, or even the other team sensei, Asuma or Kurenai. Asuma'll probably be closer to Administration, but Kurenai and Gai should be working to escort civilians to the bunkers and evacuating them from the walls. They'll be able to help, just tell them I requested it. And if any of your other clones see the jinchuriki, try to distract it until Jiraiya or I can catch up - he's a midget like you, red hair and a marking here, on his forehead. Got it?"

Oh, didn't Boss fight that guy's team once?

Feeling Kakashi-sensei's weighted stare, the clone snaps into a salute. "Yes sir! Right on it!"

It dispels before that twitching eyebrow of sensei's can turn into a lecture.

Naruto stumbles, the memories of his clone slamming into him mid-word. Natsu stops as he catches himself, offering him a hand that Naruto waves off. "What's wrong?"

What isn't?! Naruto almost cries, desperately trying to suppress thoughts of sewers, sweat, and the Kyuubi pooping in his head . Why are his clones so weird ?!

Natsu's hand settles on his shoulder, and Naruto hastily buries those thoughts as deep as he can. Natsu can't read minds , he tells himself, because Ino said her family jutsu don't work like that so he must not be able to read minds but also, just in case…

"Naruto? You there?"

Naruto jumps. "Right! Yeah! I'm here!" He slaps his face, trying to focus and sort through the clone's memories.

The important ones, anyway. "Uh… my clone found Kakashi-sensei. But he can't help us."

An angry look crosses Natsu's face, and Naruto hastily waves it away. "It's not his fault! There's- uh, apparently there's another jinchuriki working with the people who attacked… Sensei thinks he's gonna let the demon out in the middle of the village to try an' kill people, and he an' ero-sennin are apparently th'only ones who can fight him? Or stop him, or something, he wasn't clear. He told me where to find some other jonin t'help, but he can't come…" Naruto shrugs uncomfortably. "Th'clones are lookin' for em now so we can keep going for Sasuke, just might take a little longer for backup. We can hold 'em off tho if we gotta, so we should get moving again."

He hops two branches before he realizes Natsu isn't following, and glances back to see his teammate standing there, arms crossed and head tilted as it usually is when he talks to Sakura-chan.

Natsu scowls, opens his mouth, closes it, then looks grumpy, then annoyed, before settling on something like determination.

The quiet extends a moment longer, until Natsu nods sharply, and glances up at Naruto. "Gimme like, six clones. As sturdy as y'can without wasting too much chakra."

Naruto's half-way to making the handsigns before his brain catches up. "Wha- I mean, sure, but why?" he asks, clones popping into existence around him. They all glance at each other, equally as confused, and Naruto has a moment to wonder if any of them can sweat or if the sweat stains are fake and-

No, no, not going there-

Fortunately, Natsu's explanation is a great distraction. "Cause we're gonna split up," he starts, and no , NOT a great distraction, no way can he just send Naruto away, and he opens his mouth, ready to refuse, when Natsu hurriedly starts speaking over him, "and you're gonna find that other jinchuriki and make him help us with Sasuke."

Naruto's brain slams to a halt, silence ringing through the trees as he and all his clones stop talking.

"...what?"

Natsu shrugs, shifting his weight and tossing his hands behind his head, scrunching his nose as a strand of hair decides to fall in front of his face. "Well, this whole thing, y'know, about sticking demons inside kids t'turn em into weapons n'all, it's… pretty evil, right?"

"...yeah…?" Naruto agrees hesitantly, though he can't help the small smile at the reminder of how different Natsu is to everyone else. To so many people Naruto is the evil one, the demon incarnate, but-

Even though Naruto doesn't think Jiji is evil, it's-

It's nice to hear Natsu say that even if there's evil here, it isn't Naruto's evil. To him, it's the evil of old men wanting power, but Naruto himself is just-

A friend. A teammate. A sometimes-demonically-empowered regular old genin. It's so weird but it's so Natsu and Naruto loves it.

"Right. Well, Sakura-chan and I figure that since no one liked you cause you were a jinchu-thingy, that probably means no one likes him either. So, you're gonna go find him, and tell him that if he helps us find Sasuke we'll hide him from the assholes who ruined his life and help him do whatever he wants after! It's a perfect plan, yeah?"

Naruto would argue that some people totally liked him before Natsu, but gets distracted by the entirety of their plan. "...will that even work?"

Natsu just laughs, dropping his arms and hopping up to share the branch with Naruto. "Would it have worked on you?"

Naruto's first response is to say that Jiji would never order Naruto to do something like that, but- well, that's not the question, right?

So, would it?

He wonders at it a moment, but then… didn't he steal that scroll from Jiji just because that Mizuki bastard pretended to care about and want to help him? If Mizuki had really cared, and not just lied to him, would he have done more than just steal that scroll?

It's not like he'd even tried to talk to Jiji about his issues with the standard bunshin, he hadn't wanted Jiji to be disappointed, but-

Naruto's not sure. He can't really think it all the way out, can't imagine not being a genin, not being on his team, but… maybe Sakura-chan and Natsu have a little bit of a point? Naruto had precious people before Iruka-sensei saved him, he had Jiji and Teuchi-san and Ayame-chan, and he doesn't think he'd have ever betrayed them really .

But… that Suna guy… Ga-... Gaara? His own team had been so afraid of him, Naruto remembers that, they'd immediately stopped picking a fight with Team 7 and just jumped to do everything he said, and… Naruto can't imagine his teammates being afraid of him. Maybe, once, he was scared they would, but then Sasuke was just the same sort of jerk he always is and Natsu just didn't care , and Naruto can't even remember how he thought they'd react.

If Gaara's own teammates were afraid of him though, maybe that's because he doesn't have precious people? Even most of the villagers only hated Naruto, he doesn't recall a lot being afraid of him, so there's got to be something different, and maybe Gaara needs to know someone isn't scared of him?

Maybe his precious people need help? Maybe Suna took them and said they'd kill his precious people if he didn't let out that demon, and Naruto knows even he would be pretty scary if someone took his precious people so maybe he just needs to find them and help get them free so Gaara doesn't have to hurt anyone?

He remembers how satisfyingit was to beat Mizuki's face in, when he hurt Iruka-sensei-

Naruto shoves that thought away, then nods firmly.

Right. So, find Gaara, figure out what happened to his precious people, help them, and then get Gaara to help him find Sasuke and free him from those jerks, if Natsu and whatever other backup is coming doesn't do it first.

He looks to his clones, hoping they either had the same thoughts he did, or will at least not argue. "Alright, you guys gotta stick with Natsu and follow whatever plan Sakura-chan has for you. But if something goes really wrong one of you's gotta dispel so I know. I'll help, somehow. Got it, 'ttebayo?"

He ignores Natsu's grumble about how it could totally be his own plan, Sakura-chan doesn't come up with everything , as his clones chorus out, "Yeah boss!", and then turns to leave.

Natsu stops him with a hand on his shoulder and a sharp grin, eyes framed by messy hair and alight with challenge.

"Bet we'll find Sasuke before you find your friend!" he declares, forceful and confident.

Naruto's eyes narrow as he offers his own challenging grin in response. "You're on!"

Shikamaru regrets ever getting out of bed.

Or maybe he regrets not getting out of bed, unnatural as it is.

He shouldn't have taken so long.

Ino had demanded he show up early to training this morning, and, ugh , so troublesome, he hadn't wanted to deal with her harping and complaining about the whole mess with Sakura, so he'd rolled back over and gone back to sleep.

Right up until the explosions rocked through the village and tore him awake.

Then… well, he's a genin, and an invasion is serious stuff, for a long moment he figured the orders would be something like making sure civilians made it to the bunkers, maybe secure certain clan secrets that shouldn't be left out for looting, either way he started to head out of his room to figure out what the job was supposed to be so he could get done with it and then go back to napping but-

Napping.

To avoid Ino.

Ino who is not home with her family, who is in fact waiting, alone, in the middle of a training field, for him to show up.

He can't send one of the older shinobi after her. They're needed at the front, wherever that is, but fresh genin aren't , so he needs to meet up with her and then find someone to give them orders. It's fine. She'll be careful, she's not stupid even if she is annoying, she wouldn't do anything reckless-

He's running.

Why is he running?

Something feels wrong, his body tells him, and no shit he's running when he doesn't even have to, of course something's wrong, he shouldn't even be awake yet-

The field is empty.

She probably met up with Choji , he tells himself, but he canvases the field anyway. To figure out what direction they went so he can meet up with them.

The grass is trodden, crumpled in the strides of what must be Ino's pacing back and forth as she waited on him.

Scrawled in the dirt is a bunch of insults only passingly kicked over, as though it was an afterthought. He wonders if they were directed at him, or at the situation with Sakura, and spends a moment considering it before something snags in his mind.

It's… a small hole in the dirt, a few paces away from the scrawled curses.

His brain fixates on that, and for a long moment Shikamaru can't say what's so important about it, she probably stabbed it with-

A kunai?

Yeah, that indentation looks like it'd fit a standard issue kunai, stabbed pretty deep too.

Konoha standard issue, probably, he thinks, definitely not Kiri at least, and then- Ino doesn't pull knives when she's annoyed.

He scowls at the mark. Ino takes care of her weapons, she doesn't stab them into things randomly when she's upset. She'd have sooner marched straight to his house and dragged him out of bed before she resorted to scuffing her blades in some fit of temper.

Shikamaru walks carefully around the indent, until he's standing between it and Ino's dirty insults.

…

The kunai mark is directly between him and the road he'd take to get back home.

Ino wouldn't start walking to his place and then stop to stab a kunai into the dirt and then continue on.

But if she were walking that way, someone else might be interested in stopping her.

A warning shot then. To get her to back up? There's no signs of a fight, but Ino's not a close-combat fighter, really. Take her by surprise, close in fast, and her clan techniques wouldn't do much good.

Most of her training with them is team-play oriented. Without Choji or himself to support her, she'd have been easy pickings for any chunin who decided to target her.

And unlike Konoha, invaders have the luxury of not bringing genin to fights.

He'd already been suspecting, hadn't he? That the Suna team definitely wasn't genin-level, and the Oto teams had some really unique specializations, uncommon in such supposedly new shinobi; specializations like that tend to show up in early chunin more than genin, unless they're clan, and those guys did not feel like clan kids.

A village can only explain away so much by insisting that they only brought their best genin to the exam, and it's been bugging him for ages -

Shikamaru curses, before carefully scouting around the training field. Maybe he's wrong. Maybe there's another explanation.

There isn't.

There's no trail either. No sign he can see to point to where Ino might have gone or been taken.

No visible sign, at least, though maybe there's something else to find.

Mom always said sleeping in would get me into trouble.

…but it was only supposed to be me. Not Ino. Not my team.

He'll find them.

He can't afford not to, and when he puts his mind to it, Shikamaru knows he's smart. Whoever took her, they won't get away with it.

Akamaru barks a warning, and Kiba curses, shoving the roll of half-wrapped bandages gently into Hinata's hand. Behind them, he catches sight of Shino finishing off his own bandages, and offers his teammate a nod as he pulls a kunai from his pouch. He turns in time to see Shikamaru slowly approaching, hands raised but posture casual.

"Stop right there." Kiba snarls, placing himself between Shikamaru and his team as Shino moves to help Hinata finish her bandages behind him.

He's… not quite sure what he'd do if Shikamaru - if it even is Shikamaru - doesn't stop, but luckily he doesn't have to find out, as his possible-classmate does actually stop, eyes narrowed as he scans the field. Then he relaxes, dropping into a slouch and sliding his hands into his pockets. Kiba can't help but tense, though Shikamaru doesn't make any threatening moves.

"Just a random fight, or did someone try to kidnap you guys too?" the probable-Shikamaru asks, glancing between Hinata and Shino.

Kiba's guard is half-down when Shino steps to his side, offering a blank look to their classmate. "We cannot trust you. Why? Because those who attacked us were chunin-level at least, and could easily pretend to be a comrade to make us drop our guard. Can you prove you are sincere?"

Shikamaru grumbles something that sounds suspiciously like, "troublesome…" one hand coming up to scratch at his head. Then he shrugs, clearly coming to a decision. "Kiba bribed me to cheat on a test for him once, with promises to keep Ino distracted for a few days. Iruka-sensei caught us and made us both sit through a lecture on all the test material, and restarted the lecture from the beginning every time I fell asleep. We were in that classroom for six hours ."

The exasperation in that voice is absolutely real, and Kiba feels it in his soul . Shikamaru can't even take all the credit for how long they were stuck there, even Kiba fell asleep once. He nods at Shino's questioning look. "Yeah, that's what happened. You said someone tried to kidnap you guys too? Cause yeah they were totally trying to take us alive, hunted us down and everything-"

"I believe they were after Hinata specifically," Shino interjects, pushing up his glasses slightly, "Why? Because she has been a target for kidnapping before, due to being of the Main House of her clan, and also because at one point they could have knocked you unconscious but did not, and instead turned their attentions to Hinata."

Shikamaru curses, scowling. "They didn't try for me, and I haven't met up with Choji yet, but Ino's missing, we were supposed to meet up at our training field. I came looking for you guys cause I was hoping you could find a scent to follow, there weren't any visible trails and sensei's likely at the epicenter of this mess of an invasion, so I can't ask him. There were no signs of a fight either, but Ino's not really a close-range fighter, so that's not saying much…"

Kiba spits his own curses, turning to help Hinata pack away all their bandages. "Got it. Yeah, Akamaru and I can totally help, you know if they've kidnapped anyone else? We'd been supposed to meet up with Kurenai-sensei here before this whole mess, maybe we could leave a note…"

Shikamaru shakes his head, taking Hinata's pack without complaint when Shino holds it out to him.

Kiba is Officially Worried.

"A note could be intercepted by any enemies who double back, we don't want them to come up behind us while we're chasing after whoever took Ino. If we catch sight of any allied shinobi on the way, we can brief them."

"Makes sense," Kiba nods, breaking into a jog as they head out, "but hey. Why were you meeting with Ino at the training field? I thought you guys were doing missions today, Choji'd said you were meeting by Administration last time I saw him?"

Shikamaru groans. "Change of plans. We were supposed to have group training with Team 7 today, and Ino was all up in arms about how annoyed she was, it was so troublesome …" Shikamaru pauses for a moment, then continues, "Though now that I mention it… I haven't seen Team 7 at all this morning. There weren't even any signs of them in the clearing, so I don't think they ever made it. Huh."

Kiba resolutely does not glance at Hinata, even as something drops like a rock in his gut. "Do you… think someone might have tried to kidnap them too?"

Shikamaru groans. "Kami-sama I hope not. Everything's already troublesome enough…" he picks up the pace anyway though, which does not make Kiba feel better.

Great.

Even their resident genius thinks they've been kidnapped.

He's gonna have to give Hinata so many feel-better gifts after this.

Maybe as long as they can find Naruto unharmed that'll be enough? Naruto always cheers her up.

Hinata tries to keep a lookout for enemy shinobi as they follow Shikamaru back to Team 10's training field, but-

Kiba's words keep ringing between her ears, endless and unignorable. Team 7's back in the village - since when? Hinata hadn't heard anything, but if Team 10 was going to train with them they must be here, and now there's the sudden attack on the village too, the kidnappings - it's all too much.

Why did they want Ino? Why did they want her ? Or maybe they didn't, maybe they just needed distractions to keep the village from noticing something else but-

Hinata's useless . She proved that well enough in the second exam, she couldn't- she'd thought, Naruto would want me to be strong! But it was Neji she was fighting, and she just-

She couldn't be just another member of their family choosing to hurt him.

She probably wouldn't have won even if she'd tried, but-

Did they try to take her because she was so useless? Because she didn't even try to fight they thought she'd be easy to take? But that doesn't make sense because Ino did fight! She fought so hard, and even won, she's been training all this time for the final phase - Hinata watched her sometimes, wondering if she could ask Ino how-

Hinata couldn't have fought Kiba. And Ino, her entire style doesn't lend itself to a close-quarters fight like Hinata's does, but Ino managed to win anyway and sometimes Hinata wanted to ask how but-

But she was still too useless and scared, and couldn't ask, just like she could never talk to Naruto even though he was always so strong and so lonely and-

Maybe if Hinata knew how to be braver, she could…

Could what?

Stand by their sides?

…would they even want her there?

They make it to the field, and she can't help her nerves as Kiba and Akamaru start pacing, looking for scents. Shino's hive, small as it is, start fluttering through the air, looking for traces of chakra, and-

What can she do? There's nothing to see here, nothing at all, she activates her Byakugan and still doesn't see anything, and she's injured too.

Well, so is Shino, but he'sstill useful, something dark in her says, dark and sad and lonely, but- no. Hinata can't think like that. She has to be strong, there has to be something she can help with. Just not here.

And then Kiba's jogging back to the group, shaking his head. "I can't even catch a single whiff of Ino, nevermind whoever may have taken her. You sure she was even here?"

Shino interjects before Shikamaru can say anything. "There is quite a lot of chakra in the air. Why? Likely because there are a number of jutsu that can dispel scents or mask them from trackers, and this would be an ideal way to escape with a clan shinobi without being followed."

"Shit, what do we do?" Kiba shifts uncomfortably, "we can't just leave Ino with whoever took her, and if we wait for the fighting to end, there's no telling how far away they'll be…"

"We could-"

"You should-"

Hinata cuts off when she realizes Shikamaru's also speaking, but the Nara doesn't continue either.

"You had an idea, Hinata?" He asks after a long moment of silence, and Hinata tries not to quail under the attention.

"U-um- well- I just thought- th-that sort of jutsu, is it just in one area? M-maybe there's a trail somewhere else…"

"Aa. That's what I wondered too. Kiba, can you and Akamaru run a perimeter through the neighboring field? I doubt they'd have taken the road, but if you don't find anything in Ground 18, we'll check that out while heading back towards my place. It's where Ino was trying to go before she was snatched, so if she got away she'd head there."

Kiba nods. "Got it. Shino, come gimme a hand?"

"Of course."

Then it's just the two of them, alone in the field, as Kiba and Shino go to check out the areas around them. The silence drags, long and awkward, until Hinata finally works up the courage to ask, "You saw Team 7?"

Shikamaru glances at her, and suddenly she feels awful , his teammate's been kidnapped and she's asking about other people, but-

Shikamaru doesn't get upset, or tell her off, he just answers, shrugging as he does as though he can brush off the words. "I only saw them from a distance, it's Ino who actually met with them, her dad's involved in some of the stuff they're involved in, so she went over to their place for dinner, or something, I dunno, it's what she wanted to talk to me about this morning. I checked in on them a little a couple days ago, got a glimpse or two, and then Inoichi-san came by my place last night to talk to me about them before our training this morning, cause there's some confidential stuff going on and he was worried I'd put it together and then say something they were trying to avoid talking about. So I guess I've got a bit of an idea, but I can't really say more than that…"

"O-oh…" Hinata had known something confidential was going on, but she'd still hoped…

Almost like he was reading her mind - perhaps he learned a trick or two from Ino-chan? - Shikamaru turns to look at her. "Naruto seemed pretty happy, when I saw him out shopping with his team. Looked like they'd lost some supplies and had to restock, they were having a bunch of fun sniping at each other. He didn't seem to be injured, and he seemed pretty excited about some sort of plan he had. With everything going on with them… Team 7 seems like they're doing pretty well. I don't think we have to worry too much about them. Even if these guys did kidnap them, I don't think it'll end too well for them. Heh. Maybe if we're lucky they'll keep Team 7 and Ino in the same place, and then Team 7 can save me from having to do all this work by rescuing her themselves. Wouldn't that be nice?"

Hinata laughs a little at Shikamaru's obvious pleasure at the thought, and she- she appreciates how normal it suddenly feels, like Shikamaru complaining about having to do work has suddenly made things less scary because he's relaxed enough to do so. She hadn't realized how unsettling it was, to see him so focused, without a single complaint about all the effort he's putting into things, just to find his teammate.

She's still smiling when Kiba and Shino make their way back, though it drops as she sees the unhappy lines in their posture.

…they didn't find a trail.

"Tch. Nothing at all?" Shikamaru asks as they get close enough, and Kiba scowls.

"Not even any chakra like they used another jutsu. Akamaru says he caught a scent that he recognized from the first phase of the exam, but Shino found no traces of chakra and when I checked it out…" he shrugs, and Shino finishes.

"It seems as though the scent was from the shinobi heading towards Ino, not after he'd taken her. Why? Because it did not have the lingering after-effects I would expect from anything left after such a jutsu was cast. It tells us which way our kidnapper came from, but not which way he went."

"Yeah, what he said. I couldn't recognize it either, though I agree with Akamaru, it was someone in that room during the first phase of the exam…"

"Hardly narrows it down," Shikamaru grouses, scowling back the direction her teammates had come from, "but maybe someone else will be able to take it from there. We need to head back to my place, my dad will have left a runner there, since we border the wall and need to be able to alert people if someone comes through the forest… We can let them know about the kidnappings and that we suspect one of the exam competitors. Probably need to ask them to check up on Choji, make sure no one's gone for him too. Then… then we should see if we can find out where Team 7 went. If they went towards the fighting or potentially got kidnapped themselves, we need to know one way or the other. Sound good?"

Hinata nods sharply, as Kiba and Shino both voice their agreement, and so they're off again.

Hinata wants to ask what makes Shikamaru so certain they got kidnapped, because he doesn't sound like he expects them to have run off to the fighting, but she doesn't want to distract him, and- well, she knows something's not right.

She's known for a while, really, and maybe since Shikamaru actually knows what is going on, it makes him more sure that someone would try to kidnap them.

Were Ino and Hinata distractions, so people wouldn't realize the real targets were Team 7?

Naruto-kun… ever since we graduated, something's been wrong, hasn't it?

Maybe… maybe even before graduation? She'd known Naruto failed the test, saw with her Byakugan as his clone failed, watched as long as she could as he struggled to laugh it off until he was alone, but then- she'd had to go home, and then all the shinobi were up in arms about something being stolen, and then she didn't hear anything more but Naruto was at the Academy for team assignments after, and Iruka-sensei acted like he was supposed to be there, so…

How long ago did everything start?

She'd seen Naruto and his team around the village doing D-ranks, even found Naruto buying groceries or eating ramen, but-

Something had still been off back then, hadn't it? Was it leftover from his graduation, or was it something else?

Wasn't there something odd about how Team 7 interacted? They never got to do team training with them, even though they'd worked with all the others. She'd tried to follow them more closely, for a little while, but then it suddenly seemed like her clan or her team were always finding her really quickly, almost immediately sometimes, and then, after the second phase of the exam, when she went to look for Naruto…

When she went to look for him, to maybe actually ask about why his team wasn't participating, and an ANBU told her to stay away, that she wasn't allowed to speak with Team 7 at that time-

And then shortly after that, Team 7 was removed from the village entirely, even though Hatake Kakashi was still around for another day or so, and she couldn't help but wonder…

Had the village made Team 7 leave so she couldn't find answers? Or had it had something to do with that sudden fire in the jonin quarters that her father was so upset about? Was it something else?

And now they're back, apparently only just recently, and the village is being invaded, and-

Hinata knows Team 7 would never betray the village, but. She's missing something.

She's always missing something, but there's some connection there, she can practically feel it, something tying together Naruto's graduation and Team 7 not being allowed to participate in group training, not being in the chunin exams, the fire, the village, the invasion , there's- There's something there.

Hinata knows there is, there's something that makes everything make sense, but what ?

What does Shikamaru know that makes him so certain they were kidnapped?

What's the piece that brings the whole puzzle together-?

"Choji! And- Naruto?"

Hinata's head snaps up, something straining in her neck as she processes Shikamaru's words, hastily scanning her surroundings until she lands on the bright orange that is Naruto, and something she hadn't even realized had tensed relaxes as the blond laughs brightly, rubbing at his hair.

"Actually, I'm just a clone! Real-me is busy with Na- uh, Sakura-chan, chasing after some jerks who kidnapped Sasuke. I'm s'posed to find backup for 'em cause there's a bunch of those guys an' we think they're not quite right , y'know? Sakura-chan said this was Nara territory and there might be some clan guys who could help us out, yeah?"

Hinata finds her mind snagging on that half-spoken name Naruto hastily avoided saying, even as Shikamaru answers.

"Someone kidnapped Ino as well… and tried but failed to kidnap Hinata. We were going to report it and then go looking for you guys, make sure you were okay. Guess I've got the answer to that one… do you have a trail?"

Naruto- or his clone? Bobs his head quickly. "Oh yeah, scent is unmistakable , like, I can't smell half as well as- uh- anyway, but even I can smell it, a little, we've been following it for a while. No sign of Ino last I knew, but they could be planning to meet up somewhere. I gotta dispel though, so the boss knows you're coming. You can find another clone waiting by that really funky tree you guys got here, he's the one sort of coordinating the rest of us, he can lead you to the Boss when you're ready."

"Wait-! Naruto-kun-!" Hinata's words come too late, the clone dispelling in a puff of smoke, leaving them, or at least Hinata, with far too many questions.

Shikamaru doesn't look worried though, as he slouches with his hands in his pockets. "Brief Choji on everything while I go find my clan and let them know what's going on, alright?"

Then he's walking off, further along the path, and Kiba eagerly starts regaling Choji with everything that's happened, but-

Hinata finds herself fidgeting, uncomfortable, and even when Shino steps closer to her, trying to offer reassurance, she can't help but worry.

Who is traveling with Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan? A tracker, like Kiba-kun, but why was Naruto-kun afraid to talk about them?

Why was he hiding them?

What… what's really been going on with Team 7?

Sasuke grinds his teeth against the coarse cloth of the gag, forcing himself to ignore the flare of pain as the asshole carrying him lands harshly on another branch.

Definitely not a Konoha nin , he scoffs, and if he could he'd mock them, bring up Jiraiya and complain that even he had smoother landings despite carrying two genin and a pack , but that red-headed harpy had gotten tired of his pointed insults and resorted to gagging him last time they'd stopped.

In Sasuke's opinion, if they didn't want to be insulted, they should maybe try being competent first.

He hopes her fingers are still bleeding, not that he could appreciate the sight if they were. Maybe if he's lucky she hasn't bothered to bandage it because they were in such a hurry and she'll leave a trail for someone to follow.

The blindfold is another annoyance, and as far as Sasuke's concerned, further proof of their incompetence. It's not like it matters if he sees where they're going, he knows they're still in the village, it's hardly anything new, but then, he's pretty sure it's just cowardice on their parts.

Sasuke knows there have been Uchiha able to cast genjutsu without hand signs, just using their Sharingan - don'tthinkdon'tremember - but he doesn't know how, if Kakashi-sensei knows he hasn't had time to teach Sasuke yet.

Sasuke figured there was nothing to lose by trying to make it work anyway, but when they realized what he was trying to do, well.

The blindfold got added to the mix. Fury bubbles up again at the thought, that they would just-

Break into his home , kidnap him straight from clan compound and then drag him off, tie him up and blindfold him, and when he gets free he is going to gouge their eyes out , toss them to the ground and then grind them beneath his heel , he'll grab that sword and stab them, slit their throats, disembowel them-

No, no, don't remember, not here, not now-

Sasuke grits his teeth against the gag, shoving those memories down do wn down-

That red-headed girl and her genjutsu . He didn't even realize it was there at first, auditory-based genjutsu are so much more uncommon than visual, and by the time he recognized that he was in a modified version of the hell-viewing genjutsu-

It had crept up so slowly , she's good, he'll give her that, first it was just footsteps and maybe a distant shout or two, and then he started to realize they sounded familiar, like he'd heard those exact shouts before, and then there was the blood spattering against the cobblestones and the cries of, "Itachi why-!"

Memories crawl up again, a blade in his hand and his parents kneeling before him-

NO!

Sasuke shoves the memories down again, jaw aching as he grinds his teeth into the gag.

He's going to kill her.

Before anything else, the moment he's free, he's going to kill her .

He just barely suppresses a flinch when the asshole carrying him jars to a sudden stop.

"Kabuto-sama!" one of the new guys cries, and Sasuke wonders if they've found more backup, or if this guy will just be leaving.

"Ah, so you've succeeded. Good. No issues, I hope?"

The guy carrying him laughs, shrugging the shoulder Sasuke's thrown over. "He's pretty stubborn, but-"

"Asshole fuckin' bit my finger half-off, the fetid piece of shit -!"

"No one followed you?"

Sasuke smirks at the red-head's snarl of fury as the newcomer cuts her off, and offers a silent wish for her finger to get infected .

"With the whole attack going on, who would ? No one saw us grab the kid, we're totally in the clear. But, Kabuto-sama, uh… no offense but that doesn't look like the pink-haired girl you were supposed to grab. She get a dye job or something?"

"Aa. She was missing, and I don't have time to hunt her down. This one met with her recently though, so she should have what we need. She was even waiting all by herself, right on my way here. Almost a sign, really," the new guy purrs, before continuing in a sharper tone, "You at least covered your trail, I expect? Just because they're busy doesn't guarantee that someone won't notice two missing genin, three if our diversion works. We can't afford to be careless."

A long pause, and then:

"...you did cover your trail. Right?"

They wanted to snag Natsu? Heh, almost wish they'd found him, that'd be free entertainment, least until the fires started…

Sasuke grins a little, as he listens to his even more incompetent-than-expected kidnappers babble excuses and swear that there's no way anyone followed them really, it's fine-!

He almost expects his teammates to burst in on the conversation, it's the exact sort of dramatic timing they both like, but even when the excuses trail off into silence, no one comes.

Eventually, Kabuto gets irritated, either with the excuses they'd been giving or the silence once they stopped, and Sasuke only has a moment to realize someone's approaching and brace himself before he's pulled sharply off the shoulder of the guy carrying him and tossed into the dirt.

He bites back any sound, refusing to let them know it hurts, and then freezes sharply when a kunai presses just to the side of his eye.

It takes a long moment to register the pain as both blindfold and gag begin to sag off his face, and he feels blood start to slide down his cheek. Hesitantly, he reaches up to pull both away, getting his first good look at both the newcomers from before, and Kabuto.

His Sharingan whirls to life as he recognizes Ino tossed over Kabuto's shoulder, and his sorry pile of kidnappers tense when they catch sight.

Sasuke meets Kabuto's eyes and tries to once more figure out Sharingan-based genjutsu, to no effect.

Kabuto sighs. "You're making things very difficult for us, Sasuke-kun." he starts, clearly giving up on Sasuke speaking first, "Orochimaru-sama offers you power beyond anything your pathetic village can even dream of, and we know that you want it. You can't attain your dreams living in this stagnant village that decries true power as heresy . Any power you attain, it will never be enough. They'll make sure of that. You can't be too powerful after all, or you might follow your dear brother's footsteps. They'll take any power you gain, leave you weak and helpless and feed you excuses for why you have to stay here, unable to grow to your true potential , and they'll never give you your revenge. Surely you can see it yourself, see how they've treated your civilian teammate the moment she woke up a latent kekkei genkai, see how they treat those with power they can't understand. And yet, despite all of this, you refuse Orochimaru-sama's gift. Why don't you understand, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke almost retorts, because it's impressive how right and simultaneously wrong Kabuto is about his teammate. He's seen 'power the village couldn't even dream of', seen it in Natsu's indescribable fire, in the way he bends an element as easily as he breathes , like it's just another limb for him to move however he'd like, and however messed up Konoha is, they didn't try to imprison Natsu until after Orochimaru started messing with their heads.

Natsu's power doesn't come with a side-effect of mind-control, and maybe it's not something Sasuke can learn, but it doesn't need to be.

He only needs to ask, and he knows Natsu would be there, standing against that man for him.

It's- almost a terrifying truth to face, that reality, that somewhere between graduation and now his team has clawed so far into his head that-

He can't lose them.

He can't .

They're his and Sasuke isn't letting go, no matter who tries to take them. He doesn't need Orochimaru. He doesn't even need Konoha , not as long as he's got them, and Sasuke is… terrifyingly certain that if he asks, they'll stay with him. Go with him. Help him hunt down Itachi and stay together beyond even that.

He feels like, if he asks, Natsu will take him with him when he goes. Will fight all of Konoha to let Sasuke choose what he wants to do, how he wants to live his life.

It feels like Natsu would defy death itself with a savage grin and crackling flame, if Sasuke just asked for his help.

And maybe, it even feels a little like Sasuke could actually ask.

But-

None of that is stuff Kabuto deserves to know. Orochimaru doesn't deserve his words, doesn't need any more reason to be interested in his teammates, and Sasuke owes them nothin g.

So he spits in Kabuto's face.

Fury sparks bright in Kabuto's eyes, and Sasuke braces for a blow, ready to roll with it-

A terrible roar slams into him like a physical force, pushing him into the dirt even as everyone around him stumbles and tries to cover their ears, Kabuto awkwardly dropping Ino in the process-

And in the distance, a gigantic shape rises, towering above the trees as it once again roars a challenge to the world.

Sasuke shakes his head, tries to focus past the ringing in his ears, Ino landed badly and he thinks he heard something snap, he needs to stand , when he hears another snap, behind him now.

"Aw shit, I totally lost that bet huh?"

Sasuke twists awkwardly as Natsu sighs, staring up at the giant in the distance, hair unbound and in almost nightmarish disarray, every inch of his posture practically pouting at the sight of the giant abomination as it roars a third time and grows, somehow, even bigger .

Sasuke is once again forcibly reminded why he doesn't ask Natsu for help.

He has, inexplicably, been placed on a team with complete and utter morons .

Chapter 69: The Sound-Sand Invasion 6

Notes:

When one of my readers who follows me on tumblr messaged and said it'd been 7 months since I updated, I about DIED inside.
Y'all have no idea they straight up MURDERED me with that comment. But like.
The good kind of murder.
I managed to finish writing the chapter like, two days later thanks to how BADLY their words haunted me. It admittedly took me something like two WEEKS to edit the chapter, after I'd finished it, and I'm still not 100% happy with Naruto's segment cause I feel like i'm taking too many liberties with canon :(
But to make up for it, I'm actually REALLY happy with Orochimaru's segment (and some of the Implications from it that aren't gonna be relevant for like, 8 chapters if my brain sticks to the schedule I have but Still) and I also really like Sakura's.
I wish it were longer, because I'm not gonna stick to the 80 chapter count if the chapters insist on being so short I think, but I'm just glad to actually HAVE something.
I wanted to work in a sort of update with Shika and his team but couldn't make my brain handle them, so their actions are a mystery for now I guess.
My roommate didn't beta this for me, and as she usually checks for consistency and character OOC-ness, there's a chance these may be a bit weaker than normal, though hopefully not!
In good news, I've successfully had my surgery. My bones still feel weird, and sometimes they pop and shift in my chest which is horrifying, and I got an infection from one of the incisions but in general, I'm recovering well and I don't get dizzy as much as I used to so there's some improvement even if I'm struggling a bit still!
I also FINALLY have an appointment with a psychiatrist to see if there's anything we can do that can help my anxiety, executive dysfunction, and stuff so it stops spiraling me. Hoping that my boss both gives me the day off, AND that it goes well, so wish me luck on that I guess xD
In the meantime, I am over here crying because I have so many ideas for Book 2 and I'm so worried I won't be able to do them justice because I'm not GOOD at writing political bullshit but I also REALLY REALLY WANT TO WRITE IT.
It's okay tho. Book 1 isn't finished yet, I've got time to figure it out.
As always, thanks for reading, and for sticking with it for this long despite all my huge breaks in uploads. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Text

Sakura has never wanted to hit someone so badly in her life . Whether it's Kabuto, for dropping Ino like a sack of rice , or Natsu for his inability to sit still , she hasn't quite figured out yet. She can't- She has a plan . It's a good one. A great one, really, made uniquely possible by their situation and therefore something that no one will ever be able to predict or counter until it's too late .

Natsu is doing his best to ruin it, half-trying to leap out of the bushes as the clone confronts the kidnappers.

Or maybe he just wants to protest the clone's words.

With these idiots, anything is possible.

Sakura prays to gods she's not sure she believes in that he'll just hold on , just a little longer. If she could just be out there, with her team-

Well then the plan wouldn't work, now would it.

Sakura grits her teeth. She's done the best she can. She's explained the plan to Natsu, she's explained how it will work. She's helped him explain to the clones what they need to do, when they need to do it. The signals have been hashed out and agreed on.

Now, all she can do is wait.

Wait, and trust her teammates.

Her fingers dig into the blankets, a distraction, and memories flicker through her mind - papa tucking her in when she was little and that time she got a cold and mom bundled her up and they drank hot chocolate together in the little room under the stairs that Sakura liked to pretend was her "secret ninja hideout!".

Memories of warmth and peace and safety , memories of that Academy camping trip when they had to kill the rabbits to practice being shinobi and afterwards she and Ino curled up together in a bedroll and Sakura couldn't even cry , just shook and shook and shook until Ino wrapped them both in the blankets and told her silly stories about her clan until Sakura fell asleep-

Blankets are safety .

Sakura had never realized how deeply she believed that until she was here, in her own mindscape, and every time she touched the blankets she felt it-

(pillows, on the other hand, were pain. sorrow. hurts that only got better when she cried them all out.)

(maybe normal kids thought of them as fun - pillow fights and sleepovers, but Sakura didn't really have that. Ino was a clan kid, even when they were friends Sakura couldn't have that with her, so all pillows were good for was sleeping and crying. she doesn't touch the pillow in her Cabin if she can avoid it.)

The memories she associates with blankets are a comforting weight against her mind as Sakura tries not to worry about Naruto, Natsu, the blood down Sasuke's face and the way everything relies on the plan going just right-

Tries not to worry about Naruto out there, alone , going to fight a demon without backup, with only his own demon for company, tries not to doubt-

At least, even if all the clones dispelled, Natsu would still have Sakura, even if she can't be much help. At least Sakura can't and won't force Natsu to hurt people he cares about, at least she won't lie to him and hurt him every time they talk-

(at least Sakura still has Natsu, and there are days - long, long days when Sakuni isn't there, where she thinks that if it had been anyone else who'd gotten stuck like this, Sakura would have given up, withered to nothing in her own mind and ceased to exist - but Natsu encourages her to fight, to participate, at every opportunity, to keep being a part of her team and family even when she knows she annoys him sometimes-)

(when Natsu trusts her , enough to agree to this plan even though he hates it-)

(she's pretty sure this is what a big brother feels like)

"I'm not really that bad, am I?" Natsu hisses, and Sakura looks back up to the window, to her glimpses of the outside world.

Naruto's clone makes for a truly awful Natsu, and at least Sakura doesn't have to worry about being too loud, as she buries herself in the distraction and cackles .

"Sakuraaaa-!" Natsu whispers, her name more a breath than a sound. She stops laughing, smothering her giggles into the blanket for a moment - papa bundling her up and swinging her over his shoulder, the evil shinobi kidnapping his little princess, as Ino valiantly promises to save her-

"Sorry, sorry!" Sakura waves off her own apology, still fighting a grin as she listens to Naruto's henge'd clone try to pretend to be Natsu.

Sakura's pretty sure the only reason phase one of her plan is working so well is because the enemy shinobi are so weirded out by Naruto's attempts to sound like Natsu that they're afraid of catching his crazy.

Natsu and Naruto may both have fairly rough, slang ways of speaking, but Sakura's seeing very directly that that's where the similarities end .

Watching Sasuke grow more and more suspicious the longer he listens to the clone talk sends her into giggles again.

Bloodbloodblooddownhisfaceisheabletokeepfightingor-

Natsu hisses at her.

"Enough of this!" the glasses-wearing ringleader snaps, clearly done with Naruto's antics. "We need to get to the rendezvous point. You're coming with us." He lunges forward, some sort of… glowing scalpel? Slicing at Naruto's leg, and the clone dispels in an instant.

"Finally," Natsu grumbles, forming handsigns with painstaking precision.

"At least they're sticking to the plan," Sakura agrees, clenching the blanket tighter - a bad dream, and crawling up into her parents' bed, their big blanket the safest place in the world as their arms curl around her-

Gradually, slowly, the plan takes shape.

"Now it's our turn."

"Raaaaawr!" he lifts the stuffed bear's arms, making tiny sweeps with the plush paws. Across from him, his adversary quails, curling into itself to hide from the might of his great ally.

It's not even person-shaped, really, just a misshapen clump of sand only recognizable due to the unique conical hats worn by the Kage.

He doesn't see those faults. He sees the Kazekage, the father who's never there except when he is and it's bad , and he roars again, making the bear pounce like a great summon from one of Uncle's stories. Tiny blobs of sand rise up to fight them, his father's ANBU, but his summon's mighty paws go swipe swipe and they crumble back into dust.

Father surrenders then, handing over his hat even as the tendrils of sand that make up his arms crumble, promising that he won't call Uncle away again and they can play as much as they'd like-

Knock knock-

"Gaara, are you in there-"

A schism - the dream, perking up excitedly to open the door-

No-!

He covers his ears. This is my dream! Go away! You liar! Go awaygoawaygoaway-! Traitor-!

The dream stumbles, inches from the door.

"Gaara, I'm coming in."

"No! Nononononono-!" Gaara shouts, tearing himself awake but-

But he doesn't want to be awake, doesn't want to be here , let Mother rage , let her fight and scream and prove her existence he just wants to sleep , let him dream without having to listen to those lies again, let him sleep without that liar-traitor- assassinhaunting him-!

Mother understands. She shoves him back under, pulling him deeper and deeper back into sleep, beyond even the point of dreams, and Gaara lets her.

He's so tired of being in control, of fighting every day of his life against Mother, tired of being wrong and bad and a monster regardless of whether he follows their rules or not .

Tired of being tired, of never ever sleeping to protect them no matter what excuses they try to use to convince him that it's for his own good, tired of the lies and-

Just let me rest.

Jiraiya curses Orochimaru, his village, and every idiot who decided to sign up for it. And then all the major villages for good measure.

Who thought it was a bright idea to let a missing-nin found a village anyway?! He wails, as another group of Oro's shinobi intercept him. It's obvious they're trying to keep him from the jinchuuriki, there's no way any of these guys are a match for him, they're throwing away their lives to stall for time and dammit but it's working!

The circle of destruction he can just barely glimpse from the rooftops is already spreading, it's the Kyuubi attack all over again except at least the Kyuubi started outside the village and not in the middle of a market district and he needs to get over there right now-

One kage-shuriken jutsu to distract them, as Jiraiya flies through the signs for a summoning jutsu.

There's something to be said for conserving chakra, but he doesn't have time for this .

"Report," Kakashi barks, yanking his last kunai out of his opponent.

Damaged from the bone impact. Left pouch, make sure to adjust throwing angle to compensate-

The Nara steadies his shoulders, taking a deep breath. "Yamanaka Ino and Uchiha Sasuke have been kidnapped. According to an Inuzuka, the one who took Yamanaka-chan was an exam competitor in the first phase who used a high-ranked scent concealing jutsu to destroy their trail. Currently two Inuzuka are in pursuit with Kurenai-san of Team 8."

To this day, nothing unsettles Kakashi quite as much as a Nara who's actually exhausted. The whole clan acts like they're allergic to exercise, and it's always been his go-to severity meter.

This Nara's dead on his feet , and Kakashi can't be the first one he's informed of the situation. Better be the last though, or the next one the chunin tries to report to might not be fast enough to save the kid's life.

He glances up to the Bijuu. Hasn't moved much in the past couple minutes… Jiraiya make it over? Or is someone else stalling it…

Hard to say, but between the two of them Kakashi knows Jiraiya's a better match for a Bijuu, so.

"Come with me, we'll go back to the competitor dorms. We'll pick up the list of missing shinobi from the guard there, and then we'll have a better idea of who to pursue. There were six reported including the jinchuriki, but I wasn't given a dossier. Other shinobi were expected to hunt them down."

"Sir."

He slips through the archives, a golden-eyed ghost wandering familiar halls. Kabuto failed to find any meaningful records of the Haruno family, and Orochimaru has no doubt that he exhausted every resource he could.

The middle of an invasion provides a unique opportunity to do… further digging, however. If one is careful enough. Traps are not uncommon, though he doubts any are capable of ensnaring him , he'll have to be careful of anything that might destroy the very records he's come to find. He's putting aside quite a few objectives just to find them after all. It would be unpleasant to waste that.

He slips between another set of shelves, carefully making his way through. There likely is a Haruno file over with the merchant records, considering what little Kabuto could find, but that's not the one he wants. He's seen that girl, felt her chakra, and there's a kekkei genkai there. And kekkei genkai get documented . There will be something in ANBU's Rite section, he's almost certain.

Konoha's records on individuals of interest who've joined the village under various circumstances are both comprehensive, and vague. Often, they'll use code names and oblique references, and won't describe the people, or where they live. Only their direct assets to the village, the reason they were admitted, the potential risks of letting them in, and any probationary measures that may have been taken. There are more detailed records in the Hokage's private library, but Orochimaru has neither the time nor patience to discreetly break in and out of that archive.

Even records of kekkei genkai here aren't likely to describe any notable traits, but there can't be too many people let in on account of a bloodline, so he can copy them all and figure out which is his target later. Most villages will kill their kekkei genkai holders before letting them run after all, so there's so few for other villages to snag.

Always so wasteful.

There hasn't been a lot of bloodline theft either in recent years, the villages all in an uneasy truce, but there are a couple interesting records from the time of the war, which is no surprise. Considering Haruno was alive and in the village back then though, he'll need to look a little further.

Aah, is that Kabuto-kun's family? How cute.

He puts the record aside, uninterested. Konoha can hardly tell him more about his subordinate than he already knows.

The one after that…

Two adults and a child. Unusual coloring. Potential mentally-focused kekkei genkai, naturally resistant to Yamanaka mind-walking techniques. Further study not urgent at this time. Abilities may develop more in later generations. Formerly unaffiliated, potential family of an independent clan. Slight accent.

"Well that's interesting. Danzo's fingers all over it, I'm sure… can't risk someone immune to Yamanaka techniques falling into another village's hands. But where did you come from? Did he bring you here, or did you wander into his den of your own free will?" He muses, brushing his fingers over the record. It's almost certainly who he's looking for. If the family were immune to Yamanaka techniques, then his curse seal, with a heavy mental component, would understandably struggle. Perhaps even fail .

How fascinating .

Perhaps he should look into where they're buried, take a sample or two… it would be no difficulty to find more sacrifices, especially in the midst of all this carnage -

"Orochimaru."

"Aaa, sensei. Always just in time to interrupt my fun, aren't you?" Orochimaru purrs, making a show of turning around, eyes slipping lazily over the Hokage. "No guards? How bold, for a man as old as yourself."

"I'm going to stop you. Like I should have back then." He readies his staff, and Orochimaru could use the impure resurrection, crush what little hope his dear sensei has, but without the barrier to keep outsiders from interfering, to keep those kage from running out of range of his kunai before he can ready them…

"Well. I suppose I could spare some time to play with you." It's not as though his beloved sensei would actually kill him, after all.

If Hiruzen were going to, he would have attacked the moment he'd arrived, instead of trading words with his wayward student.

It's a weakness Orochimaru knows exactly how to exploit.

They're clones. The Naruto and Natsu who jump out of the bushes after the first clone was dispelled, they're clones . There's a plan here, there has to be, because there's no way Sasuke's teammates were stupid enough to think that clones could fight off all the Oto shinobi at once.

He hopes it was Sakura's plan. Anything else would likely be so stupid he'd regret ever hearing it.

So focused on keeping an eye on his not-quite-teammates, on Ino still unconscious on the ground, on the enemies they're all fighting, it takes him an embarrassingly long time to detect the genjutsu subtly weaving its way through the field.

He nearly throws his chakra into it, desperate to avoid more memories dragged out by the flute-bitch's music, before he realizes the chakra is Natsu's.

Where did the idiot find enough patience to learn a genjutsu?

It makes sense, suddenly, how those two clones haven't been dispelled yet, even though Sasuke's already injured and hardly able to defend them as they fight a losing 3-v-5.

The creepy spider-abomination makes a lunge at not-Naruto, solidly stabbing through the clone and dispelling it.

Only, Sasuke can see the hazy genjutsu, threads of bright-glowing chakra wafting off the 'body', and even as Kidomaru shakes off what he thinks his Naruto, a new clone takes his place, looking just a bit more feral, prominent whiskers and purple-hazed eyes.

Kabuto calls out a warning, and Sasuke almost laughs at how much more sharply the man looks at Naruto, as though a bit of a color change makes him any more scary without that oppressive chakra pressing down. It's just a clone, it can't feel like a demon.

Although… Sasuke squints, glancing out the corner of his eye back at the clone, even as he lunges for the flutist and tries to gouge her eyes out again.

It does feel… a little oppressive. Nothing like Sasuke's felt before, but… can a genjutsu really simulate the oppressive weight of a Bijuu's chakra? It shouldn't work like that, and yet it almost seems real , when Sasuke doesn't look too hard, doesn't let his eyes unravel the layers of the illusion.

Just past them, Naruto's sad clone attempt to henge into Natsu brawls with wild energy, no fire to be seen, and Sasuke's not even sure how the creepy twin-guy got knocked flat by such a pathetic showing, but as he climbs to his feet the Akamichi-wannabe rushes in with a roar, and that clone dispels as well, and the shadow of the genjutsu Sasuke can glimpse showing it collide into a tree even as another clone takes its place.

… could Sakura be controlling the mental components of the genjutsu while Natsu provides the chakra? The level of detail is way too much for that idiot to manage, but if the effort could be split then…?

Sasuke shakes off the distraction, within arm's reach of the girl- Taya, or something? Only for his grasping fingers miss the pink-haired bitch's eyes- she can't get far enough away though, and he slams her into the dirt. The kunai in his off-hand stabs into her side, and Sasuke twists .

She throws him off with a roar that isn't quite human, and black patterns spread across her face as the feeling of Orochimaru's slimy chakra erases all thoughts of demon-energy and genjutsu theory from Sasuke's mind.

These people have curse-seals.

Fuck.

"They're stalling for time!" Kabuto snaps somewhere behind him, and Sasuke lunges past the flutist, scrambling for Ino before they can grab her-

A discordant note, and something slams into him, tossing him sharply into the trees, a crack reaching his ears as the world trembles violently, disorientation scrambling his vision even as his Sharingan whirls .

Fire lances down his spine.

Kabuto scoops up Ino even as the flutist stumbles to her feet, a miasma of unnatural chakra wafting from her instrument as she plays, taking physical shape as some sort of artificial summon.

Sasuke shoves aside his own pain, using the tree as a brace and trying not to think about his ribs shifting in his chest as he stands. The pain is white-hot, a constant stabbing burst of agony every time he breathes, but he can still breathe, and that means he needs to keep his head in the fight.

Kabuto takes off running before he has the chance to move.

"No-!" Sasuke stumbles forward, snarling around the blood he can feel leak out of his mouth, and then everything happens at once.

The clones dispel.

The genjutsu breaks.

Kabuto runs face-first into a trap, the creepy twin-guy right behind him.

Sasuke's eyes widen, and suddenly he realizes that genjutsu wasn't just covering the battlefield.

The forest is coated in boobytraps.

Some of them waver with the unique chakra patterns of something a clone was carrying, and that's-

How well do traps work when made of cloned materials?

Natsu skulks out of the bushes as Kabuto untangles himself, pink hair pulled back but somehow in even more disarray than the clone's, looking utterly exhausted .

A fist slams into an open palm, and his face lights up in a fierce grin all the same. "Finally my time to fight, huh?"

Kabuto turns towards them with a glare, and Natsu just grins right back. "Hey. Four-eyes. Drop the panty thief, I don't think you really want her anyways. She'll just steal all your boxers." There's a laugh caught behind that grin, one that Natsu doesn't quite let out, but Sasuke knows there's something else going on here. He shifts position, gauges the pain. Sakura wouldn't break the genjutsu without a good reason. Invisible traps are better than visible ones.

There's something more to this plan, and Sasuke will be ready.

"Aah, I see. You're the real Sakura then. Unfortunately, I'm not playing your game any longer. Jirobu, deal with them. Tayuya. Clear a path."

Naruto spits out a mouthful of sand, and does his best to ignore the feeling of yet more crawling down his throat in turn.

"Can't believe this guy's like Natsu , that's totally unfair!" he grumbles to his nearest clone, trying to cough up the sand that's definitely doing its best to ignore him. "Why don't I get a demon that makes me able to conjure elements and control shit like this, nooooo, all I get is a jerk who just dumps a bunch of chakra on me and yells about my mom." He spits again, grimacing at the dry, papery feel in his mouth and the pain coming from some indescribable place inside him.

As soon as this is all over, Naruto's making the kyuubi a formal complaint. He deserves some cool power, 'ttebayo! Not just stupid burning chakra that hurts his friends!

Most powerful bijuu?

Ha. If even the weakest can give his jinchurikki the ability to summon unreal amounts of sand , the Kyuubi is totally holding out. Or only pretending to be strong.

Maybe he's just the biggest and likes to pretend that makes him stronger than the others?

Fury creeps through the edges of his thoughts, and Naruto grins savagely.

He had wondered if the Kyuubi could hear him, after all. With how much chakra is present, healing as quickly as the Ichibi's sand can try to tear him apart, he just needs one. More. Push .

"We got a plan, boss?" The clone asks, keeping an eye on the sand demon as it fights with the wave of clones. Naruto nods sharply.

"As long as it works…" he grumbles a little, bringing his hands together to make more clones. A lot more.

Those memories from his clone with Natsu and Sakura swirl through his mind, that crazy-genius plan that's counting on him to win in time. Some more clones will dispel when they hit phase two, and Naruto tries not to let the time limit stress him. He doesn't know when they're gonna pop, but he needs to be ready.

Their whole plan only works if Naruto wins, and wins fast .

He needs to hurry.

He can't mess up. Not if he's gonna be any help to his team.

Here goes nothin'.

"OI YA SANDY LUMP! YOU CALL YOURSELF A DEMON?! MY TEACHER'S GOT A FACE SCARIER THAN YOURS, MAYBE YOU NEED TO GO BACK TO DEMON-SCHOOL!"

As the giant sand demon roars his own insults in turn, ego as small and fragile as the Kyuubi's - and really Naruto has to wonder if that's just a bijuu-thing, are they all so easy to goad? - bullets of wind and sand start crashing through the clones and the buildings indiscriminately. Naruto makes himself scarce, disappearing into his group of identical minions. A building's debris catches him across the face, blood splattering across his cheek, and Naruto just snarls as he feels the kyuubi's chakra bubble up to heal him once again.

This time, he grabs it with two mental hands, and yanks .

Time to start paying rent, bastard!

Crimson bleeds through his vision.

Chapter 70

Notes:

I'll be honest, the PLOT seems to be moving the direction I want it to, I finally got all the characters in place, but the actual writing itself seems really weak. mostly it's just because my brain struggles in general with self-confidence, same old same old, and it's just hitting a little harder lately i think.
but. It's also probably like. trauma related. because as a kid when i tried to talk to my parents about having ADHD my father basically sat me down and told me all sorts of things about how ADHD drugs ruin creativity and that I couldn't be a writer anymore if I was taking them, but I've finally got a diagnosis and have started medication, and I wonder if my extreme dissatisfaction is in part due to just still on some level believing what my dad said to me back then and therefore being even MORE critical than normal.
this chapter only lightly edited because my roommate is not back to beta-ing for me yet and every time i looked at the chapter i wanted to just throw it away and start over a little more strongly, so at this point it's a matter of posting before i just lose all nerve.
cause worst come to worst, I can always edit it later, if it's clunky enough to warrant it.

So, as always, thanks for reading and hope you enjoy!

At the very least, if nothing else the medication has helped me to ACTUALLY write, even if I feel like shit about it all, so I'm going to try and hope one more time that my brain will keep doing the words! might not ever get back to the chapter a week i had way back in the beginning, but the fact that I managed to write SOMETHING three weeks in a row is honestly great and far more than I've done so consistently in a while!

Chapter Text

"I MESSED UP!"

A fist of sand crashes down, melting to sludge as the acidic chakra of his tail eats it away. Naruto grimaces, bracing through the attack, struggling to think through the bubbling haze of fury that clouds his mind and fills his senses.

Everything is awash in shades of red.

He's just-

Not-

Big enough -

Snarling, he shoves off the rest of the demon's sand, tail lashing through it all and eating away at the Ichibi's chakra, cutting off the tendrils before they can reach him.

He can see Gaara, asleep and half-buried in sand up above the bijuu, but he can't get there ! He can't climb up the Ichibi, the sand just eats him , and he can't scale a building and jump down, because the sand and wind bullets destroyed them , and he can't-

Get-

High enough-!

Snarling, Naruto gathers the Kyuubi's chakra, tries to leap to his target, only to get smacked out of the air.

Half a second tail bubbles as he claws his way out of the shattered road. Red wipes away his vision, leaving him blind, cut off from his body, for a long, long moment, before Naruto shoves it down with another snarl.

He can't get big enough to rival the Ichibi without more of the Kyuubi's chakra, but he can't control any more- !

He needs to stop. He needs to think .

He's not going to win like this.

He's not going to lose , either, because even just one tail of chakra is enough to keep him healing fast enough, defending fast enough, that the other jinchuriki can't really touch him.

Except Naruto's on a time limit.

His team is counting on him .

Even if he doesn't actually lose, if he doesn't catch up to Natsu in time, it's still a loss .

So THINK, 'ttebayo! Whaddu we do?!

The vague sense of mocking laughter is not helpful.

Memories flicker through, another clone dispelling, but it's not phase two yet , even if he's running out of time-

It's not going to work.

It may be the Kyuubi's own disdain that sparks the thought, as he dodges another of the Ichibi's attacks and his clones try to help him scramble up the demon before they're destroyed and he has to break away.

But the more Naruto thinks about it, he realizes it's true.

There's not a lot of time left. If he doesn't win literally right now , he won't make it in time to do his part.

…and unless he wants to take chances that the kyuubi will help if he pulls on more chakra, he's not winning right now.

Think, think, there's got to be SOMETHING I can still do-!

Naruto scrambles, claws digging into stone as he launches himself away, the lumbering form of the bijuu turning to follow.

And that's-

That's an idea .

Sorry, Sakura-chan! Change of plans!

"Oh sensei , did you really think that would work? At least try to show me something I haven't seen before. This is almost boring."

Both Kusa teams missing, one confirmed to be dead, and two of the three Suna genin missing. Hyuuga Neji, also missing, though somewhat unrelated. He was seen briefly in the area of the foreign competitors and hasn't checked in to any of the nearby commanders giving orders.

Kid like that, could have just thrown himself into the fight without orders. Or, it could be something else.

This is why I hate brats.

Kakashi leaves the Nara with one of the guards, summons his hounds. Considering Orochimaru disguised himself in one of the Kusa teams, the other is immediately suspect, but the missing Konoha team 12, which hasn't checked in anywhere since the invasion started, and whose sensei hasn't been seen at all since the end of Phase 2, apparently, could be its own concern.

Kakashi hates traitors.

"What're we looking for, Boss?"

Decisions, decisions.

Kakashi pauses, takes a moment to really think . He knows what his gut says.

"I need you to look for three missing Kusa genin. Bear-taichou has something you can use to track. Order them back to the barracks when you find them, but don't engage if they refuse. Let the ANBU handle it."

"On it Boss."

And that just leaves Team 12.

Kakashi has a bad feeling, but this way, at least, maybe they can head them off. Whether it was the Kusa team or Konoha traitors, either Kakashi or the ANBU could have a chance of catching them in a pincer with the Inuzuka hunters.

He takes off at a lope, following Bull as Pakkun goes to speak to the ANBU captain. High-level scent concealing jutsu means that one of them is going to lose the trail eventually, but unless it looks like he's about to re-tread places the Inuzuka already covered, there's still a benefit to this.

Kakashi follows his packmate easily, lone eye scanning their surroundings, until the red surges.

…the Nara clan forests are on fire .

It's spreading fast .

Kakashi stops, groaning, and casts a look to his summon. "How much would you like to bet," he drawls, "that our kidnapper is over there?"

Considering their trail has been heading towards Nara-clan territory to begin with, though a little further out than where the flames are coming from…

If they planned to escape over the wall from the Nara forests, having someone prepare the exit point before meeting up with the kidnappers is probably the way to do it. So, Team 12 prepares the exit while the Kusa team kidnaps the genin and heads to rendezvous. If I head there, find their exit and wait, then likely Pakkun and the Inuzuka pursuit teams will catch them between us.

…as long as they don't balk at Natsu's fire.

Shit, we really didn't warn everyone that he can control who it burns. Hopefully someone tests it out, and they don't give up the trail because they can't put it out.

"Change of plans, Bull. We head straight to the wall, find their exit point. Fire like that, Team 12 might go to back up the kidnappers, but I'd rather have that exit guarded ."

Bull barks his assent, and they're off.

In the distance, the Ichibi roars again. It's a sound of frustration and fury and it rattles Kakashi's bones, but Jiraiya's on it. Right now, he's got a team to save.

"How cute. Did you really think they'd be able to help you? You should have told them to stay out of it, if you didn't want them throwing away their lives."

Jiraiya is not on it.

As though just waiting for Jiraiya to call for his own summons, reports start reaching him of Orochimaru's serpents, summoned outside Konoha's walls in multiple locations.

No sign of Manda, but-

It shouldn't be possible for Orochimaru to make clones who could summon, right? The amount of chakra that would take- even for Orochimaru, that would be too much!

But there's no way that guy would share his summon contract with just anyone either-

Teme, what's going on here!?

However Orochimaru pulled it off, Jiraiya's stuck . He's got a bijuu in the middle of the city -still not moving, Kakashi must be holding it off at least- and a dozen summons too large for any chuunin to handle right up against their walls, and Jiraiya has to make a choice .

Which is more important? Time, or chakra?

He could go after the summons himself, conserve chakra but take extra time physically hunting them down.

He could summon a dozen of the larger toads, send them out to deal with the serpents and go to back up Kakashi with less than half of his reserves.

How long can Minato's brat hold out against a bijuu? How much did he use his Sharingan before the jinchuriki popped?

Dammit, whose bright idea was it to leave the information specialist floundering without any information?! Teme, this is uncalled for!

Kakashi's biggest issue is his reserves. Master of a thousand jutsu, but the Sharingan will lay him flat if someone doesn't back him up.

Grimacing, Jiraiya flies through the signs for summoning again.

The smoke hasn't even cleared as he starts barking through orders, positions, estimated numbers and locations and currently-present forces to back up, and the toads leap away as Jiraiya throws himself forward, chakra surging as he nearly flies towards the towering form of the ichibi.

The ichibi that's-

Moving away from him?

And avoiding the civilian bunkers?

…what?

"What's that look of hope for, sensei? Surely you don't think you can still win ."

Kiba still looks nauseous, Akamaru buried in his hood, paws over his nose.

Shikamaru's not too sure what they smell, something human noses aren't meant to pick up likely, as all he smells is the earthy scents of the forest and the occasional tang of blood that Naruto's clone says belongs to Sasuke.

Shikamaru will take its word for it.

He needs more information, but the clone knows nothing . All it knew was that they started by pursuing two guys who'd taken Sasuke, and then caught the scents of two more.

There were never any signs of Ino.

The scents of the guys that took Sasuke reminded them of Orochimaru, which-

Putting aside how Team 7 ran across Konoha's most notorious nukenin, is not what Shikamaru wants to be running into with a gaggle of genin, even if he was assured by his clan that a jonin would be contacted and sent after them as soon as they could find one.

Shikamaru asks why Orochimaru would want Sasuke-

The clone laughs, brushes off the question, doesn't answer.

Shikamaru asks who is tracking the team with Sakura. Inochi's explanations means he has something of an idea, except if Inoichi's explanations are right Sakura isn't even Sakura and Shikamaru's not entirely certain how someone else could track while in her body.

The clone, predictably, flails and stutters and eventually changes the subject.

Shikamaru tries asking questions a couple times as they follow the trail through the forest, and the clone. Doesn't. Answer.

How troublesome…

Fighting not to grind his teeth, Shikamaru tries again.

"Oi. I'm a strategist . I can't do anything without information. I get that there's some classified shit going on with your team, Naruto, but I need you to tell me something so I know how to play this. If you can't give me anything else, at least give me Natsu's combat style , so I can arrange our team to support him. Hinata and Shino are injured. I'm a support . I know Sakura's more of a support herself, so you need to tell me if Choji and Kiba are our only frontliners, or if I've got more to work with. Understood?"

"O-oh. Um…" the clone trails off, and the silence lingers long enough that, if it were anything less than Ino being kidnapped, Shikamaru would call this whole thing off.

It's suicide . He can't take a team of genin against anyone powerful enough to catch Orochimaru's eye. He doesn't know what kind of support he's got. He can't-

"Right!" the clone exclaims, shaking itself vigorously. "You're totally right! Who cares about Inoichi and all his secrets'n'stuff, ya need to know, dattebayo!"

The clone hums, then nods. "So, fer combat n'stuff, Natsu's super strong! I think I remember he said somethin' about S-class stuff before, when he was talkin' to Kakashi-sensei. But I know there's lots of stuff he can't do since he's stuck with Sakura-chan right now! Mostly he just lights stuff on fire and uses taijutsu! And he's really good, he fought that Zabuza guy even though the mist made all of us blind , and he didn't lose! I mean, I don't think he really won either, but since Kakashi-sensei said Zabuza was A-rank, that's probably still really strong. And Natsu's fire is so cool - it only burns enemies! I don't really get how that works, Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei both agree it's a kekkei genkai, but Natsu swears it's not. But Natsu's fire only burns people he wants it to burn, which is so cool . And ever since that mess with Orochimaru, Sakura-chan's been able to talk to everyone again, which is even better because she can come up with awesome plans while Natsu fights, and she's super good at hiding evidence! Or- uh, ehehehe…"

"And enhanced senses are part of that?"

"Uh, yeah! Mostly smell and hearing I think! Or at least if his eyes are better, it's never come up cause obviously Sasuke's are better than anyone's , so it hasn't mattered…"

"Heh. Fair enough. Alright. Once we catch up, Choji, I want you to keep your focus away from whoever Sakura's fighting. Better to divide our frontliners. Shino and I will support you. Kiba, you're more agile, so I want you moving between targets and hitting anywhere there's an opening. Hinata, we don't know what condition Sasuke is in, so you're our visual support. Enemy reinforcements, traps, anything like that, you need to let us know. Got it?"

There's a chorus of agreement from his classmates as Team 8's sensei drops to run beside him.

Shikamaru doesn't startle.

(much)

"Sounds like a plan. I'm a genjutsu specialist, and Inuzuka Toru is a capture specialist. We'll see if we can put together a trap for you to herd them toward. Inuzuka Hana will prioritize Sasuke and Ino, as she's a trained medic. We don't know much beyond Orochimaru's involvement, so we'll be prioritizing rescue and retreat. Try not to get separated or too deep into a brawl."

Stress uncoils from his spine. The tacit approval of his plan, coupled with the fact that he no longer needs to consider being in charge… Shikamaru nods and waves Kiba back, letting the unfamiliar Inuzuka take the lead so his classmate can take a break.

"Glad to see you sensei!" Kiba offers cheerfully, and Kurenai shakes her head in clear exasperation.

Kiba's sister takes the rear, and their formation restructures a little as they move through the forest.

Shikamaru can feel the eyes of the deer on his back, weight growing heavier and heavier until-

"Is something burning ?" Kiba asks, scrunching his nose from Toru's flank.

The wind blows toward them, carrying the unmistakable scent of smoke, and to Shikamaru's right, Hinata activates her Byakugan.

She gasps.

"W-we need to be careful! Th-there's traps ahead!"

"How far?"

"C-closer to the fight, it looks like N-Naruto-kun's gear…"

"Alright. Toru, fall back, let Hinata take point. We'll be single-file, Hinata, guide us through!"

"H-hai, sensei…"

Naruto's clone bounces up to take her place, looking towards Kurenai, as Shikamaru falls back a little to let Kiba go in front.

"Should I dispel and let the boss know you're coming?"

Kurenai nods, and the clone disappears in a cloud of smoke. In the distance, Shikamaru catches his first glimpse of fire, licking between the trees.

The eyes of the deer bore into his spine.

"Oho~? I'm honored! It's been a while since someone's made you resort to this, hasn't it? The God of Shinobi, in the flesh!"

Sasuke is going to kill his team.

He's going to wrap his fingers around their throats, and he's going to strangle them to death .

He hasn't even seen Naruto, just a bunch of clones, and now he hasn't even seen any of those , it's just Natsu, Natsu and his stupid fire -

Whatever Naruto's planning, at this point Sasuke wonders if it will do anything but make the situation worse .

The air is thick with smoke, and while the fire doesn't touch him, Sasuke still has to breathe .

Every cough feels like a kunai between his ribs, and Sasuke's one bad cough away from choking up blood , he's almost certain.

White-hot pain sparks through his torso as he chokes on the smoke, and Sasuke only barely throws himself to the side in time to avoid one of the creepy spider-guy's attacks.

Sharingan clarity catches sight of the flute-bitch escaping with Glasses, and Sasuke snarls, dodging another attack to leap after them.

Flutes are wind instruments, right? She's got to be more affected by this than the rest of those freaks!

Natsu's doing his best dancing the big guy and the twin guy around the traps - again, WHAT WAS THE PLAN HERE? - and without those weird flute monsters clearing out the traps, hopefully that will slow glasses down enough for whatever Naruto planned to take effect and trap them.

… I swear to the kamiif it turns out these idiots didn't even have a plan I am going to request a team transfer. Shikamaru's smart. He probably has plans all the time.

"You know, I really did want to show off this technique I perfected. I think you'd have enjoyed it quite a bit . A pity that little girl forced me to change some plans. I truly do think your face would have been utterly delicious ."

Haruno fights with a savagery that belies every report and record Kabuto could find of her. Every Academy record mentioned a practically stereotypical civilian child. Distressed by blood, uncomfortable in more shinobi-oriented lessons, bad at rough camping and taijutsu, all book-smarts and chakra control with little else. Perhaps with the right sensei she could have taken her chakra control and flourished, but all records expected her to wash out and retire without ever advancing to chuunin, just like her father.

That… is not what he's seeing now.

Whether she doesn't know, or simply doesn't care about the Nara Clan's retribution for burning down their forest, Kabuto can't even begin to guess, but from a tactical standpoint it was not a bad move. Not only do the bright flames and black smoke cause their own problems by blinding and choking their enemy, they also make it almost impossible to see the traps scattered through the forests. Twice now he's only just cut himself loose from childish rope traps in time to avoid Team 7. Kidomaru's webs are almost useless, bursting into flames almost immediately, leaving Jirobu and Sakon to bear the brunt of the fighting, as Tayuya and Kabuto make their escape.

…or try to.

The Uchiha lunges after Tayuya with a glare that feels personal , and Kabuto wonders if it's better to help her, or make his way out with the Yamanaka heir while they're distracted. Clearly Sasuke-kun has found her personality as grating as everyone else does, and Kabuto's just not sure if it's worth saving her.

And at this point, he acknowledges, attempting to capture Haruno is likely impossible. Even if he knocks her out, her kekkei genkai doesn't need hand signs, and while he'd be fairly confident in his ability to keep her unconscious for the entire trip, fairly confident isn't fully confident, and all it would take is one second to potentially compromise everything.

The Yamanaka heir must know something , and information is more important than taking foolish risks that can't be guaranteed to pay off.

The Uchiha…

Kabuto grits his teeth, tightening his grip on the Yamanaka.

He'll just have to hope those four can actually do their jobs, he can't risk his own standing here.

Leaping into the trees, Kabuto ignores the lick of the flames and makes for the wall.

Only to jerk to a stop as something red crashes through the trees just in front of him, carving a swathe of destruction that steams the air.

They should have brought Kimimaru.

"Farewell then, sensei."

Chapter 71: The Sound-Sand Invasion 8

Notes:

me, dropping this in the dead of night and then scurrying away so i dont have to face the overwhelming reality of posting something i feel may possibly be a bad move:
*skitterskitterskitter*

(look man the entire time i was trying to write this chapter i was just screaming nonstop I HATE FIGHT SCENES WHY AM I WRITING IN THE NARUTO FANDOM HOW DO YOU FIGHT SCENE HOW MOVE WHAT DO?)

(...)
(...as such, i finally made the controversial decision to... skip?... the fight scenes)
(for once in my life my self confidence isn't shit and i feel like i wrote a good chapter but like. i skipped the fight scenes. all of them. there is 0 fight scene. it feels so controversial and wrong. i feel as though avoiding my issues with fightscenes for another chapter is just making things progressively worse because you can't just avoid fight scenes forever in the NARUTO fandom)
(...i could not write the fight scenes)
(poor naruto himself deserves better here too. i originally really wanted to give him a chance to shine with his fight. but i chickened out. i didn't do the fight. so naruto like. doesn't get anything special. i feel bad. naruto deserves better.)

okay i really gotta stop writing author note before i chicken out and don't post the chapter at all so-
AS ALWAYS THANKS FOR READING HOPE YOU ENJOY IF YOU CALL ME A COWARD FOR SKIPPING THE FIGHT SCENES I WILL CRY BUT ALSO YOU ARE SO RIGHT AND I REALLY REALLY AM.
(someone tell me the secret for not struggling with fight scenes i really want to know i tried watching AMVs and anime fight scenes but all it did was make me want to watch anime, and did nothing to help my ability to fight-scene)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

There's too many players here.

Orochimaru, Oto and Suna, the whole mess with Kusa. Orochimaru impersonated a Kusa team, but that team was found dead .

Now, in the midst of the invasion, the other Kusa team is missing, and-

It's not beyond Orochimaru to kill the people working for him, of course. Kakashi is well aware that most people are considered disposable, to the sannin.

He's also well aware that shinobi are more self-serving than not, his own cute genin aside.

So why would the second Kusa team support him if they know he already killed their comrades?

Or more likely, what could he have promised them-

Ah .

One of the missing Kusa shinobi crosses his path, blind to the threat.

Well that's a little backwards. I wouldn't have expected them to be so highly trusted as to guard the exit.

It would have made more sense, truly, for Kusa to do the snatch, and the Konoha team to guard the exit. The Konoha team could more easily justify their presence, and it would make more sense to muddy the waters as much as possible, especially when the evidence that Kusa was knowingly collaborating with Otogakure is so thin .

Though, perhaps there is something to be said for having a familiar face do the kidnapping. Most of the genin wouldn't have put up much of a fight, seeing a fellow Konoha shinobi.

Well.

At least that'll make getting answers to his questions a bit easier.

Kakashi makes a wide berth around the supposed genin's path, moving to head the boy off.

There's a shout from up ahead- "Someone's approaching-!"

And Kakashi spares half a second to curse chakra-sensors everywhere, before exploding into action.

He signals his hound to catch the one he'd been cutting off as he rockets forwards towards the cry, Sharingan open and one genin dead on the ground before they even see him.

The girl dodges by a hairs' breadth , vibrant red strands fluttering to the ground even as Kakashi pivots, grabbing her wrist and snapping it as he disarms her of her flare.

Her activated flare.

Kakashi dives into a headhunter jutsu, sinking into the earth to bury it before anyone can see.

He explodes from the earth as the girl tries to run,grimacing as she dodges.

She's fumbling another flare, focus split as she tries to keep ahead and still send the alert, but no matter how skilled a sensor she is, Kakashi's faster .

This time, when he catches her wrist, he doesn't let go, kunai coming up-

The bones in her wrist don't grate beneath his fingers.

Kusa does not have a jinchurikki.

His blade stops a twitch away from her pulse, as his grip on her wrist tightens.

The bones do grind then, only half-healed, but…

She's no medic. That's stilltoo fast.

The girl snarls, twisting to the side and letting his blade slice across her throat as she tries to pull her arm free and damn the bones within it.

That wild flurry of red hair as she twists , the sharp glint in her eyes as her shoulder dislocates and the joint at her elbow pops and her wrist snaps all over again-

A lifetime of training keeps Kakashi's grip steady, but the shock still shakes his composure.

"An Uzumaki…?" he can't help but muse, and she freezes .

Not that Kakashi will blame her, he'd quite like to freeze himself, but-

He secures his grip, grabbing her other arm and pinning her.

"What's an Uzumaki doing in Kusa? Or working for Orochimaru, for that matter?"

"Orochi- what ? Why would we work for that snake, he killed Iori's team! I knew something was wrong with them, but Shigeri wouldn't listen and then we all had to get interrogated by that guy because of it-!"

"And yet, you are guarding the exit for Orochimaru's men to kidnap one of our genin."

"What-? No, one of your ANBU knew I was a sensor and asked our team to watch this part, to make sure no one came in and to send an alert if we were attacked! They weren't-"

She struggles again, this time clearly trying to turn and face him, but Kakashi doesn't budge. "What was their mask and callsign? If they gave orders to an outside team, and that is a very big if , they would have given their identification for you to tell any other Konoha shinobi you saw to prevent misunderstandings or friendly fire. Do you have these?"

She freezes again, and Kakashi can almost feel her boiling rage beneath his hands. "THAT LYING TWO-FACED BASTARD! FIRST HE KILLS OUR COMRADES AND THEN HE FUCKING USES US TO- LET ME GO- I'M GOING TO RIP HIS GUTS OUT AND SHOVE THEM BACK DOWN HIS THROAT -"

She jerks again, trying to break free, and this time Kakashi loosens his grip, shifting his hand to her shoulder as he smiles brightly. "Maa maa, let's not be hasty. Personally, I'd rather catch our little snake-traitor first , hmm? Perhaps you could help me with that?"

She turns to look at him, and then her gaze drifts further, back to the corpse of her teammate. The anger vanishes in an instant, replaced with something colder .

Internally, Kakashi winces.

"Why should I help you?"

Kakashi sweatdrops. "I suppose sorry doesn't quite cut it here…"

The kick, as ineffectual as it is, probably is wholly deserved.

Kakashi smiles again, a little strained at the edges. "I'm aware I made a hasty judgment call, and we can talk about this later, but I'm sure our little thief has some sort of signal you're meant to respond to as an all-clear, and I'd really prefer to catch them without trying to hunt down all their little backup paths, ne~?"

She jerks her foot out of his grip, and stomps a few paces away, face a rictus of emotions. Kakashi's left eye flickers open, then closed.

…best give her a moment before he pushes again.

He can always catch her if she tries to run, after all.

Hopefully his hound was able to take her other teammate alive like he'd directed.

He really doesn't want to try and tempt that Uzumaki temper a second time, even if she is only a genin.

This is a mess.

The Ichibi crashes into their fight with all the grace of a drunk nukenin, and Kabuto seethes . He's not quite sure how the ichibi, who's supposed to be going wild in the village proper , has managed to get all the way to the outskirts to turn their already-precarious fight into an all-out brawl.

But when he finds out who's responsible, he's going to eviscerate them .

It shouldn't even have been possible for two genin and a handful of shadowclones to have held up the Sound Four as long as they did. He should have been able to make a clean escape with the Yamanaka girl and the idiots who got themselves followed would have stayed behind and cleaned up their own damned mess .

But there's something unnatural about Haruno's fire.

It melts Kidomaru's webs, renders them useless , burns and spreads at a speed that should not be possible, and with every hit the girl takes it burns hotter .

Ukon can't separate from his twin for their usual strategies, his weaker physical constitution struggling to hold up-

Jirobu can't absorb the chakra, screaming something about it burning from the inside -

Kabuto himself feels his skin blister when he runs through the flames, and yet-

The Yamanaka girl in his arms isn't even red .

Where does a bloodline like this even comefrom?!

There probably aren't even traps anymore with how much of the forest around them is burning , sand crystalizing into glass as the bijuu rampages-

The Ichibi roars in frustration, but the mad laughter comes from behind .

Kabuto turns, catching sight of pink hair amidst the burning trees. She laughs again, wild and sharp , blood smeared across her face, one eye shut, and the fire laughs with her .

Like the Hozuki clan of Mizu, she seems less a person and more the physical embodiment of her element, fire dancing across her skin and blurring -

That's exactly what she is-

The realization sears like the flames surrounding him. It's not some unheard-of kekkei genkai, not entirely-

The Hozuki clan's ability to turn to water, to become water, to control water as part of themselves-

It's the same sort of bloodline.

Fire's just.

Far.

More.

Destructive.

It licks at the tips of her hair as she dances between Jirobu and Kidomaru, ignites down her arm as she catches Sakon by his sash, lashes out from her foot as she kicks back to keep the other two from coming up behind her-

She twists, hefting Sakon even as she brings her foot down, igniting underbrush as she throws him bodily into his teammates, fire still eating through his clothes.

She holds, panting, lone eye turning up to take in the jinchurikki smothering the outer edges of her fire-

"Need a little help, Naruto?" she calls, voice bright and cheery, laughter in her eyes as fire dances over her arms.

Her grin is sharp .

She's not seriouslyplanning to take on the Ichibi-?!

This mission is a failure. It was a failure the moment those idiots let themselves be followed, perhaps even before then, the moment they failed to realize what their target really was. At this point, Kabuto wonders if she'd even stay unconscious long enough to reach the wall , nevermind anything else.

If they even got lucky enough to put her down in the first place.

The information is more important. Orochimaru-sama needs to know what they're actually dealing with. With proper seals and preparation, they can make a trap, something she can't burn her way out of.

There's nothing the Yamanaka can tell him that he hasn't figured out for himself, and if he wants to make it out, she's just deadweight.

Kabuto drops the girl, and turns to run through the gap in the flames that the Ichibi's sand has made.

He needs to get out .

Shikamaru's pretty sure this isn't supposed to be a clearing. In fact, he's 100% certain his family is going to be calling for blood by the end of this, he can't even contemplate how much damage has been done to the forest because if he does he's going to go bury himself in a training ground somewhere his mother will never find him because there's not going to be a moment of peace in the house for the next year-

His thoughts screech to a halt as he catches sight of Ino being tossed to the ground, silver hair glinting as the other shinobi makes a run for it. He makes an aborted leap forward, Team 8's sensei catching his arm as Inuzuka Hana bounds ahead with her hounds.

Trained medic.

Right.

Focus on the plan.

"Choji, we're taking the big guy. Kiba, back up Sasuke. Kurenai-sensei…"

She grimaces. "We're no match for the Ichibi, but Toru and I will do our best to keep it away from you all until you can safely disengage. Try to move your fights away from it, you don't want to be in that crossfire. A lot of the traps have been burned through, this close to the fighting, but be wary of strays."

He nods, turning with Choji towards the mess of fighting.

Shino and Hinata move forward, Hinata following Kiba as Shino fingers a kunai.

Bugs don't like fire. Right.

…neither do I.

Fire makes for a lot of shadows, but they aren't stable . They're not easy to connect to, to grab, constantly flickering and dancing with the wandering flames. Masters like Shiki-ojii can do terrifying things with fire-shadows, ten thousand tiny threads to pluck a man to pieces.

…Shikamaru has never bothered to put in any amount of time into learning something like that. The amount of effort , the amount of focus , it's never seemed worth it. A party-trick for his grandfather's brother to break out during the Fire Festivals and never actually useful .

Suddenly, it seems like a very useful technique to know.

No sense wishing now.

…Where's Natsu?

There's something bright and painful and wrong about Sakura-chan's chakra coils. Her chakra's always looked a little odd, a little different from the other girls… Hinata thinks of the Academy, of Naruto's bright inferno, of the twisted points that make up Shino's modified network, of the starbursts of tenketsu behind Sasuke's eyes, Sakura's strange layers folding beneath her pathways and the deep tenketsu that made Hinata think of nothing more than a still lake with hidden depths. But now her tenketsu seem-

Not swollen , maybe, or bruised, but-

Shimmery?

There's something about her chakra, about her pathways and her tenketsu, and they shimmer like fish scales in sunlight.

Something about her looks like it wants to break and change , grow into something new, flowers blooming beneath her skin, like Hashirama-sama himself, growing and twisting, skin become wood become life -

It looks like dying.

Like she's dancing along a cliff, on the verge of jumping, plunging, becoming something else if she just takes one more step -

With her Byakugan, Hinata can't see the things she can see with her normal eyes. Can't see color or faces, can't see the ground beneath her feet as anything more than an overwhelming pulse of life and chakra that she's long-since learned to filter out and ignore.

It only makes the differences stand out sharper .

There's something shimmering like scales in Sakura-chan's chakra, something fluttering like wings all around them, bright weaves of chakra in every flame, and when Hinata looks with her clan's eyes, she thinks of the stories of dragons .

She looks at Haruno Sakura, through the trees, through the flames, sees chakra as it strives to become something else , and Hinata sees death .

Hinata doesn't understand, not really, not how this is possible, and not why it's happening now, this awakening, this- this becoming .

But if someone doesn't stop her, Haruno Sakura is going to burn herself into something else , death-through-life-twisting -changing-

Hinata runs.

Kiba shouts, her sensei shouts, but with every beat of the battle, the flames shift , wings-upon-wings-upon- wings -

Hinata thinks of the little civilian girl with her un civilian chakra pathways, thinks of Naruto burning bright enough to blind, and his whole-hearted crush on their pink haired classmate, and her, too scared to talk to either of them.

Hinata thinks of Neji, and her failure, her humiliation , of surrendering because she couldn't hurt him and her family's disgust, disappointment, punishment -

Hinata's a failure. She failed her cousin, her family, her team, herself -

She won't fail Naruto here. She won't fail Sakura-chan either.

She sees death dance on tongues of fire, changes breaking through a surface she can't quite understand, and no matter what she won't let her classmate die .

Hinata flies .

Her juuken strikes true.

Naruto has no idea what's going on.

One moment, he's telling Natsu about Gaara, and trying to reach him to wake him up, and they're coming up with ideas, Natsu's eyes wild and his grin sharp, fire burning higher and higher -

The next-

For a moment everything trembles , the sight of Natsu collapsing, fire sputtering out like a candle burned too low, Naruto feels the Kyuubi's chakra surge, vision fracturing at the edges as-

Hi…na…ta?

He snarls, clawing at the very edges of control as two tails whip in frenzy behind him but he can't hurt Hinata wait-waitwaitwaitwait-

Claws dig into palms as she rolls off of Natsu, panting, eyes wide with her Byakugan active.

Naruto-

Doesn't understand -

Everything cracks , like pieces of his vision are being swallowed up fracture by fracture-

Breathebreathebreathebreathe-

The Ichibi roars.

Naruto roars back .

Jiraiya crashes into a clusterfuck .

Naruto scrambles up the Suna jinchurikki in blind fury, two tails lashing at every attempt to grab him, brushing off every injury like it doesn't exist, skin bubbling with how quickly he's healing over the spears of sand that carve through him like soft clay.

To the side, two jonin work in tandem, trying to use some sort of genjutsu to- hide the battlefield? Or possibly disorient the bijuu, as fruitless an endeavor as that is.

Below, one of the Hyuuga brats drags an unconscious Natsu away from the battle, trembling, eyes wide in adrenaline and fear .

A little further away, Kakashi's third brat and assorted gaggle of classmates struggle against a squad of Orochimaru's Sound shinobi, two of which are clearly in some heightened form of the bastard's curse seal.

Jiraiya ignores the slowly-dying fires around them.

Mostly because if he acknowledges them, he's going to start crying.

He's not responsible for these brats!

He isn't!

They can't blame him for whatever Natsu decides to do!

This isn't coming out of his pay!

He wakes, groggy and aching , to a cacophony of noise.

Voices overlapping, someone shouting right next to his head, some sort of argument. Itching beneath his skin.

It feels too quiet.

…Mother?

An empty silence is the only thing that greets him.

He takes to the trees as soon as they're stable enough to bear his weight again, a flicker through the leaves as he leaps from one to the next.

This has been a disaster , but they can recover from this. The other nations won't take the breach of Konoha's security in such a way lightly, circling Konohagakure like sharks smelling blood in the water.

They'll be able to try again for what they need, and easily too, as Konoha scrambles to protect themselves against other outside threats. And next time, they'll be prepared.

Kabuto whistles, the sharp sounds of a hunting hawk cutting through the forest.

The soft cries of a red-pecked owl echo back.

He changes course slightly, dropping down to greet Karin as the wall comes into view, a dozen different words dancing over his tongue as he decides what to say.

She shuffles nervously, playing with her hair.

Something's wrong .

He doesn't even have a chance to process the crackling lightning before the bloody fist rips through his chest.

The damage reports are extensive , and still pouring in.

The Hokage, dead.

Over half the market district, demolished.

The Administration district, unusable.

The ANBU archives, torn apart.

The Nara forest, over two thirds burned, some of it to the ground .

Orochimaru, escaped.

Sunagakure's Kazekage, missing.

The Daimyo's faith in Konoha: irreparably destroyed.

Danzo scowls at the latest report on the successful re-sealing of the Suna jinchurikki.

Another political problem in the making. Jiraiya should have consulted him before just going ahead and altering the seal of another nation's jinchurikki, when the Kazekage shows his face he'll use that to weasel his way out of paying for damages, what was the fool thinking just restrain it and leave their faulty seals to them -

Danzo sets down the crumpled report, biting the words back as he dismisses his agent.

What's done is done.

It's a more productive use of his time to speak to the others, and figure out their next moves.

Konoha has to be decisive .

They can't afford to be seen as weak, now of all times.

Notes:

This chapter can otherwise be summed up as:
Kakashi: *makes assumptions*

...

"I... MAY have miscalculated. A little bit. Ah well, I'm sure it will be fine."

Kabuto: "I have connected the dots."
Everyone who actually knows what's going on: "You haven't connected SHIT."
Kabuto: "I've connected them!"

Hinata: "I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON!"
*is the only one who has any idea what's going on*
(yes, Sakura's always had unique chakra, even before Natsu gatecrashed. this has been planned for ages. i really can't wait to properly explore it!)

Sasuke: "Once again, I ask the universe: WHY AM I ON A TEAM WITH A BUNCH OF MORONS. SHIKAMARU LET ME JOIN YOU. YOU HAD AN ACTUAL PLAN! PLEASE!"
Shikamaru: "On account of: I'm holding you 1/3 responsible for the destruction of my clan's forest. NO."

Jiraiya, chanting: "not my brats, not my problem. Not my brats, not my problem. Sensei, please, you have to understand, I had NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS. Dock Kakashi's pay! He's their sensei!"
Hiruzen: "Thank FUCK i went and died when I did, no way would anyone have let me retire through this mess, I'd have had to DEAL with it all, no thank you!"

(in other news, I think we are on track to finish in 9 chapters! There's aftermath and cleanup to address, but we're pretty much in the homestretch of book 1! ...maybe after i finish it all, i'll go back and do a full edit in between writing chapters for book 2, since i know a lot of people have complained about my early pacing, and I could probably straighten that up a bit and shit. among other things)

Chapter 72: Aftermath

Notes:

I'll be honest I'm STILL not happy with this chapter.
Though to be fair, i'm pretty sure there've only been what, like three or four chapters total that i was perfectly happy with?
self confidence, thine presence is sorely missed.
this chapter is, unless i've badly misjudged, the final 'transitiony' chapter of the book though, considering we're very nearly at the end and everything else will be dealing with wrapping things up. This is mostly the immediate aftermath of the invasion, because it feels like it needed to be written. tho considering how excessively wordy i've been accused of being with this fic at some points, maybe i was wrong on that XD
honestly tho the most controversial thing might just be me and my headcanons on how dragonslayer magic works considering i'm pretty sure they don't line up very smoothly with canon rip
as always though, thanks for reading and hope you enjoy!
...happy birthday cy, you evil taskmaster without whom this chapter would have probably taken another month XD

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Sasuke drags himself to awareness, exhaustion clinging to his limbs as he stares blearily at the ceiling tiles of the hospital. His throat itches, a persistent irritation, and as much as he doesn't want to deal with his idiot teammates while hung up in a hospital bed , he wants to call a nurse even less .

He coughs once, trying to clear the itch, and his chest starbursts in agony .

Of course , he thinks, blearily stringing together realizations, in an invasion, the med nin won't be healing things all the way through if it's not fatal.

Sitting up will probably be hellish .

Sasuke grits his teeth, inching himself slowly up, half wishing he had an extra pillow or three to brace on except no .

He's not calling the nurse.

It feels like an age before he finally makes it, sitting with his legs dangling off the side of the bed.

Some irritated part of him spares a moment to glare at the floor, inches away from his feet.

They should make beds lower to the ground, he thinks, before turning his glare to the wider room to look for water.

He slides off the bed before he can think twice on it, swaying and clinging to the bedrail as his ribs jar .

"Why are all of my brats so stubborn ?"

A hand catches Sasuke, holding him carefully before he can spin towards the voice, and Sasuke's pretty sure he should be grateful because he can already feel twinges from the aborted movement.

He glares at Kakashi-sensei anyway.

"Says you. "

Sensei sighs, vaguely amused, as he drops a cup and straw in Sasuke's lax hands.

Only years of trained reflexes let him keep hold of it, and he still has to take a moment before he can raise it up to drink.

Slow, careful sips - coughing hurts.

"Not going to demand I go back to bed?" He grumbles, once he feels less likely to cough over his words and send himself sprawling.

Sensei snorts, ruffling his hair, and Sasuke would bat his hand aside if he had any way of knowing whether he could lift his arm that high without pain yet.

"Please. I'm running myself ragged here just keeping Naruto out of trouble and Ibiki from making me into a liar, surely I can trust at least one of my genin to not kill themselves without direct supervision, ne~?"

Sasuke squints, suspicious, and Kakashi chuckles. "Naruto's been moving between your and Natsu's rooms, when he isn't glaring down the poor Hyuuga heiress. Natsu hasn't woke up yet, and though the medics themselves aren't certain why, Inoichi-san says it probably isn't anything to worry about, though he's too busy to come take a look himself at the moment. While the medics will try to tell you you're in no shape to be moving around, they're worked off their feet at the moment, so as long as you're careful you can probably avoid them. Just try not to trip and knock your bones out of alignment again, they haven't been mended at all, just settled in place until the fuss dies down and someone can take more time with them. Though…" he pauses for a moment, clearly smiling under the mask, "as hypocritical as it is of me to say, I'd recommend you get at least another day or so of rest before you start trying to walk around. Your lungs had quite the strain, being punctured through like that, and while that at least has been mended, it might be best to not push yourself just yet. Ne~?"

He's probably right, Sasuke acknowledges, hands tightening around the cup.

There's no way he can hop back into the bed though. So-

That is not a good face. "Wait, sensei-!"

Hinata's come by the hospital room six times since Natsu was finally moved in. Sasuke's still not sure why it took finding a half-collapsed civilian bunker for the hospital staff to make him share his room, though in this case he's not complaining. Politics, probably. Or maybe someone actually suspects something about Natsu, and wanted him alone, but Kakashi-sensei's hovering dissuaded them and they gave up.

Sasuke will figure it out later, when he isn't in pain.

He probably shouldn't have stopped taking the painkillers this soon but he's on a mission .

Naruto hasn't noticed anything off with the Hyuuga, though Sasuke's pretty sure that's because Hinata flinches and runs away before he can catch a glimpse of her. Sasuke... needs to know exactly what's going on.

...he shouldn't be leaving his own hospital bed at this time, probably, according to the medics. But no one's here to stop him, and it's not like Kakashi-sensei ever listens to them. And his lungs are fine . Really.

Perhaps he'll remember to appreciate Kakashi-sensei's timing for dragging Naruto out by the hair later, though for now…

He's got an heiress to catch.

Breathing deeply still sends bursts of pain throughout his chest, and breathing quickly is worse . A hundred snapshots of pain with every rapid breath, lungs expanding and contracting too fast and pulling everything into a whiplash of agony. So Sasuke eases himself off the bed with slow, measured movements, breaths steady and even as he takes careful steps towards the door.

Broken ribs... are not worth it. Next time, someone else is breaking their ribs. Sasuke refuses.

He grits his teeth as he carefully opens the door, slipping out after a furtive glance through the hall.

Naruto may not want to understand why Hinata attacked Natsu. May not care about why, or why Natsu hasn't woken up since.

But Sasuke knows her -weak, shy, unwilling to commit harm even in spars- and so he knows there's something more there. Something that he's going to get to the bottom of, because the Hinata he's known would never attack a teammate, has even been punished and still refused to commit to her spars before, in the Academy.

She's lost more fights than any clan heir ever should, and he knows it's because she's always been scared to try . Scared to even come close to hurting someone, despite being a shinobi .

If she wasn't a clan heiress, of the Hyuuga specifically, Sasuke's pretty sure she'd have gone off and become a civilian already.

Sasuke makes his way down the hall, eases around the corner and slips into a mostly-empty room. The occupant's sedated, they won't care.

He leaves the door cracked open, just enough to see out, and settles in to wait.

Naruto should be out for a while, Kakashi-sensei said something about food and a bath, and Hinata is likely to come by again. She'll pass this hall before stopping at their door, peering in, and then running away when Sasuke looks at her.

So, he won't give her the chance. Unless she wants to go through the emergency exit, the hall dead-ends shortly after their room. He'll corner her, easy as that.

Sasuke drags over a chair with his feet, and settles in to wait.

He doesn't mean to fall asleep, can't quite say when he drifted off. He wakes to footsteps, a sound of scuffling as though whoever it is drags their feet, and sits up too sharply, biting his tongue to keep the groan back as he struggles to regulate his breathing again.

The footsteps stop, clearly hearing him despite his efforts, and the voice that follows is almost too quiet to make out through the door.

"I- I-m sorry I didn't mean to- I'll just go-"

It takes Sasuke a long moment, through the haze of pain, to recognize the words and voice.

He scrambles, tripping into the door and then pushing it open -muscles pulling, constricting, ow - and he just barely catches her as she passes him.

"Wait!" He leans against the doorframe, counting breaths as he pushes down the pain. "I wanted to talk to you."

Hinata hesitates, fingers coming up in a nervous gesture, and she hunches into herself.

"I- I'm not-"

"Please." Sasuke grits out, straightening up as he gets his breathing under control. "I know you, Hinata. And I know how you fight. I just want to understand." She glances up, then down the hall, curling deeper into herself.

Sasuke sighs. "Naruto's been forced to take a bath and eat something, he's not allowed back for a while. We have time."

When she nods, it's less agreement and more defeat, her entire body sagging into it as she turns around and trudges back towards their room.

Sasuke grimaces.

Naruto should really be the one having this conversation, he's the nice one, the friendly one, but no. He's decided he'd rather be angry than figure out why his long-time classmate acted the way she did, so now it's Sasuke's job to be the nice one.

...if she starts crying he's done .

Hinata edges into the room like she expects something to bite her, as Sasuke follows, sits down, and tries not to glare.

...he's not sure he succeeds. Though, Hinata would probably be just as nervous regardless of whether he glares at her or not. He sighs. "Hinata. You cried the first time you accidentally struck one of Ino's tenketsu points in a spar. She wasn't even hurt, literally laughed it off and played with her numb fingers, and you couldn't look at her without bursting into tears. So I know that whatever made you strike out against Natsu, must have been something important. You're too much of a coward to have done it without a good reason. I just want to know what happened to my teammate ." Oh no. Shit he's messing this up, she's getting even more distressed, this is why Sasuke leaves the talking to the idiots but no, one of them's unconscious and the other's being stupid and now he has to salvage this before she either starts sobbing or running or both - "Naruto's angry, but- we're a team . I know he just wants to understand too. If you could just explain, you know how he is. He'll laugh it off and forget about it all in a week or so, he's never been one to hold grudges. I just need to know what you saw with those eyes of yours, that made you feel like attacking Natsu was the only way to save him. Natsu waking up or not waking up, that doesn't have anything to do with you, he honestly spends more time unconscious than anyone rightly should . So don't worry about that . Just tell me what went wrong, so I know why to yell at the idiot later, since he clearly failed at something important."

Hinata stares at the bed, eyes focused on Natsu's long pink hair, still singed at the edges and splaying over the sides. For a second as he follows her gaze Sasuke's confused, because the hospital should have tied it back, but then he remembers Naruto talking about Sakura's parents coming over, and her mom wondering if they should trim off the burned edges, so maybe they just didn't pull it back after.

Hinata stares, and stares, trembling, and-

Oh fuck no .

No.

Nope.

Sasuke's done. He didn't agree to crying girls. He braces, about to stand, when-

"It looked. Like she was going to die."

Half-tensed muscles freeze at the words, and Sasuke hisses sharply as he eases back into the chair. That... that's a concerning thing to say.

Figures the idiot would kill himself even when he's winning.

"How so?" He asks, when the cramping fades and he feels ready to hear the answer speak again.

Though by the grimace on Hinata's face, present even as she struggles to wipe the tears off her cheeks, she might not be.

"I don't- I don't know how to explain it. There was- I don't really understand, Natsu and Sakura, I thought they were different people but then there was only Sakura except she acted different but that's not- that's not what I saw." Her breath shudders out, and she wipes her eyes again. "I... the Byakugan can see chakra... not the s-same way as Sasuke-kun's eyes can, I know, but- i-it looked like. Like how I imagined t-the stories of the Sh-Shodaime. Like the chakra was... was too much - I don't- I d-don't know how to explain it..."

She sniffles, wiping at her nose, eyes pointed to Natsu's hospital bed but Sasuke doesn't think she's seeing it. Not really.

Likely, trying to picture what she saw back then, during the fight.

Sasuke' knows the Hyuuga don't have perfect photographic memory, their dojutsu doesn't grant them that crystal-clear recollection that Sasuke and all his kin possess. It's never annoyed him so much to know, though, as it does now, watching her struggle to remember, struggle to find words to describe what she should just be able to picture , and explain.

"What stories?" he asks, when it looks like Hinata has no idea where to even begin.

She startles, eyes cutting to him, then quickly away. "T-the ones about h-how he risked turning into a tree, if he used his mokuton too much... i-it looked like... like Sakura-chan— or Natsu-chan? W-was being -I don't- um- not eaten but- like- like Natsu-chan's chakra was being changed or- or something. Twisted up. I-it felt like if it didn't stop, they'd burn up into something else, maybe- maybe not dead but... changed. Different. Like they'd lose something forever, and never be the same again. I just- I had to stop it. I didn't- Natsu or Sakura, they were going to lose something, forever, something they couldn't get back, so I had to stop it before that happened, because... it felt like death-? Something wrong… I d-don't... I don't know. It just... it looked so wrong , and I just..."

"So you cut off the chakra, to stop whatever you were seeing?"

She nods, flinching. "I-I don't know why they aren't waking up..."

"Like I said. This is normal for the idiot, probably cleaning up whatever mess he's made in their mind. Inoichi's been overworked with the cleanup crews and T&I, so he hasn't been able to come by, but honestly that's not a big deal, even if Naruto's being a dobe getting all stressed out over it. That's not your fault though. It's-"

Sasuke cuts off, gritting his teeth against the pain that flares as he stands. He glares at the light playing across the floor.

Hinata turns, looking at him properly for the first time.

"S-Sasuke-kun. Should you even b-be out of bed yourself...?"

Sasuke waves away the question. "It's fine. Getting answers was more important."

"So that means you'll be quite happy to return to your bed and let the cute nurse look you over, ne~?"

Kakashi-sensei's shadow looms over them, and Sasuke does not flinch.

He doesn't .

The political clusterfuck in the aftermath of the invasion is enough to make Jiraiya want to scream .

Run off into the hills and eschew all responsibility.

The damage isn't bad, all things considered, and thank the kami for that . The competitors were kept from the worst of it, safe in their cordoned off sector, and none of the daimyo's court were killed.

But the weakness , the condescension , that they look at Konoha with, the feel of carrion birds circling overhead, waiting to swoop down and pick at their bleeding carcass. That lingers regardless of how well they weathered the storm.

Konoha won, but the foreigners in the village stare like vultures, waiting for their turn at a chunk.

They're a simmering pot and someone's looked away and now everything's just about ready to boil over .

Jiraiya hates agreeing with Danzo on anything , just on principle, out of personal distaste for a man whose political stances could be brutal even in peacetime, nevermind the decisions he made in the height of the war.

Minato never trusted him.

It's- well. Minato was always a good judge of character, so Jiraiya doesn't question the dislike, really. It's never been a problem before, outside the village, running his networks and only distantly hearing of the things he tries to pull.

But he just. Hates agreeing with the man. Hates that Konoha's position is weak enough that he feels like he has to.

And yet agree they do. Konoha's in trouble if they don't make some sort of show, and fast .

Twice, now, Danzo's asked pointed questions about the forest, about where Jiraiya's been and what's up with Team 7. Probably wanting someone to make an example with, but, well.

At least there , he can be back to the normal, comfortable territory of disagreeing with the man.

For all the good it feels like it does.

Jiraiya can admit to being a bit surprised, though. He wouldn't have thought sensei had it in him, to keep something like this from his 'dear friend'.

And yet, it's clear as day that Danzo doesn't know about Natsu. Jiraiya gets the feeling it needs to stay that way.

But Natsu's unconscious, and sooner or later someone's going to mention it to Danzo, say just the right words to get that warhawk's feathers ruffled, and they're going to have a mess on their hands.

...Jiraiya should wait for Inoichi. While the man's busy, working with T&I on the captured prisoners, on that girl Kakashi brought back with him, worked off his feet and to the bone, Jiraiya should still wait on the man, maybe hang around the village and stall Danzo for all he's worth. Keep him from putting the pieces together for as long as possible.

...but he knows Tsunade is close. Caught her trail back when they were getting the brat treated for the poison, and he knows where she's headed. A day, at speed, maybe less if he pushed it. He could get her to take a look. Sure, the kid's probably just stuck in his own head, dealing with whatever mess is going on up there this time. But Inoichi's busy. And Danzo's asking questions . And maybe...

Maybe Jiraiya just misses his teammate, in the wake of Orochimaru's invasion.

In the wake of sensei's death.

...would she even want to be there, for the funeral?

He grits his teeth, hums, haws.

...could he even convince her to come back, if he went looking? Would she even hear him out?

"I am this close to just drugging Naruto. Surely someone in ANBU has a tranq powerful enough to put him down." Kakashi grumbles, dropping off another collection of reports and rolling his eye at Jiraiya, whole posture sharp and teetering on deadly .

...now there's an idea... kid like that wants to do something, not just sit around, and maybe if he played his cards right, could be of some help...

It'd slow down his trip a bit, but not by much . And maybe throwing a brat at Tsunade will keep her from beating his face in with the ground.

And it'll be a better excuse to get away from Danzo for a bit, considering the rather pointed argument he's already had with the man regarding one jinchurikki. No one will even think twice if he absconds with the other for a bit.

Three birds with one kunai, and all that nonsense.

Everything aches . If he had a body right now, that'd make sense, but Natsu's in their mindscape, and he just wants to sleep for a week .

He's not quite sure how a mental avatar feels bone-deep exhaustion, but he's managing it.

Sakuni tries to talk to him, and he groans, rolling over to bury his face in the flowers.

Someone chuffs, and he remembers that he's still mad at Igneel.

"What hit me?" he finally groans, anger evaporating as he ponders whether his full-body ache is just what happens when you get a headache as a possessing spirit. Is it even a headache at that point? Since he's in the head and all… hmm…

Igneel sounds Unfairly Annoyed as he answers, "I have quite literally just spoken to you at length regarding my decision to seal myself within your body to prevent you from mutating into a dragon through overusing your power , and now you ask me, after overusing your power in a body that is not your own , what happened?"

"You're still here though!" Natsu sits up, glaring. "Or is Sakura-chan's body not good enough for you to help?!" Oh wow, sitting up did not make the ache go away.

It's weird- like being sore from too much exercise, except not . Natsu could almost get distracted pondering the weird sensation, if he were alone.

But Igneel's sigh is Truly Exasperated. "The reason you must come all the way out here to speak with me, why I cannot step into that so-called Bridge you often inhabit with the older spirit of the girl, is because I - and my magic - are still in your body . I do not have much influence here, with the girl and her mind, because I am still with you . And currently your body is trapped in some form of stasis, frozen in time. It makes it very difficult to want to do more than sleep, and I was not at first even aware of your departure from your mind until the girl's spirit awoke me while poking around your own Heart. I cannot protect you from mutating her body, if you call too deeply upon the dragon-fire."

"Huh? Whaddya mean I got frozen in time?"

"...is that really what's important right now, Natsu?"

"I mean kinda? The last thing I remember before ending up with you guys was being attacked by that big dragon, dunno how that turns into getting frozen in time though…"

Igneel's exasperation sears at the edges of his awareness. "I am no master of your Fairy Arts, and cannot be entirely certain how that spell you used in that final stand has resulted in this, though I do have my theories. If you are truly so curious, we can discuss them later . It hardly matters at the moment. You are quite lucky to have been interrupted when you were. The damage to this girl's body should be reversible given time to heal, though I cannot say it would be wise for you to use your magic until you have fully recovered. If you don't want to worsen it, that is."

"Did you really drag me in here just to tell me that ? Sakura-chan could have just said it, there's no need for all this . I haven't even been able to make sure everyone's alright!" He stands up, not quite glaring at Igneel, but-

The last thing he remembers, he and Naruto were going to fight that other jinchurikki kid, and Sasuke was still coughing up blood . He needs to at least make sure everything worked out!

Weight , as a giant dragon rests his head atop Natsu's, bearing him down with a huff. "Natsu. You need to understand. The girl's body is not your own. With time and care, you may be able to strengthen it, adapt it to your magic. But even then, you will never be able wield your power as easily as in your own. You can't push your limits the same way. You will kill her . And only her. Your soul will return to your own body, while hers passes on or remains trapped in inhuman form, lost to the pain of the transformation. If you push yourself too hard, she will be the one to pay the price."

He flails. "But- I don't understand why ! A-and I didn't push too hard! Sure, there was a lot of fire, but that was it I didn't even try any of the secret techniques-!"

A sigh, as Igneel sags over him, and Natsu falls to sit criss-cross, looking up through his bangs at the dragon's chin. "Natsu. Humans burn when exposed to flame."

"Yeah? I know that, I'm not stupid ."

"A Dragon Slayer's fire is powerful indeed, and more than that, infused with the mage's very will. You push a piece of yourself into your flames, controlling them, sometimes even a ways away from yourself to fight your foes. But Natsu. Even in all your battles before, you have never kept that piece of yourself in the flames after you threw them out. Your attempts to make certain only your enemies burned meant that you constantly poured more and more of yourself into your fire, more of your will, more of your soul .

You did not leave enough of it to protect yourself ."

Natsu opens his mouth, halfway to snapping, when it processes . A large part of why Dragon Slayers lose themselves to dragon form is because when they push too far, they forget themselves. Too deep into the power, they lose themselves to the battle and in turn lose their humanity. That's why practice is so important, to carefully hone their ability to use their powerful magic even in the heat of battle without losing themselves .

By the end, even Natsu can admit that he can't actually recall what kind of condition he was in. He was the forest. He was the fire , burning higher and higher, searing his enemies and hiding his friends-

In all honesty, Natsu doesn't even remember whatever hit knocked him out.

He thought, as long as he avoided the more powerful spells, the ones that could take a lot of concentration or required a lot of focused magic, that Sakura would be fine. But… the danger was never really in the power of any given spell.

It's the magic itself .

Natsu knew that. He knew it.

And yet-

"Is- You said we'd be alright? I didn't permanently mess up Sakura's body, right?"

"I cannot feel her body as I feel yours - I'm not connected to it, truly, and even coming this close to the Bridge is difficult for me. You will have to be the final judge of her condition for yourself, and I do recommend you go speak to her before waking. However, I believe that as long as you refrain from using your magic until you have fully recovered, that everything should recover well. Whatever interrupted you struck so deeply that even I could feel it, and should have done as well to break up the wild magic tearing through you. But Natsu. You must be more careful. Spreading yourself so thin - I do understand why you may have felt the need, but it cannot happen again."

Yeah. He'll have to apologize to Sakura-chan for forgetting, for sure. "I get it. I didn't mean to get carried away, but I guess it's true I don't usually fight in forests much, and even when I do Gray's always there putting out all the fires anyway… Or Lucy and Aquarias. Or Erza.

...do I light things on fire too much?"

Natsu pauses, then shakes his head, Igneel allowing himself to be dislodged as Natsu stands. "No way! No such thing as too much fire! Right! So, first we'll get better, and then we'll practice more! That's all there is to it!"

Igneel groans, muttering something about brats, and Natsu drowns him out as he hops to Sakuni. "So, should we go back to your cabin? I wanna make sure Sakura-chan's okay too!"

He ignores the aches and exhaustion, shoving aside the strangeness of it, as Sakuni sighs in exasperation alongside Igneel. Victory!

He waves to Igneel as they leave.

Maybe he's not that angry at him, really.

Somehow, his body hurts even more than his spirit did in the mindscape.

…maybe Igneel really did have a point about taking it down a notch…

Notes:

a depressing lack of Naruto POV, but considering the next couple chapters i think will feature him a bit more, it balances out.
also felt like it was important to make clear that Natsu doesn't need any help working through THIS issue, there's no ACTUAL need to rescue him, Jiraiya's just jumping the gun to be on the safe side.
hopefully what i was trying to say with the magic comes thru clearly, tho if it's too confusing please let me know and i'll go thru and rewrite it/play with it some more.
my problem with magic theory is that im terrible at explaining it even tho i have chockloads of it just floating around my head at all times.

Chapter 73: Tsunade 1

Notes:

CLOCKING IN AT OVER 9500 WORDS I AM SCREAMING. ALMOST 2k OF THAT WAS ADDED IN EDITING, AFTER I'D ALREADY WRITTEN IT ALL!
Can't complain too much tho, I definitely feel like the whole thing flows a lot better with those extra words.
Alas to the one line I had to cut because in the end I felt like it was projecting too much author foreknowledge onto characters who shouldn't have known enough to say such a thing. Still a good line tho so you get it here in a vacuum:
"When things go wrong in Konoha, Danzo's always in the middle of it. A spider creeping through webs of blood."
Fuck Danzo. Seriously. I get that Kishimoto blaming him for just about every bad thing that happened was in some ways just bad writing but like. I ENJOY having a character who's canonically responsible for 90% of the village's internal conflicts, who also GOT AWAY WITH IT even after Tsunade took over, entirely because Kishimoto hadn't really conceived of the guy yet, but that just means I get to play with my own fun headcanons and we all know how i LOVE to play with any and all wiggle room canon gives me for shenanigans.
(I say, as someone who only peripherally tries to adhere to canon to begin with)
There was more I was going to put here, but I've forgotten what it is, if it was important I'll come back and edit this lol.
OH YEAH I REMEMBERED remember that part in shippuden where Naruto confronts his dark half that contains all the hurt and pain he repressed from growing up in a mostly uncaring village?
Yeah, so do I :)
As always, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Sakura's fingers dance lightly over the windowsill, back and forth, back and forth, a soothing distraction. Her other hand plays idly with the strands of her hair, twisting, twining, pulling-

She carefully doesn't look at her reflection in the glass, doesn't grind her teeth-

Doesn't bite-

It's not-

She… she's been forced to admit, since Natsu came, that perhaps she was a little vain about her appearance.

Natsu, who never cared about mud or blood or whether his hair is a mess of tangles or not. Natsu, who tries , but only because he's trying to respect that it's her body, and is all too prone to forgetting.

Natsu, who only thinks about his appearance when he's trying to help her , and never because it bothers him.

Sakura, ever since she's been able to see , can't help the discomfort sometimes, at how- how-

How much of a boy Natsu is.

She doesn't think about the onsen.

She doesn't .

Even Tenten doesn't make as much of a mess as Natsu does and Sakura has every right to be annoyed!

So- so maybe she's a little vain. It's not a big deal! But. Right now, her appearance…

Sakura's eyes drift up to the glass, and then sharply away. Even that half-reflection is too much, her eyes-

She's not sure why… at some point during the fight, her window started… she can't really explain it, even to herself, but something happened . And now, her face-

It'll be fine. It's probably not her real face, though Natsu hasn't woke up yet for her to see. She's pretty sure real faces can't change like that.

Though- shouldn't it be harder for her mental image of herself to change? At least, she should have to want it, right?

Sakura bites her lip, fighting the urge to cry. She's fine. It- it probably- maybe- hopefully- hasn't affected her real body. She's fine. She's fine - Even- even if her face does look like that-

Her team wouldn't hate her- p-probably….

Sakura brings her feet onto the chair, and gives in to the urge to cry.

She ignores the roughened feel of her face, pressing into her knees-

She cries harder.

"Oh, Outer…"

A warm hand on her head, gently ruffling her hair, and Sakura sniffles.

"S-Sakuni…" she doesn't lift her head, can't lift her head-

She doesn't want to see the same face on her Other, doesn't want to contemplate what it could mean if she doesn't see that same face looking back-

"It hasn't affected your body."

"W-what? How do you…"

Weight, settling on the edge of a chair made for one person, pressing warm into Sakura's side. "Because Natsu woke up a little bit ago. He was supposed to come talk to you first, but the idiot forgot. Don't worry, we can yell at him for it later. Everything hurts, and I won't lie, your hair is a disaster , and I don't think Natsu's even noticed yet, but this? This is temporary. You and Natsu, to pull off your plan, you really tangled your energies together. So when Natsu went too far and started losing control, well… this is what happened. I'm not unaffected either, though it's a little less intense I think. Igneel says it should slowly revert as your body and chakra coils recover from the strain. This is… temporary. Even if it hurts to look at."

"Lost control?" Sakura peeks out, glimpses a green-tinted hand on her shoulder, and buries her face back in her knees.

"Aaah, yeah, I suppose it never really came up. Igneel told me, and did speak at length with Natsu on the Bridge, but you weren't really there for either of those conversations… Natsu's power is pretty dangerous, as I understand. The kind of power humans aren't really meant to control, so it has side effects. If they push too hard, they can literally lose their humanity. Natsu's own body has defenses in place, to help prevent that. But ours doesn't, and Natsu's not really good at holding back."

Sakura snorts, and Sakuni chuckles with her. "Yeah, you know how it is. Thing is, with how tangled together all three of us are, you and I got hit with the backlash of it, and in some ways we might have actually got hit worse. Sure, our body's a bit of a mess right now, even if it hasn't changed at all, but- this power, it warps the mind as well. And while Natsu's mental avatar is unchanged, that's because he has a lot of training specifically to handle this magic. You know? But we don't, so when all that energy was running rampant, it messed us up a bit. If it doesn't revert on its own, we can probably ask Natsu for help though. If that idiot ever remembers he's supposed to show up, that is…" Sakuni trails off, grumbling, and Sakura giggles.

"We'll have to come up with a good lecture for him," she offers, peeking out again to smile at her Inner, and Sakuni grins back, wide and vicious.

"I like how you think! Hmm, how should we start…"

"Kakashi, I am one wrong word away from stabbing you. So be careful when you open your mouth."

Kakashi's mouth clicks shut, and he stares consideringly at Inoichi. The Yamanaka head looks dead on his feet, and Kakashi can't blame him, honestly, a high-ranking T&I operative in the wake of an invasion, especially one where some of their own actively betrayed them? The man must be surviving off of more caffeine than half the ANBU corps combined .

…probably the cause of at least half the work the ANBU are doing, for that matter. He knows from his own time, lots of fetch requests from T&I that were a complete waste of ANBU skillset but too sensitive to be allowed to anyone with less clearance, and he can't imagine there's less of that now , in the wake of the invasion.

…he's going to get stabbed, isn't he.

Kakashi sighs, shifting his weight to better protect his poor kidneys. He really can't afford for them to take any more damage, the medics are getting annoyed , something about 'too much repeated trauma' and all that rot. Still, best not to chance it... "I wanted to follow up on the evaluation of Uzumaki Karin."

Aaah, there's the kunai. Impressively, Inoichi's control is just enough that he doesn't imbed it in Kakashi's face. The way his muscles spasm though, it's a near thing.

Kakashi takes a delicate step backwards. Just in case.

"I understand that you're fond of your students, Hatake-kun."

Oh dear. Oh dear . Kakashi has badly underestimated Inoichi's annoyance with him.

Is it too late to run?

"And because I understand that, I can equally guess what went through your head when you found an Uzumaki among our enemies. But no matter how many times you ask. I. Cannot. Allow. A foreign agent. Access to our jinchurikki. No, do NOT open your mouth! LISTEN! It doesn't matter whether she cleared all the checks. It doesn't matter that she was an unwilling participant. Danzo-sama will have my head if he thinks I even, for a second , considered this! And if I were stupid enough to put your request down on paper, he'd have you strung up as a traitor faster than you can say warhawk . I'm sorry , Hatake, but it's not happening. Not unless you put your name in to become Kage and authorize it yourself . Okay? I can tell you she cleared all her checks and is just in holding. I've left her abilities off the reports, for her own safety, but that's all I can do for you. She'll stay in holding until things calm down, and maybe in a couple months we can bring this up again to whoever becomes the Godaime. Now please leave before someone starts asking questions, this place is crawling with ANBU in masks I don't recognize."

Kakashi opens his mouth, because what , in the wake of betrayal why would-

And then he thinks about it.

ROOT. Of course.

Supposedly disbanded, but, well.

He knows Danzo better than he'd like.

He grimaces. Time for that conversation with Naruto he was trying to avoid…

"I understand. Thank you for your patience, Yamanaka-sama." He bows respectfully and takes off, sending a clone to Jiraiya and letting the Sannin know he's changed his mind.

Now to convince his blond-haired bratling to actually go along with it…

Kakashi sighs.

The things he does for these kids, really.

And they don't even appreciate it!

No respect for their sensei at all!

He finds the blond, unsurprisingly, in Natsu's hospital room, sniping with Sasuke.

What a headache.

"Fighting, boys?" He asks, moving seamlessly between them and ruffling their hair. Naruto yelps, falling forward, as Sasuke scoffs at him. Kakashi smoothly continues before his students can rebut him. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to steal Naruto away again, try not to fight the bedsheets while we're gone!" he offers cheerily, scooping the blond up against his protests and escaping with a shunshin.

"Lemme go lemme GO! Sensei, whaddya want I already ate and took a shower and everything !"

Oh dear.

Kakashi knew Naruto wouldn't like this, but he does agree with Jiraiya's logic and.

Well.

His students have a terribly unfortunate habit of learning things they're not supposed to, and he needs Naruto to not find out about Karin until he's got things figured out.

Or at least until she's out of T&I.

…yeah. At least that much.

He's got to get the boy out of the village.

But he knows Naruto won't want to leave his team behind, and neither of them are fit for travel. Even if Natsu woke up right now, Kakashi knows there's no way he'd be immediately ready for any length of trip, and certainly not at the pace Jiraiya needs to set if they want even a chance of pulling this off.

This is going to end in bruised kidneys, for sure.

Hopefully just bruised.

"Jiraiya's requested you for a special mission-"

"NO!" Naruto jerks away, arms crossed, glaring up at him, and Kakashi can't really help the flinch at those eyes, glinting in betrayal. "Sensei, you can't just send me away -! My team's hurt -! I'm not leaving them in the hospital!"

He'll regret it later, but. He needs to tell the kid the truth - some of it, anyway.

…somewhere they can't be overheard. "Let's have this conversation back at my place, yeah? At least just hear me out first, because this is really important."

Naruto scowls, opening his mouth to, quite clearly, reject him, bubbling with hurt and resentment, and. Kakashi needs him to agree. "Please. Naruto-kun. It's important ."

The anger doesn't fade, but- hesitation . Kakashi doesn't sigh in relief, just offers his student a bright smile beneath the mask when he nods in acquiescence.

It's a silent walk back to his apartment, and a silent wait as Kakashi goes through his seals and makes sure everything's secure. Kakashi thinks about making tea, they've had other conversations in that way before, but- perhaps that isn't the right mood, this time.

He sits down at his small table, and once Naruto joins him, still suspicious, still angry, he starts. "I know you've… already heard about Sandaime-sama's death. A new Hokage has to be selected." He raises a hand when Naruto tries to say something, wordlessly asking for time. "Sandaime-sama never told his advisors or the wider village council about Natsu and Sakura's situation, leaving it only to those few of us who needed to know. It was a concession he made, as much for my sake as because Inoichi quite firmly vouched for Natsu's character. However, detailed reports have been kept regarding Natsu's situation, sealed in the Hokage's private records. Currently, the one most likely to be chosen for Godaime Hokage is… not someone who would treat Natsu kindly."

"WHAT?! But Natsu's done nothing wrong-!"

"I know that, and you know that. But that candidate, he's a paranoid man, who doesn't like people he can't control, whose village was just invaded besides. You and I both know Natsu is…not controllable on a good day, nevermind a bad one. Jiraiya doesn't want him to become Hokage either, but the only other person who has a chance of winning the selection… left Konoha a long time ago. She hasn't wanted to come back at all. But, for a lot of reasons, most of which I agree with… Jiraiya thinks you might be able to convince her to come back. I know you don't want to leave your teammates behind. Naruto-kun, I understand completely . But there's simply no way that the warhawk would allow Natsu to continue as a member of Team 7, if he had authority as Hokage. Likely, he would require Natsu and Sakura to be confined to a T&I hall until the Yamanaka could find a way to forcibly expel him. We need to petition Tsunade-sama as the Godaime Hokage if we want to keep Team 7 together, which means you and Jiraiya need to leave, and you need to leave as fast as possible. Currently everyone is busy cleaning up the mess from the invasion and planning the funerals and Sandaime-sama's wake. But the time-sensitive things won't last much longer, and we need Tsunade-sama here before everything's done. Do you understand?"

Kakashi hates the look of fear simmering behind Naruto's eyes, and tries not to fear the fury he can glimpse behind it. For a lot of reasons, Kakashi is absolutely certain that if Danzo becomes Hokage, they'll have a rogue jinchurikki faster than he can say kyuubi . Between Karin and Natsu, nevermind Danzo's opinions on Sasuke - and with Danzo's normal behavior on top of that…

It would be a clusterfuck of epic proportions, and Kakashi really does not want to see it come to that.

"Why would she listen to me?" Naruto asks, softly, eyes turning down to his hands.

Kakashi sighs. The closer he comes to that truth without saying it, the more angry Naruto will be when he learns about Karin, but… for now he needs an answer.

"Her grandmother was a member of the Uzumaki clan, who'd married into her family, so you're related to her. She… has a lot of complicated feelings for Konoha, and doesn't really want to come back, but we're hoping… between you and Jiraiya, that you can convince her. There just aren't a lot of shinobi with the kind of reputation that could challenge the warhawk as a candidate, so we're really banking a lot of our hopes here. If you can't convince her, I can try putting my name in the candidates pool, and hope my own reputation is enough, but… I don't want to be Hokage. I can't be both Hokage and your sensei, and I'd really rather be the latter. Assuming I could even win to begin with. But that means we have to bring Tsunade-sama back, and you're our best hope. I know you don't want to leave when both your teammates are in the hospital. And I'm sorry that I'm asking you to. If I thought anyone else had a better chance of convincing her to come back, I would never have asked you. I can promise you that I won't leave them alone until you're back. No one should be looking too closely at Team 7 while they're busy with everything else, but I plan to be keeping a very close eye on them just in case. They'll be safe, I can promise you that."

Naruto drags his gaze up, meeting Kakashi's eye, his own burning with resolve. "I'll hold you to that, sensei. And- if you're that certain Natsu'n'Sakura won't be safe unless we get that lady back, then I'll convince her, 'ttebayo. But- even if she refuses. I won't- I won't let anyone hurt them. You understand?"

His eyes are more purple than blue, with a fire that burns more fiercely than human will can account for. If he focuses, Kakashi can detect just the slightest hint of something demonic creeping through his student's chakra.

He nods, resolute. "Don't worry. No matter what happens, I don't abandon my team. I'm your sensei, so I'm with you guys all the way to the end. No matter what."

Wide eyes, shock painting his student's face, as though Naruto can't believe that he'd-

Kakashi looks away. If he keeps staring, at his sensei's son, his student, his could-have-been-brother , as Naruto looked at him with complete surprise that Kakashi would support him-

He can't look.

"Okay. O-okay… I'll… go back my bag then?" Naruto's voice comes out slightly hesitant, as he glances back in the direction of the hospital, and Kakashi ruffles his hair.

"Jiraiya will meet you at the gate in half an hour, so you have time to go back by the hospital if you're quick. Don't tell Sasuke the details, because those rooms aren't secure, but you can let him know you're going on a mission at Jiraiya's request. I'll fill him and Natsu in properly as soon as Natsu wakes up, ne?"

Naruto nods, then turns as they make it to the door.

The hug, as unexpected as it is, makes Kakashi feel even worse .

Naruto will be so upset when he learns about Karin.

He hugs his student back regardless. Kushina would find a way to stab him from beyond the grave, if he didn't.

His poor kidneys have made it this far intact, he really can't risk it now.

Kakashi's clone finds Jiraiya as the older man leaves the Administration building.

"Naruto will be joining you," he offers casually, and pretends he doesn't see the sharp look the sannin gives at that.

"That's certainly a change of tune."

"Mm, well, I suppose I've got a personal stake in this now."

" Really now? And you didn't before?"

"Maa maa, it's not that surprising! I suppose the current flowers just haven't grown on me like I'd hoped, terrible feng shui and all that."

A snort, and Jiraiya claps him on the back hard enough to make the clone trip. "Pah! I told you, didn't I? You should trust your elders more, brat! But sure, I can take the kid off your hands for a bit!"

"Mm. I hope my new plants will thrive..." the clone muses, waving off the questions he knows to expect. "You know how it is. Some flowers just need the right soil, before they show their petals. I think we need an import, is all."

He sticks his hands in his pockets and walks off, Jiraiya's eyes burning through to his spine, until the clone disappears in a puff of smoke.

There's still so much work to do. Kakashi mournfully looks at the pocket containing his precious Icha Icha, and sighs.

Not yet, at least.

"Finally done lazing around?"

So louuuuuuud .

Natsu rolls over, groaning into the pillow.

…it smells vaguely burnt. Huh.

"Oi, idiot, don't ignore me."

His head is killing him. Igneel is right Natsu is never doing that again ow ow ow-

A heavy sigh. "I'm going to call the nurse."

Nurses… Erza… as a nurse… Natsu whines, trying to sink into the mattress. He doesn't need any more injuries!

"So you can hear me. Ugh. I should have known you'd be stupid when you woke up."

His brain is melting out his ears , why does it hurt this much, it didn't hurt that bad before!

Ugh, but maybe if it hurts inside his head, then it makes sense that outside his head must be pretty messed up…

No… that's too much thinking… maybe he can just go back to sleep…

"O-oh! I-is Na-t-tsu-kun awake? I'm sorry, I-I picked a bad time, I'll l-leave now!"

"Wait!"

Noooooooo too loud-!

"U-um-"

"The idiot hasn't said anything, just keeps groaning. Since you're here, could you take a look and tell me if he's done something stupid to himself again?"

"O-oh, yes, u-um one moment!"

The hairs on the back of his neck go stiff , a sense of predatorpredatorbeinghuntedbeing trackedsending every nerve alight. Natsu's fingers curl, magic gathering, and he catches himself just a moment before-

He breathes, slowly, for a moment, letting the power relax, settle.

Shit, his instincts really have gone haywire. Center, center… he's going to need to find somewhere to meditate.

Ugh but he hates meditation.

"U-um. There was a spike, for a moment, but- it's settling back down? And um. Everything does look weird, b-but I don't think they're in um… in any danger… b-but I really don't k-know enough…"

"Thanks, Hinata. Oi. Idiot. Can you actually understand me or is your brain fried from all that power you were throwing around before? At least tell me you haven't lost even more braincells."

Right, that's- that's Sasuke. He's… concerned? That makes sense. It must have been pretty scary for him when Natsu lost control, he's just a kid, really…

Ugh but everything hurts .

Natsu turns his head so his mouth isn't smothered by the pillow, and works up the energy to answer. "F'kin… hurts." he grumbles, then smushes his face back into the pillow.

He's going back to sleep.

And no one can stop him!

"Oh, it looks like my last little genin is awake! Welcome back to the land of the living, Natsu-kun, Sakura-chan!"

A hand scoops him off the bed, and Natsu whines. Let him sleep -!

"Now now, don't be like that! Naruto's been requested for a special mission outside the village, and he'll be much happier if he can see you're awake before he leaves! You can go back to sleep after, ne~?"

Naru's… leaving? Alone?

Natsu cracks his eyes open, flinching at the wash of colors he knows he shouldn't be seeing.

Fuck, did he fuck up Sakura-chan's eyes ?

No, nevermind, that's not important, Naruto first-!

Natsu finds his feet, swaying a little, though Kakashi's hand catches him before he can fall. "Why's he l'v'n , thas not…"

Oh everything feels wrong , unsettled, not in the right places-

He's too small, he's too big, his tongue is too short, he's too short-

Natsu breathes deeply through his nose, the sharp scents of lemon and antiseptic burning through his nostrils and grounding him.

He steadies his feet, turning slowly. Kakashi's hand lifts slightly, not touching, but close enough for him to still feel the warmth, close enough for sensei to catch him if he stumbles again.

Natsu doesn't stumble.

Everything's a kaleidoscope of contrasts, making it almost impossible to focus, and Natsu tries to dredge up the distant memories of Igneel coaching him back when he was a child and first caused his eyes to change , panicking and confused-

It'll fade. It faded then, and it'll fade now. Igneel agreed that he'd been stopped before he could go too far, that the mutations were temporary. He's just… gotta remember how to deal with the dragon eyes. He focuses, ignoring the whiplash of vertigo as he directs his gaze to the girl who spoke before.

"You-" He coughs, sees the rippling flinch from the girl, the way she stumbles back-

"You saved us, right? Me'n'...S'k'ra-chan. Didn't… get your name?" The longer he stands, the steadier he feels, though Kakashi's hand never leaves entirely.

Natsu appreciates it, probably, distantly. Sasuke'd be a brat if he collapsed.

"I-I- um- I-"

Behind him, his teammate scoffs. "Yeah, she saved your sorry ass after you went and nearly burned yourself up. Hyuuga Hinata, the shyness is normal, if no less annoying for it."

"U-um… sorry…"

Eh. Natsu can deal with shy, if that's all it is. "Don't be sorry! I definitely went too far, I'm really glad you were there to help me out! I'm a lot older than Sakura-chan, makes it real hard to remember sometimes that her body can't keep up, I just… forgot, I guess, ehehehe…"

"Oh! I'm… gladicouldhelpbutireallyhavetogonow !" The girl, Hinata, spits in a rush, and Natsu watches the sharp colors disappear down the hall.

Eh. He'll go find her later and give her a proper thank you.

Girls like cake, right…?

Kakashi chuckles, and suddenly Natsu remembers that he's annoyed. "OI! What's this about Naruto leavin', why's he goin' anywhere?!"

A hand, sharp contrasts of black and white, crossing his vision and then ruffling his hair. "Well, now's not the best time to get into all the details, but it really is important, and can't afford to wait for you and Sasuke to be strong enough to travel. He'll be coming by the hospital shortly to see you before he leaves, so try to stay awake at least that long, ne~? I promise I'll explain everything once you both are discharged."

Natsu would argue, but he doesn't get the chance, as Naruto crashes into the room hard enough to crack the door. "NATSU'S AWAKE?!"

Getting checked out of the hospital is a fairly quick process, once Naruto leaves. Everything still hurts , in ways Natsu can't quite put into words, but when he tried to ask Sakura-chan to help him explain it to the doctor-

Well.

…oops?

So, once he's back home he'll have to sit down and talk to her, but for now it sounds like loads of people are hurt from the invasion and the hospital wants all the beds they can get! So since he can walk and talk, that's good enough for them, and the only reason they were really keeping Sasuke was because there was no one who could watch him, with Kakashi-sensei running all over the village on jobs and Sasuke's gotta be supervised. So they can both just go home to Sakura-chan's parents, and get out of the hospital's hair!

Only… as they turn the corner onto the street, the house… the whole street really…

It's all in shambles.

Earth jutsu have torn up the street, the houses, scattered detritus across what used to be a residential district. One of the neighbors' weather vanes stands proudly in what used to be the middle of the road, no longer spinning with the wind.

Natsu stares.

Kakashi-sensei places a hand on his shoulder. "Aa, I'm sorry, I've been so busy running around I hadn't realized- I know they've both been by to visit in the hospital, I'll go to Administration and find out where the Harunos are staying-"

"It's gone." Natsu can feel the manic grin creeping up his face but- "It's gone! That orange abomination! My prayers were answered! It's been destroyed!"

"A-ah?"

Natsu can't help but practically skip down the street as they head back towards the village center, shaking off the pain with cheerful abandon as he regales Sasuke with how they'll have to celebrate the occasion.

He's pretty sure Sasuke's calling him an idiot with just his eyes, but Natsu's mood will not be deterred!

"Natsu, Sakura! How long have you been up? Did we miss the runner…?" Mebuki crosses the street at a run, coming up to them and looking Natsu over intensely before wrapping him in a tight hug.

For the first time since she said she was ignoring him, Sakura steps up to the window, leaning against it, and Natsu hugs back.

Kakashi-sensei answers for them. "Natsu only just woke up, but you know how it is. The hospital's strapped for beds, and since he's able to walk, they discharged him. Both he and Sasuke still need observation, I hope you don't mind that I volunteered you for both. Though, I admit, I hadn't realized your home was destroyed when I did so. I'm sorry if-"

"Oh hush, it's fine! We can absolutely take them both in, one of my friends is letting me stay at her place - she has family in the countryside, and decided she'd rather leave for now just in case things heat up again. Kizashi already went through our house and gathered everything that could be saved too, so don't worry, Natsu, Sakura! Your room was completely untouched by the attack, and only damaged a little by the house listing! We were able to save everything except your mirror!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-!"

Kakashi secures the room with methodical precision, Sharingan eye open, making absolutely certain that every brush stroke is perfect.

With Natsu's fiery temper, he can't be too careful. He'll count himself lucky if the only damage is to his eardrums, but… he gets the feeling if he waits until later, the damage will be a lot worse.

Right now both his students are injured, exhausted, in pain.

They can't murder Danzo if they wanted to.

…give them a month, and Kakashi's pretty sure that won't be the case anymore.

Well, he always did work best under pressure.

That's a lie. He fought for his ability to work under pressure with blood. So much blood. Blood on his face, blood on his arm, a heart beating in his hand-

He'll find a way to keep them from murdering shinobi councilmen in the future. He has a whole month to plan! That'll certainly be enough! And the Nara will keep the brats busy, he's sure, so-

Aw, drat. He's out of stalling time.

At least these brats aren't likely to stab him. Set him on fire, maybe, but stabbing? Not so much. His kidneys live to see another day.

He tucks away his supplies, spinning around with a flourish.

Clap.

"Alright kiddos, today's been a long day I'm sure so-"

"I just woke up, it's been like. An hour. Tops."

Kakashi pouts. "You don't have to ruin my fun. But fine , if you want the long boring version-"

"I do." Sasuke stares at him like he's actually contemplating stabbing his kidneys.

Today is just not Kakashi's day.

Well. He didn't really expect to get away with the short version, but he had to at least try . He sits down, letting a sigh escape. Both his kids tense - and what an interesting study in contrasts, really. Sasuke tenses like a shinobi, whole body falling loose, the languid rest of a predator.

Natsu braces . On some level, Kakashi's always known that Natsu is a much different type of fighter than the shinobi of the hidden villages. But it's always fascinating to see it. Natsu prepares for a fight by steadying his footwork and emptying his hands, a defensive position strangely at odds with his offensive combat preferences. Natsu's always happy to let his opponent make the first move, unless lives are in danger. But he doesn't ready to dodge. He readies to block .

Such a small difference, but such a large indication of his character.

A pity men like Danzo would never respect such a person.

"Maa, what do you know about the political situation of Konoha, at the moment?" Kakashi glances at Natsu. He's not sure if their beloved interloper ever bothered to learn anything about the politics of the village, or just wrote them all off when Sandaime tried to tell him things he didn't care about. Not that Kakashi can blame him much, so much has been poorly handled here. Ah, but what can they do about it now? Move forward, and hope for the best.

Well. That's what Kakashi's aiming for, at least.

As expected though, Natsu grimaces fiercely. " Politics ? Ugh, y'all're a giant yami guild, I don't need to know anything else, and I don't care to either. I only stayed cause leaving wouldn't be fair to Sakura-chan, and you guys were pretty cool I guess. I don't like your politics though and I want nothing to do with them."

Kakashi sighs again. About what he expected, but still…

Sasuke's face crawls with horror as he catches on.

"Unfortunately, Natsu-kun, politics wants something to do with you . Or, more precisely, since the Sandaime Hokage died during the invasion, we don't have a lot of people who would be supported to take his place. The most favored… well. I'll be honest, he already had some… objectionable ideas about how to handle both Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun, even before you came into the picture. Once he gains access to the Hokage's files about you… all of Team 7 is going to be in quite the dangerous situation. And I know-" Kakashi quickly adds, cutting off Natsu as he tries to speak, "that you would happily fight Konoha if he tried to do those things. But, whatever else this village is, it's my home. Naruto's home, Sasuke and Sakura's home. If it comes down to it, I will help you three leave the village. But… I'd rather not abandon my home, my friends, my family graves, if I can help it. That's why we had to send Naruto out - he's related to one of the only other people in the world who could reasonably challenge that man for the title of Godaime. I'll help you leave if there's no other choice, but I have to at least try to find a different path. Ne?"

"You mean Danzo." Kakashi removes his eye from Natsu, a little surprised. Sasuke's face…

There's a terrifying sort of pain there, a nightmare Kakashi himself is all too familiar with.

"He approached you?" Kakashi asks, bites, recalling-

"Just once, right before I left the hospital after-" Sasuke looks away, to the wall, fist clenched hard enough to bleed. "He said… that madness runs in families. And that he'd petitioned to have me more strictly evaluated, but that the bleeding hearts of the hospital had refused. He told me to tread carefully, to make sure I didn't slip - I…" Sasuke stares down at the bloody crescents on his palm, smears streaks of it idly across his fingers. "I had nightmares. For months. Of killing all my classmates just like- I hunted down a nurse, later, who would tell me his name. So I could avoid him. I never wanted to see him again."

There will never come a day that Kakashi doesn't curse Itachi with every fiber of his being. But most days.

He curses Danzo more .

He's never quite been able to shake the feeling that something is wrong with that man, esteemed councilman or not .

"Mm, I'm sure he has some redeeming qualities, but mercy and basic human decency aren't really among them." Kakashi offers cheerfully, a joking tone for words meant all too seriously.

He waits for the explosion from Natsu, but- it doesn't come.

The look on the kid's face is one of measured distaste.

"I suppose that kind of man would be favored to lead a yami guild… I guess I can see what he'd want with Naruto'n'me too. We've got power in ways you guys can't have, I guess, an' no one hates that like stuffy old men do. He's probably all 'MWAHAHA this power should be mine to control! It's WASTED ON THE LIKES OF YOU!' And then he calls you stuff like a small-minded fool and incompetent and undeserving and- Y'know. He's that type of loser. I've seen 'em before."
Natsu leans back with the dramatic exhaustion of someone far beyond his years and yet-

That's not quite true is it?

Logically, Kakashi knows Natsu is an adult.

Natsu's personality makes it very difficult to remember, sometimes, but.

Natsu and Itachi are the same age. It… puts things into a strange sort of perspective, to think about it like that, but here, in this moment, that's the first comparison Kakashi draws. As Natsu grins conspiratorially at Sasuke, elbowing the other boy out of his funk, as the Uchiha turns his back with a scoff, but with shoulders looser and a smile only half-hidden on his face-

Kakashi's known the world is unfair since he was practically a baby . Sometimes, despite that, it still hits him strongly enough to make him want to stab something .

For now… looking at his students, as unorthodox as one is, perhaps Kakashi should put more effort into remembering that Natsu is an adult.

Sometimes, the pyromaniac is even mature enough to act like it. He should encourage that. It's what a good sensei would do, really, he's been out here letting his oldest student get away with not taking responsibility, for shame .

Distantly, in some long-desensitized part of his brain, Kakashi scrubs away a mental image of Itachi with Natsu's manic grin, cheerfully lighting things on fire.

Though Kakashi would have to be blind to mistake Natsu's lackadaisy mockery as a sign of disinterest. Just the way Natsu looks at Sasuke, so clearly trying to drag him out of his headspace with casual humor-

No. Natsu didn't downplay his opinion of Danzo because he doesn't care. He did it because getting worked up wouldn't have helped Sasuke shake off the mood brought on by that memory.

Not that Kakashi himself isn't furious- who says that to a child?!

…well. It's looking harder and harder to keep ROOT from being burned out of the village like woodrot from a forest. Even so, Kakashi has to try and prevent that sort of damage, just on principle if nothing else.

"Mm, I wish I could say I'd never heard him call someone a small-minded fool but that would be quite the lie, if I'm honest. Though for the record, I have never heard him mwahaha at anything, and personally I never hope to. We're all better off without that." Kakashi shudders dramatically, eliciting his own small snort from Sasuke, and continues, "But… he shouldn't be a problem. To either of you. I didn't send Naruto away casually. Having the jinchurikki leave the village is a matter that entirely on its own will distract Danzo a bit while everything gets cleaned up. And that's not even considering that Naruto truly does have a good chance of convincing Tsunade-sama to return to the village and take the title of Godaime herself. Danzo won't be able to do anything, then, though I'm sorry it had to happen in such a rush when you'd only just woken up."

Natsu scoffs, standing. ""Yeah yeah, you make your plans and all that rot. All I care about is that if that guy tries to show his face anywhere, y'know I'm gonna punch it in! What's he look like? Oi, Sasuke, you remember, right? Who am I beating up?"

Kakashi sinks into the couch with a groan, as his troublesome brats plot to murderize a councilman of Konoha.

He takes it back. Natsu is a child and he's 90% certain the boy was fucking with him when he claimed otherwise. That has to be it.

Maybe if he falls asleep now, he can honestly say he didn't hear his brats plotting treason when Ibiki questions him.

At least that old warhawk is good for something… they're both thoroughly distracted, I won't have to worry about them burning down the village for Karin until afterTsunade-sama gets here.

Hopefully.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HE LOOKS LIKE?!"

Oh dear.

"...'s looking out the window, didn't really want to talk to anyone…"

"WHAT KIND OF EXCUSE IS THAT? THAT ASSHOLE CAME INTO YOUR ROOM AND ACCUSED YOU OF ALL SORTS OF STUPID SHIT AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN MEMORIZE HIS FACE TO BEAT HIM UP LATER?! SASUKE YOU GOTTA REMEMBER SOMETHING I CAN'T BEAT UP EVERY OLD MAN IN THE VILLAGE, THERE'S WAY TOO MANY!"

"...he had a cane? I heard it tap against the tile…"

Abort abort abort!

Kakashi lunges to his feet, catching Natsu just as the pink-haired menace lunges for the window.

"Absolutely not , you cannot beat up every single cripple in the village Natsu-"

"THEN JUST HURRY AND TELL ME WHICH ONE I SHOULD BEAT UP!"

Kami-sama, aid him .

"Everything alright in here? I know you probably have your fancy seals up, but we've got lunch ready if you aren't still busy!"

…Kakashi is going to build a shrine for Haruno Mebuki. Truly, such timing could only come from a goddess among women.

Natsu sags in his arms, grumbling something about Sakura, as Sasuke goes to disable the seal and open the door.

Crisis averted.

For now.

Naruto can't help but look back at the gate, still charred in places, the wall around it damaged like something heavy crashed into it.

He wants to turn around. But Kakashi-sensei wouldn't lie to him, he didn't get any feeling like that at all!

If anything… if anything, Kakashi-sensei was scared .

That, more than anything, convinced Naruto that sensei was telling the truth.

The person everyone wants to make the next Hokage… that person must be really bad if Kakashi-sensei was so scared about it.

Naruto doesn't want to leave, not when Sasuke still can't breathe right and Natsu keeps looking weird, like he can't see where anyone is really- Natsu's eyes just keep bouncing around, never looking , and Naruto doesn't know what that means , he didn't have a chance to ask, he'd taken way too long to even notice -!

Natsu… wouldn't actually go blind, right? He glances at Jiraiya, but the old pervert probably wouldn't know, not if he's been so busy trying to find other people to be Hokage.

Naruto wants to ask, but bites his tongue. Kakashi-sensei said it wasn't safe to talk about, so… probably he should wait, right? At least until he can't see Konoha anymore. They need to be far enough away that no one will hear them, or that guy sensei's scared of will find out they're trying to stop him and he might…

What?

Naruto grimaces, scratching at his whiskers. He didn't actually ask what would happen if that warhawk guy found out what sensei and Jiraiya were planning. If he was gonna be Hokage, then he had to be a good person, right? Maybe a little too paranoid, if he'd be willing to hurt Natsu, but no one would let a bad person be Hokage, so…

Naruto glances up at Jiraiya again, biting his lip.

Should he ask…?

"What is it, kid?" Jiraiya eventually offers, glancing back.

"Um… Kakashi-sensei explained a bit, about how all the previous Hokage have been chosen as successors, n'stuff, but… what happens when th'Hokage didn't choose a successor? How does everyone decide? Why's sensei so sure it'll be that warhawk guy, I don't even know who that is, so he can't be famous or anything, right?"

"Hmm, good question. It's definitely a tricky situation." Jiraiya starts, as he leads the way off the main road and into the trees, "Technically, yes, each Hokage chooses their successor. But realistically, if the successor they chose was someone that wasn't well respected, then it's not likely that many people would respect that choice. And in a shinobi village, well. Let's just say that kage would have a short stint, for sure. Each time in the past though, the successor was well-loved. Our shodaime, of course, chose his brother, Tobirama, who, while a bit more strict, was still a very well respected and powerful man. He was also a genius, and people do love their geniuses." Jiraiya's voice twists uncomfortably, but Naruto doesn't know what to make of it, and the sannin doesn't give him a chance to ask. "Tobirama, of course, chose one of his students, Hiruzen, who was well-regarded as a brilliant man and powerful shinobi in his own right, a famed genius who even at that time had the title of The Professor for how clever he was. Sensei, of course, chose Minato-kun as his successor. Minato, the war hero with a heart of gold, whose love for Konoha shown through his every action, who was able to complete and perfect some of the experiments Tobirama left behind, who once single-handedly took on an army of a thousand Iwa shinobi and won ." Jiraiya pauses, swallowing. "Minato's term was far too short, and he'd barely even had the chance to consider a successor before the Kyuubi attacked. So, in order to keep things running smoothly, especially while the village was recovering from the attack, sensei took the hat back. He didn't want to, really. He was old, even then, and tired . He wanted to retire, and spend time with his family, but the village couldn't afford to find a new Hokage under those circumstances, and… it was supposed to be temporary. He would hold the post long enough for the village to recover, then he would name a successor and retire like he'd meant. But…"

Jiraiya grimaces, then, glancing at Naruto before turning back to the trees ahead of them.

Naruto's not stupid.

"So… it was my fault? That there isn't a successor?"

Jiraiya flinches. "It's not. Well it's not your fault , really, only partially because of you…" he glances back, then hastily continues. "Well, um, he actually tried to nominate Kakashi. He said, he could hold the hat for a couple years, to properly train him, that… that Minato would have probably made a similar choice, given time, but… well. Everyone insisted he was too young, that in the wake of the Kyuubi's attack Konoha would need to look strong , that putting someone so young, no matter how decorated, in the hat, would cause the other villages to want to take advantage of us. So, sensei couldn't convince anyone of it, and, well. Many people in Konoha supported Danzo as the Godaime, even back then, believed that he would be the face of strength Konoha needed to stand strong against the other villages."

"So… everyone thinks that Danzo guy is really strong? Why haven't I heard of him then? Or is he like one of those cool shinobi in the books, with like, secret identities and stuff? Does he have a thousand names ?" Naruto can't help bouncing in excitement at the thought, bouncing forward until he's close enough to grin up at Jiraiya.

The old man snorts. "Please! I wish I could see his face if you told him something like that, old man would probably look like he'd bit a sour prune! Ha! No, the reason you don't recognize the name is probably just because you skipped over his parts in the history classes. Can't blame you there, of course, since he and sensei were kind of like rivals, the history books focus more on sensei's achievements during the war than Danzo's. Pretty sure the old warhawk's still salty about that too…"

"Jiji had a rival ?!" Naruto stops, before quickly darting forward when Jiraiya doesn't stop and wait, scrambling to catch up. "Wait! Wait, what's this about Jiji's rival no one ever told me he was cool enough to have a rival !"

"What, that's the standard of coolness now? Whether or not you have a rival?" Jiraiya barks a laugh, before tossing his head. "Sensei… sensei cared far too much for Danzo, in my opinion, saw the man as a dear friend when I'm certain Danzo only ever saw him as a rival and never returned the affection. I've never been able to stand the guy, myself. But even sensei knew that letting Danzo become Hokage back then would be a terrible idea, considering what he wanted to do to you…" Jiraiya sighs, glancing back once more.

Naruto bites his lip. "I guess… he's one of the people who didn't like me very much, because of the kyuubi?"

Jiraiya grimaces. "Worse than that, kiddo. I… don't really know how much I should rightfully say. I was in the village briefly, for… for the funerals, at least… and… a lot of things were said in anger, back then, that maybe were taken back in later years, with cooler heads. So maybe I'd just be waving old gossip around, and… whatever his feelings, sensei at least never removed Danzo from the council, so… they'd had to make up at some point, though he was furious that day… I'd never seen him so angry." There's a melancholy in Jiraiya's voice so deep Naruto can almost feel it.

The funerals after the kyuubi's attack…

That would be his mom's funeral too. If… she was allowed to have one.

Naruto… can't think about that. He-

He's not sure he can ask-

If Konoha blamed him so much, how much more must they have-

"Did… did they give my mom a funeral too?"

This time, Jiraiya stops. Despite the rush, despite the rapid clip they've kept since they left the village. Jiraiya stops, crouching, meeting Naruto's eyes as he rests a hand on his head.

"Don't even question it kiddo. They… Danzo… he said some nasty things about your mom, but. Even he wouldn't dare question any shinobi's right to a funeral. She was buried with honor, like all the others. No one even spat on her grave, that I ever heard."

Jiraiya's hand is warm, heavy, as it ruffles through his hair, and Naruto practically feels the weight lift off his chest. He hadn't even realized how much he'd worried, about whether…

But now-

He has to know. "What did he say about my mom?"

Jiraiya sighs, standing back up with a wave as he takes off again. "He… claimed that the reason the Kyuubi escaped before had to be due to the weakness of the jinchurikki. Your mom, after all, was originally from Uzushio, and only later came to Konoha, yeah? His reasoning was that she secretly resented Konoha for not saving her village, and so her will wasn't strong enough to stop the Kyuubi from destroying our village, in return. Said that maybe she secretly wanted it to. A lot of people… they liked that explanation. Liked it too much. Danzo said, it would be better for the new jinchurikki to be bound to the village, to never even be able to think about betraying Konoha- it's the only time I ever heard sensei truly yell at someone, when Danzo first proposed that they do that to you, practically brainwashing even if no one used those words… sensei's fury was so thick even I was practically choking on it, he dismissed us all and said he never wanted to hear such a suggestion again. I don't believe anyone dared to so much as breathe a word about how to train you, after that. But despite Danzo having a lot of approval among the rest of the shinobi, sensei never named him as a successor, never even considered it after that. Not even for an instant."

Jiraiya shakes his head, and Naruto's fingers dig tightly into the straps of his bag. "Mom…"

The sannin blinks, glances behind. "Don't- Danzo was wrong , kid. Your mom loved Konoha. 100%. She missed home, sure, but she loved Konoha, and the people, and especially you. It wasn't a weak will that set the Kyuubi loose. It was sabotage, but we never managed to catch the guy who did it, could never prove it. And for all his faults, sensei did his best to protect you from Danzo, if nothing else. But- well. Danzo's still the most-favored candidate, for a lot of reasons. Sensei tried to find other people, after that, once Danzo had proven he couldn't be trusted to take care of you the way sensei wanted to. But… everyone else he tried to name, people shot down. So he wore the hat, longer and longer, never finding someone to take his place… eventually he even asked me , in his desperation, but… my reputation isn't one people would be happy with, even if we could probably make them accept it, and that's nevermind all the work I've put in to building my information networks, work that no one else would be able to maintain since it relies quite heavily on my summons and I haven't taken an apprentice…"

Jiraiya sighs, glancing up through the leaves, as Naruto worries the strap of his pack.

"Kakashi's older now, of course, and could maybe stand a chance if he volunteered, but- well. That's only a maybe . People could possibly argue, after all, that they couldn't possibly remove him from your team, use you as an excuse again. It's not right, but I can't say it's impossible either, so. We need someone else. Someone who would show Konoha's strength, even in the wake of this invasion, someone who's respected . Tsunade…"

Naruto waits a beat, then two, silence hanging in the air. His lungs are thick with a thousand words he doesn't know how to say.

Maybe he… can talk to his team when he gets back? Before he tries to figure out how to ask those questions…

Which leaves… "Tsunade who ? Who is that lady, I never heard of her!"

Jiraiya laughs. "She's my other teammate. Best doctor in all the world, and the most terrifying woman you'll ever meet! Her rack could make a kami blush!" Jiraiya crows, making a dramatic mid-leap pose, but deflates as Naruto just stares at him. "Oh you're no fun. Anyway, Hime-chan left the village during the war, after her brother and her fiance were murdered. People tried to talk badly about her for that, but… well. A lot of shinobi stood up for her. Everyone saw, those days, how she'd drag herself out, mission after mission, saving people from death itself even as she got paler and paler, more and more exhausted… even though people tried to call her a coward for leaving during wartime, no one could really deny that Hime-chan had given everything she had. Pushed herself past all her limits trying to make sure as many people came back as possible, until the day the people she cared about most didn't make it back, and… it broke something in her. Something deep, something none of us knew how to heal. Some of the greener shinobi, they looked down on her for leaving, but everyone who'd been there from the beginning, who saw how far she pushed herself for Konoha… they defended her right to step away. To mourn her family, to find her peace , whatever little of it she could. They recognized… we recognized… that she'd given literally everything. And if we put her back on the battlefield, if we forced her to stay, then."

Jiraiya stops, staring distantly. "She'd die. She'd suicide on the battlefield, if… if we made her stay. She just. She didn't have the strength, after Dan died, after her brother had died, to keep going. We respected that. Even… even when I didn't want to, I respected that. And so did everyone else. But now… now the only option for Hokage is Danzo . Danzo, who believes you shouldn't be allowed to have free will, Danzo who will never accept Natsu- Hime-chan… I can't imagine she'll want to go back to Konoha even now. After everything she's lost, she… I don't think she'll ever want to come back. But we have to try . Because people love her. She never once lost respect, for the miracles she performed, the lives she saved, even as she lost everything around her- If she came back and said, 'I'm Hokage,' the whole village would literally hand her the hat with no questions. She's that beloved. Konoha's lost princess…" Jiraiya's grin wobbles, a loss deep as a canyon yawning behind it. "I just… hope she'll hear us out."

Naruto… maybe he doesn't know a lot about this Tsunade woman. He can't really imagine what it would be like to lose the people he loves most , can't-

Natsu, collapsing, dropping like a doll with lifeless limbs, Sasuke bleeding, burning, his claws his tail-

Can't really imagine looking at his village and seeing only the things it took from him-

Cold eyes closed doors that one day a year he knows to neverstep outside, not after that one time-

Naruto can't imagine those things. But that Tsunade lady, the way Jiraiya speaks about her, she sounds like she saved people. Over and over again, with everything she had. And everyone respects her for it.

Naruto does too.

And maybe he's selfish, 'cause he heard all that, and now he's gonna go ask her to save one more person!

If she's anything like him, she probably misses it. Even if it hurts too much for her to admit it yet.

So he'll help her out, 'ttebayo!

The first 7 drops like a stone in her gut. She can tell, she can feel it, even before the last two slots settle, she knows it's going to win. Tsunade removes her hands from the machine, as though that might make a difference.

7.

…

7.

She doesn't cry. She can't- she has to find Shizune. Where-?

"Shizune!" She has to find her. Where is she- she's not here-

What did she miss what happened what went wrong-?

" SHIZUNE! "

The room falls silent, only the soft plink of the machines still sounding off, but- there !

Shizune weaves her way through the crowd at a rapid clip, Tonton in her arms.

"Tsunade-sama? What's wro- Oh! Did you actually win? Congratulations, Tsunade-sama!"

She can't breathe. She can barely form the words in her mind, can't make them real-

She can't lose Shizune too. Not her. Not all that she has left.

What else could fate possibly take from her-?

"We-We're leaving." She croaks out, throat cracking, surely splitting in two-

They have to run. Run, escape, flee from whatever's coming, flee from fate itself-

"But- your winnings-"

"They can keep them. We're leaving. " She doesn't grab Shizune and drag her out, but-

She wants to. She has more respect for her apprentice than that, but. They have to run .

Now.

While they still have the chance.

Notes:

YES that first segment with Sakura is 100% because when I wrote the last chapter, I had Natsu say he was going to go talk with Sakura, and then immediately wake up as the last line of said chapter, COMPLETELY FORGETTING TO ADDRESS HIS TALK WITH SAKURA. So I was just like. Well. It'd be too much work to edit the last chapter to remove that line, and let's be real, Natsu absolutely would manage to get distracted on the way back to the cabin and wake himself up early and completely forget WHY he'd been walking back to the cabin first, so now the poor guy's just being ghosted by the twins until he apologizes to them.
And yes, Kakashi's realization that Natsu and Itachi are the same age is at least partially because I just realized it myself. Like, math says, if Itachi was 13 during the massacre, and Sasuke was 7, then, when Sasuke graduated at 12, Natsu, who never had a canonical age released at the time this story was started (and if Mashima released it in the 100 year quest I haven't kept up to notice), was headcanon'd to be 18. Itachi, 5 years after the massacre, would ALSO be 18.
...fun facts y'all!
Has Sasuke put this together, you wonder? No. No he has not. I do not think he would actually appreciate realizing it, either. He knows Natsu's older than him, but as far as he's concerned both his teammates are idiots so clearly age isn't everything, and he's never thought about it further.
If Natsu ever actually said a number, Sasuke has completely forgotten, and he'd like it to stay that way.
Regarding the Danzo and Sasuke interaction... my stance on it is that Danzo clearly does not like or trust the Uchiha. If he had a way to get rid of both Itachi AND Sasuke he'd take it in a heartbeat, without hesitation. His thought process when he approached Sasuke back then was "I can't touch this kid or do anything to him without Itachi basically destroying Konoha with the information he holds, but I can't trust this Uchiha without supervision. I have plenty of spies in the mental health departments for shinobi. If I get him concerned about following his brother's footsteps, he'll get a therapist, since he's currently refused, and I'll at least have more insight into his thoughts because my men can get into his files and see what's up."
Sasuke, of course, in true Uchiha fashion, said FUCK HEALTHY COPING MECHANISMS, and just hardcore isolated himself from everyone, INCLUDING therapists, because on some level the nightmares made him afraid that he WOULD turn out like his brother and he didn't want a therapist to confirm that for him, so instead of getting help he just pretended the problem didn't exist. And look! The nightmares went away! Surely that means everything worked out!
(no sasuke, you just cut yourself off from everyone so completely that you stopped being connected enough to even fear them dying so your brain went back to traumatizing you with flashbacks of the Tsukuyomi instead but that isn't actually an IMPROVEMENT)
It's okay tho Sasuke has learned the power of friendship now! And everyone knows the power of friendship is the ultimate trump card against evil forces!
It never loses!
anyway back to danzo! Sasuke was never going to tell anyone about him, but hearing his sensei mention having misgivings first made him think maybe he'd be taken seriously if he DID say something, and he is very gratified by the response.
(he does remember what danzo looked like. he wasn't lying, he refused to face the man and only stared out the window, but he's an uchiha. his eyes are perfect. he remembers Danzo's face through the reflection. Or... half a face, as the case may be. But he ALSO considers himself the one single braincell of Team 7, however debatable a statement that may be, and recognizes that telling Natsu would infact lead to complete disaster. At least wait until AFTER the new hokage gets here, idiot).
In regards to Tsunade, I don't know if canon ever gave us a REASON why Konoha would so eagerly accept her as Hokage after she left the village? So here we get to see my own little headcanons about why she might have enough support despite practically abandoning her village. A lot of shinobi have seen her perform true MIRACLES, saving people who should have been beyond ALL HOPE. And so, they feel perhaps some of the burden - not guilt, not to shinobi, but at least weight. She poured so much of herself into saving THEM that when her family needed her most, she didn't have anything LEFT. She'd pulled people back from death itself, and now she could do NOTHING for her own kin, bleeding out under her hands, as she FIGHTS for a miracle she's delivered to so many others, a miracle she FAILS to perform for the ones she loves the most. The people of Konoha respect her a LOT, and would be overjoyed to see her return, despite the way she left. so yeah. there's my fun little headcanons now to end this cause im at character cap lol

Notes:

Minor Character Death added as a tag because a reviewer mentioned it would have been nice because then they wouldn't have spent the Wave arc wondering if Zabuza and Haku would live or not.

If there's any other tags people would like to see/wish they'd had warning for, let me know, I'm happy to add them!

Thanks for stopping by!

Series this work belongs to:

Part 1 of Flowers Bloom in Red and Gold Next Work →