Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The first time he saw her was in the Academy.

He’d been staring out the window, completely ignoring everyone around him. Most of the girls were giggling and whispering (pretty loudly) about him. (How did any of them expect to be ninjas if they couldn’t even be discreet?) Some of the boys were glaring at him while others ignored him just as easily as he ignored them.

Sometimes he didn’t know why he bothered coming to the Academy. Due to the early start he’d gotten while still a toddler, he was already miles ahead of the other children intellectually and in ability. None of his lessons ever provided enough of a challenge for him. The teachers were more than aware that he was a genius so they usually left him to his own devices during class, especially since he never disturbed their lessons.

He had been intent on continuing to stare out the window, contemplating Itachi’s schedule and trying to determine whether or not his big brother would be too busy for him this afternoon. But Iruka-sensei had loudly cleared his throat to get the attention of everyone in the room. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Sasuke had turned to face the front of the room. He had only intended to give Iruka a few seconds of his attention to placate the man, but Sasuke’s attention was immediately captured by small, blonde girl standing next to Iruka.

For an eight-year-old, she was shorter than average with the longest, brightest hair that he’d ever seen. He was sure that if she had taken it down from the messy pigtails she had on her head, it would have been long enough to touch her waist. She was grinning widely at everyone in the room, her white teeth on full display and her bright blue eyes sparkling. The orange hoodie with red swirl on the front and white shorts seemed the magnify the bright aura she had around her. Everything about her screamed bright, warm, and gentle.

“My name’s Uzumaki Naruko, dattebayo!” she shouted obnoxiously loud, her voice filling every corner of the room.

So, maybe two out of three wasn’t bad.

“Why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself, Naruko?” Iruka suggested with a sheepish smile in place. His class was a spirited bunch, but it was easy to tell that this girl held more energy and enthusiasm than all of them combined. There was nothing like an enthusiastic student to raise a teacher’s hopes.

“Sure! I like ramen, especially when my mom makes it. My favorite flavor of ramen is miso chashu pork. And I’m gonna be the first and greatest female Hokage!” Naruko declared proudly. Sasuke subtly raised a brow. This girl was just full of surprises.

“Well, why don’t you take a seat, Naruko? You can sit anywhere you like,” Iruka said and gestured to the class.

Sasuke felt his spine straighten subconsciously. The seat next to him was open, his bag holding the space to prevent anyone from sitting next to him. Frequently, he would arrive in class to see almost every girl in class sitting with the seat next to them open as they tried to get his attention and offered him the open seat. This usually meant that he had to claim an open seat next to a male classmate, an empty bench, or the sit next to Hinata. The small Hyuuga was the only girl in the class who was somewhat tolerable. She was so quiet that she never spoke to him and thankfully had no intention of asking him out.

Now, he tried to feign nonchalance as he silently observed Naruko scanning the room. For a second, he was sure that they had made eye contact just before she had smiled brightly. His expression remained neutral as he glanced at the bag resting innocently next to him. He would have to move it for her. Wait, why was he moving it? The last thing he wanted was some loud, obnoxious girl sitting next to him and trying to ask him out and beg for his-

“Can I sit next to you?” Naruko asked as she stopped at the bench in front of his. He paused as he watched the girl he’d been watching talk to Hinata. Hinata nodded her head shyly while scooting over to make room for the blonde girl. Once Naruko was seated, Iruka-sensei went about writing notes for the lesson on the chalkboard.

Sasuke had attempted to continue looking out the window, but every time he was even slightly absorbed in analyzing the shuriken jutsu that Itachi had showed him yesterday, he heard her again. She was attempting to whisper to Hinata about lunchtime, but Sasuke could hear every word as clear as day. He rolled his eyes.

He really should tell her to keep it down. She was so loud that he could barely hear Iruka-sensei (not that he had been listening in the first place, but that was irrelevant). He must have been staring at her too intently because she glanced back and caught his gaze. Her brows furrowed and she asked, “What?” in a barely whispered voice.

Sasuke rolled his eyes again. “You do realize that the point of whispering is so that others can’t hear you?” Sasuke hissed at her.

And just like that, the sun morphed into a volcano.

“Maybe you shouldn’t be listening!” Naruko shouted back, completely disregarding the classroom setting. She completely turned around in her seat while leaning against the back of her chair to glare at him.

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed. “Quiet down, dobe,” Sasuke responded in a level tone.

“What did you call me!?” Naruko shouted in an impossibly loud tone. She was standing on her seat now, looking ready to leap out of it and onto his desk.

Sasuke couldn’t explain it. He never bothered before with any of the girls in his class. They were never worth the effort and he just figured that if he ignored them, they would eventually get the hint and leave him alone. But there was something about that whiskered face that demanded his attention.

“Naruko, sit down. Open your books and take notes on what I’m telling you,” Iruka said with a deep frown.

Sasuke didn’t bother acknowledging Iruka. His onyx gaze remained focused on the bright blue pools in front of him. After a few seconds, Naruko huffed before turning back around and flopping down onto her seat with her arms folded in front of her. Sasuke glared at the back of her head for a few more seconds before he felt his shoulders relax and he released a tense breath that he hadn’t realized that he’d been holding. Idly, he realized that he had been clenching his hands. Glancing down at them, he was mildly surprised to see red, crescent moons dug into his palms. He frowned before tucking his hands under his desk.

~:~

Things didn’t improve after that.

Sasuke had been hell bent on ignoring Naruko with every fiber of his being. But she was so obnoxious and loud and bright. She had no sense of stealth whatsoever. She practically stomped around and commanded the attention of everyone in the room. Everywhere she went, she would loudly proclaim that she was going to be the Hokage dattebayo. Sasuke rolled his eyes. And she wore orange. What sort of ninja wears orange!? ‘A dead one,’ Sasuke reasoned.

“Okay class. Let’s begin our kunai throwing exercises. Sasuke, why don’t you go first?” Iruka asked and smiled down at the Uchiha.

Unfolding his arms from his chest, Sasuke walked over to where ten kunai were resting and grabbed one. He practiced throwing kunai all the time at the Uchiha training grounds. He wasn’t as good as Itachi, but he was more than skilled enough to meet the Academy standards.

Thunk, thunk, thunk.

With a blank expression, Sasuke watched as all ten kunai hit the target, most hitting the bullseye or inner most ring. Once finished, he slipped his hands into his pockets, trying to drown out the sounds of girls screeching.

“Very good, Sasuke. Why don’t you try next-” Iruka started, but was cut off.

“I want to go next, Iruka-sensei!”

Sasuke cracked an eye open to watch Naruko as she excitedly raised her hand and jumped onto her toes to get Iruka’s attention. Sasuke scoffed. He’d never seen her abilities outside of the class, but he was sure that they would be just as disappointing as they were inside the classroom.

“Sure, Naruko. Go ahead,” Iruka said with a patient smile. Naruko nodded once and retrieved the kunai from the target.

With a lidded gaze, Sasuke watched Naruko throw the first kunai. When the kunai sailed too far to the right and missed the target completely, he shut his eyes dismissively. He could hear the low noises of frustration that she made as she threw another kunai.

Thunk, thunk, thunk.

“It’s alright, Naruko. Just focus, breathe, and aim,” Iruka soothed.

Sasuke couldn’t help it. He scoffed. Just as he predicted, he felt the rush of wind hit him as Naruko pointed the kunai at him threateningly.

“Naruko!” Iruka objected.

“You think you’re so cool, teme!” Naruko shouted at him.

“No. But I know that I can at least throw a kunai properly,” Sasuke said with a scoff and folded his arms in front of him.

He heard the unfeminine growl just before he felt the gathering of chakra. What was that idiot doing this time? He looked over at her just in time to see Naruko randomly throw the last kunai off to the side and hit an unsuspecting tree in the middle of its trunk.

Thunk, CRACK.

Everyone in the class froze as they watched a crack spread up and down the tree, completely splitting the tree in the middle. Sasuke felt his arms unfold as his eyes shot to Naruko in surprise. One at a time, everyone stared silently at her as well.

With a nervous laugh, Naruko rubbed her hand behind her head and said, “I guess I don’t know my own strength! Sorry about the tree, Iruka-sensei.”

“T-that’s alright, Naruko.”

~:~

How had he missed it before?

He’d always thought that Naruko was hopeless and would never make it as a ninja. But he’d been noticing the little things about the girl. After the first incident with the tree, he’d spotted Naruko around the village. He wasn’t stalking her (he preferred to call it “tailing” and an exercise to improve his skills in stealth).

When she pulled pranks in the village, he’d seen her do little things like henge into someone else to avoid getting caught. She couldn’t even do the henge in class properly! When he saw her walking vertically on the Hokage monument and painting moustaches on the faces, his eyes had widened.

Obviously, the girl was hiding a secret. She was obviously farther along than she let on, but how did she get so good? She had to have a teacher, but who?

“Tadaima.”

Hearing the front door close, Sasuke sprang to his feet. Finally! Itachi had been gone all day, but he was finallyhome. Walking out into the entryway, he heard Itachi speaking.

“Would you like something to drink?”

Sasuke froze when he heard another familiar voice respond.

“Sure, Itachi-nii-san!”

Schooling his expression, Sasuke stood and waited for his older brother to turn the corner. Itachi didn’t react to seeing Sasuke waiting for him, but he didn’t need to. Naruko reacted enough for the both of them.

“What are you doing here!? Are you following me!?” Naruko shouted and pointed at Sasuke accusingly.

He was, but she didn’t need to know that. Sasuke narrowed his gaze at her and frowned. “I live here, dobe.”

“Teme,” Naruko growled as her jaw clenched and her hands fisted.

“I didn’t know that you knew my little brother, Naruko-chan,” Itachi interjected.

Like the flip of a switch, all of Naruko’s anger left her as she grinned happily up at Itachi. “We’re in the same class, but that’s it.”

Sasuke frowned. His eyes took in the sight of Itachi quietly observing Naruko and patting her head before heading towards the kitchen. Sasuke fully expected Naruko to shout at his face again, but he was surprised to see her quickly follow after his brother without hesitation. His frown took on a puzzled expression.

With slower movements, Sasuke moved to stand in the doorway of the kitchen and watched as Naruko spoke about a mile per minute while happily smiling up at Itachi. Itachi was quiet for the entire exchange, a small smile showing that he was listening to Naruko speak.

“You’re so good at shuriken jutsu, Itachi-nii-san. You have to show me how you did that last move!”

What?

“Maybe another time, Naruko-chan,” Itachi said as he poured hot water for the tea that he was preparing. “Sasuke, would you like some tea as well?”

Sasuke watched as Naruko spared him a glance before looking back at Itachi again. Sasuke frowned but remained silent. Itachi brought three cups to the table nonetheless, his eyes observing Sasuke for a few seconds. Sasuke almost told Itachi not to bother. Naruko doesn’t drink tea. But Sasuke was surprised yet again when he saw Naruko claim the seat next to Itachi at the table and bring the steaming cup to her lips.

She never drank tea.

“Sasuke?” Itachi beckoned.

With a narrowed gaze, Sasuke took the seat with the remaining cup of tea before it. “I thought you had a mission, today,” Sasuke pointed out to his brother.

“I said that I was busy. After my last mission, Naruko-chan stopped me and asked for help with her shuriken jutsu,” Itachi said while giving Sasuke an even gaze.

With a thoughtful hum, Sasuke focused on his tea. He could feel Itachi examining him, but he remained stoic. Itachi always did this. With only a few seconds of observation, Itachi could tell exactly what he was thinking. Sasuke wasn’t sure if it was just Itachi’s observational prowess or if he had a natural skill at picking his little brother apart. When Itachi smiled knowingly and placed his cup down, Sasuke felt his spine stiffen.

“Naruko-chan, I’m honored that you felt my skills were satisfactory enough for you to ask for my assistance,” Itachi spoke.

“Of course! Tou-chan is always talking about your skills. He says that you’re a genius just like Kakashi-nii-chan. I can’t ask Kakashi-nii-chan, though. He’s so lazy and barely pays attention when I’m training,” Naruko ranted.

“I think I understand why. You didn’t need much assistance.”

“That’s cause you’re the best teacher ever, Itachi-nii-san.”

Sasuke gripped his cup a bit too roughly when he reached for it and accidentally splashed the hot liquid on his hand. Hissing softly, Sasuke glared harshly down at the offending cup.

“Are you alright, Sasuke?”

“Geez. Don’t you know how to drink tea properly, teme?”

Sasuke felt his shoulders tense and his hackles rise as he shot Naruko a glare. Naruko frowned at him and said, “Don’t get mad at me just because you can’t hold a teacup. You look like a cat that got its tail stepped on.”

“Usuratonkachi,” Sasuke warned.

“Teme!” Naruko shouted and slammed her hands down onto the table.

“Now, let’s calm down. You both shouldn’t treat your friends so poorly,” Itachi chastised gently. Immediately, both children turned stunned and slightly disgusted looks on him.

“He’s not my friend!”

“I would never be friends with her!”

Sasuke immediately turned his fierce gaze onto Naruko only for her to sneer at him and stick out her tongue. Sasuke couldn’t help but clench his fists even tighter as his entire body shook. Before Sasuke could do anything (he wasn’t exactly sure what he’d do, but he wasn’t about to let her get away with the disrespect), a hand came down to break the eye contact between the two children. Sasuke huffed once before sitting back down on his seat (when had he gotten up?). He crossed his arms over his chest and pointedly looked away from Naruko.

“There’s no way you two are related. You’re way too nice to be Sasuke’s big brother, Itachi-nii-san,” Naruko proclaimed and crossed her arms over her chest.

“While I appreciate the compliment, Naruko-chan. I assure you that Sasuke is normally very well behaved,” Itachi said and shot his little brother a look out of the corner of his eyes. Sasuke pouted and moved his gaze down onto the table.

~:~

Itachi was convinced that no one understood his little brother better than he did. It was quite a conceited belief to harbor, but he was only acknowledging fact. People were relatively simple. Itachi had always been able to observe and understand others. He wasn’t blind. That’s why he was confident in his belief that Sasuke had a crush on the Yondaime’s daughter.

Sasuke wasn’t an outgoing or friendly child by any means. His little brother just about tolerated other children. Not once had Sasuke ever invited another child over or asked to play at the park with other children. Itachi had always tried to subtly push Sasuke into being more outgoing and building bonds outside of the clan, but he’d never been very successful. But to see Sasuke willingly engaging with Naruko...

Granted, his adorable little brother was turning red in the face and shouting at the girl. But it was the most reaction that another child had ever been able to get out of Sasuke. Sasuke would normally ignore most children or lash out with biting words that ensured that Sasuke wouldn’t be making friends any time soon. But it would appear that Naruko-chan was determined to push back even harder against his little brother.

Moving over to the sink to wash the used teacups, Itachi kept an ear on the children and side eyed them every few seconds. They were once again arguing- this time about food preferences- and Itachi had to fight to keep a small smile from rising up onto his face. Eventually, they would have to learn to speak to each other with inside voices and without insults. But for now...

“Naruko-chan, if you would like, I could walk you home,” Itachi suggested. Although he was looking down at the blonde, his focus was on his younger brother. Immediately, Naruko stopped glaring at Sasuke long enough to give Itachi a bright smile. Itachi nearly chuckled at the sight of Sasuke looking put out at being ignored.

“Thanks, Itachi-nii-san!” she exclaimed.

“She probably needs the help so she doesn’t get lost,” Sasuke said with a scoff. Predictably, Naruko turned to glare at him, her mouth already opened to start their shouting match all over again. Instead, Itachi placed a hand onto her head and guided her out of the kitchen. A small part of him felt bad seeing Sasuke’s tiniest of pouts, but Itachi did his best to ignore it.

“Teme’s just mad cause I’m gonna to be better than him at shuriken jutsu now,” Naruko proclaimed while slipping on her sandals. Itachi felt himself silently shake with laughter at the quick flush of anger that lit his brother’s cheeks and eyes.

“You have to actually beat me first, Usuratonkachi,” Sasuke reminded and glared down at Naruko. Her gaze narrowed as she finished slipping on her shoes and stood. With both children on equal ground, they did their best to incinerate the other with only their gazes. Itachi hid a smile under the guise of putting on his shoes.

“Duck butt!” Naruko suddenly shouted. It was a rather low blow to go after physical appearances, but it proved to be super effective as Sasuke stepped back in surprise.

It only took a few seconds for anger to replace the surprise. “I’m not a-"

“Are too! You probably use gel or whatever to get your hair to stick up that way!”

Itachi held back a snort of laughter.

“Duck butt! Duck butt! Duck butt!” Naruko teased and punctuated each shout with a finger pointed right at Sasuke’s nose. As Sasuke positively shook in barely suppressed frustration, Naruko pulled down an eyelid, stuck out her tongue, turned on her heel and stomped out of the house.

“Usuratonkachi!”

“Teme!”

~:~

He had to be on the same team as her!?

If he had come from a lesser clan or lacked any proper upbringing, Sasuke might have slammed his head onto his desk. Maybe he was cursed? That would explain why he had been stuck with the last, two people he would ever want for teammates. As Sakura cheered loudly next to him, Sasuke heard a loud thud. Turns out Naruko felt no shame banging her head against the desk. Not like she could lose any more brain cells anyways...

There was no need to panic or worry. All he would have to do is get promoted to Chuunin as soon as possible. Once he was a Chuunin, he wouldn’t be forced to remain on the same team as Naruko.

But how could they put them on the same team!? It was obvious to anyone that looked that they didn’t get along (no matter what Itachi believed). Naruko was just a loud-mouthed idiot who would only hold him back. Sure, she excelled outside of the classroom, but she was still an idiot! Maybe if he could combine Sakura’s book smarts with Naruko’s skill he could get a half-way decent teammate...

“Teme!”

Sasuke refused to admit that Naruko had managed to catch him off-guard when she suddenly appeared in front of him. She was crouched onto his desk and glaring at him with bright blue eyes. Her eyes were piercing, her blonde pigtails were practically shining, and her orange jumpsuit was making him go blind. He glared back.

“Get out of my face, Dobe.”

Her cheeks quickly flushed red and her jaw clenched, but she didn’t immediately start screaming. If anything, she looked to be trying to hold back.

“If we have to be on the same team together, we should at least try to get along.”

Sasuke was floored. He didn’t show it, but her words left him floundering. It was as if someone had pulled the rug out from under him and a trap door was revealed. He narrowed his gaze.

“Tou-chan says that teams are like family,” Naruko explained. She offered a hand in truce. “We don’t have to be friends... just teammates.”

Sasuke couldn’t do anything but blink in shock. Not fight with Naruko? She’d always managed to get on his nerves, frustrate, aggravate, and push him. She consistently got under his skin and now she wanted to stop? It sounded weird, but maybe if she spent less time distracting him, he could get stronger faster...

Sasuke was about to shake her hand when he noticed her moving in too close. He wasn’t sure how it had happened, but she’d managed to blind-side him again. It felt like everything was in slow motion. He could see the surprise bloom on her face as she fell towards him. The hand that she had offered pushed against his chest but it did nothing to stop her lips from crashing onto his.

His first kiss was with Naruko. Itachi would tease him for the rest of his life.

No matter how many times he blinked in shock, he couldn’t stop staring at the sky. He could see Naruko blinking furiously just before she pulled away with a shout. She fell backwards off his desk, but Sasuke couldn’t bring himself to move out of his seat. His entire body felt frozen in place.

It was less of a kiss and more of an aggressive clash of teeth and lips, but he could taste salty broth on his tongue. He was sure that his face was red, he couldn’t get his body under control. His heart was starting to pound and his lips were tingling.

He was snapped out of his daze by Naruko picking herself up off the ground and glaring at him as if he had been the one to instigate the kiss. He glared back at her.

“Naruko...”

A chill went down his spine. Sasuke spotted the murderous gazes most of the girls were shooting Naruko.

“I-it was an accident! Wait a second! I wouldn’t want to kiss the Teme!” Naruko shouted, red in the face. Sasuke felt slightly offended but couldn’t find a reason for it. He wouldn’t want to kiss her either.

~:~

Why had he done it?

He told her that his body just moved on its own, but that was a lie. It was easier to lie. Then he could avoid having to deal with the fallout. But no matter how much he lied and to who he lied, he still found himself in one hell of a mess.

Their mission to Wave had been a disaster, but at least they’d completed the mission and all survived. But the Yondaime didn’t look too pleased. The Yondaime stared at Sasuke with a slightly narrowed gaze, his fingers bridged in front of his face. Sasuke could feel a cold sweat break out on his back, but he did his best to ignore it. Instead, he focused on the sharp pain in his ankle. Manifesting the Sharigan had been a highlight of the mission, but the sprained ankle he’d gotten while trying to fight with it for the first time put a slight damper on his pride.

“Teme,” Naruko scoffed and pulled his arm around her shoulders. “Trying to act all cool in front of Tou-chan when you know you hurt yourself.”

Sasuke froze when he saw the Yondaime’s gaze narrow even further. Naruko was teasing him, but he couldn’t get his mouth to work to tell her off for it. He tried to push her away when he noticed that even Kakashi was watching them now, but Naruko held on.

“Maybe you should go to the hospital, Sasuke. Get your ankle looked at,” Kakashi suggested. Although their Jounin sensei’s posture was relaxed as ever, Sasuke could see a spark of amusement in his grey eye. “Naruko, why don’t you help Sasuke get to the hospital?”

“Teme’ll need all the help he can get,” Naruko proclaimed with a laugh and started tugging Sasuke away. He tried to push her away with a few stuttered objections, but that only resulted in her pulling him onto her back. Sasuke was sure that he felt some light Killing Intent starting to rise as they left the room.

Naruko didn’t feel any sort of shame as she chatted loudly at him. Sasuke did his best to avoid the amused and knowing looks they were receiving, but he could still feel a small blush rise. “Naruko! Put me down. I don’t need-"

“Yeah, yeah! You don’t need help. Give it up, Sasuke. We’re teammates, aren’t we? We gotta help each other,” Naruko brushed him off. “Besides, I owe you.”

He suddenly stopped his somewhat lackluster attempts at escaping when she said that. For once, Naruko seemed to go quiet as she stared down at the ground. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“You...saved me. This isn’t the same, but it’s the least I can do. I just wanna pay you back as soon as possible. That’s all,” she said and looked back at him over her shoulder. Sasuke frowned at her but didn’t continue trying to escape. “Besides, it was either let me help or Sakura-chan. Kakashi-nii-chan sure wasn’t going to do it. He knows that if he goes to the hospital, they’re gonna make him stay and get examined, too.”

Sasuke remained quiet after that. Naruko had the forethought to take the roofs instead of parading him through the village on her back, but anyone would just have to look up when they heard her loud voice telling him about the time her Kaa-chan had to drag Kakashi back to the hospital after he broke out for the third time in a month.

The trek to the hospital had almost ended too soon for Sasuke’s liking. He hadn’t realized how relaxed he’d been on the ride over and he was a little reluctant to pull away from Naruko’s warmth. It was when he heard a very familiar voice that he froze up before quickly disentangling himself from Naruko.

“Ne, Sasuke-chan. Did you get hurt on your mission?” Shisui’s teasing voice called out as he smirked down at Sasuke.

Sasuke glared up at Shisui but refused to answer. When he heard his brother’s soft, “Sasuke?” however, Sasuke averted his eyes to the ground.

“He hurt his ankle. Kakashi-sensei told me to bring him to the hospital,” Naruko explained. Sasuke barely refrained from throttling her.

“Thank you, Naruko-chan for looking after my brother,” Itachi said with a small smile.

“It’s the least I could do! Teme only hurt himself when he risked his life to save me,” Naruko said. Shisui’s smirk grew and even Itachi looked pleased. “He tried to act all cool about it though.”

“Naruko,” Sasuke warned. He wasn’t sure if it was the anger or the embarrassment that had his entire body shaking.

“Well, don’t let us keep you,” Shisui said brightly.

“I’ll see you when you get home, Otouto. Naruko-chan, can I count on you to help my brother get home safely?” Itachi asked with a serious voice. But he didn’t fool Sasuke. Sasuke could see the mirth hiding in his older brother’s eyes.

Naruko saluted. “Osu!”

Sasuke wanted to scream. He nearly did. But Naruko was quick to slip her arm around his and tug him towards the hospital doors. She was mindful to provide support to his injured ankle as she led the way with a bright hum. His face flamed again when he heard Shisui call out, “Don’t stay out too late, Sasuke-chan!”

Sometimes, family was more trouble than they were worth.

Chapter Text

Kakashi hadn’t nominated them for the Chuunin Exams. 

He’d said that he didn’t think that they were ready yet, but Sasuke had his doubts. Maybe Sakura and Naruko weren’t ready yet. But he definitely was.  

“The Chunin Exams are meant to be taken as a team. Kakashi-san probably wants you to take more time to develop your teamwork,” Itachi explained gently. Sasuke pouted and threw another shuriken at the target he was training with.  

“Our teamwork is fine. If anything, it’s probably Sakura holding us back,” Sasuke huffed. The pink haired girl had been spending less time hounding him lately (which he’d always be grateful for), but she was now acting more vicious than ever towards Naruko. Sasuke couldn’t understand her. But maybe he wasn’t meant to understand girls? Most of them were annoying anyways… 

“Us? ” Itachi parroted. Sasuke froze when he realized his mistake. Itachi’s tone had been mild, but Sasuke had heard the curious undertones. Although his back was to his older brother, Sasuke was sure that Itachi was giving him that ever-patient smile that he got whenever Naruko was mentioned. 

Sasuke shrugged casually. “Hn. I meant me, ” Sasuke corrected. Itachi hummed once. “Naruko isn’t ready yet I guess. She’s not as bad as Sakura, but she’s still not Chunin level yet.” 

“Naruko-chan has improved a great deal recently,” Itachi remarked almost casually. 

“She’s been training with some pervert ,” Sasuke practically hissed. When Sasuke had met the man Naruko had gone on and on about, he’d been less than impressed. Of course, he’d met the tall, white-haired man while he had been peeping at the hot springs. It hadn’t painted a good first impression. And now Naruko was spending all her time with that- 

“Jiraiya-sama is a very respected and experienced shinobi. He was the Yondaime’s sensei,” Itachi said as he approached. Sasuke make a noncommittal grunt as he threw another shuriken. Pausing in his throwing, Sasuke allowed Itachi to readjust his form as he spoke, “It is wise for Naruko-chan to learn as much as she can from him while he’s still in the village. I’m sure she will have more time for you in the future.” 

Sasuke froze as the tips of his ears burned. “I don’t care about spending time with her! We’re just teammates!” Sasuke objected. 

“Of course, otouto,” Itachi agreed and poked at leaf insignia on Sasuke’s headband. Sasuke would have continued to argue, but it was pointless. And judging from the small smile on Itachi’s face, his elder brother knew it too.  

They were just teammates. Maybe an argument could made for the title of “friends”, but nothing more. It had taken forever for Sasuke to be able to call Naruko his friend without cringing. He didn’t have many friends, virtually none outside his family. But, he supposed, Naruko was a bit more tolerable than most. Besides, she had called him her friend first.  

“Ne, Teme, let’s go get some ramen!” Naruko had practically shouted at him after training. He had been laying on the grass and catching his breath when her face had appeared above his and completely blocked out the sun. Sasuke had frowned at her before sitting up slowly. Idly, he noticed that Sakura had already left but Kakashi was still hanging around with his orange book in hand.  

“Why?” Sasuke asked. He normally wouldn’t have bothered, but this was the first time that she’d bothered to ask him to have ramen with her. She’d normally ask Sakura or even Kakashi to accompany her . She’d only bother to invite him to get Sakura to agree.  

She frowned at him in confusion. “Aren’t you hungry?” she asked and grabbed him by the arm. He tried to object but she was already tugging him to his feet. “Kakashi-nii, do you-” she started but Kakashi was quick to cut her off.  

“No thanks, Naruko. You two have fun,” Kakashi said with his usual grin just before he vanished with a puff of smoke.  

“Oh well. More for us, 'ttebayo!” Naruko said and started to pull him away from the training grounds. Sasuke had tried to pull his arm away from her, but Naruko held firm. “Sakura-chan and Kakashi-nii are missing out. There’s nothing better than ramen after a nice training session and it’s even better with friends.” 

Sasuke’s struggles ceased at once. “Friends?” his soft voice repeated.  

Naruko had shot him a confused look over her shoulder. “Yeah! You may be a prickly bastard, but you’re still my friend, Teme ,” she had said so resolutely that Sasuke didn’t know how to respond. So, he hadn’t.   

They’d made it all the way to Ichiraku Ramen before he’d realized that their arms were still intertwined. She hadn’t seemed to care, but Sasuke could feel his cheeks warming. He wasn’t used to others invading his space so casually. Most people kept their distance from him . He’d tried to pull away from her . B ut as soon as he had, she had tugged him along roughly while calling out to someone she knew. Oh great. The last thing he needed was to run into someone he knew while she was all over him like-  

“Naruko! Sasuke- chan ! Did you come for ramen too?”  

Sasuke froze as he spotted Uzumaki Kushina walking arm in arm with the Yondaime Hokage. For a second, it looked like she was tugging her husband along, but then the blonde straightened, and his eyes had immediately sought out Sasuke.  

“Kakashi- nii bailed on us so we came alone,” Naruko explained.  

Kushina had squealed loudly about how “cute” they were together, but the Yondaime only seemed to stare down at Sasuke with an air of intense judgment. It had been one of the most awkward meal of Sasuke’s life. 

~:~ 

Their mission for the day was surprisingly within the Uchiha clan compound. Normally, his clan members didn’t bother to put in mission requests. Once, Sasuke had managed to overhear his father and mother talking about the Yondaime wanting the Uchiha to rely on the village as much as the village relied on them. He hadn’t fully understood what that meant, but when he’d asked Itachi later, his older brother had gotten a content look on his face and seemed to relax slightly. 

“It means that the Yondaime also wishes for the clan to be reintegrated into the village.”  

Sasuke had frowned deeply in confusion. Weren’t they already a part of the village? He’d tried to question Itachi further, but Itachi had been quick to ask for Sasuke’s help with a project (something he never did) and that had been the end of that conversation. 

They were walking along the streets of the compound, Sakura marveling at the size of the compound and how busy it was. “It’s like a small village,” she said and stared at the shops as they passed. 

“The Uchiha clan is very self-sufficient. They’re one of the few clans in Konoha that are and are easily one of the largest,” Kakashi informed with a casual tone.  

“And they make really good senbei!” Naruko interjected with a grin. Sasuke rolled his eyes at the girl. Of course, that’s what she deems important.  

They had spent a few hours pulling weeds and tending to one of his aunt’s garden. Kakashi had basically abandoned them at the elderly woman’s door with a, “Good luck!” As they worked, Sakura had tried making conversation with him on more than one occasion, but Sasuke hadn’t offered more than a few words at a time. His attention had been split between plucking weeds and listening in on the conversation Naruko was having with his aunt.  

He vaguely remembered her watching him while his parents and brother were out of the village or busy. She was a kind woman and had specifically grown tomatoes in her garden just for him. He was listening in on the story of how he’d gone temporarily missing while in her care only for her to find him passed out in her tomato vines with their juices all over his face and hands.  

Sasuke felt his cheeks flame when he heard Naruko’s loud laugh. His aunt’s joining laughter didn’t help him and he tried to refocus on the weeds. He tried to block them out to the best of his ability and nearly breathed a sigh of relief when his aunt disappeared back into her home. 

“I knew you were weird about tomatoes, but I didn’t know it was that bad,” Naruko said with a teasing grin.  

Sasuke tensed and glared at the blonde. “Dobe, we’re supposed to be on a mission,” he hissed at her. 

“I can pluck dumb weeds and talk at the same time. You just don’t want me to hear any more embarrassing stories about you. But it’s whatever. I’ve already heard plenty from Itachi-nii,” she said with a sly grin. 

Sasuke nearly threw the clump of weeds in his hand at her. “Liar,” he accused. There was no way his big brother would tell her anything embarrassing about him! Itachi did like to tease him, but it was always something between them. Itachi would never let someone else- 

“I know about Ryuu-chan,” she whispered and grinned even wider. The garden seemed to grow quiet as Sasuke felt a blush rise up from his neck.  

“Sasuke-kun?” Sakura questioned, but Sasuke didn’t respond. He couldn’t look away from Naruko’s shit-eating grin. He’d never thought Itachi would sink so low as to tell the girl about his stuffed dinosaur toy. Just how had that conversation even come up?  

Naruko laughed so suddenly and loudly that she bent at the waist. He could see the tears gathering in her eyes as she fell over. “Y-you’re… so… red, 'ttebayo!” she practically shrieked and kicked her feet wildly.  

“Naruko,” Sasuke hissed and tackled the giggling girl.  

~:~ 

When Kakashi came to pick them up later, he stared at Sasuke and Naruko’s matching, black eyes for a few seconds before humming once to himself and starting the trek back to the mission’s desk. Sakura had been staring at both of them with a look of exasperation and had sped up to walk at their sensei’s side and away from them. Sasuke followed behind with his hands tucked in his pockets, his shoulders tense.  

Maybe he was being a bit dramatic, but the idea that his big brother was spending his time telling Naruko embarrassing stories and secrets from their childhood didn’t sit well with him. He wasn’t sure what about it bothered him so much.  

He barely noticed when Naruko had stepped away from his side, but she managed to pull him out of his thoughts when she shoved a senbei in front of his face. He blinked at her in confusion and saw that she was holding one as well. With a soft grunt, Sasuke took the offered food and took a bite. He was hungry… 

They were almost to the outskirts of the compound when Sasuke spotted Itachi approaching with Izumi at his side. They were sharing dango as they strolled and Sasuke felt even more suspicion that his older brother was more than just friends with the girl (no matter how much Itachi denied it). Itachi had been listening to her raptly but had smiled softly upon making eye contact with Sasuke. Sasuke narrowed his gaze at his Itachi.  

Seeing that she no longer held Itachi’s attention, Izumi turned to face him. “Sasuke-kun, how are you? I haven’t seen you in a while,” she greeted with a smile. 

“I’m not surprised. You have been spending an awful lot of time with my brother,” Sasuke not so subtly hinted while keeping his gaze trained on Itachi.  

Unlike Izumi’s deep blush, Itachi’s face remained impassive. “I could say the same for you, foolish little brother,” Itachi said with a quick glance at Naruko. Sasuke had started to speak again, but before he could get a sound out, Itachi had managed to flick his headband up to the top of his head and land a vicious poke to his exposed forehead. Sasuke rubbed at his forehead with a pout. “Nice eye,” Itachi teased while walking around him.  

“Ne, Itachi-kun. You shouldn’t tease your little brother so much. I think they’re cute together,” Izumi said as she left with him.  

Sasuke was sure that his face would be red for the rest of his life. Naruko was standing next to him and scratching at her head in a confused manner, completely puzzled by the entire exchange. When Sasuke turned back around, he spotted the amused look in Kakashi’s eye. Kakashi sighed once with a shrug and muttered about “young love”. Before Sasuke could retaliate, his sensei abruptly turned and started walking again.  

“I still don’t get it,” Naruko muttered and moved to catch up with Kakashi.  

Sasuke noticed that Sakura didn’t move, however. She remained where she was, staring at him with a sad and almost wistful look in her eyes. He raised a brow at her, but she stared down at the half-eaten treat in his hand. Without another word, she took a deep breath, gave him a resigned look, and turned to walk after the others. Sasuke blinked at her straight back in confusion. Now he didn’t get it. 

~:~ 

She was leaving the village.  

Their team was being disbanded because she was to leave the village with that old pervert. When she’d talked about it, she’d sounded excited to leave. She kept bragging about how much training she would be doing and how much stronger she was going to get, but Sasuke couldn’t focus on that. She was leaving them.   

He’d been quiet- more so than normal- throughout their D ranks that day. He could feel Sakura’s eyes on him and even Kakashi was shooting him subtle looks. Only Naruko was carrying on as if nothing was wrong. And really, was anything wrong? 

Isn’t this what he’d pushed for? He’d always teased and taunted her with his strength. Challenged her to get stronger- to be better than him. He didn’t think that she’d need to leave to village to do it. Couldn’t she stay here and train? Couldn’t that old perv just train her here?  

“That’s enough for today, I think. We’ll meet up tomorrow at 8,” Kakashi said once they had finished weeding some farmer’s fields. 

“You mean at 10 when you’ll finally show up,” Sakura pointed out smartly. Kakashi flashed her a bright smile and ruffled the hair on her head before disappearing with a pop. 

“See you guys later. I gotta go find Ero Sennin!” Naruko said and ran off before Sasuke could even respond. He wasn’t sure what he would have said to her, but it didn’t really matter in the end. 

“Sasuke-kun,” Sakura started. Sasuke barely held back the flinch at the sound of her voice. He looked at her from the corner of his eyes, but she was staring at where Naruko had run off and awkwardly rubbing her arm. 

“What?” Sasuke asked. He hadn’t meant to snap at her, but this day was already wearing on his nerves and he wasn’t sure if he could take her asking him out again.  

“You should tell her…before she leaves,” Sakura said. Sasuke turned to face Sakura with a look of confusion. Sakura didn’t look at him, but she did keep talking. “You should tell her that you like her.” 

“What the hell are you talking about?” Sasuke nearly shrieked. 

Sakura had the nerve to look at him as if he were stupid. “I know you haven’t told her yet. You should tell her before she leaves. You never know. She might meet someone really nice out there. But if you tell her now, then your feelings will be connected and-” 

Sasuke shook his head and walked away from Sakura as quickly as he could. What the hell had that been about? He knew that Sakura had been acting strangely lately, but now he wasn’t so sure that it was really Sakura. Sakura was decently intelligent, but that had been the stupidest, most idiotic thing he’d ever heard her say. Really? He liked Naruko???  

Sasuke scoffed out loud. 

~:~ 

Sasuke had gotten up the morning that Naruko had left feeling a vaguely empty feeling. He hadn’t bothered to see her off. Why bother? He’d said everything he’d wanted to say already. 

“You should tell her that you like her.”  

Sasuke rolled his eyes at his ceiling with a soft scoff. Naruko was a friend in the loosest definition of the word. Contrary to popular belief, Sasuke could be (just) friends with someone- even if that someone was a girl. 

Sasuke hadn’t given too much thought to the kind of girl he would marry. But whenever he had, he had always imagined her to be like his mother. Calm, reserved, kind, warm, and strong. Naruko was the complete opposite of demur and quiet. Sneakily, the thought popped into his head that the girl he had just described was very similar to Hinata. Sasuke frowned deeply and rubbed a hand over his chest. If the thought of liking Naruko had made him uncomfortable, the thought of ending up with a girl like Hinata left him feeling- 

“Teme!” 

Barely restraining himself from leaping up from his bed, Sasuke sat up and turned a glare on the bright presence crouched at his window. Naruko was frowning at him while slipping into his room without his permission. Her dusty sandals were rubbing on his sheets. Sasuke pointedly glared at her feet, but she didn’t bother to remove them. 

“Don’t tell me you’ve been here all morning,” Naruko objected. 

Sasuke tried to keep an ear out for his mother. His house was normally very peaceful and quiet. But with Naruko within its walls, it was as if the very air came alive. Her voice tended to travel after all. The last thing he wanted was for his mother to find her in his room. She’d only start gossiping with Itachi and Kushina about how “close” they were. 

“It is my room, Dobe,” Sasuke pointed out dryly. He watched her cheeks puff out as she pouted at him. Her eyes were trained on him, but he didn’t know what she wanted him to say.  

“Don’t tell me I hit you too hard the last time we sparred. Did you forget that I’m leaving today?” 

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “ You’re the one with brain damage, not me,” Sasuke scoffed and went back to laying on his back. He rested his hands behind his head and kept his gaze trained on the ceiling. He waited for her to start shouting, but she kept quiet. That was fine with him. He liked it quiet. 

When she moved to lay next to him, Sasuke froze. She copied his pose and Sasuke scooted to the edge of the bed to keep some space between them. “I guess I’m not surprised you didn’t want to say goodbye in front of everyone. You could have come over last night or something though,” Naruko huffed. 

“And have to explain to the Yondaime why I was standing at his door?” Sasuke mumbled without meaning to. 

She snorted loudly. “Tou-chan is always scaring my friends. He tried to get Kakashi-nii to follow me around and report back to him, but he stopped when Kaa-chan got mad at him.” 

The conversation died down then. Sasuke had never been good at keeping a conversation flowing. He either didn’t speak enough or he said something that offended the other person enough not to want to keep conversing with him. Naruko was the first person outside of his family that wasn’t fazed by his poor social skills. And in a weird way, it worked. He talked too little and she talked too much. Not only that, but she made it easy for him to express himself. Granted, he was normally expressing annoyance and anger around her but it was better than cold silence. 

With a sigh she rolled over to rest her cheek on her palm and look down at him. “I’ll miss you, Teme.” 

Sasuke had tried not to look at her, but he couldn’t help it. His heart had thudded in his chest once and he could feel something clawing its way up his chest. He hadn’t realized how much he had wanted the confirmation that she would miss him too until he had it. (Wait, “ too”? ) He still wasn’t sure what to say so he settled on, “Hn.” 

It must have been the right thing to say because she suddenly smiled brightly at him and punched his side roughly. Although he had braced for the hit, a small gasp had still escaped him as he fell over the side of his bed. She was peeking over the edge of his bed and laughing down at him without any concern for how loud she was. Sasuke glared up at her and tried to will away the blush that he knew was tinting his cheeks. 

As he was pulling himself up from the floor, she moved back over to his window and crouched on the frame again. “Ne, Sasuke?” 

“What?” 

“When I come back, let’s fight. I’m going to be training hard so I can get stronger. I’ll catch up to you in no time,” she proclaimed with so much conviction that he nearly believed her. 

He scoffed and slipped his hands into his pockets. “We’ll see about that, Dobe.” 

She narrowed her gaze at him from over her shoulder before holding out her fist to him. It took him a few seconds to decide but he pulled his hand from his pocket to bump his fist against hers with a smirk. 

With one more grin, she shouted, “Later, Teme!” and jumped. His hand lowered back down to his side as he watched her leap over rooftops and away, carrying all her warmth and energy with her. Slowly, the atmosphere in his room returned to normal and Sasuke moved over to his window to shut it closed.  

He had no idea how long she would be gone, but he would be ready for when she did. He’d promised her a fight and he wasn’t going to go easy on her.

Chapter Text

Three years was much shorter than it seemed.

Maybe it was the constant stream of missions only being broken up by short periods of time off and training that made the time seem to fly by. Whatever it was, it felt like one second Sasuke was a thirteen-year-old genin and in the next he was sixteen and a jounin. He’d been the first of his graduating class to make jounin, but he’d seen that coming. He’d been surrounded by high level shinobi from the moment he was born. And now he was considered among their ranks.

“You should rest,” Kakashi idly pointed out as he flipped to another page in his book. Sasuke didn’t bother to respond to the man. He stared down at the fire between them, his arm resting atop his bent leg. The sound of Kakashi turning another page filled the silence.

Sasuke didn’t mind running missions with Kakashi. The older jounin was more than competent and a very tolerable partner. Kakashi didn’t feel the need to chatter pointlessly and was very quick to tell when Sasuke wasn’t in the mood for his teasing.

After their team had dissolved, Kakashi was the only one Sasuke had bothered to keep relatively in contact with. Kakashi was just as awkward and hesitant at reaching out to others as Sasuke was. So when their paths kept bumping into each other whether through Itachi or pure circumstance, it made it much easier to build common ground between them.

When Sasuke had wanted to train for the Chunin Exams, it had been Kakashi that he’d asked. His former sensei had been surprised to say the least. Granted Itachi and Shisui had both been away from the village on an extended mission at the time, but it was the thought that counted. Kakashi must have seen Sasuke’s drive to not only pass the exam but to step out of Itachi’s shadow. While he was an only child and probably didn’t fully understand the kind of pressure that Sasuke had been under, Kakashi had done his best to prepare Sasuke. Looking back on it, he may have gone a bit overboard and made Sasuke a bit too prepared, but Sasuke hadn’t complained.  If anything, the strength and skill he’d displayed had only brought pride to his clan and the village. After that, Sasuke had regularly sought him out for training sessions and Kakashi had taken it all in stride.

Sasuke couldn’t say the same for his relationship with Sakura. He supposed he did consider her a friend, more so than most of the people in the village. She did try to see him when she wasn’t busy with her training and hospital duties, but they rarely found time to meet outside his regular physicals and the rare stay in the hospital after a difficult mission.

Sasuke breathed deeply before leaning back against the tree behind him and closing his eyes. They weren’t due to be back in Konoha for several days and tomorrow their mission would officially start. “Wake me in a few hours,” Sasuke said. Kakashi hummed once in acknowledgement.

~:~

His sandals were muddy, sweat was gathering on his back, and he vaguely smelled of old blood. Sasuke was sure that he was starting to get bags under his eyes from the minimal amounts of sleep he’d gotten the past few days. What was supposed to be a simple infiltration and scouting mission of one of Orochimaru’s possible bases quickly turned into an ambush and fight for their lives. The kinds of creatures that they’d found in that underground cavern hadn’t even looked human.

Sasuke eyed the bandages around Kakashi’s arm from the corner of his eyes as the leapt over tree branches. Kakashi had taken a vicious bite from a large, snakelike creature in an effort to protect Sasuke. The older man had immediately gone down from the hit and Sasuke’s body had responded before he’d even realized it. Eyes blazing red, Sasuke had weaved and moved around the hissing creatures with his hands flowing through the mudras for the strongest fire jutsus in his arsenal.

Sasuke hadn’t realized that he’d put Kakashi up on a pedestal like he’d done Itachi until he’d crouched at his former sensei’s side and watched him slowly bleed out and lose consciousness. Kakashi had always seemed so larger than life. His hands had shaken only slightly as he administered the antitoxin that they’d brought with them. Using the rising smoke and ashes as cover, Sasuke had pulled Kakashi’s limp body onto his back and make a quick retreat from the base. He’d kept watch over Kakashi for over a day before the man had finally woken. They hadn’t spoken about the exchange, but Sasuke was sure that Kakashi was aware of the frequent checks that he was doing to Kakashi’s well-being.

Now, here they were, on their way back to Konoha. The Yondaime had called them back and had already sent out another team to continue in their place. Normally, Sasuke would feel insulted that he was being recalled from a mission and replaced as if he couldn’t handle it, but he’d more than recognized the need to fall back.

“If you worry any more, you’ll get frown lines,” Kakashi said.

“Hn. If you weren’t so reckless, then I wouldn’t have to save your ass,” Sasuke replied. ‘Then I wouldn’t have to worry.’

“If I had let you get hurt, then Itachi would have put me in the hospital anyways,” Kakashi pointed out. Sasuke shot Kakashi another look, his mind running on an old memory.

“I won’t allow my comrades to die. I’ll protect you with my life.”

Sasuke scoffed softly and refocused on their path.

~:~

It had been Tsunade that had treated them when they’d gotten back to Konoha. Sasuke still wasn’t sure how he felt about the woman. He recognized her strength and he was vaguely familiar with her reputation. He didn’t care for her alcoholism or gambling ways, but he’d gained a small sense of respect for her after she’d treated his brother. About two years ago, Itachi had started showing signs of an unknown illness. Even when none of the doctors or medics in Konoha could help him, Sasuke still hadn’t wanted to give up hope. The Yondaime had requested that Tsunade return to the village as a favor to the Uchiha. Sasuke had dared to let the hope in his chest grow- the world’s best medic? She’d definitely be able to save Itachi. But when Sasuke had heard that the slug Sannin hadn’t responded in the politest of ways, he’d instead cursed the woman’s name and bloodline to hell and back, making his mother blush and father admonish him for the creativity of his insults. But then suddenly, Tsunade had arrived in the village claiming to have lost a bet to Naruko and to point her toward the Uchiha brat. Honestly, he wasn’t sure what Naruko had done, but he’d felt a deep sense of gratitude to the girl.

Tsunade still had to prove herself in Sasuke’s eyes, however. Despite Itachi’s warnings of showing respect, Sasuke hadn’t held his tongue and had told the woman exactly what he thought of her. Sasuke supposes that he was lucky that she hadn’t broken his ribs for the disrespect, but he’d had Naruko to thank for that show of mercy yet again. Tsunade had taken one good look at him and instantly recognized him with a knowing smirk. And now there was another person in the village was convinced that there was some sort of relationship between him and Naruko. Just what had she told Tsunade?

Sasuke felt the arrival of his brother’s chakra in the room less than a second before his brother shushined at his bedside. Itachi’s eyes roved over Sasuke’s form as he spoke in a rushed tone, “Are you alright? I just got back and heard from Kaa-san that you were in the hospital. What happened?”

Sasuke wanted to shrink away from his brother’s worried gaze, but a part of him felt a bit lighter to have his brother’s full attention on him. “I’m fine, Nii-san.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine as well,” Kakashi said from his bed across the room.

Itachi spared him a glance and Sasuke watched them communicate without words. Sasuke was sure that it had to be a prodigy thing, because their silent conversation was lost on him. “Thank you, Kakashi-san.” Itachi had sounded deeply grateful.

Kakashi smiled brightly, his eye closing with a curve, and said, “Of course. I’m more than used to keeping an eye on him by now.”

Sasuke scowled.

“It’s nice to know that he has others that care for him,” Itachi said, making the tips of Sasuke’s ears warm. Ignoring Sasuke’s hiss of annoyance, Itachi opened the window next to Sasuke’s bed and stared out. “I think I’ll be feeling even better knowing that he’ll have another familiar face around,” Itachi said and moved to lean against the wall. Kakashi lowered his book and let out an intrigued hum.

Sasuke loved his brother, but he was always so cryptic. He was about to ask what the hell Itachi was talking about when a blur of orange and yellow dashed through the open window and landed at his bedside. “Sasuke!” Naruko shouted as she pulled him by the front of his shirt into her personal space.

Blue. He thought he remembered what she looked like, but his memory must have faded. Her eyes were even brighter than he remembered. Her bangs were longer now, the tips brushing against her long eye lashes. Her face had slimmed, the baby fat disappearing from her cheeks. The whisker marks on her cheeks were twitching and moving quickly as she spoke, but he couldn’t hear a word she said. Her lips hadn’t been that pink when they were younger.

“-hurt like an idiot!” she finished shouting.

He narrowed his gaze at her and shoved her hands off him. “Hn. Between the two of us, you’ve gotten hurt more times than you can count from doing something idiotic, Dobe.”

Instantly, her face flamed. “Bastard! Here I was worried about you for no reason. I guess it’s too much to hope that someone would have hit you hard enough to knock that stick out your ass,” she said and folded her arms over her chest. Chest. Chest. She had-

“No worry for your former sensei, Naruko?” Kakashi asked in his best attempt at sounding pitiful.

“Ne, Kakashi-nii… You’re always getting hurt and exhausting yourself,” Naruko pointed out. Kakashi seemed to deflate with a low groan while Itachi smiled in amusement.

“How did you know I was here anyways?” Sasuke asked.

Naruko turned back to him and pointed at Itachi over her shoulder. “I ran into Itachi-nii outside your house. He told me that he was going to see you in the hospital. I didn’t want to get in his way because he looked like he was ready to tear down the Hokage Monument, 'ttebayo.”

Itachi didn’t confirm or deny her words.

“Did Tsunade-Baa-chan heal you?” she asked.

“I’m fine. They’ll be letting me out by tomorrow,” Sasuke answered.

Instantly, her face lit up. She took a step closer to him and Sasuke felt a breath leave him at the intensity of her stare. She had a small fist raised in front of her as she grinned at him. “Good! Because you owe me a fight, Bastard.”

Sasuke blinked twice before scoffing. “Are you in that much of a rush to lose?”

She laughed loudly with her hands on her hips. Her laugh wasn’t delicate by any means. It wasn’t a ladylike laugh, but a loud, full-body guffaw. She still laughed with her whole body. “You wish, 'ttebayo. I gotta go see Tou-chan to let him know that I’m back. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t dying first,” she said and leapt onto the windowsill. Sasuke scoffed. “Make sure you heal up. I don’t want you to make any excuses when I kick your ass,” she said with a smirk and jumped.

Sasuke stared at the spot where she had been for a few seconds before looking away. Immediately, he noticed the knowing looks Itachi and Kakashi were giving him. Sasuke scowled at them both before kicking away his covers and leaving with a flimsy excuse tossed over his shoulder.

~:~

Itachi had been curious as to how the relationship between his little brother and Naruko would change after their time apart. He was very pleased to have witnessed their reunion firsthand. His mother would want to know all the details later, so he had made sure to pay very close attention.

His little brother was even more enamored with the girl. But even more than that, he had seen the mutual interest in her eyes as well.

But how to proceed?

Judging by how his little brother had quickly fled the room, Itachi could tell that Sasuke wasn’t going to make this easy on him. Unfortunately, his little brother had a tendency to be difficult. Thankfully, Itachi loved a challenge.

“Minato-sensei won’t be pleased about this,” Kakashi remarked idly as he read his book.

Itachi hummed once. Kakashi was right. The Yondaime was notorious for his protective streak. If Itachi were a more insubordinate shinobi, he would have already directly addressed the Yondaime’s less than friendly attitude towards his younger brother. Granted, the Hokage had been much more receptive towards Sasuke once Naruko had left the village. But the man was sure to pose a challenge once again.

“It’s a good thing, Kushina-san has the final say,” Kakashi said and turned a page.

And just like that, an idea started to form in his mind. “Thank you, Kakashi-san,” Itachi said and turned to leave through the window.

“Hmm? For what?” Kakashi replied with a tilt of his head and a glint in his grey eye.

~:~

Somehow, without prior discussion, they’d decided to meet in training ground 7 at the crack of dawn the next morning. Sasuke had found her meditating in front of the wooden pole that she had once been tied to, her body completely still with only her blonde hair swaying in the light breeze. For a second, he stopped and stared. He’d never seen her so…still. Naruko was always a whirlwind of movement and energy, never able to sit still for more than a few minutes at a time. Continuing on with his approach, he watched her for any sign that she was aware of him, but he got none. “I didn’t know you could sit still long enough to meditate.”

She smiled and opened her eyes. “I’ve picked up a few tricks these past few years, 'ttebayo!”

Sasuke felt his heart rate pick up as a familiar energy filled him. He’d sparred with several people both in and out of the village the past three years, but none of them gave him the feeling that he got when he fought her. When they were kids in the academy, he’d thought he was just frustrated and annoyed by her. But after being on the same team with her, that frustrated energy had left him, and a new feeling of excitement took its place. He liked a good challenge and Naruko had always been that. Even when he won their bouts, she’d always made him work for it- reacting and moving in ways that had him sometimes abandoning what he’d known and resorting brawling with her. And now, she had new strengths to show him.

He let the chakra gather behind his eyes as he watched her stand. His vision sharpened as he watched her return his gaze with a small smile. “If you’re going to take me seriously, then I’ll do the same for you,” she said and took her stance.

“You’re going to have to. You won’t last long if you don’t,” he taunted with a smirk.

His heart was starting to pound now. He normally kept a leash on his chakra, something he’d picked up from Kakashi, but he released it now. He could see and feel her chakra swirling around her in response. His sharingan allowed him to see all the minute details about her. He could see the vein on her neck thrumming away. Idly, he noticed that their hearts were pounding almost in sync. He released a slow breath before moving.

The first few minutes were strictly taijutsu. He used the time to test her, leaving some obvious and some not so obvious holes in his defenses to see what she would do. More than once, she fell for it and he was always quick to punish those mistakes with a well-aimed punch or kick. Slowly, he started to increase the intensity and speed at which he attacked. He left fewer holes for her this time, but she seemed to catch on quickly enough anyways.

Their movements were starting to blur together now. He could see the intense focus in her eyes as she watched him. When they were younger, it had been easy to distract her with an extra wave of his arm or an aborted movement. But her focus didn’t waver. It wasn’t like he had too many chances to test her, however. She was picking up the pace this time.

Despite the almost frenetic way she was striking at him, his eyes could keep up with every move. He could see the frustration starting to well up behind her eyes and smirked. Her eyes widened just before she actually growled at him and shot out a fist at his face. He was quick to duck and dodge the strike while delivering a punch of his own to her gut. He heard the air leave her in a whoosh as she staggered backwards. Using a move that he had copied from Kakashi, he did a quick spin and delivered a kick to her face that sent her flying.

He followed her as she tumbled roughly with a cry, his fingers already pulling a kunai free from the pouch at his thigh. She landed on her back and before she could get back up, he had his kunai pointed at her face. He could see the surprise in her eyes before a smile slid onto her face. He almost smirked again, but she stuck out her tongue at him and disappeared with a pop.

His instincts were screaming at him to dodge and he barely managed to avoid her hand as she went flying over his head from behind. He hadn’t even noticed her weave the hand signs for her clones! There were four of her now, each one attacking him from all sides with kunai in their hands. He was still controlling the flow of the fight, however.

When he was decently confident that he’d seen enough of her improved taijutsu, he tossed one clone into another and substituted away. Hands flying, he gathered up the chakra for a fire ball. He was sure that she was little more than a blur to the average eye, but he could see her every step in the wide arc she was taking to avoid his attack.  The fireball had barely left his lips before he was summoning lighting to his palm. He watched her eyes go wide as she stopped dead in her tracks, but she didn’t move fast enough to dodge the stream of lightning he was moving through the ground.

He heard her cry out just before she popped again.

He felt the ground shift beneath him too late and got a vicious uppercut for his trouble. He heard the wind whipping past his ears as he flipped in the air and before he could right himself, he felt her hands grab his feet and throw him onto the ground with a shout.

Their fight proceeded like this for a while. He used lightning and fire to trip her up, but she was always sneaky with her clones- as if she’d prepared specifically for his eyes. (He ignored the pleased feeling moving through him to know that she’d gone through so much trouble for him.) After about an hour, he could feel himself starting to tire as his chakra reserves began to dip.

But she just kept getting back up. She would take a punch to the face and still get back up to hit him in the gut. He could land a kick to her stomach that sent her flying just to send out some clones to distract him while she got ready for a counterattack. She was by no means as skilled as Kakashi or Itachi, but she definitely lasted longer than them.

Eventually, he lost track of time. Their fight had lasted for hours. It was nearing sundown now, and she was only just starting to tire. He could feel the sweat soaking his shirt and how his muscles were starting to scream at him. He was trying to get his breathing under control from where he was kneeling on the ground. She was bent at the waist and panting slightly, her jacket opened and the black tank top beneath it starting to collect her own sweat. When she slowly stood up again, Sasuke nearly cursed. Breathing deeply, he pushed himself back up again.

He watched her summon a clone and hold out her hand to it. His eyes widened at the new jutsu. It looked like a small ball of raw chakra spinning wildly in her palm. He watched as the chakra continued to spin without losing shape- shape manipulation. A dense ball of compressed chakra. A hit from attack like that would definitely knock him out. Sasuke felt mildly impressed.

He didn’t have too much chakra left and he was decently tired. But he was sure that he could dodge her attack. Dodge her and try to restrain her… somehow. But then he saw the look in her eyes. She was challenging him- daring him to dodge her. Almost like a cat, he felt his hackles rise and summoned lightning to his palm. It wasn’t enough to cause any serious damage, but it would be enough to meet her head on.

“Sasuke!”

“Naruko!”

The resulting light from their combined attacks was blinding. Maybe it was the exhaustion messing with his head. Maybe it was the light from their combined jutsus messing with his eyes and making him see things. But he was sure that in that moment that their jutsu connected that he was seeing himself- a much younger version of himself standing on the dock at the lake near the Uchiha compound.

From where he was standing atop the hill, he looked down at his younger self that was standing next to a much older Naruko. He could recognize the bandages on his face and arms from when he had been first learning the fireball jutsu. He watched his younger self breathe out a small stream of fire and heard the soft gasp at his side. He looked off to his left and noticed a younger Naruko watching his younger self practice with a wide-eyed stare. He watched as his younger self momentarily stopped his practice to look back and notice her. The smaller Sasuke stared for only a second before scowling and looking away. And just like that, she scowled as well and started to stomp away. Sasuke watched her go down the path with a pout on her face, but she slowed after a few steps. She looked back at the young boy still practicing his jutsu before quickly dashing away.

When the hallucination (or was it a memory?) faded away, Sasuke blinked up at the orange and reds tinting the sky. He wasn’t panting and his heart rate had returned to normal. How long had he been laying here? His limbs were still screaming, but he forced himself to sit up anyways. He spotted Naruko laying on her back a few feet away. “Oi! Don’t tell me you’re knocked out over there,” Sasuke called out.

He heard her laugh lightly before she pulled herself up as well to give him a tired look. She slowly pushed herself up from the ground before walking over to him. “You look like shit,” she said and offered him a hand.

He rolled his eyes and clasped her hand with his. “Can you even see anything with that eye?” he asked and pointedly stared at her rapidly swelling and bruised eye.

She huffed at him and stretched her arms over her head. “I’m starving. I could go for some ramen right about now.”

“When don’t you want ramen?” he asked and started walking back towards the village. No matter how things change, they stay the same.

~:~

Sasuke wasn’t sure how it started, but he suspected that Itachi was to blame. His elder brother sipped from his teacup, the perfect picture of a well-mannered son. He completely ignored the loud voices at the other end of the table as he placed his cup down and continued to eat his dinner.

“And then he started sneezing so much that he ended up spilling his ramen all over himself!” Kushina exclaimed with a loud laugh. Mikoto giggled lightly from behind her hand while the Yondaime slumped in his seat with pink cheeks.

Naruko was snickering from her seat next to her father. “Geez, Tou-chan. I didn’t know you were so lame.”

Minato looked positively scandalized at his daughter’s words, as if she had shot an arrow through his heart. Before he could do anything to redeem himself in his daughter’s eyes, Kushina interjected, “He was the lamest when we first started going out. We would have gotten nowhere if I hadn’t taken charge, 'ttebane.”

Sasuke watched the usually stern and dignified Hokage, slump over his plate with an air of dejection. Sasuke probably would have felt some pity for the man if he hadn’t been such a hardass towards Sasuke in the past. Sasuke knew that the Hokage was just overprotective of his only daughter. A part of Sasuke tried not to care too much about it. He imagined it must be hard to have a daughter, especially one as beautiful as-

Sasuke coughed lightly as he tried to clear the rice that he’d accidentally choked on. Immediately, he garnered the attention of everyone else at the dinner table and he tried to calm his body’s violent reaction to his crazy thinking. “Sasuke?” Itachi questioned with a brow raised.

“Geez, Sasuke. I didn’t think you needed someone to feed you just so you don’t choke,” Naruko teased.

Sasuke glared at her from across the table. “Dobe,” he croaked.

This had been his life as of late. One random Friday, his mother had asked him to pick up extra groceries for her because they were having guests over for dinner. He’d been surprised by this. His parents did entertain guests, but it was usually other clan heads or dignitaries that visited the village. Normally, he had adequate warning ahead of time when that happened.

So, he’d been moderately surprised when the Uzumaki-Namikaze household had been led into the house by Itachi and Naruko had immediately teased Sasuke for the pink apron he’d been wearing at the time. His mother had asked him to help her with the miso! Like a dutiful son, he’d lent a hand while Itachi and his father had been busy discussing something important. When Kushina had cooed that Minato had one just like it, Sasuke had nearly tossed the apron on the floor and set it ablaze.

That had been almost a month ago. These combined family dinners happened once a week and alternated between both homes. Sasuke was sure that Itachi was to blame. His mother would normally have lunch with Kushina when she wanted to see her. Never before had she so adamantly demanded that they would be having frequent dinner guests. His father had initially objected- Kushina had a tendency to completely bulldoze over his father’s opinions and butt heads with the man. But one sharp look from his mother was all it took for his father to back down and retreat to his study. Normally, Fugaku kept his peace for most of the meal and only bothered to speak when discussing village matters with Itachi and the Yondaime.

Once dinner had ended, Kushina had gotten up to help his mother clear the table while his father had left with the Yondaime to discuss some new trade agreement with Suna. Itachi had quietly excused himself and that left Sasuke and Naruko to their own devices. Sasuke had led her out to the backyard and they sat on the engawa to enjoy the cooling, night air.

“Tou-chan says that the next Chunin Exams are being held in Sunagakure,” she said randomly. Sasuke raised a brow at her in question. Her cheeks seemed to grow a little pink as she quietly admitted, “I’ll be able to compete and be promoted then.”

Sasuke’s eyes widened slightly. He’d forgotten that she was still a genin. She seemed to be waiting for him to say something, so he shrugged. “So what if you don’t have the jacket? You’re definitely stronger than a chunin and even a few of the jounin,” Sasuke offered and kept his gaze on the night sky.

She seemed to bolster at his words before saying, “Yeah. I've gotten pretty strong, 'ttebayo! But they’re still going to make me take the test. Something about paperwork or whatever.”

“Hn.”

Once again, there was a lull in conversation. He could hear their mothers laughing inside and the sounds of crickets filling the air. He almost missed it, but he picked up the sound of a window upstairs closing softly just before he spotted his brother land on the top of the wall surrounding the property. Itachi spared him a glance from over his shoulder before he leapt away and into the dark.

“Where’s he going?” Naruko asked a bit too loudly.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. He made sure to keep his voice down as he responded, “Shisui’s out of the village right now so he’s definitely going to see Izumi.”

“Eh!?”

Sasuke covered her mouth with his hand and shot her a look. When it looked like she wasn’t going to alert their parents, he released her. “Your brother…sneaks out… to see a girl?” she asked as if the idea was completely foreign to her. And really, he didn’t blame her.

The idea of his stoic, older brother sneaking out to do whatever he did with Izumi that Sasuke refused to think about or to meet with Shisui at a bar downtown was ludicrous. Sasuke had first noticed that Itachi was sneaking out two years ago. When he’d actually caught his brother sneaking back into the house very early in the morning, Itachi had made him promise to keep it between them- a secret between brothers. Naturally, Sasuke had kept quiet. He’d even managed to cover for Itachi a few times. A part of him had felt bad about lying to his parents, but a much larger part of him had felt good about keeping Itachi’s secret.

“Sometimes he goes out drinking with Shisui. But yes, he does.”

Naruko’s jaw dropped. “But… but he doesn’t seem…”

“I told him to just move out, then he wouldn’t have to sneak out. But he knows that if he moves out, Tou-san would start pressuring him to get more involved in clan affairs and get married,” Sasuke explained. Naruko remained quiet as she digested the information.

Honestly, Sasuke wasn’t fond of the idea of Itachi moving out. He did want his brother to be happy. But a part of Sasuke was concerned about what would happen to him without Itachi around to act as the buffer between him and their father. Sasuke knew that he would have to learn how to deal with his father’s expectations eventually. He couldn’t have Itachi stand up for him forever.

“Do you drink?” Naruko whispered with hand around her mouth as she leaned towards him. She looked almost scandalized to be asking and Sasuke nearly laughed at her expression.

Sasuke shrugged. “A couple of times. It’s okay,” he replied casually. At the surprised look on her face, he rolled his eyes. “I went out with Itachi and Shisui once, but I usually go with Kakashi.”

“Do you go with Sakura-chan?” she asked softly.

Sasuke scoffed. “Sakura nagged us about the effects of alcohol poisoning on the body when we invited her out with us. It’s easier to not tell her if we go.”

“Would you go with me?” she asked this time.

He shrugged again. Why not? “As long as you can hold your liquor,” Sasuke challenged with a smirk. He watched her cheeks redden slightly as she blinked at him before glaring. She snorted at him while looking away, spewing boasts about how she was sure that if he could do it, she could do it with no problem. Sasuke turned back to the night sky and leaned back on his palms. He let the sound of her voice wash over him, not really listening to what she was saying. Despite how animated and quickly she spoke, Sasuke felt himself relaxing. It was nice to have her chatter in the background of his life again.

“Oi! Sasuke! Are you even listening to me!?”

Chapter Text

Sasuke had been in the middle of breakfast when he’d gotten the urgent summons to appear before the Hokage. His mother had picked up his dishes as he had abruptly left the table and slipped on his shoes. When he arrived at the Hokage Tower, Sasuke spotted Kakashi slipping in through an open window. If Kakashi was called and he actually bothered to show up on time, then this had to be serious. Slipping in after Kakashi, Sasuke kept the surprise from showing when he spotted Sakura and Naruko already standing in front of the Yondaime. Sasuke took his place next to Kakashi and waited for the Yondaime to begin. 

“We have just received intelligence that the Kazekage’s youngest son has just been taken by members of the Akatsuki organization,” the Yondaime said with a stern voice. It had come out as a soft whisper, but Sasuke had heard the, “Gaara” that Naruko had uttered with an intense amount of emotion behind it. Sasuke had wanted to turn to her in question but refrained. How was she so familiar with the Kazekage’s son to call him by name? 

“We have more knowledge on the Akatsuki and its members so Sunagakure has requested our assistance in dealing with this threat. Your mission will be to head to Sunagakure immediately and provide back up. Additionally, you are to report back on the situation there,” Minato said and offered a scroll to Kakashi.  

Sasuke hadn’t heard of the Akatsuki before and judging by the expression on Sakura’s face, neither had she. But Naruko looked grave and… furious. Her fists were clenched by her sides and she was glaring at the floors as if she meant to set them ablaze. When Sasuke looked back at Kakashi, even he looked quite serious. 

“Naruko, stay behind for a few minutes. The rest of you are dismissed,” the Yondaime said and locked eyes with his daughter. She stiffened under her father’s intense stare and remained in place while the others started to leave. Sasuke spared the two another glance before following Kakashi out. 

Once the door had closed behind them, Kakashi said, “Pack for enough for a weeklong trip.  I doubt we’ll get much time to rest, however. We’ll leave from the main gate in thirty minutes.” 

~:~ 

From the moment they had left the village, Naruko had been tense and far too quiet. On more than one occasion, Sakura had to remind her not to break formation when she suddenly started to pick up speed. Impatience was one of Naruko’s defining traits, but her rush was more than that. It was almost desperate. Sasuke frowned. 

“ Naruko,” Sakura chastised again. 

Naruko stopped on a branch farther ahead with a frown. “Kakashi-nii, can’t we go any faster?” she asked with an impatient groan. 

“What’s your rush? I get it that the Kazekage’s family is important-” Sakura started to argue but Naruko was quick to cut her off. 

“It’s not just that. It’s Gaara,” Naruko stressed as if that explained everything. She frowned and clenched her fists. She started jumping from branch to branch again, but kept speaking, “He’s my friend. After I left the village with Ero Sennin, we went to Suna because he was supposed to help them with some seal stuff. That’s when I met Gaara. He was so angry and lonely. I made a promise to him that he could always count on me as his friend and I don’t ever want to go back on my word.” 

Sasuke almost didn’t recognize her. He could remember the little girl who shouted about becoming the Hokage and declared her nindo at the top of her lungs. Back then, it had always sounded like a promise of a child. But the conviction in her voice and the fire in her eyes was much deeper now. It hit Sasuke just how much she had grown these past three years. She wasn’t a little kid anymore. In a way, Sasuke could see small glimpses of the woman she would one day become.   

After her rousing speech, they picked up their pace with a new sense of urgency.  

~:~ 

Sasuke had kept an eye on Naruko all day and something was nagging at him. It wasn’t just Naruko. Kakashi had been acting off as well. Sasuke hadn’t expected Sakura to pick up on it, but Sasuke was more than familiar with Kakashi’s mannerisms. He knew how to pick up on his former sensei’s tells and right now Kakashi was worried and stressed. He hid it decently enough, but he slipped up whenever he looked at Naruko. They knew something that they weren’t sharing. 

Later that night, Sasuke stared at Naruko from across the fire. She was the last scheduled to keep watch, but she hadn’t moved to go to sleep. Sasuke frowned. “Go to sleep, Usuratonkachi.” 

“I’m fine,” she stubbornly insisted and continued to frown at the fire. 

Sasuke barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “You’ll be no help when we get there if you’re tired,” he tried again. When she didn’t respond to him, Sasuke sighed softly. Sparing Kakashi and Sakura’s unmoving forms a quick glance, Sasuke got up and moved to sit beside her. She barely acknowledged him. “What the hell is wrong with you?” he asked, keeping his voice low. Arguably not the nicest way to show his concern, but at least he was trying.  

“It’s nothing, ‘ttebayo.” 

Sasuke gave her a dubious look. “You want to save your friend, but there’s more to it than that,” Sasuke pointed out.  

It took a few minutes, but she eventually did start talking. “You’re right. Gaara is more than just the Kazekage’s son,” she said and gripped the fabric of her pants tightly. “Gaara is the jinchuuriki of the ichibi.” 

Sasuke frowned in confusion. He’d never heard of a jinchuuriki before. He watched her tuck her knees under her chin as she continued to speak in a soft voice, “Jinchuuriki are human containers for the tailed beast sealed inside them. Jinchuuriki are supposed to be used as weapons during times of war.” 

Her eyes took on a hard edge as she glared down at the fire. “The Akatsuki are the ones who took Gaara. They don’t even care about him. They just took him for the tailed beast inside of him. They’re going to take it out of him and that can’t happen. If you remove the tailed beast, then the jinchuuriki will die,” she stressed with an imploring look. 

Sparing a glance across the fire, Sasuke could see that Kakashi was staring at Naruko with a carefully blank look in his eye. Even Sakura had sat up from her bedroll and was giving Naruko her undivided attention.  

Sasuke had never heard any of this before. “How do you know all this?” he asked. Was this what the Yondaime had kept her behind for? Had he relayed the full scope of Gaara’s situation to her? 

“Because I’m a jinchuuriki, too,” she admitted. His eyes widened slightly. “I have only half of the kyuubi’s chakra, but it still counts.” 

“Ne, Naruko… Then those people, the Akatsuki…” Sakura trailed off with a worried voice. 

“Ah. They’ll come for me too one day, ‘ttebayo.” 

Sasuke felt his heart clench. “How long have you known?” Sasuke asked, not sure what he wanted to hear her say.  

“I’ve known for years. I’ve been a jinchuuriki since the day I was born,” she said and seemed to shrink in on herself. Sakura’s eyes had widened, but she didn’t speak. Sasuke stared at the fire dancing in front of him as he tried to collect his thoughts.  

“When I was first learning how to use the kyuubi chakra, some people were giving Tou-chan a hard time. They didn’t want me practicing inside the village just in case I lost control or the seal broke. So, he let me leave the village with Ero Sennin,” Naruko explained. 

“They made you go away?” Sasuke said, his voice unnaturally cold.  

“There was some residual fear from the kyuubi getting loose sixteen years ago, particularly amongst the civilian population. The village elders were adamant, especially because we lost the Sandaime during the destruction,” Kakashi explained in a blank tone. “Minato-sensei was only willing to let her leave because she would be safe enough with Jiraiya-sama.” 

Sasuke felt irritation and anger bubble up and rush through him. She could have been in the village with them the whole time. The village was her home, but they’d still turned their backs on her because they feared the kyuubi. ‘Idiots.’  

“Naruko, why didn’t you tell us before?” Sakura asked. 

“The identity of the jinchuuriki is kept an S-rank secret. If the information were to get out, it would put them and the village at risk,” Kakashi explained.  

Naruko frowned at Sakura apologetically. “Tou-chan is letting me decide who I tell, though. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything before. I didn’t want you to see me differently or hate me for it.” 

Sasuke frowned. Hate her? If what she said was true, it’s not like she made the decision to become a jinchuuriki. Besides, what did being a jinchuuriki really change about her? Did it have to change anything? “Hn,” Sasuke scoffed.  

When she turned to look at him, she looked so vulnerable. Like the next words out of his mouth could break her. She tried to hide it, but her eyes had always been an open book to him.  

He’d never been good with words. Some emotions were easy to express, like anger or disgust. But some emotions, like the ones welling up in his chest at her wide, blue gaze, were harder for him to put into words. Before he could stick his foot in his mouth, he acted. His hand shot out, his fingers poking at the middle of her forehead and leaving a bright red mark behind. She protested loudly and rubbed at her head.  

The words felt easier to get out now. So, before she could yell at him for the abuse to her forehead, he said, “Dobe. You were a loser when I met you and you’re still a loser now.” 

Like he said, he was trying . 

Surprisingly, she wasn’t yelling at him. If anything, she seemed pleased by his words. With a hand still rubbing her forehead, she smiled brightly at up him. He felt his heart pound- once, twice- in his chest before settling into a slightly elevated rhythm. Thankfully hidden away by his bangs, Sasuke could feel his ears start to warm. “Teme,” she said, sounding almost fond.  

“Mah, mah. I think we should get some rest while we can. We’re setting out again at dawn,” Kakashi said and settled in against the tree behind him. Sakura shot Sasuke a knowing look from across the fire while adjusting her covers. Sasuke glared at her, but she ignored it and settled back down for bed. Sasuke resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Naruko pulled out her bedroll and was settling in, more at peace than he’d seen her in hours. 

Sasuke wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting when he’d pestered Naruko to talk about her problems. But this was far worse than anything he could have imagined. She gave him another small smile before closing her eyes and trying to sleep. There were people hunting her. People who would one day try to take her away and kill her. Sasuke frowned deeply. ‘Over my dead body.’  

~:~ 

If Sasuke were superstitious, he would have taken their smooth journey as a sign of good fortune for the rest of the mission. They had even managed to arrive a day early thanks to Naruko setting a slightly brutal pace. When they had arrived, Sasuke had been surprised to see the village still intact. He had assumed that an organization that hunted jinchuuriki would leave behind devastation in their wake, but the village seemed untouched and peaceful. 

Inside the Kage Tower was a mad house, however. There were shinobi moving about quickly, busy with handling the fallout of the attack behind closed doors. A tall man with half his face hidden by a turban stood with a shorter girl with four, blonde pigtails. As soon as she spotted them, Naruko dashed ahead and shouted, “Temari!” 

“Naruko, you’re early,” the girl said in surprise.  

“We couldn’t waste time! Not with Gaara…” Naruko trailed off. 

Temari frowned deeply. “We have a tracking team out looking for him now, but we haven’t heard back yet. I’d be out there myself, but with Kankuro down and my father gone,” Temari hinted. 

“The Kazekage?” Kakashi asked in surprise. 

“It is not public knowledge. Early this morning, Kazekage-sama succumbed to his injuries from his fight with those Akatsuki members,” the tall man said.  

Damn. They were too late. Sasuke’s eyes slid over to Sakura to see her frowning deeply. Her posture was stiff and tense. Sasuke could see an emotion swirling around in her eyes, but before he could decipher it, she stood at attention and leveled a look at Temari. “You said that someone was injured. Are they the only one?” she asked. 

“My brother was poisoned when he left to follow the one who had taken Gaara. We’ve tried everything to cure him, but we haven’t had much luck,” Temari answered. 

Sakura nodded. “I’m a medic. Show him to me. I’ll get started right away.” 

Sasuke had seen Sakura go into full medic mode a few times in the past. He was always a little impressed by the sight. She was completely in the zone, going through the motions and handling a million things at once. He’d seen her wrangle an entire operating room with just a few words. Despite being the youngest in the room, she could have an entire team looking to her for guidance. Sasuke stood with Kakashi and Naruko outside the hospital room, just watching as Sakura took control and organized the Suna-nin as if she had been doing it all her life.  

“Sakura-chan is pretty awesome,” Naruko marveled softly. 

Sasuke looked down at Naruko from the side of his eyes. “She’s trained hard these past few years,” he acknowledged. 

~:~ 

There was nothing they could do until Kakashi’s summons picked up Sasori’s trail. Sasori of the Red Sand. Sasuke was vaguely familiar with his reputation. Skimming through his bingo book, Sasuke located the man’s entry. Sasuke wasn’t sure what to make of the two pictures accompanying Sasori’s entry. Sasori was an S-rank missing-nin known for using puppets and unique poisons. Sasuke frowned. He’d managed to take down the Kazekage on his own while his partner had fought Gaara alone. Were all the Akatsuki members as powerful? They’d have to be if they were kidnapping and killing jinchuuriki. 

“Oi! Sasuke!”  

Sasuke looked over to see Naruko standing in the doorway to the room he would be sharing with Kakashi. “There you are. I was looking for you, ‘ttebayo,” she said and stepped in. 

“Did the ninken find something?” 

She frowned. “Not yet,” Naruko said and came over to him. Without his permission, she flopped down onto his bed with a loud exhale. Sasuke scooted over to make room for her. “Sakura-chan is busy working on an antidote for Kankuro and Kakashi-nii is sending a report back to Konoha. What are you doing?” she said and stared up at the ceiling. He showed her Sasori’s bingo book entry. 

He watched her expression carefully. The more she read, the deeper her frown became. He could see the anger simmering in her eyes as she stared at the page. “This is one of the guys who has Gaara.” 

“He’s one of them that’s after you,” Sasuke pointed out. 

“I’ll get him back. I’ll beat this Sasori bastard and get Gaara back,” she promised and put the book away.  

Sasuke stared down at her for a few seconds before settling back against the wall. “He’s important to you,” Sasuke said with a neutral tone. Sasuke had never met this Gaara person and he couldn’t help but wonder what he was like. What kind of person could be so important to her? 

“I told you that he’s like me. He’s a jinchuuriki, too. But it’s more than that. He’s like me, but he isn’t,” she said and sat up to sit next to him. “They treated him like a monster here. It made me feel…sad for him. We both had a monster inside us, but he got the short stick. I could have had his life.” 

“The Yondaime wouldn’t have let that happen.” 

“When I first met him, he didn’t have anybody. He didn’t have a mother and his father was a real bastard. Gaara wasn’t even close to his siblings,” Naruko said and clenched her hands. “I’ve always had people who cared. I couldn’t imagine what it’d be like to not have anyone. That’s when I decided that I would be there for him. Always. I don’t want him to ever feel lonely again.” 

Sasuke didn’t care to imagine what his life would have been like if he’d had to grow up alone. He didn’t have many bonds, but he did cherish the ones that he did have.  

Sasuke looked down at Naruko and sighed. She was such a bleeding heart. She had an innate ability to connect with people in a way he’d never understand. Even when they were young, she had a knack for drawing others into her orbit. She had always made herself the center of attention, like a bright light for everyone around to draw warmth from- miniaturized sunshine. And he’d been drawn in like a moth to a flame. 

He could still remember how it felt to have her attention on him. He was by no means starved for attention as a child, but there had been times when he’d wished to have more of his father’s or brother’s time. He always had his mother, but he’d still wanted just a little more.  

He’d gotten attention and praise from adults, but those had always felt like backhanded compliments. Whenever his accomplishments had been praised, it had always been followed up by a comparison to Itachi. “ Keep doing well, Sasuke. Just like Itachi. ” The other children in his class had either envied him or admired him, but even then, the admiration had felt hollow. If he had been born hideous and into a civilian family, he doubted that he would have had any fangirls. 

But then Naruko had blown into his life and practically burned him with her intensity. She had stared at him, up close and personal on more than one occasion. Whenever he spoke, he could always count on her to give him a reaction. In a way, it had felt like she couldn’t ignore him just as he couldn’t ignore her. She’d never bother to show anyone else that kind of undivided attention. Of course, she’d been yelling and insulting him, but still. He hadn’t been too kind to her either.  

“What are you thinking so hard about?” 

“How much of a sentimental fool you are,” he said and pulled a knee to his chest. 

“Teme,” she fired back without any heat. He felt her head come down to rest on his shoulder, but he didn’t feel the urge to shrug her off. His muscles relaxed on their own, his eyes sliding shut of their own accord. Soon, they would have to head out and face dangerous shinobi, but for now he’d relax. 

~:~ 

Early the next morning, Pakuun had leapt in through the open window with a loud bark. Sasuke had immediately snapped to attention in time to see Kakashi pulling a map from his pack and laying it out for Pakuun. Sasuke moved in closer to observe the small pug pace around the map and grumble lowly. “The trail ended… about here. Behind a gate and boulder next to a river,” Pakuun said and rested his paw on the map. 

“Thanks, Pakuun,” Kakashi said and offered the small pug a treat from his pack. Pakuun noisily ate the treat before giving Sasuke a salute with his paw and disappearing in a puff of smoke. “Wake the girls. We’ll leave immediately,” Kakashi ordered and grabbed his clothes to change. 

Sakura had answered the door, only mildly embarrassed to be seen with bedhead and still in her pajamas. But she had sobered up quickly when he had relayed Kakashi’s message, quickly dashing back into the room and throwing a pillow at Naruko’s snoring form. “Naruko! Get up!” Sakura shouted at the blonde. Sasuke left them alone to get ready, returning to his room to prepare. 

In the time it had taken for Sasuke to get ready, Kakashi had already informed the Suna-nin of the situation. Sasuke had been expecting a team of Suna-nin to join them in the search for Gaara but was disappointed to see that only one elderly lady would be joining them. Sasuke could understand the need to defend the village at the time when its most vulnerable, but really? He must have shown his skepticism on his face because the old woman was quick to give him a side-eyed glare. “In all my years, I’ve never met a humble Uchiha. You shouldn’t underestimate others nor overestimate yourself,” she chided.  

Sasuke’s gaze narrowed. “There’s no need for humility when you’re sure of your own skill. Frankly, I couldn’t care less for others’ opinions of me,” Sasuke said while looking down on the old woman. He could feel Kakashi’s exasperation but chose not to acknowledge it. Both Kakashi and Itachi had tried to drill some humility into him, but Sasuke hadn’t bothered with those lessons. He was an Uchiha and he’d been raised as such. Sasuke would always remember one of the few lessons his father had passed on to him. 

“ You cannot hold your head high if you roll over on your back.”  

“Sasuke-kun, you should be more respectful to your elders,” Sakura chided with a displeased frown. Sasuke chose to ignore her lest they start an argument. She was always nagging him about respecting his elders ever since she’d heard about how he’d first addressed Tsunade. He didn’t see the issue. In the end, Tsunade hadn’t minded that he’d spoken his mind.  

“Yare yare,” Kakashi sighed. “Let’s just head out.” 

Kakashi took point while Sasuke and Sakura took the rear. Sasuke wasn’t oblivious to the possibility that they could be heading right into a trap. At most, two members of the Akatsuki had attacked Sunagakure. But it was a very real possibility that they had taken Gaara to a nearby safehouse that housed far more members. Their goal was to retrieve Gaara (if he was even still alive), but Sasuke was hesitant to get into a confrontation with an entire base worth of S-rank ninja.  

Although, Sasuke was sure that that wouldn’t stop Naruko. His gaze slid onto her back, his eyes catching on her blonde pigtails that trailed behind her. If it came to the point where they had to retreat before they retrieved Gaara, he was sure that she’d rather die. Sasuke frowned. If he had to knock her out and drag her away… 

Feeling eyes on him, Sasuke looked over at Sakura. She had worry in her green eyes. Her gaze quickly shifted to Naruko before returning to him. Sasuke nodded once. He understood that Sakura was worried for Naruko’s safety. Subtly, Sasuke weaved the hand sign for “protect” at her. Sakura’s gaze hardened and she returned the sign with a nod. They would try to complete the mission, but they had to keep their priorities in order. 

“ Those that break the rules are scum. But those that abandon their friend s are worse than scum.”  

Eventually, Kakashi raised his hand to signal for them to slow their approach. They jumped down from the trees with silent steps and moved into the shade of the trees around them. When Sasuke looked down over the edge of the cliff, he recognized the gate and river that Pakuun had mentioned. The boulder was there but was raised to reveal an opening in the side of the opposite cliff. 

“Let’s go, ‘ttebayo,” Naruko stressed and started to move. 

“ Naruko ,” Kakashi admonished in his Sensei Voice. Even after years away, Naruko still froze in place at the tone. “We can’t rule out the possibility that this may be a trap.” 

“Or they could have left. We have to at least check if Gaara’s in there,” Naruko said and weaved the hand signs for shadow clones. She summoned three clones that immediately dashed away. 

Sharingan active, Sasuke watched as two clones remained hidden outside and one clone stormed into the cave with a loud cry. If he strained his ears, Sasuke could almost make out the ranting and raving of the Naruto clone inside the cave. One of the clones outside the cave popped and Naruko stilled. “Gaara’s in there. There’s only two of them, that Sasori guy and a blonde guy,” Naruko said and tensed. The other clone popped. “…Gaara’s not moving. He’s laying there and he’s not moving ,” Naruko growled and glared down at the cave. 

Sasuke could feel her chakra swirling around her, making her jacket float on some imaginary breeze. The chakra he felt coming from her was different than normal- heavier and darker. Catching Kakashi’s eye, Sasuke moved closer to her and rested a hand on her shoulder. When she looked at him, he did his best to keep his surprise hidden. The whisker marks on her cheeks had darkened, becoming more pronounced. He could see hints of fangs she was sporting behind a deep snarl. Her bright blue eyes were now a less vibrant violet. Before he could say anything to calm her, he heard an explosion come from the cave. 

“They’re moving!” she shouted and shook off his hold. 

“Naruko!” Kakashi shouted after her before jumping. As they were approaching the cave entrance, a large white bird flew out with a one-armed man standing on its back. 

“Gaara!” 

“I’ll leave the rest to you Sasori, my man!” the man atop the bird said with a laugh. Sasuke turned back towards the cave to see Sasori of the Red Sand crouched in the cave. 

“Get back here! Give Gaara back!” 

Within seconds, their entire mission had dissolved. Sasuke watched Naruko run down the the river after the white bird without a backwards glance. Sasuke tried to call her back, but he knew it was a lost cause. Without a second thought, Sasuke followed after her. Kakashi would definitely lecture him for acting impetuously, but he’d cross that bridge when he came to it. He wasn’t about to let her go off on her own. 

“I only wanted the jinchuuriki, but I have no problem taking out a few tagalongs, un,” the blonde man shouted and shoved his hand into a pouch at his side. When he pulled it out, he held a clump of a white substance that he squished into a white bird. As he tossed it over his shoulder, he shouted, “Katsu!” and weaved a single, hand sign. 

Sasuke wasn’t sure if the explosion was really meant to kill them. It had been too easy to slip past the blast with a burst of chakra to his feet. Was he just toying with them?  

Sasuke sensed Kakashi’s presence before he saw him. Once he had caught up, Sasuke could see that Kakashi had already raised his headband to expose his sharingan. “Sakura?” Sasuke asked. 

“She and Chiyo-san are handling Sasori,” Kakashi answered and stared up at the bird flying above them. “What do you see?” Kakashi asked.  

Staring up at the bird, Sasuke tried to determine what kind of jutsu he was using. “His headband is from Iwagakure. Some kind of earth style jutsu?” Sasuke theorized. This time, a shower of small, white spiders rained down on them. With a narrowed gaze, Sasuke gathered lightning in his palm. ‘ Chidori Senbon .’  

When the creatures didn’t explode, Sasuke shot Kakashi a look. An earth style jutsu that they could easily counter with their lightning. “Can you stall him and keep an eye on Naruko? I need a minute to prepare my jutsu,” Kakashi asked and stared up at the bird.  

For months now, Kakashi had been training with Shisui to gain a better mastery of his sharingan. Sasuke was a bit vague on the specifics, but he knew that Kakashi had been trying to master a new sharingan. When he’d asked, Shisui had told him that he was better off not knowing. To have that eye was more of a curse than a blessing, according to him.  

“You’re pretty weird for a jinchuuriki, un! We’ve already killed two jinchuuriki before, but no one came chasing after them. Most people were glad to have them gone,” the man shouted down at them.  

“You bastard!” Naruko shouted up at him before quickly gaining a burst of speed. Sasuke could have cursed. Quickly going through the hand signs, Sasuke breathed a fire ball directly in the bird’s path. As expected, the man slowed in order to avoid the hit. 

“Where are you aiming, un? You should get your eyes checked!”  

Capitalizing on the man’s distracted state, Sasuke sped up to close in on Naruko. Before he could say anything to hopefully calm her down, the man started shouting again. 

“Is this the best you Konoha-nin have to offer? I think I’d feel insulted if I had to have this sorry excuse for a rescue party, un!” the man yelled and tossed down some more explosives. Before Naruko could dash ahead again, Sasuke grabbed her from behind and shushined farther ahead to avoid the blast.  

“Sasuke!” Kakashi called out at last. As soon as his feet touched down onto one of the logs spanning the width of the gap, Sasuke started flying through hand signs. ‘Katon: Ryuuen Houka no jutsu!’  

Several dragon-headed fireballs shot out from his mouth and surrounded the front, left and right sides of the bird. The man suddenly came to a stop mid-air with a shout of outrage. Trapped on most sides, he made an easy target for Kakashi. Sasuke watched as Kakashi’s chakra peaked and his sharingan changed. The three tomoe pattern shifted and morphed into a red and black pinwheel shape. Looking to the man flying above, Sasuke felt his eyes widen. He watched as a vortex formed in the man’s chest, distorting his form. The man was crying out in confusion but was unable to escape the pull of the vortex.  

Sasuke almost cursed in awe. The man’s torso had disappeared now, sucked through the vortex. A jutsu like this was a curse? Sasuke was ready to call bullshit, but the sound of Kakashi’s pained grunt snapped him out of his daze. Just as Kakashi lapsed and slipped from his log, Sasuke shot out after him. With his arms soundly around Kakashi’s mid-section, Sasuke jumped back up to the top of the cliff. Kakashi was panting harshly, his hand cradling his sharingan. Sasuke looked up again, just long enough to see the bird falling out of the sky with a pair of legs leaking blood and entrails down its side. 

“Gaara!” Naruko was shouting. She spared Sasuke and Kakashi a glance before taking off after the bird. 

“Can you walk?” Sasuke asked. Kakashi didn’t speak and tried to stand instead. It took a few seconds for him to get onto his feet, but his legs were even faster to give out beneath him. “Hn,” Sasuke grunted and pulled Kakashi’s arm over his shoulder. Wrapping an arm around Kakashi’s waist, Sasuke started leaping in the direction that the bird had gone down. 

They hadn’t gotten that close, but Sasuke could already hear Naruko’s anguished cries. He approached slowly, feeling an sense of regret settle into him with each step. When he finally saw her through the trees, she was kneeling on the ground with a red-haired boy clutched in her arms. She was crying out for the boy to please wake up and soaking through his shirt with her messy tears. Kakashi hung his head with a soft sigh. Sasuke slowly lowered Kakashi to the ground before walking over to her. She was shaking and sniffling loudly, hiccupping too much to plead with the boy anymore. Sasuke rested a hand to her shoulder, not sure what to say to comfort her. Even if he had known what he could say, the teary gaze she gave him made all sound die in his throat. 

“I failed,” she told him in a small voice.  

Sasuke kneeled at her side. “No. We all did,” he corrected. The least he could do was help her carry her burden. 

He didn’t know this boy. He’d never even seen his face before, but Sasuke felt an overwhelming sadness deep within his chest. Every one of her sniffles seemed to stab at his heart, leaving an achy, hollow feeling behind. He shouldn’t feel this deeply for a boy he didn’t know. 

“I promised ,” she said, her voice breaking on the word.  

“I know,” he replied and pulled her towards him with an arm around her shoulder. She rested Gaara’s body at her knees, staring down at him with the most defeated look he’d ever seen from her. None of them spoke, deciding to have a moment of silence for the boy. 

“ My h ow you’ve grown, Kakashi- kun .”  

Sasuke tensed at the sound of a raspy voice surrounding them. He turned back towards Kakashi but couldn’t see anyone near him. Kakashi, however, had frozen on the spot, his eyes going wide. 

“Your eye has gained some new abilities, ku ku ku…” 

Sasuke stood slowly, his fingers drawing a kunai. His eyes scanned the tree line, trying pinpoint exactly where the voice was coming from. 

“ Orochimaru ,” Kakashi said in a low voice, almost sounding like a growl. His entire body was tense where he crouched, both eyes vigilant. Sasuke heard a light laugh fade away softly, as if the person had decided to leave. But he could still feel it- an overwhelming presence. Whoever they were, they had a thick, oppressive chakra that felt wrong in every sense of the word. It felt tainted and poisoned, but no less strong and large. An eerie silence had set in, making Sasuke go tense. 

“Kakashi-nii!” 

Sasuke turned back to Kakashi just in time to see the man get struck from behind with a swift chop to the back of his head. With a pained grunt, Kakashi’s eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed to the ground. Sasuke gripped his kunai tighter as he eyed the newcomer. He had very pale skin, slitted golden eyes and straight waist-length black hair. Like Sasori and his now dead partner, this Orochimaru was wearing a black cloak with red clouds. The man smirked at him before turning over Kakashi’s limp body with his foot. 

“Leave him alone!” Naruko shouted and stood, a kunai drawn. 

Sasuke felt the man’s tainted chakra slide over him and he resisted the urge to cringe. Either Naruko was impervious to Orochimaru’s chakra, or she was too upset to care. Orochimaru observed her for a few seconds and smirked. “The kyuubi jinchuuriki. Or should I say one of them?” Orochimaru said in that raspy hiss of his. Naruko tensed and sneered at the man. 

“Capturing you was Sasori and Deidara’s job, but it looks like they failed,” Orochimaru said and glanced over at the fallen bird and the disembodied legs. “I have no business with you, girl. I’ve come for a more valuable prize.” 

When Orochimaru reached a hand towards Kakashi again, Sasuke threw his kunai at the man’s face. With unnaturally smooth movements, Orochimaru dodged the attack and took a step back from Kakashi’s body. “I thought all of the Uchiha looked down on their precious eyes being in the possession of anyone outside the clan,” Orochimaru said and leveled a dark look at Sasuke. “I haven’t come for you either, hatchling Uchiha. But if you wish to donate your eyes, I will not object.” 

The mildly oppressive chakra suddenly amplified, weighing down on him and causing his muscles to lock in place. Sasuke could feel a cold sweat gathering on the back of his neck, his stomach rolling in his gut and making him nauseous. He’d never felt Killing Intent this potent before. The pure, raw bloodlust had his head reeling. He barely held back the tremble that was threatening to overtake his limbs. Orochimaru grinned knowingly at him.  

He had to escape. Could he make it to Kakashi’s body in time? Would he have enough time to grab Naruko and Kakashi and escape? He doubted it. He didn’t want to abandon Kakashi, but that wouldn’t be an issue when he couldn’t even get his body to move! Orochimaru’s long tongue slipped out of his mouth and licked at his lips. In the back of his mind, Sasuke registered the disgust he felt beneath the pure, unadulterated terror. 

“Teme,” Naruko’s voice called out to him just before he felt her hand clap his cheek. He felt her chakra flow through him, filling him and chasing away the chill that had taken hold. He gasped. “Genjutsu?” she asked in a concerned voice. His blinked down at her before he turned back to Orochimaru. 

“Oi! Knock it off with your crappy mind tricks!” she shouted and pointed her kunai at Orochimaru. Orochimaru stared at her in slight confusion.  

Sasuke almost hugged her. It hadn’t been a genjutsu that had him so entranced, but her chakra had still pulled him out of it. He could feel Orochimaru’s chakra roiling around him, but he focused on the bright beacon that was Naruko’s chakra instead. Taking a deep breath, Sasuke gathered chakra behind his eyes and refocused on Orochimaru.  

“You wish to challenge me? Come then,” Orochimaru grinned and gestured his arms wide. 

“We’ll take you on and kick your ass!” Naruko proclaimed. “You and every one of you Akatsuki bastards!” she shouted and summoned some clones. 

Since she’d been back in the village, they’d only sparred together. He hadn’t yet gotten a chance to fight alongside her. Before she’d left, their teamwork had been pretty decent. They were able to communicate battle plans and strategies with only a few subtle hints. But even then, their fighting styles and approaches had been so vastly different. Opportunities for teamwork had been short and rarely requiring them to work so closely against a foe for too long. So Sasuke was slightly concerned about how her more direct and frenetic style would work with his more calculated and fluid one. 

Turns out, he hadn’t needed to be worried. With his sharingan giving him perfect clarity and foresight, it was easy for him to move between her many clones. It was almost as if every clone moved with him in mind, making space for him to strike and moving in the way to take a hit for him. But despite their seamless teamwork, Orochimaru was matching their moves with minimal effort. Sasuke glared and jumped back to gain some distance. As one, four Naruko clones latched onto Orochimaru’s limbs and held him still. Gathering lightning in his palm, Sasuke rushed Orochimaru and shot his hand out at the man’s chest. 

Hand still sparking, Sasuke stared into Orochimaru’s slitted eyes. The man’s eyes were glazed over, and his body went limp in the clones’ arms. Sasuke pulled his hand from Orochimaru’s chest with a squelch and let the body fall to the ground. A part of Sasuke was surprised that it ended so quickly. The feel of the man’s chakra had been so intense, Sasuke was sure that he’d have put up a decent fight. Sasuke felt almost disappointed and honestly a little embarrassed that he’d let someone so weak intimidate him.  

“I’m impressed. You’re quite skilled for a hatchling.” 

With wide eyes, Sasuke watched as Orochimaru’s body lurched and his mouth opened wide. Sasuke stepped back warily, watching in disgust as a pair of pale hands reached out from Orochimaru’s mouth. Then, like some kind of weird and backwards birthing scene, he watched Orochimaru crawl out of his own mouth. Sasuke could hear Naruko retching a little dramatically at his side.  

Still covered in saliva and who knows what else, Orochimaru stood and faced them. He put his thumb in his mouth and bit down hard enough to draw blood before sliding his bloody thumb over a tattoo on his forearm. “Kuchiyose no jutsu!” Orochimaru called out and slammed his hand to the ground. Out of the cloud of smoke, the largest snake Sasuke had ever seen appeared and hissed at them. Its body coiled between the trees looking at least one meter in diameter. From the top of the head that towered above the trees, Orochimaru chuckled lightly.  

Quick as a whip, the snake struck, its fangs gleaming and dripping with what could have been poison. By his quick estimates, Sasuke was sure that it was moving too fast for Naruko to fully pick up on. His body just moved, tackling her to the ground and out of the way. As soon as he’d rolled her far enough away, Sasuke was moving again. The sound of chirping birds filling the clearing almost drowned out Naruko’s voice calling out his name. The snake was already rearing back for a second strike as he changed the shape of his Chidori. Timing it perfectly, he waited until the snake was within his maximum five meters before he used his lightning spear to slice off the snake’s head. But before the snake had touched the ground, Orochimaru was attacking him with quick jabs and vicious strikes. 

“You keep impressing me, Sasuke-kun. I had come for Kakashi’s sharingan, but I can see a greater potential in yours,” Orochimaru praised. 

“You won’t be leaving here with either. That’s if you manage to leave at all,” Sasuke threatened. From behind Orochimaru, Sasuke watched two Naruko launch a sneak attack. 

“Rasengan!” 

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that there was something off about Orochimaru. The man’s entire presence felt tainted, he was able to crawl out of his own body and shake off fatal injuries, and now he was dodging attacks like a literal snake. Sasuke blinked in shock just before he saw Orochimaru unhinge his jaw. Grabbing the back of Naruko’s jacket, he pulled her out of range of Orochimaru’s attack.  

“He can puke up snakes with swords?” Naruko asked in a disgusted tone. 

“Of course he can. Why wouldn’t he?” Sasuke gripped sarcastically.  

“He’s too fast. I can’t get a clean hit on him,” Naruko said. Sasuke watched Orochimaru lick his lips again, the long tongue dripping a viscous fluid onto the grass. It soaked into the ground, dissolving the grass with a hiss of smoke. ‘Poison. And Sakura’s carrying all of our antidotes.’  

Sasuke didn’t want to turn his back on the snake for a second, but Naruko’s words concerned him. She couldn’t hit Orochimaru and Sasuke had a feeling that the man was toying with them. Sasuke eyed where Naruko had tucked away Kakashi and Gaara’s bodies behind some bushes off to the side. Maybe they could make their way over to them and use her clones to escape?  

“Ku ku ku. I have to admit, I’ve managed to enjoy myself. But I’ve grown bored of games,” Orochimaru said and clapped his hands together.  

“Shit.” Sasuke couldn’t hold back the curse this time at the feel of Orochimaru gathering chakra.  

“Sasuke?” 

Glancing down at her, Sasuke could see the resolution in her eyes. She nodded once at him, a grim smile on her face. She must have been thinking along the same lines as him. He nodded back at her. “Follow my lead and try to keep up, Usuratonkachi.” 

Once again, Orochimaru unhinged his jaw and released a black miasma. From the dark mist, numerous snake bodies formed, each unhinging their jaws to release a sword of their own. Within seconds, the snakes had formed a wide sea of writhing bodies, all slithering towards them. He’d have to clear a path through this first. Sasuke frowned and started gathering enough chakra. ‘Katon: Gouenkyuu.’ 

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke let the chakra build enough to fire a meteor-sized sphere of fire at Orochimaru and his sea of snakes. Sasuke could feel the intense heat pouring off the massive attack, but he didn’t hesitate to dash over to Kakashi’s body. Naruko was right on his tail, hoisting Gaara over her shoulder. Sasuke could feel the ground shaking beneath his feet despite the giant ball of fire exploding a mile away. Once Kakashi was hoisted onto his back, Sasuke took to the trees.  

It was a diversionary tactic at best. Sasuke wasn’t going to kid himself into thinking that that had been enough to kill Orochimaru. But if they could put enough distance between them and Orochimaru, then maybe they could make it back to Sakura and Chiyo in time. Sasuke just hoped that the women were still in a condition to fight if it came to that.  

That feeling of a cold chill running along the back of his neck was the first warning he got. Sasuke spared a glance behind him to see Orochimaru sliding in and out of view, moving his body along the tree branches like a snake. “Naruko!” he called out to her. When she spotted Orochimaru gaining on them, she cursed loudly. They wouldn’t be able to outrun him…not together at least. “Naruko, take Kakashi and go!” 

“What!?” 

She stared at him like he was talking nonsense. “Take Kakashi and get to Sakura. I’ll hold him off while you run,” he explained. 

“That’s the stupidest plan you’ve ever come up with, Teme!” 

He could strangle her. Her life was more important than his and yet she was going to argue with him about this. “Naruko!” he chided her, trying to get her to be reasonable for once. He was about to argue with her more, but he spotted Orochimaru lunging towards him in his peripheral vision. Channeling chakra to his legs, Sasuke avoided the lunge just in time. Orochimaru hadn’t lunged with his body. He’d elongated his neck and unhinged his jaw, his teeth sharpening into fangs. 

“Sasuke!” Naruko shouted at him as she leapt to his side. He let her take Kakashi from his back and almost breathed a sigh of relief. But then he noticed another Naruko rushing ahead with Gaara on her back while a third Naruko turned back to rush at Orochimaru.  

She was going to be the death of him one day. 

Making an about face, Sasuke rushed to catch up with her. If he could just grab her, he could knock her unconscious and run. Maybe he could summon a hawk to aid in their escape? Or he could try to put Orochimaru in a genjutsu? Anything was a better plan than whatever she was doing.  

“Tajuu Kage Bushin no Jutsu!”  

Sasuke watched a sea of orange blondes form before partnering up. One clone held out her hand while the other started shaping the chakra. On his next landing, Sasuke stopped in place, his eyes seeking out the real Naruko. He didn’t have to search for long. The second the Naruko clones started bombarding Orochimaru with their Rasengans, one Naruko grabbed his hand and tugged him away. They couldn’t outrun him. Would they be able to hide and wait out Orochimaru? 

“Naruko, we need to hide. We won’t outrun him,” he told her. He pulled her to him before jumping down and slipping into the shadows. Quickly, he casted one of Itachi’s best genjutsu over them. He held her him, trying his best to control his breathing and heart rate. She was kneeling between his legs, remaining completely still and barely breathing. Sasuke focused his hearing outward, peering around the tree trunk they were hiding behind. He couldn’t hear anything, not a peep from the forest around them. He was sure that the woodland animals would have long since been scared away by their fight and the fire he’d started. At least it would be easier to hear Orochimaru coming. 

“Sas-” 

Before she could finish speaking, Sasuke covered her mouth with his hand. The genjutsu he’d casted should prevent anyone from detecting them by sight, sound, or smell. But he didn’t want to risk it. He’d wait until he was sure that Orochimaru had moved on to another part of the forest. Hopefully, he wouldn’t follow the trail the two clones had left behind. They’d averted one problem only to potentially create another one. When he felt Naruko suddenly tense and start to shift away from him, he shot her a warning look. The smaller the space he influenced, the easier it was to disguise. 

He’d spotted the shiny glint of metal less than a second too late. His body made a sort of aborted movement as his eyes opened wide. Orochimaru was wrapped around a tree branch above them, his neck elongating down to put him at about eye level. That damned sword of his was jutting out of his mouth and right through her chest. Sasuke could see the end of the sword poised at his own heart, the edge leaking that viscous poison onto his clothes. Orochimaru chuckled lightly again, slowly withdrawing the sword from her body. As the sword left her with a squelch, she coughed once, a small spatter of blood hitting him in the face. His eyes burned the image of her falling over in a bloody heap into his brain.  

He stared down at her still form, watching the grass beneath her and her orange jacket slowly stain red. He was frozen on the spot, watching her bleed out, his mind both frighteningly blank and yet full of static. When she coughed up a spot of blood, he finally managed to make his arms move. Gently, he rolled her over onto her back. 

What was he supposed to do first? Was he supposed to put pressure on a wound when it was this deep? But he had to do something, or she’d bleed out! Maybe if he could keep pressure on it long enough, then Sakura could get here in time to heal her. He tried to keep constant pressure, but his hands were shaking. No, his entire body was shaking. His hands couldn’t find purchase in between her breasts, they kept slipping in her blood.  

“Sas…ke,” she tried to say but he glared down at her. 

“Shut up. Just don’t move,” he ordered. This wasn’t working. The front of her jacket was almost completely red. What was he supposed to do? He didn’t know any medical jutsu. He knew basic first aid, but he had no idea how to even begin treating something like this. Where the hell was Sakura!? 

“Not...healing,” she croaked at him before coughing up another splatter of blood. 

“I said stop talking , Usuratonkachi!” Sasuke shouted. He just needed to think.  

“Hm. The Uzumaki blood must be keeping her alive. My poison in a wound like that should have killed her by now,” Orochimaru remarked idly, as if he were noting the weather. 

Sasuke had wanted to shove his fist down Orochimaru’s throat, but he couldn’t take his hands off her chest. From where he was pressing, he could feel her heart’s faint flutters. He was so focused on his hands- his red, red hands- that he hadn’t noticed her eyes closing. “Usuratonkachi,” he warned. When she didn’t acknowledge him, Sasuke tried to jostle her slightly. She still wasn’t opening her eyes. He could feel the light fluttering of her heart slowly peter out beneath his hands. 

He waited his bated breath, still hoping her heart would beat again. Would it help if he tried to get it to start beating? But the blade had gone right through. He could hear a small voice knowingly say that there was probably too much damage. It was pointless. 

It took a few seconds for him to get his body to move back. Sasuke stared, still waiting for something- anything!- to happen. She was so still and deathly pale. His pants, her jacket, and his hands were soaked in her blood. When he touched her cheek, she still felt warm. He lowered his head when he felt the sting of tears gathering in his eyes. 

He did this. He was supposed to protect her and he’d failed. He’d failed her . He’d promised to protect her. He’d promised Sakura and Kakashi. He’d promised himself, but he’d still lost her.  

“Pity. Leader-sama will be annoyed with me that she died,” Orochimaru commented. 

Sasuke felt his body tense. ‘She died… She died?’  

“She “died”? Not, “you killed her”?” Sasuke asked, his voice surprisingly level despite the lump in his throat. He’d never forget the sight of Orochimaru’s sword impaling her. His eyes were burning now.  

Orochimaru let out a humph but didn’t offer anything else. 

The burning behind his eyes was getting more intense. Taking a deep breath to calm the raging storm of emotions in his head, Sasuke let it everything except his anger go. Pushing himself to his feet, Sasuke faced Orochimaru again. “I’m going to kill you,” he promised in a cold tone.  

Orochimaru’s smug grin was the last push he didn’t know he needed. The burning in his eyes crescendoed as he felt the chakra gathering behind his eyes. The smug grin was fading, being replaced by a look of intrigue. Sasuke couldn’t find it in him to care what Orochimaru was thinking. Gathering lightning chakra in his hand, dashed forward.  

He saw Orochimaru’s counterattack coming ages before he got close. With one hand still sparking wildly, Sasuke engaged Orochimaru in taijutsu. The older man’s snakelike movements had been slightly challenging before. But now, Sasuke found his taijutsu changing to accommodate. He moved much more fluidly, utilizing newfound flexibility to dodge and land hits. When he spotted an opening, Sasuke didn’t hesitate. His hand sliced through Orochimaru’s chest, blood spurting and mixing with what was left on his hand of Naruko’s. Moving quickly, Sasuke landing a harsh kick to the side of Orochimaru’s neck. His attack had knocked Orochimaru sideways, sending him flying with a spray of blood and purple poison. Not underestimating Orochimaru’s ability to regenerate, Sasuke kept up his assault. 

Mid-air, Orochimaru slipped from his old body and turned back to face Sasuke. He grinned savagely before dropping his jaw and exhaling a thick cloud of purple gas. Sasuke froze in place, pouring more chakra into his eyes. If he could just see, he could avoid the attack. Sasuke flinched when he felt a shooting pain in his left eye and what felt like tears flowing down his face again. His hand came up to cover the eye, but he tried to keep his right eye trained on the fight.  

Sasuke watched the purple gas suddenly catch fire, black flames mixing with the poison and halting it in its tracks. Sasuke wasn’t sure what kind of attack Orochimaru was planning, but when he glanced at the man, Orochimaru had stopped in surprise. The flames weren’t his then. 

Sasuke pulled his hand away from his eye and watched the entire cloud of gas burn away. Sasuke refocused on Orochimaru, pooling his chakra behind his eyes again. ‘Burn away,’ Sasuke thought as he watched Orochimaru’s chest catch on fire. The man’s screams of pain were like music to his ears.  

“What is this?” Orochimaru exclaimed in surprise. 

These black flames were a curious thing. Sasuke watched Orochimaru try to put them out with a water jutsu, but they remained. Orochimaru even tried to abandon his black cloak, but Sasuke was quick to set his arms aflame again. The black fire was spreading in response to his will, surrounding Orochimaru in a circle as tall as he was. Predictably, Sasuke felt Orochimaru’s gathering chakra to leave his body again. “Pathetic,” Sasuke sneered.  

Parting his flames without too much conscious effort, Sasuke stepped through and let his hand spark to life. Before Orochimaru could pull himself free of his burning corpse, Sasuke speared the man through his chest, pinning him to the ground beneath him. Sasuke let the chakra change shape into multiple spears that ripped at Orochimaru’s chest while jutting outward. 

“Sas…ke,” Orochimaru hissed, his snakelike eyes narrowed in outrage. 

“Amaterasu,” Sasuke had decided to dub the black flames. He watched the flames burn away at Orochimaru’s flesh, not taking his eyes away until he was sure that there was nothing left of the man to burn. Sasuke wasn’t sure how long he stood there watching, but eventually he took a deep breath and turned his face up to the sky. His eyes were burning and throbbing in his skull and he could feel exhaustion starting to set in. He stared at the smokey sky for a few seconds before walking back over to Naruko’s body.  

For a few beats, he just stared down at her. A chill was settling into his very being, sapping what little energy he had left. He fell to his knees at her side, cutting off the chakra to his eyes. He didn’t want to provide even more inspiration for the nightmares he was sure to have of this day. “I failed you. But I avenged you, Naruko,” he said and rested a hand to her cheek.  

He would have to carry her body back. He’d have to look Kakashi and Sakura in the eye and admit that he’d failed. But at least he’d gotten his revenge on her behalf. But it wasn’t just Orochimaru. It was the Akatsuki that had threatened her. They would all die by his hands. Sasuke slipped his arms under her back and knees, tucking her body into his chest and starting the trek back. 

He was feeling so many emotions at once, he wasn’t sure how many. There was predominately anger- a righteous fury simmering away just under his skin. There was a coldness in his chest, an empty space where he was sure that his heart was still beating away. There was regret and frustration at his own shortcomings. And underneath all that, there was a sense of sadness and grief that he adamantly refused to acknowledge. He kept walking. 

As he took each slow step, his mind tortured him with memories of her. 

“I’m going to be the first and greatest female Hokage!”  

“Duck butt!”   

His steps were slowing, his feet dragging on the ground. He squeezed her closer to him, her face resting in the crook of his neck.  

“Why do I have to be put on a team with him!?” 

He told himself it was the exhaustion that had his arms shaking.  

“ I’ll miss you, Teme.”  

He was so caught up in his memories, he didn’t notice the chakra gathering around her until he felt it burn at his skin. With a curse, he staggered to a stop, his eyes shooting down to her. Bright red chakra was bubbling up from her stomach, slowly starting to coat her entire body. Sasuke quickly crouched to the ground to set her down before examining the burns to his arms. He looked back at her body in confusion. If the tailed beast was extracted, the host died. What happened when the host died while the tailed beast was still inside? 

Sasuke watched in fascination. He had no explanation for what he was seeing. A part of him considered the idea that the kyuubi was trying to break free. If that were the case, he’d have to grab her body and make a run for it while he could. He didn’t have the strength to fight anymore. He watched and waited, but the red chakra just bubbled away harmlessly. He could see steam rising off her body and he slowly moved closer. Anticlimactically, he watched the chakra slowly disappear, as if drawn back inside of her. He was leaning over her now staring at her for any clue of what the hell was happening.  

He was about to reach for her again when she suddenly sat up screaming his name. Sasuke hadn’t had time to move out of the way and had gotten headbutted by her brick wall of a skull. Sasuke hissed in pain, clutching his head. At the sound of her complaining about the pain in her own head, Sasuke froze. Releasing his head, he stared at her in shock. 

She was rubbing her skull, groaning in pain. She blinked a few times before looking around her in confusion. When she saw him, her jaw dropped. “Sasuke! You’re covered in blood! What the hell happened to you!?” she asked, her hands clutching his bloody clothes. 

She couldn’t be serious.  

Sasuke watched her examine him, her hands flitting over his clothes and wiping at his cheeks. Eventually she noticed her own clothes and stared down at herself in shock. “How much blood did I lose? Wait. Where’s Orochimaru? Did he run off? Sasuke?” 

Fisting him hand in the front of her jacket, Sasuke pulled her to him roughly. Judging by the puff of air she exhaled, he could tell that he had pulled her in a bit too hard, but he couldn’t find it in him to care. He held her to him, his arms like a vice around her smaller form. From the way he had her pinned, her arms were stuck at her sides and her face was pressed into his shoulder.  

“Sasuke?” she asked in a confused and soft voice. 

“Dobe,” he replied, pouring all of the grief, exasperation, stress, worry and relief that she’d filled him with. His arms tightened around her. She wriggled as much as she could, her arms reaching around to pat him on the back. She didn’t say anything for a while, staying still before slowly returning his hug and burying her face in his shirt. 

When he’d gotten his fill of close personal contact, he pulled away from her and stood. She seemed frozen on the spot, so he offered her his hand. She gave him a small smile and let him help her to her feet. “What happened while I was out?” she asked as they started walking back. 

“Orochimaru is dead,” he said. 

Her eyes widened. “You killed him?” 

He was surprisingly very levelheaded at this recent development. He could feel the embers of his anger simmering. Not fully leaving him but dissipating enough for him to focus on other things. He didn’t answer her question and decided to ask one of his own. “How are you alive? I felt your heart stop.” 

“Yeah. It did stop. But the kyuubi healed me. Turns out that if I die, he goes away too,” she said. 

It would have been nice to know that before. “Hn,” he grunted because he didn’t know what else to say. And really what was there to say? She was alive- living, breathing, and heart beating. That’s what mattered. 

They walked for a while before Sasuke sensed a small group coming towards them. His eyes shot up to the trees and his body tensed, but he relaxed when he recognized the chakra coming their way. 

“Sasuke-kun! Naruko!” Sakura shouted as she jumped down from the trees. She started to run towards them but froze at the sight of them. Sasuke watched Kakashi touchdown as well, his eye going wide. Sasuke was about to ask where the old woman was, but Naruko’s shout cut him off. 

“Gaara!”  

Naruko left his side and ran right into the (now living) red haired boy. She embraced him fully, not caring about the state of her clothes. Gaara stood awkwardly in her arms, staring down at her with fond admiration in his eyes. 

“How?” she questioned. 

“I lent Chiyo-san the chakra she needed for a medical jutsu that restored his life in exchange for hers,” Sakura explained with a saddened tone and eyed the body-sized mound of sand that was trailing behind Gaara. Everyone took a moment of silence for the elderly woman. While he was sure that her village would mourn the loss, Sasuke felt only gratitude towards the woman. Her sacrifice meant that Gaara was now living again which meant that Naruko was happy. 

“Naruko, Sasuke-kun… What happened to you two? You look like hell,” Sakura asked.  

Sasuke could feel Kakashi’s intense stare and Sasuke met his gaze. “Dead,” Sasuke answered Kakashi’s unasked question. Kakashi’s eye widened in surprise, but Sakura was still giving him confused looks. Not bothering to answer her obvious questions, Sasuke said, “Let’s head back. I’ve had enough of today.” 

~:~ 

Sasuke was sure that the next time he returned to Suna would be too soon. Their entire mission had been even more of a clusterfuck than their C-rank to Wave. Kakashi and Sakura had to be brought up to speed on what they’d missed, both of them paling considerably when they’d heard of Naruko’s temporary death at Orochimaru’s hands. When Kakashi had asked how he’d handled Orochimaru alone, Sasuke had given him a meaningful look and hadn’t offered further explanation. It wasn’t until they were alone in their room that Sasuke had explained that he’d unlocked a new level in his Sharingan. 

The Mangekyo Sharingan, Kakashi had called it. When Sasuke had looked at his eyes in a mirror, he’d marveled at the three, intersecting red ellipses design. When Kakashi had frowned at the sight of him, however, Sasuke had questioned his less than positive response. Kakashi had just told him to speak to Shisui as soon as possible, even before his own father if he could. 

So, here he was. Showing off his new eyes for his father, Shisui, and Itachi. His father looked proud yet slightly troubled. Shisui remained impassive. Itachi was the only one who looked to be silently grieving. 

“This is a momentous occasion. The Mangekyo Sharingan are said to be heavenly eyes that see the truth of all of creation without obstruction,” his father boasted. Sasuke could see the way Itachi tensed and his frown deepened.  

Shisui decided to speak up then, “It is initially awakened by the trauma suffered from witnessing the death of someone close to you.” 

Sasuke frowned as his eyes looked down and away.  

“Uchiha have historically misunderstood this to mean needing to be responsible for the person's death. For that reason, many developed the practice of killing their closest friends in order to gain this new power,” Itachi said. It didn’t matter in the end. He’d blamed himself when she’d died. 

“This is a great gift, but not a power to use lightly. Continued use will come at the cost of your eyes. Eventually, they will lose their light,” Fugaku warned. 

“Basically, you’ll go blind,” Shisui interpreted. Fugaku shot Shisui a look that the young man smiled off. 

“It’s not a power you should have to rely on either way,” Itachi said, giving Sasuke a long look. Itachi’s eyes were carefully blank, but Sasuke could see the small hints of worry that creased the skin around his eyes. He hadn’t been strong enough to face Orochimaru without these eyes. Although he did enjoy knowing that he had such a powerful tool in his arsenal, he knew that he couldn’t use them except for emergencies. 

“I am curious though. Whose death traumatized you so deeply, Sasuke?” Shisui asked. But judging by the grin on his face, Sasuke had a feeling that he already had a guess in mind. Sasuke glared at Shisui and refused to answer. Even his father was staring now, considering him. 

Itachi actually sighed. Sasuke looked at his brother, frowning at the sight of Itachi rolling his eyes . “Foolish little brother,” Itachi chided. “I told you so.” 

Sasuke couldn’t have stopped the blush that rose up his cheeks if he’d tried. 

Chapter Text

Sasuke looked around himself in confusion with a deep frown. He stepped through the gates to the Uchiha district, the sound of his sandals slapping on the ground seemingly magnified by the deathly silence of the streets. There was a slight chill in the nighttime air, strangely out of place for the middle of summer. The moon shone brightly overhead, illuminating his way. Sasuke walked through the deserted streets, eyes scanning the darkened buildings. A slight breeze blew a few leaves past his feet and upset one of the signs hanging over a storefront.  

A sense of wrongness started to build in his mind. There was a feeling- or was it a voice?- telling him to turn back. With every slow, measured step that he took, the feeling grew until he could feel a chill slide up his spine. He quickened his pace, his feet automatically following his usual path home. 

Sasuke tried to sense for the presence of another, but he couldn’t detect any chakra signatures nearby. He listened attentively and let his eyes scan the shadowy alleyways as he passed, but nothing stood out to him. The uneasiness building in his chest was the only indication that something was amiss. He could see the main family residence up the street, perfectly intact and seemingly unperturbed. Despite this, it felt as though the closer he got to his home, the more the anxiety grew within his chest. Once he was standing before his front door, Sasuke silently drew a kunai and pushed the door open. 

The house was expectedly dark and nearly silent, save for the slight breeze eerily blowing through the halls. Stepping inside, Sasuke couldn’t help but tense. He didn’t hesitate to activate his Sharingan and clutch his kunai tightly in his hand. This feeling was familiar. He could feel and see the oppressive and rancid chakra flowing through his home, tainting its normally comforting presence.  

“Orochimaru?” Sasuke called out into the darkness. His voice remained level despite the ubiquitous Killing Intent seeping through the very walls. Any sort of fear that Sasuke would have felt was effectively drowned out by the cold rage flowing through him. He’d already slain the snake in a mild blood rage that had quelled only slightly upon watching the man burn until nothing remained. While his emotional state had improved remarkably once Naruko had woken from her temporary “death”, shreds of hatred and darkness still lingered within Sasuke. 

“I’m pleased to know that you managed to survive. This gives me the chance to kill you all over again,” Sasuke smirked, his eyes swirling into the Mangekyo.  

“ Sasuke…”  

Stepping onto the tatami mats of the washitsu, Sasuke narrowed his gaze at the unnatural darkness within the room. The darkness acted like a living thing, blocking any moonlight from filtering in through the shoji. From within the darkest corner of the room, a pair of golden, slitted eyes gleamed. Sasuke watched the disembodied eyes move in the darkness, moving along the walls and ceiling. Growing tired of Orochimaru’s pathetic intimidation tactics, Sasuke tossed some shuriken at where he assumed Orochimaru’s body would be. 

“Ku ku ku,” Orochimaru laughed from the ceiling, his snakelike body finally appearing through the darkness. Sasuke frowned at the sight of Orochimaru’s body having stretched and twisted to avoid all the shuriken. Suddenly, Orochimaru hissed viciously and launched his body from the ceiling. Sasuke watched the man’s fangs lengthen, poised to sink into his flesh. Channeling lightning chakra through his kunai, Sasuke leapt to meet Orochimaru halfway. 

His kunai stabbed the man through the chest, cracking bone and charring fresh, but Sasuke continued to force the man back and into the wall. His kunai was buried in Orochimaru’s heart, pinning the man to the wall behind him. He could feel the soft tissues and splintered bone rubbing against his hand that had lodged in the man’s thoracic cavity. Sasuke couldn’t stop the wicked grin that slid onto his face. An attack like this wouldn’t be enough to kill Orochimaru, but that just afforded more opportunities to make the man suffer. 

When Orochimaru coughed a splatter of blood onto Sasuke’s face, Sasuke glared up at the man in disgust. Sasuke froze when Orochimaru’s eyes shifted from his unnatural gold to a familiar bright blue hue. Slowly, Orochimaru’s features faded away, replaced by her bright ones. A lump lodged in his throat, his stomach turned, and his heart throbbed painfully in his chest. 

“Sas…ke?” her fragile voice questioned, full of hurt and confusion. 

Immediately, he staggered back. Eyes blown wide, he watched the blood seep from her wound -the wound he’d given her- and drip down onto the floor at her feet. He was hyperventilating now. The sound of his own, ragged breaths seemed to snap him to attention. “Kai!” he shouted as he ceased his chakra flow. This had to be a genjutsu. That was the only explanation. There was no way he’d-  

“Kai!” he shouted again, but she didn’t disappear. This couldn’t be happening, but it was. He’d really- 

Not finishing the thought, Sasuke rushed over to her and removed the kunai as carefully as he could. “Sasuke, you… really wanted to kill me,” she said and stared at him, betrayal swimming in her eyes. ‘No!’  

“Usuratonkachi! I can-” he started but stopped when she started calling his name. 

“…suke…Sasuke… Sasuke !” 

Snapping up abruptly, Sasuke gasped and reached for the kunai under his pillow. He lashed out at the body near him, nearly slicing through the intruder’s abdomen. Recognizing his attacker, Sasuke froze in place. Itachi was standing calmly out of arm’s reach, his hands raised palms forward in a placating manner. Sasuke released a shuddering breath as the kunai clattered onto the floor. 

“Sasuke, do you know where you are?” Itachi asked in an even tone. 

Recognizing the question as a check on his mental state and awareness, Sasuke tried to appear as nonthreatening as possible as he replied, “I’m in my bedroom in Konoha.” 

Itachi relaxed his posture, taking slow and louder than normal steps towards Sasuke. Trying not to startle him, as he were a wild, frightened animal. Itachi crouched slowly to pick up the discarded kunai and placed it on the desk behind him (and out of Sasuke’s reach). Once Sasuke had gotten his breathing and heart rate under control, he asked, “Did I wake Kaa-san or Tou-san?” 

“No. I sensed your chakra spiking. You were silently tossing when I entered,” Itachi answered.  

Sasuke nodded once and slumped forward slightly. Stopping the chakra flow to his eyes, Sasuke rubbed at them to soothe the residual burn. Itachi was still standing in his room, silently waiting. “I’m fine, Itachi. You can go back to bed.” 

“Sasuke, this is the third time this week that I’ve had to wake you from a nightmare.” 

“You don’t need to-” Sasuke started, but Itachi quickly cut him off. 

“It’s Tuesday , Sasuke,” Itachi pointed out. And because he felt the need to drive the point home, he continued, “You’ve had nightmares three nights in a row.” 

Sasuke didn’t have a response that would satisfy, so he remained quiet. That seemed fine for Itachi, who had only gotten started with his lecture. “I haven’t pushed you to discuss what has been affecting you because I assumed you would address it when you were ready. I haven’t spoken to our parents about it, but Kaa-san is starting to notice how constantly exhausted you look.” 

Sasuke rubbed at his eyes again.  

“If you don’t wish to talk to me, I’d advise you to find someone you do want to speak to about what is haunting you.” 

“You don’t need to speak so vaguely, Itachi. I know you already figured it out,” Sasuke griped and moved to lay back down. Sasuke could feel Itachi’s heavy stare, but he kept his eyes resolutely on his ceiling. Eventually, Itachi would resign himself to the fact that Sasuke wasn’t going to speak about the matter any further. It’s not that he didn’t trust Itachi. Sasuke just didn’t see the point in talking about it. Talking about his dreams would just give them credence. If he ignored them, eventually they would fade into the background of his life, locked away in a box where he kept the horrors he’d seen and done as a loyal Konoha ninja. 

Itachi let out a soft grunt, seeming to come to a decision. Sasuke waited for his brother to leave but was surprised when Itachi shoved at his side. Sasuke let out a noise of objection but scooted over regardless. In astonishment, Sasuke watched Itachi climb into his bed and pull Sasuke’s covers over himself. “Itachi-” Sasuke started, but Itachi’s slightly annoyed voice cut him off. He’d almost completely hid the undertones of concern in his voice. 

“I’d rather not go all the way back to my own bed just for you to wake me again in three hours. I’ll wake you if you start having a nightmare, but I’ll hit you if you kick me in your sleep,” he promised from over his shoulder. Sasuke watched Itachi actually settle into his bed and try to go to sleep.  

When he’d been little, Sasuke had snuck into Itachi’s room on multiple occasions to escape his childish nightmares. Itachi was always quick to pull back his covers and allow Sasuke to sleep with him, making sure to move Sasuke back to his own bed before their parents could wake. It was always best not to let their father catch wind of Sasuke’s weakness, lest he have to endure Fugaku’s lectures on strength and becoming a man.  

Sasuke snorted. He didn’t kick in his sleep (anymore). “ At least I don’t hog the covers ,” Sasuke mumbled and turned his back to Itachi. When Itachi’s foot kicked the back of his legs, Sasuke was tempted to kick him back. Instead, he settled into his bed, Itachi’s familiar chakra a boon at his back. 

On some level, Sasuke understood what Itachi was trying to do. In an effort to spare Sasuke’s pride while still satisfying his own need to meddle in Sasuke’s life, Itachi was forcing Sasuke to accept some form of support (as unconventional as it may be). There was a part of him that appreciated Itachi, but there was another part of Sasuke that loathed himself for showing such weakness. Itachi was in ANBU. He’d been a shinobi since he was a child. Not once had Itachi ever shown signs of weakness.  

~:~ 

He must have actually managed to fall back asleep because when his eyes opened, the sun was already high in the sky. Itachi had predictably left, probably risen before dawn as usual. Sasuke rolled over onto his back and stared up at his ceiling. He did feel more rested than yesterday but sleep still beckoned to him. He could try to get another hour or two, but that would just have his mother coming to check on him in concern. Besides, he had things to do. 

Once he was dressed for the day, Sasuke made his way down to the kitchen to try to scavenge something to eat. His mother was in the kitchen when he walked in, busy washing the last of the breakfast dishes. She paused when he walked in, her eyes scanning over him. Sasuke remained still in the doorway to let her finish her inspection. When she turned back to the dishes without a word, Sasuke nearly breathed a sigh of relief.  

“Sasuke, I set aside some food for you.” 

Offering a quiet thanks, Sasuke retrieved the plate of food and sat at the table. She hadn’t said anything about the obvious bags under his eyes or the slight pallor of his face. But there was an obvious tension in the room that he imagined she was considering the best way to break. His mother was an expert at maneuvering the men of her household. She had gotten copious amounts of practice on their father and knew the best ways to handle her sons’ stubbornness.  

“Sasuke, you slept in today. That’s not like you. You don’t have a mission today?” she asked in that soft and soothing tone of hers. 

“I was going to stop by the assignment desk later,” Sasuke offered. 

“You’ve been taking a lot of missions lately.” 

It wasn’t hard to tell where Itachi had gotten his ability to argue; as if he’d taken detailed lessons from their mother on how to trap someone with their own words. “If I can serve the village and bring pride to the clan, shouldn’t I?” Sasuke asked and prodded at the rice in his bowl. 

“Don’t play with your food, Sasuke,” Mikoto admonished when she turned to face him. Suddenly feeling six instead of sixteen, Sasuke placed his chopsticks to the side. “I’m proud of you, Sasuke. You’ve become a valuable asset to the village, and many have taken notice. However, I think you should take some time off. Hokage-sama will understand if you want to take a break from the back-to-back missions.” 

Sasuke frowned down at his half-eaten food. Of course, he would. It’s not like the Yondaime was specifically asking for Sasuke to take on so many missions. It’d been Sasuke pushing himself as of late. Ever since he’d gotten back from Suna, Sasuke had tried his best to ignore the implications of obtaining his new eyes. Idle hands were the devil’s playthings. He had just been trying to distract himself. But all of it was pointless if he still had nightmares when he was home. 

“Sasuke?” Mikoto prompted. Sasuke glanced up to see his mother staring at him with a teacup in her small hands. She sat in front of him with her back straight and her shoulders back. Despite the soothing tone, Sasuke could detect the subtle command in her tone. She spoke the words of a concerned mother, but she had the posture and aura of the clan matriarch.  

Sasuke let out a noncommittal grunt and returned to his food. But at his mother’s stern “ Sasuke” , he knew that she was not accepting less than a proper answer from him. “Yes, Kaa-san. I need to go see Sakura at the hospital anyways.” 

And just like that, she slipped back into her concerned mother role. She rested a hand onto his forearm with a frown. “Are you alright?” 

“I’m fine. Sakura’s been showing me medical ninjutsu. Just the basics,” Sasuke explained. 

Mikoto nodded to herself and sipped her tea. “Don’t let your father know. He wouldn’t approve of you learning medical ninjutsu. He believes healing to be a woman’s skill,” Mikoto said with a frown. Sasuke could feel an iota of shame niggling away at him. His father was a very rigid man steeped in not just clan tradition, but societal norms as well. The idea of disappointing his father almost made Sasuke change his mind about going to see Sakura. Almost. Sasuke watched as his mother started muttering to herself, “Which is complete nonsense. It’s a valuable skill for anyone to learn, especially those who have a proficiency for it.” 

Sasuke smiled softly down at his food. His mother cared much less for traditions than most of the clan. Sasuke supposed it had a lot to do with Kushina’s influence. Whenever he or Itachi (but mostly Sasuke) did something that displeased or unintentionally slighted Fugaku, their mother was always quick to intervene on her sons’ behalf.  

Sasuke could remember one such incident when he’d been about seven where he’d quite intentionally and bluntly insulted one of the clan elders. He’d met the elder (who’d smelled of mothballs and some unidentifiable scent that just screamed old) and had practically demanded to know just who the man was. When his father had told him that Furui-sama was a very influential and powerful clan member, Sasuke had stared up at the ancient and grey man in extreme skepticism before confidently proclaiming Itachi to be stronger. While he hadn’t been wrong, Fugaku hadn’t appreciated Sasuke’s astute observation at the time. Fugaku had promptly chastised Sasuke while Furui-sama had declared Sasuke to be the most disrespectful child to be born of the main branch family that he had ever met. Sasuke hadn’t felt that the judgement was fair, but Fugaku had quickly agreed and sent Sasuke away to his room. Itachi had wanted to go with him, but Fugaku had kept him from following.  

As he was walking away with his shoulders slumped, Sasuke could hear Mikoto chastising his father for his harsh words. Instead of going to his room, Sasuke had hidden just out of sight and listened in. When Furui-sama had declared his mother to be an unfit clan matriarch for her insolence, she was quick to turn her ire on the wrinkly man. Sasuke had never heard his mother raise her voice before, but he was sure that anyone just outside the house could hear her loudly defending her children and herself. Furui-sama had left the house in a huff while cursing “that impudent woman and brat of a son”. Sasuke didn’t have any other memories of the old man after that. 

“Alright. Thank you, Kaa-san,” Sasuke said and returned to his food. Mikoto smiled softly and went back to sipping her tea. 

~:~ 

“ This is the best way to do this?” Sasuke couldn’t help but ask as he stood on the pier at his favorite lake.  

Sakura folded her arms raised a brow at him. “You asked for my help. If you want to learn the basics, this is where you start. Now, hurry up. I can only supervise for an hour,” Sakura said and waved him off. Sasuke rolled his eyes at her before diving into the water. It took a few seconds, but he was able to resurface with a medium-sized fish thrashing in his grasp. “Good. Now let’s begin.” 

Soaking wet, Sasuke held the flopping fish down onto the wood of the dock until it stopped moving. Once the fish was close to death, Sasuke began the Mystical Palm technique. Sakura kept a watchful gaze but offered no advice. He’d been taking instruction from her ever since they’d gotten back from their mission to Suna. He was adequate at best with healing, only having decent enough chakra control to perform the jutsus, but he wasn’t expecting to save lives like Sakura any time soon. But if he could keep someone alive long enough for her or someone better trained to arrive… 

He must have been leaning over that fish for almost an hour by the time it started to twitch slightly. “Don’t forget to stimulate the secondary gill lamellae,” Sakura reminded. The twitching was turning into a full-body flop now. A few more minutes passed before the fish began thrashing wildly on the dock. Sasuke sat back and watched the fish writhe until it fell over the side of the dock and landed back in the water with a loud splash. Although he hadn’t moved in over an hour, Sasuke was sweating a fair amount. “Very good! Although I am a little jealous that you’ve picked this up so quickly. It took me a month just to get the fish to move,” she finished with a grumble. Sasuke looked up at her with a smirk. When she saw his sharingan swirling lazily, she pouted. “Cheater,” she huffed. 

“It makes it easier to see the chakra flow,” Sasuke explained and stood. 

“And easier to memorize all the theory and applications,” Sakura pointed out with a pout. 

“You should be proud to have done it on your own without cheating ,” he said. He’d never told her before, but he did respect the amount of work she’d put in these past few years. He’d only received a crash course for beginners and gotten several headaches and eye strain from it. 

“You’re just trying to make feel better. But you are right,” she said, preening.  

Sasuke scoffed once and rolled his eyes. Sasuke considered Sakura for a few seconds, just observing her. He’d wondered how she would fit into his life after she’d given up on her crush on him. He had wanted to call her a friend, but he’d also considered Naruko a friend and it didn’t feel right to give the title to anyone else. The relationships were just too different. But then he’d realized that it’d been much more accurate to call Naruko his best friend. Sakura was definitely a friend, but he still wasn’t sure where the lines of their friendship existed.  

“Sasuke-kun?” she asked him, frowning at his silence. 

“Nothing. Just thinking,” he answered, but didn’t elaborate.  

“ Sasuke! Sakura- chan !”  

They both turned and spotted Naruko standing atop the hill, smiling down at them. She landed at their sides in a single bound, grinning brightly. “Why didn’t you tell me we were having a team meeting?” 

“Not a team meeting, Naruko. I was just helping Sasuke-kun-” Sakura started, but Sasuke cut her off. 

“Sakura, didn’t you say you had something to do?” he asked. She had been surprised by his smooth change in the subject but had respectfully dropped it. 

Sakura straightened. “You’re right. Shishou is gonna maim me if I’m late. I’ll see you later, Sasuke-kun. Bye, Naruko,” Sakura said and fled.  

“What was that about, ‘ttebayo?” 

“What do you mean?” Sasuke asked but started walking away. 

Naruko was quick to start walking with him, not paying attention to the direction. “Since when do you and Sakura-chan hang out?” 

“Aren’t we supposed to? We were teammates,” Sasuke pointed out. He slipped his hands into his pockets, keeping his gaze ahead of him. Sakura had looked confused as to why he didn’t want Naruko knowing that he was practicing medical jutsu. It wouldn’t hurt for her to know. But there was a part of him that didn’t want it to become common knowledge. He’d never expressed an interest in the skill before. It would definitely lead to questions that he didn’t feel comfortable answering. 

“Right. Well, I’m glad you two are friends now,” she said. 

“Hn.” 

“Do you want to train with me? I was training with Konohamaru earlier, but I’d like a good challenge,” she said and grinned at him eagerly. 

Normally, that’d be all it would take for him to take her up on her challenge. He could already feel his competitive spirit rising, but he was genuinely exhausted. The time he’d spent practicing medical jutsu had drained what little energy he’d regained this morning. He was sure that if they were to spar, she’d have him on his ass within minutes. She’d definitely be able to tell something was wrong with him then. “No thanks,” he said. Her grin dimmed and fell slowly. Immediately, he felt guilty. He quickly came up with an excuse, “I have some clan business to take care of for my father.” 

“Oh. Okay. Tomorrow then?” she asked with a hopeful grin. 

“Sure,” he replied. As long as he managed to get some sleep tonight. 

“I feel like I haven’t seen you since we got back from Suna,” she said idly. 

That was because he’d been taking missions to avoid confronting his problems. It’d provided the added benefit of avoiding her as well. He had to admit that a part of him did miss her but being around her filled him with too many complicated feelings. He liked being around her but felt guilt over his past failures (no matter how brief). He wanted to be close to her, closer than they were now, but felt ashamed and embarrassed because of it. He wanted to hate her for bringing out these feelings in him and maybe a small part of him did, but he knew that the hate wasn’t completely justified. She probably had no idea what she’d done. It was a confusing and highly embarrassing dilemma. 

“I’ve been busy with missions.” 

“I figured. Tou-chan must be giving you hard missions. You look like a ghost, ‘ttebayo,” she said and poked his cheek. “I can ask him to give you a break or something before you keel over.” 

“Naruko,” he warned. 

She held up her hands in an attempt to pacify him, “I get it. I get it. You’re an Uchiha and Uchiha are too strong and disciplined to keel over,” she taunted him, lowering her voice to try to match his baritone. 

“That was the worst impression of me that I’ve ever heard,” he insulted. She grinned up at him, everything about her lighting up despite his insult. As if the callous front to his words had rolled right off her back and instead revealed the fondness beneath. She could see it. She had learned when to take his insults at face-value and when to call his bluff. How deeply could she see through him? He rolled his eyes before reaching out to land a poke to her forehead. “Later, Usuratonkachi,” he said and shushined away without giving her a chance to reply.  

~:~ 

Family dinners at the Uchiha, main branch household were a very quiet affair. Maybe his father would converse with his mother about how he liked the meal or with Itachi about his missions. Sometimes, Fugaku would even ask Sasuke how he was progressing. But usually only the sounds of utensils clattering filled the air. So, when Itachi had spoken out of the blue at the dinner table, everyone stilled in mild surprise. And then the weight of his words had set in. 

“The Yondaime has named me as his successor.” 

Sasuke blinked in shock at Itachi from across the table, while Fugaku had beamed with pride. Mikoto smiled gently at her eldest, pride making her dark eyes shine. “That’s my boy,” Fugaku says, reaching out to clasp a hand onto Itachi’s shoulder. 

“Congratulations, Itachi. This is wonderful news. We should hold a celebration,” Mikoto supplied with Fugaku nodding along in agreement. 

Sasuke raised a brow. “He asked you?” Sasuke blurted. He hadn’t intended for it to sound like an insult, but Fugaku had taken it as such. 

“Sasuke, this is an important moment for your brother. He has worked hard and is being acknowledged- an Uchiha is being acknowledged,” Fugaku said and frowned deeply at Sasuke. 

Thankfully, Itachi intervened before the situation could worsen. “He asked Hatake Kakashi first,” Itachi answered Sasuke. Sasuke nodded once in understanding. It only made sense for the Yondaime to ask his own student first. Plus, Kakashi was a well-known and accomplished shinobi. “Kakashi-san vehemently turned down the offer, however,” Itachi went on with a mildly amused look.

Sasuke nearly rolled his eyes. “That sounds like him,” Sasuke scoffed. Kakashi had proven himself as a leader more than once, but the man was criminally lazy with an aversion to responsibility. “Congratulations, nii-san,” Sasuke said with a smile. He did truly feel proud of his brother. And it wasn’t like it was a surprise. It would take something extreme to make a shinobi as loyal and accomplished as Itachi not be considered for the position.  

Itachi returned the smile before turning his gaze onto their parents and saying, “I’ve decided to accept his offer.” 

“Naturally,” Fugaku nodded. 

“I’ve also decided to move out,” Itachi continued as he met Fugaku’s eyes. Sasuke heard his mother’s chopsticks clatter from her hand. He watched his father’s eyes widen slowly as the weight of Itachi’s words sunk in. “I’ll be moving out of the compound and into an apartment on the edge of the village. I should have my things out before the end of the month.” 

Sasuke watched the proceedings quietly. His mother had gone wide-eyed and her jaw had dropped slightly. She still hadn’t picked up her chopsticks. His father’s stunned expression was slowly being replaced by a deep frown. “Itachi, we shall discuss this matter in private,” Fugaku said in a no-nonsense tone and stood from the table. 

Sasuke had to admire his brother’s nerve because Itachi didn’t flinch. “There is nothing to discuss, Tou-san. It’s done. I’ve already signed the lease.” 

Sasuke heard his mother make a soft noise that almost sounded like a whimper. She cleared her throat and tried to smile. “You are an adult. I suppose it’s only natural for you to want your independence,” she said and picked up her chopsticks. Sasuke could see the mournful look she tried to hide behind understanding and love. 

“Your mother is right. You are more than old enough to move out, but you are still an Uchiha. You will stay within the district. There are plenty of apartments here that are available for rent,” Fugaku said, his tone barely hiding the anger that was simmering in his dark eyes. He still hadn’t sat back down, staring down at Itachi with an authoritative air. 

Itachi continued to meet their father’s gaze from his seat. Although his tone didn’t change, Sasuke could hear the hard edge to it, “Soon, I will be more than an Uchiha. When I become Hokage, I will owe my life to the village.” 

With every word Itachi spoke, Sasuke could see his father’s face slowly redden. He heard his mother try to calm him down, but it wasn’t having much of an effect. “Itachi, you would turn your back on your clan?” Fugaku asked, a warning weighing heavily in his words. Sasuke stopped eating, his eyes glancing between his brother and his father.  

“I do not see how I would be doing so. Is the clan not a part of the village?” Itachi challenged with a narrowed gaze. 

It was an innocent question, but judging by their father’s reaction, Sasuke felt that he was desperately missing something. Their father’s anger had chilled, morphing into a cold fury. Mikoto rested her hands in her lap, frowning down at her food. Fugaku turned his face away from Itachi and spoke, “Itachi, you disappoint me.” 

Sasuke’s eyes widened as he watched his father stride from the room, leaving the rest of his meal untouched. Itachi stared at where their father had stood, not saying a word. His mother just kept staring at her food. Sasuke had never heard their father so blatantly express disappointment in anything Itachi had done. Sasuke tried to catch Itachi’s gaze, but his brother didn’t meet his eyes. “I’m sorry, Kaa-san. I’m no longer hungry,” Itachi said and picked up his dishes. Sasuke watched Itachi clear away his leftover food, place his dishes in the sink, and leave the room without another word.  

At his mother’s soft sigh, Sasuke turned to her in question but she was rubbing at her temples. “What a mess,” she muttered. She got up from her seat to tend to his father’s dishes.  

Sasuke stared at his own food. He wasn’t that hungry anymore. Collecting the remaining dishes, he cleared the food from them before giving them to his mother. “I can talk to Itachi if you want,” he offered. 

“No. That won’t be necessary. Itachi’s right. Your father is just stressed and said things he doesn’t mean. I’ll talk to him to try to get him to see reason. Don’t worry, Sasuke. Everything will be alright,” his mother said with a soft smile. Sasuke couldn’t help but notice how much older she looked in that moment. The stress from dinner seemed to settle onto her features, making the slight wrinkles on her face and few strands of grey in her hair seem magnified. His mother was still as beautiful as she’d been when he was a child. He just supposed that he hadn’t noticed that as he’d grown up, she’d grown older. 

“Alright,” he acquiesced and pressed his lips to her temple. 

“You’re such a caring boy, Sasuke,” she said and smiled wider. He could see her laugh lines more clearly. He let her pat his cheek softly before he left her alone to seek out his brother. On the way to Itachi’s room, Sasuke could sense his father’s chakra rolling and spiking intermittently. He was genuinely angered by Itachi’s decision. Or was it from Itachi’s final words?  

When he’d gotten to Itachi’s room, he knocked twice on the door. No response. Well, no response wasn’t a definite “go away”. Pushing the door open, Sasuke paused at the sight of a few half-packed boxes on the floor. “I didn’t even notice that you’d started packing already,” Sasuke said as he closed the door behind him. Itachi’s shoulders were tense and his movement were stiff as he folded one of his shirts. “Do you want some help?” 

Itachi stared at him for a few seconds before nodding once. “Thank you, Sasuke.” 

“I’m not mad with you, in case you were wondering. I’ve been telling you to leave,” Sasuke said as he took a pair of pants down from the closet. 

“Leave the house, not the compound.” 

“Well, it’s not like you’re moving to Sunagakure or something. You’ll still be in the village. Maybe the distance means you won’t bother to meddle with my business anymore,” Sasuke said and placed the pants into a box with other clothes. 

“Sasuke, you’re my little brother. Everything you do is my business,” Itachi said as if it were fact.  

Choosing not to bother dissuade Itachi from his belief, Sasuke brought up something that had been bothering him. “Father reacted pretty badly. I didn’t think he’d be so upset. It’s like you’d said that you were abandoning the village. But then again, I didn’t think it was such a big deal not to live within the compound.” 

“It isn’t. There’s no law confining us here. Some people are choosing to shackle themselves to their beliefs,” Itachi scoffed. 

“What are you talking about?” Sasuke asked and stilled. There was something going on- something he wasn’t privy to. As Sasuke stared at Itachi, he could see his brother’s walls going up. But before Itachi could change the subject or offer an excuse, Sasuke continued, “I can tell that something is going on, Itachi. I’m not stupid.” 

“I didn’t think that you were,” Itachi said and stared down on the uchiwa fan stitched into the back of one of his shirts. Sasuke waited for Itachi to say something, but he didn’t expect his brother to begin moving through privacy seals. “What I’m about to tell you is not something you can repeat. Very few outside the clan are aware of this.” 

Sasuke straightened and gave Itachi his full attention. A part of him hadn’t believed that Itachi would answer him. Sasuke liked to think that there weren’t many secrets between him and his brother. But whenever his brother had chosen to keep secrets, they were always ones he guarded closely. 

“You were too young to remember. Just after the kyuubi attacked the village sixteen years ago, there was a period of time where the Uchiha faced scrutiny from the village. There were rumors at the time that the Uchiha had somehow been involved with the kyuubi escaping and attacking the village. There are a few outside of the clan who are aware of the sharingan’s ability to control the tailed beasts,” Itachi said. The sharingan could control the tailed beasts? Sasuke had never heard of their eyes possessing such an ability, but he wasn’t really surprised. He hadn’t known about the Mangekyo until about a month ago. 

“They blamed us. That’s ridiculous. Why would we attack our own village?” Sasuke asked rhetorically. He just didn’t see the logic. 

“It was probably left over suspicion from Uchiha Madara’s original attack on the village decades ago. It didn’t matter. The idea got enough traction that the Uchiha were to be placed under suspicion. Our clan was relocated to the edge of the village during the village reconstruction. The relocation was passed off as an attempt to have the Police Force located closer to the prison to maintain control, but several clan members felt it was another attempt to ostracize the Uchiha.  

“For a few years, the clan was watched closely while simultaneously being kept at a distance from the rest of the village and the government. There were whispers amongst the clan, dissatisfaction was rising. At the same time, the Yondaime made several attempts to appease the clan, but he was constantly at odds with the village council and many of his efforts were invalidated by public opinion. 

“It was around the time that I had joined the ANBU when dissatisfaction with the village was starting to peak. The clan elders treated my new position as a way to get close to the village government. I was meant to act as a pipeline between the clan and the village, as if they were two separate entities,” Itachi scoffed. “I didn’t agree with the majority at the time and father received scorn from the clan for it. I was placed under suspicion from the clan for being a village sympathizer.” 

“You were just a kid,” Sasuke couldn’t help but interject. Itachi had been just eleven when he’d joined the ANBU. To hear that his brother had treated so poorly by the clan… Sasuke frowned. 

Itachi continued on as if what Sasuke had said didn’t matter. “Father doesn’t know this, but while I was supposed to spy on the village, I had been ordered to do the same to the clan. Fortunately, I never had to carry out these orders. The Yondaime caught wind of what was happening within the village, what one of the former council members was orchestrating behind the scenes. An investigation was quietly launched, and enough evidence had been found to prosecute the man responsible. 

“Shimura Danzo,” Itachi answered, spotting the question in Sasuke’s eyes. “He was declared a traitor of Konoha before a public execution. Afterwards, the Hokage issued the Uchiha a public apology for Danzo’s actions against the clan as well as his own unknown complicity. Since then, the Yondaime has continued his efforts to reintegrate the clan in village affairs, but there are some within the clan who doubt his motives.” 

Sasuke frowned. “What did Danzo do? Making us live on the edge of the village hardly seems worthy of a death sentence.” 

Itachi smirked. “That was a minor slight to corral and distance the Uchiha. His major crimes included associating with the missing-nin, Orochimaru, providing Konoha citizens as test subjects for him, as well as desecrating Uchiha bodies to steal the Sharingan,” Itachi answered.  

Sasuke paled. Their Sharingan had been in Danzo’s hands. And not only his, but probably that traitor Orochimaru’s as well. Sasuke suddenly found himself wishing that he’d been the one to put an end to Danzo. 

“As you can imagine, some clan members find it hard to forgive, despite the Yondaime’s efforts. Old talks of revolting against Konoha are starting to have new life breathed into them. These are extreme opinions, however. The majority prefers to simply see themselves as victims in an unfair village. The Yondaime tries to appease the clan, but it never seems to be enough. It’s a precarious position to be in. I think he’s hoping that I can find a way to get through to the clan.” 

“Is that why you decided to take the hat?” 

“It’s one of the reasons. Mostly, I had no interest in becoming clan head,” Itachi said and resumed packing. “I do apologize though, Sasuke. Because I am no longer a candidate, father will look to you to lead the clan.” 

“You can’t do both?” Sasuke asked. Sasuke had never said anything within their father’s earshot, but he felt that a lot of their father’s responsibilities weren’t too taxing. If anything, it was his position as police chief that kept him the busiest. 

Itachi smirked and scoffed. “Do you think so lowly of the duties of clan head or so highly of my own capabilities?” 

“Both?” Sasuke answered and tucked away another pair of pants. 

“While I appreciate the compliment, I do not think I could do it all. The clan head has a duty to the clan. They must put the clan first and I can’t do that. The village should always come first. For the Hokage, the entire village is their family. The responsibility of clan head should fall to the one best suited for the job,” Itachi said. 

Sasuke frowned. Would father really expect him to become clan head instead of Itachi? Sasuke had never considered such a thing. It was Itachi’s birthright. But if their father did ask, what would he say? “Do you think that I could do it?” Sasuke asked in a small voice. 

Itachi gave him a considering look before responding, “I think you could do so much more.” 

Sasuke turned back to the closet for another shirt to hide the pleased smile on his face. He folded the shirt with his back turned, trying his best to calm the happiness he felt at Itachi’s praise. 

“I would advise you to decide for yourself what you wish to do. Don’t let father’s words influence you too greatly. It’s your decision to make. Just don’t take too long to make it. I doubt father will wait too long before approaching you,” Itachi advised. “Also, Shisui is planning a surprise housewarming party for me next week. Help him with it before he goes overboard and invites half of the jounin within the village.” 

“How is it a surprise if you know about it?” Sasuke scoffed. 

“Little brother, I know everything.” 

~:~ 

Sasuke leaned back against a tree before sliding down the trunk with a soft grunt. Kakashi was panting softly from across the training grounds, stray jolts of lightning still running along his hand and arm. Sasuke closed his eyes for a few seconds as he took a few deep breaths. His chakra reserves were still decently full despite the several chidori and katon jutsus he’d used. Training with Sakura had definitely improved his chakra control and stamina. With another grunt, Sasuke pushed himself back up onto his feet. When he faced Kakashi again, the man seemed to slump slightly. 

“Maa, are you sure you took a long enough break?” Kakashi asked.  

Sasuke frowned. “Don’t tell me you’re getting tired already. Aren’t you the one always saying that you’re not that old?” Sasuke taunted. Sasuke could swear that even Kakashi’s gravity-defying hair was starting to droop slightly. 

“I wouldn’t say that. This just seems out of character for you. You wouldn’t normally come to me for an all-day slug fest,” Kakashi said with a shrug. Sasuke’s frown deepened, but he didn’t know what to say. Sometimes he regretted spending so much time around overly observant geniuses.  

Kakashi shrugged again with a deep sigh. “It’s not my business, but I do feel somewhat responsible for the happiness of my cute, former students.” 

Sasuke couldn’t resist an exaggerated eye roll. 

Kakashi walked over to him before clapping a hand down onto Sasuke’s shoulder. “Do me a favor and talk to Naruko. I care for her like a sister, but even I have my limits on how many times a day that I can be asked about you.” 

Sasuke flinched. Kakashi nodded once and said, “I won’t pretend to understand what’s going through your head. But for the sake of everyone else in the village, stop ignoring her.” 

“Sasuke!”  

Without any hesitation, Kakashi vanished with a swirl of leaves. Sasuke couldn’t say that he blamed the man. Refusing to look at her, Sasuke kept his gaze trained on the spot where Kakashi had stood. He could practically hear her stomping over to him, her chakra glaringly bright along his senses. “Teme,” she started.  

“Naruko,” he acknowledged and finally looked at her. She was glaring at him with annoyance and anger in her eyes, but he could see the bits of hurt hiding underneath. As he felt the guilt start to nag at him, he considered fleeing the way Kakashi had. But only for a second. There was another emotion- an inclination to face her head on. He could see the value in avoiding this argument with her, it would spare him from having to confront his feelings through her. But at his core, there was a force that he couldn’t explain nudging him towards her. 

“Fight me,” she demanded.  

He knew what she wanted. He knew that she was trying her best to connect with him in best way she knew how. Whenever they’d traded blows, he’d gotten his best view into her mind. It was yet another aspect of his bond to her that he couldn’t explain. He’d tried explaining their connection to Sakura once, hoping that she could help him better understand it, but she hadn’t been much help. The bond sounded foreign to her but incredibly “intense and romantic”.  

“Maybe later, Usuratonkachi.” 

“You said that days ago!” she exclaimed. “You won’t fight me, but you’ll train with Kakashi-nii and Sakura-chan. What’s wrong with me?” 

Luckily, they were alone because she was practically shouting at him now. “Nothing is wrong with you,” Sasuke answered and tried to walk around her.  

She moved to stand in his way, standing on the balls of her feet to give herself some height as she glared up at him. “Then what’s wrong with you , ‘ttebayo? And don’t lie! Itachi-nii said something was wrong with you.” 

Sasuke almost swore. He should have expected Itachi to go behind his back and recruit Naruko. “Nothing is wrong with me,” Sasuke hissed at her with a narrowed gaze. 

“Then fight me damn it!” 

Her wild exuberance would normally draw him to her and revitalize his mood. He wasn’t too tired from his training session with Kakashi and he’d gotten a decent amount of sleep last night, but there was still a weariness that was starting to settle into his bones. He must have been staring at her for too long, because she was starting to wilt, and the anger was starting to fade. She looked like she was grasping at her anger, desperately trying to hide the hurt. Truthfully, he didn’t care for either emotion on her face where he was concerned. 

“I’m tired, Naruko. We’ll fight another time,” he said, pouring as much sincerity as he could bear into his tone without embarrassing himself. 

She frowned and folded her arms over her chest. “Even I can see that, dattebayo. You look like shit,” she huffed. He resisted the urge to smack her upside the head like he used to when she annoyed him. “If you’re tired, why don’t you sleep more?” 

Sasuke clenched his jaw as he considered his options. He could be honest with her and spare himself from having to deal with her at a later date, but he doubted that she’d let him get away for too long. She was annoyingly persistent. 

She glanced away from him for a second, her eyes looking anywhere but up at him as she rocked on her feet. “Look… I know that I’m not Itachi-nii or Kakashi-nii or even Sakura-chan, but I’m still your friend. Right?” 

He furrowed his brows in confusion. Where was she going with this? “Of course.” 

“So, you can talk to me too, ‘ttebayo. You’re my best friend, Sasuke. I’d tell you anything,” she said, still avoiding eye contact. She had to be doing this on purpose. She’d managed to flood him with guilt while practically bulldozing his reservations. “Tou-chan says that it’s important to communicate with others when you’re having issues, especially for shinobi. He says shinobi aren’t tools, ‘ttebayo. We’re human so…” she said and grabbed his arm. He could have fought her off, but a part of him was curious. He let her pull him over to the shade of some nearby trees and down to the ground. He watched her sit at attention and stare unflinchingly at him.  

There was a part of him that was ready to disregard her, but… She looked so serious. She looked determined, as if she was ready to physically fight whatever he said was ailing him. A part of him was touched and vaguely amused. Fine. He’d humor her. “I can’t sleep. I’m having… nightmares.” 

“About what?” she asked with a confused frown. She was probably wondering what could possibly be haunting him. 

“You,” he answered. Immediately, she flinched and started shrinking in on herself. He rolled his eyes, immediately sensing where her thoughts were drifting. She was too easy to read. “Dobe, not about the kyuubi.” 

“Oh… I knew that, ‘ttebayo!” 

Sasuke rolled his eyes again. “You’re alive, but that doesn’t mean that you didn’t die,” he said. Her eyes widened slightly, and she swallowed. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, not sure what to say to him. Channeling chakra to his eyes, he let his eyes swirl into the Mangekyo. Her eyes opened even wider. 

“What happened to your eyes?” she asked and reached for his face. She hesitated a bit, as if asking permission, but rested a hand to the side of his face when he didn’t pull away. 

“Itachi told me once that the Uchiha were once considered a cursed clan. The sharingan only manifests after experiencing powerful emotional condition, usually stress or loss of a precious person. The greater the loss that is felt, the stronger our eyes become.” 

She was staring at his eyes, her own eyes stormy and conflicted. A part of him was hoping that she’ll leave it at that and not look too closely at his words. A small, traitorous part of him was hoping that she would hear the meaning hidden in his words.  

“I think I get it,” she said. He stilled but kept his face carefully blank. “You’ve been different since we got back from Suna. I could see it and I think I could feel it too. I don’t really know how to explain it, but all I know is that it hurts,” she said and gripped the front of her jacket.  

His eyes slid closed as he started to breathe again. She had just confirmed his own hopes suspicions that she felt this bond between them. When she’d cried for Gaara, he’d felt and shared in her pain. And although he hadn’t told her, she had been more than aware of his own problems. He wondered if he should be more concerned by how connected they were. It certainly wasn’t the normal, run of the mill friendship. But the part of him that harbored his most selfish desires couldn’t be bothered.  

After a few seconds, she nodded once to herself and moved to lean against a tree trunk and stretch her legs out in front of her. She made grabby hands at him which he resisted at first, but hesitantly gave in when she pulled his head down onto her lap. He laid down, stiff as a board with the tips of his ears warming. He stared resolutely at her feet as he tried to slow his quickening heart. He was tempted to question her, but remained quiet. He could feel her chakra flowing and swirling around them both. “Kaa-chan did this for me whenever I had nightmares as a kid,” she said as if that explained everything.  

He could feel how tense she was and hear the unsureness in her voice. He knew that she expected him to push her away and he probably should. But the training ground was so peaceful, and her chakra was flowing and wrapping around him like a heated blanket. Slowly, he started to relax. If anyone came by, he’d get up. But until then… 

Her voice was growing in confidence now the more she relaxed. “I’m sorry for dying,” she said softly and rested a hand onto his head. “I won’t be going anywhere again, ‘ttebayo. You’re stuck with me forever.” 

“Great,” he mumbled. She hit his head lightly but then started raking her fingers through his hair. Sasuke felt his lids growing heavier. 

“It’s not gel. It’s really like this,” he could hear her whisper. He wasn’t sure if he’d scoffed out loud.  

“When you wake up, we’ll definitely fight, dattebayo. I’ve been training hard to master my wind chakra and I’m gonna kick your ass, Teme,” she said, but she was fading out. The last thing he remembered was her talking about finally managing to split a leaf before effectively passing out.  

~:~ 

“You know, when Naruko stopped coming by the hospital to ask me about you, I assumed that you finally told her how you feel,” Sakura said as she walked through the village with Sasuke. They had just finished another medical ninjutsu lesson and thankfully, Sasuke wasn’t nearly drained of chakra for once. Sasuke raised a brow at her.  “But judging by that expression, I’m guessing that you haven’t told her yet. If you’re just using me as a way to avoid telling her that you love her-” 

Sasuke glared harshly at her before scanning the crowd around them to see if anyone had heard her. Sakura snorted before laughing loudly in his face. “You really haven’t told her yet? Oh, Sasuke-kun,” Sakura said his name with so much exasperation that he couldn’t help but frown. 

“There’s nothing to tell,” Sasuke insisted. 

Sakura rolled her eyes. “Your denial was kind of cute when you were thirteen. Now, it’s a little sad and very infuriating.” 

“I suppose you think I should take your approach and hound her for a date,” Sasuke sneered. Immediately, he regretted his words. “Sorry,” he awkwardly offered. 

“Don’t worry about it,” she waved him off. “I was wrong in my approach. When you’d said no the first time, I shouldn’t have kept bothering you. I know it can be irritating when someone won’t take a hint. But at least I’d asked. You never know unless you ask. I don’t see what you’re waiting for. She’d probably say yes if you did. I can’t think of a girl who wouldn’t.” 

Sasuke felt the bit of hope fluttered in his chest at her words and promptly pushed it down. Changing the topic, Sasuke said, “My brother is moving out. We’re having a housewarming for him tonight. You should come.” 

“I think I heard about that from Kakashi-sensei. No offense, Sasuke, but your brother intimidates the crap out of me.” 

“He has that effect on people. I think he just likes to mess with them.” 

Sakura scoffed. “Okay. I’ll come. Pick me up at my house? I don’t know the way,” she said and stopped outside the door to her home. Sasuke blinked in confusion. He hadn’t realized that they’d already arrived at her door. He nodded at her and started to leave as she went inside. 

Maybe Sakura was right. Maybe Naruko would say yes if he asked her out. But it didn’t matter. She already meant too much to him. Sasuke frowned deeply. She mattered so much that she’d managed to change the very makeup of his eyes. Sasuke couldn’t fathom the idea of someone having that much of a hold on his emotions. A shinobi had no need for emotions. The list of people who truly mattered to him was a very short one. He didn’t need to make it worse by emboldening her name on that list. 

~:~ 

Even from down the street, Sasuke could hear the music playing in Itachi’s apartment. He was sure that Shisui had to have brought over a stereo because the genre was far from Itachi’s tastes. If he paid close attention, he could hear multiple voices speaking over the music. “I warned him not to, but Shisui still went overboard. It sounds like half of Konoha is in there,” Sasuke said with a shake of his head. 

“Maybe your brother is just really popular?” Sakura suggested. Sasuke gave her funny look. Had she met his brother? 

Once they were standing at the door, Sasuke could hear all sounds within the apartment die down. He frowned in confusion, but Sakura was quick to open the door and push him forward lightly. 

“Surprise!”  

Sasuke watched with wide eyes as a few party poppers blasted in his face and got confetti in his hair. Sakura came around his back to smile brightly and pop another one over him. 

“Happy birthday, Teme!” 

Sasuke stared at everyone gathered in his brother’s apartment with a stunned expression. His entire graduating class was here along with Kakashi, Shisui, Izumi and Itachi. Bright grins and some more subdued expressions watched him expectantly. 

“Maa maa. He forgot his own birthday,” Kakashi’s lazy drawl supplied. 

“How troublesome,” Shikamaru sighed. 

Sasuke quickly went through a mental calendar. “My birthday is tomorrow,” Sasuke pointed out with a frown. 

“Yeah. But this way we can wish you happy birthday at midnight,” Naruko pointed out smartly. 

“Dobe, you already said it.” 

She completely ignored him and grabbed a dark brown cupcake with a single candle. “We even got cake, dattebayo!” she exclaimed. He was about to point out to her that he didn’t like sweets, but she cut him off. “It’s not sweet. Kakashi-nii is weird like you and doesn’t like sweets either so he gets his own cake. I made this one and I think it turned out pretty great, ‘ttebayo.” 

She made him a cake? He glanced down at the frostingless cupcake. Rolling his eyes fondly, he squeezed the candle wick between two fingers and used fire release to light it. “Dobe,” he scoffed. 

“Make a wish!” 

What could he wish for? He could think of a few things. But what was the point? Anything he wanted, he could figure out a way to achieve it. And for the thing he couldn’t let himself have, it didn’t matter anyways. He blew out the candle.  

“Let’s get this party going!” Shisui cheered and brandished a bottle with an excited grin. Sasuke should have seen that as the first hint that tonight would be a mess. 

A gathering this large, especially in such a confined space, usually left him feeling uncomfortable. As if predicting Sasuke’s aversion to crowds, Shisui was quick to ply him with drink after drink. Sasuke had only intended to have one drink, maybe two. But only an hour had gone by and he already had three empty cups in front of him. 

Kakashi had ducked out shortly after telling him happy birthday so Sasuke was instead standing in the kitchen with Sakura. Itachi’s apartment was quite open so it was easy to remain where he was and watch Naruko loudly proclaiming that Shikamaru was cheating at cards. He could see the flush to her cheeks and hear the slight slur to her words.  

“So, what did you wish for?” Sakura asked and tipped her cup back into her mouth. 

“Nothing. If I want something, I’ll get it. Wishing won’t change that,” Sasuke said. 

“Yeah. Right,” Sakura scoffed and eyed where Naruko was pulling at her hair in frustration. 

“I thought you didn’t drink,” Sasuke said and eyed her cup. 

“I’m suspending my beliefs for the night. I’ve been really stressed lately between the hospital, training with shishou, and travelling to Suna.” 

“Suna?” 

“I’ve been giving them lessons on poisons and treatment,” she explained. “And nice try changing the subject. But since I’m a nice person, I won’t bother you too much right now. It is almost officially your birthday after all.” 

“How considerate of you,” he replied sarcastically. 

She shrugged. “I just want you to be happy, Sasuke-kun. Naruko makes you happy. It seems simple to me.” 

“I’m starting to regret spending so much time with you. You’re becoming as annoying as Itachi,” Sasuke pointed out. She wasn’t wrong, though. It scared him how happy he felt around Naruko. He loved and hated how much control she had over him. He loved how powerful she made him feel when she stood at his side, but he hated how weak she made him with just a look. He could take that plunge like Sakura had suggested. But he hesitated. It was enough to just be her friend. 

As if sensing where his thoughts were headed, Sakura stuck her tongue out at him. In a surprising show of childishness that he blamed on the alcohol in his system, Sasuke stuck out his tongue back at her. His reaction had surprised her, but she quickly recovered from her surprise and started laughing. He felt his cheeks warm even more than they already were. He was about to say something mildly teasing to get her to stop laughing at him but stopped when he heard her snort loudly. She quickly covered her mouth, her eyes going wide. A smirk grew on his face.  

“Shut up,” she commanded. He barely held back a laugh. She eyes narrowed at him threateningly. She was about to say something else, but a loud laugh escaped his mouth before he could smother it down. He watched her cheeks flame and had to look away to try to get his laughter under control. As he was getting himself under control, he noticed that everyone was staring at them in surprise.  

“Huh… I didn’t know Sasuke knew how to laugh,” Kiba commented, probably far louder than he’d intended. Hinata tried to shush him, but he shrugged in response. For several seconds, Sasuke didn’t know what to do. He briefly entertained the idea of just walking away and maybe sequestering himself in the bathroom while he tried to gain control of himself, but before he could move Shisui was pulling the attention back on himself. 

“Who wants a refill?” he shouted and brandished yet another bottle. Just like that, time started flowing again.  

“That was so embarrassing. And now Ino’s coming over,” Sakura muttered. Sasuke tossed his empty cup in the trash and moved around Sakura to leave. Now was the perfect time to go splash some water on his face. “Coward,” Sakura hissed at him as he past. He preferred to think of it as a tactical retreat. 

~:~ 

Itachi was ready to pull his hair out. He watched his brother leave the room without a backward glance before shifting his gaze to where Naruko stared at his brother’s back. The blonde girl had been shooting his brother glances all night but remained surrounded by her friends. She’d smiled and laughed with them, but her smile would falter slightly whenever she glanced at his brother chatting with the pink-haired medic. Itachi was sure that nothing was going on between his brother and the medic. He’d gleaned enough of their conversations from reading their lips. The medic, Sakura, was trying to push his brother to confess his obvious feelings for Naruko. However, his brother was being as stubborn as usual. 

Maybe he was going about this the wrong way? 

Itachi focused his gaze on where Naruko was staring into her cup with a small frown. He patted Izumi on the arm softly before leaving her side and heading over to Naruko. “Good luck,” he heard her whisper after him, already aware of his personal mission. 

Once he’d gotten close, Itachi said, “Naruko-chan, I didn’t get a chance to thank you. You put in a lot of work throwing this party for my brother.” 

Naruko looked up at him and beamed. “I know he doesn’t like parties, but this is the first birthday I got to spend with him in years. I guess I wanted it to be special.” 

“I’m sure he appreciates it.” 

“Yeah. He looks like he’s having fun,” Naruko said in a soft tone. She downed the rest of her drink with a grimace. She tried to smile, but it looked brittle to his eyes. She wore her every emotion on her sleeve, blatantly obvious to anyone who paid a modicum of attention. How had his brother missed it? 

“Naruko-chan, would you do me a favor? Shisui’s been pretty generous with the drinks and we’re starting to run low. Can you get some more from the guest room?” Itachi asked and took the empty cup from her. She nodded at him and left the same way Sasuke had gone. Itachi wasn’t sure what to expect but he hoped that an impromptu run in and a lack of inhibitions would loosen Sasuke’s tongue long enough to make him confess his feelings. And if this didn’t work, he’d keep trying. The night had just begun after all. 

~:~ 

Sasuke wiped the water off his face with one of the towels before examining himself in the mirror. His cheeks were still flushed and even his ears had gone pink. But he felt a bit more in control of himself now. He’d just slow down on the drinks and eat something. Then maybe he could leave without embarrassing himself any further. 

Leaving the bathroom with a sigh, it was pure reflexes that kept him from bumping into someone outside the door. “Sorry,” they said quickly and Sasuke froze. “Oh, Sasuke.” 

Sasuke tried to move around her and said, “Sorry. You can go ahead.” 

“No. I was getting more drinks,” she said showed him the bottles in her hands. Sasuke nodded and felt the words die on his tongue. She hadn’t moved and was staring at a spot on his chest. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. There’d been plenty of silences between them before, but it’d never felt so awkward. They’d managed to restore some normality to their relationship after he’d talked to her about his nightmares. But he’d only opened another can of worms when he’d rolled over and woken up on her lap. For a few blissful seconds, he’d stared up at her in admiration and everything was right with the world. He’d actually managed to have pleasant dreams and a restful sleep. But then their positions had fully sunken in. She hadn’t reacted poorly, but he’d been filled with embarrassment and regret (which was absurd because they hadn’t even done anything).

“Are you having fun?” 

“Yeah. It’s a good party,” he said and hoped that he didn’t sound as awkward as he thought he did. 

“Thanks. Itachi let me plan it and have it here,” she said and smiled. 

“He told me Shisui was throwing him a housewarming,” Sasuke scoffed.  

“At least you were surprised.” 

He had definitely been surprised. He hadn’t expected her to go through so much effort for him. At most, he was expecting his mother to make his favorites for dinner and his family would wish him a happy birthday. “Thank you,” he couldn’t stop himself from blurting. 

She looked up at him in surprise before grinning. She pulled her lower lip between her teeth and bounced on her heels. She was saying something else to him, but he wasn’t registering the words. His eyes scanned her face, taking in every minute detail. He watched her mouth as she spoke, his eyes catching on her tongue when she licked her lips. He stared at her eyes that seemed to express too many emotions all at once with the long eyelashes framing them. Her bangs were getting long. They were almost in her eyes. He brushed them to the side before he knew what he was doing. Her mouth had stopped moving and she was staring up at him in question. He could feel his heart starting to pound in his chest and his temperature skyrocketed. He could see her lips moving, recognizing the words leaving her lips. “Sasuke?”  

This couldn’t be natural. He’d tried multiple times to rationalize this pull she had over him, but he’d always failed. She was objectively pretty with her bright and somewhat exotic features and slim yet curvy frame. But he’d seen plenty of pretty women, even some objectively more attractive. But none of them had aroused such a deep attraction. It often felt like he had no control of his body where she was involved. As if her very presence caused him to act in ways he never would with others. “Why is it always you?” he couldn’t help but ask. Her brows furrowed in confusion, but his body was already moving before she could respond. 

His hands cradled her slender neck, as his lips came down on hers. She had frozen up instantly with a surprised squeak. His hands moved to the back of her neck before his fingers tangled in her hair. He pulled her closer to him, her body heat seeping into him. Idly he could hear the sounds of the bottles shattering just before her hands slid up his chest to his collar. Suddenly, she gripped the collar of his shirt and pulled him further down to her level. He tilted his head, leaning more into the kiss just as he felt his back touch the door. Her slim hands were tangling in his hair now as she seemed to be trying to merge their bodies into one.  

When he heard her moan softly against his lips, he felt both cold and feverish. He withdrew from her firm hold and stared down at her. Her eyes were still closed, and her fingers rested on his chest. He could smell the alcohol on her breath as she panted softly into the space between them. When her eyes fluttered open, she looked completely dazed. He wasn’t sure what to say to begin explaining his actions. He could feel some panic start to form the more time passed. He blurted the first thing that came to mind, “I have to pee.” 

He could tell that his words hadn’t fully registered yet but reached behind him to open the bathroom door and slip inside. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it. He could hear his heart beating out his chest, as his face flamed, and his lips tingled. He tried to calm his breathing, but he wasn’t having much success. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the door. That was a mistake.

“Teme!” he heard her shout from the other side of the door before she pounded on the wood. 

Sasuke nearly cursed. He should have known that she wouldn’t leave him alone after that. After tonight, he was never drinking again. Alcohol impaired his decision making far too much. 

“Teme! You can’t just kiss someone and then run away!” she shouted and banged on the door. When he heard the chatter of the party die down, Sasuke briefly contemplated throwing himself off the Hokage monument. Suddenly, Sasuke could hear what sounded like Shisui laughing up a storm while Sakura’s voice called out (probably so he could hear her), “What an idiot.” 

“Naruko- chan, please don’t break down my door,” Itachi called out. 

“I wouldn’t have to break it down if he’d just open. The. Door!” Naruko shouted and punctuated each shout with a pound of her fist. Rolling his eyes, Sasuke quickly opened the door wide enough to pull her inside before shutting it and locking it with a click. His hand was over her mouth before she could get a word out. Her eyes were blazing and honestly, he saw that coming. 

“Keep it down, Usuratonkachi,” he hissed. She was glaring at him, but she didn’t look like she was going to keep shouting so he released her.  

“Why’d you kiss me?” she asked in a voice only slightly louder than a whisper. Sasuke clenched his jaw and looked anywhere but at her. “You shouldn’t kiss people when you don’t like them that way, Teme.” 

He stared at her in shock. “Dobe. I wouldn’t kiss someone if I didn’t like them,” he said as if he were insulted by her assumption.  

“Then why’d you kiss me?” she asked and folded her arms. Sasuke resisted the urge to pull his hair out. Naruko could be a little slow on the uptake and quite dense, and it seemed that alcohol did nothing to help her. 

“Why’d you kiss me?” he fired back instead. Immediately, her face flamed. She avoided his gaze, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly. He could recognize the look on her face. He’d seen it plenty of times before, but never on her. He wanted to kick himself. How long had she liked him back? Sasuke rolled his eyes and shook his head. “This is stupid,” he said and approached her again. She froze up for a second but was much quicker to respond to his kiss this time. 

When he pulled away from the kiss to take a breath, she asked, “You like me?” in a soft voice. “You have a funny way of showing it, Teme. I thought I did something to make you hate me.” 

“What the hell are you talking about?” 

“You’ve been avoiding me again. I thought I’d made you mad or something. It’s nice that you and Sakura-chan are better friends now, ‘ttebayo. But you two were spending time together without me and I know I left for three years-” she rambled. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. 

“You know I don’t like Sakura. That’s obvious, Dobe. She’s too annoying, like Itachi. I don’t think she likes me that way anymore anyways.” 

“Oh,” she said. Sasuke rolled his eyes at her again. “Well, I like you even though you can be a prickly bastard, ‘ttebayo.” 

“You’re not so bad for a loser,” he shrugged.  

“Teme,” she said without heat and stepped up to him. An excited happiness filled him, completely silencing all the guilt, doubt, and fear he’d been harboring. As he leaned down towards her, he felt her hands wrap around his neck and roughly pull him the rest of the way down. She kissed like she did everything else, enthusiastically and instinctually. But he wasn’t about to complain. 

“Oi! Quit hogging the bathroom! Some people have to take a piss!” Kiba’s voice shouted from the hallway outside. 

“Kiba-kun!” Hinata objected in a strained voice. 

~:~ 

When Sasuke opened his eyes, he immediately shut them again and groaned. He covered his eyes with a hand and tried to breathe through the nausea rolling in his gut. When he heard a soft thunk, he cracked an eye open. He stared in confusion at the glass of water and the napkin with two pills resting next to his futon. His eyes glanced up to watch Itachi’s back as he left the room.  

“What happened?” Sasuke croaked through dry mouth. 

“You indulged. Don’t worry. All of your friends made it home in one piece, I think,” Itachi said over his shoulder. Sasuke sat up slowly and blinked at the bare surroundings. It took a few seconds for him to realize that he was in Itachi’s guestroom. Sasuke reached for the glass of water and nearly moaned in relief. “Happy birthday, otouto,” Itachi said with a smirk. Downing the aspirin with the last of the water, Sasuke returned to the comfort and darkness of the covers with a low groan. 

When he opened his eyes again some time later, Sasuke poked his head out from under the covers. He felt remarkably better, but still slightly nauseous. Pulling himself out of bed, he left the room behind and stepped into the living room. You couldn’t even tell that there had been a party here last night. Itachi had thoroughly cleaned up and was now sitting at the table with a cup of tea. “There’s some food in the fridge if you can keep it down,” Itachi said with a small grin. 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. “What’s with you?” he asked and shuffled over to the fridge. 

“Nothing. I would advise you to speak to Naruko-chan as soon as possible though.” 

Sasuke frowned. Suspicions raised, Sasuke asked, “Why?”  

“Because she has shown up at my door twice already asking for you. I believe she went to the compound looking for you before that. I’ve done my best to convince her to give you some time to recuperate, but I don’t think she’ll be turned away again,” Itachi said and hid a smirk behind his teacup. 

Sasuke was about to question Itachi further when flashes of the previous night came back to him. He could remember groping hands and sloppy kisses in a dark bedroom. Sasuke nearly cursed. “I’m never drinking again,” he promised. 

“That’s probably a wise decision. You two were quite attached when I went to check on you at the end of the party. It was a bit of a hassle to convince Naruko-chan to head home. Sakura-san was very patient with her,” Itachi said. 

So she hadn’t spent the night with him. Sasuke nearly breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered the notion of being intimate with Naruko. But that was a step he wasn’t ready for yet. Not only that, but he’d regret it if he was too drunk to remember his first time. A sudden knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts. 

“Like clockwork,” Itachi mused with a small grin and went to answer the door. “Naruko-chan, come in,” he greeted and immediately left them alone.  

Sasuke froze at the sight of her. She was glowing, practically bringing the sunlight in with her. She looked no worse for wear, as if she hadn’t been throwing back drinks with him last night. He pouted at the bright smile on her face. “Why don’t you look like shit?” he huffed. 

“The kyuubi treats alcohol like poison and clears it away,” she said with a shrug as she stepped up to him. “Ano… do you remember what happened last night? I think I do, but there are some blanks.” 

“Probably from one too many hits to the head,” he teased softly while reheating some leftover onigiri.  

“Teme,” she chided and frowned slightly. She seemed to be warring with herself, her eyes clouding with hesitation and worry. Sasuke stared down at her, wondering what could be going through her head. He watched as she suddenly came to a decision and looked at him with fiery, determination in her eyes. “Sasuke, I like you. You’re my best friend and I like you. I don’t know why. I just do, ‘ttebayo.” 

It didn’t take a genius to see what she wanted from him. After hearing her little speech, there was a part of him that wanted to deny her- refuse to give her any more hold over him. There was another part that envied her ability to say such things so easily. She’d never had an issue with expressing herself and he’d always envied her for it (Rule #66: A shinobi must never show weakness).  

If he turned her down like he’d done so many others, she’d get over it eventually. She’d get over it and eventually move on. She’d find someone else, date, marry… Would she have kids? He frowned at the uncomfortable feeling in his chest. A selfish thought suddenly popped into his head, ‘Would she have time for me?’ Maybe… She still found time for him now. But if she found someone who cared about her half as much as he did… 

His hand moved before he could change his mind. With two fingers, he poked at her forehead and said, “Dobe, I told you last night, didn’t I?” Her eyes widened comically as a deep flush raced up her neck and covered her entire face. He could almost see the wisps of steam floating off her face. “What the hell are you thinking about?” 

“Nothing!” she shouted. She was so obvious he seriously wondered how he hadn’t picked up on her attraction to him before. Rolling his eyes, Sasuke cradled her cheeks with his hands, tilted her head up and brought his lips to hers. Maybe he was being selfish. But when Naruko practically threw herself into the kiss while pulling him in, Sasuke couldn’t bring himself to care too much. 

~Omake~ 

He wasn’t having nightmares anymore. He should be happy by this change, but Sasuke couldn’t help but feel like he’d traded nightmares for something far more problematic. Although he couldn’t sense anyone behind him, Sasuke quickly glanced over his shoulder. He’d left the lights off and used his sharingan to guide him through the darkness of the house. He read off the settings on the washing machine before selecting “Normal” and tossing in his sheets. The sounds of the washer were soft, but still loud enough to magnify the embarrassment he felt. 

Were the nightmares worse? Objectively, yes.  

Did it mean that he wanted to sneak around his home in the middle of the night because he didn’t want his mother to- 

Sasuke frowned deeply. Talking to Naruko had managed to help. She even snuck into his room once or twice to help him fall asleep. He was usually sleeping through the night now, except for nights like these. He’d already had to ban her from sneaking into his room at night. He appreciated the sentiment, but it only made it more embarrassing that she was the one still haunting his dreams. 

Sasuke froze when the lights suddenly switched on. He could tell who it was by the chakra signature and he refused to turn around despite feeling the heavy gaze on his back. His entire face must be red. When he didn’t hear any teasing however, Sasuke risked a glance over his shoulder. 

Itachi was staring at him, expression blank. After a few seconds, his brother turned around and left the way he came without a word. Sasuke was about to breathe a sigh of relief but then he heard his brother say (a bit dramatically in Sasuke’s opinion), “This memory is going to haunt me for the rest of my life.” Sasuke silently cursed his parents for not making him an only child.

Chapter Text

“Little Sasuke-chan is growing up. It feels like just yesterday you barely came up to my waist,” Shisui said with an exaggerated sniff. Sasuke rolled his eyes with a scoff. It was moments like these where Sasuke genuinely questioned whether Shisui was really an Uchiha. His cousin was dabbing at his completely dry eyes and blowing his nose into a napkin. ‘So dramatic,’ Sasuke thought.

“Where has the time gone?” Itachi asked in that bland tone of his, but even he had a small, teasing smirk on his face.

“You are both ridiculous,” Sasuke scoffed and returned to his food. Why had he taken up Itachi’s offer to stay over for dinner again? Right, he had assumed that it would be just the two of them, but he should have known better. Itachi had barely finished laying out the food when Shisui had strode into the apartment as if he belonged there and claimed a seat at the kotatsu.

“Oh come on, Sasuke. We’re just teasing. You and Itachi are like brothers to me and what are brothers for?” Shisui said and clasped at hand onto Sasuke’s shoulder with a grin. Sasuke sighed softly and returned to his food. It’s not like he minded Shisui’s teasing too much. His only saving grace was that Shisui wasn’t as meddlesome as Itachi. Accepting his lack of protest with a nod, Shisui turned to Itachi, “So how did you get them to separate this time? You said it took both you and Haruno-san to pull them off each other at the party.”

Sasuke nearly snapped his chopsticks as he turned a glare onto his brother. “Liar,” Sasuke seethed at his loose-lipped brother. Whether that was a lie or not, Sasuke wasn’t 100% certain. That night was still a bit of a blur…

Itachi finished chewing before he calmly responded to Shisui, “Sakura-san did most of the physical work required to pull Naruko-chan away from my brother. I believe the issue was that they were too intoxicated to see reason. Naruko-chan was more willing to leave this time when I pointed out how late it was getting. Kushina-san has very strict dinnertime rules.”

“I’m mildly surprised. I didn’t take Sasuke for the passionate or romantic type,” Shisui mused. “But he must be doing somethingright.”

“I’m right here,” Sasuke ground out and glared at both Itachi and Shisui.

“I admit that they have an…interesting dynamic,” Itachi replied as if he hadn’t heard Sasuke.

“Interesting is putting it lightly. If I called a girl an idiot on a regular basis, I’d get slapped for it and my reputation would be shot,” Shisui complained.

“And what a reputation to lose,” Sasuke muttered loud enough for Shisui to hear.

Seeming to no longer be ignoring Sasuke’s presence, Shisui turned to him with a wounded look. “Is that sarcasm I hear, Sasuke? You make it seem like I’m some sort of philanderer.”

Sasuke snorted and asked, “How’s that civilian girl you were seeing? The one you said gave you chocolates for Valentine’s day.”

“He’s no longer seeing Kurosawa-san,” Itachi pointed out and took a bite of the tomato nabe he’d made. Sasuke shot Shisui a knowing smirk. “They were together for three weeks and four days.”

“Do you always count down how long my relationships last?” Shisui asked Itachi, affronted by the blatant betrayal.

“It’s not like it’s a lot of work. What’s your record? Three months?” Sasuke teased with a smirk. Shisui narrowed his gaze at Sasuke in warning.

“Four,” Itachi corrected mildly.

Shisui hung his head with a loud sigh before giving Itachi an exasperated look, “Not all of us find their perfect match when we’re seven.” Itachi shrugged once in response. Turning back to Sasuke, Shisui pointed his chopsticks at his younger cousin and said, “Nonetheless, we’re happy for you, Sasuke. It was pretty painful watching you dance around your feelings and beat around the bush for so long.”

Sasuke felt his brow twitch when Itachi nodded along sagely to Shisui’s words. “I’m so sorry for the inconvenience,” Sasuke muttered.

“Don’t worry about it,” Shisui waved him off with a grin. “You should really be focusing on where you’re going to take Naruko-chan for your first date. The first date is really important for determining how a relationship will progress.”

Sasuke would never admit it out loud, but he didn’t have the faintest clue how to be a boyfriend. His best examples came from his father and brother, but both of them were very private with their more affectionate behaviors. Their displays of romantic love had been few and far in between- some hand holding or a slightly longer than normal embrace. Sasuke felt like he could handle that. He’d seen Shisui with a few girls over the years- a stark contrast to Itachi and his father. Sasuke was positive that he couldn’t handle public declarations of admiration just yet. (Shisui had no shame).

Taking his silence as an answer, Shisui went on, “You have no idea what you’re doing, do you? You’re just like Itachi.” Itachi shot Shisui a mild glare but didn’t say anything. “Don’t give me that look. You were just as lost as Sasuke looks when you asked me for advice.”

Sasuke shot Itachi a look of surprise. He wasn’t sure why, but he’d never entertained the idea that Itachi had been lost and had no idea what to do once upon a time. Itachi had always seemed like a wealth of knowledge and experience. There was only five years between them, but it always felt like Itachi had an answer for every question and a plan for every situation. But, he supposed, even Itachi had to start somewhere.

Itachi had a slight tint of pink on his cheeks as he cleared his throat. “I was thirteen,” Itachi stressed. “Besides, even I could see that Tou-san wasn’t the best option when I had questions,” Itachi explained.

“So, you asked Shisui?” Sasuke asked incredulously.

“Of course! You won’t find anyone with better advice than me,” Shisui bragged. “I’d already had my first kiss before you were out of diapers, Sasuke-chan.”

Sasuke eyed Shisui before turning back to Itachi in question. His older brother sipped at his tea before silently nodding once at Sasuke’s hidden question. Sasuke turned slightly less dubious eyes back onto his cousin. He considered Shisui for some time and Shisui grinned at Sasuke in return. “What… what’s so important about the first date?” Sasuke managed to get out. Shisui looked positively thrilled that Sasuke had asked. So thrilled in fact, that Sasuke wondered if he would end up regretting his decision.

“Girls are a different breed of creatures, Sasuke. They can decide within minutes whether someone is worthy of their time. That’s why the first date is important,” Shisui said with a finger pointed at Sasuke. “Luckily for you, Naruko-chan has already decided to give you a chance beforehand. But that doesn’t mean you can relax.

“Girls approach a relationship differently from us. Their goals are more focused on the long term. Most of them are looking for long-term commitment, marriage and kids,” Shisui said and finished off his nabe.

Sasuke chewed a tomato as he mused. Naruko had never mentioned any of that. When she spoke about the future, she was always declaring her plans to become Hokage. She had never once mentioned anything romantic. Did she want kids? Did he? Was he too young to be considering this?

“Maybe Naruko-chan is different though. You know her better than I do,” Shisui said with a shrug. “And that’s where you have the advantage. You’ve been friends for so long that you already know what she likes, dislikes, wants and needs. It shouldn’t be hard to find something that you both like to do and just go out and do that.”

Sasuke frowned as he thought. “We like to train,” he replied.

After a beat of silence where Shisui just stared at him, Shisui sighed and hung his head. Itachi shook with silent laughter before managing to get out, “I think that’s as good as you’re going to get, Shisui.”

“Training is hardly romantic, Sasuke,” Shisui tried to explain as if Sasuke were a slow child.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Then what do you suggest?” Sasuke asked snidely. Once again, Shisui grinned widely and almost predatorily. Sasuke felt as if that had been the wrong question to ask. He gulped.

~:~

Shisui’s words were still buzzing around in his head the next day. Sasuke did his best to focus on his training, but he could tell that his mother was more than aware of how distracted he was today. They’d chosen one of the empty Uchiha training grounds for their session today. Her sharingan were spinning lazily as she raised her katana to block the swing of his chokuto. Sensing that she was about to go on the offensive, Sasuke jumped back and out of the way of her blade.

When he was fifteen, Sasuke had spent several months pushing himself to master a wide range of skills in preparation for his jounin exam. He’d practiced genjutsu with Itachi, ninjutsu with Kakashi, and worked on his speed and taijutsu with Shisui. He had considered asking his father for a lesson or two of whatever the man was willing to teach him, but pride had held him back. He’d wanted to improve without his father’s help as a sort of surprise like he had done for his chuunin exams.

When his mother had offered to teach him kenjutsu, Sasuke was surprised to learn that she had more or less mastered the skill in both the generic Konoha and the Uchiha styles. He knew that his mother was an accomplished jounin before she had retired. But he was a little ashamed that he hadn’t even considered asking for her help.

He wasn’t sure what he’d expected when he decided to take her up on the offer, but it wasn’t the strict disciplinarian he had faced. His mother had been out of the field for years, but her skills were still sharp and her movements fluid and practiced. As a rule, he wasn’t allowed to use his sharingan when training with her, forced to rely on his natural reflexes and observational skills. He’d been completely overwhelmed within minutes, but she hadn’t bothered to give him much time to recover. She sometimes randomly switched between kenjutsu styles in an effort to keep him on his toes. She even slipped in movements from styles he couldn’t readily identify. Sasuke quickly learned that his mother could take training far more seriously than even Itachi. When she had helped him train before he had made genin, she was always patient and encouraging. But now that he was older, she faced him like an adult with quick strikes and almost harsh punishment for careless mistakes.

Despite her rough training methods, his mother was always quick to praise him and his quick mastery of his blade. Itachi hadn’t cared to devote too much time to the skill so it made her happy to be able to pass her skills onto him. Sasuke was happy that he’d made her happy and there was another part of him that was thrilled to be skilled at something Itachi wasn’t.

Sasuke dodged the quick, controlled swipes of his mother’s blade while preparing for a counterattack.  He was easily blocked yet again, and he could see his mother frowning slightly at him. “You’re distracted. You’re lucky I haven’t drawn blood yet,” she admonished and forced him back with a push of her blade. Resisting the urge to scowl, Sasuke forced his mind to clear with a deep exhale before taking up the offensive. She was still easily reading his movements, but at least she was smiling again. “Muchbetter,” she praised.

Sasuke tensed immediately. He was more than familiar with his mother’s patterns by now so he knew that once he had met her expectations, she would immediately increase the intensity of her attacks. He wasn’t disappointed when she tossed some shuriken from her sleeve and breathed fire release onto them. “Katon: Housenka Tsumabeni,” she called the jutsu.

Resisting the urge to activate his sharingan, Sasuke channeled his chidori through his blade and started to move. He could have tried to dodge the attack, but he knew that this was another one of his mother’s tests on his visual acuity and reflexes. He raised his chirping blade, easily deflecting the shuriken within his path while keeping his body low to the ground in order to avoid the rest of the flaming projectiles.

“Well done. It was wise to channel your lightning release through your blade. It wouldn’t have been able to handle the addition of my fire release without it,” she said and replaced her sword into its scabbard. Sasuke nodded in thanks while putting away his blade. “Can I ask what had you so distracted today?” she asked with a curious tilt to her head.

Before Sasuke could respond, another voice called out over the training grounds, “Sasuke!” They both turned to see Naruko waving at the edge of the training grounds with a wide grin.

Mikoto smirked while shooting her son a knowing look from the corner of her eyes. Sasuke wisely chose not to acknowledge her. Mikoto smiled serenely at Naruko’s approaching form before saying, “Naruko-chan, you’re looking especially happy today.”

Naruko’s grin dimmed slightly as a light blush tinged her cheeks and she nervously scratched at the back of her head. “What can I say? It’s a nice day today, dattebayo!” she said with a stilted laugh. Sasuke gave her an exasperated look. How did she manage to make it this far as a shinobi when she couldn’t lie to save her life?

“It sure is,” Mikoto said and grinned. “I think I’ve had enough training for today, Sasuke. I need to run some errands. I’ll leave you two to enjoy the day,” she said and patted his back softly before leaving them alone.

Was his father the only one in his family not pushing him and Naruko together?

“Ne, Teme. Let’s get some ramen,” Naruko suggested with a bright grin as she rocked on her heels.

“You came all the way here to ask me to get ramen?” he asked a little dubiously. The Uchiha district was on the edge of the village. He was more than sure that she had gone out of her way to invite him out to eat. Suddenly, Sasuke remembered Shisui’s advice.

“Every girl eats. Go out to a nice restaurant and don’t forget to be charming. Use some of those manners I know Mikoto-oba-san taught you.”

“Yeah! I have a coupon that I was saving, ‘ttebayo,” she said and showed him a wrinkled piece of paper from her pocket.

Sasuke was sure that going to Ichiraku Ramen while he was still sweaty and dirty from training was not what Shisui had had in mind. Sasuke tried to think of a nice place to eat in the village, but he was drawing a blank. He didn’t normally eat out and when he did, it was for ramen or maybe barbeque. He must have been taking too long to respond because Naruko suddenly exclaimed in excitement before tugging him away from the training ground. Sasuke had wanted to object, but he could barely get a word in once she had started singing her ramen praises.

She was debating the merits of each flavor of ramen without much input from him as they walked through the village. She was telling him about the new flavor being offered at the ramen stand, not a care in the world. Sasuke couldn’t help but glance down at where she was holding onto him. Her hand was still secured around his blue wrist warmer even though he was now walking at her side. Naruko had no concept of personal space so he wasn’t surprised that she could touch him so freely. He was almost jealous of how easily she could get close to others. The only times he didn’t hesitate to touch her were during spars or brawls.

Suddenly, Naruko pulled her hand away from him with a soft, “sorry”. He realized that she’d caught him staring at their hands. She held her hand to her chest before slipping both hands into her pockets. She was awkwardly shrinking in on herself, not meeting his gaze. Sasuke didn’t care for extended physical contact with others but Naruko always seemed to thrive on it. He supposed he should mind, but he couldn’t find a reason to.  Maybe he was just used to her by now? “Usuratonkachi, it’s fine.” She stared up at him in surprise for several seconds before a light blush rose on her cheeks. Just like that, she grinned at him before snatching up his hand and tugging him forward. She didn’t let go of his hand until they were seated at Ichiraku. When she did, he couldn’t help but notice the loss of warmth, but kept quiet. While he didn’t mind the contact, that didn’t mean he would latch onto her like a bur.

“One miso with extra pork!” Naruko exclaimed and practically vibrated in place with excitement.

Sasuke wasn’t a professional by any means but even he could tell that this was probably the farthest from “romantic” that they could get. Sasuke was still on his first bowl by the time Naruko was tipping her second back and draining the leftover broth from hers. He watched her wipe her mouth on her sleeve before shouting to Ayame for another bowl. Nope. Not romantic in the slightest. But… Sasuke stared at the absolutely ecstatic look on her face when Ayame brought over another bowl. (He supposed that he shouldn’t be surprised. She had always been pretty easy to please.)

Naruko was mid-slurp when she caught him staring. She smiled at him despite the noodles hanging from her mouth before eagerly returning to her bowl. What did it matter if they weren’t at a nice restaurant? As long as she was happy, he could be happy too. “Naruko,” he started. Her cheeks were stuffed when she turned a questioning gaze onto him. “I want to fight you.”

She blinked at him in surprise before loudly swallowing the food in her mouth. “You’re on, Teme!” she shouted with a wide, excited grin. Without any hesitation, she gulped down the rest of her food and dumped her coupon and some money onto the counter from her frog wallet. Sasuke had just enough time to finish his food before they were dashing out of the ramen stand and over the rooftops towards the training grounds.

“I’ve been training hard, Teme. I won’t be going easy on you,” she said as she stretched her legs.

“Hn. I didn’t expect you to stop training. But it won’t make much difference,” Sasuke smirked and rested a hand on the hilt of his sword at his hip.

It had been far too long since their last spar. He missed this feeling and judging by the grin she was sporting; she felt the same. He let his eyes swirl into the sharingan and he watched her chakra swirl around her. Sasuke drew his sword and charged just as Naruko drew a kunai and met him halfway. “How long have you been using a sword?” she asked.

“Two years,” he replied and blocked a downward slash from her kunai. While he held her at bay, he funneled his lightning release through his sword. Her eyes widened in surprise and she leapt backwards to avoid the stray jolts of lightning. Without hesitation, he followed after her with his chirping chokuto drawn. He vaguely recalled her mentioning training with wind chakra. He wasn’t sure how far along she was in her training and he was curious as to how she would match his lightning.

He had to admit that he was pleased to know that her affinity was wind. His primary affinity was lightning (somewhat rare for an Uchiha) which gave her an advantage. Nonetheless, he was feeling a bit excited at the thought of her training to work around his primary affinity. It would only make for a better challenge. There was also the matter of his secondary affinity for fire. Only wind can assist and magnify fire. Sasuke tried to keep from looking too far into it, but his mind couldn’t help but ponder the possibilities of the types of jutsu they could create.

“Taju kage bushin no jutsu,” he heard her say just before the training ground was flooded with orange.

He was actually starting to sweat. He could barely find a second to breathe with the number of clones she was putting out. His body was almost moving on muscle memory alone- duck, twist, turn, jump. Eventually, the movements got too repetitive for his tastes. Using one clone’s head as a springboard, he jumped into the air and flipped while gathering lighting in his left hand. With one swipe of his arm, a shower of senbon rained down on the sea of Naruko and quickly dispersed most of them. When he touched back down, Sasuke smirked with a soft, “hn”.

“If you want to beat me, you’ll need to do more than send out clones,” Sasuke said and ran his eyes over each of the Naruko left. They were all watching him with fierce determination on their identical features, but their chakra gave them away. None of them were the real one. Their chakra signatures were all identical, but the amount of chakra in each clone paled in comparison to the original- like candles compared to a roaring flame.

“Oi! You think you’re better than me, Teme!”

“I’ll kick your ass even if I’m a clone!”

She had to be planning something. Sasuke was mildly impressed that she had the foresight and patience to attempt to pull off whatever it was. He was confident that he’d be able to figure it out long before she could get close, though. It might be arrogant of him, but he was sure that no one knew her fighting style better than he did. And despite all her unpredictability, it never took him too long to figure out what she was thinking mid-battle.

He had staked his sword in the ground next to him to grab the Naruko charging at him by her jacket. Using her own momentum against her, he threw her into another clone trying to sneak up behind him. He was about to draw his sword again when he heard a screeching noise. Turning to the few remaining clones, he could see that they had paired off and were forming a new type of rasengan. He could see the blades of wind chakra spinning around her normal chakra. The clones were grinning wildly now.

“Futon: Rasengan!”

Sasuke did his best to outrun the balls of chakra speeding towards him and he was only mildly surprised when they expanded. His eyes widened when some of the clones decided to face him head on with their jutsu, however. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see another rasengan speeding towards him, but he was just a second too slow. The rasengan popped into another clone that tackled him to the ground and landed a punch to his jaw. For a second, he was left dazed on his back, vaguely feeling his jaw throb as she landed a few more punches. Her thighs were clenched over his arms, keeping his upper body immobile. On his second try, Sasuke was able to generate lightning all over his body to disperse her clone.

He wasn’t proud to admit that he’d quickly lost control of the fight to her clones. His body moved on its own, dodging about half her strikes. At one point, one of the clones even managed to disarm him with a kunai. He could feel that natural competitive spirit rising up within him. He wouldn’t lose.

He would only need one for this. He didn’t want to go overboard. Suddenly making the tiger sign, Sasuke took a deep breath and compressed his chakra. ‘Katon: Gouryuuka no jutsu!’ Sasuke dropped his jaw and exhaled the large, dragon head-shaped fireball at the clones, causing them to disappear on contact or from the intense heat alone. Using his chakra, Sasuke was able to control the fire to send it flying upwards. He watched as the clouds started to slowly gather just as the real Naruko reappeared from where she had been hiding along the edges of the training ground.

He watched and waited for her attack, but she was standing completely still with her eyes closed. Was she… meditating? “Need a break, Usuratonkachi?” he taunted, but he was secretly grateful. The thunder clouds were still darkening.

When she didn’t respond, he frowned slightly. He was about to toss some shuriken at her but stopped when he noticed her skin changing around her eyes. Her tanned skin was turning orange and when she opened her eyes, her sky-blue irises were yellow. Subtly shifting his stance, Sasuke waited for her attack. She grinned and said, “Took a while to gather the chakra, but I hope you’re ready! Here I come, Sasuke!”

That was all the warning he received before she practically blurred out of existence. He could barely see her movements as she struck with far more strength than he was used to from her. Was she using chakra to enhance her strength? No. He’d be able to see it, if only slightly. It was almost like the amount of chakra she was using was diminished. So how? He was left even more confused when a punch that he was sure he had dodged, still managed to knock him backwards and away. When he turned back to her in question, he watched her give him a “V for victory” sign and grin smugly.

He knew that he wasn’t supposed to use it. His father, Shisui, and Itachi (especially Itachi) had warned him against it. A spar with Naruko hardly counted as an emergency. Maybe if he refrained from using any jutsu? He just needed to be able to see. He let his chakra pool behind his eyes, his Mangekyo swirling into place. He watched her grin fall as a more serious look slid over her face. That’s right. She had no idea what his eyes could do. “Your training wasn’t for nothing. But I wonder how fast you really are,” Sasuke said as the sound of thunder clapped overhead. He watched some raindrops land on her cheek, but she didn’t take her eyes off him. He gathered lightning chakra in his hand and the clouds above responded with more thunder. Finally, she looked up in astonishment.

Kirin was his most powerful raiton jutsu. When he had been training with Kakashi to expand his ninjutsu repertoire, his former sensei had given him one main goal: develop his own original jutsu. Kakashi had only advised him during the process, remaining mostly hands off. Sasuke hadn’t originally known what type of jutsu would have fit into his arsenal best. He had a wide range of short to long distance jutsu from multiple ranks. An offhanded comment from Kakashi about the chidori had gotten Sasuke thinking.

“I only regret the amount of chakra needed to use it,” Kakashi had lamented. Sasuke’s chakra reserves had built up enough that he could use the Chidori multiple times without being winded. But if he could use an even more powerful jutsu that required less chakra?

This Kirin was abated compared to the one he had perfected. It didn’t take the form of a dragon made of pure lightning this time, being restricted to stray bolts of lightning. There was no need to go all out. With a wave of his hand, the first bolt of lightning struck.

“Teme!” she shouted as she dove out of the way, tucking and rolling back onto her feet. There was a black circle of scorched grass where she had been standing.

“If you have time to yell, you should dodge faster,” he responded and sent another bolt of lightning down. As she was in the middle of dodging, he moved.

He could track her movements better now, but she was still moving a bit too fast for him to hit. Every few seconds, her eyes would quickly glance up at the clouds warily as if she were waiting for another strike of lightning. It was when she was distracted that he managed to land a kick to her gut and send her flying while simultaneously calling down another lightning strike.

“Futon: Reppuushou!”

Sasuke channeled some chakra to his feet to help him stick to the ground as he braced himself for the incoming winds. He watched her narrowly slip past the lightning, the uncontrolled release of winds and her own chakra pushing her out of the way of his attack. (He hadn’t realized that he’d tensed up during that last attack.) When she pushed herself back up from the ground with an outraged curse at him, he relaxed slightly. Luckily, the thunder clouds were starting to dissipate. She was still in the middle of cursing at him when he dashed across the training ground.

“Where’d you learn that jutsu?” she questioned while ducking to avoid his fist.

“I developed it.”

He felt an odd sense of pride at her wide-eyed awe. But she was quick to snap out of it. “New jutsu or not, I can still kick your ass!”

“I doubt that. I had to hold back for your sake,” he said as he caught her punch with a chakra-enforced hand. He could have pat himself on the back for not flinching at the immediate sting of pain that shot up his arm.

“Teme!” she shouted and punched with her other fist. He made sure to reinforce his entire arm as he caught her other hand, doing his best to maintain his grip on her smaller fists. He was so close to her face he could feel her breaths coming out as harsh pants. He could feel his feet slowly sliding backwards on the grass from the force she was pushing against him. He tried to use his taller height to his advantage, but she wasn’t budging. Idly, he realized that they weren’t even sparing anymore, but this battle of wills felt just as intense as their earlier bout. He could feel his arms starting to weaken as she pushed him back another inch. It was pure bullheaded stubbornness that kept him going just long enough to notice the orange starting to fade around her eyes. He could hear her lamenting softly. Whatever technique she had used wasn’t permanent.

“Five minutes? Is that the best you can do, Usuratonkachi?” he couldn’t stop the taunt from escaping.

“Teme!” she shouted and used a quick burst of speed to grab him by the wrists. Just as the orange was fading away, she pushed her entire body forwards head-first. He had tried to lean back and away, but she’d still managed to smash the top of her head into his face. He thought he’d heard his nose crack. A loud curse jumped out of its own accord, but it was drowned out by her loud war cry. His breath left him with a “oomph” as she tackled him to the ground and straddled his waist.

After that, their legitimate spar devolved into a rowdy brawl accompanied by loud curses and insults. He couldn’t blame her entirely for it either. He was reacting to her wild energy the same way he’d done when they were kids. But now that they were older, it was much easier to restrain her in a chokehold and demand that she give up. She had immediately doubled- no, tripled- her efforts to break free, as if he had instead demanded she give up ramen. Like some sort of wild cat, she growled just seconds before actually biting him. She managed to wriggle out of his gasp while he stared incredulously at the fresh bite mark. He was still stunned that she’d actually bitten him when he felt her fist strike his cheek. He was about to kick her away, but she was fast enough to straddle him again and raise another fist to strike. Before she could bring down her arm, he met her gaze and placed her under a mild genjutsu. She was only gone for a few seconds, but it was enough to push her off him and restrain her with a kunai.

When her chakra surged out of her and broke his genjutsu, she blinked twice to regain her bearings and immediately started to struggle in his hold. He had his knee on the middle of her back and a hand pinning both her wrists to her back. “Teme, you cheated! Who said you could use genjutsu?”

“I didn’t realize it was cheating. Did you want me to hold back even more and let you win?” he replied. As he expected, she didn’t respond. Truthfully, he didn’t care to use genjutsu during their spars. He always preferred the challenge of meeting her head on- something that was easy to avoid with genjutsu. But he’d been a little desperate this time…

When he moved to stand, he let the sharingan fade away from his eyes. He offered her a hand up this time even though his arms still felt like jelly. She had a few bruises on her face and blood on her chin from a split lip, but he was sure that he looked no better. Sasuke rested a glowing hand to his face, immediately relishing in the feel of healing chakra soothing the pain he felt.

He was picking up his sword from where he’d lost it earlier when he heard her exclaim, “You know how to heal?”

“Sakura taught me,” he said and placed his chokuto back in its scabbard. She had closed in on him and was staring at his face in awe.

“Heal me too, ‘ttebayo!” she said and rested his hand on her cheek.

For a moment, he paused at the feel of her. He’d felt her face plenty of times, usually under his fist, but never from a gentle caress of his hand. He could feel the light ridges of her whiskers under his thumb, but other than that her face felt smooth, soft and heated to the touch. He noticed her eyes widening slightly as a light flush colored her cheeks. He felt his heart pound once and skip a beat as he moved his hand away. “Maybe next time, Usuratonkachi. If you actually manage to beat me that is,” he said and poked her forehead. He started walking away from her and he could almost hear the seconds pass as her brain caught up to his words.

“Jerk!” she shouted as his back. Sasuke smirked.

~:~

Sasuke was sure that Shisui was getting far too much enjoyment out of their training sessions. The older boy was grinning widely and recounting their spar from his point of view. “You just need to focus more. That’s all,” Shisui said with an easy shrug.

“I was focusing,” Sasuke gripped. They were walking back to the village together after spending all afternoon training. They’d had to go out of the village and find a clearing large and secluded enough for privacy. They were working with clan secrets after all.

Shisui rubbed a hand to his chin and hummed in thought. “It’s probably your chakra control then. You’re decent at fine control, but the Susanoo is different. It can be just as strenuous to handle such a large mass of chakra as it is to continuously handle with small amounts. You should try meditation.”

Sasuke raised a dubious brow.

“I mean you should try refamiliarizing yourself with your chakra. Using the Susanoo requires a large amount of familiarity with your chakra to be able to form the full body. Try spending at least an hour a day getting more in tune with your chakra.”

Sasuke turned Shisui’s words over in his head. The older boy was right. Using the Susanoo didn’t come as easily to him as using Amaterasu. At first, he could just about get the ribcage to form and maybe the skull but going any farther had quickly drained him of chakra. Now, he was almost able to get the full body to form (mostly due to his increased chakra control), but he was still unable to actually use the Susanoo to attack. Actually moving the behemoth required intense focus, awareness, and control. Sasuke hadn’t managed to hit Shisui with an attack yet. It was no more than a glorified shield at this point.

“Then again, it is me that you’re training with. I’m sure that you would be able to simply crush a lot of shinobi,” Shisui mused.

“But if I want to hit anything moving even slightly faster than average, I’ll need to be better,” Sasuke finished and frowned.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. By all accounts, you’re doing better than I expected,” Shisui complimented.

“I’d be farther along, if we trained more often. Or if you at least allowed me to train with my mangekyo on my own,” Sasuke pointed out.

“I’m supposed to help you master your eyes. You can’t master them if you end up going blind after a few days. I know that you want to do more, but you should consider Itachi.”

Sasuke raised a confused brow. Shisui gave Sasuke a serious look. “He’s worried about you. He knows what you had to go through to get those eyes and he’s conflicted. He appreciates that you have a new tool to fight and protect yourself with, but he loathes what you had to go through to get it.”

“He never told me that,” Sasuke said in a soft voice.

“He’s been fretting over your eyes from the moment you got the sharingan. Awakening the sharingan is a rite of passage within our clan. But Itachi can’t ignore the cost of gaining such power. Truthfully, he hated his eyes when he got them. They’re a necessary evil to him now.”

Sasuke nearly paused at that. He’d never considered that Itachi had felt this way about their clan’s doujutsu. “Why are you telling me this?” Sasuke asked.

“Because Itachi didn’t. Because despite as much as you know, you can still stand to understand him better,” Shisui explained.

Sasuke frowned and stared down at the forest floor as they walked. He knew that Itachi was as complex as they come. When he was a child, he’d had no hope of deciphering Itachi’s reasons for what he did and spoke. But lately, Itachi had been opening up to him- sharing with him more than ever before. “Do you think he would have told me if I’d asked?”

“Perhaps. You’re not a little kid anymore. I think he’s starting to realize that. But I doubt he’d have brought it up without prompting though,” Shisui answered with a shrug. “Who knows? He might start coming to you for advice one day. He’ll need advisors for when he becomes Hokage. Prodigy or not, no one can do everything alone.”

Sasuke tried to suppress the happiness he felt at Shisui’s words, but the older boy must have still seen it because he grinned knowingly. Sasuke grunted dismissively while looking away from Shisui. He could hear Shisui’s nearly silent snickers and wisely chose to ignore them. Shisui could walk back to the village alone. Sasuke didn’t have to stick around and be-

Sasuke choked on a breath as he felt Shisui roughly pull him backwards by the back of his collar. As he was stumbling back, Sasuke watched a small ball of chakra screech and whir by where he had just been standing. He knew that attack.

“Sasuke!”

He wasn’t the only one getting in some late training. Naruko was standing with the Yondaime, the clearing around them only slightly destroyed with small craters and fallen trees. Naruko was scratching at the back of her head with a sheepish expression. Sasuke rolled his eyes with a scoff. “Where were you aiming, Usuratonkachi?”

Immediately, she snapped up with a glare. “Your head, Teme!”

Sasuke let his eyes rove over the many craters and scoffed. As he expected, she was ready to march over to him and probably shout until his ears starting ringing, but the Yondaime was quick to grip the back of her jacket. “Naruko, you asked me to help you train,” Minato reminded.

Naruko spared her father a look. “I know,” she said, but quickly turned back to Sasuke. “Were you training too?”

Sasuke noticed the Yondaime looked a bit put out at being brushed off by his daughter. “Obviously,” he replied.

Just like that, he could feel the air between them shift. Her eyes narrowed at him as she stared him down, as if trying to physically see the differences his training had brought out. He took the time to examine her as well. He could see light burns on her hands. ‘Chakra burns?’ What was she doing with her wind chakra? Despite his curiosity, he didn’t ask. He’d find out soon enough. Besides, it’s not like whatever it was could top what he had been secretly working on. It was probably not the smartest thing to do with the Yondaime right there, but Sasuke smirked at her. He could see the angry flush rising up her neck as her chakra lashed at his own. (He hadn’t even noticed that he’d unleashed his chakra.) Without conscious thought, his sharingan activated.

“Sorry to disturb you, Hokage-sama. We’ll get out of your hair,” Shisui loudly said started shoving at Sasuke’s back. With eye contact now broken, whatever hold that had been over him quickly vanished. He objected loudly back at Shisui, but his cousin was adamantly pushing him away. “I’m saving your life, you little brat,” Shisui hissed in his ear and shushined them away.

~:~

He may not know much about dating or romance, but Sasuke didn’t think he was doing too badly. Honestly, not much had changed in the dynamics of his relationship with Naruko. They still argued and fought regularly. She was still an idiot and she still called him a bastard. They did spend more time going for walks around the village where she would tell him every single detail of her day or every thought that crossed her mind, he would offer the bare minimum of responses, and let her energetic chatter wash over him.

And then there were the new activities (perks) that came with the territory of a relationship…

Sasuke couldn’t say that he’d ever been too interested in girls (or guys for that matter). There was always training or a mission to do. There had been plenty of girls within the village that would ask him out or give him chocolates on Valentine’s day. But he’d always been quick to dismiss them. Shisui had called him a late bloomer but Itachi had insisted that he was just selective. Once again, Itachi had been right.

While his interest in training and getting stronger hadn’t waned in the slightest, it was as if another, new part of his brain had emerged with the sole purpose of focusing on attraction (to one person in particular). Naruko had always captured his attention in the past- she made him want to fight her, challenge her, beat her. But now she was capturing it for new reasons entirely.

He wasn’t sure if she was doing it on purpose or not. She seemed to adapt to their new dynamic almost too easily. While he was still wrestling with himself on how much he was willing to display, she barely hesitated. Naruko would always wordlessly ask for permission before attempting something new, which he appreciated. But once he found himself agreeing to her wishes (he was finding it harder and harder to deny her), she would enthusiastically capitalize on his willingness. He’d once semi-patiently sat through her attempts at getting his hair to lay flat. (Honestly, the things he let her get away with…)

“You’re in a good mood today,” Itachi said and sipped at his tea. Itachi had been adamant to see Sasuke at least once a day after he had moved out of the compound. Sasuke had put up token objection to this, but Itachi had seen right through it. Truthfully, Sasuke was seeing his brother more regularly now than he ever had when Itachi was in the ANBU. Now that Itachi had relinquished his mask and taken up the position of Hokage’s aid/advisor, he was still very busy. But at least he was within reach.

Sasuke hummed once in response and stared at nothing over Itachi’s shoulder. Itachi had been insufferable with his silent, but ever-present air of “I told you so”. Sasuke was sure that Itachi would spend the rest of his life gloating. “So are you. It wouldn’t have anything to do with Izumi returning to the village yesterday, would it?” Sasuke asked and finally met his brother’s eyes.

Itachi stared at him for several seconds before actually smiling. It was barely there, but Sasuke was sure that it was large enough for just about anyone to notice. The table of girls next to them erupted in giggles. Sasuke nearly rolled his eyes, but Itachi acted as if he hadn’t noticed. In a completely un-Itachi move, Itachi shrugged carelessly once, took another bite of his dango, and casually leaned back in his seat.

Sasuke stopped to stare at his brother. Itachi always seemed to have slight shadows under his eyes and too many hard lines for his age- frighteningly similar in appearance to their middle-aged father. Those shadows were almost entirely receded now. The stress lines were practically filled out and smoothed away. A regular sleep schedule and a healthy diet perhaps? Itachi always watched what he ate, but maybe he was finally getting a chance to eat more than just ration bars and soldier pills for days.

“Sasuke?”

Snapping out of his thoughts, Sasuke shook his head with a smirk. “You’ve gotten fat spending all day in the tower. Have you been slacking off on your training?”

Itachi smirked. “I hear you’ve been training almost non-stop. Kakashi-san is relieved that you’ve found a permanent sparring partner,” Itachi said and stood. Sasuke refused to blush. “Maybe you can show me how much stronger you’ve gotten?”

Sasuke grinned in excitement. The giggles were coming out as squeals now.

~:~

Itachi could practically feel the excitement buzzing off of his little brother as he led the way to one of the training grounds on the village’s outskirts. Sasuke was far from the little boy that would follow at his heels and beg to train with him. But in moments like these, Itachi couldn’t help but see flashes of his adorable, little brother. Making sure to hide the smile on his face, Itachi stood opposite Sasuke and waited. Itachi let his senses take in the entire field, his mind already documenting different factors like wind speed and direction while whirring through different contingency plans. Itachi could sense Sasuke’s chakra, barely restrained and strong across the field.

“You aren’t going to spend half the fight relying on genjutsu, are you?” Sasuke taunted and rested a hand on the hilt of his chokuto.

Itachi smirked slightly. “I was under the assumption that I was to be testing you in all areas,” Itachi said and let his eyes swirl red. “If you don’t think your skills at genjutsu are satisfactory-”

Sasuke scoffed loudly and activated his sharingan. Itachi had just been goading his little brother, but Sasuke didn’t hesitate to take the bait. Even so, Itachi was sure that Sasuke was already working through different plans of attack and retaliation. His little brother did always favor a more direct approach.

Utilizing his speed, Itachi blurred into action while drawing a kunai. Judging by the slight widening of his eyes, he had managed to catch Sasuke off guard, but his little brother was quick enough to draw his blade to block the point of his kunai. Itachi could see the minute movements of Sasuke’s eyes, probably trying to detect genjutsu. Raising one foot to hook around the chokuto hilt and quickly disarm Sasuke, Itachi followed through with a quick to the jaw with his other. Sasuke had been quick to grab his sword while leaning back to avoid the kick, but he hadn’t noticed the subtle genjutsu Itachi had placed over him while still mid-air. While his brother stood with a slightly vacant look to his eyes, Itachi placed three more genjutsu over him and waited.

Genjutsu wasn’t Sasuke’s specialty. Being an Uchiha and having the sharingan afforded him some natural proclivity for the skill that would be more than enough to face the average shinobi. But Itachi had no interest in preparing Sasuke to face the average shinobi. He was already confident that his little brother was strong enough to face the average jounin and emerge victorious. But Itachi was looking towards the future. The Akatsuki was a legitimate threat on the horizon and a direct threat on Naruko-chan. Based off of past actions and what he knew of his brother’s behavior, Itachi was sure that only death or severe incapacitation would keep Sasuke away from a fight with an Akatsuki member. He would need to be ready.

It took four minutes and twenty-three seconds for Sasuke to break through all of his genjutsu. Despite remaining motionless for that time, Sasuke was panting slightly and glaring at him. “Better than I was expecting,” Itachi complimented. Immediately, Sasuke’s annoyed glare softened, and he seemed to preen himself quietly. Yes, still his adorable little brother.

“Does this mean you’ll take me seriously then?” Sasuke asked and gripped the hilt of his chokuto. He had been taking Sasuke seriously. The genjutsu he’d placed were some of his stronger ones. He supposed a battle of the mind wasn’t what Sasuke would consider a true spar.

This time, Sasuke made the first move. Sasuke had gotten faster than he remembered. He wasn’t up to Shisui’s speed, but Itachi was sure that his little brother would get there in time. He moved his chokuto like an extension of himself- his movements tightly controlled, yet fluid. Itachi could see their mother in the way Sasuke struck. Without hand signs, Sasuke breathed a fireball while mid-dodge. His chakra control was far more refined as well. This must be the work of training with Haruno-san. All in all, Itachi was impressed by the amount of growth he saw in his brother.

“That’s good enough for a warm-up,” Itachi said and moved. He rushed towards Sasuke with his kunai drawn, but Sasuke met him halfway. They caught each other by the wrists, grips tight. Itachi focused on Sasuke’s hands and arms but couldn’t see any chakra augmenting his brother’s strength. He’d gotten physically stronger too…

Itachi felt the shift in the air before he saw the beginnings of lightning form in Sasuke’s hands. As Itachi was leaping backwards to dodge, he could hear Sasuke summoning a weapon from a seal hidden somewhere on his person. Without weaving a single sign, Itachi quickly summoned a clone in his place and ducked into the shadows of the nearby tree line. Itachi watched Sasuke toss a fuma shuriken at his clone before disappearing from sight. Had he seen through the clone? The shuriken sparked wildly, Sasuke’s Chidori powering it enough to cut through the kunai his clone used and dispel his clone entirely.

Itachi tried to detect Sasuke’s presence, but he had to admit that his brother had hidden himself quite well- almost as well as an ANBU operative. Kakashi-san’s influence perhaps? It was interesting how many different styles and techniques comprised his brother’s fight style.

Itachi stiffened. If he had been just slightly less aware, he might not have sensed the subtle genjutsu that Sasuke had placed over him. Idly, Itachi recognized the jutsu as one of his own. He wasn’t sure whether to be proud of how well Sasuke had casted the genjutsu or insulted that Sasuke thought that a trick like that would work on him. It took barely any effort to turn the genjutsu back onto Sasuke and catch him by surprise with a hand to the throat. Despite the true surprise in his little brother’s eyes, something felt off. Itachi narrowed his gaze.

With a chakra-enhanced squeeze to the neck, Sasuke froze just before starting to buzz and glow blue. ‘A lightning clone,’ Itachi surmised and moved away before he could be electrocuted. He was still mid-air when he noticed the movement from the corner of his eye. As if everything was moving in slow motion, Itachi turned and attempted to dodge the attack. But his mind had already calculated that he wouldn’t be able to move fast enough to dodge the kick Sasuke was aiming at his chest. He could try for another clone, but the kick didn’t look too powerful. It would be more efficient to simply brace for the impact with chakra.

Itachi immediately regretted this decision, however. Sasuke’s kick had manage to knock the air from his lungs and send him flying out of the forest. Even before he managed to regain control and slide to a stop on the grass, Itachi knew that his ribs were bruised. He moved down onto one knee and tried to breathe through the pain. When he saw Sasuke hobble out from the tree line while cursing quietly and colorfully (their mother would be so disappointed if she heard him), Itachi raised a brow. Sasuke managed to limp/hop over to him before collapsing onto the ground. Itachi stared down at the bruises rapidly darkening his brother’s foot and ankle.

“Your chakra control has gotten better, but not good enough to mimic Tsunade-sama. You’ll need to go to the hospital for that leg,” Itachi said and sat back. Itachi hadn’t even noticed that Sasuke was trying to use chakra to increase his strength. Maybe if he had, he could have stopped Sasuke from injuring himself.

“Sakura made it look easier than it was,” Sasuke explained and gently pulled his leg towards himself. “You should see someone about that bruise,” Sasuke said and nodded once towards Itachi’s chest.

Despite his shirt covering most of the area, Itachi could see the hints of dark blue bruising peeking out from the top of his V neck. Itachi gave Sasuke a dry look, but Sasuke smirked cockily. He was about to comment that Sasuke had caused more damage to himself than he had Itachi, but he paused. Itachi watched in mild intrigue as Sasuke’s hands glowed green. Medical ninjutsu? He hadn’t known that Sasuke was learning the skill. After a few seconds, Itachi pointedly cleared his throat. Sasuke raised a brow at his brother in question but then smirked again.

“Sorry, Nii-san. I’m running a bit low on chakra. But I’m sure that someone at the hospital can tend to you.”

He didn’t need his sharingan to see that Sasuke was lying through his teeth. “Sasuke,” Itachi warned.

“Maybe they can give you a few lessons, too,” Sasuke said and wiggled his ankle experimentally. Hearing Sasuke’s laughter as he dodged the shuriken that Itachi had tossed was worth aggravating his bruised chest.

Itachi pushed himself onto his feet and straightened out while Sasuke was pushing himself up onto his feet. As he approached his little brother, Itachi couldn’t help the feelings of warm fondness and pride that were swelling within him. It had been a while since he had trained with Sasuke or seen Sasuke’s skills firsthand. And in that time his little brother had truly grown strong. Even so, Itachi could see that Sasuke had yet to reach his true potential. It wouldn’t be much longer now until Sasuke surpassed him.

Sasuke watched as Itachi raised a hand towards his head. Even though he always pouted and grumbled about the gesture, Itachi could see that Sasuke appreciated it for what it was- a non-verbal reminder of love and affection. At the last second, Itachi diverted his hand to reach around Sasuke’s head. He’d caught Sasuke by surprise, but Sasuke still let him pull him in for a soft bump of foreheads. The pure shock and surprise on Sasuke’s face had Itachi’s features softening. “You’ve grown strong, Sasuke,” Itachi said and allowed his walls to momentarily fall as he poured as much pride, love and sentimentality as he could into his words. If it was even possible, Sasuke’s eyes widened even further.

He looked so young- like the adorable little brother Itachi often saw. The two images were superimposing themselves over each other- a seven-year-old Sasuke grinning without a care in the world and the seventeen-year-old preparing to take on the true horrors of the world. Itachi could see the different emotions warring within Sasuke. He was touching at his forehead fondly while pouting and looking away. “What’s gotten into you?” Sasuke grumbled softly.

Before Itachi could answer, a shinobi he was vaguely familiar with shushined to the space at their side. He was on one knee and made eye contact with Itachi. Immediately, Itachi sobered up, all traces of emotion wiped from his face. “Itachi-san, I have a summons for you from Hokage-sama. It’s urgent,” the shinobi said.

“What happened?” Sasuke asked, almost demanding the messenger. The shinobi eyed Sasuke for a few seconds before looking to Itachi warily. If the matter was confidential, the Hokage would have sent an ANBU instead of a chunin. Almost imperfectively, Itachi nodded once.

“Sarutobi Asuma has fallen in battle.”

~Omake~

Naruko was going to give him even more grey hairs. Minato ran his fingers through his hair and sighed loudly. Not having the strength to hold himself up any longer, he slumped over on his desk and released a woeful moan.

“Sensei?” Kakashi questioned from where he was leaning against the wall of the Hokage’s office. Minato cracked an eye open to see Kakashi’s lone, grey eye watching him from over the top of his orange book. The sight of Kakashi reading Jiraiya’s book again left Minato feeling another wave of failure. His lone student was a closeted pervert! Minato released an even louder moan.

“What’s wrong with him?” Minato heard just seconds before the sounds of his sensei’s clacking sandals filled the room.

“Hokage-sama returned from training with Naruko-chan like this,” Itachi’s monotone voice supplied from his desk across the room.

Jiraiya closed the door to his office with a pensive hum. “Did something happen to the brat?” Jiraiya asked.

“I’m not sure. He hasn’t been very forthcoming with how their training went,” Itachi replied.

“Sensei, we can’t help if we don’t know what’s wrong,” Kakashi supplied in a wary voice.

Minato pushed himself up from his desk and faced his student. “Naruko cut our training short. She seemed so happy to be training with me. I made sure to clear my schedule to make time for her,” Minato explained. Itachi glanced at the extra stacks of documents on his own desk and the distinct lack of papers on the Hokage’s desk with a raised brow.

“I’m sure she appreciated the effort,” Kakashi soothed.

“Did she?” Minato asked skeptically. “Everything was going great, but then he showed up.”

Kakashi slumped with a sigh while Itachi went back to his work with a shake of his head. Jiraiya was the only one still giving Minato his full attention. “Minato, we talked about this. Naruko isn’t a little kid anymore. So she’s got herself a boyfriend. What’s the big deal?” Jiraiya shrugged.

“Boyfriend!? No one told me he was her…” Minato couldn’t even say the word. His little girl, his precious Naruko, his innocent daughter… Minato barely held back the wobble in his chin.

Itachi looked up from his desk again when he heard the loud thud of Minato’s head hitting his desk. He locked eyes with the other two inhabitants of the room. Kakashi looked to be half a second away from fleeing through the window and Jiraiya seemed to be contemplating it as well. Itachi was sure that “provide emotional support” wasn’t listed as one of his official duties as Hokage aid.

“Hokage-sama-” Itachi started, but Minato cut him off.

“He practically stole her from me. We were training and it was going so well and then he just swooped in out of nowhere. She just left me behind to go follow after him,” Minato moaned in a slightly muffled voice. He was still faceplanted onto his desk.

“Makes sense. He’s a decent looking brat,” Jiraiya mused and rubbed at his chin. Minato softly whimpered.

“He insults her,” Minato complained. Ever since they were children, he’d called Naruko all manner of horrid insults. Minato was more than aware of the absolutely foul language that Uchiha boy used. And he’d only gotten worse as he’d aged! Poor Mikoto and Fugaku.

“She does the same to him. At this point, it’s almost like a pet name,” Kakashi pointed out.

Minato continued on as if he hadn’t heard him, “He gave her a black eye just two days ago.” Ever since she had returned to the village, Naruko would come home with more bruises and cuts. His wonderful, loving and ever-amazing wife was always quick to ensure that Naruko wasn’t truly hurt, but then she would loudly applaud Naruko for whatever hits she had managed to land in return.

“I believe they were sparring, and she also broke one of his ribs during it,” Itachi said and turned the page of the citizenship request form he was reading through.

“And he doesn’t even pay when they go out for ramen!” Minato loudly objected as he suddenly sprang up from his desk. His dearest daughter deserved more than a cheapskate!

“Minato, despite all my attempts to teach you the ways of women, only you would think getting ramen counts as a date,” Jiraiya said with a roll of his eyes. “Look, they’re kids. Kids are gonna do what they want. Live and let live, I say.”

Minato nearly threw a kunai at his former sensei. What terrible advice!

“Minato-sama, I assure you that my brother is very respectful towards Naruko-chan. I am almost positive that it is her that is dictating how quickly their relationship progresses,” Itachi soothed.

Minato stared at Itachi for several seconds as he thought. Itachi was a good man. He wouldn’t lie to him. Minato was also sure that Itachi deeply respected him due to the way that he handled the situation with the Uchiha so many years ago.

“There you go! It sounds like he’s just like you, Minato!” Jiraiya exclaimed. Minato’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Good looks can get you only so far when you can’t even talk to a girl properly.”

Minato flushed in embarrassment. He could see Kakashi hiding behind his novel to hide is amusement and even Itachi was shaking silently in laughter behind some papers. Minato did throw that kunai this time. Unfortunately, he hadn’t caught his sensei and Jiraiya had rudely bowled down the door to his office in his attempts to escape.

Chapter Text

Sasuke couldn’t say that he was particularly close to Sarutobi Asuma. He knew Asuma as the sensei to Team 10 and the son of the Sandaime Hokage. Of course, it was always sad when a comrade died. But Sasuke couldn’t say that he felt much more than slight grief for those Asuma had left behind (and a much more intense frustration and simmering anger at finding who was responsible for his death).  

The Akatsuki had claimed another life. And if what he’d heard from Naruko was correct, the one who had killed him was immortal. “You’re sure ?” Sasuke questioned dubiously.  

Naruko nodded seriously. “I heard it with my own ears, ‘ttebayo. He lived through being stabbed through the chest three times and getting his head cut off!” 

After the chunin had delivered the Hokage’s message to Itachi, his elder brother had offered a succinct farewell before leaving with a shushin. Sasuke had been on his way back into the village when Naruko and Sakura had landed in front of him and immediately started trading information. Naruko had managed to listen in from outside the window of the Hokage office while Sakura had spotted Asuma’s body being delivered to the coroner for an autopsy.  

“I’ve never heard of something like this before. I knew that the Akatsuki had some powerful missing nins. But…immortals?” Sakura said with a hand to her chin. “What kind of jutsu gives you immortality?” 

Sasuke frowned. He’d never heard of a jutsu like that before. ‘Every jutsu has a weakness,’ Itachi’s words rang through Sasuke’s head. If there was a way to gain immortality, there had to be a cost to it. Or a way to exploit it at the very least… 

“Do you know when the funeral is?” Sakura asked Naruko in a somber voice. 

Naruko frowned. “Tomorrow, ‘ttebayo. I wonder how team ten is doing.” 

Sasuke didn’t respond, but he could imagine the feeling of uselessness he’d harbor if Kakashi had died in action and he’d have to hear it through the grapevine… But would that be worse than being on the same mission and failing to save your sensei? In that moment, Sasuke pitied Shikamaru. 

“Poor Kurenai-sensei. She must be devastated,” Sakura said.  

“Kurenai-sensei? What about her?” Naruko asked, completely puzzled.  

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Sasuke didn’t make it his business to get involved in the private affairs of others, but even he knew about Kurenai and Asuma. “They were married, Usuratonkachi. They didn’t make a big deal of it.” 

Sakura sighed and shook her head at Naruko’s stunned expression. “I’m going to go check on Ino and see how she’s doing,” Sakura said and started walking back towards the village.  

Sasuke turned back to Naruko when he heard her curse softly. “Asuma-sensei helped me with my wind chakra whenever Tou-chan was too busy. Those Akatsuki bastards can’t get away with this,” she said with her fists clenched tightly. 

“They won’t,” Sasuke promised. Naruko met his gaze for several seconds, seemingly searching for something in his gaze. When she found whatever it was that she had been searching for, she nodded once. While Sasuke was pleased that she had such faith in him, truthfully, he still held some minor reservations. Itachi had just praised his strength, Sasuke wasn’t ignorant to his own weaknesses.  

~:~ 

It was abnormally gloomy in the village- a rare cloudy day during the Land of Fire’s summer. Asuma’s funeral was a relatively small affair full of familiar faces. Sasuke had stood at his mother’s side and silently paid his respects, while watching the reactions in the crowd. Naruko was comforting a younger, crying boy. Sakura stood strong at Ino’s side, wordlessly offering a handkerchief. Kakashi was standing with a man with a bowl cut hairstyle, the both of them staring mournfully at Asuma’s grave marker. Even Itachi had come, but he was noticeably standing with Shisui and Izumi (and away from their father). 

“Today, we do more than mourn the loss of a skilled shinobi. Today, we remember a teacher, husband, and friend,” the Yondaime started from where he stood beside Asuma’s grave. “In moments like these, it becomes easy to remember that we are human and as such are susceptible to our emotions- to feelings of pain, anger, hatred and loss. Which is why I must implore you do not act on these notions rashly.” 

Sasuke was only half-listening to the Hokage’s words, but he noticed the way Ino and Choji seemed to slump slightly, as if they had already been planning to do just that. Sasuke didn’t blame them. When he turned his attention back onto the Hokage, Sasuke was mildly surprised to see that the man had been staring right at him. Minato maintained eye contact for just a few seconds before he continued, but the lump that had settled in Sasuke’s gut remained. Was Minato implying that Sasuke would seek revenge on Asuma’s behalf? It was true that Sasuke wished for every Akatsuki member to receive a slow and painful death, it had very little to do with Asuma. Sasuke frowned. 

“As Hokage, I see the entire village as my family, and I do not take this attack on family lightly. I humbly ask that you lend me your strength and I will do everything within my power to not only protect those under me but to right the wrongs being done outside our walls.” 

Sasuke wondered if he was seeing things. Just a second ago, the Yondaime had appeared to be a sympathetic man speaking on behalf of a comrade. (Sasuke wouldn’t have put it past the man to shed a tear or two.) However, the man standing before him now had a fierce determination sparking in his eyes while still giving off a chilled air. The shift had been so subtle, Sasuke had to know if anyone else had noticed. Instead of puzzled or confused looks, Sasuke could only see a growing determination around him. Even that crying boy was now wiping furiously at his face, trying to remove all traces of sadness. With a short bow, the Yondaime walked away from the grave with purposeful steps before disappearing without a trace. Even without his presence, the newly invigorated air didn’t wane.  

Sasuke knew that objectively the Hokage was the strongest shinobi in the village. He’d been taught the Yondaime’s life story back in the Academy, but it had always been difficult to equate the man who had singlehandedly killed a thousand Iwa shinobi in battle to the man that cried at the Academy’s graduation ceremony. The man that had just walked away had looked like a true leader and a man on a mission. Sasuke couldn’t help but feel his respect for the Hokage grow.  

Once the final offering was left at the grave, the crowd started to disperse. Sasuke followed behind his mother as she made her way over to Kurenai, but he couldn’t help but notice the beeline that his father was making towards Itachi. Itachi must have noticed as well because he quickly vanished from the cemetery before Fugaku could get close.  

Sasuke almost felt pity for his father. The man had already tried to make amends with Itachi in his own way. Sasuke wasn’t sure what had been said, but he knew that it had only served to solidify Itachi’s resolve to distance himself from the clan. Sasuke could see the points both men were trying to make- the village was important, but so was the clan. They were family.   

Now that he knew what to listen for, Sasuke had heard the whispers among the clan. Itachi couldn’t be trusted amongst the clan or with its best interests. He was one, drastic act of defiance away from being labeled a traitor to the clan. It troubled Sasuke how quickly the clan- their family- was willing to turn on one of their own. Sometimes, Sasuke could feel the gazes of some of the clan members weighing down upon him, usually after he was seen publicly interacting with Itachi. He was stuck in the middle, not yet asked to choose a side. Truthfully, Sasuke wasn’t sure which he would choose if it came to that. 

Danzo was long dead, but he’d left the clan with an internal curse. No longer was the village shrouding them in suspicion. Instead, they couldn’t trust each other. 

Rather than go home with his parents where he was sure to be forced to sit through yet another one of his father’s rants about Itachi, Sasuke opted to take a stroll through the village. (The irony of Itachi forsaking the clan and being a “disappointment”, but still managing to monopolize their father’s attention was not lost on Sasuke). Despite the light haze of grief that had settled over the village, Sasuke couldn’t help but notice the cheerful faces of civilians going about their days. He wasn’t sure if he envied their ignorance.  

A shinobi’s life was often like a shooting star- appearing in a flash, burning bright across the darkness of the night, only to fade and disappear just as quickly. The shinobi life expectancy was so astoundingly low- 24 years- that Asuma managing to live past thirty had been seen as an accomplishment and testament to his skill. Sasuke couldn’t say that he agreed.  

Asuma had been a strong shinobi- not a certified genius, but still one of the best that the village had to offer. Did skill level matter when any mission you took could be your last? Did it matter when there was always someone stronger? But perhaps that was just the world they lived in. Was it not enough to be strong? Would you only be safe if you were the absolute strongest? Sasuke didn’t have an answer to his questions, but he could think of a few people who might. 

Sasuke found Kakashi predictably standing in front of the Memorial Stone with his head down and his hands tucked into the pockets of his black slacks. Even though he hadn’t said a word, he was sure that Kakashi had long since sensed him coming. Sasuke stood at Kakashi’s side and stared down at the monument, somewhat hesitant to break the silence despite his questions. 

The two of them stood silently for several minutes before Kakashi broke the silence. “Uchiha Obito,” he said. “I told you years ago that some of my best friends had their names engraved on this stone. Uchiha Obito was the first friend that I lost in the line of duty. He sacrificed himself to save me. Not a day goes by that I don’t wish that I could travel through time to rewrite that day.” 

“But you can’t,” Sasuke replied. Kakashi’s face was carefully blank so Sasuke wasn’t sure if this had been the wrong thing to say. “Isn’t this something we have to live with? People dying around us? At least, until we die ourselves,” Sasuke went on. 

“Even coming from a funeral, you’re awfully glum,” Kakashi pointed out, only slightly teasing. “But you do have a point. It almost makes it all seem pointless, doesn’t it? Why bother fighting if you could die at any moment? Or worse, you lose those you care about.” 

Sasuke stayed silent, his eyes staring down at the name “Uchiha Obito”. 

“I think it would be an insult to the memory of those who came before us to lose faith so easily. Obito didn’t choose to die. He chose for me to live. While I may not agree with his decision, I can’t ignore it and spit in the face of his sacrifice. He gave me another chance so that I could do the same for others,” Kakashi said. Sasuke looked up at his former sensei, feeling twelve-years-old all over again. 

“I’ve heard a few definitions, but I’ll give you my favorite. A shinobi is one who endures. We wade through the blood and darkness because we must in order to protect those we care about. There are just some things and some people worth dying for, I suppose,” Kakashi said and looked up at the sky. The clouds were starting to disperse.  

Hearing Kakashi’s words left Sasuke feeling a tightness in his chest. People worth dying for? He definitely had a few of those. “You’re a lot easier to talk to than Itachi. He would have spoken in cryptic riddles and not bothered to explain any of it,” Sasuke said with a huff, trying to alleviate the heavy air around them. 

Kakashi chuckled softly. “That sounds like him. I think I’ve gotten decently good at deciphering him so you can always come to me for a translation,” Kakashi said. Before Sasuke could say anything else, Kakashi roughly ruffled his hair with a smile. “I’ve got somewhere to be. Try not to get yourself hurt before I get back.” 

Sasuke scoffed and shoved Kakashi’s hands away, but the man was already disappearing with a flurry of leaves. Kakashi was still as uncomfortable with emotional discussions as ever. Sasuke was mildly surprised that he’d made it as long as he had- surprised, but still grateful. Glancing down at the engravings again, Sasuke frowned pensively. Dying for a precious person didn’t sound like a complete waste- not the worst reason to die. But there was far greater value in living for those people. Living to fight for them and protecting what mattered would require strength. Sasuke turned from the Memorial Stone. He had training to do. 

~:~ 

It was only an hour after sunrise the next morning when Naruko had practically stormed into his home with a shout of his name. Sasuke could hear the thundering of her steps through his house and up to his room barely drown out the sounds of Shisui apologizing to his father for the intrusion. Sasuke paused in fastening his chokuto to his hip just as his door opened with a slam. Naruko looked windswept and more animated than usual. 

“Sasuke! Come on! I need you,” she shouted and grabbed at his arm. Sasuke barely put up a fight as Naruko dragged him from his bedroom, nearly bowling over his mother and their clean laundry in the process. When they got downstairs, Shisui was still trying to smooth things over with an agitated Fugaku. “Sorry, Fugaku! I’m borrowing Sasuke!” Naruko exclaimed as they ran by. It had only been a glimpse, but Sasuke was sure that he’d seen his father’s deeper than usual frown and slightly reddened face. 

“Usuratonkachi-” Sasuke started, but Naruko cut him off. 

“I need your help with training,” Naruko said. “I have to master my new jutsu as soon as possible or Tou-chan won’t let me go with you as backup for team ten.” 

“Backup?” Sasuke repeated.  

“Team ten just left to deal with the Akatsuki bastards that killed Asuma-sensei. Tou-chan is letting you, Sakura-chan and Shisui go as back up. But he’ll only let me go if I master my new jutsu, dattebayo,” Naruko explained. Personally, Sasuke disagreed with the idea of letting Naruko head into a fight with any Akatsuki members. But he could tell that nothing would keep Naruko away from this fight. If anything, the Yondaime might be hoping that she doesn’t complete it in time. 

“Tou-chan and Itachi-nii-san are too busy, Kakashi-nii just left with team ten, and Ero Sennin isn’t in the village yet. You’re my last option,” Naruko said as she tugged him towards one of the Uchiha training grounds. Sasuke felt slightly insulted that he’d been her fifth choice, but he couldn’t say that she would have been his first choice either. (It took half the fun out of sparring if he couldn’t surprise her with a new jutsu.) 

When they’d made it to the training grounds, Sasuke had stood before her and waited. He watched her summon a shadow clone that held out its hands over hers while she formed a Rasengan in her hand. He could hear the shrill screech of her wind chakra coming from the attack, blades of wind release spinning around it like a shuriken. He’d seen her use this attack before. 

“I can get it as far as here before I have to stop adding wind chakra. If I add anymore, it falls apart after I throw it. But if I don’t throw it, I can keep it together and add more wind chakra.” 

“Have you tried compressing your wind chakra to improve the stability?” he suggested. Unfortunately, she had already thought of that. Compressing it had helped but only temporarily. Wind chakra was notoriously harder to control than the other elements, having a wide range of dispersal and tending to be a bit wild.  

Sasuke didn’t have much experience with wind jutsus, but he did understand basic chakra principles. Unfortunately, the two of them spent hours discussing and theorizing with very little to show for it. Sasuke could tell that the lack of progress was starting to infuriate Naruko. She was muttering to herself while tugging at her already loose pigtails. “You don’t have the chakra control necessary to effectively control that much chakra once you launch it from your body,” Sasuke said rather bluntly.  

“Kaa-chan says it’s an Uzumaki thing and a jinchuuriki thing. I just have too much chakra to do the fine control, ‘ttebayo,” Naruko said and flopped backwards onto the grass. She stared up at her hands for several seconds with a look of thought on her face.  

Sasuke wasn’t sure what to say to her. He was a little disappointed to say that he had no idea how to help her. As far as he could tell, the amount of chakra needed for the attack and the kind of chakra control needed to pull it off wasn’t feasible. He didn’t have to think of anything more to say, however. Suddenly, Naruko sat up with one of her wide-eyed looks of divine inspiration. Based on experience, Sasuke knew that the next words out of her mouth would either be incredibly insightful or completely ridiculous. 

“What if I used sage chakra?”  

Sasuke raised a brow. He had no idea what she was talking about, but she didn’t bother to explain before taking a meditation pose. He watched her, quietly observing. He’d seen her meditate several times before, but he’d never bothered to ask the details of her new practice. As the skin around her eyes started to shift colors, Sasuke spoke, “You’ve done this before. What is it?” 

It took her a few seconds to respond, but when she did, she gave him an excited grin. “Sage Mode, dattebayo! I can use sage chakra to strengthen it and keep it together,” she said and summoned a shadow clone. 

While she was busy forming the Rasenshuriken, Sasuke activated his sharingan and continued to watch her. From the moment the orange started coloring around her eyes, he could feel a dense pressure building in the air around her. He could see her chakra swirling and churning around her, but he couldn’t see the sage chakra she mentioned. Finally, she let her clone disappear with a pop and turned away to launch her attack.  

Upon seeing the destructive force of her attack, Sasuke had to admit that he was mildly impressed. The attack held until it had travelled a fair enough distance before detonating, expanding, and completely obliterating everything it came in contact with. Sasuke tried to school the slight awe in his expression when he heard Naruko’s triumphant shout of, “Yatta!” Sasuke let her dance and jump around as she celebrated completing her very own jutsu. His mind was busy breaking down the jutsu. From what he could see with his sharingan, she had produced countless number of microscopic blades with her wind chakra. “Sage chakra, huh?” Sasuke questioned. 

Naruko paused mid-jump before grinning brightly. “Pretty cool right? Ero Sennin let me start learning a little while before I came back to the village. But I’ve been practicing all the time since then. Ero Sennin still has trouble, but I’ve pretty much mastered Sage Mode, ‘ttebayo,” she bragged and rubbed a finger under her nose. From what he’d seen of her Sage Mode during spars, she got stronger, faster, and far more durable. It made it fairly difficult to keep up with her unless he relied on genjutsu. He was only slightly annoyed that she was faster than him. Between them, speed (among other things) had always been where he excelled. 

“Naruko, do that again,” he said and activated his Mangekyo.  

She straightened and gave his eyes a wary look while summoning another clone. “What are you gonna do, Teme?” 

It was just a bit of curiosity- a random thought popped into his head and he wanted to test it out. Sasuke watched her launch another Rasenshuriken and he focused his gaze on the screeching jutsu. While casting the Amaterasu with his left eye, Sasuke manipulated enough black flames to encompass the Rasenshuriken in a careful balance of blaze and wind releases.  

“Holy shit,” Naruko so eloquently spoke. 

The crater produced this time was at least twice as big as the first one. Sasuke watched his flames grow larger than he’d managed on his own.  

He could always work alone. He may not be at Itachi’s level, but Sasuke was more than capable of handling whatever and whomever he went up against. While he was very proud of his strength, he had to admit that he and Naruko consistently worked better together. He had a short list of people he would have no problem teaming up with and Naruko had somehow managed to shoot to the top of the list. (Sasuke was learning to quickly accept all the ways they were compatible without fuss.) 

“Don’t just stare at it, Teme!” Naruko shouted. Snapping out of his thoughts, Sasuke could see her desperately and futilely trying to put out the flames with a water jutsu. “Put it out! Do something!” Naruko shouted at him while gesturing wildly at the rapidly growing fire. As he was quelling the flames, Naruko demanded, “What the hell was that?”  

“You’re not the only one with new jutsu, Usuratonkachi,” Sasuke scoffed. He couldn’t fully interpret the look on her face as she approached him. He could see some of her natural determination and competitiveness that she saved just for him, but there was something else. When she stopped in front of him, he let her wipe at his cheeks. If she wanted to say something about the blood, she kept it to herself.  

Instead, she pouted at the blood on her hands for a few seconds before she looked up at him with a suspicious and irritated look. “You’ve been holding back on me when we spar!” she accused. 

His eyes were strong, but he couldn’t use them carelessly. It’s not like he’d admit that truth to her. Instead, he smirked tauntingly. He could see the anger and frustration building in her while the pressure around her intensified. He couldn’t stop his smirk from growing as he used his superior height to look down at her.  

After spending so many years with her always getting in his face, Sasuke was overly familiar with the fine details of Naruko’s face and the various expressions she’d wear. He could read her anger, confusion, frustration, joy… But the expression she had now was a new one for her. Despite the novelty, Sasuke could recognize the look as one he’d seen on other girls. He recognized the lightly flushed cheeks, dilated pupils, and slight breathlessness. ‘ Was she…?’  

“Usuratonkachi,” Sasuke started and stepped closer. He didn’t care to invade others’ personal space (mostly because it meant he would have them in his space as a result). But if purposefully invading her space brought on a reaction like this… Sasuke felt like a cat that caught a canary. He let out a knowing, “Hn” that had her ears flushing. 

Sasuke knew that objectively, he was considered quite attractive. But Naruo had never shown signs of blatant attraction before, especially not towards him. But it was interesting, the effect that he had on her now. He could see the argument welling up in her expression, so he put a stop to the imminent shouts and half-hearted insults. For someone so used to invading the space of others’, she was very quick to clam up hen her own was intruded on. He was practically towering over her with a hand lightly cupping her cheek. He was still contemplating his next move when he noticed her cheeks darkening. Was it enough to just get close? 

Moving in closer still, Sasuke traced her details with his eyes, pausing on her eyes. She had so many exotic features, shades of sunny blonde and bright blue that were rare even in Konoha. As a boy, Sasuke had been so used to the darker features- black hair and eyes- of his clan members that he’d been a bit taken by her naturally, bright pigmentations. Sasuke was sure that no one knew her eyes better than him. They weren’t as light as the Yondaime’s. With his sharingan, Sasuke could count the individual flecks of violet darkening her gaze.  

Without any conscious thought on his part, Sasuke had managed to narrow the gap between their faces. He wasn’t sure how long he had spent staring into her half-lidded eyes, but it must have been too long for Naruko because she was already pushing up onto the balls of her feet to meet him halfway. Feeling oddly elated, Sasuke moved back slightly with a small grin. 

Feeling her hands slide up and over his chest nearly made him regret his teasing. She softly growled a “Bastard” at him before pulling him back down with her arms around his neck. She must have gotten over her embarrassment because she was now kissing and nipping at his jaw. Despite the strong hold she had over him, he didn’t feel trapped in the slightest. If anything, she wasn’t close enough.  

She had to have been studying him as much as he was subconsciously studying her. With every encounter, Sasuke was steadily getting closer to solving the puzzle of her body.  He already knew several places where she was sensitive and the kind of responses that different touches had. He was a quick study. 

Naruko seemed to move with almost careless abandon and enthusiasm for any and all touches- her attention bouncing between all the areas she knew to and wanted to explore. He was much slower and deliberate in his approach to physicality than she was. His free hand cupped the back of her head, easily working between her blonde strands before giving a sharp tug that pulled her lips from his neck with a soft pop. As expected, she let out a breathy little moan while baring her flushed, slender neck.  

She, of course, had her moments of dominant or rebellious energy. She wouldn’t be Naruko if she didn’t fight him even a little bit. While he did enjoy the back and forth- their matching, competitive spirits front and center even during moments of intimacy- Sasuke always appreciated the times he was victorious. It was a battle of wills, one that gave him a depraved sense of accomplishment whenever she was the first to bend. The sounds she was making from where she was almost bonelessly leaning against him were a good indicator that she was quickly conceding to him. 

“Teme,” she cursed with little heat before nibbling at his earlobe. Purely on reflex, his breath hitched and Sasuke pulled back as much as he could with her still hanging on like a limpet. She had the foxiest grin on her face, the whiskers at her cheeks bunching. If his face wasn’t flushed before, he was now.  

“Usuratonkachi,” Sasuke warned, but Naruko’s snicker drowned him out. He had her pressed against a tree trunk before she could try to tease his ear again. Just based on their positions, it looked like he had the upper hand. But Sasuke could feel whatever control that he’d had over the situation slip through his fingers. It was solidified when he felt Naruko’s leg wrap around his waist and pull him closer to her center. Curiously, he didn’t mind letting her have her way this time. 

The sound of a throat clearing rather obnoxiously had them both freezing. 

Now that the world around them was slowly registering again, Sasuke wanted to kick himself for getting distracted. He almost didn’t look. But irritation eventually won out, causing Sasuke to shoot a vicious glare at his smirking cousin. 

“We have a mission,” Shisui said with a barely restrained grin. Sakura was standing at his side, pointedly staring at nothing in particular with a flushed face. Taking subtle, deep breaths to calm his racing heart, Sasuke fixed Shisui with a narrowed glare before turning to leave. “Don’t worry, Sasuke. We already packed bags for you both. We’re on a time crunch. Team ten needs backup.” 

“Then let’s go, dattebayo!” Naruko urged, grabbed the bag that Sakura had packed for her and started to leave, not even bothering to wait for the rest of them.  

“Dobe, you don’t even know which way you’re going,” Sasuke pointed out and accepted his pack from Shisui. Sasuke moved to catch up to her, feeling oddly excited about their mission. Naruko froze in place before quickly objecting that she knew exactly where she was going. Sasuke rolled his eyes with a smirk. Maybe it was the sight of what kind of power their combined jutsus held. Maybe it was left over from their impromptu make out. Maybe both. Nonetheless, Sasuke felt an invincible sort of energy humming through his veins. For once, he decided to let the feeling be instead of push it down and away. It was definitely going to make the upcoming fight interesting. 

~:~ 

Forty-three minutes. 

That’s how long they were on the road for before Shisui couldn’t hold himself back any longer. “Mikoto-oba-san said that you two were training.” 

Sasuke was set on ignoring his cousin, but Shisui must have accounted for that because he spoke loud enough for Naruko and Sakura to hear. Sakura, the true friend that she was, kept quiet and tried to remain focused on where she was leaping through the trees. Naruko flushed a deep red before glancing back at Shisui from over her shoulder. “We were,” Naruko said in a strained voice. 

“Usuratonkachi,” Sasuke warned. The best approach to dealing with Shisui was to just ignore him until he lost interest.  

“You two sure have some unique training methods,” Shisui said with fake casualness.  

“We have a mission,” Sakura reminded. Sasuke nearly hugged her in thanks. 

Shisui looked ready to say something else, but Sasuke was quick to lay a genjutsu over him. Shisui barely paused before continuing on and completely missing a step. Both Sakura and Naruko looked back at Shisui in confusion, but the older boy was trying to brush off his embarrassment. “You can be just as bad as Itachi,” Shisui hissed at Sasuke. Sasuke smirked but didn’t respond. 

Now that Shisui was content to remain focused on their mission, Sasuke tried to do the same. An S ranked shinobi using blood rituals to brush off life-threatening injuries and obtain immortality. And a partner with unknown abilities but most likely just as dangerous.  

“Can you feel that?” Shisui asked but his eyes were trained on something in the distance. “Someone’s using a lot of chakra.” 

“You can sense it from here?” Sakura asked, genuinely surprised. Before Shisui could respond, there was a loud explosion in the distance. Without needing instruction, everyone picked up the pace.  

Sasuke had just touched down onto a branch when he spotted the hand sign Shisui had flashed him. Sasuke watched Shisui’s hands move through mudras for, ‘Hokage’s orders’ and ‘additional objective’. Sasuke wasn’t sure how he felt about the message ‘asset protection’ along with Shisui’s discreet glance towards Naruko. In addition to providing backup, they would have to ensure that Naruko made it back to the village in one piece. Sasuke was almost positive that Naruko had no idea of any of this, but he wasn’t going to tell her. It would be easier in the long run if she didn’t know. She probably wouldn’t approve of Sasuke’s willingness to abandon the mission if it meant saving her life. 

With Naruko leading the charge, it wasn’t long before they had left the forest behind and were running through a barren land of dead trees. Shisui hadn’t been joking about the amount of chakra being thrown around. “That’s not good,” Shisui muttered. Even with his Sharingan, Sasuke could barely make out the sight of a… man? Or some sort of hair monster readying two jutsu at once. “I’ll go ahead. I’ll leave extraction duty up to you three,” Shisui said and vanished with a blur. 

Once they were a bit closer, Sasuke could make out Kakashi, Ino, and Choji being held in place by thick, black hairs. Shisui was already already blurring around, several copies of himself all readying a water release to fend off the combined fire and wind jutsu.  

Since Shisui’d joined ANBU, Sasuke didn’t get many opportunities to see his cousin fight. They did spar and train together on occasion, but those times couldn’t compare to the intense feel of a fight where death was a real possibility. Needless to say, Sasuke felt pride and a small bit of envy at Shisui’s battle prowess. His cousin had easily outclassed the wild-looking man in speed and barely have the man a chance to counterattack.  

With a quick burst of speed, Sasuke drew and funneled lightning through his chokuto. With a smooth leap and midair twist, Sasuke struck. The lightning gave him enough reach to cut through the strands holding Kakashi, Ino and Choji in place. He could hear Ino’s ecstatic cry of his name along with Choji’s relieved sigh, but Sasuke landed in front of Kakashi’s worn figure. His former sensei looked worse for wear- flak jacket, headband and gloves gone and his mask torn.  

“Perfect timing,” Kakashi praised and allowed Sasuke to wrap an arm around his back and move him out of range of Shisui’s fight. 

“Having a hard time keeping up?” Sasuke asked. Despite looking genuinely exhausted, Kakashi still found the energy to glare.  

“Kakashi-san,” Shisui said as he touched down next to them, drawing Kakashi’s attention.  

“Shikamaru is facing the partner alone. I want two of you to aid him,” Kakashi said and used some of the blood staining his shirt to perform a quick summons. “I shouldn’t have to tell you to keep your distance against him.” 

“Understood. He might require a medic,” Shisui said and looked to Sakura. Without wasting another second, Shisui and Sakura followed Pakuun’s lead. 

“Reinforcements?” the man made of strange, hairlike vines gurgled around the vines spilling from his mouth. 

“Kakashi,” Sasuke started, his gaze trained on their enemy. 

“He’s the other Akatsuki member, Kakuzu. Intermediate range fighter with multiple chakra natures. The masks on his shoulders can detach from his main body and fight independently. Each mask also acts as a spare heart. I’ve killed him twice already, but three hearts still remain,” Kakashi summarized. Sasuke was sure of it now that the Akatsuki recruited only the strangest shinobi that the world had to offer.  

“You can sit back and relax, Kakashi-sensei,” Naruko said and punched her fist into her waiting hand. “Leave it up to me and Sasuke-teme, ‘ttebayo!” 

Standing at her side, Sasuke offered up a, “hn.” Despite hearing Kakashi’s mildly concerning assessment of their enemy, Sasuke felt confident (and borderline arrogant) about their chances. Once again, he could feel his excitement and will to fight rise. It might be his small proclivity for showing off, but Sasuke let his chakra loose in response to Naruko’s wild chakra.  

Sasuke let her summon four shadow clones, three to charge in towards the Akatsuki member and one to sit at her side and begin meditating. Sasuke watched the way the man moved, assessing his speed, reflexes, and estimating his strength. Before the last clone popped, Sasuke moved. For such a bulky frame, Kakuzu was still able to move efficiently. But it hardly mattered. With his sharingan, it was too easy to keep track of all the individual vines. Once the last clone had dissipated, he did his best to keep the focus on him with a mix of attacks from his lighting-enhanced chokuto and the lightning gathered in his other hand.  

Sasuke had just cut through some tendrils while simultaneously avoiding some more shooting from the ground to grab him by the ankle when he heard Naruko’s call out, “Sasuke!” With a quick flip that managed to catch Kakuzu by surprise, Sasuke was able to land a kick to the center of the man’s face before spring boarding off and leaping away. Using chakra to stick to the top of a tree, Sasuke watched her Rasenshuriken expand with loud screeches. The attack was doing its job, but Sasuke couldn’t see any sign of Kakuzu within the blast radius. He was still searching for any sign that the attack had landed when he sensed someone behind him.  

“Futon!” 

Air bullets about his size rained down over him, the destructive power only mildly concerning when each bullet moved too slowly to actually hit him. “Is this it?” Sasuke taunted in a bored voice from over his shoulder.  

“Brat. Don’t get cocky when you haven’t landed a real hit yet,” Kakuzu said and shot his fist at Sasuke’s back. Sidestepping to avoid the hit, Sasuke watched the fist fly past him, his sharingan already picking up on the micromovements from the thick threads. Before the threads could split from his arm and latch onto him, Sasuke was cleanly cutting through the tendrils and disarming Kakuzu. “The sharingan, huh? It’s been a while since I’ve faced an Uchiha. I wonder if your eyes are better than Madara’s,” Kakuzu said. 

Sasuke was only vaguely familiar with his ancestor from the clan history lessons that had been drilled into him. He wasn’t sure how he felt at being compared to a traitor, but at least Madara had been powerful- one of the strongest shinobi of his time.  

Sasuke readied his chokuto as he observed Kakuzu. He had been distracting the man for only a few minutes to give Naruko time to gather nature energy, but Sasuke was tempted to tell her not to bother. After the trouble that Orochimaru had given them, Sasuke was expecting more from Akatsuki members. Additionally, he was mildly insulted at being underestimated. Sasuke had long since noticed that the second mask had split off from the main body and was lying in wait. Kakuzu may have fought Uchiha in the past, but (as disrespectful as it sounded) they must not have been particularly skilled. Then again, Sasuke regularly trained with the geniuses amongst his clan. 

He could sense the mask with fire release launching a sneak attack from behind. “ Sasuke-kun !” he heard Ino cry out, but Sasuke didn’t flinch.  

Before the second mask could ready its attack, Sasuke heard Naruko’s war cry and the resulting boom from her fist pummeling the creature into the ground and shattering the mask with a loud crack. Naruko moved forward to stand next to him, the air around her weighing down on him slightly while still feeling charged and almost alive. “Ten minutes,” she reminded him of her time limit. 

Sasuke scoffed once. “We won’t need five,” he predicted. This time when he closed in, Naruko was at his side, keeping pace.  

This was their mission. They were facing a deadly threat that not even Kakashi had managed to totally defeat. The air should feel tense and severe with the pressure to not make a mistake weighing down on him, but Sasuke felt none of that. If he had to be completely honest, he could say that he was having fun. Moving together, complimenting each other’s styles, displaying a level of strength that was steadily backing Kakuzu into a corner… On more than one occasion, Sasuke had locked eyes with Naruko and had seen his feelings reflected in her gaze. But as thrilling as the fight (if it could still be called that) was, they did have a mission to complete.  

“Naruko.” 

She didn’t need further instruction to know what he was thinking. While she and her shadow clone readied their attack, he moved into a defensive position. He didn’t have to wait long for Kakuzu to make his move. With a loud cry, Kakuzu gathered his chakra and leaped into the air. Sasuke watched him attempt to use his threads to launch a long-distance attack. ‘ Pathetic,’ Sasuke scoffed and flooded his palm with lightning. ‘ Chidori eisou .’ Before the tendrils could get close, Sasuke was slicing through them with his lightning spear.  

“Sasuke,” Naruko said to draw his attention. He’d only glanced her way, but the image of her standing tall with the Rasenshuriken in one hand and her sage markings on full display would never leave him. He grunted once in acknowledgement while collecting his chakra.  

“Futon: Rasenshuriken!” 

“Katon: Gouryuuka no jutsu!” 

He had to increase the amount of chakra he used to match her, but their combined attacks still meshed just as well as they had when he’d used the Amaterasu. Granted, this fire was much less devastating, but it still managed to be effective. The fiery orange shuriken flew towards Kakazu, barely giving him enough time to dodge. Sasuke could already see him trying to avoid the blast and moved to intercept, but stopped when Naruko’s hand latched onto his arm. Apparently, she had already planned for Kakuzu trying to escape. Her shadow clone launched a surprise attack from the ground beneath him and latched onto Kakuzu to hold him in place. Sasuke was a little impressed by her foresight.  

They had to channel chakra to their feet in order to remain upright in the wake of the explosion. Sasuke shielded his eyes from the flying dust and debris, but he oddly couldn’t look away from the blast for long. It was awe-inspiring and beautiful in the way that raw power was. Even after the winds had died down and the remaining fires were slowly dying down into embers, Sasuke couldn’t help but inspect the damage.  

“We did it! Teamwork, ‘ttebayo!” Naruko exclaimed exuberantly. Instead of a victory dance this time, she offered her fist to him with a wide grin. Truthfully, Sasuke wanted to do more than bump fists with her, but he would settle. (He hadn’t forgotten the others watching behind them.) Sasuke sighed once with a fond roll of his eyes and tapped his knuckles against hers. Not sparing another second, Naruko turned and started sharing her excitement over her new jutsu with Kakashi and the others. Sasuke narrowed his gaze at the still-smoking crater in front of him, however. 

He didn’t expect Kakuzu to still be alive, but maybe having two hearts left had managed to spare the man from death. It didn’t look to be much of a blessing, though. Letting his eyes run over Kakuzu’s burnt and bloody form, Sasuke hummed once and tried to ignore the scent of burning flesh. 

“You…brats. How could you…defeat me? How did I lose to-” 

“Enough,” Sasuke cut Kakuzu off. “I don’t care about your problems. But before you die, you’re going to answer my questions.” 

“Upstart brat,” Kakuzu spat. 

“How many Akatsuki members are there left? Who’s your leader?” Sasuke questioned. 

“Go…to hell,” Kakuzu said and coughed up a splatter of blood.  

Sasuke frowned before reaching down to grip what was left of Kakuzu’s singed, greasy hair. Ignoring Kakuzu’s pained grunt, Sasuke lifted his head to stare into his green eyes. “I didn’t think you’d want to talk, but I don’t need you to,” Sasuke said and dived past Kakuzu’s defenses and into his conscious mind with his sharingan. 

Sorting through Kakuzu’s memories felt like it took ages but had lasted only a few seconds in reality. Sasuke had seen five more mostly human members. He couldn’t identify them from memory, but he was sure that he’d find them in a bingo book somewhere. Not only did he have the remaining faces of the Akatsuki, but he also knew the location of their main base of operations. “I have no further use of you,” Sasuke informed Kakuzu, but the older man seemed to be comatose. With a handful of chirping lightning, Sasuke struck through Kakuzu’s final heart. 

~:~ 

The Yondaime had looked both pleased and proud when he heard of their success. And why shouldn’t he be? Two more Akatsuki members were dead. Shikamaru had managed to outwit and single handedly take down an immortal man in order to avenge his sensei. Sasuke was moderately impressed by Shikamaru’s genius. If only he spent as much time training as he did staring at clouds and napping, he might have made jounin by now. 

“This is great news. I still want a formally written report from each of you, but you can take a few days,” the Yondaime said. “You’re dismissed. Sasuke and Kakashi, can you stay back for a minute?” the Hokage asked, but still managed to make it sound like a command. Sasuke could feel the eyes of his peers on him as they shuffled out of the room. Only Naruko seemed to want to remain behind, but changed her mind when she saw the stern expression on her father’s face. 

Once the door closed behind her, Jiraiya of the Sannin slipped into the room from the open window. He reached into his robes before pulling out a familiar, black book and tossing it to Sasuke. “You saw their faces. Anyone in there stand out to you?” Jiraiya asked and fixed serious eyes on Sasuke. Sasuke was mildly surprised to see the oaf taking something serious for once.  

Quickly flipping through the pages, Sasuke scanned the entries until he found a familiar one. “Hoshigaki Kisame. He was Orochimaru’s partner,” Sasuke said and flashed the page. While the Hokage and Jiraiya exchanged looks, Sasuke flipped through the rest of the book. “I don’t see any of the others in here. One of them wore an orange mask. I didn’t see his face,” Sasuke said and tossed the bingo book back to Jiraiya.  

“Did his mask have a single eye hole?” Minato asked, his voice taking on a chilly tone. Sasuke wasn’t sure how the Hokage knew the man, but he nodded nonetheless. Minato seemed to retreat to his thoughts, but still fixed Sasuke with an expectant look and gestured for him to continue. 

“One of them looked more plantlike than human. They called it Zetsu. Their leader was a man with orange hair and a woman with purple hair. They go by Pain and Konan.” 

“Konan? Was there another man with red hair?” Jiraiya asked. Sasuke shook his head, but Jiraiya didn’t look any less troubled. “Their base… Is it in Amegakure?” 

“Yes,” Sasuke answered, feeling incredibly lost. It felt like have the puzzle had already been solved without his help and he’d only managed to fill in a few blanks. 

“You know them, Sensei?” Minato asked. 

“I met them when they were just kids. They were orphans and I took pity on them. Showed them how to fight for themselves. I thought they’d died,” Jiraiya explained. “I need to look into this.” 

“Do you think they would be a threat to you?” Minato questioned.  

“I can’t say for sure. It’s been a while since I’ve seen them. Now, they’re working with missing nin and hunting bijuu,” Jiraiya said with a deep frown.  

“Perhaps it would be best if you didn’t go alone, Jiraiya-sama,” Itachi suggested.  

Jiraiya stared at Itachi for several seconds before letting out a loud guffaw. Itachi waited patiently for Jiraiya to finish, but Sasuke was tempted to punt the man back out the window. ‘ Nope. Still an oaf.’  

“No offense, Itachi. But I doubt that a simple reconnaissance mission would be too much for me to handle. I’m a Sannin,” Jiraiya boasted. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Jiraiya’s blatant disregard of his brother’s opinion.  

“Mah. It wouldn’t hurt to have backup. The Akatsuki members that we’ve dealt with weren’t exactly pushovers. It would take a powerful shinobi to lead them and keep them in line,” Kakashi reasoned in a slow drawl.  

“They’re right, Sensei. I know that you work best alone, but maybe a small team of capable shinobi skilled in infiltration?” Minato suggested.  

“No need. I’ll take Hime with me. I won’t find a better partner. Plus, it’s always good to have a medic around,” Jiraiya said with a wide grin. While his reasoning seemed sound, the lecherous look in Jiraiya’s eyes had Sasuke questioning the older man’s motives. “Nice work, kid. You might have a future in T&I,” Jiraiya complimented Sasuke before ducking out the window.  

“He’s right. Good work, Sasuke. You can leave and get some rest,” Minato dismissed.  

~:~ 

Itachi watched Sasuke bow before turning to leave the room. He wasn’t sure if Sasuke could read the pride in his eyes, but it didn’t matter. He could tell his little brother how proud he was of him later.  

“Sensei?” Kakashi questioned, already picking up on the Yondaime’s serious demeanor.  

With some quick hand signs, Minato sealed the room for privacy before he spoke. “Sixteen years ago, I faced a man in an orange mask. He’d been the one to open Kushina’s seal and release the kyuubi. I haven’t heard of any sightings of the man until now.” 

“I doubt he’s been dormant all these years,” Itachi said.  

“I agree. But it’s hard to tell if he’s been hunting the other bijuu as well,” Minato said with a frown.  

“None of the other hidden villages would admit to having lost their bijuu,” Kakashi surmised. It made sense. An announcement of that nature would weaken a village. It’d be an open invitation for an invasion.  

“Would he try attacking the village again?” Itachi posed the question on his mind.  

“He chose to strike when Kushina was giving birth because that’s when her seal was at its weakest,” Minato explained. Itachi frowned. An incredible amount of foresight... How many people knew that about jinchuuriki? 

“I doubt he’ll try again now. Both Kushina and Naruko are too well protected. He wouldn’t get close. Plus, his window of opportunity is closing,” Kakashi said. Itachi raised a brow in question but Minato was staring at nothing, while deep in thought. “It would make sense to target Naruko over Kushina due to her lack of experience. But Naruko is getting stronger every day. Even if he were to infiltrate the village to get to her, the chances of being able take her without a fight are slim.” 

“You make a good point. But I’d still like to air on the side of caution. I can send them both to Mount Myouboku for their own safety if I have to,” Minato said and rubbed his hands over his face with a deep sigh. It was a decent backup plan, but Itachi wondered if the Yondaime would be able to convince his wife or daughter to run and hide. “That’s all, Kakashi. Head to the hospital and have Tsunade-sama take a look at you before she leaves with Sensei,” Minato said and unsealed the room. “And please try not to take too long with your mission report this time. Iruka has been to my office to complain three times in the past month.” 

“Of course, Sensei,” Kakashi said with a smile before leaving through the window. Itachi restrained himself from snorting out loud. It didn’t take a genius to guess that Kakashi was already planing to take twice as long to turn in his report.  

Minato sighed deeply and shook his head fondly. “Itachi, I hope you don’t think I’m being nosy, but I couldn’t help but notice that things are a bit rocky between you and Fugaku,” Minato said as he inspected a paper on his desk.  

Itachi paused for a second before giving a thoughtful hum. “You’re not wrong, Hokage-sama. Then again, I suppose it isn’t hard to notice,” Itachi said. It wasn’t just his father. The majority of the Uchiha had decided to publicly shun him. Only his mother, Shisui, Izumi and Sasuke were seen associating with him now. “Why do you bring it up?” 

Minato seemed to soften as he handed Itachi the paper in his hands. Itachi took it and quickly scanned the contents. It was a mission request form with his and his father’s names on it. Itachi resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Somehow managing to pick up on the minute details in his face, Minato gave Itachi a pitying look. “He submitted it personally. He didn’t give me any reasoning for the request but I think he hopes to make amends and isn’t sure how to go about it.” 

Itachi stared at the sheet of paper with a frown. He hadn’t exactly made it easy for his father to approach him. Perhaps he was being a bit spiteful and taking out his frustrations with the clan on his father? “My father has bigger concerns than me,” Itachi said and handed the paper back.  

“Not for long. I think he’s planning to retire soon. He already has someone in mind to take over the police force,” Minato informed and tucked the file away into one of the drawers on his desk.  

Itachi hesitated slightly before speaking. It wasn’t like him to spill his personal problems to just anyone, much less the man that was essentially his boss. But Minato had proved to be an understanding man. And Minato was a father himself. Maybe he could provide another perspective? “I was referring to Sasuke.” 

“Is there something wrong with your brother?” 

“Nothing physical. He’ll deny it if I bring it up to him, but I think that Sasuke is feeling our father’s neglect now more than ever. He’s managed to distract himself well enough lately. But I worry that one day he may come to resent our father. Leaving on a mission with me with the intent to bond would be an unnecessary slap to the face,” Itachi said.  

“You’re right. It can’t be easy to be your brother. No offense,” Minato quickly amended.  

“None taken,” Itachi replied. Itachi knew that there was a part of Sasuke that envied him. He supposed that if the roles were reversed, he might envy Sasuke as well.  

“I doubt simply telling Fugaku about Sasuke’s feelings would work. Your brother and Fugaku don’t seem the types to appreciate that kind of meddling.” 

“They would most likely deny everything and double down on not addressing the issue. They can both be very stubborn and difficult,” Itachi lamented.  

“So, what would you do?” Minato asked.  

The Yondaime would frequently pose a problem to Itachi just to get his opinion on the matter. Some times, they were hypotheticals. Other times, they were genuine issues that Minato was facing. No matter was too small. The Hokage had once asked Itachi to sort through and balance the village’s budget in order to find the funds necessary to replace the classroom furniture in the academy.  

Itachi took a few moments to think it over but the answer was obvious. “I can’t leave the village right now. I’m needed here. My brother, however, just returned and should be available in a few days.” 

“An impartial and diplomatic answer that kills two birds with one stone,” Minato praised. “Fugaku will be disappointed, but I doubt he would blatantly reject the change under the right conditions.” 

Itachi allowed himself a small smile. “Thank you, Minato-san.” 

Chapter Text

Sasuke had awoken to a summons to the hospital first thing the next morning. The genin that had delivered the message had barely spent more than a moment after relaying the message before dashing away with a heavy pant and a satchel full of letters. Hopefully, whatever this was about wouldn’t take too long.

Sakura had met him at the hospital’s entrance, clipboard in hand and hair pulled back. “Sasuke-kun, Shishou is waiting for you downstairs,” she said and started looking through the papers on her clipboard.

“What’s this about?” Sasuke asked and followed Sakura’s lead through the doors.

“Shishou wanted to talk to you and Naruko about what we found out from Kakuzu’s body. The kind of damage we saw… She was curious about the jutsu you two used,” Sakura explained.

Sasuke was about to respond, but the sounds of shouting and crashing made him pause. Sakura didn’t react to the noise and instead stepped to the side just in time to avoid getting bowled over by a flying Jiraiya. Sasuke watched the large man crash to the ground and lay on his back with a dazed look in his eyes and a broken, bloody nose. “Tsunade-sama,” Sakura greeted the blonde woman still glaring at the unconscious Jiraiya.

“Sakura,” Tsunade acknowledged and accepted the clipboard from Sakura’s hands. The blonde scanned the papers quickly before handing them back. “Get started without me. This should only take a few minutes, but you might finish before I get there.”

“Alright. Should I have someone move Jiraiya-sama?” Sakura asked and pointed a thumb over her shoulder.

Tsunade scoffed. “Leave him. He’ll make himself scarce once he wakes up,” Tsunade said before turning to Sasuke. The irritated look on her face quickly melted into one of amusement. “Uchiha brat,” Tsunade greeted in an almost amiable tone. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Sakura looked between the two, a look of complete incomprehension on her face. Sakura had always found his interactions with Tsunade to be both puzzling and slightly fascinating. It was well known that Tsunade didn’t tolerate disrespect from anyone (except Naruko), but she seemed to have some modicum of tolerance for Sasuke. He could even (unintentionally) make her laugh. Fortunately, the two never spent enough time together for Tsunade to grow tired of him and end up breaking bones.

“Sakura,” Tsunade dismissed with a nod before waving Sasuke forward. Sakura left with a bow while Sasuke followed Tsunade into an examination room.

“Teme,” Naruko greeted from where she was standing next to the table holding Kakuzu’s body.

“I’ll make this quick. After examining the body, I have to say that I’ve never seen damage this extensive from one attack, not even a combination jutsu,” Tsunade started pulled back a portion of the sheet covering Kakuzu. “Not only was every individual nerve and chakra pathway within the body severed, but there were also extensive, internal burns. The external burns hardly compare to the amount of damage done to the vital organs. This kind of damage is something that not even I can heal.”

Sasuke stared at the splotchy, red burns scattered along Kakuzu’s skin. “From what I could see with my sharingan, the Rasenshuriken alone produces countless microscopic blades,” Sasuke offered.

Tsunade nodded once in acknowledgement. “The microscopic blades alone don’t have to mean a death sentence. The severing of the chakra pathways causes an inability to mold chakra or use jutsu and the added nerve damage can cause immobility and a loss of senses. But even without being able to use chakra or move, a person can still survive…if they are extremely lucky and able to be stabilized soon enough.”

‘Or they’re immortal with multiple hearts,’ Sasuke thought and examined the charred hole through Kakuzu’s chest.

“In this case, the added fire release put the nail in the coffin,” Tsunade started again. “Fire is usually indiscriminate in how or what it attacks. But in this case, it almost seems to follow the path laid by the wind chakra.”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the smirk on Tsunade’s face.

“An internal attack, not as precise as a blade nor as concentrated. It’s more accurate to say that you’re setting your opponent on fire from the inside out. The external burns are a spillover effect. I suppose the only consolation to burning from the inside out is that they can barely feel anything by that point,” Tsunade said and re-covered Kakuzu’s body.

A combination jutsu that was essentially a death sentence. And it wasn’t even the most powerful form. Sasuke spared Naruko a glance to try to determine what she was thinking but found that she was already giving him a considering look. Sasuke maintained eye contact for a few more seconds before looking away with a grunt.

“Teme and me make a pretty good team, ‘ttebayo! Those Akatsuki bastards better watch out,” Naruko proclaimed with her hands planted on her hips and a sagelike nod.

“I suppose you brats really have been training hard,” Tsunade said with a shrug.

Naruko frowned. “Of course we have, Baa-chan! I’m going to be the strongest Hokage ever!”

Tsunade smirked, but her eyes still looked fond. “I had my doubts when Minato cried to me about how much time you were spending together. I guess I was wrong, and I owe Jiraiya some ryo.”

Tsunade had a bit of a wicked streak to her- taunting and teasing others just to get a reaction. Sasuke refused to take the bait. If only Naruko had done the same. “You and Ero Sennin made bets about-” she started but stopped short as her face flamed.

Tsunade waved her off. “Yeah, yeah. Just don’t do anything too adult until after I get back with Jiraiya. I’ve got another bet going and I don’t feel like owing Itachi any more money.”

‘Lies!’ Sasuke thought. Itachi would never…

Ignoring the strangled squawking noise coming from Naruko, Sasuke glared bloody murder at Tsunade. The older woman had a wide smirk on her face, silently daring him to say something. While Naruko was stuttering through excuses, Sasuke grabbed her by the collar of her orange jacket and pulled her from the room.

‘Fucking Senju.’

Once they were a decent distance from the morgue and Tsunade’s madness, Naruko stopped babbling excuses and broke free of Sasuke’s grip on her jacket. She casually rested her hands behind her head with a puzzled look to her face. “Baa-chan was acting pretty weird, ‘ttebayo. I didn’t think it was possible, but I think she likes you, Teme.”

Against his better judgement, Sasuke raised a brow at her in question. “You can be pretty prickly and rude, ‘ttebayo. I didn’t expect you and Baa-chan to get along,” Naruko explained. Sasuke scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“Well, you could always use more friends. You’re like a hermit, dattebayo,” Naruko said and poked at his shoulder.

“A hermit that has yet to shake you, Usuratonkachi,” he replied.

“Yeah right! You can’t get rid of me, Teme,” she practically shouted for any and everyone walking by to hear. Sasuke felt the tips of his ears warm at the sight of a few people sparring them knowing glances. She was so shameless.

“Usuratonkachi-” Sasuke started.

“But it’s okay cause I know you like having me around, ‘ttebayo,” she said with the utmost confidence. A light pink flush covered Sasuke’s cheeks when he heard some older, civilian woman giggling while shooting them glances.

It wasn’t untrue… But it’s not like he would have declared it so publicly. Even so, Sasuke could see how completely at ease she was. Did she not notice the attention she was garnering, or did she just not care? Maybe both? Sasuke was silently hoping for the latter.

He’d never blatantly asked for confirmation of her feelings for him. Whenever she had spoken the words, he’d taken the words and locked them away deep within that part of himself that she held sway over. He’d never admit out loud how much he cherished them.

Naruko hadn’t asked him to speak the words aloud. Sasuke liked to believe that she could just tell how he felt (she was normally very good at deciphering him). He may not be loudly proclaiming his admiration for her in the streets, but he took solace in the fact that he could care for her in his own way. Fortunately, he wouldn’t be reciting poetry from underneath her window or writing love notes on the Hokage Monument (sometimes Shisui had the worst ideas).

“Ne, Sasuke. What are you doing later?”

Sasuke could hear the hesitance in her voice and see the hope in her eyes. Whatever she wanted, she was anticipating his “no”. Sasuke shot her a look loaded with suspicion.

Naruko was rubbing the back of her neck and head, loosening her pigtails as she looked up and away. “Do you wanna get lunch with me?”

“I’m not eating ramen for the fourth time this week,” Sasuke shot down with a narrowed gaze. Truthfully, Sasuke didn’t care for ramen. The broth was too salty for his tastes, and he could only ever stomach one bowl of the greasy food. But he was used to it- another facet of his life that was purely Naruko’s influence.

“Ramen is the best, ‘ttebayo! But I meant BBQ. What do you say?”

She had stopped walking and was fully facing him, a puppy pout on full blast. Externally, Sasuke was completely stoic. He even threw in an exaggerated eye roll for show. But internally, he was slightly anxious. She had no idea how much influence she held over him did she?

It wasn’t hard to push her headband back and land a vicious poke to her forehead before she could react. What was usually a nonverbal expression of affection, now acted as a well-deserved retribution. “Usuratonkachi,” Sasuke interrupted her complaints about his callous treatment. She must have heard something in his tone, because she stopped and stared at him wide-eyed. “Lunch,” he promised with a nod before leaving with a shushin.

~:~

Standing in the doorway of Yakiniku Q, Sasuke wondered if it was already too late to back out. He had been resting comfortably in his room and had purposefully gotten out of bed for what he had assumed to be a private lunch. From across the restaurant, Sasuke could see Naruko surrounded by their graduating class and a few others he couldn’t recognize. Maybe he could back out slowly?

As if sensing his thoughts, Naruko’s gaze snapped to him despite being in the middle of a conversation. “Sasuke!” she grinned and waved him over, causing the other patrons to stop and stare at her and then him. ‘Dobe,’ Sasuke thought in fond exasperation before walking over.

Sasuke avoided the noticeably empty seat next to Ino for the seat Naruko had saved between her and Sakura. He’d barely sat down for ten seconds before a boy dressed in a green jumpsuit and flak jacket was leaning across the table and staring intently at him. “Uchiha Sasuke, my name is Rock Lee and I want to fight you,” the boy with the bowl cut said, a fierce look in his round eyes.

“Lee, we just started eating,” a girl with buns on her head chastised.

“I may not be able to use ninjutsu or genjutsu, but I want to prove that with enough hard work, it is possible to surpass natural genius,” Lee said, ignoring the girl next to him.

Was Lee inferring that he didn’t work hard? Yes, he had natural talent. (It was only natural- he was an Uchiha afterall.) But Sasuke trained regularly, sometimes from sunup until sunset. The fact that Lee would so boldly challenge him while disregarding his work ethic left Sasuke incensed. Sasuke’s gaze narrowed.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Sasuke was blindsided by Sakura shoving some cooked gyutan into his open mouth. He would have dodged her had he expected it. When he glared at her, Sakura return his look with a cool one of her own. “You were going to say something rude. Weren’t you?”

In the back of his mind, Sasuke vaguely remembered Itachi used to do something similar to spare Sasuke from sticking his foot in his mouth at the dinner table. ‘Just as annoying as Itachi,’ Sasuke thought and shot Sakura a look that was more annoyed than angry. Sakura ignored his vexation and continued eating.

Once he’d finished chewing, Sasuke replied to Lee, “Sure. Just don’t whine about when you lose.”

Instead of firing back with an insult as Sasuke expected, Rock Lee seemed to be vibrating in place with a fire growing in his eyes. Sasuke watched in confusion as the boy stood from his seat with a shout of, “Yosh!” From where he towered over the table, Lee held a fist up in front of himself and shot an expectant look at Sasuke.

“Lee, sit down. We’re eating,” the boy sitting next to Hinata said in authoritarian tone, a look of annoyance all over his face. Sasuke didn’t know the boy, but he must have been one of Hinata’s clansmen judging by the similarities in their appearances.

“Hai!” Lee exclaimed and quickly sat back down and reclaimed his chopsticks. He sat at attention, slightly tense and far too focused on the task of feeding himself.

How did Naruko know these people?

Once again, she tuned into his thoughts. “Bushy Brows, Tenten, and Neji are on team three together. Neji is Hinata’s cousin. He used to be as much of a prickly bastard as you, Teme. But he’s better now, ‘ttebayo.”

“Naruko-chan,” Hinata tried to admonish, but it sounded more like a strained plea.

Based on what he gathered from Naruko’s less than polite introduction, Sasuke was anticipating at least a nasty look from the Hyuuga to be directed at Naruko. However, the Hyuuga boy only lightly cleared his throat and went back to his food. He almost pulled off the disciplined stoicism, but Sasuke didn’t need his sharingan to spot the light pink flush to the boy’s cheeks. Sasuke’s eyes narrowed.

“Yes… Well, you were very persuasive even back then, Naruko-chan,” Neji said after some time.

Back then?

Sasuke wanted to ask more, but he also didn’t want to call the rest of the table’s attention to himself. He’d just have to satisfy himself with shooting Neji a wary look before focusing on the food in front of himself.

“Ne, Naruko. Thank you for doing this. Asuma-Sensei would bring us here a lot. Now, it’s almost like he’s still here with us,” Choji said with a soft voice and smile.

“Choji’s right. I say we have a toast to Asuma-Sensei and taking down those Akatsuki to avenge him,” Ino supplied and raised her glass.

Sasuke hadn't expected much from this unexpected gathering, but he wasn't having a terrible time. The air around the table was amicable and lively. Ino and Sakura were giggling to his left and Naruko was quickly stuffing slices of meat in her mouth while keeping her gaze trained on an equally enthusiastic Lee. Kiba was loudly cheering them on while Hinata watched them warily and Tenten shook her head with a sigh. Shino and Shikamaru seemed to be the only normal ones aside from him, both of them eating their food at normal, healthy rates.

Sooner than expected, Naruko let out a choked noise and dramatically grabbed at her throat. With a roll of his eyes, Sasuke gave her back a few, solid pats. Once she had stopped coughing, he offered her his glass of water which she accepted gratefully. “Dobe,” Sasuke chided as he watched her slump over onto the table.

“Naruko-chan, are you alright?” Neji asked in genuine concern. Naruko could only respond with a weak wave of her hand and a low moan. Sasuke’s eyes zeroed in on the Hyuuga. He looked a second away from leaping over the table to Naruko’s side. Without a second thought, Sasuke rested a hand to the blonde’s back and locked eyes with Neji from across the table. Pale, lavender eyes narrowed slightly in return. Sasuke wasn’t sure how long he and the Hyuuga stared each other down for, but it must have been a significant amount of time because Shikamaru released a loud sigh and said, “How troublesome.”

~:~

Sasuke wasn’t sure when or how it was decided. But after lunch, their entire group left the restaurant and proceeded to the nearest, vacant training ground. Kiba was taking everyone’s bets on who would win the upcoming fight. Sasuke didn’t particularly care what any of the others thought about the results. He was sure that he would win- even in a taijutsu-only fight. But one or two of his nerves did get a bit touched when Neji confidently proclaimed that Lee would be victorious.

Rather than respond to the Hyuuga, Sasuke chose to focus his attention on Naruko. “How do you know them?”

“I met Neji when I was a kid. He was so rude and cold to Hinata that I yelled at him for it. But he kept yammering on about fate and stuff, so I had to knock some sense into him. I set him straight and we’ve been friends since,” Naruko explained. Sasuke was familiar with her friendship with the Hyuuga heiress. Back in the academy, Hinata was the only girl in their class that wasn’t openly hostile towards Naruko. Come to think of it, aside from Hinata, Naruko had only made friends with the boys (except himself of course) in their class. Sasuke vaguely recalled constant fights between Naruko and the other girls about monopolizing his attention.

“Ne, Teme. Sorry I lied. I didn’t tell you it was a cheering up party for team ten cause I knew you wouldn’t come if you knew it was a party,” Naruko half-apologized. Her words could count as an apology, but she didn’t look or sound apologetic in the slightest. If anything, she was probably proud that she’d gotten him to socialize.

“Hn,” Sasuke replied just as they were approaching Training Ground 3.

The others formed a single file line at the edge of the field while Sasuke and Lee stood facing each other in the middle. While Lee began his stretches, Sasuke did a mental check of his weapons’ stock- a few kunai, a few dozen shuriken, a few yards of ninja wire…

“Sasuke!” Naruko shouted far louder than necessary. “You better not lose, ‘ttebayo!”

Despite Ino and Sakura offering cheers of their own on his behalf, Sasuke locked gazes with Naruko. She looked as fired up as if she were the one taking part in the spar. Despite her words, she looked like she already expected him to win (as she should). Sasuke smirked with a grunt and turned back to Lee. The boy had already taken up a fighting stance with one hand at the ready and one tucked behind his back. Far from the overly enthusiastic and goofy character he’d seen at lunch, the Lee standing before him looked ready and focused. ‘At least he’s taking this seriously,’ Sasuke supposed and activated his sharingan. Lee seemed to pause for a second at the appearance of his doujutsu, but he relaxed back into his stance and waited.

“Are you being cautious or are you afraid of my eyes?” Sasuke taunted and slipped into a low stance.

“I’ve never faced the Sharingan before, but Guy-Sensei says that it’s abilities are not like the Byakugan,” Lee offered.

 “Of course not,” Sasuke agreed. He smirked even wider and said, “They’re better” just before he moved.

Ignoring the affronted “tch” from the sidelines, Sasuke focused on the charging Lee. ‘Decent speed,’ Sasuke judged. Lee was no Shisui, but he was faster than Sasuke had expected. Lee had leapt into the air with a few spins to give his right leg added momentum. “Konoha Senpuu!” Lee shouted as he swung his shin toward Sasuke’s head.

With chakra enforced limbs, Sasuke took the brunt of the attack on his forearm. It was a heavy hit, heavy and harder than should be possible without chakra. But no where near as powerful as a hit from Naruko in Sage Mode. Before the boy could dodge, Sasuke grabbed Lee’s ankle with his free hand and sent him flying with a quick spin. As Lee was moving through the air, he was already twisting and trying to regain his balance, but Sasuke was already in position to intercept.

If Sasuke had to be honest, Lee’s fight style wasn’t one that he was intimately familiar with. Their fight moved at a slightly different tempo than what he was used to. The heavy punches and kicks left more of an emphasis on singular, devastating hits as opposed to many quick strikes of moderate strength. Sasuke could recognize some moves and key elements from Kakashi. In fact, he’d copied a few of those very moves a couple times. But it was obvious that Kakashi must have done the same to someone else.

“Sasuke-kun, I have to admit that I’m getting excited. The rumors about you are true,” Lee said once they had paused their spar. Sasuke wasn’t sure which rumors Lee was referring to, but it hardly mattered. “Please allow me to fight on your level!” Lee said just before he began gathering his chakra.

“If Lee is opening the Gates, this fight is over,” Sasuke heard Neji proclaim.

He had half a mind to put the Hyuuga in a genjutsu, but Naruko’s loud exclamation stopped him. “Teme’ll win for sure, dattebayo! Just watch! That stubborn bastard hates to lose almost as much as I do.”

Despite her support being laden with insults and a backhanded compliment, the words did have some effect on him. He didn’tneed a cheerleader. He was well aware of his power and capabilities. But it did please him to know how much faith she had in him.

“The second gate, Gate of Healing, open!” Lee shouted just as his chakra levels peaked. With a loud battle cry, Lee rushed into the fray again. If it weren’t for his sharingan, Lee’s increased speed would have caught him off guard. Punches and strikes that were manageable before necessitated evasive maneuvers now. Sasuke moved half on reflex, deflecting and dodging Lee’s powerful blows while paying close attention to the patterns of his movements.

What had the Hyuuga called it? The Gates? Sasuke had never heard of a technique like this before. It seemed to enhance strength and speed, similar to senjutsu. If this was only the second gate, how far could Lee go? It was mildly impressive. But for as powerful as he seemed, Sasuke could see that Lee was starting to slow down. The technique must be too taxing to maintain for long periods of time. In that case, he’d just have to wait Lee out.

Lee moved precisely, his fists, knees, elbows all aiming for vital areas and weak spots. In an unexpected move, while Sasuke had raised both arms to block a punch to the face, Lee slammed his thigh into Sasuke’s gut and knocked the wind from his body with a wheeze. As Sasuke stumbled backwards from the blow, Lee shot out his hand palm-first and cracked Sasuke’s nose. Acting reflexively, Sasuke jumped back and away to put some distance between them.

Wiping the blood from his nose while spitting out the blood that had gathered in his mouth, Sasuke watched Lee stand at the ready. “Hn,” Sasuke said and stood up from his lowered, defensive stance. “Your hits aren’t landing as hard as before. You won’t last much longer at this rate,” Sasuke taunted. He could see Lee tense and frown slightly. The boy must have already realized it. He should be getting ready for a final assault then.

Sasuke channeled healing chakra to his damaged torso, already starting the healing process while simultaneously supporting the area. If Lee was going to use another new technique, he’d need to be ready. Instead of allowing Lee to take control of the battle flow, Sasuke charged in this time. This time, Sasuke changed his fighting style to more resemble Lee’s. The other boy seemed surprised to see his moves countered so readily. “My eyes can see through your technique,” Sasuke informed with a smirk just before stopping a punch to his still healing gut. With chakra enforced grip, Sasuke grabbed Lee’s other fist long enough to restrain the other boy. A short tug was all he needed to close the gap between them and ram the top of his head into Lee’s face. Sasuke could hear the cracking of Lee’s nose and even feel some of the other boy’s blood on his head. While Lee was dazed from the hit, Sasuke sent him rolling away with a kick to the gut.

Lee was quick to regain his footing, however. Within seconds, he was once again charging at Sasuke with a cry. Sasuke moved to meet him halfway but was surprised when Lee put on another burst of speed that had him blurring out of sight. Automatically, Sasuke stopped on the spot, but that only served to make him an easier target when Rock Lee manifested right in front of him. His eyes could see the upward kick coming in slow motion. Sasuke had just enough time to guard against the kick, but it still sent him flying into the air.

Was this the peak of Lee’s speed? He was fast, very fast. Sasuke could give him the credit he was due. While he was still mid-air, he could sense that Lee was still on the move. Preemptively, Sasuke turned his head to keep better track of Lee’s movements.

“You truly are a genius, Sasuke-kun. But with this move, I will show you the value of hard work,” Lee said and loosened the bandages on his hands and forearms.

“I’d like to see you try,” Sasuke responded. He’d need to time this perfectly. When the first bandage started to slide around his wrist, Sasuke silently summoned a kunai from the seal on his arm band on his opposite hand. Fortunately, Lee still hadn’t noticed and was still attempting to subdue him. More bandages came for his other wrist, Sasuke cut the fabric and used a burst of chakra to increase his speed and face Lee. Lee’s eyes widened in shock when Sasuke grabbed his bandages, pulled him in closer, just before trapping Lee in his arms and legs. Less than a minute had passed but Lee’s small advantage had disappeared as both he and Sasuke plummeted to the ground.

Sasuke made sure to keep Lee restrained until the very last second before moving away and letting the other boy slam into the ground with a loud boom. Sasuke could both sense and see Lee’s chakra dwindling from where he laid in the medium-sized crater he’d landed in. As Lee was groaning softly and rubbing at his head, Sasuke stared down at him in consideration. Lee definitely wasn’t the strongest opponent that he’d faced, but Sasuke had a feeling that the boy was holding back. Curiously, he wondered just how strong Lee was.

As Lee was starting to pick himself up from the ground, Sasuke offered out a hand to the boy. Lee seemed genuinely surprised to see the gesture but accepted the hand with a small grin. “Thank you for the spar, Sasuke-kun. I can see that I must work even harder if I am to fulfill my nindo.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. You nearly had Sasuke on the ropes for a second there.”

How had he not sensed them? Sasuke looked over his shoulder to glare at Shisui’s grinning face. Thankfully, Itachi was much less obvious, but his eyes were focused on Sasuke’s still-healing torso. “I wonder just how much your taijutsu is lacking, little brother,” Itachi teased.

Sasuke scoffed, “I imagine it’s gotten better than yours since you’ve been hiding behind a desk.” Itachi smirked, a bit of amusement dancing in his eyes.

“Hope you don’t mind, Sasuke. Itachi invited himself to our training session today. But you’re right. He could probably use the exercise,” Shisui said and poked at an imaginary fold of fat on Itachi’s side.

Itachi glared at Shisui while smacking his hand away. “You’re both ridiculous.”

“Oi! If you’re training, I want to join, ‘ttebayo!” Naruko exclaimed as she approached. The others took that as a cue to approach as well, albeit more cautiously. Aside from Sakura, the others seemed to be watching his brother and Shisui with a sense of awe. Sasuke supposed it was a bit much to see both Itachi and Shisui. He was sure that they were like living legends to the others.

“You can’t,” Sasuke replied.

Immediately, Naruko frowned at him. “Is it because you’re worried that I’ll do better than you, Teme?”

“We’re training with the Sharingan, Naruko-chan. I’m afraid you lack the tools necessary,” Itachi explained with a patient smile.

Naruko pouted as she stared at Sasuke’s sharingan, her arms folded over her chest. “Maybe you can work on getting your Sage Mode to last more than ten minutes. It’s been getting boring sparring with you,” Sasuke lied with a condescending smirk.

Sensing Naruko’s impending explosion, Shisui quickly cut in, “No time for a lover’s quarrel!”, grabbed Sasuke and Itachi by the shoulders, and shushined away.

“Tch… Lover’s quarrel?” Sasuke repeated once they had landed at the clearing that he and Shisui normally used for their training.

“Don’t play dumb. You and Naruko-chan argue like an old married couple. I don’t even think you’re truly upset when you do. You just like to push each other’s buttons,” Shisui said with a shrug.

He wasn’t wrong. Sasuke had long since stopped getting genuinely upset whenever he and Naruko fought. He could tell that it was the same for Naruko. She liked to make it her personal mission to get a reaction out of him in an effort to break his aloof exterior.

“Every couple has their own, unique dynamic,” Itachi said, both playing mediator and bringing the discussion to an end.

“Speaking of couples. Sasuke, I was wondering about your teammate, Haruno Sakura,” Shisui said catching Sasuke completely off-guard. Even Itachi stopped with a brow raised. Shisui looked between the two brothers and frowned. “What?”

“For your sake, I’ll pretend that you didn’t just say that,” Sasuke said in a dry voice. Itachi nodded once in agreement.

“Is she already seeing someone? I wouldn’t want to step on any toes.”

Sasuke wasn’t sure how to respond to his cousin’s novel interest in Sakura. But after a couple seconds of thought, Sasuke decided to ignore the notion completely and hoped it went away. Truthfully, Sasuke had no idea about Sakura’s romantic life (he’d never asked, and she never told him) and he didn’t want to know.

“How about we start training?” Itachi suggested and moved to the middle of the clearing, signifying his disinterest in the current topic.

Sasuke was surprised to see Itachi facing him instead of Shisui. He had assumed that Itachi had come to observe their training since he lacked a Mangekyo Sharingan. “Shisui tells me that you’ve been working on a new attack with your Mangekyo. It’s gotten me curious. I hope you’ll accept me as your training partner today,” Itachi said and activated his sharingan.

Was this a test? Sasuke looked to Shisui for confirmation, but his cousin was standing off to the side with his hands in his pockets. “Don’t look at me. He made me train with him like this too.”

Sasuke watched Itachi waiting with his sharingan ready. His brother looked almost relaxed, but Sasuke could see the subtle tenseness to his muscles. Technically speaking, Itachi would be at a great disadvantage. But Sasuke was sure that his brother wasn’t going to let him have an easy victory. “I’ve gotten pretty used to Shisui. Maybe you’ll be more of a challenge, Nii-san,” Sasuke said with a grin that Itachi matched.

~:~

Itachi subtly rubbed at the sore muscles in his thigh as he read through some documents on his desk. Sasuke really was getting strong… His little brother hadn’t gone easy on him, utilizing techniques that Itachi had never seen Shisui use. Itachi wasn’t sure that he would have been able to outlast Sasuke had they not cut the spar short once Sasuke’s eyes had started leaking blood.

“Are you feeling alright, Itachi-kun?” Minato asked as he eyed Itachi from across the Hokage’s office.

“Don’t worry, Minato-san. I strained a muscle during training with Sasuke yesterday,” Itachi replied.

Minato hummed once. “Your brother has been training a fair bit lately.”

“I think it has to do with Naruko-chan’s influence and the threat of the Akatsuki,” Itachi explained.

“Ah. Naruko spends nearly every free moment training. I wish I could spare more time to help her, but it seems that she’s found a permanent sparring partner in your brother,” Minato mused.

“Their rivalry is as strong as ever,” Itachi said just before a knock sounded on the door.

The person on the other side waited a second before cracking the door open and sticking their head through. The scarred face of Umino Iruka smiled at both men before pushing the door open further and allowing a young woman into the office. “Hokage-sama, Naho-san has arrived,” Iruka informed. The young woman with the buns in her hair strode into the room, dressed in fine clothing that signified her noble upbringing.

“Thank you, Iruka. Could you please send for Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Sasuke?” Minato asked.

“Of course, Hokage-sama,” Iruka said while pulling out a scroll from his flak jacket. Suddenly, the pleasant smile on the tanned man’s face vanished and an irate look took its place. “Hokage-sama, here is the report Kakashi-san submitted from his most recent mission with team ten,” Iruka said, his voice strained. From where he sat at his desk, Itachi could see the deplorable state of the report in Iruka’s hand- dirty and riddled with holes that looked like bite marks from a dog.

“Thank you, Iruka. I’ll… speak to him about re-writing it,” Minato said as he accepted the report with an exasperated look.

“Thank you, Hokage-sama,” Iruka said rather stiffly. His lips pursed as he turned and silently stomped from the room. Itachi watched Minato place the report into one of the drawers in his desk before subtly wiping his hand on his pants. Must have been another report still damp with dog saliva.

“Ano… Did you say Uchiha Sasuke?” the young woman asked, a light flush to her face. She was twirling one of her brown bangs around a finger, her other hand resting on her heated cheek.

“You know my brother, Naho-san?” Itachi asked.

The young woman seemed to look him over for a second before deeming him worthy of a response, “Yes. He saved my life a few years ago.”

When Minato had offered up this low-level escort mission for his father and Sasuke, Itachi hadn’t expected this. The mission was supposed to be something easy that required little effort to give his father and brother a slightly relaxed environment away from the village in order to bond. But if this young woman (who very clearly was infatuated with his brother) would be accompanying them, it was very likely that Sasuke’s temper would run short with her and possibly their father.

“He has a tendency to do that,” Minato supplied, only a little grumpily. To his credit, Minato had been complaining much less frequently about his brother and Naruko’s relationship. He seemed to be slowly accepting it, convinced that this was years in the making- starting from the first time Sasuke had risked his life for Naruko’s.

“What does that mean?” Naho asked, but before she could get an answer, someone was at the door.

Itachi still wasn’t sure how he felt about his father. He could identify sadness and regret at how he handled the situation with Fugaku. While he had no intention of compromising his beliefs, Itachi did wonder if it was time to try a different approach. His father was standing at attention before the Hokage, but his eyes kept straying over to Itachi.

“Thank you for heeding my request, Hokage-sama,” Fugaku said, but Minato waved him off with an easy-going smile.

“Of course. It was good timing,” Minato said, but stopped when another person entered the room through the open window. “Sasuke, now that you’re here, I can give you the details of your mission,” Minato said. Already, Fugaku looked as though he wanted to speak, but wisely kept silent.

“Fugaku, I want you to partner with Sasuke for this escort mission,” Minato started. Itachi did his best to appear busy, resolutely avoiding eye contact with his father. “Naho-san is a relative of the fire daimyo. She’s decided to request Konoha shinobi to act as her guards while she is on holiday in the Land of Hot Water.”

Judging by the slight twitch in Sasuke’s brow, he didn’t look too pleased to be assigned this mission. His father was a bit harder to read, but Itachi could still detect the displeasure on his face. While he was sure that Sasuke felt this mission to be beneath him (and he wasn’t wrong), Itachi knew that his father wanted to object the Hokage’s choice for his mission partner.

“Good luck,” Minato finished and offered Fugaku the scroll containing Naho-san’s itinerary. Fugaku took the scroll with only slight hesitation, shot Itachi a quick look, bowed and left the room. Sasuke watched him go, his face unreadable.

“Sasuke,” Itachi called out. “Do me a favor while you’re out. You should be passing through Tsuki Village. Would you pick up some green tea for me?” Itachi asked and approached Sasuke. He offered his brother a pouch of money, but Sasuke silently glared.

“I don’t know what you’re scheming, but it won’t work,” Sasuke hissed and took the money.

Itachi gave him a soft smile. “Otouto, it already is. Enjoy your trip,” Itachi said and slid his gaze over to where Naho was silently swooning. Itachi nearly laughed at Sasuke’s obvious cringe and disgruntled expression.

“Hopefully your leg heals by the time I get back. I’ll need a sparring partner if you’re up for the challenge,” Sasuke taunted and blatantly glanced at Itachi’s sore leg.

Sometimes Itachi missed the days when Sasuke would hang on his every word and looked up to him with eyes filled with admiration. Now, he usually got sass and cheek. Where had his adorable little brother gone? “I agree. Maybe with more practice you’ll get more than one, good hit in,” Itachi smirked.

Just as Sasuke was about to (most likely very loudly) reply, Minato loudly cleared his throat. The Hokage was watching them, slightly amused but expectant. Itachi watched Sasuke barely hold his tongue as he approached the waiting Naho. The young woman clearly wanted to speak to him and had taken the past few minutes to decide what to say. But all of that meant nothing to his brother who walked right past her without acknowledgement. The girl deflated slightly before softly swooning over his brother’s aloof nature and quickly leaving. “I hope you’re right about this, Itachi-kun,” Minato sighed. Itachi silently agreed.

~Omake~

When Ino had shown up on Sakura’s doorstep to coerce her into helping gather others for an impromptu sleepover, Sakura had been more than a little skeptical.

“Aren’t we a bit too old for sleepovers, Ino?” Sakura had asked. The last time she had had a sleepover (AND with Ino no less), she’d been eight.

“You got me there, Forehead. But Hinata would never agree to go out drinking with us and Kushina-san would lock Naruko up forever if she heard that we wanted to take her out drinking,” Ino explained.

So, Sakura had gone along with Ino’s wishes. It was just easier not to argue when Ino got it in her head to do something like this. Together, they had convinced Hinata with only minor trouble. (Hinata was much more agreeable once she’d heard that Naruko would be joining them.) Thankfully, Hinata knew where Tenten lived, and the older girl was more than willing to join them and give life to her boring, Friday night. When their party of four had shown up at the Uzumaki-Namikaze residence, Naruko had looked positively puzzled at their reasoning for coming over.

It was then that Sakura realized that Naruko had never participated in their sleepovers in the past. Ino had always invited the girls from their class, but Naruko had somehow never gotten an invitation. Looking back on it, Sakura felt a bit ashamed when she remembered how much better she had felt at alienating Naruko for simply daring to capture Sasuke-kun’s attention. It was a wonder that Naruko had still wanted to be friends with her once they’d become teammates.

“I still don’t get it. What are we supposed to be doing?” Naruko asked.

Ino sighed loudly and said, “Girl things, Naruko. Like reading magazines, eating junk food, talking about boys, and giving each other makeovers.”

If anything, Naruko looked even more confused. Sakura pulled a hairbrush from her bag and turned to the sunshine blonde, “Naruko, why don’t you let me braid your hair?” While looking still a bit confused, Naruko acquiesced and scooted over to sit in front of Sakura.

As Sakura was going through the strands and gently removing any knots that she found, she couldn’t help but notice something red on Naruko’s back that was peeking through the loose strands of hair. Curiously, Sakura brushed some hair aside just only to have her jaw drop. Smack dab in the middle of Naruko’s back was the Uchiha clan crest. Now that Sakura was truly examining the shirt, it did appear too large on Naruko’s frame. Unfortunately, Sakura hadn’t hidden her surprise fast enough because Ino was already taking a peek at Naruko’s back.

“Naruko!” Ino gasped just before the most devilish grin slipped onto her face. “Is this Sasuke-kun’s?” Ino asked pointed at the dark blue shirt.

Naruko hummed once as she looked down at the shirt and then nodded, “I think so. Why?”

Sakura watched Ino slowly turn into a cat that had caught a canary. She felt a bit of pity at the interrogation that Naruko was about to receive, but she knew that nothing would stop Ino when it came to village gossip.

“Did he give it to you, or did you take it?” Ino asked. Tenten and Hinata were listening as well, but the Hyuuga heiress looked a little pink in the cheeks.

“He gave it to me, ‘ttebayo. I’m not a thief!” Naruko objected.

“I didn’t say that you were. I was just wondering why it’d be necessary for you to wear his clothes,” Ino responded with a cheeky smile. Sakura almost facepalmed. Naruko had no hope of fending off Ino. Sakura was sure that Naruko probably didn’t realize what Ino was fishing for.

“He said that I wasn’t allowed to wear my jumpsuit in his bed, ‘ttebayo. He said it was dirty from training. It wasn’t even that dirty!” Naruko loudly defended.

“Eh?” Sakura exclaimed and peered around to look Naruko in the eye. Sakura had already promised herself a long time ago that she would give Sasuke-kun the space he needed. His personal life was his own and whatever he wanted to share with her would be enough. So, it came as a huge surprise to hear that Naruko and Sasuke-kun were already…

Hinata released a small squeak as her face flamed. Tenten’s jaw dropped slightly, her hand pausing on the way to feed herself another amanatto. Ino looked ready to go in for the kill. “And here I thought I was the only girl from our class that wasn’t a virgin,” Ino said with a sly look. If it were even possible, Hinata’s face turned even redder.

Naruko’s brows furrowed in confusion for a second before the realization hit and her face immediately flamed. Naruko backed away from Ino, her hands waving in front of her as she offered stuttered denials. “I-it’s not like that, ‘ttebayo! We just sleep!”

“Yeah. Together,” Ino prompted.

“Oh my,” Hinata whispered in a high pitch with her hands covering her flaming cheeks.

“Wait. If you’re with Uchiha Sasuke, then what about Neji?” Tenten asked, her snack forgotten.

Embarrassment forgotten, Naruko gave Tenten a weird look. “What about Neji?” Naruko asked. It took less time for her to catch on than before. When she did, Naruko made a show of making an ‘X’ with her arms and turning her face away. “That’s so weird, ‘ttebayo. Neji is my friend, like Shikamaru or Chouji.”

“Can you blame her? You call Sasuke-kun your friend,” Ino said and claimed Tenten treats as her own.

Naruko stopped for a second. She pouted and hummed in thought before announcing with the utmost conviction, “Sasuke’s my best friend.”

Sakura moved behind Naruko again and returned to her task while saying, “I’m not surprised. Sasuke-kun is the same way.”

“Ano… Did he say that?” Naruko asked, her wide blue eye barely peeking back over her shoulder.

Sakura could hear the hesitation and read the vulnerable hope in the other girl’s eyes. While she wasn’t privy to the intricacies of their relationship, Sakura supposed that she shouldn’t be surprised. Sasuke-kun had always been very private with his feelings. “Something to that extent. He told me about the bond you two share. He said that you’re the only one he feels it with and that it’s like magnets.”

“Magnets?” Tenten repeated with a raised brow.

“Like you were constantly pulled back together no matter how much distance there was between you. He didn’t really understand it, but he made it sound romantic to me, like you two were drawn to each other,” Sakura said.

Sakura wasn’t sure what kind of response she had expected from Naruko, but thoughtful silence wasn’t it. Had she spoken too much? Sakura knew that Sasuke had liked Naruko from the time they were thirteen (although Sasuke would never admit it). Was she wrong to reveal the full scope of Sasuke’s feelings to Naruko too soon?

“He feels it too then,” Naruko said and rubbed at a spot on her chest over her heart. “I don’t really know how to explain it. When we were kids, I wanted him to acknowledge me. He was my rival and then my friend. But it’s always been different. It feels like we understand each other in a way that no one else does. Sometimes, it’s like I can feel his pain, ‘ttebayo.”

They all went some time without anyone saying a word. Ino was the first to break the silence with a stunned, “Wow.”

“That sounds really beautiful, Naruko-chan,” Hinata offered with a small smile.

“It sounds like something straight out of a romance novel,” Tenten supplied.

Sakura had never been more grateful for her decision to give up on her crush. When she had first been assigned to team seven, she had been ecstatic to be on the same team as Sasuke-kun. If they were on the same team, he would have to pay attention to her- acknowledge her. But as the days went by, it became increasingly obvious that Sasuke only afforded Naruko his full attention. At first, Sakura took solace in the fact that the two of them only argued and fought with each other, often times leading to Kakashi-Sensei forcefully separating them. But then the jealousy had reared its ugly head and Sakura had found herself wishing to switch places with Naruko. Even Sasuke-kun’s irritation and frustration had to be better than the cold dismissals that she was used to.

It happened so gradually that Sakura hadn’t noticed when their violent and explosive relationship had simmered to an easy camaraderie. If she had to pick a point to attribute it to, it would have to be after their mission to Wave. Naruko had lived through a twelve-year-old Sakura’s dream of having Sasuke-kun risk his life to protect her and it had brought them closer. They fought less with fists and more with words, their words became less biting, and there was more playful ribbing and physicality. Sasuke, who never tolerated physical contact outside of sparring, willingly allowed Naruko to hang off him as she tried to coerce him into whatever idea or mischief she had in mind.

Sakura had watched their relationship grow and change from the very beginning. She was truly happy for her friends. The kind of bond they shared sounded like a once in a lifetime occurrence- finding an actual soulmate. Would she ever find something so deep?

“I don’t know how the rest of us are supposed to follow that,” Ino playfully griped. Naruko snapped out of whatever daze she had been in to rub at the back of her head with a nervous laugh.

“Uchiha Shisui asked me out yesterday,” Sakura said, completely unprompted. The other girls seemed to simultaneously pause to process what Sakura had just admitted before having different reactions.

“Shisui!?” Naruko exclaimed in pure shock.

“He’s pretty cute. Please tell me you said yes,” Ino pleaded.

“Was he one of the Uchiha that came after Lee and Sasuke’s fight?” Tenten asked.

“Yes. He was the short-haired one with the unfairly long eyelashes. They have to be feeding those Uchiha boys some type of magic formula from young for them to all be so gorgeous,” Ino surmised.

“Ino-chan,” Hinata admonished with pink cheeks.

“I said no,” Sakura answered dryly.

“What!? Why? Did you miss the part about him being gorgeous?” Ino practically shrieked.

“Because I’m too busy for dating. Besides, I heard Shisui just broke up with Tanaka Emi. Isn’t it too soon for him to be dating again?” Sakura pointed out.

“His heart heals fast. That’s not a crime. The only crime here is you rejecting him, Forehead. We have to fix this,” Ino said and pointed a finger at Sakura.

“There’s nothing to fix, Pig!”

“It’s like I taught you nothing. Where did I go wrong?” Ino sighed with a shake of her head. Sakura couldn’t resist rolling her eyes. She’d let Ino get it out of her system now. She’d give up playing matchmaker soon enough.

Chapter Text

Despite no longer being in ANBU, Itachi remained unmoving as he took stock of his surroundings after he awoke. Only after verifying that nothing was out of place or unusual did he open his eyes. It was early, hints of the sun’s rays barely lightening the sky. Itachi let himself enjoy the tranquility of the morning before looking over to the softly snoring body next to him. Izumi had spent the night again.

She had been spending more time in his place as of late. Not because of any shift in the dynamics of their relationship, but because it was easier on her to distance herself from their clan. Several of their clansmen had started to treat Izumi with suspicion and contempt for her relationship with him. She never complained, hesitant to worry him about the slowly worsening situation with the clan.

Itachi watched her peaceful face as she slept. Her snores were soft, and she had a case of light bedhead already brewing. A rare look of fondness and love covered his face as he brushed a lock of hair out of her face.

A pang of guilt suddenly hit him. His issues with the clan were his own. He’d never intended for those around him to suffer for his decisions, but honestly, he should have seen it coming. Not for the first time and definitely not the last, Itachi wondered how best to proceed. It was too late to go back on his decision now. It would only make matters worse by setting the wrong precedent- that he could be manipulated by his clan. But to keep going…

Itachi sat up and untangled his legs from the sheets before rising from the bed. After using the bathroom, Itachi quickly dressed in some loose clothing and tied his hair back in a low ponytail. Despite Sasuke and Shisui’s teasing, he was still very strict with his training regimen.

The early morning hours in Konoha were the perfect time to train, in his opinion. The training grounds were all empty and the chances of running into someone (other than Might Guy or his students) was very slim. Itachi started with a run through the forest, doing his best to keep his mind blank as he settled into the repetitive motions. He’d kept up the same regimen even after leaving ANBU, with the addition of spontaneous sparring session with Shisui or Sasuke.

By the time he’d finished his run, target practice, and katas, the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon. Shirt slightly damp with sweat, Itachi disengaged the wards around his home and entered. He found Izumi in the exact spot he’d left her in, this time with a small pool of drool collecting on the pillow under her head. He smiled softly in amusement before starting the process of cleaning up.

“I didn’t miss it,” a sleepy voice croaked behind him.

Peering over his shoulder, Itachi spotted Izumi smiling sleepily at him. “I’m afraid you did. Sorry I didn’t wake you. You looked so peaceful, I doubted you would have appreciated being woken for training,” Itachi replied and pulled his shirt over his head.

“Training? I meant the show,” she said and stretched, long and deep.

Itachi was momentarily distracted by the curve of her body in one of his too large shirts- the way her back arched off the bed and her breasts lifted. “Show?” he parroted.

“Yeah,” she said and gestured to him.

Itachi blinked twice before smirking and looking away. “I doubt that it’s very entertaining. I’m sweaty and don’t smell exactly pleasant.”

“You don’t actually smell bad. It’s both unfair and attractive,” Izumi said and rested her cheek on her palm. “But yes, it’s very entertaining,” Izumi said with a pointed look at his exposed body.

Itachi could feel the flush gathering on his cheeks- just a light one- so he turned his back to Izumi with a light chuckle. He was no stranger to intimacy, especially not with Izumi. But even after nearly ten years of dating, he still felt slightly embarrassed whenever she was more blatant in her attraction to him. Even so, Itachi didn’t hesitate to remove his pants and toss the soiled clothes in the hamper. When he chanced another glance backwards, Izumi had moved onto her stomach, now fully facing him with her chin resting on both palms and her feet lazily kicking in the air.

With an amused look, he said, “I’m afraid I have to cut your entertainment short. I have a morning appointment at the hospital today.”

Izumi let out a loud sigh before sitting up with a pout. “Fine. I’m guessing you’ll be showering alone then?”

“I’m sorry,” Itachi replied, actually sounding slightly apologetic. “You can be a bit distracting, and it defeats the purpose unfortunately.”

Izumi finally got up from the bed, her shuffling causing his shirt to ride up enough to flash a glimpse of her underwear. “Just a bit?” Izumi asked with a knowing smirk as she approached.

“Yes,” Itachi said and let her reach up to remove the tie in his hair. “Despite my best efforts to remain on task.”

“What can I say? I guess my will is stronger than yours,” Izumi said with a careless shrug before cupping his cheeks in her hands and pulling his face towards hers for a kiss. Itachi didn’t hesitate to comply with her wishes, quickly being drawn in by her charms. He could feel her hands move from his neck to slowly slide down his front, her fingers dipping beneath the band on his underwear. Truthfully, he hadn’t expected her to stop there in her exploration. “Don’t worry. Maybe one day you’ll catch up,” she teased and quickly stepped away.

Itachi hadn’t fully registered what she’d done until her back had already disappeared from the room, and he was left standing semi-erect in his underwear. He could hear her in the kitchen, busying herself with preparing breakfast. Itachi sighed softly with a shake of his head. He’d let her have this small victory now- one battle in exchange for the war.

~:~

Because Tsunade-sama had left the village with Jiraiya-sama, it was Haruno Sakura that attended to him when he arrived. Officially, Haruno-san was Tsunade-sama’s second apprentice, but she was the one running the hospital in Tsunade’s absence. It was quite the accomplishment for one so young and Itachi was mildly impressed.

“Good morning, Uchiha-san,” Sakura greeted when she entered his room.

“Haruno-san,” Itachi returned with a nod of his head. He watched her read through the papers in his file, her lips pursed in consideration.

“How have you been feeling lately?” she asked, a pen already drawn to take notes.

“I still take my medication and I haven’t noticed any negative changes within the past few weeks. If anything, I do feel better compared to a few months ago,” Itachi reported.

Sakura nodded a few times while making some notes to his file. “That’s to be expected. You’re not on missions anymore so there’s less stress being put on your body.”

“I still train regularly. Nothing too strenuous,” Itachi said.

Sakura hummed once and wrote some more. “That should be fine. I’ll just take a look at your current vitals,” she said and rested the file down on the bed next to him before approaching him with a glowing hand.

Itachi was more than used to the feel of medical ninjutsu. He’d spent the last few years regularly seeing Tsunade-sama in an effort to manage the disease that threatened to ravage his body. Fortunately, Tsunade had been able to catch the illness in its early stages and provide care. She hadn’t been able to cure him (she’d made it clear that healing autoimmune diseases was beyond her abilities), but she had been able to help him manage so well that his career in ANBU hadn’t been impacted too greatly. Now, he was on a steady treatment of immunosuppressants while visiting the hospital once a week to monitor his progression. He’d spend the rest of his life with his body fighting itself, but at least he many years to look forward to.

“Everything looks fine, but I’ll still have one of the nurses drawn some blood from you to measure your blood cell count,” Sakura said when she withdrew from him.

“Of course,” Itachi agreed with a nod.

“I have to admit, you’re a lot easier to treat than Sasuke-kun,” Sakura said, seemingly without thinking. Immediately, she realized what she’d said, and a blush colored her cheeks. “I mean-”

“I understand. Sasuke can be…difficult. He’s never liked doctors,” Itachi said with a small smile.

Sakura blinked in surprise before biting at her lip to hide a smile. “I never would have guessed.”

Because Sasuke wasn’t in the village to object, Itachi continued on, “He used to be afraid of needles. Fortunately for his shinobi career, he’s outgrown the fear, but there’s still some discomfort with hospitals.”

Itachi could tell that Sakura was quickly becoming at ease around him because she didn’t hesitate to say, “I thought it was something he picked up from Kakashi-sensei.”

Itachi didn’t consider himself to be a popular person by any means. Sure, he had admirers. But the amount of people that truly knew him or called him “friend” was very limited. He was by no means an open or social person, but Itachi had learned to accept the friends that fell into his lap.

Itachi hadn’t cared for Sakura’s obvious (and mildly concerning in its intensity) crush on his brother when they were children. But she seemed to have an amicable relationship with him now as well as genuinely wanting his brother to be happy. “Thank you, Sakura-san,” Itachi said, voice full of gratitude.

The friendly smile she had dipped slightly as a confused look covered her face. “For doing my job?”

“For being a good friend to my brother. I’m grateful that he has so many people in his life that care about him.”

Sakura blinked in surprise again before scoffing slightly. “Tell him that. He tends to call me annoying more than anything,” Sakura said with a roll of her green eyes.

“My brother is complicated. I’m sure that he doesn’t mean anything by it,” Itachi soothed.

“I figured as much. He only calls me annoying when I meddle. He says I’m as annoying as you are,” Sakura said with an easygoing shrug.

That gave Itachi pause. Sasuke must care for Sakura’s friendship more than he thought if Sasuke was equating their relationship to the one he shared with his little brother. Despite the insult to his person (annoying? Really??), Itachi couldn’t help but feel pleased. “He brings it on himself. I wouldn’t be so annoying if he’d only listen to me,” Itachi said dryly.

“You’re preaching to the choir, Itachi-san.”

~:~

“So, what did Sasuke say when he found out about his mission with Fugaku-sama?” Shisui asked over a lunch of sushi. They had claimed a booth with relative privacy near the back of the establishment, but Itachi could still feel stares at the back of his head.

“Seeing as he found out at the same time that he was being assigned the mission, he didn’t say much. But I got the impression that he was very suspicious of my intentions,” Itachi replied and took a sip of his green tea. “Sasuke overthinks things. I’m sure that he thinks I’m punishing him by sending him on a mission with Naho-san.”

Shisui smiled and shook his head. “You’re one to talk about overthinking things,” Shisui replied. Itachi shot Shisui a mild glare. With his hands raised in defense, Shisui chuckled. “I’m just saying. It doesn’t have to be a bad thing. The Hokage needs to be prepared for anything and how else can you do that without considering every option.”

“Nonetheless, I hope neither of them let this opportunity go to waste,” Itachi said with a small frown.

Shisui sat back in his seat with a heavy sigh. “I don’t think it’ll be a waste. Sasuke has no problem telling people when they do something that upsets him.”

“Not our father. Sasuke is very willing to suffer our father’s judgement and criticisms. I worry about how much longer he can continue on like that, however.”

“Well, he has to learn sometime that parents aren’t always right. But maybe I’m not the best authority on parents,” Shisui mused.

Itachi barely held back a frown at Shisui’s words. Very rarely did Shisui ever bring up his parents. Shisui had been an orphan for most of his life but had hid any pain or hurt over the fact very well behind easy laughter and wide grins.

Just as Shisui was about to say something else, their waitress approached their table with a bashful smile in place. Whatever Shisui was about to say quickly left his mind as he turned a charming smile on the poor girl. Itachi held back from rolling his eyes at Shisui’s blatant flirting, more than used to his cousin’s habits.

“Are you sure? Is there anything I can do to change your mind?” Shisui asked with a smile on his face as he leaned towards the waitress. The young woman’s face flamed as she giggled lightly and twirled a lock of hair around her finger. “Please?” Shisui earnestly asked.

Itachi watched the girl essentially melt into a puddle on the spot before softly agreeing to whatever Shisui had asked of her before eagerly scurrying away. ‘So much for being interested in Sakura-san.’ Not even bothering to hide his judgement, Itachi shot Shisui a look. Shisui met Itachi’s gaze with a shrug. “What? I just got you free dessert.”

Itachi rolled his eyes. Just as he was about to criticize Shisui’s actions, Itachi felt the stares on him intensify. Just then, Itachi noticed some people slow down to glare at him through the window as they walked by. Itachi met their harsh gazes with an even stare until the three men sneered and continued on. Itachi watched the Uchiha clan crests on their backs disappear into the crowd of the busy street.

“Things are getting worse,” Shisui whispered. Itachi hummed once and returned to his food. “I imagine that they’ll get bolder with you now that Fugaku-sama is out of the village.”

“Let them. They won’t try anything too obvious,” Itachi said.

“It’s a good thing Sasuke is away as well,” Shisui said over his tea. Immediately, Itachi’s blood ran cold. “Sasuke’s relationship with Naruko-chan might be beneficial to the clan should they plan to gain footing over the Hokage.”

‘Over my dead body,’ Itachi thought.

“You weren’t at the last clan meeting. Things are getting out of hand. There were talks of following in Madara’s example of using the Kyuubi,” Shisui whispered so softly Itachi almost had to strain to hear him.

Itachi frowned deeply. “What did my father say?”

“He didn’t say anything. It was just wild ideas being thrown out by people grasping at straws.”

“He may not have directly encouraged them, but he didn’t stop them. His inaction is just as exacerbating,” Itachi replied.

“I want to give Fugaku-sama some credit. He wouldn’t let them use Sasuke or Naruko-chan like that,” Shisui mused.

Itachi rested his chopsticks over his half-empty plate. He wanted to take solace in Shisui’s words but couldn’t. His father wasn’t a power-hungry fool, but he allowed himself to be swayed too easily by public opinion. “Sasuke is aware of the situation and he’s more than capable of deciding for himself what he’ll do,” Itachi said. He was sure that Sasuke wouldn’t allow himself to be used as a way for the clan to manipulate the Kyuubi and, more importantly, Naruko.

“But you won’t let it come to that,” Shisui guessed.

“I’d die first before I let my brother pay the price for the clan’s mistakes,” Itachi vowed.

~:~

Itachi had tried his best to keep the ire off his face when he returned to the Hokage Tower after lunch with Shisui. But despite his best efforts, Minato had seen right through him. The older man had been deeply troubled by what Itachi had shared. So troubled, in fact, that he had to restrain himself from heading to the Uchiha district to sniff out the would-be traitors. Itachi didn’t blame him. The thought of his little brother being dragged into this mess that he had no part in made Itachi consider paying the compound a visit.

Minato was staring off into space, deep in thought. After a few minutes of this, he sighed deeply and seemed to age ten years all at once. “What a mess. The troubling news seems to be never ending today,” Minato said and drew a scroll out of a desk drawer. He handed the scroll over to Itachi before rubbing at his tired eyes.

Itachi took it with a concerned expression and quickly read over the contents. As he read, the pit that had formed in his stomach at lunch grew. “The two, three, and four tails are missing? The Akatsuki is escalating.”

“They were silent for three years after capturing the five and seven tails. Had the other villages started sharing information back then, this could have been prevented,” Minato mused. “But it’s too late to dwell on what should have been done. Only three tailed beasts are left.”

Itachi didn’t need to voice the question on his mind. From the way Minato’s eyes lit up in resolute determination, he was already contemplating what he would do to protect their jinchuuriki. “The Raikage most likely won’t accept aid from Konoha with defending their jinchuuriki,” Itachi pointed out.

“A is a proud man. I’m afraid his feelings towards me might prevent him from seeing reason,” Minato replied.

“With most of the tailed beasts already in their possession, it begs the question why we haven’t seen them,” Itachi said. Why take the tailed beasts if there was no intention to use their power?

“They most likely sealed them away to prevent them from roaming free. Whether the Akatsuki is creating new jinchuuriki is up for debate,” Minato said and turned to look out the window at the village. “Itachi, I wonder if I’m putting too much on your shoulders by asking you to oversee the Uchiha situation for a bit longer.”

“It’s fine. I’ll handle it, Minato-san,” Itachi promised, despite not knowing where to begin tackling the issue. ‘What a mess.’

~:~

Despite spending most of the day at his desk, Itachi felt exhausted by the time he made it home. From the other side of his door, he could sense Izumi’s chakra moving in the kitchen. Itachi took a few seconds to breathe deeply, doing his best to push all thoughts of the Uchiha and the Akatsuki to the back of his mind. Once he felt a bit more at peace, he pushed his way inside.

“I’m home,” he greeted while slipping off his shoes.

“Welcome home,” Izumi said with a smile, pausing in her vegetable chopping. But the second she spotted him, the smile fell. “Hard day?”

He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised that she could read him so well. Itachi smiled softly as he approached her and Izumi met him halfway, her arms wrapping around him in a warm embrace. “I’m sorry,” he apologized.

“Don’t apologize, Itachi. It’s not your fault that things are hard. That’s just life. But I’m sure that you’ll handle it. If anyone can, it’s you,” Izumi said with a smile.

“You shouldn’t feel alienated from the clan for me. My actions shouldn’t have affected you so deeply,” Itachi replied.

“You can’t blame yourself for how the clan reacts. Besides, you’re right. We can’t go to war with the village. It won’t end well,” Izumi said. “The elders don’t want to believe it. They’ve grown accustomed to their security within the village.”

“Biting the hand that feeds them,” Itachi scoffed.

“Speaking of feeding, we won’t have anything to eat if these vegetables don’t get chopped,” Izumi said, effectively changing the topic.

He could tell that she was doing her best to distract him. And while it wasn’t very effective, he still appreciated the effort. “How can I help?” he asked and began washing his hands.

“Start the miso,” Izumi suggested and went back to the vegetables.

As he worked, Itachi couldn’t help but feel his shoulders slowly relax and the knot of worry in his chest ease. This was a familiar setting as of late- Izumi at his back, humming softly as she helped prepare a meal or perform some other domestic task. The more he thought about it, the more Itachi came to realize just how much of a staple she had become in his daily life. Perhaps the situation with his clan had brought on at least one good thing?

“Izumi, would you like to move in with me?” Itachi asked, breaking the silence between them.

Izumi paused with a confused hum. She blinked at him, looked towards the direction of the bedroom, and looked back at him before saying, “I thought I already did. Most of my things are here.”

Itachi took a second to think about it and came to the same conclusion. Most of the space in his closet was dominated by her clothes. His bathroom was stocked with her toiletries and makeup. Bit by bit, she had moved her things in without him realizing. “True. But I should still officially ask,” Itachi said with a small smile.

“Well then, I officially accept,” Izumi smiled back before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in for a kiss.

The familiarity of their position jogged his memory, flashes of this morning coming back to him. Suddenly pulling away, Itachi summoned a shadow clone to finish preparing dinner. Izumi looked ready to question him, but he cut her off. “I just realized that I need to correct an error. You underestimated the strength of my will.”

He watched her brown eyes widen in surprise just before her sharingan subconsciously activated. Her cheeks blossomed in a full on blush and she tried to duck her head to hide her embarrassment, but Itachi was faster. “I-Itachi!” Izumi objected as he lifted her over his shoulder. He wouldn’t normally do this kind of thing, but (for once) he was in a playful mood. Leaving his shadow clone alone, Itachi carried the now giggling Izumi to their bedroom, kicking the door closed behind them.

Chapter Text

Was it some sort of prank? It was definitely a blatant abuse of power on his brother’s part. But why? And why drag their father into this? Itachi and Fugaku weren’t on the best terms right now, but surely his brother wouldn’t abuse his power to punish their father with a low level, escort mission. Once again, Sasuke was left with more questions than answers when it came to Itachi.

“Sasuke-kun, you’re more than welcome to travel in the carriage with me. Walking must get tiring after a while,” Naho offered through the window of her carriage.

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Pass,” he dismissed.

Sasuke wasn’t sure what was the worst part of this mission: Naho’s unwanted, persistent affections or the awkward silence between him and his father. From the moment they had left the Hokage’s Tower, Naho had been like an annoying bur at his side. At first, she just wanted to hold his hand (which he had glared at her for doing), but then she had taken that as permission to loop her arm through his and squeal in his ear about how cool he was. Sasuke was sure that he’d never understand girls.

If Naho couldn’t stay away, his father was the complete opposite. Fugaku seemed tense and unhappy about something that he wasn’t willing to share. Fugaku had never been a talkative man, but he seemed to retreat into his thoughts even more than usual. He kept his distance from Sasuke, only relaying information necessary for their mission and nothing else.

Sasuke wasn’t sure what he expected from his father. He was still confused as to why Itachi had stuck him with their father, but he’d considered that Itachi had inadvertently done him a favor. Thanks to Itachi, he had to spend the next week with an annoying fangirl. But he also got to spend that week with his father. For a short moment, Sasuke had entertained the idea that this might not be a punishment at all. But when Fugaku had been even less willing to interact with him than usual, Sasuke had quickly abandoned any budding hope. He had wanted to be disappointed, but he quickly got over it. This was a mission after all. Even a low-level mission like this was no place for emotions.

“I don’t know if you remember me, Sasuke-kun, but you saved my life a few years ago,” Naho tried again. When Sasuke didn’t respond, she said, “I’m glad to have you here with me now because I know that you’ll protect me.”

Sasuke resisted the urge to sigh. This was going to be a long mission.

~:~

Sasuke had never seen a problem with how little his family tended to communicate. The silence had always been peaceful, never uncomfortable or awkward. But after two days on the road with only Naho for company, Sasuke was starting to wish that he’d been assigned a different partner for this mission (or that he wasn’t assigned the mission in the first place).

It’s not that he was ignoring his father. If anything, it felt like his father was purposefully ignoring him. Sasuke wasn’t offended. Not really. His father was probably even more upset to be assigned protection detail. So, it was a bit unexpected when the first words his father chose to speak to him were, “You shouldn’t treat the girl so rudely.”

Sasuke had raised a brow in question. They had stopped for the night, Naho and her attendant retiring to her carriage while he and his father had sat silently beside a small fire. Ever the proud and disciplined man, his father sat up straight and looked down at him from his seat across the fire. Sasuke felt moderately self-conscious in his much laxer slump against a tree with a leg pulled to his chest. Subtly, he shifted positions before answering. “I’d hardly consider how I’ve treated her to be rude,” Sasuke replied in a measured tone.

Fugaku frowned deeply and Sasuke immediately tensed. “She is a relative of the fire daimyo. Her words hold weight. Your poor behavior will be a reflection of not only Konoha but the Uchiha as well,” Fugaku admonished, every word weighing down on Sasuke.

Normally, Sasuke would accept his father’s judgment without objection. He couldn’t say that he’d ever felt the flickers of annoyance that he was feeling now. “So, I should feed into her delusions for the sake of the village?” Sasuke fired back.

“Have you forgotten that you’re on a mission? Everything you do is for the sake of the village.”

“Our mission is to guard her, not play house,” Sasuke argued back. Sasuke could swear that there was a small voice (that sounded an awful lot like Itachi) nagging at him to stop and let the argument die here. Let it die before he said something that he would later regret. “Since when have you cared about the village anyways?”

His words had caught his father off guard for about three seconds before they sunk in, and his father’s disappointment grew into anger. “Sasuke, know your place,” Fugaku chided in a voice that let Sasuke knew that he had crossed a line.

His father was right. What he’d said was out of line and completely disrespectful. But it’s not like he was wrong. Instead of speaking any of the words he longed to say, Sasuke clenched his jaw, got up and walked towards the tree line.

“Where are you going?” Fugaku asked, his question sounding more like a warning.

“To take a piss,” Sasuke spat over his shoulder, just because he knew the crude words would incense his father more. He could hear Fugaku sputter behind him, but before his father could say anything more, Sasuke shushined away.

After a few minutes of slow strolling, Sasuke came upon a babbling brook being illuminated by the moonlight. The peace and quiet was a good a place as any to unwind. Taking a seat at the riverbank, Sasuke silently watched a few small fish fight the current as they swam upstream.

It didn’t take long for the regret to set in. He let his irritation with their mission take over and he’d lashed out at his father. Sasuke was surprised that his father had let him get away with such a display. Fugaku had always been quick to reprimand Sasuke for his disrespect when he was growing up. Stern tongue lashings or getting sent away to his room had been the go-to punishment, but a quick spank was also employed on occasion. But that was when he was a kid. It’s not as though his father could send him to his room now.

‘Know your place.’

His place? What place was that? As the second son? Sasuke scoffed.

His father was a hypocrite. As rude as it was, Sasuke had meant what he’d said. He’d sat in on the clan meetings. Sasuke had caught the whispers in the halls at night. His father was entertaining the clan elders and their dissatisfaction with the village despite reassuring their mother that there was no coup being planned.

Sasuke had considered bringing the knowledge up to Itachi, but he’d hesitated. If he informed Itachi, that was almost the same as informing the Hokage. While Sasuke was loyal to his village, he was also loyal to the clan. If this got out, there was no telling what would happen. The Hokage had already made it clear that traitors wouldn’t be tolerated within the village. Would the whole clan be branded or just the few? Would Itachi stand back, or would he join the fight despite the rift between him and the clan? Although it hurt Sasuke to think it, he wasn’t sure whether Itachi would side with the clan if he did fight.

Would he side with his clan? Sasuke wanted to answer a wholehearted “yes!” but hesitated. The more Sasuke examined the issue, the more he came to the conclusion that the clan was wrong. As far as he knew, the village had been treating them fairly. If anything, the Hokage was being very lenient with them. Could he fight with family for a cause he didn’t truly believe in if it meant turning against the village? Sasuke elected to put the conflict to the back of his mind for now.

~:~

The next morning, his father was still displeased with him, but Sasuke could barely muster the effort to care. When had he become so disillusioned with his father? His father had always been the type to command respect. A total disciplinarian, his father’s word had always been law. Was it just that he was old enough now to question those words?

Sasuke was pulled from his thoughts by a loud splash. Sasuke rolled his eyes before closing them and laying back on the grass, intent to ignore Naho’s latest attempt to woo him. Naho had been not so subtly trying to get his attention for several minutes now. It was just bad luck that they had passed by such a scenic waterfall and lake. Naho had practically pounced on the chance to show off her expensive swimwear. Idly, Sasuke wondered what Naruko was doing at that moment.

“Sasuke-kun, it’s so warm today. Wouldn’t you like to take a dip?” Naho asked as she got out of the lake and stood over him.

Sasuke opened his eyes after he felt a drop of water land on his cheek. He watched Naho lean over him, her long hair loose and wet. Shooting Naho an annoyed look, he said, “Move. You’re dripping on me.”

“Sasuke.”

Immediately tensing, Sasuke sat up to see his father staring at him from a few feet away. Sasuke mentally cursed Itachi for subjecting him to this week of hell. Before either of them could test his waning patience, Sasuke retreated to a tree branch on the other side of the lake and masked his presence. Maybe if he remained in the shadows and concealed his presence, he would escape this week with his sanity intact?

Once it became apparent to Naho that he wasn’t going to leave his hiding place (and not even his father’s subtle attempts to sniff him out worked), she loudly declared that she wanted to get back on the road. Sasuke waited a few more minutes for Naho’s attendant to finish packing her things before he showed himself. Fortunately, Naho didn’t get a chance to approach because Fugaku was faster. “You know that our mission is to guard Naho-san and yet you disappeared for almost an hour,” Fugaku said with his arms folded over his chest.

Sasuke frowned and gestured over his shoulder to the tree he had been resting in. “I was here the whole time. Couldn’t you tell?” Sasuke asked. If Fugaku was surprised, he did a good job of hiding it. Determining that his father had nothing more to say to him, Sasuke brushed past him to follow the retreating carriage.

~:~

By the fourth day, Sasuke was sure that his father’s face would forever be stuck in a deep scowl. The man woke up, went about his day, and went to sleep all the while looking like he’d sucked on a lemon. At least Fugaku had gone back to ignoring him. Sasuke wasn’t sure what it said about their relationship that he was relieved to be ignored by his own father. It wasn’t as though it was anything too different from the norm.

With one problem more or less avoided, Sasuke could only hope that Naho would suddenly decide to leave him in peace. Unfortunately, she was still trying to hold his attention- this time with a story about something he hadn’t bothered to pay attention to. “What about you Sasuke-kun? What’s your favorite color?”

Was this really what girls cared about? Or was it just those of noble birth? Was her life really so easy and boring? “I don’t have one,” he answered when he saw that she was waiting for his answer.

She pouted and said, “Come on. You have to have a favorite. Mine is pink.”

Sasuke looked up to the sky and prayed yet again for more patience. As he stared at a cloud float lazily by, the word, “Blue” escaped his lips unintentionally.

Naho blinked down at him for a few seconds before craning her neck to look up at the sky. “The sky is a pretty blue. I like that color, too.”

The sky…or eyes…

Feeling eyes on him, Sasuke turned his eyes back onto their path while extending his senses. If there was someone following them, it would probably be some opportunistic thugs hoping to rob them or even take Naho hostage. But Sasuke couldn’t detect any chakra signatures close by. Someone more skilled perhaps? Sasuke kept his eyes on the trees but couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Just as he was about to signal to his father, the sensation of being watched left him. For the person to vanish so quickly, they had to be a somewhat decent shinobi. Were they being scouted?

For the next half hour, Sasuke waited for any sign that they were being followed. He’d subtly alerted his father to a possible tail, but whoever it was had yet to appear. The tense air followed them into the next village on Naho’s itinerary.

“Stay with Naho-san. I’ll scout around,” Fugaku said and slipped away.

“Where’s he going?” Naho asked as she stepped out of her carriage with her attendant’s aid.

“To speak to an inn keeper to reserve your room,” Sasuke lied. The last thing he needed was to worry her and have her do something stupid that would make her an easier target.

“Finally. I thought he’d never leave,” Naho said wrapped her hands around his upper arm. “Sasuke-kun, I want to buy some souvenirs.”

Sasuke tried his best to remain alert to their surroundings while ignoring Naho’s inane babbling. But on more than one occasion she giggled a bit too loud or tugged roughly on his arm and Sasuke had to refrain from simply knocking her unconscious and hiding her away (for her own safety of course).

“I thought you wanted to buy souvenirs,” Sasuke pointed out and cut Naho off mid-sentence. She paused whatever story she was telling him and agreed with a grin. Sasuke kept his distance while Naho was busy looking over various pieces of jewelry.

Several minutes of Naho’s indecisiveness later, Sasuke sensed his father approaching them with a deeper than usual frown. “I didn’t pick up anything out of place in the surrounding area. Did you notice anything in the town?” Fugaku asked.

“No. Whoever I sensed before seems to have vanished without a trace.”

“Are you sure that you sensed someone?” Fugaku questioned.

Sasuke frowned. “Not by their chakra. They hid it well but I could feel their gaze,” Sasuke said, doing his best to ignore his father’s doubt in him.

Fugaku folded his arms over his chest with a hum. “We’ll have to be even more vigilant from now on.”

“Naturally. I’ll do a patrol of the area while you keep an eye on her,” Sasuke said. Finally, his father’s scowling mask cracked long enough to show a hint of dread. He hid it quickly, but too late. Sasuke wanted to roll his eyes. Figures, his father would want to dump Naho on him in order to spare himself the headache. It was a remarkably Itachi thing to do. “I doubt she’ll latch onto youand ask you to dinner,” Sasuke dryly remarked.

Fugaku straightened with a surprised look. Seconds later, the look turned chastising. “Sasuke-” his father started, but Sasuke quickly turned and jumped onto the roof of the shopkeeper’s stall. The clerk’s astonished gasps and Naho’s disappointed call were the last things he heard before he leapt from the roof.

~:~

Later that night, Sasuke had tracked his father’s chakra to one of the rooms at one of the more extravagant inns in the town. He could sense Naho’s and her attendant’s chakras in the room next door, both unconscious. His father was wide awake, sitting up and waiting for him in the middle of their room. Immediately, Sasuke considered leaving through the window he had just entered from.

“Did you find anything?” Fugaku asked.

Sasuke paused for only a second, before shaking his head in the negative. Maybe his father wasn’t going to bring up this afternoon? Perhaps he’d jumped to conclusions when he’d expected his father’s criticisms?

“I’m not surprised. I hadn’t found anything of note,” Fugaku said and folded his arms. Why did it feel like he was being disregarded?

Sasuke wasn’t in the mood to look too into it, however. This was probably one of the easiest missions of his life (excluding those annoying D ranks from his genin days), and yet Sasuke felt exhausted. Deciding to bathe in the morning, Sasuke removed his shoes, weapon pouch, and chokuto before slipping under the covers of his futon.

Naho was a mild annoyance at best and Sasuke had truly surprised himself with how much patience he could find to deal with the girl. But if he had to be truthful with himself, spending hours on end at Naho’s side didn’t leave him as emotionally drained as one interaction with his father.

It was frustrating how his father could say so little and yet so much at the same time. Every word, gesture, and look seemed to compound, weighing down on him until it felt like he would either fall to his knees or explode in irritation. This anger and frustration towards his father were still relatively new and surprisingly welcome. Anything was better than the feelings of contempt or inadequacy.

A long time ago, his mother had tried to soothe his worries that his father didn’t actually care about him. She’d confided in him that his father did in fact love him and was proud of him, but Sasuke had yet to see proof of it. He’d tried several times to approach his father and ask for confirmation directly from the source, but he’d always faltered. What if he hadn’t lost his nerve? What if he’d managed to speak the words instead of letting them get stuck in his throat? What if he’d asked and his father denied it?

Sasuke wasn’t stupid. He was sure that his father didn’t hate him. He doubted that Fugaku would have gone through the trouble of providing for and raising Sasuke if he’d hated him. Or, at least, he would have made his dislike a little more obvious. No, Sasuke was sure that his father didn’t hate him. Fugaku just didn’t love him as much as he did Itachi (despite his mother’s claims).

“Sasuke,” Fugaku said into the quiet of the room. Sasuke looked at his father from over his shoulder, but he sat up when he saw that Fugaku was waiting for his full attention. “I understand that this is not the type of mission that you would normally take, but you should still treat this mission with the same care that you would any other.”

‘This again?’ “I am. Even with our client shrieking in my ears like a banshee,” Sasuke said with a roll of his eyes.

Fugaku released a deep breath and closed his eyes. Sasuke watched his father take a few deep breaths, mentally wishing for this conversation to be over with. “Sasuke, I am not upset with you,” Fugaku said once he opened his black eyes and fixed his unwavering gaze on Sasuke.

Sasuke felt his breath catch in his chest. His father’s words had come out of nowhere, completely contradicting his demeanor over the last few days. Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, despite not knowing what to say.

Fortunately, Fugaku held up a hand to silence him. He wasn’t finished speaking apparently. “I know that you feel like your talents are being wasted on a mission of this caliber. I understand. Therefore, I am not upset with you for the way that you have been acting.”

‘What?’ Sasuke’s eyes narrowed as he spoke, “How I’ve been acting?”

Fugaku frowned for a second before clearing his throat and meeting Sasuke’s gaze. “Yes. I can overlook your dismissal of Naho-san. I am not asking you to feed into her delusions as you put it.”

“Then what are you asking of me, Otou-san?” Sasuke asked, his voice measured yet his tone tiptoed the line of disrespect.

Fugaku’s jaw clenched once, twice before he said, “I am telling you to watch your tone. Mind who it is you’re speaking to, son.”

Sasuke maintained eye contact with his father for several more seconds before looking away and down at his lap. The anger was uncalled for. There was no need to lash out at his father for being right.

“Your mother has made it clear to me that this is normal behavior for teenagers. I hadn’t expected it from you because you’ve always been an obedient boy and I never had this problem with Itachi,” Fugaku said.

Sasuke tried not flinch at the words. As he stared down at his lap, he could feel his chakra pooling behind his eyes, threatening to activate his sharingan. He made the conscious effort to calm the storm brewing within him, however.

“But, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. You and Itachi are nothing alike.”

Sasuke did flinch that time. Abandoning his attempts at deep breaths, Sasuke clenched and unclenched his hands, suddenly needing to hit something or destroy something with his lightning release. Suddenly, Sasuke’s shoulders shook with unbidden laughter. He supposed that it was funny in a way. No matter what he did or how hard he trained or what he accomplished, he would never be like Itachi in his father’s eyes.

“Itachi… Itachi, Itachi, Itachi,” Sasuke said, the volume of his voice rising with each utterance of his brother’s name. “I’m sick of hearing about Itachi.”

“Sasuke-” Fugaku started, but stopped when Sasuke turned his gaze back onto him. Fugaku had tensed slightly, but was making a conscious effort to relax. “Turn off your sharingan, Sasuke.”

Sasuke barely felt the customary burn in his eyes from the sharingan. If anything, it felt like the rest of him was on fire, his heart pumping heated blood through his veins while his chakra rolled within him. “You’re right. I’m nothing like Itachi and I don’t care,” Sasuke said and whipped the covers away from his legs. Maybe he would go punch something after all.

“Sasuke, I’m not finished speaking with you.”

“But I’m finished listening to you,” Sasuke said and he gathered his things. He’d rather sleep in a tree if it meant that he’d get away from his father.

“Don’t turn your back on me, Sasuke,” his father warned.

Sasuke could hear his father rising from his bed, but he didn’t take any steps toward him. That was fine, Sasuke didn’t want his father interfering with him. Just as he was sliding the window open once again, Sasuke heard his father speak again.

“Perhaps you are like your brother after all.”

Sasuke hated himself for stopping. He didn’t look back at his father, but he remained still with one foot planted on the window sill. He immediately regretted his decision not to leave when his father said, “You seem to have inherited his cowardly ways of running from responsibility and discipline.”

If it was possible, Sasuke felt more incensed at the insult to Itachi than he did on his own behalf. “Maybe Itachi left because he couldn’t stand to be around you,” Sasuke hissed over his shoulder.

The words were meant to cut deep and judging by the way Fugaku faltered, they had done just that. But Fugaku was quick to recover. “How dare you? I’ve done my best for you both. I’ve raised you and made you into who you are and yet you would both disregard me so easily.”

Sasuke laughed once, a mirthless chuckle as he lowered his foot to the ground. From over his shoulder, he taunted, “Sucks, doesn’t it?” Immediately, the lemon face was back. “You’re wrong. You didn’t make me into who I am. I did that without you.”

Surprisingly, Fugaku cursed loudly and threw his hands into the air. He watched his father pace the room with more angry curses, words he’d never heard his father say. Sasuke had never seen his father act so animated. “I knew that this was a mistake. I should have asked the Hokage to acknowledge my original request,” Fugaku mumbled to himself and ran a hand through his hair.

Sasuke hoped that he wouldn’t end up kicking himself for asking, “What request?”

“My mission request for Itachi and I,” Fugaku said, seemingly without thinking. He waved Sasuke away and continued to pace for a few more seconds before he realized what he’d said.

Sasuke wasn’t sure how to respond. His father had wanted to go on a mission with Itachi, had personally requested it. Yet, he’d been stuck with Sasuke. The entire time, Sasuke had assumed that his father had been pulled into one of Itachi’s schemes. But perhaps he still was? Itachi would definitely have known about the mission request. Had Itachi dumped their father on Sasuke instead? Did no one care what Sasuke wanted? Or was he just some pawn in everyone else’s plans?

“Sasuke, I wanted to make amends with your brother. This feud has been going on for too long. It’s time for it to end and for him to come home. I just wanted to fix things,” Fugaku explained, with more sincerity in his voice than Sasuke had ever heard from the man.

“But he outsmarted you. It shouldn’t have been hard to see that coming,” Sasuke scoffed.

Fugaku’s lips pursed. “Yes,” he begrudgingly admitted. “But I didn’t mind taking the mission with you. I know that I have been a bit preoccupied with Itachi lately.”

“Lately?” Sasuke couldn’t help but scoff.

Fugaku frowned. “There’s no need to be so dramatic, Sasuke.”

Sasuke was at a loss for words. Just when he thought his father was been sincere and honest with him, the man manages to slip in another stricture. “Mother lied,” Sasuke judged.

“What are you talking about?” Fugaku asked, at a loss.

“She lied or she was wrong. The only one you care about is Itachi. Itachi would rather not have anything to do with you or the clan and all you could think about is him,” Sasuke explained.

“Your brother turned his back on the clan, but he’s still my son.”

“Then what am I!?” Sasuke shouted, his arms spread wide as his frustrations peeked.

Sasuke could feel his father’s chakra starting to rise as he spoke, “You are both my sons.”

“Then why don’t you act like it? I may be your second-born, but that’s not my fault.”

Fugaku ran his hand through his hair again and released a deep sigh. Sasuke watched his father pace the room again as he collected his thoughts. Sasuke could feel the hope budding within him as he waited for his father to say something- anything that would assuage the years of neglect.

Finally, Fugaku stopped pacing and turned back to him. Sasuke subconsciously held his breath as he waited. “Sasuke, I do love you. I love you and your brother equally. I can see that in my attempts to prepare Itachi to lead the clan, you fell to the wayside. I am sorry.”

Sasuke felt his body sag as he started to breathe again. He wanted to accept the words, take them and lock them away where they couldn’t be taken back. He’d heard the words that he’d longed for his father to say. But he still wanted more from his father. Was he right to want more? Didn’t he get what he wanted?

“Why couldn’t you say that before?” Sasuke asked, his voice noticeably small.

Fugaku’s mouth clamped shut with an audible click. He stared at Sasuke for a few seconds before looking away. “I… I didn’t think that it was necessary. I assumed that you knew.”

Sasuke stared at his father incredulously. How could he have known that? Was he supposed to infer that over the years? Was he supposed to take a hint from all the times his father had compared him to Itachi or expressed disappointment in him?

All at once, Sasuke felt the fight leave him. Deactivating his sharingan with a quiet sigh, Sasuke rubbed at his eyes. Despite no longer wanting to argue with his father, Sasuke couldn’t deny the simmering anger and resentment within him. When he looked at his father again, the man was staring at him expectantly but Sasuke wasn’t sure what to say. He could feel the forgiveness ready to jump out of his throat, but his implacability kept his mouth firmly closed.

Expressing love was not something his family did blatantly. His mother seemed to be the only one in the household that had no problems with saying the words, “I love you”. Even Itachi rarely said the words out loud, preferring his own nonverbal methods of poking Sasuke’s forehead instead. But at least they tried.

With a scoff, Sasuke turned and quietly left through the window.

Chapter Text

Not caring was liberating.

After speaking with his father, Sasuke had spent the entire night lounging against a tree branch replaying their argument. The more he thought about all the words he’d said, the more the knot in his chest untangled and loosened. The words had just slipped out in a moment of frustration and anger. But the more he considered it, the more Sasuke started to make peace with the idea.

Was it so bad to be different from Itachi?

For as long as he could remember, Itachi had been his goal- his obstacle to surpass. Itachi had always been sitting on a throne or pedestal in his mind, the epitome of what a shinobi should be.

Sasuke had worked his whole life to walk the path that Itachi had blazed, gaining strength, and accomplishing milestones as quickly as he could. All the while, telling himself that one day he would close the gap between them and gain his father’s approval. But by deciding to remove his father’s opinion from the equation…

He would continue to train. He would grow stronger. Not for his father’s sake, but for his own. Sasuke had his own reasons for getting stronger. A part of him would probably always subconsciously compete with Itachi. (But wasn’t it a natural response to compete with a sibling?) But Itachi wasn’t his only goal.

Every time he looked away, she managed to speed ahead. When they were kids, he was secure in the level of his strength over hers. Even after returning to the village, he hadn’t felt too concerned by how much she had improved. Recently, however, Naruko’s strength seemed to be growing at an exponential rate. Idly, Sasuke wondered how much stronger she would get- how far would she go?

It was a strange situation to be in. He both enjoyed and was frustrated by the challenge that she posed. He could admit to himself that spending the rest of their lives growing stronger and constantly pushing each other sounded like a satisfactory way to live. (But he still wanted to be better than her.)

Newly revitalized by the reorientation of his goals, Sasuke hadn’t felt the dread that he’d grown accustomed to when he spotted Naho. His good mood must have been apparent because she seemed even more desperate than usual to be by his side. Surprisingly, his patience with her lasted longer than he expected.

His increased patience didn’t extend to his father, however. Truthfully, Sasuke wasn’t sure what to expect when he saw his father again. Would he act like last night hadn’t happened? Or would he try to approach Sasuke amicably? Did Sasuke even want that?

His neglect must not have been what Fugaku had expected, because the man seemed to struggle with himself upon Sasuke’s avoidance. Sasuke could feel his father’s surreptitious glances, but he chose to ignore them. (The reversal of their roles was not lost on Sasuke.)

Despite all his revelations from the previous night, Sasuke was still a bit annoyed and upset with his father. To combat this, he repeated his mantra that he no longer cared what his father thought. Be it his father, an arbitrary clan member, or anyone who had compared him to his brother in the past, Sasuke was through with burdening himself with their opinions.

Around midday, his father managed to summon enough courage to approach him during a rare moment of solitude. Sasuke didn’t acknowledge his father at first, choosing to remain on his tree branch and wait the man out instead. After about a minute of silence, his father quite loudly cleared his throat. Pausing his lunch, Sasuke peered over the side of the tree branch with a raised brow.

“Sasuke, come down here. I’d like to speak with you,” Fugaku started.

What was there left to say? The thought crossed his mind that he didn’t have to listen. His father couldn’t force him to comply. Nonetheless, Sasuke finished his last onigiri before hopping off his branch and facing his father. Sasuke waited for his father to speak, but the man seemed to be struggling to put his words together.

Fugaku stood ramrod straight with his arms folded over his chest. The posture was a familiar sight on his father, but the noticeably awkward and uncomfortable air about him was new. “Last night, things got out of hand. Harsh words were exchanged, but I think we should put it behind us,” Fugaku finally settled on.

“You want to pretend that it didn’t happen?” Sasuke clarified in a surprisingly even tone.

“No. It happened. I’m not taking back what I said because I spoke the truth. What I want now is for everything to return to how it was before we left Konoha,” Fugaku said in a resolute tone.

“I don’t,” Sasuke refuted. Fugaku faltered at the flagrant disregard. Doubt was creeping into his eyes and his folded arms slackened. “You meant what you said, and so did I. I’m not Itachi, nor do I care to be.”

“I won’t ask that of you. I understand that your brother is a lofty goal to set, but-”

“What you want is impossible,” Sasuke interrupted his father before the man could inadvertently start another fight.

Fugaku frowned deeply, the first signs of irritation and anger taking root in his eyes. “And why is that?” Fugaku ground out.

“Because I no longer care what you think of me,” Sasuke explained as if it were obvious. Fugaku opened and closed his mouth a few times in stunned silence. “I am still an Uchiha and that makes you my clan head. But that’s all that you are to me.”

“Sasuke,” Fugaku said in a warning tone that Sasuke chose to disregard.

“You haven’t earned the right to be called “Father”,” Sasuke declared in a hard tone.

For a split second, Sasuke wondered if he had gone too far when he saw the hurt straining his father’s face. Unlike last night, Sasuke hadn’t been trying to wound the man with words. But before he could say anything more, the hurt left Fugaku’s face and was replaced with resigned fury. “I can see now that despite my best efforts, I must have failed as a father for both my sons to turn out so shamefully,” Fugaku said in an even tone of voice.

Sasuke could feel the sympathy within him shrivel up on the spot. There was a part of him that was ready to be cowed by Fugaku’s harsh judgement. But the overwhelming majority just felt pissed.

No longer caring about sparing any feelings, Sasuke readied himself to go on the verbal attack, but paused upon spotting a quick glint of reflected light. Driven by pure reflex, Sasuke grabbed at Fugaku’s clothes and shoved the man to the side leaping out of the path of the oncoming kunai. Fugaku was quick to right himself, eyes spinning into his sharingan.

Sasuke nearly cursed. He hadn’t sensed anyone close by. Whoever it was that was attacking could have easily done far worse than a somewhat obvious kunai toss to the back. Activating his sharingan, Sasuke meticulously scanned his surroundings.

“Wicked-Eye Fugaku? His eyes don’t look that scary to me,” a childish voice said from above.

Sasuke wasn’t sure what he expected, but it wasn’t a single, Akatsuki member. He recognized the orange masked man from Kakuzu’s memories. But what was he doing here? Furthermore, where was his partner? Didn’t the Akatsuki members travel in pairs?

When the man turned his eye onto Sasuke, Sasuke tensed slightly and narrowed his gaze. The man hummed in thought, a gloved hand stroking his chin. “You have the same eyes. I wonder if yours are scarier,” the man said.

“Hn,” Sasuke scoffed and gripped the hilt of his chokuto. The childish front wouldn’t fool him. This man was one of those bastards hunting bijuu. As far as Sasuke was concerned, he had a new, immediate goal. With a burst of chakra to his legs, Sasuke moved and drew his blade.

“Sasuke!” Fugaku shouted, but Sasuke didn’t stop.

The masked man exclaimed in surprise while waving his arms around wildly, the picture of exaggerated panic. Just as his sword touched the man (who had just stood in place like an idiot), the man let out a loud, pained wail. Sasuke blinked in surprise, however, when his sword met no resistance and slid harmlessly through the man’s torso. Sasuke quickly glanced at his blade for any signs of blood or tampering, but there were none.

The man patted his stomach a few times before giving Sasuke a “V” for victory. “Don’t worry. I didn’t feel a thing!” the man proclaimed.

“Who are you?” Fugaku questioned up at the man.

“Me? My name’s Tobi!” the man said and saluted.

Sasuke frowned. “Where’s you partner?” Sasuke asked while trying to push his senses outward. He could barely sense the man’s chakra, but what he could sense felt…strange- not putrid like Orochimaru but different nonetheless.

The man seemed to wilt at Sasuke’s question. “I don’t have one. We keep losing members to you Konoha shinobi,” the man woefully moaned.

“What is he talking about?” Fugaku asked.

“Not very smart of you to try to pick a fight then,” Sasuke taunted with a smirk.

“I reckon that I’m smarter than you, Uchiha Sasuke,” the man said and wagged his finger.

“That’s what Orochimaru thought,” Sasuke shot back.

The man was definitely there- Sasuke could see his shadow moving along the trunk of the tree he was perched on. His sword hadn’t made contact, as if the man had gone intangible.

 “Orochimaru didn’t do what he was supposed to do. But Tobi won’t make that mistake. Tobi’s a good boy!” the man said and launched some kunai from his loose sleeves.

It was too easy to knock the projectiles away with his sword. This time when Sasuke approached, the man didn’t panic. Instead, he gripped a kunai and started fending off Sasuke’s strikes.

Was it a one-off thing? Did it require a lot of chakra to keep up the intangibility? Sasuke doubted that the man would have wasted chakra or revealed such a powerful technique so early on if he couldn’t back it up. The man had to be somewhat competent, despite his behavior. Unfortunately, Sasuke couldn’t pin down just how competent he was.

From the corner of his eye, Sasuke could see Fugaku drawing a kunai and moving towards them. The man must have noticed as well because he suddenly withdrew from Sasuke and spun in place with a loud whoop. Just like before, the man went intangible to avoid Fugaku’s blade. The man scratched his head as he stared at Fugaku, “Is it me or are you really slow?” Sasuke watched his father’s face redden in anger.

The man alternated between tangibility and intangibility; his timing incredibly precise. Sasuke didn’t like it, but he doubted that he had the speed necessary to land a hit before the man could use his jutsu. But how to get him to slow down? In a moment of divine inspiration, Sasuke got an idea. While Fugaku was busy occupying the masked man, Sasuke moved around the edge of the fight, his eyes focused and attentive. He just needed a second.

His opportunity came just as his father took a punch to the gut. While Fugaku was bent at the waist, Sasuke made eye contact with the masked man. Genjutsu still wasn’t his preferred method of ending fights, but if he could distract the man long enough… With his illusion casted, Sasuke moved as quickly as he could. He closed in so fast, his father had barely enough time to duck out of the way.

Despite using his sharingan to cast the genjutsu, the illusion didn’t last as long as Sasuke had hoped. Once again, his sword moved harmlessly through the man’s head. As his sword was mid-arc, his eyes spotted the man’s hand twitch in his sleeve. Using one hand, Sasuke performed a hand sign for a substitution jutsu. Hidden safely behind a tree trunk a few meters away, Sasuke watched the masked man stab a fallen log with a kunai.

“He disappeared!” the man exclaimed, but Sasuke had the feeling that the man wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

His feeling was proven correct when the man turned and faced his exact hiding spot. Sasuke nearly cursed. “What was your goal here? There’s no jinchuuriki for you to attack,” Sasuke said and moved out into the open.

“Nope! Tobi was just curious,” the man said with a carefree shrug.

“Curious about what?” Fugaku questioned in a hard tone.

The man stretched his arms over his head with a yawn before saying, “Whether or not you were worth my time.”

Instantly, Sasuke felt his hackles rise. Pulling a kunai from his weapon pouch, Sasuke added his lightning release to the blade just before throwing it with deadly accuracy. It was a bit rash on his part, but Sasuke moved to close the gap between them once again, his chokuto sparking wildly. Surpringly, Sasuke watched the kunai vanish into thin air before it even got close. With newfound speed, the masked man cut Sasuke off with his own kunai and stopped his assault cold. The air around the man started to shift, losing the nonthreatening feel, and become far darker with killing intent.

He was a lot stronger than he let on. It was taking all his effort not to keep the man from gaining an inch on him. Frustratingly, Sasuke couldn’t sense any exertion coming from the man. “I was curious about the Uchiha that was able to defeat Orochimaru. But you’re still a brat,” the man hissed. Sasuke glared up at the man in challenge, but before he could do anything to disprove the man’s words, he felt the shift in the air.

“Sasuke!” he heard his father shout half a second before he heard his own lightning chirping away behind him. Still staring up at the man in surprise, Sasuke could see the self-satisfied glint in the man’s red eye. How could someone still look so smug with their face hidden?

Suddenly, the man pulled away from their stalemate before using a shushin to return to his tree branch. Sasuke heard metal clashing just before the kunai that had been aimed at his back landed harmlessly on the ground. At least he could still trust his father to watch his back… Despite having the upper hand, the masked man relaxed his pose and gave a disregarding “hn” before vanishing with a swirl of chakra.

“We need to get back to the village. We have to report this to the Hokage,” Fugaku said.

Yet another Akatsuki with unique and powerful jutsu… Sasuke let out an irritated “tch” and sheathed his chokuto.

~:~

As expected, the Hokage had been more than concerned by their mission report. Sasuke did his best to thoroughly answer all the man’s questions, perfectly recalling details of their encounter due to his sharingan. Once Sasuke had finished speaking, Minato sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair.

“Hokage-sama?” Itachi prompted.

“We’re still waiting for word from Jiraiya-sensei and Tsunade-sama. Hopefully, it won’t take much longer- a few days at most. Kakashi,” Minato beckoned. Sasuke watched his former sensei slink into the room through the open window and stand in a lax slouch. “I doubt there will be much left behind to find, but I want you to head to the location Sasuke and Fugaku specified. If you find anything, let me know immediately.”

“Hai,” Kakashi responded with a nod.

After a quick thanks and dismissal from the Hokage, Sasuke had every intention to find somewhere quiet to avoid his family. Unfortunately, he could tell from the frequent, analytical glances that his brother kept shooting him that it wouldn’t be easy to get away from Itachi. Instead of trying to avoid the inevitable, Sasuke waited for Itachi outside of the Hokage’s office. Predictably, Itachi was practically on his heels.

“Sasuke,” Itachi started, but Sasuke cut him off by shoving a box of tea into his elder brother’s chest. Itachi slowly accepted the box while cautiously eyeing Sasuke.

“If you didn’t want to be around him, maybe you should have just told him that instead of dumping him on me,” Sasuke said in a scathing tone. Sasuke could see Fugaku noticeably flinch where he stood in the doorway to the Hokage’s office.

“Sasuke, I didn’t intend for-”

“I don’t care what you intended, Nii-san. You think you know best, but you don’t. Did you even consider asking me first before you decided to stick your nose in my business?” Sasuke asked. He watched his brother’s face fall before he quickly hid any traces of emotion once again. “Of course, you didn’t,” Sasuke scoffed with a roll of his eyes. Quickly turning away from Itachi, Sasuke ignored Fugaku standing uncomfortably to the side and quickly left the two of them alone.

Sasuke knew that Itachi wasn’t trying to hurt him. But his brother sometimes couldn’t tell the difference between helping and hurting. Itachi was convinced that he knew what was best for his little brother. While he could appreciate the intention behind it all, Sasuke was tired of the manipulation, lies, and furtive plans. His life was his own.

~:~

Itachi watched with a heavy heart as Sasuke walked away from him. He wasn’t sure what had happened between his father and brother while they were out of the village, but he was sure that it had been the exact opposite of what he’d hoped. Judging by Sasuke’s complete disregard for their father, Itachi had to guess that he’d had a hand in completely ruining the relationship between them. What a mess he’d caused.

Fugaku seemed torn between leaving and striking up conversation with Itachi, but one, warning look was enough for the man to decide that leaving was the better choice. Itachi watched him go as well, the box of tea weighing heavily in his hand.

“Maa, that was painful,” Kakashi drawled from behind him. Itachi didn’t respond, the guilt keeping his mouth closed. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to be an only child.”

Itachi sighed. “Kakashi-san,” Itachi pleaded. He hardly needed his failure rubbed in his face right now. He listened to Kakashi’s shoes clack as he drew in closer until he stopped at Itachi’s side.

“Don’t worry about Sasuke. He still called you Nii-san after all,” Kakashi said and shrugged.

It was small sentiment, but it still managed to soothe the ache in his chest. Sasuke had called their father by name when he had been giving his report. While Itachi was saddened by the drastic turn of the relationship between his brother and father, he did feel pleased to know that Sasuke wasn’t willing to disregard him as well.  “Thank you, Kakashi-san.”

“I suppose I could speak to him. He’s hardheaded and stubborn, but I can usually get through to him…eventually,” Kakashi offered.

Itachi could tell that Kakashi was making a monumental (for him) effort. Kakashi wasn’t the type to involve himself in the personal problems of others- choosing to avoid them altogether. But Itachi knew that Kakashi did care for his brother in his own way. “I know that you care about my brother and for that I thank you, Kakashi-san. But Sasuke has every right to be upset with me. I think it would be best to let him make the next move without any further interference from me.”

Kakashi shrugged again and said, “If that’s what you want. Can’t blame me for trying to help out my former student and kohai.”

Itachi was too surprised to respond before Kakashi had quickly fled the hallway. For a man that ran from emotional displays, Kakashi felt quite deeply. Itachi smiled softly before returning to work.

~:~

The Hokage Monument was deserted, tranquil, and the last place that anyone would look for him. Sasuke half-expected Itachi to track him down to continue their discussion, but when ten minutes had gone by without an appearance from his brother, Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief.

Admonishing Itachi wasn’t something that he’d ever expected that he would do. It did hurt to see Itachi so upset by his words, but Sasuke didn’t regret his actions. It still felt liberating to take control of his life from his brother. Fortunately, Sasuke doubted that Itachi would hold a grudge over something like this.

Suddenly, Sasuke felt the sudden, muted appearance of another. He almost cursed, but he supposed that he shouldn’t be surprised that Kakashi had found him so easily. “If you’re here to nag me, don’t bother,” Sasuke warned.

“Nag you?” Kakashi parroted in a mystified tone as he approached. “I just wanted to ask you some more questions about your mission.”

Sasuke critically looked up at Kakashi’s lax stance next to him. He supposed that even if Kakashi had come to chastise him for how he treated his brother and father, it wouldn’t change much. Sasuke respected Kakashi’s opinion as a shinobi and a leader, but even he could tell that Kakashi wasn’t the best at personal relationships.

“What more do you want to know?” Sasuke asked and stretched a leg out in front of him.

“The jutsu that the man used, are you sure that you didn’t see him use any handsigns?”

“He didn’t need them. He was fast enough without them,” Sasuke said. It annoyed Sasuke to admit that the man had been faster than him- faster than he could keep up with.

“He wasn’t invisible, just intangible,” Kakashi remarked, almost muttering to himself.

“Yes. I couldn’t land a hit on him and then he just disappeared into thin air,” Sasuke groused.

“Shushin? And you didn’t try to pick up on his trail?” Kakashi asked.

“It was different. Whatever he did used more chakra than a shushin. His entire presence was completely gone after a few seconds,” Sasuke explained. With a shushin, there can still be a residual trail of chakra leading back to the one who used the jutsu. Even Shisui’s left a small trail behind, but it hardly mattered when he was also leaving corporeal copies of himself behind every time he teleported.

When Kakashi didn’t respond, Sasuke looked up at the man in question. Kakashi was staring off into the distance, looking increasingly tense and anxious. When he cupped a hand over his headband-covered eye, Sasuke raised a brow at him. “Kakashi?”

“I have to go,” Kakashi excused himself, barely getting out all the words before vanishing with a small whirlwind of leaves. Sasuke watched him go, feeling lost and confused by Kakashi’s mysterious behavior.

~:~

Sasuke had been in a light doze when something disturbed his slumber. His initial reaction was intense irritation, displayed by how quickly he grabbed the kunai hidden under his pillow. But when he identified the chakra of the person that was currently breaking into his room, he released the weapon with a soft sigh. Being woken before he was good and ready to wake usually put him in a bad mood, but he could find it in him to spare her from his wrath.

Sasuke listened to her slide his window open before climbing in, much quieter than usual. The thuds of her shoes hitting the floors came seconds before she pulled back his covers and slid into the empty space on his bed. There was just enough moonlight that he didn’t need his sharingan to see her clearly. She was wearing his shirt again.

Wide, blue eyes blinked at him before she whispered, “Sorry for waking you. I tried to be quiet, but your window squeaks.”

“I sensed you outside, Dobe.”

She offered only a soft “oh”. Sasuke waited for her to say more because there was always more for her to say, but she remained surprisingly quiet. He wasn’t sure how long they laid on their sides staring at each other, but eventually he felt his lids begin to droop. But before he could nod off, she finally broke the silence. “It would have been nice to have you on my mission with me. I got to meet another jinchuuriki.”

Sasuke blinked his eyes open to regard her. She didn’t look upset. “Hn,” he succinctly offered, but she seemed to get more than enough meaning from it.

“Besides Gaara and Kaa-chan, Utakata is the only jinchuuriki that I’ve met.”

“I’m guessing you already made a new friend,” Sasuke replied with a small smirk.

“Of course, ‘ttebayo. Jinchuuriki have to stick together,” she said in a resolute tone. Sasuke could only hum in response. Her very presence was putting him back to sleep.

“How did your mission go?”

“Hn,” Sasuke scoffed into the quiet. “It was a waste of time.”

“I thought you would have had fun or something. But I guess Fugaku-san isn’t very fun,” Naruko mused.

“That’s an understatement,” Sasuke replied. “He wanted to take the mission with Itachi, but Itachi sent me with him instead.”

“Oh. They’re still fighting? You never told me what they’re fighting about,” Naruko said and wriggled a bit under the covers to get comfortable.

Of course he didn’t. How could he tell her the truth when it would implicate his clan? While he was sure that she wouldn’t repeat it if he asked her not to, he also knew that she would try to get involved. To avoid that catastrophe, he simply neglected to tell her. “My father is still upset that Itachi moved out and doesn’t want to become clan head,” he said.

“Wouldn’t that make you the future clan head?”

“I doubt that he would ask me. Even if he did, I wouldn’t want to accept,” Sasuke said, but even he had his doubts. Could he say no? Would saying yes be the equivalent of accepting his role as Itachi’s replacement? The mere notion of it made his skin crawl.

“Are you upset with him, too?”

He knew that his dissatisfaction with his father was incredibly obvious. When he had finally returned home for dinner, it had taken his mother less than five minutes to pick up on the shift in their dynamics. She hadn’t brought it up at the dinner table, but Sasuke had overheard her chewing his father out when he walked by their room later. Surprisingly, Fugaku had been mostly silent while his mother vented her frustrations with him.

“What happened with Itachi was bad enough. Now, you’ve managed to alienate both of our sons.”

“It wasn’t my intention, Mikoto.”

“I warned you, Fugaku. I warned you and you brushed me off. Well, I won’t be fixing this mess you made- not this time.”

Sasuke hadn’t heard anymore from either of them after that. He hadn’t intended to cause a fight between his parents, but he wasn’t about to try to interfere with their relationship. He would apologize to his mother in the morning- he did feel truly guilty on her behalf. But that would be as far as he would go. “I couldn’t care less about him or his opinion of me,” Sasuke said, the conviction in his tone making her blink owlishly at him.

“That’s a big change. You must have had a pretty intense mission together,” she replied.

“Hn,” Sasuke said and rolled over onto his back. “We barely spoke to each other.”

“Yeah. Your dad talks less than you do. I was jealous of you for a while a long time ago,” she admitted. Sasuke couldn’t hold back an incredulous look. “Tou-chan has been the Hokage for my whole life. You’d think that I’d be used to him always being busy.

“When I found out that your dad was the clan head and chief of the police force, I was a little happy. I was happy that there was someone else who would understand what it’s like. But then I saw you training with your dad once by the lake,” she trailed off.

Sasuke remembered training with his father. It was the only time in his life that his father had truly made time for him and had even expressed pride in him for mastering one of the clan’s signature jutsu. It had meant so much to him at the time, that it hadn’t bothered him too much that his previous failure had been compared to Itachi’s instant success.

“It was the only time we’ve trained together,” he admitted.

“You don’t train with the sharingan together?” she asked, sounding genuinely confused.

“No. We don’t train together at all. It’s not a big deal. I don’t need to train with him,” Sasuke rebuffed. He mulled over his next words as he stared up at his ceiling. “The mission wasn’t a complete waste of time,” he amended. “I came to realize that I don’t want to follow any path but my own. And I don’t care what anyone says.”

He waited for her response for only a few seconds. “Okay. If that’s what you want,” she accepted with a soft yawn. She shuffled closer to him before slipping her arm over his stomach and resting her head on his chest. More than accustomed to her clingy sleeping habits, Sasuke readjusted his position to help her get comfortable.

“Don’t stay mad at him forever, though. If you frown anymore, you’ll get wrinkles just like him,” Naruko teased and snickered.

With a roll of his eyes, Sasuke yanked on one of her pigtails. Ignoring her soft complaint of pain, he said, “Go to sleep, Dobe.”

~:~

“Rasengan!”

Sasuke quickly substituted himself with one of the many splintered, tree branches that littered the training ground. Naruko had been enthusiastic today, utilizing her Sage Mode to power up her punches and jutsu. Sasuke was silently grateful that she was posing such a challenge today. The intensity of their spar was capturing the entirety of his attention, keeping him from focusing too long on the disaster that was breakfast that morning.

Naruko thankfully hadn’t stayed to witness his mother’s icy attitude towards his father, his father’s awkward silence, and Sasuke’s attempts at ignoring it all. There was a tense air all throughout the meal, the clattering of utensils sounding exacerbated by the silence. Fortunately, things had improved once his father had finished and left with a subdued farewell. His mother had easily accepted his apology while offering one of her own.

“I won’t ask you to overlook his faults and forgive him. I’m sorry for always asking it of you in the past. Whether or not you choose to do so is your decision to make, Sasuke.”

“Chidori nagashi!”

Sasuke watched the twenty clones around him all disappear with several puffs of smoke just before the real Naruko broke through the ground beneath his feet with her fist drawn. Quickly blocking the punch, Sasuke aimed his knee at her gut. He could hear the air wheeze from her lungs, but she still managed to block his punch to her face with her forearms.

Time seemed to pass both quickly and sluggishly when they sparred. He could easily get lost in the motions of the fight, distracting him to the passage of time. But reality was always quick to set in whenever he or her pulled themselves back up onto their feet. They could spend all day pummeling each other until their limb were sore and energy exhausted, but it rarely felt like an entire day had gone by.

At around 4 pm, Sasuke sensed someone approaching their training ground just before they suddenly appeared at the tree line. While ducking to avoid a clone flying at his head, Sasuke caught a glimpse of the person. Slowly rising from his crouch, Sasuke watched the Hokage approach them with a frown on his face. The normally put together man looked a bit disheveled, in Sasuke’s opinion. His hair looked even wilder than normal, like he’d continuously run his hands through it. Naruko stopped as well, the Rasengan in her hand slowly dying out. “Tou-chan?” she questioned.

“Naruko,” Minato started, but hesitated. “I felt that it would be best if you heard this from me.”

Naruko looked even more confused by her father’s behavior. Even Sasuke had to admit that the Hokage held a strange air about him. “Heard what?” she asked.

“Jiraiya-sensei is dead.”

~Omake~

When she had first started sleeping over, it had taken some time to get used to falling asleep and waking up with her wrapped around him. She latched onto him in her sleep, arms holding him close while her legs got tangled up in his. On more than one occasion, he’d woken up far too warm and with a puddle of her drool soaking his shirt. The most uncomfortable mornings, however, were the ones that required him to extricate himself from her grip while hiding morning wood.

“Sasuke?” she softly beckoned.

Already half-asleep, the most he could offer her was a sleepy, “Hm?”

“Have you ever had sex?” she whispered.

It took a few seconds for her question to sink in, but when it did Sasuke felt all thoughts of sleep leave him. “What? Why are you asking?” he asked in a thankfully even tone.

“No reason,” she mumbled into his chest before squeaking out, “Good night!”

Admittedly, he was mildly curious as to what put the thought of sex into her head. But he was also hesitant to ask. She seemed intent on pretending that she hadn’t just dropped a bomb on him. He wasn’t opposed to the idea of ignoring it as well. But the thought had been planted in his head…

Sasuke nearly cursed.

Chapter Text

Sasuke felt the exact moment that Naruko’s heart broke.

He watched the emotions play out on her whiskered face, confusion slowly morphing into disbelief and shock. Her arms fell to her sides as her bright eyes dulled and went vacant. She stood absolutely still, frozen in horror. Sasuke wasn’t sure if he should try snapping her out of her stupor or if he should wait for her to come back to herself. She broke out of her daze, however, when Minato took a few steps forward.

“He can’t be dead. Ero Sennin is...” she trailed off.

Sasuke could read the emotions that flickered past her features- too many feelings all at once. It was easy to put a name to each one. He could feel an echo of her feelings settling lowly in his gut and ripping through him.

“Dead,” Minato finished firmly. “Fukasaku-sama was with him in his final moments.”

Sasuke felt like someone had punched him in the gut. He watched Naruko hang her head in silence for several seconds before perking up and hopefully asking, “Baa-chan?”

“She’s in the hospital. Jiraiya-sensei reversed summoned her to Mount Myouboku before she could succumb to her injuries,” Minato explained. Minato hesitated for a few beats before moving towards his daughter and pulling her to him for a comforting hug. Feeling like an outsider, Sasuke watched Minato do his best to support Naruko, but she stood stock still with her arms at her side. Sensing that he wasn’t having much luck, Minato shot Naruko another sad look before continuing, “I’m sorry. I have to head back urgently. I’ll see you tonight.”

The Hokage stepped back from his daughter just before vanishing without a trace. Immediately, Sasuke could feel his emotions compounding upon themselves as if a dam had broken loose. He stared at Naruko for some time, not sure what to say to her. He’d struggled with comforting her when Gaara had died, and he was at even more of a loss now. Frowning slightly, Sasuke took a few steps to close the gap between them. “Naruko, I’m...sorry,” he started because he truly was.

Sasuke hadn’t been too familiar with Jiraiya, the length of their interactions lasting only a few minutes at a time before their paths diverged. Although Sasuke hadn’t been close to the man, he still felt a range of emotions from the man’s death- all of them entirely due to Naruko. He was upset for her and her loss, but also angry and frustrated. Angry that Jiraiya had allowed the Akatsuki to kill him, especially after boasting about his strength. Angry that he would do something so careless and thereby hurt Naruko. Frustrated that the Akatsuki had taken someone else from her, permanently this time.

Sasuke wasn’t sure whether she would appreciate any attempts at physical comfort. She hadn’t responded to her own father after all. He did try, however. He rested a hand to her shoulder and turned her to face him. Whatever he had still been in the process of piecing together to say to her died on his tongue when she looked up at him with glistening, lifeless eyes. It rattled his core to see the animated eyes that he’d gotten used to look so empty. Sasuke frowned deeper, the combination of his pain and her own both filling him and leaving him hollow at the same time. He must have taken too long because she hung her head again while gently removing his hand from her shoulder. “I need to be alone,” she said, almost too softly for him to hear, and quickly left him with a shushin.

Once the last trances of her chakra disappeared from the field, Sasuke sighed softly. He stared at the spot where she had stood for a few seconds before glancing around at the destroyed training ground. Not surprisingly, he didn’t feel up to training anymore. With a hand of healing chakra pressed to his cheek where Naruko had almost managed to knock a molar loose, Sasuke slowly made his way back to the village.

Of course, he knew that he could chase after her. Despite her words, Sasuke was sure that Naruko never needed to be alone. She thrived amongst others. Any bit of solitude wouldn’t do her any good. But he wasn’t sure what he could say or do to help her. Maybe it would be best to give her some time, at least for now.

~:~

Almost three days had gone by without any sign of Naruko. Sasuke did his best to keep up his routine, but he couldn’t deny how distracted he was. When Sakura had called him on it, he had succinctly explained himself while hoping that she would let the issue drop. Wishful thinking on his part.

“You haven’t gone to see her?” Sakura asked incredulously as she paused her eating. Her chopsticks hovered in the air in front of her, her ramen noodles still dripping broth into her bowl.

“She asked to be alone,” Sasuke pointed out and frowned down at his ramen.

“Naruko isn’t you, Sasuke-kun. She…she can’t stand being alone,” Sakura said with a sigh and put down her chopsticks. She folded her arms over her chest and fixed him with a stern stare. “Part of being a boyfriend is emotionally supporting your girlfriend, especially when she’s had a death in the family.”

Sasuke was sure that if he hadn’t seen it coming, Sakura would have knocked him out with the punch she had aimed at his head. Sakura looked even more angry with him for dodging, but before she could start a tirade, Sasuke quickly got up from his seat and fled Ichiraku Ramen. He could vaguely hear Sakura shouting at him to come back and pay for his food, but he didn’t turn around. It would probably be best to avoid Sakura for a few days as well…

A few hours later, Sasuke returned to Ichiraku and put in an order for miso chashu pork. He’d gotten sympathetic looks from both Ayame and Teuchi and they had given him a second order on the house with only the request that he give Naruko their well wishes and condolences. He wasn’t surprised that they had pieced together his plans so easily. He’d only nodded once in response before paying for his ramen.

He considered entering her room through her window like she did for him. But when he spotted no lights coming from her room, he frowned. The sun had just gone down. It was way too early for her to be asleep. Slipping through the front gate to the Hokage’s residence, Sasuke tried to detect her chakra in the home. He could sense her upstairs, her chakra still bright and intense, yet subdued. He’d raised his hand to knock, but the front door was pulled open before he could.

Minato had opened the door, a neutral expression on his face. His blue eyes glanced down at the takeout bag in Sasuke’s hand before he stood to the side. “Sasuke,” he said and gestured for Sasuke to come in. Sasuke thanked him with a nod while stepping through the threshold. He spotted Kushina sitting at the dinner table, a steaming cup of tea in front of her. She looked up from her tea and gave Sasuke a soft smile. “Sasuke,” she greeted.

“Good night,” Sasuke replied and slipped off his shoes.

Minato closed the door behind him before returning to his seat at the table and taking a sip from his own teacup. As if without her conscious thought, Kushina clasped her husband’s free hand in her own. It was a simple gesture, but it felt immensely intimate with the way that Minato seemed to be subconsciously drawing strength from his wife, perking up slightly and regaining color upon contact. Sasuke suddenly felt a bit awkward and intrusive, his eyes glancing to the stairs.

“She’s in her room. Maybe you’ll have better luck getting her to eat something,” Kushina said with a sad smile.

Sasuke nodded in acknowledgement. As he was climbing the steps, Sasuke heard Minato call out, “And leave the door open please!” Sasuke had paused in his ascent but started up once again without replying.

He knocked twice on Naruko’s closed door and listened for a response. When he didn’t receive one, he didn’t bother to knock again. Oddly, her room felt too dark and cold with all the lights shut off, but he hesitated to turn on the lights. The moon’s light was sufficient to take in her messy room. Discarded clothes, comics, shuriken, and kunai littered her floor and desk. Sasuke frowned as he made space on the desk for the ramen. “Naruko,” he called out when she hadn’t acknowledged him.

He waited a few seconds for her to roll over and stare up at him. “Sasuke, I told Kaa-chan that I’m not hungry.”

“Usuratonkachi, you’re always hungry,” he pointed out and started pulling containers and chopsticks out of the bag. When she still hadn’t sat up, he pushed the first container into her hands with one hand and pulled her up by the shoulder with the other. He frowned at how easily she let him manhandle her, as if there wasn’t any fight in her. Treating her almost like a child, he placed the chopsticks in her right hand and opened the container for her. When she just stared at him, he shot her an annoyed glare. He waited until she started to eat, almost picking at the food, but at least she was eating. “Your room is disgusting,” Sasuke criticized and moved to pick up the weapons that were scattered around haphazardly.

She hummed once. “I was gonna clean it today,” she replied.

“Why didn’t you?” Sasuke asked as he picked up a soiled tank top and held it away from his face to spare his nose from the smell.

“Kaa-chan normally makes me clean when it gets too messy. She hasn’t been in my room for the past few days though,” Naruko replied and quietly slurped at some noodles.

Sasuke spared her a look from over his shoulder. He watched the lackluster way that she ate her normally favorite meal with a frown. With an almost inaudible sigh, Sasuke tossed some more dirty clothes into her hamper. “Doesn’t explain why you didn’t clean it like you were going to,” Sasuke mused and went back over to her.

He had to move some more clothes to the side to make a spot for him to sit on the bed. He watched her swirl the remaining broth with her chopsticks and shrug. “I just didn’t feel up to it. That’s all,” she explained. He waited for her to tip the bowl back and drain the broth like she normally did, but when she continued to play with it, he took it away and replaced it with the untouched container. “Thanks,” she said and started eating again.

“You want to train with me tomorrow?” he offered. “I want to test something, and I need you to go into Sage Mode.”

“…Maybe.”

If the warning bells hadn’t been going off from the moment that he stepped into her room, that one word would have more than enough for him to know that something was desperately wrong. “Since when do you run from a fight, Usuratonkachi?”

“’M not running. I’ve just been tired and I don’t want to make a promise I might not be able to keep,” she said and took a bite of pork.

“You always keep your promises, Usuratonkachi,” Sasuke pointed out.

Her unenthusiastic chewing slowed to a stop as she stared at the ramen in thought. Swallowing once, she replied, “I know.” Sasuke waited less than patiently for her to say something else. He felt tense and unsure around this new Naruko. He felt destabilized, like he was navigating through uncharted territory (which it was).

“Ero Sennin wasn’t just my teacher. He was my godfather, and he was also more than that,” she started. “He came to see me once when I was a baby, but I don’t remember it. I didn’t even know him when he came back to the village after we became genin.

“When he told me who he was, I practically demanded that he train me. I wanted him to teach me the Rasengan because Tou-chan wouldn’t. Tou-chan thought I wasn’t ready but, Ero Sennin did. He taught me how to summon toads, too,” she said and quickly wiped at her cheek.

“When we were travelling together, I told him that my goal was to become stronger than you and he spent three weeks straight teaching me how to break out of genjutsu. He usually left me training by myself so he could chase and peep on women, but he stayed with me for the whole three weeks,” she said and smiled softly. The smile quickly fell into a frown, however.

Sasuke wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. He had no idea how to relate to her. He’d never experienced a loss like hers, but he could sympathize. He took the half-eaten ramen from her hands and put them down on her nightstand. Gently, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her face into his chest. He could feel her shaking lightly before she let out a shaky exhale. Rubbing a hand along her back, Sasuke said, “I didn’t know him well. He seemed like an idiot to me.”

“He wasn’t so bad when there weren’t pretty women around,” Naruko excused with a choked chuckle.

Sasuke scoffed once before sobering up. “I’m sorry, Naruko.”

“I know. It’s okay,” she replied. “Ero Sennin wouldn’t want me to be sad. He used to say that crying women were his only weakness.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes and rested his chin on the top of her head. “He’s gone… Gone, but not forgotten,” Sasuke tentatively tried. “He left behind a lot of people to remember him- to continue on in his place.”

“Thanks, Sasuke. Everyone’s already stopped by to try to cheer me up. Hinata brought me sweets that she made. Shikamaru brought me ramen, too. It’s nice to know so many people care,” she said and pulled back. A little reluctantly, he let her go. Her eyes were red, but she thankfully didn’t look like she was about to break out in tears. She wiped at her red nose and sniffled once. Mildly disgusted by her messy face, Sasuke used the bottom of his shirt to clean her up. When he was done, she stared up at him in deep thought for several seconds. Eventually, she posed the question, “Sasuke, how did it feel when you killed Orochimaru?”

Sasuke blinked at her in surprise before furrowing his brows in confusion. “Satisfying, but not as much as I expected. He was dead, but the rest of the Akatsuki isn’t,” he answered honestly. The catharsis from watching Orochimaru burn away was as intense as he expected. But how could he have expected it to be when the rest of the Akatsuki still lived? The perfect revenge would only be achieved after all of the Akatsuki were dead at his feet.

“Oh,” she replied and frowned. “I’ve never killed anyone before. But the leader of the Akatsuki, the one that killed Ero Sennin, I want to kill him,” she admitted, almost as if she were expecting backlash for it.

The fact that she had managed to go so long without killing anyone was commendable in his books. Sasuke had taken several lives before. He’d had to on past missions to save his life or the life of a teammate. It was an unavoidable part of being a shinobi, in his opinion. “I don’t blame you,” Sasuke replied and took her hand in his. She squeezed his hand once and thread their fingers together in response. The knot in his chest loosened slightly at the sight of some life returning to her eyes. “I would help you,” he admitted. She wouldn’t even need to ask. Kill the ones who had inadvertently and advertently caused her pain? He would die trying before he let them get away with what they’d done.

Naruko smiled softly, her free hand sliding up and around the back of his neck before pulling him in towards her. He rested his forehead against hers, squeezing her hand once in reassurance. With her fingers tangled in the hair at the back of his head, Sasuke leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. What was intended to be chaste quickly turned passionate and heavy. Bit by bit, he could feel her returning to her former glory, becoming more animated by the second. His free hand rested on her knee, lightly massaging its way up the top of her thigh. His entire body felt tense and too warm, almost overheating. Grudgingly, he pulled away from her with a deep sigh.

“Can I come over later?” she whispered into the still heated space between them.

“Make sure you shower and change first. You reek,” he teased with a smirk.

“Teme,” she cursed and lightly punched him on the shoulder.

~:~

When a week had gone by without any surprise visits from Itachi, Sasuke had started to feel a bit guilty for how he had spoken to his brother. He didn’t regret his words, but he wished that he’d found a better way to say them. In the past, Sasuke had never once apologized to Itachi- he’d never needed to. Itachi had always been an understanding and lenient brother, ready to offer a forgiving smile long before Sasuke could get the words for an apology out. Sasuke supposed that his brother’s never-ending patience and love for him made up for the intense overprotectiveness and relentless teasing.

Sasuke had been on his way to visit Itachi at the Tower when he’d sensed his brother’s chakra in a tea shop along the way. He’d ducked inside, finding his brother almost immediately. Itachi was sitting at a table in the corner, his eyes already locked on Sasuke. His brother’s face was mostly neutral, but Sasuke could see the surprise in Itachi’s slightly raised brows. His face didn’t return to a completely blank look until Sasuke was taking the seat opposite of him. “Sasuke,” Itachi greeted.

“I was heading to the Tower, but I should have known that you’d be stuffing your face with sugar,” Sasuke said and eyed the plate of dango in front of Itachi.

Itachi smirked and picked up a stick. “That’s hardly fair. I don’t recall teasing you for your strange love for tomatoes.”

Sasuke scoffed. “You always teased me for it. You gave me a basket of tomatoes for by eighth birthday,” Sasuke pointed out dryly.

“I thought that it was a considerate gift. I grew them for you myself and you enjoyed them well enough,” Itachi said and took a bite of his treat. He chewed slowly, staring at Sasuke as he silently deliberated. Once he’d finished swallowing, he said, “It’s good to see you, Sasuke.”

“I saw you a few days ago,” Sasuke brushed him off.

“I know.”

Sasuke looked down at the table, awkwardly trying to avoid eye contact as he put his thoughts in order. He could feel Itachi’s eyes on him, that eternal patience lighting his gaze. “Nii-san, I’m sorry for how I spoke to you. I’m not apologizing for what I said, just how I said it.”

“It’s alright, Sasuke. You weren’t wrong for saying what you did. I don’t hold anything against you,” Itachi said and quickly poked at Sasuke’s forehead. Despite the poke not even hurting, Sasuke’s hand lifted to feel at the spot on his forehead. “Besides, it’s not the rudest thing that you’ve said to me. To be honest, I’ve given up on teaching you manners.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes with a snort. He didn’t show it, but Sasuke was relieved that Itachi was so quick to understand and accept his apology. Locking eyes with his brother, Sasuke could see the minor hints of apprehension fading away from his brother’s demeanor. Sasuke hadn’t expected for Itachi to be so unsettled from their fight.

“Has mother spoken to you about Fugaku?” Sasuke abruptly changed the subject.

Itachi frowned lightly before saying, “Not recently. I saw her a few days ago, but she never brought him up. I got the impression that she was upset with him.”

“Who isn’t?” Sasuke asked rhetorically with a roll of his eyes.

“Sasuke, I’m sorry for the part I played with what happened between you and father. I had truly hoped that he would use the opportunity to become closer to you- to bridge the gap between you both,” Itachi sincerely apologized.

“You weren’t trying to get rid of him?”

“…Perhaps…that may have played a small role in my decision,” Itachi admitted. Sasuke gave Itachi an unamused stare. At least his brother had the decency to look cowed. “Trust that I won’t interfere in your affairs again without your permission.”

“Thank you.”

Itachi nodded once and lifted his teacup to his lips. “I’m glad that I got to speak to you before I left.”

Sasuke frowned. “You have a mission?”

“No. I’m leaving tomorrow for a kage summit with Minato-sama,” Itachi said in a soft voice. Sasuke watched Itachi quickly and subtly go through some privacy seals. The tea shop was mostly deserted, but Itachi was never one to take chances. “A member of the Akatsuki attacked the eight tails’ jinchuuriki.”

Sasuke’s blood ran cold.

“The member that you identified, Kisame Hoshigaki, tried to capture the eight tails alone. Fortunately, he wasn’t successful, but it was still close enough that the Raikage is demanding that the summit be held. The eight tails is kept in Kumogakure and their jinchuuriki is close to the Raikage. Obviously, he’s not pleased,” Itachi said.

“What’s going to happen to Naruko?” Sasuke asked.

Itachi hesitated for a second before admitting, “Hokage-sama has a plan to keep her and Kushina-san safe while he’s out of the village. We’ll be gone for three days, but we can’t afford to take any chances.”

Sasuke nodded once in acceptance. Honestly, the only thing that would have made him feel more reassured would be being directly involved in the plans to protect Naruko. But he knew that the Hokage wouldn’t take any chances when it came to the safety of his wife and daughter.

“Sasuke, promise me that you won’t do anything reckless,” Itachi requested with a frown.

“Itachi-” Sasuke started, but Itachi cut him off.

“Sasuke,” Itachi implored and reached across the table to grip Sasuke’s wrist. His grip was firm, but not uncomfortable. “I know that you are capable of defending yourself and you don’t need me hovering over you. I am aware of your strength. I am also aware of your weaknesses.”

Sasuke felt the urge to pull out of Itachi’s grip in annoyance. As if sensing where his thoughts were heading, Itachi squeezed once at Sasuke wrist to regain his attention. “You have the same weakness as any Uchiha,” Itachi explained meaningfully.

Sasuke felt the fight leave him slowly. The Uchiha were known for their deep emotional ties- a major weakness according to the Shinobi Rulebook.

He waited for Sasuke to grasp his words before continuing, “Nothing should happen to Naruko-chan while we’re away, but there is the possibility that the Akatsuki may try to infiltrate the village with the Hokage away. Should anything happen, I want you to carefully consider the situation before you act. I mean no offense, otouto, but you can be very emotional and vengeful.”

Once he’d gotten his message across, Itachi released Sasuke’s wrist and sat back in his seat. Itachi waited patiently, as if he was waiting for Sasuke to immediately deny his claims. Sasuke frowned in thought. Emotional and vengeful? Sasuke initially wanted to scoff at his brother’s assessment, but he the more he thought about it… His vengeance still inhabited a corner of his mind, like a slumbering beast that only reacted whenever the topic of the Akatsuki was brought up. If the Akatsuki did attack, Sasuke knew that he’d have to be knocked unconscious or dead to keep him from fighting. But emotional???

“Emotional?” Sasuke scoffed.

Itachi nodded. “Particularly where Naruko-chan is involved.”

Sasuke almost started denying his brother’s claims, but then he remembered the rage and cold fury that he felt when he’d killed Orochimaru. He remembered the hate that flooded him when he’d seen the mournful tears in Naruko’s eyes. His blood still heated when he thought about the black cloaks with red clouds. At Itachi’s raised brow, Sasuke sighed through his nose. “Fine. I won’t be reckless.”

Itachi stared at him for several seconds without blinking. Sasuke wasn’t sure what his brother was seeing, nor what he was looking for. The two stayed like this for some time until Itachi sighed as well and hung his head slightly. “Thank you, Sasuke,” Itachi said, somehow still sounding worried.

~:~

Aside from the worrying news about the Akatsuki, tea with Itachi had gone well. It was almost as if nothing had changed in his relationship with his brother. Itachi was still his loving, mildly annoying, know-it-all of an elder brother. But Sasuke could see the slight hesitation and caution in Itachi’s expression and actions- his efforts not to offend Sasuke or overstep his boundaries. Sasuke was sure that they would go away in time.

When he could no longer put off returning to work, Itachi had clasped a hand over Sasuke’s shoulder with a heavy look in his eyes. An incredibly simple gesture that Sasuke was sure was intended to convey a wide range of emotions and sentiments. Then, Itachi had offered a farewell before the two of them had gone separate ways.

Sasuke had spent a few hours just walking around the village, taking backstreets and a long, winding route back to the Uchiha compound. The sun had long since set by the time he’d made it home. Hopefully, his parents would have finished eating by now so that he could eat something in peace before bed.

Every day, he could see the situation between his parents getting worse. They always made sure not to argue within hearing distance, but Sasuke could see the way that his mother was distancing herself from his father. When he’d confessed his guilt over the situation to Itachi, Itachi had been quick to soothe Sasuke’s worries over their parents’ relationship.

“They are both adults, Sasuke. You’re not to blame for how they behave. Whether or not they are able to repair the damage that’s been done is entirely up to them.”

Sasuke had found a plate of food set aside for him in the refrigerator when he’d gotten home. He’d silently reheat it before sitting at the table and trying to enjoy the food his mother had prepared. He’d gotten about halfway through his meal before giving up, clearing and washing his dishes, and heading to his room.

His home felt abnormally quiet, the sounds of the crickets chirping outside seemingly magnified. He could sense his parents’ chakra signatures, his mother in her room and his father in his study again. As he was passing his parents’, open door, he glanced inside to see his mother relaxing in bed with a book. She looked content and peaceful, but Sasuke could feel the uneasy way her chakra was emanating from her. He wasn’t sure how long that he’d been staring at her before she looked up at him and smiled softly. “Sasuke, is everything alright?”

‘No.’ Sasuke shrugged carefully carelessly and replied, “Fine. Itachi told me to tell you thank you for the food you sent him.”

“You spoke to your brother? That’s good,” Mikoto said with a much more genuine smile. She got up from the bed and made her way over to him. Once she was standing before him, she rested a hand to his cheek before brushing some of his hair out of his face. “I’m glad that you and Itachi are speaking again. Brothers shouldn’t fight.”

“Hn. What about a father and son?” Sasuke couldn’t stop the words from tumbling from his mouth.

Mikoto was momentarily stunned by his words, but she quickly recovered. “Don’t worry yourself, Sasuke. This could have all been avoided, but your father likes to drag his feet. I’m sure that Itachi would be willing to sit and talk things out.”

“Itachi, but not me,” Sasuke said, picking up on the words his mother wasn’t saying.

Mikoto gave him a strained smile. “I’m afraid you’re a bit too much like me, Sasuke. We both find it hard to let things go. Itachi would be the same, but your brother’s always been more compromising.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

Mikoto paused to consider his question before replying, “Perhaps. It’s a very mature approach to have. But Kushina was the one that taught me that it’s okay to be unapologetically yourself.” As he was silently considering her words, Mikoto smiled again before pulling him down by his cheeks so that she could kiss his forehead. “Good night, Sasuke.”

Sasuke made quick work of getting ready for bed. He wasn’t physically tired, but he could already feel the mental exhaustion setting in. Before he could retire to his room, however, he stopped at the feel of someone already inside. Pushing the door open, Sasuke raised a brow when he spotted Naruko climbing in through his window.

“Sasuke, guess what,” Naruko’s lively voice urged him in the dark.

“You figured out a way to stop snoring loud enough to wake the village?” Sasuke guessed in a dry voice.

He didn’t try to block the light thump she aimed at his side. “No,” she denied. “Tou-chan agreed to teach me the hiraishin.”

Sasuke had paused in his efforts to turn down his bed when he’d heard her words, but she continued on as if she hadn’t noticed. “He can’t do it now. He’s got Hokage duties to take care of for the next few days, but he’ll teach me when he gets back. I just need to get better with Sage Mode and he wants me to learn some fuuinjutsu basics first.”

Sasuke didn’t know much about fuuinjutsu besides the barest of instructions that he’d gotten in the academy. He did know that the practice had fallen out of style, however. Aside from the Hokage, Sasuke couldn’t think of any shinobi that regularly utilized Fuji jutsu in their fighting style. “Who’s going to teach you that?” he asked to make conversation. He could hear her getting ready for bed, the sounds of her shoes, jacket, and pants hitting the carpets. He resisted the urge to pick them up and neatly set them aside.

“Kaa-chan,” she replied as if it were obvious. Once Sasuke had finished pulling back the covers on his bed, Naruko didn’t hesitate to crawl over the bed and settle in on her side. “The Uzumaki were fuuinjutsu specialists. Kaa-chan showed me a few seals a long time ago to help with my pranks, but she’s gonna teach me everything she knows now.”

“Maybe fuuinjutsu will help you finally catch up to me,” Sasuke teased and slid under the covers.

“Teme,” Naruko insulted. “I have to leave the village for a few days for the training. Kaa-chan and I are going to Mount Myouboku so that I can work on fuuinjutsu and sage training at the same time.”

So that was the Yondaime’s plan. Sasuke could see the benefits of not telling Naruko the truth about her stay away from the village. He highly doubted that she would willingly hide from anyone, even the leader of the Akatsuki. “I’ll see you when you get back then. Hopefully, your training trip won’t be a waste of time,” Sasuke said with a smirk.

“Don’t make me kick your ass, Teme,” she warned before wiggling under his arm and practically latching onto his side. Sasuke scoffed once while relaxing into his mattress and willing himself to sleep.

~:~

The next morning, Sasuke had awoken to Naruko frantically slipping on her shoes and jacket at the same time. Glancing at the clock, he could see that she must have overslept. He watched her struggles through a lidded gaze, not bothering to offer her assistance. Still half asleep, Sasuke stretched deeply with a yawn. Feeling her gaze weighing on him, Sasuke rolled over onto his stomach and reminded, “You’re going to be late, Usuratonkachi.”

He could hear a new round of curses escape her as she zipped up her jacket. He cracked an eye open in time to see her push his squeaky window open. But before she jumped, she turned back to him. Unexpectedly, she quickly crawled over the top of his bed to roll him back over onto his back and quickly kiss him. He’d been surprised by the spontaneous show of affection, but he’d been quick to reciprocate.

If he could have, he would have spent the entire day with her locked in his room and ignoring the outside world. Unfortunately, a lazy morning in bed wasn’t a part of the plan. Summing up his self-control, Sasuke broke off the kiss and held her at a distance. Sasuke could feel his heart rate picking up at the heated look she shot him. Her bright blues were lidded dreamily, a soft smile on her face. “You’re officially late, Dobe.”

It took a few seconds for his words to break through her reverie. When they did, her eyes widened comically, and she cursed again. “Shit! Later, Teme!” she tossed over her shoulder as she ducked out through his open window. Sasuke leaned on his elbows as he watched her go, a fond smile on his face. Doubtful that he’d be able to fall asleep again now that Naruko had sufficiently woken him up, Sasuke pushed his covers aside and made his way to the bathroom.

He’d never say it out loud, but Sasuke knew that the next few days would be lackluster without Naruko in the village. Naruko had always brought enthusiastic mischief and vivacity into his life from the moment that he’d met her. She’d returned to the village a few, short months ago and his life had already been more than eventful. There used to be a time when he cursed the obnoxious energy she introduced into his daily life. But now, he found himself craving it. Sasuke supposed that a few, mundane days of peace and quiet were a small price to pay for her safety.

To distract himself from thoughts of Naruko, Sasuke made sure to spend his time staying as busy as possible. Without Itachi, Kakashi, or Sakura (who was far too busy tending to Tsunade’s injuries and responsibilities in the hospital) to train with, Sasuke found himself monopolizing Shisui’s and, surprisingly, Lee’s time. It had been by chance that Sasuke had run into the youthful boy while in the middle of a run. Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on your perspective), Lee had been with his jounin sensei, Might Guy, at the time. Sasuke’s ears were still ringing with speeches of “youth” and “eternal rivalries”. Despite the pair’s eccentricities, they did make decent sparring partners.

Sasuke never thought he’d meet another person with as much energy as Naruko, but he’d been sorely mistaken. “I am impressed with your strength, Sasuke! I should have expected that a student of my eternal rival would be top tier!” Might Guy had declared after Sasuke’s second day of training with the pair.

The sun had set over two hours ago, but Guy had been adamant that they didn’t need sunlight to experience the true joys of their youth. Sasuke had been baffled by the man but hadn’t questioned Guy to spare himself the chance of receiving another lengthy monologue about the Springtime of Youth.

“Will you be joining us again tomorrow?” Guy asked while doing his cooldown stretches.

“Maybe in the evening if I don’t have things to do,” Sasuke replied.

“Yosh!” Guy exclaimed and saluted. “Come, Lee. Let us finish our laps around the village.”

“Yes, Guy-sensei!” Lee saluted and quickly flipped onto his hands. Sasuke watched the both of them perform a few vertical pushups before they took off, leaving a light trail of dust in their wake. For the umpteenth time, Sasuke wondered how a man like Guy had managed to become rivals and friend with Kakashi.

~:~

Despite being still slightly sore from yesterday’s training, Sasuke had awoken feeling uncharacteristically optimistic. Still clinging to sleep, he’d rolled over and away from the sunlight beaming on his face and gotten a whiff of a light, citrus scent. ‘Oranges,’he’d thought fondly while burying his face in his pillow. Realization had hit him like a bucket of cold water. With a frown, Sasuke lifted his face and stared down at his pillow- or was it Naruko’s now? Plucking a strand of long, blonde hair from his pillowcase, Sasuke stared at it and did his best not to wonder what she was doing at that moment.

Sasuke had gotten up and dressed while on autopilot, his mind miles away in spite of his wishes. When he’d walked into the kitchen, his mother was in the process of tossing out some old food from the fridge. “Sasuke, can you run to the market for me? I need a few things to make dinner tonight,” Mikoto said and handed Sasuke a list of groceries. “If you get some katsuobushi, I’ll make you some onigiri,” she promised with a smile. After accepting the piece of paper and some money from his mother, Sasuke had left without a word.

It felt foolish to miss her when he’d seen her just days ago. During the three years that they’d spent apart, he hadn’t missed her to this extent. Sure, he’d thought of her occasionally. But never to this extent. To his credit, she hadn’t been so rooted into his daily life three years ago. She was always around him, whether it was at his side, right behind him, or facing him head on.

The marketplace was livelier than usual today. Sasuke weaved in and out of the bustling crowd, doing his best to avoid screeching children and haggling shoppers. He could have gotten most of the things on his mother’s list in the Uchiha district, but lately his mother was dead set on shopping outside of the clan. Sasuke suspected that Itachi had to do with his mother’s change of heart.

“Sasuke,” Ikeda-san greeted with a smile from behind her stall.

“Ikeda-san,” Sasuke greeted politely and handed the elderly woman his mother’s list. He’d never hear the end of it from his mother if he disrespected Ikeda-san.

Ikeda-san took the paper from him and squinted at it for a few seconds while muttering to herself. After some time, she returned with a few bags filled with produce. “How is your brother doing? I made some hakuto jelly for him with the peaches that my granddaughter brought from Kusagakure. Have you met my granddaughter? She’s about your age.”

Sasuke tried not to grimace as he accepted the bags from the woman. “Itachi is fine. He’s out of the village, but he should be back within a day or two,” Sasuke replied and placed some money in the woman’s hand.

“Before you go, I should introduce you to Hitomi.”

“That won’t be necessary, Ikeda-san. I need to get these to my-” Sasuke started to excuse himself but stopped. Without any warning or explanation, the hairs on the back of his neck had stood at attention and he’d gotten an intense feeling that something was awry.

“Sasuke?” Ikeda-san prompted, milliseconds before explosions rocked the surrounding buildings. The sound of Ikeda-san’s panicked cries were nearly drowned out by the cries of other villagers and the cracking and crashing of buildings collapsing into the main street. The crowd of people around him had quickly turned into a frantic mob, pushing and shoving at each other to avoid the falling debris and duck for cover.

Using chakra to help ground him, Sasuke activated his sharingan and quickly searched the surrounding area for any sign of whoever had caused this. He’d almost missed it, but his eyes had spotted a flash of black and red in the distance. Running over the rooftops was a man with an inordinate number of piercings in a black cloak with red clouds.

Chapter Text

Just as he was about to chase after the man, another explosion followed by distant, animalistic shrieks caused the crowd to panic and scatter worse than a disturbed anthill. Sasuke felt and heard when Ikeda-san was shoved into his side during her attempts to escape. With a silent curse, he picked the old woman up bridal style before carefully leaping out of the crowd. 

“Thank you,” Ikeda-san kept repeating as Sasuke gently set her down on a calmer backstreet, but he was far more focused on where that man had disappeared to. 

“Do you need help getting to the emergency shelter?” Sasuke asked, even though he would rather not be caught up in helping with civilian evacuation. 

“Yes. Please,” Ikeda-san didn’t hesitate to say, her bony hands gripping even tighter on his arm.  

Sasuke held back a frown, his eyes quickly glancing around. When he spotted what he assumed to be a genin judging by the still shiny and spotless headband on his forehead, he called out to the boy. The boy paused mid-step, his long, blue scarf trailing after him. Sasuke helped the shaky Ikeda-san over to the boy almost dumping her vice grip onto the boy’s arms. “Hey!” the boy shouted in objection, but Sasuke glared at him. 

“You’re a genin. Genin help with civilian evacuation during an emergency,” Sasuke pointed out, his sharingan spinning lazily.  

The boy stared directly up at his eyes in consideration before recognition filled his gaze and he grinned, “Sure thing, Sasuke-nii-chan.” 

Momentarily distracted from his search for the Akatsuki member, Sasuke shot Konohamaru a weird look. The younger boy didn’t seem to pick up on it, however, and kept on talking, “Naruko-nee-chan talks about you a lot.” 

Sasuke didn’t have time to examine the boy’s words and the newfound awe shining in his dark eyes. “Hn,” Sasuke grunted before leaping onto a nearby roof to try to pick up on that Akatsuki member’s trail. It hadn’t been the orange-haired leader that he remembered from Kakuzu’s memories, and it left Sasuke mildly concerned that there were other Akatsuki members that he didn’t know about.  

As his eyes quickly glanced around, he took stock of the situation. He could see several, large beasts all rampaging through the village, hurling themselves through buildings and causing chunks of concrete to fall to the streets below. Before he could make a move towards the destruction, however, he spotted the red and pink blur that was Sakura land a heavy punch to an overgrown centipede and push the beast back. Determining that Sakura wouldn’t need any help, Sasuke headed in the direction that he’d seen the Akatsuki member take. 

As he leapt from roof to roof, Sasuke got a closer look at the numerous shinobi attacking the village. Surprisingly, there was a lack of black and red cloaked shinobi fighting Konoha’s forces. Instead, most of the intruders were wearing headbands that he couldn’t identify. What village had a music note as their symbol?  

Although the number of intruders to face and dispatch was plentiful, Sasuke avoided and ignored the majority of them. He had spared a few seconds to launch some kunai or shuriken to save an unknown Konoha shinobi from being slain from behind, but he hadn’t bothered to stick around. Truthfully, he should be doing the most that he can to eliminate all enemies. But Sasuke had different priorities. Idly, he could hear Itachi’s voice in the back of his head warning him not to do anything reckless.  

Unfortunately, finding any Akatsuki member in the village was like finding a needle in a haystack. Just as a frustrated noise was leaving his mouth, Sasuke felt a familiar, rancid chakra signature brush against his awareness. Legs jerking to a stop, Sasuke felt his blood boil as his chakra roiled and caused some stray lightning to shoot from his fingertips.  

Sasuke was sure that Itachi would consider hunting down Orochimaru in the middle of an invasion to be his vengeance taking priority. Furthermore, he was sure that his brother would consider it foolish based on the way that Orochimaru’s chakra was rhythmically pulsing out the Konoha shinobi code for “here”. Sasuke couldn’t think of a more obvious trap.  

The fire of rage that he’d initially felt was quickly growing into a cold, focused fury. Sasuke welcomed the change with open arms, the cooling of his rage was also introducing an immense amount of focus (and a bit of tunnel vision if he was being honest). By the time Sasuke was standing on a rooftop overlooking Orochimaru, he’d managed to mute most of his emotions.  

Orochimaru was in the process of casually tossing the body of a lifeless chunin to the side when he turned his attention onto Sasuke. There were two others with him, but Sasuke’s sharingan was busy cataloguing Orochimaru’s every movement. Surprisingly, the snake wasn’t wearing his Akatsuki cloak.  

“Uchiha Sasuke,” Orochimaru hissed his greeting with a deceptively amicable smile.  

“Orochimaru,” Sasuke smirked. “Was one death not enough?” 

Orochimaru actually smirked up at Sasuke. “I have to admit that your doujutsu caught me by surprise the last time I saw you. It seems that the sharingan has more secrets than I thought,” Orochimaru trailed off, his gold eyes staring at Sasuke’s. 

Instead of feeling intimidated, Sasuke felt his hackles rise in disgust. The look in Orochimaru eyes was one of intrigue, greed, and a bit of desire. As if to push his unnerving demeanor over the top, Orochimaru let his too long tongue flop out of his mouth and lick his lips. Sasuke gripped the hilt of his chokuto with a sneer as he jumped from the roof and moved in towards Orochimaru.  

His heart was thudding in his chest, pumping adrenaline to all his limbs and (despite the seriousness of the situation) filling him with a giddy sort of excitement. His sights were locked on Orochimaru’s motionless form, his sharingan spinning rapidly and on the verge of shifting into his Mangekyo. He’d dreamt of this very moment months ago, but he hadn’t truthfully expected Orochimaru to pull a miraculous recovery from being burnt to less than ash. Sasuke felt mildly curious as to how Orochimaru had managed to pull it off, but his curiosity took a back seat to his need to plunge his sword through the older man’s heart.  

Despite his tunnel vision, Sasuke was able to see the attack coming at him from a mile away thanks to his sharingan. One of the shinobi that had been silently observing until now was currently rushing towards him with his fist pulled back. Slightly annoyed with the interruption, Sasuke jumped out of the way of the man’s fist and tossed a few shuriken at the orange haired man. Sasuke had been fully intent on ignoring the man. But when he’d bat away the shuriken with a transformed, left arm and released a loud cackle, Sasuke had had no choice but to focus on the manic man.  

“I think you’ll make a decent first victim!” the man exclaimed and charged at Sasuke again, his fist changing into a piston-like ram. Even in the face of yet another unfamiliar jutsu, Sasuke could only feel his irritation grow. This man had some nerve to issue death threats when he moved as slowly as a chunin- which Sasuke made sure to let the man know.  

“He’s faster than I expected, but not by much,” Sasuke heard a new voice speak up in an almost dismissive tone. 

“Don’t be so quick to pass judgement, Kabuto,” Orochimaru’s raspy voice chastised.  

From the corner of his eyes, Sasuke could see Orochimaru and another male observing his fight (if it could even be called that). They had twin assessing looks aside from the look of intrigue in Orochimaru’s eyes and the look of disinterest in the white-haired man, Kabuto’s. With an affronted huff, Sasuke locked eyes with his opponent just as the man was swinging his axe-shaped arms down onto Sasuke’s head. It was even easier than Sasuke expected to place the man in a genjutsu that disrupted his chakra flow. The man suddenly froze in place, his arms losing their transformed shape. He blinked his clear, orange eyes down at Sasuke in shock and a bit of awe, but Sasuke was already sending him flying into a nearby building with a powerful kick to the gut. 

“Not bad, Uchiha Sasuke. But I wonder what else your eyes are capable of,” Orochimaru said with a grin. 

Channeling lightning through his chokuto, Sasuke moved. He could feel his heart pounding in time with his quick steps, his anticipation and adrenaline fueling his actions. His eyes and mind were moving both in slow motion and far too fast, cataloguing Orochimaru’s still form and predicting the exact moment that his sword would pierce the man’s flesh. He noticed the growing smirk on Orochimaru’s face before he became aware of Kabuto quickly moving through hand signs. 

At yet another interruption, Sasuke’s annoyance was starting to increase. Kabuto was faster than the other man had been, but his hits lacked any raw power behind them. Sasuke could see every swipe of Kabuto’s chakra covered hands coming from a mile away and needed minimal effort to dodge the swiping chakra blades. Kabuto was making a decent effort to avoid Sasuke’s gaze, keeping his eyes on Sasuke’s chin.  

The only bright side that Sasuke could see from the constant interruptions to his revenge was the fact that Orochimaru hadn’t left yet. The snake was content to stand along the edges of the fight, not interfering and instead observing and offering commentary. Sasuke had been intent on ignoring the words coming from Orochimaru’s mouth, but he couldn’t help but sneer when he heard Orochimaru proclaim, “You will make a wonderful vessel, Sasuke.” 

“Vessel?” Sasuke repeated and used a finger to trap Kabuto in a genjutsu. He wasn’t surprised to feel how quickly Kabuto was beginning to break free of his illusion, but it wasn’t fast enough to fend off a quick slice to the neck. Sasuke watched Kabuto’s eyes go wide as he clasped a hand around his bleeding neck. Sasuke pushed the dying man away with a disgusted noise before turning to Orochimaru in question. 

“I will need a new body soon and yours will be perfect. I had considered taking Itachi’s or Shisui’s, but I think yours has more potential, ” Orochimaru said and grinned. 

“Orochimaru-sama!” a young woman exclaimed as she landed at Orochimaru’s side in a breathless panic. “I sensed a lot of chakra…” the red haired woman said as her red eyes slid over to Sasuke.  

“It’s alright, Karin. Sasuke-kun was just showing me what he’s capable of,” Orochimaru explained. 

“Uchiha Sasuke…” the woman said, recognition lighting her tone. The woman didn’t look to be much of a challenge, despite the large chakra reserves that Sasuke could see moving in and around her.  

Sasuke was about to refocus on Orochimaru when he sensed Kabuto shift behind him. With far superior speed, Sasuke shifted to the side to dodge the chakra scalpel that had been aimed at his heart. Kabuto’s eyes were wide in shock again, the supposedly fatal wound at his neck perfectly healed.  

Sasuke knew that chakra scalpels required fine chakra control and intense mental focus to maintain in battle. Sasuke couldn’t say whether the boy’s miraculous healing and chakra control were better than Sakura’s, but he could tell that Kabuto wouldn’t be easily slain. Sasuke scoffed once and sheathed his chokuto. Kabuto warily watched him, still keeping his gaze away from Sasuke’s eyes and hands. It was almost amusing to see how much effort Kabuto was putting forth to avoid another genjutsu.  

“I have to admit, I hadn’t expected such a proficiency with genjutsu from you, Sasuke. I thought that genjutsu was Itachi’s specialty, but I suppose that you are an Uchiha,” Kabuto hesitantly praised.  

Not bothering with hand signs, Sasuke let his lightning release coat his hand as he moved in towards Kabuto. At the last second, Sasuke channeled chakra into his legs to give him a burst of speed that caught Kabuto nearly off guard. The other boy was lucky enough to dodge the Chidori that Sasuke had aimed at his heart. But Sasuke had planned ahead and was already twisting to fire his Chidori Senbon at Kabuto’s joints and vital organs.  

Admittedly, Sasuke was feeling frustrated that his vengeance was being delayed so much. Orochimaru was right there and he was stuck wasting his time with weaklings. Therefore, Sasuke felt some small satisfaction at seeing Kabuto stumble and fall to a knee once his movements were restricted by the lightning needles imbedded into his joints. Hands chirping almost too loudly, Sasuke sunk his hand into Kabuto’s chest and pierced his heart.  

Killing Kabuto didn’t give him any satisfaction. Kabuto had been a little persistent, but ultimately weak. Besides, it wasn’t his death that Sasuke truly wanted. Despite still having his hand in Kabuto’s chest, Sasuke locked eyes with Orochimaru. A sense of anticipation plateaued within him as Sasuke pulled his hand away from Kabuto’s body and let the boy fall at his feet. The snake had the gall to look almost as eager as Sasuke felt.  

“I’m almost flattered by how much you wish for my death, Sasuke.” 

He could practically see the calculations working behind Orochimaru’s eyes as he spoke. The lanky man was still grinning, his body deceptively lax. Thankfully, the woman was staying out of the way and (finally) allowing Sasuke a clear path to his goal. He could feel his own killing intent rising with every passing second, filling the deserted and rubble-covered street. Without conscious effort, Sasuke could feel his Mangekyo swirl into existence. Suddenly, Orochimaru stopped grinning and watched Sasuke warily.  

Every dream and nightmare he’d had of killing Orochimaru would pale in comparison to the actual thing. 

His lightning spilling over from his hand and up his arm, Sasuke moved to close in on the snake again. Before he could get close, however, Sasuke felt and heard Kabuto shift and move yet again. Frustrations reaching their boiling point, Sasuke quickly turned to grasp Kabuto by his neck and catch the boy off guard. 

Kabuto’s eyes were wide as he tried to pry Sasuke’s vice grip away from his neck. The hole that he’d left in Kabuto’s chest was healed over, the skin still pink. The boy’s chakra reserves were running low. Sasuke highly doubted that he would be able to pull another miraculous revival. Even so, Sasuke wanted to ensure that there would be no more interruptions. With an incredible amount of calm (despite the storm of emotions raging within), Sasuke said, “You’re annoying me.” His left hand glowing green with medical chakra, Sasuke pushed his chakra into Kabuto’s chest.  

When he’d first started learning medical ninjutsu from Sakura, he’d quickly learned that his chakra was far more potent than the average shinobi’s or even the average Uchiha’s. Sakura had made sure to stress how finely he had to control his chakra in order to avoid accidentally killing someone by overloading their chakra pathways. Not bothering to leash his chakra now, Sasuke let it ravage Kabuto’s chakra pathways while simultaneously spurring an onslaught of unregulated, cell growth. Sometimes, the simplest solutions were best. 

Releasing his grip on Kabuto’s neck, he let the writhing and screaming boy fall to the ground before stepping over him. Still not bothering to control his chakra, Sasuke let the beginnings of his Susanoo cover him in a purple glow. With his heightened vision, he could see the exact moment doubt started to seep into Orochimaru’s eyes. “I don’t know how you managed to survive the last time. But it doesn’t matter. When I kill you this time, I’ll make sure that you stay dead,” Sasuke said as his Susanoo’s ribs started to form.  

“Come then, Uchiha Sasuke,” Orochimaru said, doing a decent job of hiding any hesitation in his tone. Suddenly, Orochimaru took the offensive and started moving through hand signs for what Sasuke could tell was a fire jutsu. Unfortunately for Orochimaru, Sasuke had no intention of letting him cast any jutsu. Faster than Orochimaru could dodge, Sasuke shot out a skeletal hand from his Susanoo to grab the snake sannin and hold him mid-air. “Sasuke!” Orochimaru shouted in objection while futilely trying to break free of his Susanoo. 

A slideshow of his last fight with Orochimaru was playing in his mind’s eye, flashes of desperation, chilling fear, and blood making his hatred for the snake grow. He could even recall so many of his dreams, the deaths of many Orochimaru clones all playing at once in his head. “Hn,” Sasuke smirked. Finally, his brain stopped on the memory of Naruko dead under his hands. His Susanoo’s grip tightened until he heard the telltale sound of bones cracking and blood dripping down onto the dirt ground. From the growing puddle Sasuke could see purple fumes of poison start to rise. “Pathetic,” Sasuke scoffed and lit the blood and poison ablaze with his Amaterasu. “You disappoint me, Orochimaru.” 

Orochimaru’s head sluggishly lolled forward so that he could fix a furious glare onto Sasuke. “Upstart brat,” Orochimaru hissed and dropped his jaw. Sasuke wasn’t sure what was going to come flying out at him, but it hardly mattered. His eyes recognized the blur that left Orochimaru’s mouth for what it was and he quickly set the snake ablaze.  

Tossing Orochimaru’s lifeless, broken body aside, Sasuke turned to watch the large the large, white snake with Orochimaru’s head shriek and writhe. His Amaterasu burned away many of the snakes comprising Orochimaru’s new body, but Sasuke was surprised to see some of the smaller snakes unattach themselves from the main body and start to slither away. With a noise of frustration, Sasuke quickly tried to set the fleeing snakes on fire or crush them beneath his Susanoo’s fists. By the end of his rampage, the area was littered with crushed and burning snakes in addition to the burning original body. Sasuke was seconds away from tossing away rocks and debris to ensure that he’d gotten every snake when he heard Orochimaru’s familiar laugh.  

“ Ku ku ku ,” the giant snakehead managed to get out. “You continue to impress me, Sasuke-kun,” Orochimaru said with a final chuckle before the last of his chakra faded from the snake husk.  

Sasuke was furious. As much as he wanted to deny it, Sasuke wasn’t completely sure that he’d managed to kill every snake before they could escape. He stared down at the white snake almost uncomprehendingly. After all of that… Orochimaru had still managed to slip away? His jaw clenched as his fury peaked. His whole body was shaking in barely contained rage as he let out a loud obscenity.  

He had one goal- a single objective- and he’d failed again. Orochimaru was most likely fleeing the village, getting farther and farther away and taking this chance away from Sasuke again. Fists clenched and entire body tense, Sasuke lashed out at the person that had been slowly approaching him from behind. Fortunately for them, they managed to dodge his wild strike. When he recognized the orange haired man that was now calmly watching him, Sasuke sneered with a glare. 

“Uchiha Sasuke,” the man started. “I am in your debt.” 

Despite his furious expression, his confusion must have been apparent on his face because the man continued, “Only one other person has been able to help me control my rage and he has long since passed on. I am grateful to you for stopping my blood rage.” 

“Jugo,” the woman said as she tentatively approached. When Sasuke looked at her, he had to furiously blink his eyes to clear his blurry vision, but he could see the wary looks she shot the man in between quick glances at Sasuke. 

“Uchiha Sasuke, you are my cage. I pledge myself to you as your shield,” Jugo continued on with a bow of his head. 

Sasuke scoffed. “I don’t give a shit what you do,” Sasuke dismissed. When he turned a fiery gaze on the red headed girl- Karin was it?- she straightened with a squeak and a light flush to her cheeks. Barely holding back another scoff, Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned away from them both.  

“Sasuke-kun,” the woman called out after him, but didn’t pay her any mind. His rage was still simmering away within him, and he had every intent to find seek out another Akatsuki member. He was so seriously itching for fight that even one of those shinobi he had avoided earlier would satisfy his need to hit something.  

“What’s that?” Karin suddenly asked.  

Against his better judgment, Sasuke spared her half a glance, but she was shielding her eyes from the sun while looking up at the sky. Even Jugo was mimicking her. With a silent huff, Sasuke looked up as well. At first, he had some difficulty identifying what he was seeing. But then he recognized the shape of a man- one with orange hair, piercings, and a black and red cloak. “Pain,” Sasuke breathed just before he saw a flash of white light and felt an unseen force rock the earth and send him flying. He shielded his eyes from the rocks, dust and debris that had been unearthed with him while summoning his Susanoo to protect him from the larger chunks and channeling chakra to his feet once he touched down onto the ground again. 

The rumbling seemed like it was lasting forever, a never-ending cloud of dirt and dust making it impossible to see. Idly, Sasuke could feel someone gripping his leg tightly. When he looked down, he was only slightly annoyed to see Karin doing her best to stick to the ground with chakra while also trying to stick to him. Jugo was in better shape, but even he had resorted to kneeling and sticking with hands, feet, and knees. Once the quaking subsided, Sasuke slowly lowered his arms from his face and blinked his eyes to clear away the dust. It took a while for the dust to clear enough for him to see anything, and what he could see were large chunks of rubble and splintered wood forming a ring around where his Susanoo had been. 

“Is it over?” he heard Karin asked from where she was still attached to his leg. He couldn’t muster the effort to shake her off him, he was frozen in shock at the rest of the village.  

Konoha, his home, was gone. He barely recognized the giant crater that was his village. If it weren’t for the stone faces still intact on the mountainside, Sasuke would be hard-pressed to say that this was Konoha.  

“Holy shit,” he heard Karin whisper in shock now that she had let go of him and was looking around at the damage.  

He could feel her eyes watching him, but he had nothing to say. What could he say? The village had been leveled. He was sure that countless people had died. He could only hope that those he cared about were alright. One saving grace that he could think of was that his brother and Naruko weren’t in this mess. 

Suddenly, Sasuke spotted a sudden shift in Pain’s chakra that was still covering the village. For half a second, he was tensing in preparation for another attack, but when he identified the chakra signature that was disrupting Pain’s he felt his stomach sink in dread. Like a shining beacon, he could sense her chakra from miles away as it signaled to everyone that she had returned. Why? Why couldn’t she stay where she was safe!? 

“I sense someone else’s chakra,” Karin said and stared in the direction that Sasuke was looking. 

“Dobe,” Sasuke hissed and grit his teeth in frustration.

Chapter Text

The day had started out so calm and bright. The sun was shining in the sky, but a cool breeze kept the village from getting too hot, a sign that summer was officially ending. Konohamaru had managed to finish a D rank with his team and Fujita-san was pleased with his perfectly weeded garden. Ebisu-sensei had promised to teach them each a new jutsu as a reward for how hard they had been working at their D ranks lately. Konohamaru had been looking forward to the training, intent on doing his best so that he could become as strong as Naruko-nee-chan. Konohamaru knew that Naruko had left the village for a few days on a training trip, and he was excited to see her progress once she returned and show her his growth as well.

Konohamaru had looked up to Naruko for years, choosing her as his role model and ultimate goal. When he had first met her, Konohamaru had been happy to finally have someone else around that knew what it felt like to be related to a Hokage. For his whole life, Konohamaru had always been treated differently because he was the Sandaime’s grandson. Naruko was the daughter of the Yondaime and, like him, she wanted to break out from the shadow of the Hokage. For years, Konohamaru had been stuck in his privileged role as the “Sandaime’s Honorable Grandson” without knowing how to break away from the title. But Naruko had changed all that with a few words.

“I don’t care about that Honorable Daughter crap. Everyone’s gonna know my name because I’m gonna be the first and greatest female Hokage, dattebayo!” she had declared just before being hauled away for drawing graffiti all over the Hokage Monument. From that moment, Naruko’s words, nindo, and actions became Konohamaru’s. He did everything he could to get stronger like her and set himself apart from his grandfather’s legacy (minus the pranks on innocent villagers).

“Ebisu-sensei, can we have lunch before we start training?” Udon piped up with a loud sniff as they were leaving the mission assignment office.

“I don’t see why not,” Ebisu agreed.

“Does that mean you’re paying, Ebisu-sensei?” Moegi asked with a catlike grin.

“Why would I pay when you all just got paid for your mission?” Ebisu pointed out and adjusted his shades.

“We’re genin, Ebisu-sensei! We barely make anything from D ranks! And shinobi tools aren’t cheap,” Konohamaru pointed out with a pout.

Ebisu had been about to reply, but his words were cut off by a loud explosion to one of the buildings along the main street. Konohamaru lost his balance as the ground beneath him started to quake and chunks of the building fell to the street below. Konohamaru looked around as the people in the streets started to flee in all directions, some shielding their heads with their arms. “Konohamaru,” Ebisu called out as he pulled the boy up from the ground.

“Ebisu-sensei, what’s going on?” Udon asked and looked around with panic building in his eyes.

“The village must be under attack,” Ebisu surmised after having a look around. In the distance, they all heard more explosions going off. Immediately, the screams from frantic crowd of people fleeing for their lives grew in volume.

“What do we do?” Moegi asked, her eyes wide in panic.

“What you were taught to do in the Academy. Genin are to help with civilian evacuation,” Ebisu answered in a calm yet stern voice.

“What about you, sensei? I want to help,” Konohamaru declared.

“You can help by getting the civilians off the streets and to safety.”

It had been a hard thing to hear, but it had been Ebisu’s final word on the topic before he left to join a group of passing jounin. Konohamaru had looked to his fellow teammates in the hopes that they would be on his side, but then Udon said, “I’ll head to Block A to help with the evacuation there.”

“What? Why would you want to settle for evacuation duty when we could be fighting?” Konohamaru pointed out.

“Because Ebisu-sensei gave us orders, Konohamaru-kun. We’re genin. We could end up getting in the way if we try to fight,” Moegi explained.

Incensed, Konhamaru wanted to argue further, but it was Udon that stopped him this time. “It’s our duty to guide and evacuate civilians. If we don’t help them, they could get hurt or die,” Udon said, his words being punctuated by the loud roars of a giant, brown dog trampling over several buildings.

Konohamaru watched as a few jounin tried to fight the giant dog but were all easily sent flying. Not even a team of experienced shinobi could take it down. But maybe if he tried his new jutsu… His fists clenched, Konohamaru nodded his acquiescence to his friends. They both looked relieved and nodded in reply before both leaping away to help with the evacuation. Once they were out of sight, Konohamaru took off down the street to where the giant dog was knocking over some more buildings. He could do this… He just needed a shot…

“Oi!”

Mid-step, Konohamaru froze in place. Had he gotten caught already? He hadn’t even gotten close to the dog yet! Turning to the side, he watched an older boy walk an elderly lady over to him before practically dumping her onto him. “Hey!” Konohamaru objected, but the older boy was quicker.

“You’re a genin. Genin help with civilian evacuation during an emergency,” the teen said, a frown on his pale face and his red eyes spinning.

Konohamaru had learned about the different clans within the village while he was in the Academy, so he was able to easily recognize the sharingan. Most of what Konohamaru knew of the sharingan he had heard from Naruko whenever she spoke about her friend…

“Sure thing, Sasuke-nii-chan,” Konohamaru said with a growing smile. He was sure that this boy with spiky hair like a duck’s butt was definitely the same boy that Naruko spoke about. “Naruko-nee-chan talks about you a lot.” 

Konohamaru had heard his fair share of Naruko’s Sasuke Rants in the past, but as of lately she had only the highest of praises for the older boy. According to her, Uchiha Sasuke was almost as strong and cool and popular as she was.

“Hn,” Sasuke barely replied before jumping and leaving Konohamaru to tend to the elderly woman.

Konohamaru wanted to follow the older boy because surely someone strong enough for Naruko to consider them her greatest rival had to be headed towards the real fighting. But before he could, the elderly woman started smacking at his head with an expectant noise. Konohamaru exclaimed in pain while rubbing at the spot that she had struck (how was an old lady so strong???).

“Sasuke left me with you, so I hope you’re reliable,” the woman huffed. Konohamaru nearly groaned aloud at his bad luck.

~:~

Sakura had just accepted her next patient’s file from one of the many hospital nurses when she felt the first set of quakes rock the building. She had been tempted to write off the occurrence as a minor earthquake but knew better when she’d spotted a few trails of smoke rising into the sky. Her first thought was that a serious accident had to have occurred near the marketplace.

“Emi-san, can you check to ensure that we have some open rooms available just in case anyone is hurt,” Sakura told the older nurse. Sakura had wanted to reassure her next patient that someone else would be tending to them but had quickly scrapped the idea when she spotted the giant, orange centipede and brown dog that had just popped into existence. Uttering a soft curse, Sakura started removing her white lab coat to dump in her office on her way out.

“Sakura-san! What’s happening?”

“Sakura-san, what should we do?”

Since Tsunade had left the village, both Shizune and Sakura had stepped up to take the reins at the hospital and overlook all day-to-day tasks. Shizune had slipped seamlessly into her increased workload of running the labs and dealing with most of the administrative load. But she had delegated to leave the patient interactions and running the staff up to Sakura. Initially, the increase in duties and responsibilities had been daunting. But after spending an afternoon locked in Tsunade’s office familiarizing herself with all Tsunade’s files, Sakura had returned to the helm and quickly wrangled her new subordinates.

Even with Tsunade technically back in the village, Sakura and Shizune were still very much in charge. Whenever Sakura thought about her shishou slowly recovering in the hospital’s ICU, she felt a pang of sadness and dwindling hope that Tsunade would recover. Sakura could still remember the absolute horror that had filled her when a toad had suddenly popped into the lobby with a bloody, battered, and poisoned Tsunade in its arms. Sakura had immediately pulled Shizune from her lab to join her in Tsunade’s operating room because Sakura wasn’t about to let anyone remotely unqualified tend to her shishou.

Now, whenever someone had a question or something went slightly wrong, Sakura was the first person that they ran to. It had been daunting to gain so much responsibility practically overnight, but Tsunade hadn’t spent the last three years training and preparing her for nothing.

“I want every room that isn’t currently housing any critical patients to be prepped for any incoming injured. I’ll be leading a team of our most able-bodied staff members to search for any injured that are unable to move,” Sakura said, doing her best to channel her shishou as she barked out orders. “Pull any staff that we can spare to help with the preparations. If you’re not currently saving a life, you should be getting rooms and supplies ready.”

Once Sakura was sure that she could step away from the hospital without it imploding, she left with a small team of medical ninja following her. “I want you all to split into teams of three and take separate divisions to search,” Sakura started. “Once you’ve cleared your section, report back here to help tend to patients.”

Like obedient soldiers, the medical-nin bowed quickly before scattering. Trusting Shizune to hold down the fort, Sakura turned and headed for where she could see a few shinobi trying to tame the giant animals. Sakura took the rooftops, several questions running through her mind. The sheer size of the animals meant that they had to be summons. So where was their summoner? Who was it and what were they hoping to accomplish?

Just seconds after closing in on the rampaging insect, Sakura watched a few chunin get knocked back and away by the centipedes many legs. Just a few years ago, the sight of this beast would have had her running away, hopelessly scared and hoping that Sasuke-kun or Kakashi-sensei would get to her before she could become the monster’s next meal. But now, Sakura just felt pissed. Leaping from the roof with a loud cry of “Shannaro!”, Sakura pulled back her fist.

She always felt a sense of pride whenever she used the monstrous strength that she was becoming known for. Taking down a challenging opponent with a single punch was the most apparent sign of her growth and progression. At first, she had been hesitant to utilize her physical strength in battle. Her mother’s warnings had seen to that.

“You won’t find a good husband if you go around punching things like some sort of barbarian. No man will want a wife that can knock down a tree with her fist.”

She was so sure that her mother had been right. After all, Sasuke was from the Uchiha clan, and they were as traditional as it got. So, she had done her best to appear as soft and demure as possible in the hopes that Sasuke would fall for her feminine charms. But then she had seen how taken Sasuke had been with Naruko, who was as far from dainty and feminine as possible. Maybe her mother had been wrong?

When she had started training under Tsunade, all thoughts of becoming a modest housewife had quickly left her head. As expected of someone so strong-willed, Tsunade had bulldozed over Sakura’s preconceived notions and replaced them with new ideas and definitions of strength and worth. Sakura had never felt so comfortable in her own skin. Her mother hadn’t been pleased that her only daughter was now modelling herself after the middle-aged and still single Senju Tsunade, but her words fell on deaf ears. Sakura figured that it was harder to hear her mother’s criticisms through the sounds of trees crashing to the ground and the ground cracking beneath her fists.

Sakura could feel the astounded gazes of the chunins around her, their eyes looking between the unmoving centipede and Sakura’s pristine form. The balloon of pride in her chest swelled a bit but deflated quickly when she heard a familiar voice say, “It’s not often that someone beats me to the punch.”

Doing her best to stifle the urge to roll her eyes, Sakura shot Uchiha Shisui a cool look of disinterest from over her shoulder. “Then maybe you should be quicker next time,” she replied.

She didn’t think that it was possible, but the grin on his face widened. “Yes, ma’am,” he said, giving her a jaunty salute.

Sakura did roll her eyes this time just before leaping away. Uchiha Shisui was such a deviation from what she was used to from Uchiha clan members. She was used to Sasuke’s dismissive rudeness or Itachi’s polite indifference. But Shisui’s amicable flirtatiousness left her stumped. She had no idea what she’d done to garner his attention, but she hoped that he got over it quickly and moved on to the next girl that captured his fancy.

~:~

Shisui watched the pink haired medic leap away from rooftop to rooftop as if she couldn’t get away from him fast enough. He wasn’t offended by her hasty getaway. He preferred to think that she was just rushing off to tackle another behemoth with her incredible strength.

Shisui’s early lunch had been cut short when the first signs of the invasion had made themselves known. He’d abandoned his half-eaten meal and practically teleported to the epicenter of the attack. He’d done his best to avoid the fleeing civilians while expanding his senses to the surrounding areas. When he couldn’t pick up on any unusual chakra signatures, he’d teleported to one of the taller buildings to get a better view with his sharingan.

A few more explosions had gone off a few streets over while a battalion of unfamiliar shinobi had quickly scaled the stone walls surrounding the village. Mid-leap, Shisui had shed his emotions and embraced an impassive demeanor. He cursed himself for leaving his tanto at home. But even without it, he’d managed to incapacitate three of the invading shinobi before they had even become aware of his presence.

Like his younger cousin, Shisui wasn’t fond of killing but was cursed with a proficiency for it. He moved in between the invading shinobi, precise cuts and slices from his kunai felling them while they were still struggling with his many after-images. This went on for a few minutes as he moved along the wall, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. His wished that he could say that he had lost count of how many there had been. But with his sharingan active, he could clearly recall each of his 86 kills.

He was only slightly winded by the end of it, but there wasn’t any time to catch his breath. Even from the outskirts of the village, Shisui could hear the loud growls and shrieks of the giant summons as they popped into existence. He was still working through an attack plan by the time he was within striking distance of the creature. To his surprise, he was rendered unnecessary by Haruno Sakura of all people.

Shisui knew of Haruno Sakura, but he couldn’t say that he really knew her. He’d heard the rumors on Senju Tsunade’s newest student. She could crush boulders with her pinky. She could put a man on death’s door with a single punch and then restore him back to perfect health. She was a destructive force wrapped up in a petite and admittedly cute frame.

Shisui’s eyes had widened in pleasant surprise as he watched her arc through the air, a look of intense irritation on her face. Naturally, her form was perfect, and it made for an extremely effective blow that had the beast crumpling beneath her fist. Like the chunins that were gathered around, Shisui looked on in awe as she reclaimed her spot on the roof with an air of casualness as if she hadn’t just taken down a monster far larger than herself. He could see her already scouting out her next target, her small hands clenching into fists and a fire in her bright, seafoam eyes.

“It’s not often that someone beats me to the punch,” Shusui had to get out before she could leave.

With his enhanced perception, he could see her cringe slightly before she looked over her shoulder at him. Shisui knew that she wasn’t quite fond of him, her previous indifference to his very existence now resembled grudging tolerance since he had asked her out. He guessed that it (and her rejection) had do with his apparent flirtatious reputation. He’d taken the rejection well, not one to get easily offended.

“Then maybe you should be quicker next time,” she replied.

Shisui could feel his grin growing to match the spark of excitement that he felt. “Yes, ma’am,” he said and saluted. She rolled her eyes at him this time before officially ending their short exchange. The grin he was sporting faltered as he lowered his hand in embarrassment. Did he seriously just salute?

‘Stupid,’ he mentally chastised himself. Where had that come from?

Still shaking his head at his own cringe-worthy behavior, Shisui turned to leave the area. He stopped cold, however, when he sensed an unfamiliar chakra signature pulsing in code. Shisui knew that he wasn’t familiar with the chakra signature of every Konoha shinobi, but he was positive that he would remember a shinobi with chakra like this. Maybe it was a comrade in need of assistance?

Before he could even take a step in their direction, Shisui’s attention was captured by another. “Shisui!” Fugaku called out as he landed on Shisui’s roof.

“Fugaku-sama, what is it?”

“We need you in Block G. We’re trying to evacuate some civilians, but we can’t clear a path for them,” Fugaku said.

Shisui frowned slightly. “No offense, Fugaku-sama. But can’t the police force handle it?” he asked. It’s not that he didn’t want to help his clan head, but Shisui didn’t think civilian evac should be his priority with the police force and many genin available.

Fugaku pursed his lips before sighing. “I can’t find most of them,” he begrudgingly admitted.

“What?” Shisui asked, pure confusion lighting his features.

Fugaku looked absolutely frustrated by the whole thing as he admitted, “I was on patrol when the first explosion happened. I returned to the compound to round up any stray officers, but most of them weren’t there. I haven’t been able to find them.”

“Not at all?” Shisui questioned. It was one thing to not find them alive, but to be unable to find them at all? “I’ll head over there now then. I’ll keep an eye out for any of the officers if I see them.”

“Good. Have you seen, Sasuke?” Fugaku asked, his mask cracking slightly.

Thanks to Itachi, Shisui was more than aware of the strained relationship between Fugaku and Sasuke. Shisui watched as genuine worry flashed through Fugaku’s eyes for a moment before it was effectively buried. Feeling sympathy for the man, Shisui frowned and shook his head. “I’m sure he’s fine. Do you want me to bring him over with me if I see him?”

“Yes. If you see him, keep him in your sights. I doubt that he’d appreciate me hovering over him, but he might not mind you,” Fugaku said, doing an admirable job of trying to remain aloof.

“Sasuke doesn’t need anyone to hover. He’s strong,” Shisui comforted with a small smile. “But I’ll still look out for him.”

“Thank you,” Fugaku said, sounding far more grateful than Shisui had ever heard him sound before. His clan head left just as quick as he came, looking like a man on a mission (or perhaps a manhunt?).

Shisui frowned deeply, his confusion slowly ebbing away and being replaced by irritation. Just the thought that his clansmen were missing at a time like this left a bad feeling settling in his gut. He had no idea where they were or what they were doing, but he hoped for their sakes that they weren’t doing something foolish.

~:~

She had technically given up on the shinobi life over twenty years ago once she had gotten pregnant with Itachi. Someone needed to stay home and raise their son, and she had lost that argument. She loved her son and loved being a mother, so she hadn’t fought too hard with Fugaku at the time. However, she had expected to return to active duty once Itachi was old enough to start the Academy. But then Sasuke had graced their lives and that had been the nail in the coffin of her expectations. It was just too much time out of the field- too much time spent with her instincts growing dull.

Mikoto was pleased to see that her instincts hadn’t dulled as much as she thought. Granted, she could tell that her opponent was a bit green, unbalanced in his wielding of his twin blades. But she didn’t need her sharingan to be able to predict his moves. His youth, ability to become water, and his incredibly sharp swords should have been enough to pose a challenge. But her experience was proving to be too much for him to handle.

“Oi, Kisame! Are you really going to just sit there and watch!?” the young man shouted back towards the blue-skinned man that was watching their fight with an amused grin.

“I helped you find the swords. I didn’t say anything about holding your hand while you learn to use them, Suigetsu,” Kisame replied and pulled his bandaged sword closer to himself.

When Suigetsu turned his head mid-battle, Mikoto let her sharingan spin to life and quickly arced her sword at the boy’s head. Expectedly, her sword met no resistance. ‘So it’s a natural defense mechanism…’

“What are you doing? You do realize that you can’t hurt me that way, right?” Suigetsu asked her as if she were a particularly slow child. But when he saw her eyes, he paused. “What’s up with your eyes?”

“It’s the sharingan. This just got interesting,” Kisame said and leaned in to get a better look.

“Sharingan?” Suigetsu repeated before charging in again.

Mikoto was surprised that the older man didn’t explain anything to his comrade, but she wasn’t about to complain. She locked eyes with the boy, her sharingan quickly spinning and placing a genjutsu over the boy. With him now under her illusion, it was too easy to channel her lightning release through her blade and stab her sword through the boy’s back. Her lightning spread throughout his body, causing his skin to start dripping into puddles at his feet.

Unlike her eldest, Mikoto would consider her genjutsu skills to be slightly above average. She had tried to make up for this by using the strongest genjutsu that she could. But at the sight of the boy’s comatose and still sparking form, she feared that she may have gone overboard.

“He’s still got a lot to learn,” Kisame said with a casual shrug before jumping down from his perch. “Perhaps I’ll be a better match for your skills,” he said with a sharp grin.

“Perhaps,” she allowed.

When she clashed blades with the much larger man, Mikoto could easily tell that his physical strength outweighed hers. She could see his chakra swirling between him and his sword, his reserves much larger than the average shinobi. And, despite his large stature, he was quite nimble as he ducked and weaved to avoid her blade. She traded an easy opponent for a difficult one.

With a loud roar, Kisame swung his blade down on her head. She had intended to block his blade with her own but ducked out of the way at the last second when she spotted the bandages shift to reveal scales. She turned surprised eyes onot the blade and watched as the bandages fell away to reveal some kind of creature.

“You were smart to dodge. My sword, Samehada, does cut. It shreds,” Kisame said and released Samehada’s hilt. Suddenly, as if it was unleashed, the navy creature swam through the air with its serrated teeth parted. As she was dodging the sentient sword’s tackles, Mikoto spotted Kisame quickly going through hand signs. “Suiton: Bakusui Shouha!” Kisame exclaimed and began spitting out waves of water.

With a chakra enhanced jump to clear the waves, Mikoto felt dismay settle when she took in the sheer amount of water he had produced. His chakra reserves were bigger than she thought. Before she had managed to touch down again, she could already see Kisame blurring through more hand signs. The second he slammed his hand down onto the water, she could see at least five blurs all moving around underneath the surface. Her sharingan allowed her to narrowly dodge one of the blurs, its light blue and watery body arcing through the air and back into the water. Channeling her lightning release through her sword again, she met Kisame’s wide grin with a determined glare.

In between dodging or swiping at the stray shark, avoiding Samehada’s tackles, and dodging Kisame’s heavy melee style of fighting, Mikoto was slowly starting to feel the effects of the fight. She couldn’t remember the last time that she had relied so heavily on her sharingan. ‘Katon: Ryuuen Houka no jutsu!’

Mikoto watched Kisame duck and dodge her fireballs without much effort. It took Kisame a while to figure out what she was doing, but a thick fog had already started to settle by then. She had taken away his visibility whereas hers was only slightly diminished by the fog. However, she wasn’t about to take any chances considering just how much water was still around. Once she had spotted Kisame in the mist, she silently moved in behind him.

She had just pressed her blade to his neck when he said, “An admirable attempt. But there’s no way a Konoha nin could beat a former swordsman of the mist at silent killing.”

It was her fault. She hadn’t bothered to keep up with the bingo books in her retirement. Maybe if she had, she would have recognized him right away. “Hoshigaki Kisame,” she breathed as his water clone fell apart in front of her.

“You put up a good fight. I’ll give you that much,” she heard him say as she felt that scaly sword rest on her shoulder. Her mind was doing a mix of calculating escape routes and probabilities while also saying a silent farewell to her loved ones. She supposed that forty-one years was a long life to live.

“Dynamic Entry!”

Her saving grace came in the form of Konoha’s Green Beast himself. She hadn’t been able to see much of Guy’s boisterous attack, too busy leaping out of Samehada’s reach. A new, reinvigorating energy filled her now that she had some back-up. “Uchiha-san,” Might Guy greeted when he landed atop the water near her. “Are you alright?”

“Much better now,” she replied.

“Oh? Reinforcements finally arrived?” Kisame asked with an easy grin.

“Uchiha-san, would you be my back up?” Guy asked, his eyes still focused on Kisame.

“I’ll move as soon as you make an opening,” Mikoto replied.

Guy nodded once before taking off towards Kisame. As he engaged Kisame in a taijutsu battle, Mikoto moved along the edges of their fight, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Occasionally, one of the remaining sharks would leap out of the water at Guy, but she was always quick to dispatch them before they could get close.

“This has been amusing, but I think it’s time I end this. Before I do, I wonder if either of you can tell me where the kyuubi jinchuuriki is?” Kisame said and clapped his hands together.

“I’d rather die!” Mikoto instantly rejected. She and Kushina had been friends since they were genin on the same team. Even if she had known where Kushina currently was, Mikoto would never betray her best friend.

“Fair enough,” Kisame replied. “Suiton: Senshokukou!”

Both she and Guy had to take a step back when they saw another, large wave towering over them. Upon closer inspection, Mikoto could see that it wasn’t just water. One thousand sharks created with the water that was drying up under their feet. Suddenly, Guy widened his stance with a focused hum. “Uchiha-san, please move to safety. I don’t want you to be caught up in my attack,” Guy said as he started to focus his chakra.

Mikoto had initially been skeptical. She was sure that whatever attack he launched, she would be able to avoid it with her sharingan. But when Guy suddenly started glowing green and let out a loud shout, Mikoto wisely ducked out of the way. Her fight had been effectively taken over by Might Guy, who was now shouting, “The sixth gate, Gate of Joy, open!” and leaping into the air.

She had heard rumors about the taijutsu specialist, Might Guy. None of them matched up to the real thing, however. In addition to his strange glow, he was exuding a force that she couldn’t readily identify. “Asa Kujaku!” Guy exclaimed as his fists became just blurs and then caught fire as he moved. Her eyes widened as she watched fist-sized balls of fire hit the wave of sharks head on, slowing drying up the water around her. Mikoto couldn’t help but be impressed.

Her amazement was cut short, however. Even Guy and Kisame froze in place, their heads snapping to the side just as a blinding light overwhelmed them. Mikoto shielded her eyes, but it barely helped block the white glow from her eyes. The glow hadn’t even subsided yet before she felt a heavy pressure send her flying. As she flew and tumbled, Mikoto felt her head collide with something solid and rough before everything went dark.

~:~

Itachi was heavily reconsidering his choice of profession. He had never cared for the fighting and violence that shinobi life called for, but he had long since learned to tolerate it and keep his complaints to himself. It was his future profession that him questioning his sanity. Itachi stood with his arms lax at his sides and his sharingan active as he watched the proceedings from the balcony with the other kage guards. Despite his impassive expression, he felt the overwhelming urge to sigh.

“Let the Hokage lead the charge against the Akatsuki!? Never!” the Raikage shouted as he punched yet another hole into the wooden table.

Despite the Raikage’s venomous glares and outraged shouts, Minato remained calm and didn’t bother to interrupt A’s ravings. Not once had Minato made any moves to insult the Raikage in the three days that they had been here. Itachi had to applaud the man.

“Hokage-dono has the most intelligence on the Akatsuki and its remaining members. Additionally, Konoha was the only village making any efforts to protect jinchuuriki,” the newest Kazekage reasoned, his calm the exact opposite of the Raikage’s fiery demeanor.

“Surely, you can’t expect for the words of a child to hold much weight,” Oonoki huffed and glanced at the Kazekage’s hat resting on the table next to Gaara. “Title or not.”

“Even when he speaks the truth?” the Mizukage spoke up, a brow raised at Oonoki in challenge. “I, for one, recall receiving word from the Hokage quite some time ago about the threat of the Akatsuki. It was my own hesitance to further involve my village in this Akatsuki mess that kept me from responding. What are your excuses?”

‘Pride,’ Itachi filled in when neither the Tsuchikage nor Raikage answered her. Both men had complicated relationships with Minato due to past conflicts. Rather than set their issues aside for the greater good, both had deigned to ignore the Hokage until they couldn’t do so any longer. Itachi’s frown deepened.

And so it went for another hour. Despite Mifune’s best efforts to mediate, the Raikage’s and Tsuchikage’s voices were steadily rising until they were the only ones left debating. Not for the first time, Itachi wondered if the Raikage’s demand to hold this summit was just his excuse to yell at the other kage as a way to avoid the blame of nearly losing his brother.

“Perhaps it would be best if we adjourn for the day,” Mifune said with a deep sigh. The Raikage huffed once before storming off first, his guards right on his heels. The Tsuchikage and Mizukage were next to leave, but the Kazekage chose to approach Minato instead. Not that he expected a sneak attack, but Itachi wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t take up his place at Minato’s side.

“I am sorry for the Raikage’s stubbornness. I wish that I could say that he’ll see reason before this summit is over, but I can repeat myself only so many times,” the Kazekage said.

Minato let out a slow exhale. “It’s what I expected. I suppose I should be grateful that he’s taking this so seriously. The original response that I’d gotten from him… It… left a lot to be desired,” Minato said. Gaara nodded once before leaving as well, a bit of pity and understanding in his eyes.

“You’re lucky, Itachi,” Minato suddenly said once they were alone. “You have yet to make any substantial enemies. I’m hoping that you never have to. Having allies outside of the village makes this job far easier,” Minato sighed.

“I imagine it wouldn’t take long. Conflict appears to be inevitable in this life we live,” Itachi replied.

“True, but perhaps that is how we can come to understand one another.”

Itachi had been about to further their discussion but paused when Minato suddenly straightened and took off. Fortunately for him, Minato wasn’t running as quickly as he could and had slowed to a stop just outside the doors to the meeting room. Itachi arrived just in time to see a red toad pant through the words, “Minato-sama, the village… under attack.” Itachi had barely rested a hand onto Minato’s Hokage robes before he was being teleported through time and space.

When they came to a stop, Itachi did his best to shake off his vertigo. But an upset stomach was the least of his concerns when he took in his village. There were clouds of dust still settling over the rubble that they were standing on. If he looked closely, he could identify the crumbling, red walls of the administrative building.

“Kosuke?” Minato’s asked, his voice almost devoid of emotion.

“I left as soon as the first explosions sounded. It hasn’t even been a full hour yet,” the toad replied in shock.

“Minato-san?” Itachi asked, basically pleading to be let go. Minato had barely waved him off before Itachi was leaping over the remains of his village, praying that no one that he cared about was one of the motionless bodies that he spotted buried beneath all the concrete. Fortunately, he could sense Shisui’s chakra not far up ahead close to Izumi’s. While he was grateful that they were more of less alright, he still couldn’t help but worry about-

“Itachi!”

Jerking to a stop, Itachi felt a bit of his panic wane at the sight of his mother running towards him. She was bleeding from her hairline, covered in dirt with tears to her clothes. He met her halfway, fully welcoming her tight embrace. “When did you get back?”

“Just now. Where’s Sasuke?” Itachi asked, his eyes moving to his approaching father.

“He was out there. But then we saw the kyuubi,” his mother said and pointed out towards the center of the enormous crater that now encompassed most of the village. Itachi felt his heart thump to a stop and sink.

“We were just going to find him,” Mikoto continued, but Itachi cut her off.

“I’ll find him,” he said and left without another word.

It was all so surreal. They had been gone for only three days. They were due back in just a few hours, but it had taken less than an hour to turn his home into dust. And if his mother’s account had been correct, then Naruko had been here probably fighting off the Akatsuki. (Itachi wasn’t about to delude himself into believing that someone else had attacked the village.) If Naruko had been here, then surely his brother was too.

“Sasuke, promise me that you won’t do anything reckless.”

At the time, he’d accepted the half-assed promise that Sasuke had given him. He should have done more to ensure Sasuke’s safety. But Itachi was sure that nothing short of knocking his brother out and leaving him tied up in an undisclosed location would have kept him from acting rashly for Naruko’s benefit.

Had he failed as a brother? When he’d held Sasuke for the first time, he’d promised then and there to always protect his little brother. It didn’t take long for him to come to terms with what he would and wouldn’t do to keep his brother safe. Needless to say, there wasn’t much that he wouldn’t do (if there was anything at all). And in the few days that he’d let his brother out of his sight…

Itachi had been slowly moving towards the center of the crater while ignoring the smaller, cracked holes that looked to be punched into the ground and the still blazing, black fires. Beneath the smell of ash, Itachi could recognize the metallic tang of blood. He avoided a few motionless, orange haired Akatsuki bodies, the pit that had formed in his stomach growing by the second. His tentative steps immediately stopped at the sight of a cloakless body laying motionless. He immediately wanted to rush forward, just to assure himself that nothing was wrong, but he hesitated. With his sharingan active, even from a distance he could easily identify the body.

“Fine. I won’t be reckless.”

Itachi fell to his knees.

~:~

When another member of his pack came back with their tail between their legs, ears tucked close to the sides of their heads, and a low whine in their throats, Kakashi sighed lowly and gave them a consoling pat to the head. They’d been at it for over a week now without much to show for it. Kakashi tossed Bisuke another piece of jerky from his pocket when he saw how disappointed his summon looked at being led along another false trail.

Initially, Kakashi had been far more optimistic. There could be only so many false trails and dead ends before he caught up to whoever it was on the other end. But Sasuke hadn’t understated the effectiveness of their jutsu. After over a week of hunting, neither Kakashi nor the pack had been successful.

After the first five days of fruitless searching, the idea to return to the village had popped into his head only to be disregarded even quicker. If there was even a chance that it Obito was alive…

“Boss?”

Kakashi looked down at Pakuun but didn’t reply. The pug had been looking increasingly worried the past few days but had refrained from voicing his concerns. Yet somehow, it wasn’t necessary. Kakashi knew that he had been running himself ragged, attempting to return to the stamina that he’d had in ANBU. Kakashi was partially offended with himself when he’d discovered just how out of shape he was. Granted, he was still far above the average jounin level. But he couldn’t help but be displeased with his body’s increasing need for rest. Maybe he was getting old?

“I think it’s time to inform sensei. He can provide further instruction,” Kakashi said and took a scroll and some ink out of the pockets on his flak jacket.

“And in the meantime, you’ll keep searching then?” Pakuun guessed.

Kakashi finished his short, coded message and quickly rolled up the scroll. “I’m sure that you’ll be able to find me no matter where I am, Pakuun,” Kakashi said with a smile and handed the scroll over.

For several seconds, Pakuun stared down at the scroll with a displeased look on his face. “Have you considered what you’ll do if it is him?”

Kakashi felt his heart pound in his chest but kept his face impassive. “If it is, I’ll bring him back to the village where he belongs.”

“He’s been away for this long, Boss. Maybe he doesn’t want to return,” Pakuun pointed out. Kakashi wiggled the scroll in front of Pakuun’s face to wordlessly get his message across. Pakuun softly huffed once before taking the scroll and taking off.

The seeds of doubt that had been forming in his mind since the moment that first started to consider the possibility that Obito was somehow alive were threatening to take root. If Obito was alive, why hadn’t he come back to the village? Had he found out about Rin? If he had, why hadn’t he come after Kakashi? Kakashi wouldn’t object if Obito wished to exact his own revenge. It was the least that Kakashi owed him after catastrophically failing both Obito and Rin.

Feeling the gazes of the rest of the pack on his back, Kakashi softly sighed and let his shoulders relax into a heavy slouch. “We’ll take a break before we start again. One hour,” Kakashi said reached for his soldier pills.

Chapter Text

Just when he’d started to think that she had outgrown her more foolish tendencies, she had to obnoxiously prove him wrong. There was still too much dust covering the pit of the crater for him to see exactly what was going on, but he didn’t need his eyes to sense her. Whatever comfort he normally felt from her chakra signature was being overwhelmingly overshadowed by a sense of dread and frustration. Teeth grit, Sasuke started to move towards her, but was stopped by a hand to his shoulder. Angrily, Sasuke turned a fierce look onto whoever had dared to try to stop him.

“Sasuke,” Jugo started, but Sasuke pulled out of his grasp.

“I already told you that I don’t care what you do. Stay out of my way,” Sasuke ordered and quickly turned before Jugo could get another word in.

As he was closing in on her chakra signature, Sasuke did his best to avoid taking in the many motionless bodies he passed over. He had underestimated the number of casualties. From what little he gleamed with his sharingan, there was a mix of civilian and shinobi bodies crushed beneath and between the rubble. Sasuke did his best not to seek out any designating marks on the bodies. The last thing he needed on his mind was the image of a bloodied Uchiwa fan or a splash of pink hair.

While he was moving, he could tell that she had already gotten started without him. The largest toads that he had ever seen were busy fending off attacks from the equally large summons. But Sasuke’s focus was drawn to where a rusty red colored toad was glaring down at two Akatsuki members. Suddenly, the summons all vanished with white puffs of smoke just as the red toad spat out two bodies. From where he was standing at the lip of the crater, Sasuke could clearly see Naruko’s panting form kneeling next to an unmoving Akatsuki body. His feet were moving long before Pain had started rushing towards her.

The loud chirps of his Chidori were less than subtle, giving Pain ample time to dodge and put space between himself, Sasuke and- more importantly- Naruko. Sasuke watched Pain leap back and away to stand to the side of the other Akatsuki member. Immediately, Sasuke picked up on the similarities: the ringed purple eyes, orange hair, and piercings. They even shared similar chakra signatures.

“You’re late, ‘ttebayo,” he heard her huff behind him.

“You shouldn’t be here, Dobe,” Sasuke scoffed. He heard her shifting behind him until she was standing at his side. From what he could tell, she wasn’t hurt. Her new coat already torn slightly and dirtied.

“He killed Ero Sennin and destroyed the village,” she replied.

From her voice alone, Sasuke could pick up on her barely restrained rage. From the corner of his eye, he could see the anger harden her features as he fists clenched. He had wanted to chastise her further for putting herself in harm’s way. But truthfully, he understood. The pain and hate that he could feel from her was like a reflection of his own heart. With a soft scoff, Sasuke returned his gaze to their opponents. “Just try to keep up, Usuratonkachi.”

“Are you kidding? You’re my backup, ‘ttebayo,” she said and pulled the large scroll from behind her back. Not sure what she was planning, Sasuke moved ahead to give her time to put her plan into action.

While he was trading blows with Pain, Sasuke did his best to keep track of the man’s moves as well as the other man standing in wait. Just as he was cataloguing Pain’s movements to memorize and breakdown the man’s fight style, he could tell that Pain was doing the same to him. In an effort to maintain some unpredictability, Sasuke randomly switched between taijutsu styles- Iron Fist that he picked up from Lee, the generic Konoha style, and the Uchiha style. However, despite the randomness, Pain was easily blocking and dodging his strikes.

“Sasuke!”

As if he had been burned, Sasuke pulled away from Pain and leapt in the air. He could hear her Rasenshuriken shrieking away behind him, so he rushed to gain distance. While mid-air, his eyes tracked the second body’s movements- a quick rush to defend Pain. Mangekyo swirling, Sasuke watched the second Akatsuki member absorb the Rasenshuriken without any difficulty. As he reclaimed his spot at Naruko’s side, she said, “That one absorbs ninjutsu, but I already took care of him, ‘ttebayo.”

He could sense the change in her, her chakra was now much heavier, and her eyes had shifted like they did when she went into Sage Mode. In his peripheral, Sasuke spotted another cloaked man standing next to a large face with the same ringed, purple eyes.

“That’s the one that Jii-chan Sennin said can revive the dead,” Naruko explained to him. Sensing his confusion, she went on, “Ero Sennin figured out that the bodies’ eye sights are linked, and they each have a different power.”

One to revive the dead, one to absorb ninjutsu, and Pain’s ability to repel objects and people. “That one should be the main priority,” Sasuke said, his eyes focused on the body standing next to the large face with purple flames.

He watched her raise her hands to summon a shadow clone. “I have a plan, ‘ttebayo,” Naruko said and shot him a wild grin.

Sasuke felt an overwhelming sense of nostalgia hit him suddenly, flashes of their mission to the Land of Waves popping into his head. “Hn,” he grunted and drew his chokuto. ‘Teamwork, huh?’ Sasuke thought to himself as he watched her form another Rasenshuriken and drop a smoke bomb with her free hand.

Under the henge of her Rasenshuriken, Sasuke let Naruko’s shadow clone throw him towards Pain. Predictably, the body that absorbed ninjutsu met him head on, absorbing his chakra and taking apart his disguise. Once his jutsu was removed, Sasuke quickly swung his sword at the surprised man, slicing through his eyes. ‘So much for their visual link,’ Sasuke mused as he tackled the man and restrained him. When he looked up at Pain, Sasuke was surprised to see the man was too busy focusing on where Naruko was pummeling the other man into the ground with her Rasengan. ‘Now!’

Summoning his lightning release, Sasuke pushed himself up from where he was hovering over the injured man. Despite being much closer to Pain, Sasuke was surprised to see that Naruko had managed to close on Pain before him. Nonetheless, it was over now. They had Pain surrounded on both sides.

“Shinra Tensei,” Pain barely whispered before Sasuke felt a familiar force push him away. This attack was far less powerful than the blast that had destroyed the village, but it had still managed to send him flying. Sasuke rolled to a stop after colliding with the ground, feeling several new bruises and cuts all cry out at once.

As he was pushing himself up from the ground, Sasuke could hear Naruko calling out for him. He heard her rapid footsteps coming towards him, but they were cut off by Pain’s shout of, “Banshou Ten’in!” Unexpectedly, Sasuke felt his body rise from the ground as if he was being pulled by an invisible force. He had moved only a few meters before dropping back onto the ground. Despite the amount of distance between them, he could hear Naruko’s choked voice as clear as day. With newfound urgency, Sasuke pushed himself up from the ground and took off towards where Pain was holding Naruko by the neck.

Sasuke was sure that Pain must have taken advantage of her lapse in attention. The Dobe must have taken her focus off Pain to try and check on him. Sasuke couldn’t help but be frustrated with how reckless she could be for his sake. She shouldn’t have had to stop or slow down for his sake.

Sasuke couldn’t place where this new well of energy was coming from, but he wasn’t about to question it. With an unprecedented amount of speed, he had managed to close in on Pain, but stopped cold when the second man suddenly leapt in front of him. Despite having his path to her cut off, Sasuke wasn’t about to give up. ‘Amaterasu,’ he thought as his chakra pooled behind his eyes. Pain’s surprise and distraction was enough for her to break free and then continue to engage him in a taijutsu fight.

Refocusing on the other man in front of him, Sasuke had every intention of setting him ablaze as well but stumbled when he felt his eyes throb and burn. Stifling the pained grunt that was trying to escape him, Sasuke cupped a hand around his bleeding eye. His hesitation cost him dearly when he sensed the blinded man close the gap between them and land a harsh kick to his midsection. He heard his ribs crack on impact, and he quickly coughed up a small puddle of blood. Before he could move away from the man, Sasuke felt a hand grip the top of his head.

“Stand aside. We have come for the jinchuuriki. You’re only getting in the way,” the man warned.

Sasuke had an obscenity for the man ready to go but didn’t get a chance to spit it out before he felt his chakra start to seep away from him. Sasuke could have kicked himself. How could he have not predicted that the man that can absorb ninjutsu would be able to absorb chakra as well?

“Sasuke!” he could hear her panicked voice cry out. If she had taken her eyes off Pain again, she would never hear the end of it from him… “Jii-chan Sennin!”

“Okay!” a small, green toad replied and quickly hopped towards her discarded scroll.

Just as Sasuke was finding it difficult to remain on his feet, he felt a heavy presence closing in. Her red cloak blocked his vision for only a second as she landed a kick to the man’s head. With a heavy gasp and pant, Sasuke fell to his hands and knees. He tried to slow his breathing as he watched what he could determine was a shadow clone completely pummel the blind man. It took the clone a few, choice strikes to incapacitate the man before it was rushing back over to him. The clone flittered about him for a few seconds, not exactly sure what to do to help him, but his gaze was locked on the man’s unmoving body.

Her clone had been able to defeat the man without too much effort. Had she gotten stronger? They had been apart for three days. How much had she grown in just three days???

“Sasuke? You better not be going into shock,” the clone warned.

He rolled his eyes and rested glowing, green hand on his ribs. “Dobe,” he scoffed. Only two broken ribs. He could work with that.

“Boss is running out of time. She’s gonna need the nature energy I gathered,” the clone said while eyeing where Naruko was still fighting Pain.

“How many more clones are gathering nature energy?” he asked.

The clone frowned at him. “I’m the last one that she left on Mount Myouboku.”

One last chance to defeat Pain then. They had better make it count.

Once Sasuke was sure that his ribs wouldn’t bother him too much, he slowly pushed himself back onto his feet. The clone looked ready to help him up but stopped when he shot her a warning glare. She nodded once before disappearing with a poof.

“Sasuke-chan,” an elderly voice called out behind him. Looking over his shoulder, Sasuke watched two toads quickly hop over to him. “You don’t look good. Naruko-chan would understand if you needed to get to safety.”

Sasuke shot the toads a look as if they had said something truly abhorrent. “I’m fine,” he stressed. “Shouldn’t you get to safety before you keel over?”

The purple toad looked positively scandalized by his words, but the green one only sighed and shook his head. “You’re as Naruko-chan described,” the toad muttered. Before Sasuke could question him, the toad changed the subject. “How skilled are you at genjutsu? Ma and I casted a genjutsu together to help Jiraiya-chan when he fought Pain, but we can’t fight as closely with Naruko-chan. Plus, it would take us time to ready our attack.”

His eyes were still burning and throbbing slightly. But he wouldn’t need his Mangekyo to cast a genjutsu… As if his eyes were waiting for the perfect moment to falter, Sasuke watched as the two toads started to blur out of focus. Was his vision really deteriorating already?

“Sasuke-chan?” the toad prompted.

“I’ll handle it. Don’t interfere,” Sasuke said and turned back to where Naruko was still fighting. The large toads that were fighting alongside her were doing their best to pin Pain down but weren’t having much luck.

He was running low on chakra and the blurriness in his vision hadn’t completely subsided. Should he sit this one out? Would he just be more of a hinderance if he couldn’t even see properly?

“Shinra Tensei!”

His decision was made for him when he saw Pain send her flying with a well-timed attack. As she was moving through the air, Sasuke watched Pain manifest a black rod out of thin air and chase her down. Reactivating his sharingan, Sasuke took off after them.

Sasuke wasn’t one to dwell too much on negative outcomes or shortcomings during battle, but he could feel his frustrations building. Pain was a bit too fast, and he was going to catch up to Naruko before he could get close to them. With a silent curse, Sasuke summoned a few shuriken from the seal on his wristband and quickly tossed them at Pain’s back. The minor distraction was enough to momentarily stall the man and gave Sasuke the chance he needed to overtake him with a single bound.

With a monotone voice and expressionless face, Pain said, “I can see the hatred in your eyes. You hate me so deeply without having met me. Were you a student of Jiraiya-sensei as well?”

Was Pain baiting him? Was this just an attempt to provoke an emotional response from him? “I barely knew him,” Sasuke responded and gathered lightning in his palm. Sasuke traded blows with Pain, the older man looking unflappable the entire time.

“Orochimaru was right. You have experienced pain. But my pain is greater than yours,” Pain said blurred out of sight. Sasuke froze in shock, his eyes glancing around to try to spot where the man had vanished to.

“Sasuke!”

In slow motion, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he registered a presence behind him. He wouldn’t be able to move away in time and even if he did, Pain could easily pull him back in. He didn’t want to rely on his Mangekyo, but he would use them only once more. ‘Susanoo.’

Pain’s black rod shattered into pieces when it collided with the purple ribcage of his Susanoo. The man looked genuinely surprised at the sight and his hesitation gave Sasuke the opening he needed. With his Mangekyo sharingan, Sasuke placed Pain under the strongest genjutsu he could. Admittedly, the burn in his eyes and his low chakra levels kept him from casting any high level genjutsu but it shouldn’t matter. Sasuke could already see Naruko closing in from above with her Rasengan. A premature sense of relief was starting to fill him, but it quickly left when his eyes gave out on him, and his incomplete Susanoo vanished.

While he was still hunched over, Sasuke sensed Pain’s chakra lash out like a wave, as if he had quickly disturbed the flow of it. He could feel a sense of dread take root just before he felt Pain’s hand grip his throat. A strangled noise escaped him as he did his best to try to pry Pain’s finger’s away from his neck, but the man’s grip was strong. Face still expressionless, Pain swung Sasuke around and into the path of Naruko’s attack. The whole exchange lasted mere seconds, but it felt like time had slowed to a crawl.

He’d seen what her attack could do to solid rock and the thickest tree trunk. He wanted to curse himself for overusing his Mangekyo. He could barely find the chakra to use his base sharingan. He could hear her wordless cry as she fell, and he braced himself for the impact. Surprisingly, he could hear the sound of her whirring chakra quickly peter out behind him. When she collided with his back, all he felt was her hard head slamming into the back of his and her front on his back. Just as he felt her slide one arm around his chest and reach around with the other to help him remove Pain’s hand from his neck, Sasuke felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. He barely registered Naruko’s loud objection despite her being next to his ear. Additionally, he hadn’t noticed her pulling him out of Pain’s grip and putting distance between them and the orange haired man.

Naruko did her best to gently help him down onto the ground, but he could see the tension lining her face. When he looked down at himself, the sight of Pain’s black rod half-buried in his gut met his gaze. Like her clone had done, Naruko was anxiously hovering over him. When he saw her move to pull it out, he quickly slapped her hand away. “You’ll make it worse, Dobe. I can heal my injuries myself. Focus on Pain,” he chastised her.

She stared at the rod for a few seconds before looking up at him with wide, fearful eyes. “Okay. Don’t move. I’ll be right back, ‘ttebayo,” she said and stood. If he didn’t know her so well, he would have sworn that she was messing with him. ‘Dobe,’ he thought with a fond eye roll.

Despite telling her that he would heal his injuries, Sasuke made no attempts to bother doing so. He knew that he didn’t have the chakra to fully heal himself. Maybe he would be able to do a decent enough path job to stop any bleeding, but it would drain what little chakra he had left. His best bet would be to sit and wait for Naruko to finish up and have her bring him to a medical ninja. If his mental timer was accurate, she had about two minutes left on her Sage Mode. Two minutes was bearable.

“Sasuke-chan!” Eyes sliding to the side, Sasuke watched the two toads from before hop over to him. “Come with us, Sasuke-chan. You need medical attention,” the purple toad said with a worried frown.

“Bunta-chan!” the green toad called out to one of the toads that was currently providing Naruko with back up.

“Don’t,” Sasuke warned. The green toad shot Sasuke a confused look. “I’ll leave when he’s dead.”

“Stubborn boy,” the purple toad chastised.

“Hn.” Resigning himself to his place on the sidelines, Sasuke observed the remainder of the fight while keeping track of how much time remained on her clock.

“Sasuke, promise me that you won’t do anything reckless.”

Of all the times for Itachi’s words to come back to him… Sasuke felt his shoulders slump slightly. ‘I’m sorry, Nii-san. I was a bit reckless,’ Sasuke thought with a frown. As sorry as he felt for how much worry he would inevitably cause Itachi once his elder brother returned home, Sasuke couldn’t bring himself to regret his actions. If he did have any regrets from today, it would be that Orochimaru was definitely alive and slithering about on his belly like the coward he was. Sasuke supposed that he would have to accept the bad with the good. He lost his chance at Orochimaru, but as long as Naruko managed to survive this entire ordeal…

Sasuke couldn’t hold back a racking cough, wincing slightly at the uncomfortable pain radiating through his torso. Ignoring the toads’ matching looks of concern, he spat out the blood that had gathered in his mouth. Maybe he could try to heal some of the damage? He would just be very stringent with his remaining chakra. Placing a glowing hand to his stomach, Sasuke split his focus between himself and watching her fight.

Not even twenty seconds into healing himself, Sasuke watched Naruko summon a shadow clone to help her form the Rasenshuriken. She must have been trying to finish up the fight as quickly as possible. For a second, Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief. Her attack was much less devastating without his aide, but it should be more than enough to wipe Pain out.

“Useless,” Pain said and raised a hand to the oncoming attack. Almost too easily, Pain was able to push her attack away and cause it to dissipate into nothing. At the exact moment that her attack failed, Sasuke was ready to try to stand again. But he stopped when he saw Naruko already poised to land a Rasengan on Pain.

Sasuke’s eyes widened as several things happened at once. The weighted pressure that he had been feeling on the battlefield had suddenly lifted, signifying the abrupt end to Naruko’s Sage Mode. Despite losing her edge, she kept up her attack, her arm stretched as far as she could go. His entire body tensed as the seconds slowly ticked by. He had to stop himself from subconsciously moving forward with her.

‘No!’ Sasuke’s thoughts screamed at the same time that Pain exclaimed, “Shinra Tensei!”

He had no more chakra for his Susanoo, and he wasn’t sure that he could get to her in time. But he could already see Pain forming another one of those black rods. His body was already moving on its own before she had even hit the ground. Despite it clearly not being the time nor place for a flashback, Sasuke was hit with déjà vu. When her wide, blue eyes stared up at him in pure shock, he felt oddly grateful that his sharingan wasn’t on. He didn’t want her teary expression to be imprinted on his brain.

“Sasuke!” she screamed and scrambled to push herself up from the ground. He let her ease him to the ground while she blubbered in his ears about how stupid he was. “Why do you keep doing this!?”

“Dobe,” Sasuke chastised. “Don’t tell me you’re this thick.”

“Bastard,” she whispered and laid him on his side. “I didn’t want you to… I never asked you to…”

“If you die, then it’s all pointless,” Sasuke said, his eyes slightly unfocused. From where he was laying, he could see where his blood was starting to dampen the bottom of her cloak and pants. As much as he hated to admit it, he really didn’t have anything left to offer her in this fight. With a slow exhale, Sasuke closed his eyes.

~:~

While he didn’t have a death wish, Sasuke couldn’t bring himself to regret his decision. It had been spur of the moment, but Sasuke wouldn’t change a thing if he could. He had already watched her bleed out and die once. He had no intention of ever doing it again. Unfortunately, his actions meant that he had exposed her to the same torment that had plagued him for months. He would apologize to her if he could. But at least she was still alive. That’s all that mattered to him. Armed with knowledge that his sacrifice had bought her another chance to fight and survive, he could move on.

“Bastard!”

Usuratonkachi…

The first thing he felt was confusion and a dead weight throughout his body. He couldn’t even open his eyes. He desperately wanted to ask what had happened, but he couldn’t get the words to form.

“I’ll kill you!”

He could pinpoint her voice anywhere. What was she yelling about this time? He tried to call out to her, but he was sure that it he’d only voiced her name in his thoughts. Suddenly, he felt a cold, dark feeling grip him as if he was just been dropped into an ocean of malevolence. Killing Intent more potent than any he had ever felt was rising. What little he had felt of her chakra was gone now, completely overshadowed by this new, demonic chakra. The name “kyuubi” rose up from his deepest subconscious.

Was this Naruko? It couldn’t be. It felt nothing like her. Oddly enough, he could remember feeling something similar on a much smaller scale- the corrosive chakra that had leaked from her body and brought her back to life after Orochimaru had tried to kill her. What had leaked from her then had been miniscule compared to what he was feeling from her now. He could barely breathe in her presence.

And then he heard an inhuman roar.

By the time he’d managed to pry his eyes open, his vision was blurrier and unfocused than before. The confusion that he had felt wasn’t leaving. If anything, it was compounding. Just what the hell had happened to him? Where was Naruko? Another loud roar filled his ears, making him cringe at the headache that was brewing.

Blinking rapidly to clear his vision, Sasuke took in his surroundings. The ground was absolutely demolished, both raised and sunken in. He tried to move but could barely move his arm. When he spotted the black rod half plunged in his gut, everything came flooding back to him. A gust of wind blew past him as another loud roar filled the air. That corrosive chakra was getting worse.

Sasuke tried to push himself up from the ground again but struggled to get his limbs to cooperate. The most he could manage was to push himself up onto his elbow and even that left him panting in exhaustion. Doing his best not to jostle the rods and aggravate his wounds further, Sasuke did his best to look around him. It didn’t take much time at all for him to locate the red, six-tailed beast that was pummeling Pain’s body into the ground. The body was barely holding together, but the beast continued to slam it into the crater that had formed. Sasuke’s eyes widened slowly in shock. It couldn’t be…

“N-Naruko,” he tried to call out, but it came out as a broken whisper. Still, the chakra beast stopped its attack and looked over its shoulder at him with a low growl. He supposed if he squinted really hard, he could make out her shape underneath the chakra, elongated ears and swaying tails.

Sasuke knew that removing a tailed beast killed the jinchuuriki. But what if the beast broke free on its own? He tried to say something else to her, but his own hacking cough cut him off. Just like that, what little energy he had left was dwindling far too quickly. He needed to act fast. There wasn’t much he could do for her, but there was still one thing. Gathering the last of his chakra, Sasuke activated his Mangekyo Sharingan and met the beast’s gaze.

Chapter Text

Sasuke wasn’t sure when he had passed out, but when he opened his eyes, he found himself in a damp and muggy sewer. Water lapped at his ankles and dripped from pipes along the ceiling, but he couldn’t smell any of the telltale signs of sewage or garbage. Behind him, the passageway extended for what seemed like endlessly, culminating in absolute darkness. From ahead of him, he could feel a heated breeze blowing past. Where was he?

Initially, the sounds of his feet sloshing through the water seemed obnoxiously loud, but those sounds were slowly being drowned out by a low growl. As the deep growl grew in volume, Sasuke was able to pick up words being spoken between growls.

“…you need my chakra… “

“…destroy everything…”

“…kill…”

Sasuke frowned deeply. He was starting to have an idea of where he was and exactly what was speaking. It was all coming back to him. He’d utilized the last bit of his chakra to use his Mangekyo on Naruko. He knew that his sharingan could control the tailed beast within her, but he’d been acting mostly on instinct.

Was he inside her seal? Probably not. He doubted his sharingan afforded him that ability. If anything, he was currently walking around in her mindscape. Sasuke took in the damp and somewhat gloomy atmosphere. He wouldn’t have expected this of the sunny blonde.

Eventually, the corridor let out into a large cavern with an enormous, metal gate at the back. The doors were held together by a strip of sealing paper, but a red, malevolent chakra was spreading through the bars, disturbing and heating the water on the floor. Sasuke watched the chakra roil before being sucked away into the only other person in the room. His eyes widened as he broke out into a sprint towards her kneeling form.

Completely ignoring the still growling kyuubi behind him, Sasuke kneeled before Naruko and tried to get her attention. Her normally vibrant eyes stared vacantly down at the ground as if she were in a trance. Sasuke gripped her shoulder and gave her a quick shake. “Naruko?”

“Another Uchiha…” the kyuubi growled threateningly. “…That vision… Those eyes are an unwelcome sight…”

Sasuke spared the kyuubi a quick glance and glare from over his shoulder before returning his attention on her. He tried shaking her a bit harder, his worry growing. “Usuratonkachi,” he called out to her. Finally, he got a response from her. Her glazed over eyes slowly moved from the floor to meet his gaze, but the still unfocused gaze did nothing to relieve him. Feeling his anger growing, Sasuke turned hateful eyes on the kyuubi.

“It’s not just the eyes that are familiar. I haven’t felt chakra like this since Uchiha Madara,” the kyuubi acknowledged, its large maw moving out of the shadows of its cage.

Sasuke couldn’t care less about his defector of an ancestor or the kyuubi’s stroll down memory lane. Turning back to Naruko, he frowned at her unengaged demeanor. “Oi, Usuratonkachi. I don’t have all day with you. Snap out of it already,” Sasuke said, failing to keep some worry from his voice. He could already feel what little chakra he had used for his Mangekyo draining away. Spur of the moment, Sasuke roughly smacked the back of her head.

“Ow!” Naruko shouted and clutched at her head. Suddenly, she sprung up and shouted, “What the hell, Bastard?”

More than comfortable arguing with her, Sasuke slipped seamlessly into his role, “Quit being stupid, Usuratonkachi.” Sasuke had no intention of saying it out loud, but the immense relief that he felt was nearly enough to make him kiss her right then and there. But there were more pressing matters. Standing quickly, Sasuke offered her a hand up from her knees.

Naruko blinked in confusion for several seconds before slipping her hand into his. “How did you get here?”

Ignoring her question, Sasuke said, “I didn’t realize you were such a loser even in your own head.”

Immediately, her cheeks flamed. “Oi! I-” she started, but he cut her off.

“I don’t have a lot of chakra left. You’ll have to handle the rest on your own, Usuratonkachi,” he said with a small frown. Her eyes widened in surprise as she started to look him over. He could see his form was becoming more transparent by the second.

Did he have any regrets? Perhaps a few. He would have liked to see his brother and mother one last time. He owed Itachi an apology. He hadn’t really tried to not be too reckless. It would have been nice to finally catch Shisui during their training sessions. He wished he could thank Kakashi for all the man had done as his sensei. He was sure that he still owed Sakura an apology for how he had treated her as kids. He would regret not seeing Naruko become the Hokage.

“What did you do, Bastard!?” she shouted as she grabbed him by the front of his shirt. He could see the anger that she was using to mask the growing hurt in her eyes. The slight grip that she had managed was fleeting.

“Hn,” Sasuke grunted and raised his hand towards her forehead. She watched his every move like a hawk, her wide, teary eyes glistening as his hand wrapped around the back of her head and pulled her in. He wasn’t sure that she could feel how sorry he was, but he hoped that she could through his lips on her forehead.

~:~

Surprisingly, everything was painless when he opened his eyes again. For a second, he assumed that it had all been a chakra-deprivation induced dream. He’d actually awoken in a soft bed to a warm and bright morning. There were a couple of birds chirping away outside the bedroom window. Blinking to clear his vision, Sasuke tried to take in his surroundings. He was alone in this room- not his room.

Where the hell was he?

Sitting up slowly, Sasuke slowly looked over the room. Light green walls with orange trim and plain, brown furniture. There were books and scrolls strewn about and a few articles of clothes discarded on the floor. His eyes caught on the Uchiha crest hanging on the wall. Whose room was this? Hadn’t the compound been destroyed when Pain attacked? Sasuke felt his breathing still when he spotted the red, Uzumaki spiral hanging innocently on the wall as well. Where the hell was he?

‘Genjutsu?’ he theorized and quickly disrupted his chakra flow. When that didn’t work, he activated his sharingan to attempt to break through the illusion. But when even that failed, Sasuke felt his confusion and irritation rise. Was this the Akatsuki’s doing? He wasn’t aware of any genjutsu specialists in the Akatsuki.

His body tensed when he heard rapid footsteps coming closer. From the footfalls, he could identify two different people, but the steps weren’t heavy enough for an adult. Sasuke felt slightly vulnerable in just a loose t-shirt and pants, but at least they hadn’t sealed away his chakra. His reserves were surprisingly full and strong. How long had he been out?

Time slowed down as the doorknob started to turn. Sasuke’s entire body tensed as he prepared to catch his captors in a genjutsu. He froze up, however, when he spotted the size and age of his captors. Two, small girls loudly entered the room, practically fighting each other to get inside. Lost in his confusion, Sasuke watched the girls with blue eyes and whisker marks shout at each other before they ran over to him and gleefully shouted, “Papa!”

Sasuke’s eyes widened slightly as every thought ceased. Those eyes. He knew those eyes like the back of his hand. The eyes were set in pale, cherubic faces with two pairs of whiskers set in the cheeks. One girl’s sleek, black hair was the complete contrast to the other’s blonde, spikier locs.

He must have been quiet for too long because the blonde girl frowned slightly before reaching for his hand with a questioning, “Papa?”

Sasuke’s not proud of how dramatically he flinched away from the child. Both of them were frowning at him now. The blonde tried to come closer while the other quickly turned and ran back towards the door. “Mama! Papa’s feeling sick!” she loudly announced to the entire residence. Sasuke heard a muffled voice call out from somewhere else in the home just before more footsteps started to approach. Fight or flight instincts on high alert, Sasuke turned towards the open window.

He had no idea what the hell was going on, but he had no intention of staying any longer. One foot planted on the windowsill, Sasuke readied to jump but the sight of a perfectly intact Konoha made him pause. The village…was alright? Sasuke felt like he was floundering. This was definitely Konoha- he could see the Hokage Monument in the distance. Sasuke frowned deeply when he recognized the faces on the mountain- the six faces. He could easily recognize his brother’s face perched next to the Yondaime’s. But next to Itachi’s stone face was an equally familiar one. Was that-

“Sasuke?”

Guided by pure instinct, Sasuke turned back to the person that had just called his name. This had to be an overly elaborate and yet inaccurate genjutsu. He could recognize her familiar features- her bright blue eyes, sunny blonde hair, and whiskered cheeks. But they were a part of an older vision. She was taller, her face had gained a bit of softness to it probably due to her apparent pregnancy. Sasuke’s felt his vision tilt for just a second, but it must have been enough time for her to approach him against his wishes. “Sasuke?” she questioned again, concern flooding her gaze.

“N-Naruko?” he hated how quickly he was buying into this illusion. Despite her growth, he was still taller than her. His foot slowly lowered from the window as he turned to face her completely.

She raised a brow at him, her hands going to her hips. “Did you fall out of bed and hit your head or something?”

Sasuke could only stare at her. It was all so surreal. They had managed to get every fleck of violet in her eyes and the exact cadence of her voice right in this genjutsu, but then aged her up about ten years.

He watched her as she watched him until she frowned slightly. She raised her small hand to his face and, surprisingly, he let her touch the side of his face. “Sharingan?” she questioned. “Bad dreams?” she whispered and brushed her thumb over his cheek.

“Usuratonkachi,” he breathed. He was used to her initiating contact between them, but very rarely ever did she do so with a touch so delicate or affectionate.

She seemed to be comforted by the familiarity. “You’re being weirder than normal, ‘ttebayo,” she said with a shake of her head. “Let’s go back downstairs, girls. You can help set the table.”

“Is Papa alright?” the dark-haired girl asked, still eyeing him.

“He will be. He just fell out of bed again,” Naruko explained with a smirk.

“Papa fell?” the blonde child asked with wide-eyed worry.

“Ah. He can be pretty clumsy,” Naruko said and took the child by the hand to lead her away. Sasuke snorted at the thought of her (of all people) accusing him of being clumsy. He caught Naruko’s knowing smirk from over her shoulder just before she ushered both girls out of the room and closed the door behind her.

Once alone, Sasuke drained the chakra from his eyes with a silent exhale. He needed to get out of here.

~:~

Despite all his efforts to break this genjutsu, Sasuke remained stuck. After disrupting his chakra flow a few more times, reactivating his sharingan, and even activating his Mangekyo, Sasuke was becoming a bit panicked. If this wasn’t a genjutsu, what was it? Was this a dream? Was he hallucinating? He’d pinched himself in the side but hadn’t gotten much for his trouble.

So, not genjutsu. Not a dream. And he probably wasn’t hallucinating. Sasuke loathed to admit it, but he’d even considered the ludicrous possibility of time travel. If there were jutsu that granted immortality, then time travel was possible. But who would send him to the future and why? Sasuke had quickly put a stop to that line of thinking, however. The most logical reason was the easiest to believe.

He was dead and this was his hell. Or was it heaven? Living in a future where he and Naruko lived together with children of their own didn’t sound like eternal punishment. Quite the contrary, honestly. According to the Hokage Monument, she was the current Hokage and he was…what exactly? If he wanted to find out more, he would have to explore this new reality.

Once he had stepped into the kitchen where his apparent family was currently residing, three matching sets of blue eyes turned to watch him. Faced with a side-by-side comparison, Sasuke could easily determine that the girls- his girls?- possessed a slightly darker shade of blue than Naruko.

“Well don’t just stand there, ‘ttebayo. Come eat. Himawari made your favorite,” Naruko said and pat the seat next to her at the table.

Immediately, the blonde girl turned a bright grin onto him, practically falling out of her chair. “Mama helped but only a little. I did most of it by myself, ‘ttebasa!” Himawari exclaimed, giving Sasuke flashbacks to a younger Naruko.

Sasuke hesitated for less than a second before moving to the only open seat at the table. When he saw the food laid out for him, he blinked speechlessly. He assumed they were meant to be onigiri, but they were lumpy and misshapen with bits of katsuobushi peeking out between the grains of rice. Glancing upwards, Sasuke was met with the tentatively hopeful stare of his supposed daughter and the knowing looks from his girlfriend (or was she his wife now?). Despite it nearly falling apart in his hand, Sasuke did his best to take a bite. It wasn’t terrible.

“It’s…nice,” he finally critiqued. He could see Naruko silently shaking in laughter in his peripheral while Himawari’s smile brightened impossibly. Satisfied with his judgement, she sat back down in her seat and returned to her food.

This was all the prompting his other daughter needed to insert herself into the conversation. “Papa, will you teach me a jutsu?” she requested, a look far too serious for a child in her eyes. Suddenly, Sasuke was reminded of a time when he had approached his own father with a request for instruction. He had hoped to finally have all of his father’s attention and time, but it had gone about as well as many of his interactions with his father had.

“Sarada, you’re a bit young to be learning jutsu,” Naruko commented with a patient look.

“I’m five!” Sarada objected. “Papa was around my age when he learned the Goukakyuu no jutsu and Itachi-oji-san was even younger!”

“Sarada-” Naruko started.

“I’m an Uchiha. Neh, Papa?” Sarada pointed out while turning expectant eyes onto him.

Sasuke had been content to eat his poorly shapen onigiri in silence, but he had been once again dragged into the conversation. Both Sarada and Naruko were giving him expectant looks, but he wasn’t sure how to respond. How would his older self have responded? Swallowing slowly, Sasuke nodded once. “We’ll see if you can handle it,” Sasuke said, but surely any child of his would be more than up to the task. Unfortunately, he must have said the wrong thing because Naruko shot him a frown. At least Sarada was pleased.

“Me too, Papa! I’m an Uchiha, too!” Himawari exclaimed, shooting up in her seat with her arms waving wildly. This started an argument between the girls over who would get to train with him. Were it not for the slight similarities to him in their appearances, Sasuke would be hard pressed to say that the loud and excitable children were his. When he turned back to Naruko, he was surprised to her shooting him another look as if to say, ‘See what you did?’

“Nuh uh! Papa is training with me first!”

“I asked first!”

“I’m older!”

“By only fifteen minutes!”

~:~

Next time, Sasuke would take cues from Naruko and follow her lead.

After breakfast, Sasuke found himself being pulled from the house by both hands, each girl more than eager to get their lesson underway. Naruko had been resolutely unhelpful, more than willing to throw him to the wolves. Sasuke glanced down at where the girls were resolutely marching ahead of him, one of his hands in each of theirs as if they were preventing him from disappearing on them mid-route. (He had been tempted to leave and return to Naruko, but there was no way that they could have known that.)

Perhaps he was being dramatic. But Sasuke had never been a fan of children, nor had he ever truly considered having any. He had assumed that he would eventually, but only for the sake of his clan as a son of the main branch family. But if he had to spend the rest of eternity as a father to two rambunctious girls (and one on the way apparently), he was going to have to learn his role quickly. But what kind of role would he play?

His only example of fatherhood came from his own father and Sasuke refused to reenact that disaster. He didn’t even know his daughters, but he knew that they deserved better than what he had received growing up. Naturally, any child of his deserved the best. But how would he go about being the best? Maybe fatherhood wouldn’t be too difficult? He already knew what a poor example looked like. Could it be so easy as to just do what Fugaku wouldn’t and not do what he had? It was a start.

Once they had arrived at the familiar lake, Sasuke walked to the end of the dock and looked out at the water. It looked almost identical to how it had looked all those years ago. Unwillingly, his father’s words came back to him as if the memory had happened only yesterday.

“This is a fundamental jutsu in the Uchiha clan,” Sasuke repeated the words as his hands slowly went through the signs. He could feel the attentive stares of both girls, but their eyes went wide in awe as he breathed a giant ball of fire over the surface of the water. Once finished, he stepped back to make room for the girls at the edge of the dock. Once they had gotten over their astonishment, they quickly shot each other a competitive look before taking their places.

Sasuke watched as they tentatively moved their hands through the signs, taking a few minutes to familiarize their fingers with the foreign motions. He was mildly curious as to how this would play out. Would they get it right away or would they struggle?

After a few minutes, it was Himawari that tried first. Sasuke watched her go through the signs with only slight hesitation. He could feel where she was gathering her chakra, her reserves much larger than should be for a five-year-old. However, only a puff of black smoke escaped from her mouth with a series of racking coughs. Purely on instinct, Sasuke was at her back with a soft pat. Once her coughing had ceased, Sasuke caught an embarrassed, teary gaze from the girl.

Staring at Himawari filled Sasuke with nostalgia. It was like seeing a young Naruko. Had it been Naruko that had failed in front of him, he surely would have teased her for it. But he could see a familiar shame quickly filling his daughter’s eyes- the shame from disappointing a parent.

“Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!” Sarada’s voice suddenly interrupted. Sasuke’s eyes snapped up in time to watch his other daughter expel a fireball from her mouth. Not a very large one, but still fully formed and viable. Immediately, she turned a proud expression his way.

“Good job,” Sasuke didn’t hesitate to compliment. He even gave Sarada a small pat on the head.

“I want to try again!” he should have predicted Himawari would exclaim. The soot coating her entire mouth didn’t deter her from facing the lake again and pushing her tiny hands through the mudras once again. Sasuke smiled at the fiery determination in her eyes. This time, her chakra came out as more of a heated burp, warming the air around her a bit. Predictably, she was already preparing to try again.

“You’ll burn your mouth if you keep that up,” Sasuke chimed in. When Himawari turned sad eyes onto him, Sasuke could tell that she was waiting for him to pass judgement.

“I should have guessed that it wouldn’t have gone like it had with Itachi.”

Ignoring the flush of anger that the thought of his father’s words brought him, Sasuke spoke in the most soothing tone that he could. “I burned my mouth several times when I was first learning the jutsu,” Sasuke revealed. He knew from experience that nothing would come from forcing raw chakra out of the mouth. It had taken him a few tries to realize this, however.

Immediately, both girls turned wide eyes onto him. “You burned yourself Papa?” Himawari asked tentatively. Sarada looked too stunned to speak.

“Ah. I practiced for a week before I could make an impressive enough fireball. Learning a new elemental jutsu is much more difficult when you have a different affinity,” Sasuke explained with a patient smile. “Your chakra feels more like Naruko’s, so you probably have her affinity for wind.”

“…Does that mean you’ll teach me the Rasengan instead?” Himawari asked with a foxy grin, no longer down from her previous failure.

Sasuke nearly sighed in exasperation. “Ask Naruko.”

~:~

After spending the day with his children (it was still strange to think about, but he was slowly getting used to the idea), Sasuke was more than ready to get some rest. Despite Sarada’s more calm nature, she still possessed some of Naruko’s excitability. Both girls together were like a whirlwind, each vying for his attention while trying to outdo the other. No matter what he tried, he hadn’t been able to do much besides get pulled along for their ride of energetic mischief. Fortunately, Naruko had taken pity on him and had wrangled both girls without much effort.

“I thought it was too soon for age to catch up on you, ‘ttebayo,” Sasuke heard Naruko tease. He was currently laying down in their bed and didn’t bother to move. He was sure that she could still hear and decipher his single grunt. “Don’t worry. Kaa-chan says it’ll get better after they start the Academy.”

Sasuke cracked an eye open and caught sight of her knowing smile. “I don’t remember you being so loud,” he huffed.

Naruko laughed before coming over to sit next to him on the bed. “Well, you’re probably not remembering right, ‘ttebayo,” she replied and brushed aside some of the hair that had fallen in his face. “Maybe, if you’re lucky, this next one will be just like you,” she said and rested a hand on her protruding belly. A slight spike of panic shot through him at the idea of having another child after just meeting the first two. It felt as if his life had suddenly shifted into overdrive. As if she had sensed it, Naruko was quick to soothingly run her fingers through his hair. Sasuke eyed her curiously.

They had always been connected. Sasuke had always felt that Naruko was able to see through his many walls. He may not have been as empathetic as her, but he could always get a feel for what she felt. It’s not like she had ever tried to hide anything from him. And their bond had only grown stronger the more time that they spent together. Sometimes, it was almost as if he could read her very thoughts. But did this future Naruko have constant access to his mind? Naruko smiled sweetly at him before kissing his temple softly. He watched her rise and continue getting ready for bed.

One thing was for certain, this future Naruko was far more affectionate than he was used to from her. He didn’t think that it was possible for the already tactile Naruko to reach even greater levels of physicality. This Naruko made contact as easy as breathing- a casual brush of fingers over the back of his arm, a rub of her hand over his back, a quick hug when his back had been turned. (Fortunately, his surprise and fight or flight instincts had been curbed by her chakra shining brightly along his senses.)

Unexpectedly, he didn’t mind the newfound affection. He liked the casual familiarity of it. He liked seeing all the ways she knew how to best interact with him. If anything, he was disappointed by his inability to match her. This Naruko had an extra ten years on him. “Hn,” Sasuke grunted and rose. He had died. He had all the time in the world with her now.

She was standing in front of the sink, actually brushing her teeth before bed. He must have been able to drill that habit into her over the years. Catching sight of the uchiwa fan stitched into the back of her shirt, Sasuke smiled softly as he approached. He released a deep breath as his arms wrapped around her from behind. ‘All the time in the world,’ he reminded himself as his hands splayed out over her belly.

Naruko giggled softly as one of her hands reached back to caress his cheek. “Are you trying to rush me into bed with you? Alright. I’m game,” she said and quickly turned in his arms. It wasn’t what he’d been trying to do, but she was pulling him in for a heated kiss before he could say anything. She even kissed better than his Naruko. In a matter of moments, she had rewired his brain- shifting from his want to explore his new boundaries to a need to explore more sensual avenues.

He barely registered the soft thump of her colliding with the counter. He was both intensely focused on mimicking the actions of her mouth while simultaneously not having a single thought on his mind. He had to brace himself on the sink when she tugged on his shirt a bit harder than he was expecting. She snickered mischievously while pushing herself up to sit on the counter and wrapping her thighs around his hips. Her belly made it challenging to get as close to her as he would have liked. He had been in the middle of adjusting her thighs when a sudden crash and childlike scream halted him in his tracks.

“Sarada?” Naruko was able to guess, already pushing herself to stand.

Sasuke was faster than her, already reaching the door to the girl’s bedroom open by the time she had stepped out of their room. He tried to listen for any sounds on the other side of the door, but it was too silent. He couldn’t sense any chakra signatures in the room either. Pushing the door open, Sasuke ignored the inexplicable fear and panic that were mounting within him.

The girls’ room was dark, but he could still make out the signs of a struggle. Destroyed toys littered the floor, one of the beds was bare of its discarded and rumpled sheets, and a few picture frames had fallen to the floor and cracked. Sasuke tried to turn the lights on, but when the switch flicked uselessly in response, he activated his sharingan. With his red-tinted vision, he could now make out the sight of a small, pale foot poking out from under one of the beds. He couldn’t tell which girl it was, but before he could approach, a white scaly tail slipped out from the darkness under the bed and pulled the foot in with a soft hiss. Breath catching in his throat, Sasuke paused.

“Orochimaru?” Sasuke questioned in disbelief. What the hell-

“Sasuke?”

His heart dropped at the sound of Naruko calling his name. His mind quickly flashed through the many nightmares he’d had, all ending with Orochimaru impaling her. He was already gathering lightning chakra to face the snake head on but hesitated at the sight of Pain’s emotionless expression staring him down. The Akatsuki leader had one hand pinning Naruko to the wall, squeezing the very life from her while the other was poised at her stomach. Sasuke tried to rush at the man, but found his feet stuck to the floor. A nest of white snakes had worked their way up his feet, both squeezing his limbs and anchoring him to the floor.

“Know pain,” the man said just before jabbing a glowing hand at Naruko’s belly. The pained scream she released rang through his head.

He was wrong. This wasn’t his heaven. He’d been damned to his own eternal hell. “Naruko!” he screamed for her as he watched her lifeless body hit the floor. He tried to cut through the snakes with his lightning release, burning them with his blaze release when that wasn’t effective.

A low hiss cut through the sounds of his struggles. Sasuke froze up just as Orochimaru slid out from under one of the children’s beds. The snakes were rapidly sliding over his body until he could barely move. Sasuke’s breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened fearfully. “Ku ku ku,” Orochimaru chuckled. He tried to set the man ablaze, catch him in a genjutsu, anything, but felt his sharingan fade from his eyes as his chakra petered out. “Sasuke!” Orochimaru hissed as he jumped with fangs gleaming.

~:~

When Sasuke came to, he felt oddly unharmed. Maybe a bit of soreness in his limbs and some disorientation, but nothing that he couldn’t handle. Opening his eyes left him even more confused, however. Why was he outside? Where was he? Why was he so dirty?

“Sasuke?”

Turning to who had called his name, Sasuke was surprised to see a misty-eyed Itachi kneeling next to him.

“Sasuke!?”

His mother was both bleeding and crying, her hands cupping her mouth as she tried to stifle her sobs. Fugaku stood next to her, his eyes blown wide. All three of them stared at him in shock, as if he had just grown a second head.

Was this a new level of hell? What would happen to him now? Would Itachi kill him here? “Itachi-” Sasuke started but was cut off by Itachi roughly embracing him. When Sasuke turned questioning eyes onto his parents, his mother took that as her cue to wrap her arms around both him and Itachi with even louder sobs. What truly stunned Sasuke was his father’s hesitant approach and tentative touch of his shoulder.

So many questions ran through his mind, but the one that made it out of his mouth was, “Where’s Naruko?”

~:~

He was alive.

He was alive.

His little brother had defied nature and logic and had come back to life.

He had been silently kneeling by his brother’s fallen body when his parents had caught up to him. Itachi was sure that he wouldn’t forget the sound of his mother’s woeful cry for a very long time. Her pained cries had been barely muffled by his father’s chest and soft, soothing words. Itachi had been too busy staring at his brother’s corpse to soothe her. His eyes burned.

It felt like his insides- his very essence- had been scooped out of him. All of his will had left him in a single breath, leaving him bereft. The skin over his knuckles was taut and white from how tightly he clenched his fists, but he couldn’t feel them.

Itachi was familiar with his own wrathful vengeance, having experienced it once on a mission where Shisui had been nearly fatally injured. He had exacted his revenge on some unfamiliar Iwa shinobi that had gotten a lucky hit on his closest friend- an extremely wrathful display that had startled him with how easily it had been for him to cast aside his pacifist nature. From then on, Itachi questioned to what limits he could be pushed to when it came to his precious people. His little brother, the person who arguably meant the most to him, had been slain. He expected to feel that wrathful vengeance again but was surprised by the cold numbness that flooded him instead.

Itachi glanced at Sasuke’s weapon pouch- a half-baked plan already forming in his head. But he wouldn’t- couldn’t- go through with it. It would just hurt his mother more to lose both her sons at once. Then, if he was going to continue living at least for now, he would make it his task to find the one responsible. The idea of retribution was blossoming in the forefront of Itachi’s mind. He was owed it.

His mother’s sobs had already died down to sniffles by the time he had made his decision. Plans were already starting to form in his mind before he’d even stood from the ground. Perhaps there was some unseen force watching over him because just as he was about to rise, a bright green light flew overhead and dived into his brother’s body. He could hear his parents stop breathing behind him as they all watched Sasuke’s body momentarily glow green. He had no idea what had just been done, but his own breathing ceased when he felt his brother’s chakra grow in strength and size. Several agonizing seconds passed as they all waited for something to happen. And then his brother opened his eyes.

“Sasuke?” Itachi spoke in a slightly shaky tone.

Sasuke turned to him questioningly, looking increasingly confused. Itachi heard his mother cry out in relief behind him. Disbelief still raged within him, but it was quickly being drowned out by relief and hopeful joy. Sasuke had been about to say something, but Itachi pulled him in for a bone-crushing hug instead. Itachi couldn’t remember the last time that he’d hugged his little brother. He would have to try to do it more often.

Considering the circumstances, Itachi was only mildly surprised that the first, coherent words out of Sasuke’s mouth had been about Naruko. Finally releasing a sigh of relief, Itachi pulled back to give his brother an exasperated look. Sasuke’s eyes went wide, however.

“Nii-san, your eyes,” Sasuke said and completely turned his world upside down.

Itachi blinked to clear his watery vision, but he had the mounting suspicion that Sasuke wasn’t referring to the tears gathering in his eyes. When Itachi saw his mother’s astonished and slightly horrified gaze, Itachi felt his heart drop. He didn’t bother to hide his eyes from his father. Sasuke frowned a bit at him before pulling out a kunai and showing him his own reflection. Itachi wasn’t surprised to see his own Mangekyo sharingan- three, spiraling curves around his pupil- set in his eye sockets.

Chapter Text

His mother was the first to speak. “Oh, Itachi,” Mikoto whispered her hand gently running over Itachi’s cheek. Itachi looked resigned as he lowered his eyes from his reflection and returned the kunai that Sasuke had lent him.   

“I believe that now is not the time to discuss this,” Itachi hinted as his eyes faded back to black. His mother nodded mournfully in response while doing her best to wipe away her tears. Sasuke pushed himself onto his feet when he saw Itachi start to rise, and they both helped their mother to her feet when she shakily tried to stand.   

“But there is much to discuss,” Fugaku said with a deep frown. He gave Itachi an even stare for a few beats until Itachi gave the smallest nod of acknowledgement. Sasuke was mildly surprised to also receive Fugaku’s heavy stare, instinctually wanting to roll his eyes with a sneer. But upon catching Itachi’s silently beckoning look, Sasuke paused. While he was displeased at Itachi’s request, Sasuke did nod with a deep sigh. He was not looking forward to the coming exchange.  

“It would appear that you were not the only one brought back,” Itachi said, now looking off into the distance. They all turned to watch as a small crowd was starting to gather, survivors climbing out from the piles of rubble. Even from where they stood, the voices in the crowd sounded energetic and loud.  

Sasuke still wasn’t sure just what had happened to him. He knew that he had used the last of his chakra to subdue the kyuubi, a choice that meant certain death by chakra exhaustion. He still clearly remembered every vision he’d seen afterward- glimpses of possible futures and alternate pasts. They had all started peacefully enough, frequently featuring Naruko or Itachi. But they all ended the same, with him surrounded by death until his own life ended. Sometimes, it was Itachi slaying their entire family before killing him. Other times, the kyuubi had managed to escape, killing Naruko and destroying the village in the process.  

It had been hell.   

As he walked with his family towards the crowd of survivors, Sasuke was doing his best not to display any of the panic that was sitting in his chest. There was a voice in the back of his mind whispering that this wasn’t real and Itachi was only seconds from attacking him. Fortunately, his mother’s tight hold on his arm was providing some comfort and helping him ease back into himself. If he wasn’t careful, Itachi would sniff out his strange behavior within minutes.  

Sasuke scanned the faces in the crowd, recognizing only a handful of people. He could see his former classmates amongst their respective families, some Uchiha clan members embracing each other while shooting their family less than subtle looks, and-  

“Mikoto!” Kushina’s loud voice exclaimed seconds before the red-haired woman was tightly embracing his mother. “I’m so glad you’re alright, ‘ttebane! Itachi-kun! Sasuke-kun!” Kushina shouted before quickly embracing him and his brother. Itachi hadn’t had enough time to react before the whirlwind that was Kushina struck. The woman had even managed to pull Fugaku in for a quick hug. If anyone hadn’t been looking their way before, they were now.  

“Minato went to find Naruko. I can’t believe that she managed to slip away from me! I thought raising a girl would be easier than raising a boy. But that girl’s going to be the death of me, dattebane,” Kushina said with a deep exhale and a hand over her chest,” Kushina moaned.  

“I know what you mean,” Mikoto replied and softly pat Kushina’s back soothingly. Mikoto shot a meaningful look his way, making Sasuke straighten with a small frown.   

“Itachi!”   

In a rare show of vulnerable emotionality, Itachi fully welcomed Izumi’s teary embrace with a loose one of his own. Sasuke felt almost uncomfortable to witness such a publicly affectionate display coming from his brother, but the feelings were squashed by a tight squeeze from Shisui. “You scared me half to death, Sasuke. How was I supposed to explain anything to Itachi?” Shisui said jokingly while nuzzling into the top of his head.  

“Shisui, you’re disgusting,” Sasuke gripped because his cousin reeked. Truthfully, Sasuke wasn’t the freshest either, but Shisui was practically covered in sweat, dust, and the metallic scent of blood. Sasuke did his best to ignore the dark red smatterings on his cousin’s clothes. Shisui let Sasuke push him away, a large grin on his face and pure relief in the older boy’s dark eyes. Satisfied with the results of his subtle check over Sasuke, Shisui practically glomped onto Itachi’s back with a cheery exclamation of, “Little late to the party, cousin.” As annoying as Shisui could be, Sasuke was grateful for his cousin’s joyful demeanor at that moment. Shisui’s infectious mood seemed to calm everyone around him, allowing them to bask in the simple miracle of life.   

Sasuke’s senses suddenly shouted at him as the space near Kushina was being distorted by the appearance of chakra. The Hokage appeared in the space next to his wife, his arm wrapped around Naruko’s waist as he supported her. Sasuke felt a spike of panic that something was wrong with her, but it quickly quelled we he saw that she was smiling softly. From what he could tell, she didn’t look injured just exhausted.  

“Naruko!” Kushina exclaimed and tightly embraced both her daughter and husband. Sasuke felt the small ball of anxiety in his chest start to loosen. She was alright. He really should have expected her to defy the odds by now. When his gaze met hers, he watched surprise, relief, and teary joy flash across her eyes. Oddly enough, he could feel a similar set of emotions pass through himself. When she finally pulled away from her family without a word, they let her go without a fuss.   

He wasn’t sure what to say to her. He’d already done a decent enough job of imparting his final words on her. What could he say to her now?   

Thinking back on it, perhaps he should have been more obvious? It was clear that his subtlety had gone right over her head. But as he felt the eyes of everyone around trained on him, Sasuke let the words die on his tongue. He’d find some other way and time to tell her. Fortunately, Naruko had no reservations about expressing herself.  

Sasuke truly hadn’t expected such a violent reaction from her. He knew that she was mostly unpredictable, but a punch to the gut was not the reaction he saw coming. Doubled over, Sasuke barely heard Naruko shout, “Idiot!” at him. She could have easily broken bone, but her punch was just enough to wind and slightly bruise him. With a quiet pull of air, Sasuke glared at Naruko but faltered at the gathering of tears in her eyes. Without any care for self-image, Naruko grabbed him by the lapels of his collar and proceeded to roughly shake him. “What the hell is wrong with you, ‘ttebayo!?” she screamed in his face.  

For a few seconds, disorientation kept him from responding. It took a few tries to get his brain to process a coherent thought, but when it did, he started. “Usuratonkachi-”  

“You were dead, ‘ttebayo! For real this time!” she shouted as another bout of shaking started. “You do something like this again, I’ll kick your ass so hard that every one of your Uchiha ancestors will feel it!” Her shouting was punctuated by a tight embrace that had his face buried in her shoulder.   

He wanted to be annoyed by her, but he did feel some regret for worrying her. He should be making promises to her- promise her to never do anything so self-sacrificing for her again but he knew that it would be pointless. That would be one promise that he would break in a heartbeat. He had no intentions of willfully leaving her while he was still breathing, but if presented with the choice between his life and hers…   

“Don’t be such an idiot,” he managed to mutter into her shoulder. Slowly, she pulled away from him and he tried his best convey his thoughts to her, practically willing them into her mind. Her shoulders slumped slightly, her frown shifting from anger to silent understanding. Her resigned melancholy lasted for a second before being replaced with fiery determination. He wasn’t sure what she had decided upon, but he could guess at what silent promise she was making to him.  

“I won’t let any of my precious people die,” he could imagine her saying. His gaze hardened in response, his resolve mirroring hers.  

“Naruko-chan, I assume you had something to do with my brother returning to life,” Itachi said, immediately causing whispers to rip through the surrounding crowd. Naruko faced Itachi with a bashful grin, her hand rubbing at the back of her head.  

“It was Nagato. It was his jutsu that brought everyone back, ‘ttebayo.”  

“Still. I’m grateful for the part you played. I am in your debt,” Itachi said with a bow of his head. Naruko blinked owlishly when even Fugaku copied his eldest son’s actions and dipped his head towards her. Just like that, the Uchiha that had been scattered throughout the crowd faced her, some bowing but most watching her in consideration. Sasuke smirked at the bright blush tinting her cheeks as she chuckled embarrassedly.   

“Oi! Let’s hear it for Naruko!” Kiba’s loud voice shouted out, accompanied by Akamaru’s howls.   

Sasuke watched as the crowd quickly followed Kiba’s example, raising their voices to the sky in loud cheers. It wasn’t long before the rowdy crowd was lifting her from the ground in celebration of the Honorable Daughter that saved the village. Oddly, Sasuke felt seeds of pride start to grow within him. She wasn’t the Hokage, but she was already protecting the village like one.   

Feeling a heavy gaze on him, Sasuke turned and locked eyes with whoever was staring him down. Meeting the blue gaze of the Hokage, Sasuke didn’t initially react. He watched Minato stare at him in consideration before the man turned back to join in his daughter’s celebration. Sasuke frowned in confusion. What had that been about?  

~:~  

That night, Sasuke found himself blinking awake far too early. As if his body had decided that there was something far more important to do than sleep, Sasuke rolled over and sat up. He looked over at Shisui’s motionless form before rising and silently slipping out of the tent they shared.   

The outside air was cool and crisp, but Sasuke couldn’t pinpoint what had woken him up. Based on the chakra signatures around him, he could tell that most of his clansmen had managed to fall asleep. Without making a sound, Sasuke quickly left with a shushin. The Hokage Monument was a bit more peaceful despite the large crowd of civilians sheltered within it. With his legs stretched out in front of him, Sasuke silently stared up at the moon.   

Seeing the village in rubble had hit him like a punch to the gut. But seeing what was left of the Uchiha district made his heart break. The distract had been on the edge of the village and was now nothing more than a large pile of concrete and wood. Sasuke could feel an air of sadness settle over his clansmen. Like him, they all seemed to collectively wilt.   

“Otou-san?” Itachi quietly prompted.  

Fugaku nodded and cleared his throat, “We have been given a great gift- the ability to share another day amongst the living with our loved ones. The inconvenience of repair is but a small setback. We are Uchiha.”  

Like a resurging wave, Sasuke watched his clansmen slowly begin to perk up. They continued to listen to his father’s declarations, growing inspired and reassured. Sasuke almost pitied the other clans in the village. He was sure that none of them could compare to the Uchiha when it came to pure strength of will and clan pride. His clan would have their distract cleared and rebuilt in no time. (Even so, Sasuke couldn’t help but wish that everyone in his clan had the ability to make thousands of clones.)  

The quickly setting sun made rebuilding a job for tomorrow, but tonight’s docket was one of celebration. Sasuke could already hear some of his aunts chatting with his mother about pulling some supplies and emergency equipment sealed away under Naka Shrine for a celebratory feast. While his mother was wrangling all the women of the clan, his father was busy gathering volunteers to help clear out a section of the district for temporary tents.   

Sasuke could already envision the clan sitting around a large bonfire that night and listening to the clan elders retell clan stories. He was already anticipating how homely and comforting it would feel. For once, he could sit near his brother and father without having to force himself to ignore the mistrustful and disappointed stares of others. But not even a disaster of this magnitude would distract his clan for too long. Eventually, they would return to hating the Disappointments they claimed that he and Itachi had turned out to be.  

His musing was cut short by the appearance of her familiar chakra signature. Without any prompting from him, Naruko took a seat at his side and joined him in stargazing. “Bastard, you’re gonna get sick,” Naruko said and raised a corner of the gaudy, orange blanket she had brought with her.   

“Hn. Why are you up, Usuratonkachi?” Sasuke asked and moved the slightest bit closer. He didn’t care for the color, but he was starting to get a little cold.  

“Same reason as you, I reckon,” she replied and wrapped the blanket around them both.   

“What happened?” Sasuke finally asked. It was still eating at him, what he’d missed both during and after the fight with Pain.   

“After you were an idiot and let yourself die, the kyuubi was quiet again. It was a lot easier to think without it getting into my head. When I was in Sage Mode, I noticed how weird those rods Pain used felt,” she started. “They we’re getting chakra signals or something, so I used one to find where they were coming from.   

Nagato was the one controlling Pain. He used to be Ero Sennin’s student a long time ago- him and Konan,” she revealed. “They wanted to use the tailed beasts to achieve peace in the world.”  

Sasuke barely held back a dubious scoff.   

“Ero Sennin tried to tell me about the cycle of hatred once. He believed that one day everyone would be able to truly understand each other and break the cycle, but he didn’t know how to do it. Nagato thought pain was the answer- shared pain and loss would cause people to seek peace.”  

As much as he loathed to admit it, there was a part of Sasuke that could understand. It was easy for a collective of people to get along with each other if they were opposing another force. But it would have to be the strongest opposition there was, capable of uniting everyone in the world against it. Otherwise, Sasuke couldn’t see how it would work.   

“But his answer can’t be the right one. There has to be a way to break the cycle and get everyone in the world to cooperate without pain and hatred. I don’t know how to do it, but I’ll figure it out, ‘ttebayo,” Naruko promised up towards the sky. She then turned to him with a small smile, “You’ll help me. Won’t you, Sasuke?”  

He’d seen multiple versions of her in the short while that he’d been dead and most of them existed as the Hokage. In those scenarios, he’d initially been unclear on what his role would be, but he’d quickly discovered it. He’d played the part of her rival, husband, friend, and occasional protector. If only he knew a title that comprised all of the above and then some.   

“Hn. You’ll need all the help you can get, Usuratonkachi,” Sasuke teased with a smirk.   

“Jerk,” Naruko grinned and shoved her shoulder into his side.  

Suddenly, Sasuke felt his heart pound in his chest as a completely foreign idea flitted across his mind. He’d thought that this Naruko was different from the ones he’d seen, but how different was she really? In a rare display of bold affection, he squeezed her hand in his and kissed her softly. Her soft gasp told him that he’d managed to catch her by surprise for once, but her surprise was quickly replaced by enthusiasm. His muffled noise was stifled by her kiss as she shoved him onto his back. What had started as his attempt at showing more affection was now overshadowed by Naruko’s almost desperate grip on his clothes.   

When she pulled away, it was for as long as it took her to get out, “Don’t you die on me again, Bastard.”  

Her normally bright blues were darkened, as if she was waiting for him to object and oppose her. But from where he laid beneath her, he was tempted to agree with whatever she wanted. He almost did just that but stopped himself in time. She must have seen the hesitation on his face because her features twisted into a glare. “I mean it, ‘ttebayo. You have to live so you can get all old and wrinkly.”  

“Fine,” he said with an almost exasperated sigh. “As long as you promise you’ll get old with me,” the words were out of his mouth before he could second guess them.   

“Deal,” she agreed firmly and too quickly. Sasuke waited for exactly six seconds until the words caught up to her. Sasuke watched her eyes go wide and cheeks flush slightly.   

A fond, soft chuckle escaped him as he watched her brain overwork. “Dobe,” he teased, feeling far too light.   

“Bastard, quit being all weird,” she grumbled while hiding her face in his neck. Deciding to spare her any further teasing, Sasuke fixed the blanket around her back and wrapped her in a loose embrace. Taking his invitation for what it was, Naruko wriggled to get closer. “G’night, Sasuke,” she said with a yawn at his neck.   

“Hn.”  

~:~  

The next morning, Sasuke was woken by Naruko shifting away from him- a rare break from her clingy habits. The sun had just started to rise and Sasuke could hear the villagers below already starting the village cleanup. With a wide yawn, Naruko summoned a hoard of clones to rush off to help with the cleanup efforts. Not quite ready to get up yet, Sasuke had been tempted to keep the original with him. Fortunately, after giving her clones their short orders, she had rolled back over and pulled up the blanket without sparing her small army another glance. (Sasuke noticed that a few clones had glared enviously at her as they left while some looked a bit put out.) With Naruko once again tucked against his side, Sasuke closed his eyes and returned to sleep.  

His sleep was ended a second time by the muted presence of another, the familiarity of it was the only thing keeping him from retaliating for the disturbance. Still somewhat reluctantly, Sasuke pulled out of Naruko’s unconscious death grip and turned to face their visitor. Itachi looked a bit amused at first but quickly sobered up. “It’s time,” was all he said.  

“Time for what, ‘ttebayo?” Naruko’s sleepy voice mumbled next to him.  

“Good morning, Naruko-chan,” Itachi greeted the girl with a small smile. Sasuke was getting whiplash from how quickly Itachi was switching demeanors. Itachi had always been polite, nice, yet still a bit reserved with Naruko. But Sasuke could see less reservation about his brother now. Curiously, Sasuke raised a brow. “While I’m sure that you could use the rest, I already promised Kushina-san that I would find you. That was an hour ago.”  

The noise that Naruko released barely sounded human. She both jumped out of her sleep and lost her balance, her clumsiness getting the best of her. With a roll of his eyes, Sasuke grabbed her by the ankle before she could roll off the side of the Yondaime’s face. If it was even possible, Itachi looked to be suppressing a grin. Sasuke pulled Naruko up by the ankle and stood, giving Itachi an exasperated look.  

“Why didn’t you wake me sooner, ‘ttebayo!?” Naruko questioned frantically.  

“Like I said, I thought that you could use the rest,” Itachi replied, a bit of amusement leaking through his calm. Sasuke watched Naruko scramble to gather up her blanket before rushing out a farewell to him and Itachi in one breath.   

“You’re in a good mood,” Sasuke huffed as he joined his brother on the trek back to- did they still have a district if they were all sleeping in tents?  

“Good fortune can be enough to brighten anyone’s spirits,” Itachi replied. Sasuke knew what Itachi was referring to, but he still had to raise a brow at his brother while blatantly glancing at the piles of rubble. “Material things can always be replaced,” Itachi replied, his good mood still intact.  

“You’re normally so serious and pessimistic-”  

“I prefer realistic ,” Itachi corrected.  

“-that it’s strange to see you like this,” Sasuke finished as if he hadn’t heard his brother.  

“Naruko-chan has given this village a gift- a second chance. I am but one of many that feel grateful towards her,” Itachi said.   

It didn’t take them long to reach their clan’s temporary settlement and once they had crossed that invisible line, Sasuke noticed Itachi’s prompt switch in expression. His brother walked with his eyes forward and back straight, looking both calm and tensed. Sasuke eyed a few of their clansmen that were giving Itachi blatantly mistrustful glares, but his brother didn’t seem to respond to their stares. Interspersed amongst the hate were a few fearful looks. Sasuke was aware that there were some in the clan that feared his brother’s strength and what it would mean for them should they ever stand against the village. But he’d never seen it shown so obviously before.   

“Sasuke,” Itachi beckoned when he stopped in front of his parents’ tent. Sasuke tore his gaze away from the elderly woman that he had been staring at to rejoin his brother’s side. Without a word, they slipped inside the tent together.   

Both of their parents were already waiting for them when they arrived- their postures and the atmosphere surrounding them exposing the seriousness of the coming discussion. Normally, his mother either wasn’t present for or she remained a silent observer for their discussions with their father. But her posture signified the opposite for once. Sasuke was mildly curious as to how this would go.   

He could sense chakra signatures just outside the tent, milling about as they cleaned a bit too slowly. Sasuke nearly rolled his eyes at the obvious eavesdropping. It’s not as if the thin tent would keep their voices hidden, but he supposed that some people couldn’t help themselves.  

Surprisingly, it was his mother that spoke first. “Itachi, how are you feeling?” she asked with a motherly smile.  

Rather than his usual action of brushing off others’ concern for his well-being, Itachi offered her a small smile. “I’m fine , Mother,” he stressed.  

Sasuke smirked. His mother’s worry had been almost suffocating when he’d come home with the Mangekyo. It was maybe a bit too gratifying to see Itachi receive the same, stifling treatment.  

“Even so, now is a very crucial time for you, Itachi. I am aware of your opinions on the Mangekyo Sharingan, but I disagree with you. You have gained a great asset that will go a long way in aiding you as Hokage,” Fugaku said.  

“I am aware of this Father,” Itachi replied because of course Itachi had already though all of this through.   

Fugaku nodded once, not appearing surprised that Itachi had already considered the implications of his new eyes. “Then I think that we shouldn’t beat around the bush any longer,” Fugaku started.   

Sasuke wasn’t sure why he had been deemed necessary for this discussion- more than used to his father pulling Itachi away to speak in private. But he was pleased to be present and, more importantly, included. To his surprise, his father looked away from Itachi to face him directly.  

“Sasuke, you have done well for both the clan and the village. You showed great loyalty and strength and for that I am proud of you,” Fugaku said, his stern mask falling momentarily to show true emotion.  

His kneejerk reaction was to disregard his father’s words, but something stopped him. A quick glance at his mother and brother showed similar expressions. His family was proud of him…despite failing to do everything he had set out to do and still dying in the end? Sasuke wasn’t a fool. He knew what they were getting at, but the praise felt hollow with Orochimaru still slithering about somewhere and what was left of the Akatsuki still active.  

“Sasuke,” Itachi prompted, his pride masked by a warning look.  

Sasuke huffed silently. “I didn’t do it for the clan or the village,” Sasuke corrected. His reasons were far less noble .   

“You were given a second chance. Can you say that you wouldn’t change anything about your actions?” Itachi asked, his face blank. Fugaku and Mikoto looked between the two of them, like outside observers to their children’s silent conversation.  

Sasuke could guess what Itachi was hoping to hear. Before he answered, he gave the question a decent amount of thought. There were obvious things that he would change, such as letting Orochimaru escape. But he couldn’t truly regret what he’d done for Naruko’s sake. It was his weakness. She was his weakness.  

“I made decisions in battle that were driven by emotion . If I had been thinking clearly, perhaps I would have accomplished more,” Sasuke finally responded. Itachi somehow managed to look unsurprised, disappointed, and resigned all while retaining an emotionless mask. (Had he finally gotten skilled at reading his brother?)  

“The ability to accurately self-critique is necessary for improvement. You are already strong for someone so young, but you can and will grow stronger. Which is why I have decided that it should be you to lead the clan after me,” Fugaku said.   

Sasuke’s eyes widened in surprise, but he seemed to be the only one shocked by the announcement. He knew that Itachi had long predicted this, but he hadn’t expected his mother to already be aware. Then again, it shouldn’t have been such a surprise. It was expected that the title would fall to him since Itachi had rejected it. Sasuke just hadn’t expected that his father would have asked him here and now.  

Fugaku gave him a small smile. “There is much preparation to be done, but I am sure that you will meet my expectations for you.”  

Sasuke felt a small spike of panic that he couldn’t explain. Could he become clan head? Sasuke was sure that he would have no trouble with accomplishing the task. Judging by the looks on his parent’s faces, they felt the same way. When Sasuke looked at Itachi for a hint of guidance, he received a truly blank expression- any hints of emotion or opinion fully locked down- as if to say that Itachi was letting him make this decision entirely on his own.  

Sasuke could still remember Itachi’s words to him. ‘The clan head has a duty to the clan. They must put the clan first.’ Itachi had been unable to put the clan before the village. Was the village more important to Sasuke than the clan? Weren’t they the same thing? Sasuke frowned.   

“I am a loyal Konohagakure shinobi. I do what I must for the sake of the village and my clan,” Sasuke started. As if all the air had been sucked out of the room, his family seemed to be hanging on his every word.   

‘ I think you could do so much more.’  

Sasuke met his father’s eyes and used as much conviction as he could to say, “I decline the position of clan head.” Sasuke ignored the quick spikes of chakra from outside the tent and his father’s stunned expression. “The responsibility of clan head should fall to the one best suited for the job. That’s not me.”  

Yesterday had more than proven where his loyalties lied. Above the clan, the village, and even his own vengeance, Sasuke felt loyal to his precious people. After a quick side glance at Itachi, he could see mirrored sentiments and understanding in his brother’s dark eyes. Sasuke knew that Itachi valued the village, but not even the village would come before those his brother had deemed irreplaceable. Feeling comforted in his decisions, Sasuke faced his father again.   

Fugaku stared at both of his sons, looking as if the rug had been yanked out from underneath him. Mikoto was in a similar state of shock but recovered much quicker. She gave Sasuke a soft smile. “I’m happy for you, Sasuke. I’m happy that you’ve found something precious enough to fight for,” she said. His cheeks warmed a bit, but he ignored it. Sasuke had been so concerned by Itachi’s reading him that he’d neglected to think that his mother could do the same just as well.  

Taking a cue from his wife, Fugaku nodded along in agreement. “While this does not make things easier for me, I will respect both of your decisions,” Fugaku said, closing the book on the matter.  

~:~  

Later that evening, Sasuke was once again perched atop the Hokage Monument enjoying a cool breeze and some solitude. He had spent the day clearing out the Uchiha district with his mind reeling from the discussion with his family. He had moved on autopilot, making it easy to ignore the resentful looks his fellow clansmen were shooting at his back. (Fortunately, a hoard of Naruko clones had shown up to help with the cleanup.)  

Sasuke was mildly surprised at how little he was affected by his loss of favor amongst his clan. Should he be more bothered by the resentment and mistrust being sent his way? He probably would have been if he hadn’t been so distracted by his family’s full approval of his decisions (and the occasional clone striking up conversation with him at the time).   

“One might say that you’re haunting this place.”  

“That would be one person’s opinion,” Sasuke replied, keeping his eyes on the already noticeably cleaner village.  

Sasuke didn’t react as Itachi came to sit silently next to him. He did raise a brow at Itachi’s relaxed seating. “I’m proud of you, Sasuke,” Itachi started. “Despite the trouble we’ve created for Father.”  

Sasuke scoff. “He’ll get over it.”  

Itachi smirked. “You actually managed to surprise me. I hadn’t expected you to turn Father down.”  

“You did. What makes me any different?” Sasuke asked, not expecting Itachi to respond.  

“I suppose you’re right. You’ve been much less concerned with pleasing Father or gaining his approval lately,” Itachi said and leaned back on the palms of his hands. “I also hadn’t expected your connection to Naruko-chan to be so… intense.”  

Sasuke did his best not to flinch or blush. “It wasn’t just her. It was everyone who matters,” Sasuke corrected.  

Itachi nodded once in understanding. “It makes me wonder if this is the reason that there has never been an Uchiha as Hokage,” he mused. Sasuke shot Itachi a questioning look. “The first Hokage, Senju Hashirama, killed his best friend, Uchiha Madara, in the defense of the village. As Hokage, he was prepared to do what was necessary to protect the village.”  

“Don’t worry. Shisui loves the village as much as you do,” Sasuke said.  

Itachi chuckled softly. “Yes. I’m very fortunate,” Itachi agreed. “The Sandaime was unable to separate emotion from duty. This allowed men like Orochimaru and Danzo to exist unchecked. He wasn’t able to do what was necessary for the village.”  

Itachi didn’t react to Sasuke’s loud, derisive scoff. “But I doubt that I would be able to do differently should I be placed in a similar position,” Itachi admitted and met Sasuke’s gaze.  

Sasuke couldn’t explain the feeling he got from his brother’s meaningful gaze. It held traces of the one he’d gotten earlier today when he’d rejected his father’s request. Sasuke felt like he had understood exactly what Itachi had been conveying to him before, but now he was second guessing himself. (Or maybe his brother’s love ran deeper than he had determined?) Before he could fully decipher it, Itachi had his walls back in place and was looking out at the village again.   

Is this what it meant to be an Uchiha? A slave to your emotions and bonds? Was it impossible to sever those bonds? No. Sasuke knew that the bonds could be destroyed. It was apparent in the reds of his eyes.   

They were both quiet for some time before Sasuke said, “Well, for your sake, I won’t desert the village.”  

“Thank you,” Itachi replied with a small smirk. “But I highly doubt that Naruko-chan would let you get too far.”  

Sasuke groaned aloud.

Chapter Text

Despite the destruction of the village, Sasuke couldn’t say that he had ever felt happier in his life than right now. The rebuilding had been proceeding at a steady pace, many of the administrative and public buildings had already been restored. They were far from glamorous, but at least they had somewhere to conduct their business and hold all their new prisoners. Tents were slowly being replaced with simple homes, most of the debris had been cleared away from the outskirts of the village, and some clans had even begun restoring their districts to their former glories. Life was slowly returning to normal. But all of these things played only a small role in Sasuke’s newfound happiness.

Sasuke was able to pull a surprisingly girlish giggle and flinch from Naruko when his hand brushed along her side. He felt when Naruko went completely still on top of him before sitting up slowly to shoot him a narrowed glare. He smirked at her in silent challenge. “I’ll punch you, ‘ttebayo,” she warned. Her cheeks were a bright red, but she still managed to muster up a (barely) threatening look.

While he did enjoy messing with her, he wasn’t in the mood to restart their fight. “Usuratonkachi,” he said and moved his hand from her ticklish ribs to tangle his fingers in her loose pigtails. Wariness forgotten, Naruko quickly recaptured his lips with her own.

Soon, her small hands were fisting in his shirt, and she was leaning her full weight onto him. “You’re different, ‘ttebayo,” she managed to get out in between kisses.

“What?” he replied because his brain wasn’t able to process much more than the fact that she fit perfectly against him.

“You’ve been different since you came back,” she got out only a little breathlessly.

He was so used to her obliviousness that he hadn’t expected her to pick up any changes in him. But she was right. Dying had given him new perspective on not just his life, but on his relationships. A shinobi can die at any moment, but it displeased him to know that he had died leaving behind so many regrets. Sliding his hand from her hair down to her cheek, he brushed a thumb over her whiskers. “Is it a bad thing?”

“No. You were good before, but you’re less of a bastard now. It’s nice,” she said and kissed him again before he could reply. “No nightmares, right? Your eyes are still fine?”

Her focus must have improved for her to still be able to hold a conversation while peppering kisses along his jawline and down his neck. “They’re fine. I’m fine,” he succinctly replied and quickly reversed their positions. He wasn’t sure how accurate the versions of Naruko that he’d seen in his visions would be to the real one, but he could try. He gave the skin at her neck a particularly hard suck, hoping to clear her mind. He couldn’t refrain from smirking when she let out a sharp gasp.

Sasuke liked to believe that there was nothing wrong with a little white lie if it helped avoid an uncomfortable situation. So, he’d lied to her. But Naruko didn’t need to know that his vision was blurred at the edges. Not even coming back from the dead had reversed the effects that his Mangekyo had wrought on his eyes. He wasn’t yet blind, but he now needed his sharingan to have the clarity and perception that he was used to. He would just have to be careful around her and Itachi and no one would know.

“Ahem.”

Speak of the devil…

With an annoyed sound, Sasuke sat up on his knees and shot Itachi a glare. His older brother remained as impassive as always, simply raising a brow. “Is there something that you needed, Nii-san?” Sasuke prompted.

“I’ve come to collect you. The Hokage has summoned you. I’d suggest sorting yourself out first,” Itachi said and pointedly stared at Sasuke’s rumpled clothes and haphazard hair.

With a roll of his eyes, Sasuke started to fix himself. “We were training,” Sasuke said with a scoff because they had been. Itachi’s eyes became lidded as he gave Sasuke an indulgent look. He glanced around the slightly uprooted training field and smirked.

“Hi, Itachi-nii-san. When did you get here?” Naruko asked, finally pushing herself up onto her elbows with a dopey grin.

“Training very hard indeed,” Itachi indulged and turned to leave.

More irritated than embarrassed, Sasuke pushed himself up from the ground and muttered a, “shut up” at his brother. Curiosity was starting to win out, though. “What does the Hokage want with me?”

“I could only imagine,” was Itachi’s cryptic response.

~:~

The Hokage’s new office left a lot to be desired appearance wise with its plain, wooden walls and furniture. The Yondaime was sitting behind his desk with a mountain of papers surrounding him. He didn’t acknowledge Sasuke when he entered, too busy searching through the stacks and muttering to himself. “Itachi, do you have the preliminary budget forms? They need to be sent off today so that the daimyo can-” Minato started.

“I already sent them off. Did you still require them?” Itachi replied.

Minato breathed a sigh of relief. “No, thank you. I should have known that you had already taken care of it,” Minato said and gave Itachi a grateful smile. Itachi nodded once in reply and moved over to his own, paper-covered desk. Finally focusing on Sasuke, all traces of emotion quickly left Minato’s face. “Sasuke, thank you for coming. I wanted to personally thank you for your service to the village.”

So that’s what this was about? Sasuke hadn’t expected this. He had been receiving thanks and gratitude from civilians and shinobi alike for days once word had gotten out about his sacrifice to the village and, more importantly, preventing a second kyuubi attack.

Taking advantage of Sasuke’s silence, Minato rose from his seat to walk around his desk and stand before Sasuke. “I understand that you will always do what’s best for the village, but I hope you’ll allow me to be a bit selfish. If it weren’t for you, I may have lost one of the people who mean the most to me in this world,” Minato said with a small smile.

“I didn’t do it for the village,” Sasuke quickly spoke. Minato’s brows raised in mild surprise. Sasuke could feel Itachi’s heavy stare, but he didn’t meet his gaze. “I did it for Naruko,” Sasuke admitted.

“I see,” Minato said and folded his arms over his chest.

Finally risking a glance at his brother, Sasuke was surprised to see an exasperated look on his brother’s face. Maybe admitting to the Hokage that his loyalty to the village laid beneath his loyalty to his girlfriend was a misstep? At least he’d spoken the truth.

“Well, I appreciate it even more then,” Minato said, giving Sasuke a sincere smile. “When I was about your age, the Sandaime shared with me Kushina’s status as a jinchuuriki once he was sure that I could be trusted with the information. I was sworn to secrecy no matter how I chose to proceed with my relationship with her. But because I chose to continue pursuing her, the Sandaime tasked me with being a silent guard for Kushina.

“Kushina was more than capable of defending herself,” Minato said with a fond smile. He seemed to be getting lost in his memories for a moment before he sobered up and gave Sasuke a stern look. “But she was still a jinchuuriki. By default, that made her of great value to the village and its interests. Furthermore, she’s an Uzumaki. I’m sure that you’re aware of what happened to the Uzumaki clan and Uzushio during the Third Shinobi War.”

Sasuke could remember the lessons from the Academy. But even more importantly, he could remember the controversy that arose at the time. He knew from listening in on his parents’ and clan elders’ discussions at the time. The village elders had vocally protested teaching academy students of the destruction of Uzushio claiming that it portrayed Konoha in a bad light. Sasuke could have rolled his eyes. Uzushiogakure had been a loyal ally of Konoha for generations, but Konoha had failed to send aid in time to spare them from destruction. Of course that failure would make the village look bad.

He also remembered the day that the Yondaime had strode into his classroom and personally given a lecture on the events, cutting Iruka-sensei’s lesson on elemental jutsu short. The Yondaime had gone from class to class that day, making sure that every student was aware of the history of Uzushio as well as the culture and clans that had been lost during the war. Sasuke wasn’t sure how the village elders had responded to the move, but his parents never spoke of their objections again and the history of Uzushio had been permanently added to the curriculum after that.

“Being both made her of high value to Konoha and other villages. Which is why the Sandaime felt that it was necessary to have someone close by to prevent any unfavorable circumstances. Now I know that, like me for Kushina, you would do whatever’s necessary to protect Naruko,” Minato said. Sensing where the man was going, Sasuke’s eyes widened. “But I’ll still formally ask you if you would take on this assignment. There is no foreseen end date. It would be a task you would carry out for the rest of your life.”

All thoughts had ceased as Sasuke just stared at the Yondaime. It was the sound of a sharp snap that had Sasuke blinking to attention. Glancing to the side, Sasuke watched Itachi stare down at his hand in confusion. His brother had broken his pen, spilling ink on himself and a few papers on his desk. “Please excuse me, Hokage-sama,” Itachi said and quickly rose from his seat and left the room, not waiting for permission. Minato didn’t comment on Itachi’s quick escape, choosing to give Sasuke a level stare.

“You would choose me over Kakashi?”

Minato smirked. “Up until this point, I had personally entrusted Naruko’s safety to both Kakashi and Jiraiya-sensei. But Kakashi has…other priorities right now,” Minato said as he approached. “You don’t have to respond right away. You can take some time to think about it,” Minato offered and rested a comforting hand on Sasuke’s shoulder. “No matter what you decide, I’m still grateful that my daughter has you.”

“I’ll do it,” Sasuke didn’t hesitate to accept. It wasn’t as if he would be doing anything new. The urge to protect Naruko had been instilled in him for years, first taking root back in Wave.

Minato’s eyes widened in surprise before he shook his head with a smile. “I see. I hadn’t needed to think it over either.”

~:~

When Itachi returned to the Hokage’s office, Sasuke was long gone, and Minato was once again seated at his desk. An irrational flash of hot anger flooded Itachi at the sight of Minato, but he quickly tempered it and quietly went to his desk. Of course, he could see the logic in the Yondaime’s decision. Sasuke was easily the best person to place the responsibility on due to his already close relationship to Naruko, rapidly increasing strength, and his Sharingan. But that didn’t mean that Itachi had to like it.

“I’m sorry, Itachi-kun. I know how you feel about your brother and his wellbeing,” Minato apologized, genuinely sounding sincere.

“I know, Hokage-sama. I understand why you asked.”

“But you don’t agree with my choice,” Minato surmised with an apologetic look.

Itachi stared at Minato for several beats before honestly answering, “No, I do not. But I have already promised Sasuke that I would refrain from interfering with his personal affairs without his permission.”

“I only intend for Sasuke-kun to act as a final resort should all other lines of defense and fail safes be insufficient,” Minato explained.

‘Such as when the Akatsuki and Orochimaru’s forces attacked the village,’ Itachi thought. “It’s fine, Hokage-sama,” Itachi said instead and returned his focus to his work. It really wasn’t okay, but there wasn’t much that he could do about it. “He accepted the assignment?” Itachi asked, already knowing the answer. Minato nodded once. “I assume then that this means that my brother has finally received your blessing?”

Minato let out a deep sigh. “If I had held out any longer, I think Kushina and Naruko would have flayed me alive,” Minato chuckled. Itachi didn’t bother to inform Minato that his wife had long since been making wedding arrangements with Mikoto, despite Minato’s vehement objections.

Deciding to change the subject, Itachi procured some forms from his desk and walked them over to Minato. Offering the papers, Itachi said, “The official documentation of Karin-san’s and Jugo-san’s citizenship requests.”

Minato accepted the papers before quickly flipping through them. “Inoichi-san vetted them? That was quick,” Minato remarked.

“Karin-san was very vocal about her release,” Itachi hinted.

Minato raised a brow, but Itachi gave him a long-suffering look. Minato cringed slightly and nodded. “Kushina has already made it clear to me that she wants to take responsibility for Karin. She’s looking forward to having another one of her kin within bonding distance,” Minato smiled.

From what Itachi knew of Uzumaki Karin, she had been an orphan for some time and had been treated only slightly better than a prisoner while under Orochimaru. The young woman was just as vibrant and vivacious as Itachi was beginning to expect of Uzumakis. Itachi almost pitied the Yondaime. His home life was about to become even morelively.

“Hopefully, Naruko-chan approves,” Itachi said, already doubting his words. Minato flinched and grimaced before running his hands down his face with another deep sigh.

~:~

After his meeting with the Hokage, Sasuke had returned home for lunch. The main branch house was still in construction, a few clan members and a couple Naruko clones were busy hammering away at the roof with his father overseeing their progress. One of the clones had spotted him approaching and had loudly greeted him, setting off a domino effect of every clone getting distracted as well. Only slightly embarrassed by the overabundance of attention, Sasuke gave them all a glare that they ignored. (Some had even laughed and waved!) “Dobe,” Sasuke grumbled before ducking inside.

Sasuke had had every intention of taking a bath and relaxing for the rest of the day, but his plans were upended by his father calling out to him. Slowing to a stop, Sasuke spared Fugaku an inquiring glance. His father was a bit red in the face, most likely from spending all day in the sun. But Sasuke could sense some hesitation and nervousness coming from the man. “Come with me for a while,” Fugaku requested. “There’s something I want to show you.”

Curiosity winning out, Sasuke turned and followed his father out of the house. Not one to waste time, Sasuke asked his father, “Where are we going?”

“The reconstruction of Naka Shrine hasn’t finished yet, but I figured that there was no need to wait,” Fugaku replied.

“You want to pray?” Sasuke asked with a brow raised. His confusion increased when his father simply chuckled rather than answer his question.

Sasuke wasn’t sure how to define his relationship with his father anymore. His anger with the man had cooled since coming back to life. Sasuke could see that his father was trying to bridge the gap between them one awkward step at a time. Small talk about his day and training, offers to train together, and now going for walks to Naka Shrine were all new aspects of their relationship.

Before Pain’s attack, Sasuke had wanted to hold onto his anger and bitter resentment with all that he’d had. He’d felt pure satisfaction at seeing his father fumble and writhe in his awkward sadness. Sasuke’d supposed it was his vengeful side taking control. But after literally dying without coming to some sort of resolution with Fugaku, Sasuke was finding it increasingly difficult to hang onto his vengefulness. Granted, he was still reluctant to fully forgive, but perhaps there was no need to go out of his way to publicly shun and disregard his father any longer?

Ignoring the stares that they were garnering, Sasuke followed his father to the hidden door that concealed the clan meeting room. Sasuke kept his eyes on his father’s back, but he could still pick up the hushed voices on the wind.

“Why is Fugaku-sama still bothering with that boy? He’s nothing more than a disrespectful child.”

“He came back from the dead and still treats his father so shamefully.”

“He has some nerve. He’s worse than Itachi.”

Annoyance quickly washed over him in that moment. A quick flash of his Sharingan and a warning, side glare later, and the whispering died off. Who did they think that they were to speak about him so casually?

“Sasuke,” Fugaku beckoned. Cutting off the flow of chakra to his eyes, Sasuke approached his father. “Pay them no mind,” Fugaku whispered as Sasuke passed.

“Their opinions don’t matter,” Sasuke responded and descended the steps.

Fugaku hummed and used his fire release to light the lamps hanging on the wall as they passed. “It’s true that they don’t understand what they’re talking about, but they are still family. We are all Uchiha,” Fugaku replied carefully.

“You should remind them of that. They’ve forgotten that Itachi is family as well,” Sasuke pointed out.

“Yes, he is,” Fugaku agreed, frown deepening and brows furrowing.

Sasuke raised a brow at the somewhat cryptic response. Sasuke wanted to question his father, but before he could, the older man was moving on ahead. When he got to the bottom of the staircase, Sasuke spotted the small, wooden box resting in front of the clan’s stone tablet. His father went to kneel in front of it, silently waiting for Sasuke to join him.

Once Sasuke had quietly taken up the space at his father’s side, Fugaku lifted the lid on the box and displayed a dusty scroll for Sasuke to see. “This is one of our clans summoning contracts- the oldest one that we have. It is a loosely held tradition within our clan that the clan head signs this contract and becomes bound to the animals it belongs to,” Fugaku explained.

“Loosely?” Sasuke repeated with a raised brow.

Fugaku seemed to become a bit exasperated before answering, “These animals are a bit temperamental. They are quite selective in who they allow to sign their contract. They haven’t had a living summoner since our ancestor, Uchiha Shinobu.”

Sasuke watched his father unfurl the scroll to reveal the last entries on the scroll. Sasuke’s eyes widened at the sight of several names scratched out by jagged, claw marks. If he flattened the remains of shredded paper, he could barely make out his father’s handwriting. “I’m not going to become clan head,” Sasuke pointed out, doing a good job of masking the confusion in his voice.

“I know. But I have been planning to have you sign the contract for some time. There’s no harm in it. Perhaps, my son will be more worthy than I,” Fugaku hinted. Sasuke glanced at his father but couldn’t detect any hidden motives. His father simply stared back, eyes unguarded and posture relaxed. After several seconds, Fugaku gave him a small, encouraging smile.

Pushing his surprised confusion to the back of his mind, Sasuke made a mental note to talk to Itachi later about this. But for now, Sasuke bit into the skin on the pad of his thumb and began to sign his name on the contract. Finishing up by pressing his fingerprints in the space below his name, Sasuke began moving through the hand signs for the summoning jutsu.

Fugaku hadn’t told him what animals the contract belonged to, but Sasuke somehow wasn’t surprised to see a large, black cat appear before him. If Sasuke had to compare sizes, it was slightly smaller and leaner than Akamaru. A set of bored, emerald eyes stared back at him before the cat licked at its paw and began grooming its face.

“Inei,” Fugaku greeted stiffly. Sasuke watched the cat continue to groom itself without a care in the world as if his father wasn’t worth its time. Sasuke raised a brow at his father, but the older man just frowned deeply in reply.

Finally, the cat responded in a smooth voice, “So, this is your heir, Fugaku. Shiroshishi-sama was beginning to believe that you would never reproduce.”

“I have two sons,” Fugaku patiently corrected through gritted teeth.

Inei deigned to acknowledge Sasuke then, his bright gaze scanning over him before looking away in disinterest. Sasuke felt his annoyance spike, but his father was quick to rest a steadying hand to his shoulder. Sasuke felt the urge to shake his father off but remained still instead. He knew that working with a summon could be tricky- there had to be true respect and cooperation between the summoner and animal.

“Uchiha Sasuke,” Inei read off the summoner contract with a soft harrumph. “A rather unimpressive name.”

Sasuke felt his eye twitch.

“Inei-” Fugaku started, but Sasuke cut him off.

“And I’m expected to work with this one? I’d rather use toads,” Sasuke scoffed. It was a complete lie. Sasuke had seen Naruko’s summons, and he had been unimpressed by the comical animals.

Fugaku had attempted to interject again but was quickly drowned out by Inei’s low growls. “You don’t look very bright. Those wart-covered imbeciles might suit you,” Inei hissed, his hackles visibly raised. Sasuke watched Inei’s ear flatten against his head as he bared his sharp teeth. Sensing the cat’s imminent attack, Sasuke quickly activated his Sharingan and braced himself.

“Sasuke!” Fugaku shouted but was shoved aside by Inei as the large cat tackled Sasuke claws first.

He’d braced for impact and was already working on catching the panther in a genjutsu, but Sasuke was thrown off balance when he was suddenly pulled away from the room. It felt like he was free falling for less than a second, but the sharp scrapes of Inei’s claws into his chest were keeping him grounded. He finally managed to lock eyes with the panther and catch him a genjutsu long enough to toss the surprisingly heavy cat away. Sasuke quickly pushed himself onto his feet but was momentarily taken aback by the change in his surroundings.

He found himself standing in an empty courtyard surrounded by a thick bamboo forest with an enormous, saber tooth, white lion gazing down at him. The cat looked ancient with one of its eyes scarred over and a few wrinkles folding its face. Sasuke was sure that one of its claws was close in length to his own height. The lion opened its maw to yawn once before resting his head on its front paws and watching lazily.

The sound of a threatening growl drew Sasuke’s attention back to where Inei was slowly circling him. It had taken less time than Sasuke expected for Inei to break free of his genjutsu. Quick as a whip, Inei pounced again, this time aiming for his jugular. His response was instinctual, having had more than enough experience with fangs being aimed at his neck. His lightning release crackled through the air; his eyes afforded him enough time to dodge the attack while striking his hand down towards the cat’s back. Once again, Inei had exceeded his expectations by pulling off a quick, last second dodge.

“You’re fast. I’ll give you that,” Inei remarked as if the act of paying Sasuke a compliment hurt worse that pulling a tooth.

“I wish I could say that I was impressed by you as well,” Sasuke scoffed with a small smirk. While he managed to get a soft chuckle from the elder cat watching their bout, Sasuke only got a sharp hiss and outraged yowl from Inei.

Sasuke couldn’t say that he had much experience fighting animals. They were hardly a threat to him in the real world. Not even the Inuzuka’s ninken had seemed like too much of a hassle. There was something to be said about fighting a creature that moved guided by wild instincts. However, all the instinct and unorthodox movements in the world could help Inei once Sasuke had deciphered the pattern of his movements with his Sharingan.

‘There,’ Sasuke thought confidently, and moved to strike. He stopped his attack short when he watched Inei literally blur out of existence just seconds before reappearing a hair’s breadth away from his face. It was his own quick thinking and reflexes that managed to spare him a nasty gash. Perhaps, Inei was a bit more skilled than he thought.

“Hmm… I haven’t seen the Mangekyo Sharingan in decades,” the elder cat remarked idly with a lazy stretch.

“What did you do for those eyes I wonder,” Inei spat. Sasuke glared but didn’t respond. “The younger son… Don’t tell me you slaughtered your brother for those eyes.”

The elder cat sucked her teeth. “The Uchiha are still slaying each other for power? What a disappointment.”

“Don’t talk about my brother,” Sasuke threatened, incensed by the idea that he could or would ever hurt his brother for power.

“Does he still live?” the white lion asked, leaning forward slightly to observe Sasuke better.

“Of course he’s alive,” Sasuke answered.

“And yet, Fugaku gave us his second son,” Inei scoffed derisively as his posture relaxed.

Despite his best efforts, Sasuke felt his chakra spike and lash as his anger mounted. Surprisingly, Sasuke found that he wasn’t just angered by the blatant dismissal of himself but the disrespect towards his father as well.

“That chakra…” the lion purred. “It reminds me of Uchiha Madara, but not quite as dark.”

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed. Hadn’t the kyuubi mentioned Uchiha Madara?

Sensing his confusion, the lion continued, “Yes. Uchiha Madara had signed a contract with us quite some time ago, but even he had eventually been deemed unworthy. Such a shame all the darkness that corrupted him. I’d had such high hopes…”

What kind of shinobi had Uchiha Madara been to invoke such feelings from ancient creatures? And what did it mean to be compared to him?

“But your brother still lives,” the lion mused. “You have yet to succumb to your clan’s curse. I wonder if I can place my hopes in you? Tell me your name.”

So many questions were swirling through his mind, but Sasuke still managed to reply, “Uchiha Sasuke.”

“Hmm, Uchiha Sasuke… If I were as senile as that old toad, Gamamaru, perhaps I would be able to prophesize about your future,” the lion replied.

Sasuke scoffed. “I don’t need prophesies. I know what my future holds,” Sasuke disregarded confidently. It proved to be the wrong thing to say because Inei was once again poised to strike, but he paused at the lion’s low chuckles.

“You are an amusing human. You may call me Shiroshishi-sama,” Shiroshishi said with a sly smile. “It’s been so long since we’ve had a summoner. I hope you will call on us often, Sasuke-chan. There are many of us who could do with some exercise.”

Sasuke wasn’t sure what to make of the elder cat. She stared at him with icy blue eyes as if  considering what he would taste like and if her was worth the effort of moving. But despite her lazy appearance, Sasuke could sense the strength she was hiding even without his sharingan- a dense well of chakra that reminded him of the kyuubi.

“Feel free to not summon me,” Inei said in a low voice as he brushed past Sasuke.

Sasuke broke eye contact with Shiroshishi to shoot Inei a glare.

“Fair enough. I don’t need any dead weight in a fight,” Sasuke replied with a smirk. A cutting side-eye was the only response Sasuke received before Inei slipped between the bamboo and practically melted into the shadows.

Sasuke’s attention was pulled back to Shiroshishi when she chuckled softly. “Very amusing. I’ll be seeing you, Sasuke-chan. Make sure to bring some catnip with you the next time you visit,” Shiroshishi said and yawned again. Suddenly, Sasuke felt the pull of this realm give out just as the weightless free fall returned for less than a second and he was dropped back into the secret room with his father.

Fugaku had been pleasantly surprised when Sasuke had returned alone and only slightly ruffled. When he’d asked Sasuke how it went, Sasuke could only huff in annoyance and roll his eyes. Fugaku seemed amused by this and nodded in agreement. “They can be quite troublesome, but I’m sure that they will prove useful to you. They are quite familiar with our clan and doujutsu. Perhaps they could even pass along knowledge that has become lost to us,” Fugaku pointed out as they had left the shrine behind. Sasuke hadn’t wanted to dash his father’s hopes and surprising, good cheer, so he’d kept quiet.

“Try not to take any missions outside the village. Our family has been invited over to the Hokage’s residence for dinner this weekend,” Fugaku said once he and Sasuke were about to part ways in front of the quickly rebuilt military police force building.

Sasuke nodded in acknowledgement, the hairs on the back of his neck rising in anticipation of some unseen threat. His posture subtly shifted, but he quickly righted himself when he realized that it had just been his cousins, Yashiro, Tekka, and Inabi, that had been staring. Sasuke had been ready to disregard the harsh looks but stopped at his father’s soft grunt. Sasuke immediately tried to meet his father’s gaze, but he was too busy staring at the men’s backs as they passed. “What is it?” Sasuke asked, his voice low.

“Nothing…yet,” Fugaku replied and turned to go.

Once again, Sasuke felt as though he was missing something crucial. As far as he was aware, his relationship with the clan had been tumulus lately. But he’d had no clue that his father was becoming displeased by it. Or was this yet another clan secret that he would have to pull out of the mouth of his brother?

~:~

Itachi was becoming far to accustomed to feeling troubled.

When Sasuke had randomly showed up at the Hokage’s office and requested that they get lunch together, Itachi had felt his shoulders relax subconsciously at the thought of having a peaceful lunch with his little brother. He’d even toyed with the idea of trying the ramen that his brother was always eating. But when he’d sensed Sasuke’s uneasy demeanor, those thoughts had quickly vanished. He’d braced himself for whatever bad news Sasuke was about to drop on him but was surprised when Sasuke had simply told him that their father had allowed him to sign the cat contract.

“Congratulations. You must have been impressive for them to accept you,” Itachi praised, but Sasuke just rolled his eyes. “I’m happy to hear that things are going well for you and Father.”

“He’s…trying I think,” Sasuke admitted in a small voice.

“Does it make you want to do the same?” Itachi asked, pure curiosity in his tone. Sasuke shrugged once. Itachi chose to take that as a sign of acquiescence. Mother would be just as pleased as he to hear this.

“I think he’s too busy with the clan,” Sasuke hinted.

Itachi could tell that Sasuke was hinting at something greater by the way his brother was staring at him. Sasuke looked adamant in his convictions, but Itachi had no idea what they were. “Oh? I thought the rebuilding was proceeding ahead of schedule,” Itachi replied and took a sip of his tea.

“Nii-san, what do you know?” Sasuke asked, not wasting any time.

“I’m afraid that I’m just as in the dark as you, Sasuke.”

Sasuke silently stared at him for a few seconds before sitting back in his seat with a frown. “Fugaku looked displeased with Yashiro, Tekka, and Inabi,” Sasuke said.

Itachi recognized the names. He’d had a few, less than pleasant run-ins with their cousins lately, but nothing too bold. They all viewed him as an insolent child, both overestimating their abilities and underestimating his own. While he didn’t care for their opinions, they had been the loudest voices back when the clan’s frustrations with the village had peaked. His father had been willing to let them whisper complaints into his ear back then, but if he was displeased with them now…

“I honestly had no idea that this was going on with Father. But I imagine that nothing good can come from it,” Itachi said in a low voice.

“He’d tell you if you asked,” Sasuke said, sounding only slightly petulant.

Itachi refrained from smiling. Sasuke was too easy to see through. “His vision is changing as mine has,” Itachi said. At Sasuke’s confused expression, Itachi continued, “He’s starting to view you as an adult. I’m sure that he would speak to you as a man if you approached him as such.”

Sasuke looked down and away in thought for a few seconds before he took a bite of his rice. “Hn,” Sasuke finally responded.

Deciding to enjoy the rest of the time he had left with his brother, Itachi changed the topic. “Sasuke, what do you think of Izumi?”

Sasuke blinked up at him in surprise before raising a brow. “She’s alright, I guess. Not the strongest kunoichi, but she’s decent enough.”

Itachi smiled softly. Of course, his brother was more concerned with strength. “That’s nice to hear, but not what I had in mind,” Itachi started. Deciding not to beat around the bush, Itachi said, “I’m considering asking her to marry me and I would like to hear your opinion.”

Sasuke’s eyes widened as his jaw dropped slightly. “What?” Sasuke asked, looking completely stunned.

“You don’t agree with my choice?” Itachi asked, almost positive that he was wrong.

“No, it’s not that. I was just wondering what brought this on.”

“I think more than enough time has passed. Wouldn’t you say?” Itachi answered before his eyes fell to his food.

Truthfully, the destruction of the village had left him floundering in more ways than the obvious. There had been so much loss of life. Death was an unavoidable end to life, but the abrupt end to so many innocent lives had left him feeling a bit morose. He’d gotten lucky, but what if he’d truly lost his brother that day? What if he’d lost Izumi, Shisui, or his parents? Life was far too short for a shinobi. While Itachi had made peace with the fact that he could die at any time and would most likely die young due to his illness, he’d felt a newfound selfishness rise within him.

When he’d first gotten sick, he’d made it clear to Izumi that he didn’t expect her to tie herself down to him. He was a dead man walking around on borrowed time. He’d felt obligated to let her go so that she could find someone else who would be able to give her a long, happy life. She hadn’t taken it well at the time, furious with him for even assuming that she would leave him when he clearly needed her most. He’d been touched by the sentiment, but he’d still held his reservations. Up until recently, he’d been too hesitant to pursue marriage. Why bother with starting a new life or family when it could just as quickly end? Izumi deserved more than what he could promise her.

But what if he’d died without her knowing? What if he left this earth without having a chance to see what a life together could be like? He knew from his brief training sessions with Shisui what abilities his new eyes possessed, but not even his Tsukuyomi could affect real life. He could only imagine what his life could become, but all his fantasies felt hollow compared to what he knew real life could be.

Sasuke hummed once in thought before nodding. “I guess you’re right. I thought you would have asked her already. It’s not like she’d say no,” Sasuke said and sipped his tea. Itachi smirked but didn’t voice his agreement. “Besides, it’s about time you did what you want to do.”

Itachi paused. “What I want to do?” he repeated.

“You were always so perfect growing up. I used to think that it was just who you were, but now I know that you had been doing your best to be the dutiful son. But now you’re doing what you want with your life. I don’t know what idiotic reason you had for not proposing sooner, but I’m glad that you changed your mind,” Sasuke said with a genuine smile.

Itachi was too stunned to speak. Eventually, he managed to return the smile. “Thank you, Sasuke.”

~:~

Days later, Sasuke found himself sitting in the restored Hokage residence with more people than he was used to at these joint family dinners. Izumi had joined them this time, but it was the addition of Uzumaki Karin that made Sasuke consider ditching early. (If only his mother wouldn’t hunt him down for it.)

All night, Karin had stuck to his side, flip flopping between formal indifference and crazed fangirling. Sasuke hadn’t had a chance to push her off him yet, however. Naruko was doing a decent job of defending his personal space. She couldn’t do much now that he was sitting at the table with Karin uncomfortably close to his side. Sasuke tried not to sigh aloud.

“This salmon is delicious, Uzumaki-san,” Izumi complimented.

“No need to be so formal, Izumi-chan! Itachi-kun calls me by my first name after all, ‘ttebane,” Kushina smiled. “I can give you the recipe after dinner.”

“I’d like that. I’ve been trying to cook more fish for Itachi. I read that it’s good for fatigue,” Izumi conversed. Immediately, Mikoto perked up, her eyes already scanning her eldest for signs of fatigue. Itachi stared resolutely down at his food, a blink and you might miss it blush coloring his cheeks. Sasuke smirked.

“I know what you mean. Minato has been pretty exhausted lately, too,” Kushina nodded along sagely. Minato softly sighed next to his wife but didn’t comment.

“Overseeing the rebuilding of an entire village can be taxing,” Fugaku inputted. As if picking up on some hidden meaning, Mikoto tore her eyes away from Itachi to examine her husband carefully.

“I can give you the recipe, too dattebane,” Kushina conspiratorially whispered to Mikoto. Mikoto gave her a quiet thanks before returning to her food.

“It’s just nice to finally have you join us for dinner, Izumi-chan. Itachi-kun should have brought you sooner,” Kushina said with Minato nodding along in agreement.

Izumi blushed prettily and said, “I hadn’t wanted to impose.”

“We’re glad that you changed your mind,” Minato said.

“It seemed like the logical choice,” Itachi started while giving Izumi an uncharacteristically soft look. Izumi’s blush deepened, but she didn’t shy away from slipping her hand into Itachi’s. “Since Izumi has agreed to marry me.”

Several pairs of chopsticks suddenly clattered onto their dishes as Kushina loudly squealed in delight. Mikoto’s happiness was much softer in volume, but Sasuke couldn’t remember the last time that he’d seen his mother’s eyes shine like that. His father’s harsh lines had softened slightly, a small smile on his face.

“Congratulations, Itachi-nii-san!” Naruko exclaimed with a wide grin.

“This is wonderful news, Itachi,” Fugaku said since Mikoto was too bust tearing up to speak. “I propose a toast to you both,” Fugaku said, raising his cup in the air. Everyone else was quick to follow suit, a giddy excitement quickly filling the air. Sasuke reached for his drink as well but faltered when his fingers bumped the side of the cup and sent his tea spilling onto the table. He blinked down at his hand in confusion, but quickly needed to blink to clear his vision. When he finally looked up, he was met with puzzled looks.

“That’s alright, Sasuke-kun. I’ll clean it up,” Kushina said and quickly got up from the table.

Sasuke wasn’t so concerned by that, however. His attention was drawn to Itachi who was staring down at the spilled tea with a small, almost unnoticeable frown. Eventually, Itachi’s gaze rose to meet his own, but his brother did an impeccable job of giving nothing away. Even as everyone else had gone back to their toasts and congratulations, Itachi was still holding his gaze.

When Itachi broke eye contact to thank their father for his kind words, Sasuke had wanted to breathe a sigh of relief. However, his relief was short lived when he felt another’s stare on him. Naruko was frowning up at him, her confusion much more obvious than Itachi’s had been. Sasuke kept his face carefully blank as he returned her gaze. He could tell that she wanted to say something to him, but like Itachi, she let it go. He knew that it would only a matter of time before she confronted him, however. Sasuke felt his stomach start to sink.

~Omake~

Sasuke had thought that dinners with the Uzumakis had pushed the boundaries of a civil mealtime. But now that the Uzumaki clan had grown by one, loud redhead, he was certain that the boundaries had been obliterated. He did his best to focus on his food, ignoring the girlish giggles and soft squeals on his left and teeth grinding and low growls on his right.

“Sasuke-kun, would you like some more tea?” Karin asked, looking almost indifferent as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. Before he could answer, Karin was already unnecessarily invading his personal space to reach for the teapot that was admittedly out of her reach.

“He already has tea, dattebayo,” Naruko replied for him, pulling the tea pot out of Karin’s reach with a narrowed glare.

“I was just offering,” Karin said with a soft ‘humph’. Sasuke said a quick, mental prayer for patience. He’d thought that Sakura had been bad… “It’s not like you were going to do it,” Karin said and took a vicious bite of her fish.

Naruko’s cheeks flushed as she objected, “I would have! But he didn’t ask.”

Sasuke refrained from rolling his eyes. Naruko had never poured his tea before, and he’d never asked her to. Girls could be so strange.

“A good wife pours tea for her husband. Ne, Uchiha-san?” Karin asked his mother, once again feigning formality. Sasuke did his best not to choke on his food.

Mikoto had been too stunned to answer, but Naruko was already loudly interjecting, “You’re not marrying him, dattebayo!”

Karin didn’t reply, choosing to fold her arms over her chest and turn her face away from Naruko’s fuming form. The dismissal incensed Naruko even further, causing her to push herself up from her seat with her fist raised and fire in her eyes. “Usuratonkachi,” Sasuke started when Naruko’s rising chakra was making the space around her uncomfortably warm.

“See? Sasuke-kun wouldn’t marry someone he doesn’t respect, usuratonkachi,” Karin said with the utmost confidence in her voice. Sasuke had felt annoyed throughout dinner by Karin’s and Naruko’s antics but couldn’t explain this newfound sense of irritation. He shot Karin a narrowed glare, making the girl falter for the first time tonight.

If his anger was a cold indignation, Naruko’s was an equal but opposite rage. “You don’t get to call me that,” Naruko growled and brought her fist down onto the wooden table. The poor table creaked once before its legs buckled beneath it, sending the plates of food sliding down and crashing into a pile on the floor. Everyone paused to stare in astonishment at the mess before an ominous aura had goosebumps breaking out around the room.

“Naruko,” Kushina growled, her red hair rising and whipping menacingly around her.

Naruko’s face paled as she quickly backed away and offered stuttered pleas. “K-Kaa-chan, wait! I can fix it!” she tried to offer but abandoned all pretenses when she spotted a familiar glint of her mother’s trusty, frying pan. As his wife and daughter were loudly crashing from room to room around their new home, Minato moved to grab a broom with a shake of his head.

Chapter Text

Sasuke could tell that Itachi had wanted to pull him away for a not so discrete questioning after dinner. He could see it in the slightly pinched look of worry written all over his brother’s face. For a second, it looked like Itachi was about to say something to him and Sasuke had braced himself accordingly. But just as quickly, Itachi had deflated, as if metaphorically holding his tongue. Sasuke figured that his brother was still doing his best not to be too intrusive or overstep any boundaries- something he definitely appreciated. So, Sasuke had silently watched his brother shoot him a heavy look while Izumi had bid everyone farewell at the end of dinner.

Despite managing to avoid one potentially catastrophic talk, Sasuke had felt his mood sink when he had finally faced Naruko. Sasuke had truly expected her to do the “Naruko thing” by making a scene outside the Hokage’s residence and disturbing the quiet, night air. However, Sasuke was pleasantly surprised when Naruko asked him to spar with her tomorrow morning. He had shot her a curious look, but Naruko had given him one of determination that left him reeling.

It never took him too long to work out what Naruko was thinking. She usually shouted it for the heavens to hear or kept her every emotion splayed out on her face. But the slightly impassive face that had stared up at him had left him stumped and filling with slight dread. She had mentioned that he had changed. Had he neglected to realize that she had changed as well?

~:~

Sasuke usually enjoyed his spars with Naruko. She was the perfect mix of strength, endurance, and unpredictable ingenuity to keep him on his toes. Her vibrant chakra and fiery determination quickly got his heart pounding and excitement rising. He enjoyed the various looks that crossed her face during their spars (particularly the ones of fierce challenge) as if she was mirroring his own, more tightly guarded emotions. The Naruko he faced the next morning had no such expressions or vibrancy.

Naruko had arrived in their clearing shortly after him, her face blank except for a small frown. When he’d attempted to draw out a response from her with some light ribbing, she had responded with a fast punch to his face. Sasuke had activated his Sharingan and dodged the punch at the same time, quickly casting aside any playful notions when he sensed her serious demeanor.

Their spar was far more violent than usual, quickly drawing blood before half an hour had passed. Sasuke could sense a simmering anger within Naruko that was slowly manifesting the longer they fought. Her impassiveness was long gone by mid-day and replaced by a look of frustration. Sasuke had responded in kind, his strikes a bit too brutal for a friendly spar. He’d wanted to ask her what she was hoping to achieve here but hadn’t been able to form the words. It was a vicious cycle of taking a harsh blow from her, letting his own frustrations mount, responding with a hard hit of his own, watching her anger build, and starting the cycle all over again.

When Naruko had suddenly activated her sage mode in the middle of an attack, Sasuke’d had barely enough time to gather enough chakra for a quick defense with his Susanoo. It would normally be a bit of an overkill to use his eyes like this in a simple spar with Naruko, but that was when they were pulling their punches. The increase of strength seemed to bring about a shift in Naruko, an unsettling calm settling over her as she stared at him from across the field.

“What do you want from me, Naruko?” Sasuke finally asked, his anger making the words come out harsher than he’d intended. The only response he’d gotten was a subtle tightening of her fists before she closed in on him.

It was probably an immature reaction, but Naruko’s unusual behavior brought out an indignant annoyance in him. As if their roles had been reversed, Sasuke’s mask had long since cracked and fallen away as he seethed at her level expression. However, underneath the mass of negative emotions clouding his judgement, there was confusion and slight hurt that he was readily ignoring. Sasuke wasn’t sure what was worse- being ignored or disregarded by her.

He'd gotten about three hours out of his Mangekyo before he felt his chakra reserves dip and his eyes faded to black for the first time during their spar. It had happened at the worst time, causing him to not only lose sight of Naruko but to lose any visual acuity. His instincts had screamed at him too late to dodge and Naruko had sent him flying into a tree with a well-placed kick to the chest. Despite clearly having the advantage, Naruko hadn’t let up in her assault. Surprisingly, she hadn’t summoned any clones during her onslaught and had stuck to using her fists and ninja tools. When Sasuke had failed to dodge a kunai in time and gotten a small cut to his cheek, Naruko had suddenly paused.

Sasuke hadn’t been able to see the physical change when her sage mode ended, but he could sense the nature energy and pressure around her dissipating. He’d been in the process of pushing himself onto his feet with every intention of restarting their fight, but Naruko had quickly closed in on him and seized him by the front of his shirt. He allowed her to shove him backwards into a tree trunk, trapping him between the rough bark and her furious form.

“What the hell is wrong with you, ‘ttebayo!?” she shouted up at him.

Incensed, Sasuke glared. “Let go of me, Usuratonkachi.”

He was tempted to break out of her hold on his own when Naruko shoved him against the trunk again. “Answer me, dammit!”

“There’s nothing wrong-” Sasuke started, his voice rising in volume.

Naruko was quick to cut him off, however. “Don’t lie to me, Sasuke. Even Itachi-nii-san knows what’s wrong with you.”

Sending Naruko to do his dirty work was low in Sasuke’s opinion. “What did Itachi tell you?” Sasuke asked, cursing his brother’s meddlesome ways.

“So there is something!” she shouted triumphantly. Sasuke paused. Had she actually managed to outsmart him?

“Naruko-” Sasuke tried to regain control of the budding argument, but Naruko was on a roll.

“You didn’t dodge!” she shouted and pointed at his cut cheek. “And you’re knocking stuff over and walking into things! You’re never clumsy, dattebayo!”

Sasuke was too stunned to speak. She was more observant than he gave her credit for.

Hands on her hips and a no nonsense look on her face, Naruko turned to him and asked, “What’s wrong with your eyes?”

He wanted to be honest with her. She was one of the few people he had that he could be honest with. But the gut reaction to disregard her was stronger. “It’s not your concern,” he dismissed.

“Bullshit!” she objected. “You’ll tell everyone else what’s wrong besides me! I thought we were friends. I thought-” Naruko quickly cut herself off mid-rant and gave him a look of poorly disguised embarrassment.

A myriad of thoughts and feelings were flying through his head. He wanted to tell her. He wanted to reassure her. But a nasty voice in the back of his mind forced him to hold his tongue. Sasuke wasn’t sure when, but a bitter jealousy had taken root within him.

Every day, Naruko’s strength seemed to grow in leaps and bounds. It felt like every time he managed to close the gap between them, she surged ahead again. He was unused to the feelings of inadequacy where she was concerned. It felt like his childhood all over again- struggling to break free of another’s shadow. And now, he had proof that even with his eyes, her strength eclipsed his own. Rationally, he knew that his resentment was uncalled for. He liked that she challenged him. He respected and admired her strength. But why was she able to go so far and (more importantly) why couldn’t he?

“Sasuke?” Naruko’s small voice broke him out of his reverie.

Barely curbing his instinct to lash out at her, Sasuke quickly turned and fled.

~:~

There was no place to hide.

Every spot in the village that had brought him some semblance of comfort and peace was tarnished by some memory of Naruko. Additionally, they were worsened by Naruko’s intimate knowledge of his habits. She was relentless in her pursuits of him, to the point where even civilians were starting to take notice. It was hard not to notice many Naruko clones turning over every stone in the village in search of him while loudly promising a world of hurt when she found him. He was counting his blessings that she hadn’t tried using sage mode to find him yet.

“I’m pretty sure that this goes against all of the advice I gave you on women.”

Sasuke felt his brow tick in annoyance, but he didn’t respond to Shisui’s provocation.

“If I could find you hiding out here, it’s only a matter of time before Naruko-chan does. She knows you better than I do after all,” Shisui said and leaned against the tree that Sasuke had been hiding lounging in.

“Did Itachi send you?” Sasuke finally spoke.

“He’s…concerned about you, but no. He didn’t send me to track you down,” Shisui admitted. Sasuke cracked an eye open when he felt a disturbance to his branch. Shisui was staring at him, subtly examining him. Sasuke narrowed his eyes in warning, but Shisui seemed to lack any self-preservation skills. “How bad are your eyes?”

Sasuke’s jaw momentarily clenched in anger before he replied, “Bad enough for Naruko to notice.”

“Is that what you’re fighting about?” Shisui asked and let out an exasperated sigh. “What did you say to her?”

“Nothing. Because it’s not her business. It’s not anyone’s business,” Sasuke said, finality coloring his tone.

Shisui gave him an unamused stare. “Are we really related? I didn’t expect this much stupidity from someone I’m supposedly related to,” Shisui said with a roll of his eyes. Sasuke quickly sat up straighter and glared at Shisui in annoyance. “Your girlfriend cares about you. That’s not a crime. I’d be concerned if she didn’t.”

“I don’t need-” Sasuke started.

“Sasuke!”

Sasuke nearly cursed. How he’d missed her bright chakra or the sounds of her practically bowling the forest over, he’d never know. “Good luck,” Shisui muttered with a scoff and quickly vanished. As soon as Shisui had disappeared, Naruko had taken his place. She looked positively livid as she crouched on the branch and glared at him for all he was worth.

“Stop running from me, you bastard! I’m sick of you running away and leaving me behind,” she shouted in his face.

Her words had small, alarm bells tinkling in the back of his mind. He hadn’t wanted to give her the impression that he was abandoning her. He’d just wanted some time away from her. He’d simply needed the space to work through his feelings. “I wasn’t running.”

His words seemed to increase her outrage. “Then what the hell were you doing!?”

Unable to hold back a sneer, Sasuke shoved Naruko out of his face and quickly pushed off the branch. When his feet touched down onto the ground, he said, “I didn’t want to be around you, Dobe,” from over his shoulder. The regret was instantaneous. Sasuke refused to look at her in the eye. He couldn't. He refused to give himself a visual to match the feel of her chakra dimming slightly. “Sorry,” he offered awkwardly, still not meeting her gaze.

When several seconds had gone by without a sound from her, Sasuke hesitantly faced her. Naruko stared up at him, her expression pinched. Sasuke felt his shoulders slump, but before he could somehow try to fix the mess he’d made, she said, “I don’t understand you, ‘ttebayo.”

Her words felt like a cold kunai through the heart. “You understand more than you think,” he revealed in a quiet voice. He could see the skepticism in her eyes as plain as day.

“I know you don’t like to talk about what’s bothering you. So, I thought I could figure it out if we fought each other.”

Sasuke sighed softly. His issues went far deeper than partial blindness. But he didn’t even know how to begin working through them. So many of them revolved around her. He loved her, but he hated her for being better than him. He wanted her with him, but sometimes the sight of her brought up all the bitterness he tried to bury. “I’m going blind,” he admitted. Baby steps.

Her details were a bit blurry, but he could make out the stunned widening of her eyes. “Your Sharingan?”

“The strain from the Mangekyo Sharingan eventually causes blindness the more it’s used,” he told her. Her face took on a horrified expression before quickly shifting to anger. Sasuke didn’t bother to defend against the punch she aimed at his side.

“You were using your Mangekyo yesterday!” she shouted up at him. “You used them when we fought Pain! You’ve been using them all this time!” she yelled and punctuated each word with another hit. “Idiot!”

“Hn,” Sasuke grunted and caught her by the wrists to stop her from unleashing her frustrations on him. “It was foolish to use them when we sparred,” he agreed.

“It was worse than foolish! It was stupid, dattebayo! It was idiotic! Dumb!” Naruko shouted up at him, half-heartedly trying to free herself from his grip.

Taking a page from her book, Sasuke invaded her personal space and said, “I don’t regret using them against Pain or Orochimaru.”

Naruko blinked up at him in stunned silence for several beats, a light blush on her cheeks. She quickly shook herself out and asked, “You used them against Orochimaru, too? Don’t you care that you’ll go blind? Dobe!”

“That didn’t matter,” Sasuke replied. Sensing another round of outrage from her, Sasuke preemptively cut her off. “There are more important things,” Sasuke hinted, pinning her in place with a meaningful gaze. He could practically see the gears slowly turning in her head as her cheeks went from a light pink to bright red. “Usuratonkachi,” Sasuke huffed and lowered his head to rest his forehead against her heated one.

“Bastard,” she half-heartedly grumbled. Sensing that he’d made it through the worst of her anger, he released her wrists and moved to pull away, but Naruko was quick to stop him. “You call me an idiot, but you’re the one always doing stupid things.”

“You bring it out of me,” Sasuke smirked.

“Shut up,” she grumbled. In a way, it was a bit of a relief to have her know the truth. ‘Honesty is the best policy,’Sasuke thought ruefully.

“Can’t Sakura-chan heal you?” Naruko asked and cupped the side of his face.

“As far as I know, the damage is permanent.”

“What about Baa-chan? She’s the best medical ninja in the world. Maybe if she gets better…” Naruko trailed off.

“Uchiha have gone blind before. It’s not something that can be healed,” Sasuke explained in a resigned tone.

Naruko lowered her head, a frustrated look on her face. “Well, then promise me that you won’t use them anymore. I need you alive and able to see, ‘ttebayo.”

Sasuke gave her a small frown. If he was going to be honest with her from now on… “I can’t promise you that.”

She looked ready to question him but paused. “We made a deal, Bastard. We get old and wrinkly together,” she warned.

Sasuke huffed and rolled his eyes. “I have no intention of dying again. I have no intention of watching you die either.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” she objected in a firm voice.

Sasuke wasn’t sure what words to use to convey to her how much he valued her life. To lose her now would ruin him. Sasuke believed that Naruko was too stubborn to die. But that didn’t mean that there weren’t constant threats to her well-being. Just the thought of another Akatsuki invasion or Orochimaru made his blood boil. The Yondaime’s words were still buzzing through his head.

“What are you thinking?” she asked him with a narrowed gaze.

Honesty. “How much you mean to me,” he replied. It took less than five seconds for her face to flush and a round of stuttered nonsense to leave her lips. Sasuke smirked.

Suddenly, Naruko’s embarrassed stutters ceased as a blank look crossed her face. Her brows furrowed before she asked, “When did you fight Orochimaru?”

“Before we fought Pain. Orochimaru was in the village with his Otogakure shinobi,” Sasuke answered, barely keeping the irritation from his tone.

“But he wasn’t captured. Did you…kill him again?”

“He ran away before I could. Pathetic,” Sasuke scoffed.

“You promised to help me, dattebayo,” Naruko pointed out. Now, it was his turn to be confused. “You promised to help me break the cycle of hatred. I want everyone to cooperate and understand each other and that includes you, Sasuke.”

Cooperate with and understand Orochimaru? “Impossible,” Sasuke didn’t hesitate to say.

Naruko frowned deeply and started, “Sasuke-”

“I will kill him,” Sasuke said, not bothering to hear her out.

“If you kill him for revenge, then someone else will try to get their revenge and kill you,” Naruko explained as if he were slow.

Sasuke highly doubted that there was such a person in the world that cared enough for a snake like Orochimaru. “They can try,” Sasuke said with a dismissive grunt as he moved out of her loose hold and turned to leave. The pinched look was back on her face, but Sasuke counted it as a small victory that she was no longer mad with him. “I’ll kill Orochimaru. I would kill anyone that harms my precious people,” Sasuke told her from over his shoulder. As he expected, Naruko was ready to object, but she was cut off by the sudden appearance of another.

“Shisui, what are you-” Sasuke started, but Shisui didn’t let him finish.

“You need to come back to the district. Fugaku-sama is in the hospital.”

Chapter Text

“You need to come back to the district. Fugaku-sama is in the hospital.”

Shisui hadn’t offered much of an explanation, nor had he expanded on his worrying news before he popped out of existence. Sasuke surmised that it had everything to do with Naruko’s presence. If Sasuke had to guess, the tension amongst his clan must have reached its peak. Whatever it was that upset his father a few days ago must have come to a head. Had his cousins attacked and hurt his father? Why? Did it have to do with the village?

“What are we waiting for? Let’s go, ‘ttebayo!” Naruko exclaimed with urgency in her voice.

There would be no point to arguing with Naruko. While he did trust her to be able to defend herself, he knew that he should avoid involving Naruko in his clan’s business. Sasuke eyed Naruko for a few seconds before quickly activating his Sharingan and casting a genjutsu as quickly as he could. He stood back to watch Naruko’s bright gaze dim just before she leapt away in the opposite direction of the Uchiha district. Reassured that she would be out of harm’s way for now, Sasuke hurried back to his home. (He told himself that he’d deal with her anger later.)

Sasuke wasn’t sure what he expected to see when he got back to the compound. His father was in the hospital, but what about his mother? Was Itachi already there? Was the Hokage? Sasuke knew that the Yondaime had been very indulgent with his clan in the past, but he also knew that the Hokage had already made it clear that he wouldn’t tolerate traitors to the village. With narrowed focus, Sasuke picked up the pace.

As he ran, Sasuke'd run through several different possibilities for what he would see when he got home, but he hadn’t expected to come upon an all-out battle in the streets. From where he stood atop the wall surrounding the district, Sasuke tried to pinpoint who was fighting whom. Unfortunately, there were no green flak jackets or even any ANBU uniforms mixed in among the bodies. As far as he could tell, everybody had an Uchiha clan crest emblazoned on their backs. There were young, old, men, women, skilled fighters, and civilians. His clan was tearing itself apart.

Sasuke had long thought about what he would do if he ever had to choose between the clan and the village, but he hadn’t expected to choose between separate halves within the clan. He couldn’t readily identify who was fighting for what cause. None of the faces he spotted popped out as any of the particularly vocal clan members.

Maybe he hadn’t been paying enough attention? Had he been ignoring the tension amongst his clan? The anger, hatred, and frustration that he was now seeing on his family’s faces looked far too intense for what he expected. Had he been too focused on Naruko and the threat of the Akatsuki? (Or had Orochimaru pulled away too much of his interest?)

His Sharingan allowed him to see the kunai coming towards him long before it had even left his aunt’s hand. She was just a civilian in the clan, one of his clan’s best seamstresses, but her aim was better than a civilian’s should be. Had she been training for this fight? She lacked any sort of power or speed behind her throw, so it was easy for him to snatch the oncoming projectile out of mid-air before zeroing in his gaze on her.

He could see the exact moment she realized her blunder. She’d been so kind to him the last time his mother had brought him and Itachi into her shop to get a new kimono. But now, she was staring at him with fear in her dark eyes. Did she expect him to try to kill her now? He didn’t get a chance to try to alleviate her fears before she took off running, shoving others out of her way as she ran, and causing some to stop and look around at what could have terrified her.

The looks he got from other clan members ranged from (maybe?) relief to disgust and hatred. What did they expect him to do? Try as he might, he couldn’t see the separation between his family members. He couldn’t tell who was on the right versus the wrong side. (Was there a right and wrong? They were all family.)

Sasuke didn’t get a chance to decide before one of his cousins, Kenichi, was leaping at him, Sharingan actively swirling. His cousin’s Sharingan had only two tomoe, but that didn’t discourage him from trying to slice his kunai across Sasuke’s eyes. With a narrowed gaze, Sasuke dodged and parried the blows with relative ease.

“Traitors don’t deserve those eyes!” Kenichi shouted at him, hatred and frustration flashing in his eyes.

Sasuke gave him a small frown before using chakra to sidestep, deflect the oncoming strike, and land a precise hit at the side of Kenichi’s neck. He caught his cousin as he was falling, probed around his vagus nerve with some healing chakra, and gently lowered the unconscious, older man to the ground by the back of his clothes. Sasuke watched more of his family shoot him both wary looks and hateful glares.

“Sasuke-chan! Help us kill them the way they killed Fugaku-sama!” a voice shouted. Sasuke didn’t bother to determine who it had been. He had more pressing concerns, such as where his mother’s well-being. He could hear a few disappointed cries as he took to the rooftops and leapt away.

He couldn’t kill his family. Sasuke was surprised that the rest of the clan seemed to not have similar qualms. He could see brothers and sisters fighting each other, wives fighting their husbands, children opposing their parents… It all left him feeling deeply troubled. He couldn’t imagine fighting his brother, parents, or Shisui to the death. What was so different about him from the rest of the clan that was preventing any of this madness from making any sense?

Despite a portion on his attention being trained on his inner thoughts, Sasuke had more than enough time to detect the fireball hurtling towards him. A controlled burst of chakra to his legs had him flipping out of the way of the attack and leaving a chunk of the roof to be blasted away instead. Sasuke barely acknowledged the now exposed wood that was slowly catching on fire. His attention was quickly pulled away by his cousin, Yashiro, landing on the roof of the neighboring building. His cousin was clutching a bloodied tanto in one hand and a couple shuriken in the other. Sasuke’s grip tightened on his kunai.

“I had originally disliked you for your callous and disrespectful disregard for Fugaku. But then I realized that he was nothing more than an old fool; too scared to do what needed to be done for the good of the clan. Clearly, you could see far better than I could,” Yashiro said, raising up from his defensive stance and taking up a more open pose. “I wonder how well you can see now?”

Sasuke wasn’t sure if that was a dig about his Mangekyo ravaging his vision, but then Yashiro said, “You can see right through Fugaku, but you struggle to see through Itachi’s tricks.”

Incensed and offended, Sasuke almost growled, “My brother doesn’t-”

“He’s a traitor to the clan. He has poisoned those around him and pulled them over to the village- Shisui, Fugaku, and even you. You would stand for the village and die for it, but the village hates the Uchiha. They treat us worse than scum! They reject, ostracize, and surveil us while still expect us to serve them!” Yashiro was shouting over the streets now. The fighting below slowed to a stop as more and more people began listening to his words. Several below shouted their jeers and objections, becoming more invigorated by the ranting.

“The village needs the strength of the Uchiha, not the other way around!” Yashiro shouted, being backed up by more shouts of agreement.

“This village is corrupt and unfair!”

  “Madara-sama was right!”

Yashiro turned back to Sasuke just as his other cousins, Tekka and Inabi, took up their places behind him. Blood was still dripping from their weapons as well. “Sasuke,” Yashiro said and pointed his tanto at Sasuke. “You can either join us or die at our feet. Renounce your brother and your traitorous ways or I’ll be cleaning your blood from my hands later.”

Sasuke was highly doubtful of that. His cousins were all in their fifties, too old and battle worn to fight with more than just their words anymore. He was sure that he wouldn’t even need his Mangekyo to humiliate them for even insinuating that they could kill him or that he would betray his brother.

“You’re an idiot,” Sasuke scoffed, filling the near silence that had fallen. “I’ve killed stronger men than you.” Tekka and Inabi looked rageful at his words, but Yashiro smirked.

“So be it then,” Yashiro said and rushed in. The clang of steel colliding signaled to those fighting below to resume their attacks.

His cousin was about as strong as he expected, clearly skilled but rusty. He was too slow to keep up and not agile enough to dodge some light swipes of Sasuke’s kunai. He wasn’t attacking fatally, preferring a slower reveal of the gap between their strength and skill. When Sasuke had managed to practically blur out and into his cousin’s line of sight, he smirked at the panicked expression on the older man’s face. He watched the shock and fear in cousin’s eyes as Yashiro realized what was coming. Sasuke had poked through another hole in the man’s defenses and now his kunai was poised to permanently blind Yashiro.

But despite the clear threats made against him, Sasuke didn’t feel the need to truly injure his family. At the last second, Sasuke diverted his hand and let the tip of his kunai graze Yashiro’s temple instead before quickly kicking the man in his chest and sending him flying backwards into Tekka and Inabi’s arms. More than a little ruffled, Yashiro quickly twisted back onto his feet with a growl.

“He can’t take us all at once,” Sasuke read Inabi’s lips as he whispered to Yashiro.

Sharingan spinning lazily, Sasuke said, “Even the three of you together wouldn’t be a challenge for the newest of genin.”

Sasuke got the reaction he was looking for when all three of their faces flamed. “After we kill you, we’re going to kill Itachi as well, and then we’ll finish what Madara-sama started. We’ll use the kyuubi to destroy this rotten village and everyone in it that profits off the back of the Uchiha!” Yashiro exclaimed, leading the other two into a charge.

Sasuke felt an unbidden spike of his chakra, the smugness he had been feeling slowly dissipating and being replace by a cold fury. With renewed energy, Sasuke gathered some lightning and channeled it through the kunai. He didn’t want to kill family, but he would do whatever was necessary to protect his precious people.

His killing intent was rising with every second that passed. Nothing oppressive or suffocating yet, but potent enough that it gave his cousin’s momentary pause. It wasn’t enough to stop them completely, but it didn’t matter. Time was slowing down now, his eyes already showing him the moments when he would slit all their throats. Suddenly, Sasuke’s instincts screaming at him to dodge just in time to miss the rain of shuriken that fell in a perfect line between him and his cousins.

Sasuke turned wild eyes onto whoever had intervened, pausing at the sight of Itachi impassively staring down at them from a power pole. Itachi’s Sharingan spun lazily, a clean tanto in his hand and a frown deepening on his face. Sasuke felt the rest of his killing intent peter out in the wake of Itachi’s silent disapproval.

“Itachi!” Yashiro shouted for the heavens to hear.

“Yashiro,” Itachi acknowledged calmly.

“So, you’ve come down from your seat at the Hokage’s feet? Did Yondaime-sama not think we were important enough to face himself, so he sent you in his stead? Have you come to silence our voices? Our warranted complaints?” Yashiro was still yelling, now capturing the attention of everyone around. A few of the shinobi on the street leapt up onto the buildings to get a better view of the interaction.

Itachi stared at the trio for a few seconds before looking around at all the red and black eyes staring up at him. “It is only a matter of time before outside forces arrive. Lay down your weapons and give up this pointless crusade,” Itachi spoke, his tone level and voice strong.

“Pointless!?” someone echoed in outrage.

“You’re fighting an unwinnable battle for imagined slights. You focus on the trivial and lose sight of what is most important. Change is impossible in this fog of ignorance,” Itachi said, his voice sounding both disapproving and disappointed.

Although he was sure that his brother wasn’t speaking to him, Sasuke still felt the weight of Itachi’s words weighing down on him. However, Yashiro didn’t seem to feel the same. “It’s you that’s ignorant! You would turn your back on your clan! Forsook your own family and aligned with the village that would repay you by asking you to give your life for them!”

Itachi’s eyes narrowed as he calmly asked, “How many of your own clansmen have you felled with your sword today? How many homes have you set ablaze? It’s not the village that’s our enemy.”

Sasuke watched a few of the onlookers look around them, their eyes catching on splatters and pools of blood drying in the streets and the few burning buildings. The conviction that had just been rampant and strong was slowly wavering. Sasuke watched Itachi jump from the power pole, arc through the air, and land on the roof with almost inaudible steps. Despite his brother’s (showy) display, Yashiro, Tekka, and Inabi were turning even redder, still grasping at their rage. Apparently through with using words, Yashiro released a loud battle cry and charged.

Without his Sharingan, Sasuke would have missed the quick blur that was his brother moving in head on. Sasuke could track each single punch to each man before they each were sent flying in different direction. Itachi stood up straight while the men groaned from the ground. Red eyes gleaming, Itachi turned his gaze onto the others still milling around. Without using any killing intent, Itachi had managed to put genuine fear into the rebels. Sasuke was mildly impressed, if not jealous.

Sasuke frowned at the sight of the former rebels quickly fleeing from sight. “We need to stop them,” Sasuke objected, but Itachi’s grip on his shoulder stopped him.

“How do you plan to stop them, Sasuke?” Itachi asked him. Apparently, Itachi still had some more disapproval to spare. Sasuke grit his teeth, but looked down and away from his brother’s knowing gaze. “Death should not be a sentence given to family.”

Feeling the tips of his ears burn in shame, Sasuke pulled out of Itachi’s grip. His brother let him go without a fight. “And what about them? How many do you think they killed today? It was probably them that hurt Tou-san. They wanted to kill you. They wanted to release the kyuu-” Sasuke started but couldn’t stop himself in time.

Itachi’s expression shifted to one almost reminiscent of exasperation. Knowing that he’d said exactly the wrong thing, Sasuke stepped back and away from his brother to collect his thoughts. “Sasuke,” Itachi stressed. When Sasuke ignored him, Itachi tried again. “Otouto, revenge is a double-edged sword. The longer you hold onto it, the deeper you cut yourself,” Itachi explained in a patient way, as if he were speaking to a child.

“Don’t worry. I don’t have to hold it for long, Itachi. I’m already strong enough to have my revenge whenever I want,” Sasuke replied.

“You misunderstand me, Sasuke. Your vengeance and hatred will consume you, little brother. I’m telling you to let it go,” Itachi said in an imperative tone.

It was his shame and embarrassment from being lectured by his big brother that made Sasuke turn an annoyed look on his brother. “Would you?” Sasuke muttered. “I would kill anyone to protect my precious people. That includes you, Nii-san,” Sasuke said. And because he knew that it would hurt his brother just a little bit, Sasuke said, “Would you do the same for me?”

Losing his indifference, Itachi gave him a pained expression just before his face smoothed out again. Immediately, Sasuke wanted to take back the words, deeply regretting saying them in the first place. “Nii-san-”

“It’s alright, Sasuke. You’re right. I am a hypocrite,” Itachi said. The shame Sasuke felt before was nothing compared to what he felt at seeing the unguarded love in Itachi’s eyes. “Tou-san is stable in the hospital. He took a hit for Kaa-san from a tanto. She’s staying with him in the hospital.”

“Good,” Sasuke replied. “Shisui sent a clone, but he didn’t know much.”

“Can you locate Shisui? I don’t think he should need much help, but it’s imperative that we get a handle on this quickly,” Itachi requested as he put out the nearby fires with a water jutsu.

“Where are you going?”

As he was moving to leave, Itachi replied, “Izumi was visiting her mother today. I’m going to find her.”

“I hope you find her soon,” Sasuke replied, still feeling a little awkward around his brother. (Why? Why had he said something so stupid?) Itachi gave him a silent nod and left. Was this the moment that Itachi’s seemingly never-ending elove for him would begin to fade? With a silent sigh, Sasuke left the roof as well.

~:~

Shisui had awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan when he was fifteen. It had been a completely avoidable and pathetically pointless event. He’d turned his back on a rival- a friend. He’d let his jealousy take hold and chosen to let a friend die. A comrade had needlessly lost their life and Shisui had gained the Mangekyo Sharingan and the ability to cast the most powerful genjutsu in existence. He’d let someone die and had been rewarded for it. Fugaku-sama and the clan elders had been proud of him for reaching such a difficult milestone. But their pride had only served to make him even more disgusted with himself.

It took a while for Shisui to able to accept that this was who he was deep down. (Try as he might to uphold Uchiha Kagami’s name and legacy, he’d failed at the most pivotal moment.) It took a heart to heart with Itachi for him to begin to understand that he was human and bound to his imperfections. Shisui had always wanted to be a good role-model for Itachi, but it was his younger cousin that he often compared himself to. But as much as Itachi had tried, he couldn’t help Shisui let go of all his self-loathing. These eyes were a curse. They provided strength as payment for suffering. While he wasn’t opposed to use his Sharingan to strengthen his base abilities, Shisui adamantly refused to use his Mangekyo. He didn’t need that kind of power.

Unfortunately, not everyone in his clan felt the same way. Shisui had known for years that there were others in the clan with the Mangekyo, but he’d never made a point to discuss their eyes with them. (It felt like a creepy topic for conversation in his opinion.)

He had been moving through the streets, efficiently knocking out his warring clanmates with a preference for the anarchists he recognized from clan meetings. His advance through the streets had been suddenly halted by a group of shinobi surrounding him an alleyway. “You chose a decent location. You’re trying to box me in to limit my movement,” Shisui mused as he glanced around him. There were at least twenty men blocking all paths of escape.

“Our task was to take you out of commission before Itachi arrived,” his uncle that had taught him how to water walk said.

“Don’t want to take us on at the same time?” Shisui surmised.

“It’s easier this way. You have the Mangekyo, but one isn’t as good as three,” his uncle said as his eyes shifted into his Mangekyo. Two others in the crowd copied his moves and readied their weapons. Three Mangekyo at the same time would be challenging, but not impossible to beat. ‘Just have to be quick,’ Shisui thought with a small grin.

~:~

In Itachi’s opinion, one of the worst things about his ability to process information was just how quickly he could do so much of it at once. Sometimes, it felt like he could be focused on multiple things at once. While he was concerned for his father in the hospital, he was also feeling concern for Izumi and Shisui who were both somewhere in the district. He considered how Minato would react once he heard the news of the uprising. His mind was even running on the latest disappointing news of mission failure from Kakashi-san. But the majority of his focus was directed towards his little brother.

Sasuke’s words had hurt, but they hadn’t been untrue. Itachi was a hypocrite, and he was well aware of it. Much of his beliefs and actions deeply conflicted with each other- his pacifism and astoundingly high body count, his want for peace and his willingness to strike down those that threaten his village and loved ones, his genius and inability to figure out how to save his brother.

It felt like every time he took his gaze off his brother, Sasuke seemed to sink deeper and deeper into his hate and vengeance. But Itachi could tell that no matter what he said, Sasuke only became increasingly deaf to his warnings and pleas. Orochimaru’s interference and the threat of the Akatsuki kept his little brother in a constant state of urgency and impending catastrophe. Sasuke wanted- needed- to become strong enough to protect, but Itachi worried over his brother’s need for power. Such a lust couldn’t end well.

“Itachi!”

Izumi’s voice had him turning to and running to her before he’d consciously thought to do it. He didn’t stop when he touched down on the ground before her. She had an arm around her injured mother, providing a support to lean on. Itachi examined the older women’s injured ankle.

“It’s just a sprain. I was about to take her to the hospital,” Izumi explained.

“You’re low on chakra,” Itachi observed and crouched in front of his soon to be mother-in-law.

“Thank you, Itachi-kun,” she said gratefully as she slowly moved to climb on his back.

“I had to use my Sharingan. I held them off as best as I could without it,” Izumi started. She must have seen the concern he felt because she rushed to say, “I’m alright. Most of them started running after that.”

She was always too quick to brush off her own problems. He was about to say something else, but Izumi quickly cut off his worry to ask, “Where’s Sasuke and Shisui?”

“I sent Sasuke to find Shisui,” Itachi said, doing his best not to bring up the clear limp in Izumi’s step. He could see the blood running down her leg.

Izumi quickly shifted to block his view of her injury while attempting to lead him away. “We’re going to the hospital anyways,” she reasoned.

Itachi quickly made a clone. “We can get there faster if my clone carries you,” Itachi pointed out. Izumi gave him a patient smile, already wise to his intentions. The very second his clone wrapped its arms around her back and knees, Itachi felt a large spike of chakra coming from the west.

“Have the ANBU arrived?” Izumi asked.

“The ANBU?” he heard Yua say from his back, sitting up straighter and trying to see if she could see what he was looking at.

“I don’t think so,” Itachi replied. If it were the ANBU, he wouldn’t be able to feel their chakra signatures at all. Unfortunately, his sensing abilities weren’t sharp enough to specifically identify who it was using so much chakra or how many there were.

“You should hurry,” Izumi said and tried to leave his clone’s grasp. He wasn’t sure how he felt about her easy acceptance of him abandoning her. “The clan is in trouble which means the village is in trouble. You’re Itachi of the Leaf,” she explained and helped her mother off his back. He watched his clone take his place before leaping away with the older woman.

It didn’t feel right to leave her, but she was right. Duty should come before attachments. Itachi summoned another clone. He would only leave her because he was sure that she’d be alright. “I’ll come find you as soon as things have settled,” Itachi said, taking advantage of their solitude by kissing her forehead.

“I know. Don’t worry,” Izumi replied as his second clone picked her up and left with her in his arms. Now that he was alone, Itachi took a moment to center himself and push his emotions aside. Whatever he was about to find would need his complete focus.

~:~

Sasuke was doing his best on trying to find Shisui, but he couldn’t get his mind off Itachi’s words. Maybe his brother was right, yet again? Itachi was always right. Why would he be wrong about this? Had he been only hurting himself this whole time by living for revenge? For the past few months, Sasuke had refused to let go of his need for vengeance. He pushed himself past his limits and was finally able to face Orochimaru on even footing. But how far had he truly gotten? Orochimaru was still alive and hidden away. If he couldn’t kill one snake, how strong was he really? Did Itachi think he was incapable of handling his want for retribution?

As much as he tried to steer his thoughts away from the idea, it refused to leave his thoughts. Itachi was a hypocrite. If Itachi was right about vengeance, he didn’t seem to care about the repercussions of his own. Would Itachi’s vengeance somehow be more justified than Sasuke’s was? Did Itachi somehow think that he was superior to him?

Sasuke wanted to scoff at his thoughts. Itachi was his loving, nosy, meddlesome brother. Itachi had never been cruel to him. He’d never compared their strengths or acted with condescending malice. Itachi had only ever encouraged and tested him. Itachi had always believed that Sasuke would surpass him one day. (Sasuke now resisted the urge to ask how far off that day was.)

His thoughts and legs came to an abrupt halt when he felt a large spike in chakra coming from the middle of the district. Switching directions, Sasuke made his way over to where he was sensing a lot of dense chakra starting to build. It was difficult to pinpoint Shisui’s chakra signature amongst the heavy cloud, but Sasuke had a good hunch that his cousin was at the center of whatever power struggle had just broken out.

Sasuke jumped down into an alleyway, his eyes roving over the splatters of blood still running down the walls. He couldn’t tell how many had been here, there were too many bloody footprints and puddles to get an accurate count. Continuing on, Sasuke came upon some unconscious bodies lying on the ground and against the walls. If this had been Shisui’s handiwork, he was clearly very efficient and successful. Sasuke was certain now that Itachi’s concern had been misplaced and he would find Shisui no worse for wear at the end of this trail of bodies.

Sauske’s casual stroll down the alley was paused by the feel of a new chakra signature. It took Sasuke less than a second to recognize it as Itachi’s, but his brother’s chakra had never felt so oppressive and cold. Clearing the rest of the alley with a few strides, Sasuke pushed out onto the main street and felt his heart stop.

He had been right to expect most of Shisui’s attackers would be incapacitated. But he would never have predicted that he’d see his cousin laying at the center of the chaos with a katana plunged through his gut. Sasuke could still see the small movements in Shisui’s torso that signified his shallow breathing. But before he could take a step towards Shisui, Sasuke was stopped once again by the feel of his brother’s chakra.

Itachi was standing at the other end of the street, his eyes focused on Shisui, and his entire body wrapped in red flames. Sasuke had seen his brother’s Mangekyo only once, but it hadn’t looked so menacing the last time. The way his brother’s chakra was roiling, it wouldn’t be much longer before the entire village was kicking down their gate.

Sasuke wanted to step out towards his brother, but when Itachi’s eyes suddenly looked up from Shisui’s body it felt like his brother was looking right at him. He was wrong, however. Itachi’s gaze was focused on the only other man standing. Sasuke couldn’t identify the man from just his back, but he was certain that he had been the one to down Shisui. Without warning, Itachi left eye’s started bleeding, the veins in it becoming more pronounced.

“Tsukuyomi,” Sasuke heard what sounded like his brother’s voice. But it was far more ominous than he’d ever heard it. Sasuke barely suppressed the shiver that ran down his spine.

Initially, Sasuke had no idea what had happened, if anything at all. There were a few beats of tense silence until he heard the screaming. He watched the man fall to his knees with screams of terror filling the air. Sasuke couldn’t see any injuries on the man, despite his tortured screams. Itachi was now rapidly blinking and clutching at his eye in pain, his body doubling over with a heavy pant. Whatever jutsu he had used must be over, but their uncle was still screaming bloody murder. Sasuke watched as his uncle screamed himself hoarse before rolling over onto his back and going completely still.

Sasuke’s eyes widened. It had to be a genjutsu. But what could Itachi have shown him that would cause such a break down? He had no idea that his brother possessed such a frightening power.

Just like that, Sasuke watched several ANBU leap out of the shadows and oppose his brother. The fear that had locked his limbs in place had quickly left, being replaced by an urgent need to defend his brother. His path was blocked by an ANBU in a cat mask that warned, “Do not interfere.”

Sasuke was ready to shove his way through to his brother if he had to. But it was the commanding voice of the Hokage that stopped him. “Stand down,” he ordered before slowly approaching Itachi. “Itachi-kun, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left you to shoulder this burden alone. Please,” Minato said and offered Itachi a hand.

Finally, the red aura around his brother vanished and seemed to take the last his fight with it. Sasuke could see his brother breathing deeply, his eyes trained on the ground and his shoulders slumped. Minato moved to take a step closer, but he paused when a racking cough started to fill the air. Sasuke hadn’t heard his brother cough like that in years. Sasuke tried to look around the troublesome cat ANBU because the Hokage must have done something to his brother for him to sound so terrible. The Hokage was moving in closer still, reaching a hand towards Itachi just as Itachi coughed up enough blood to cover his hands. Itachi looked at his hands in surprise for a split second before his face went blank and he collapsed into the Yondaime’s arms.

“No,” Sasuke’s soft plea barely carried. All the past fear that he had felt over losing his brother to his illness was resurging with a vengeance now. Without caring for the ramifications, Sasuke channeled his lighting release throughout his body while elbowing the ANBU in his exposed side. The momentary stun was enough to break him out of Cat’s hold, but Sasuke didn’t make it more than a few steps before he was ensnared in thick vines that had just sprung up through the earth. There was a soft, confused, ‘Mokuton?’ that ran through the back of his mind before disappearing in the wake of overwhelming concern for his brother. From where he was pinned to the ground, Sasuke watched Minato glance at the bodies around him, frown deeply, and give the ANBU a subtle nod. With fire in his eyes, Sasuke tried to keep his gaze on Minato, but he felt his lids grow heavy. His last thoughts were a confused lament on his chakra being stripped away.

Chapter Text

Consciousness came back to him slowly. His mind was foggy and his limbs were too heavy to move. There were several questions on his mind, but the loudest was, ‘What the hell happened to me?’ As if posing the question was enough to open the floodgates, everything came rushing back. Sasuke couldn’t stop the way his entire body tensed when he remembered what had happened to his brother. The Yondaime had done something to him. Sasuke was sure of it.

Suddenly, some overhead lights flickered on and managed to disorient him despite his eyes being closed. Slowly cracking an eye open, Sasuke tried to determine where he was- an empty room with blank walls and a few dried blood stains on the floors. This wasn’t the prison. He’d seen it more than enough times in the past to know the difference. He had to be within T&I. There was nowhere else in the village that was equipped at holding shinobi.

The metal gurney that he was strapped to shouldn’t have been difficult to break away from, but his noticeably low chakra reserves gave him pause. His normally strong chakra moved sluggishly through his body, like a slow trickle of thick honey. Was this from the Mokuton user? (Since when did Konoha have a Mokuton user? Wasn’t the Shodaime the only one?)

The deafening silence was broken by the sound of a door opening. He couldn’t see who it was, nor could he sense their chakra, but the mystery was broken when they stepped into his line of sight. “Hi, Sasuke-kun,” Ino greeted him with a small smile.

Sasuke wasn’t sure how to respond to the girl. She gave him an apologetic look before reaching out towards his chest with a glowing hand. His entire body tensed, but Sasuke made no moves to pull away or fight her off. “I’m sorry that I’m not as good at this as Forehead, but I’m decent enough,” she said as her hands glowed green and her chakra vegan probing through his system.

There were still a few pressing questions on his mind, but the most pertinent one was, “Where’s my brother?”

Ino paused for a second before replying, “Safe.” Sasuke glared at her in frustration. “You can see him soon, Sasuke-kun. You were already cleared from treason, but Ibiki-san wants to hold you until the Hokage officially signs off on the report.”

While the idea of him being placed under suspicion for treason had been initially troubling, all his concerns flew out the window once thoughts of the Yondaime entered his mind. The Hokage. Some of his memories were blurry or missing finer details but Sasuke could still remember seeing the Yondaime with his brother. Itachi had suddenly started coughing up blood after the Yondaime had interfered. Whatever that man had done to his brother would nothing compared to what Sasuke would do once he got out of here.

“Hey,” Ino pulled his attention away from his inner rage. “You don’t need to worry about Naruko. I already spoke to her for you.”

Naruko? What about her? What did she have to do with this?

Ino must have misinterpreted his confusion because she explained, “I was the one that did your interrogation. I know that you sent her away to keep her safe. She’s pretty pissed off at you for that, but I thought it was sweet.

“It’s weird. I don’t think I’ve ever understood you as well as I do right now, Sasuke-kun. I thought I did when we were younger, but I was just seeing what I wanted to see. You’re way more complex than I thought. Naruko has her work cut out for her,” Ino joked with a smirk after ceasing her medical examination.

Sasuke wanted to shout at her for invading his mind and privacy. He wanted to tell her to shut up. He wanted to loudly and vehemently argue that she didn’t know anything about him. But mostly, he wanted her to stop talking about pointless things and tell him where his brother was!

“I think you’ll make a great father one day, Sasuke-kun,” Ino whispered conspiratorially to him with a wink.

Sasuke’s building irritation almost had him screaming at her, but the sound of the heavy, metal door swinging open once again stopped him. Whoever it was that had entered behind him didn’t speak, but Ino was nodding to them in acknowledgment anyways. Eventually the door swung closed and Ino smiled brightly at him.

“See? You’re free to go,” Ino said and went about freeing him from his restraints and unlocking the shackles around his wrists and ankles. “I told them that they were going overboard, but they were worried about what you’d do if you found out about your brother.”

Sasuke suddenly stopped massaging the skin at his wrists to give Ino a probing stare. “What happened to Itachi?” Sasuke interrogated, his throat far too dry. How long had he been here?

“He was taken to the hospital. I don’t know how badly he was injured. Everything about him is being kept extremely confidential,” Ino said with another sorry expression. Sasuke hopped down from his seat, ready to get the hell out of here and see his brother with his own eyes. For the Yondaime’s sake, he’d better find his brother alive and well.

~:~

Sasuke didn’t want to make any decisions until he had seen Itachi’s condition for himself. He hadn’t fully determined what he would do if he saw his brother actually dying, but his instinctual response was one of indignant rage. While his rage would be helpful, emotional boost to his strength, Sasuke knew that it would be better to save it for later. No, it would be better to find his brother without making a scene.

“I’m looking for my brother,” Sasuke said to the nurse that was flipping through some papers behind the front desk.

The shinobi looked a bit annoyed, but their eyes widened in surprise at the sight of him. “I’m sorry, Uchiha-san. Your brother isn’t here. Perhaps you were mistaken?” the nurse said with a shakily apologetic look.

Eyes flashing red, Sasuke glared at the nurse. Whatever seals had been placed on him in T&I were still having residual effects on his chakra. His normally fine control was shot, and the full force of his chakra was oppressing the space around him. Beads of sweat were gathering on the nurse’s forehead as they looked at the other nurses standing around for help. The others just watched warily but made no move to interfere. “U-Uchiha-san, I promise you that your brother isn’t he-” the nurse started, practically sweating bullets.

Patience shot, Sasuke’s hand shot out towards the nurse to grab her by the front of her clothes, but his movements were halted by another’s strong grip on his wrist. Sharingan gleaming, Sasuke turned to whoever had dared to-

“Sasuke-kun, I would appreciate it if you didn’t harass or injure my nurses,” Sakura said, tone level but there was a subtle promise of bodily harm in the way her grip tightened around his wrist.

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed threateningly at Sakura. Did she really intend to fight him right here and now? No. He could see that she wouldn’t fight him, but she would throw him out and make it far more difficult for him to get to his brother. Making a conscious effort to reign in his chakra, Sasuke exhaled deeply through his nose. Sakura held onto him for a beat longer before releasing his wrist with a nod. Sasuke resisted the urge to rub at his wrist. The area would surely bruise now. “Sakura,” Sasuke started.

“You didn’t even bother to shower before you came over here, did you? Don’t bother answering. I could smell you from my office,” Sakura sighed with a ‘what-can-you-do?’ sort of shrug. “You can use the showers here,” Sakura said and started to walk away, assuming that he would follow.

“I don’t want a-” Sasuke started, but Sakura cut him off.

“You’ll have one if you want to see Itachi-san,” she said in a no-nonsense tone.

Like dangling candy in front of a toddler, Sasuke’s attention was instantly rerouted. Abandoning the nurse at the front desk, Sasuke trailed after Sakura. “Where is he?” Sasuke implored.

“That information is confidential, but-”

It was his turn to cut her off now. “Sakura, I don’t give a shit about confidentiality. I want to see him.”

Sakura shot him an annoyed look. “As I was saying, it’s confidential. But Itachi-san made a point of wanting to see you once you were cleared in T&I. I’ll take you to him, but you need to clean up first. I won’t have you potentially harming my patient by introducing any harmful or infectious pathogens to him,” Sakura said and gestured to the door marked “Showers”.

“What happened to him?” Sasuke had to know. Sakura was the only one he’d seen who knew anything. She had to tell him something- anything!- about his brother.

“He wants to explain it to you himself. Don’t ask me why. Just get cleaned up and I’ll bring you some clean clothes,” Sakura said and turned to leave him.

Itachi must be in a better condition than he expected for his brother to be making so many requests. Then again, it was never easy to understand or predict what Itachi was thinking. Frowning deeply, Sasuke pushed the door to the showers open. He’d clean up quickly and make his way over to his brother.

~:~

Sakura had left him the standard Konoha shinobi attire. Unfortunately, his focus had been entirely on Itachi when he’d been released from T&I, so he hadn’t bothered to gather his personal effects. It was strange to not be wearing his headband. Honestly, it probably wasn’t the best idea for someone just investigated for treason to be seen without their symbolic tie to the village. But Sasuke couldn’t be bothered.

Once he stepped outside, Sakura was waiting for him with a clipboard in hand. After a short inspection, she nodded once in satisfaction before leading him away. “Your father is alright. He had lost a lot of blood, but we were able to stabilize him. He’s been recuperating for the past few days,” Sakura informed.

Sasuke was a little ashamed that he hadn’t thought to inquire about his father. “And my mother? What about Shisui?”

“Your mother visits your father and brother around the same time every day. She’s a bit stressed, but I heard that she’s been staying with Kushina-san,” Sakura stared and flipped to a page on her clipboard. “Shisui actually woke up earlier, but he wasn’t awake for long. He lost a lot of blood too, but they got him to us in time. He’ll live,” she said and offered him a small smile. The tension in his shoulders lessened slightly, but not enough to make him relax entirely.

 By the time they had walked through a fifth door, Sasuke was starting to question how much longer they had to go. Sakura led him through several doors and down way too many stairs. When he watched Sakura use her chakra to break the seal on a door, Sasuke felt his worry spike. Where were they keeping his brother? He knew that his brother’s condition was being kept confidential, but he hadn’t expected so many safeguards.

“There’s only a handful of people who can come down here. That nurse you almost assaulted wouldn’t have been able to help you even if she had known where your brother was,” Sakura said, tone dry and a bit exasperated.

Not sure what else to say, Sasuke replied, “I thought that she was lying.”

Sakura gave him the most long suffering look he’d ever seen on her face. She shook her head with a sigh and stopped in front of an unmarked door. “He’s in here,” Sakura said, but she hadn’t even gotten through her sentence before Sasuke was pushing his way into the room.

When he finally saw his brother, Sasuke was surprised to see Itachi sitting up in a hospital bed with tubes up his nose and a book in his hand. His cheek had been resting on his fist, but he sat up straighter at the intrusion. When Itachi had noticed him, his brother gave him a genuine smile. “Sasuke,” he greeted and put his book to the side.

Sasuke was moving before he knew it, clearing the room in two, long strides. Itachi had held his arms open wide and Sasuke had grasped at the invitation with both hands. The relief he felt at finally being able to see and hold his brother was sweet. A shaky exhale escaped him as he tightened his embrace.

“I missed you too, Otouto,” Itachi said with a soft, breathy chuckle.

“I saw you. I heard you after the Yondaime…” Sasuke trailed off as he reluctantly pulled away.

“Minato-sama brought me to the hospital himself. He’s already explained the situation to me,” Itachi started. What? The Yondaime had helped his brother? Had he been wrong to accuse the older man of harming his brother?

“The whole clan must be vetted before anyone can be released, but I requested that you be one of the first to be investigated. I knew that you would pass, but I was mildly concerned when the days started to pass and you hadn’t shown yourself,” Itachi finished.

“I think it was the chakra exhaustion. One of the ANBU, they could use Mokuton and drained my chakra,” Sasuke explained, frustration and anger coloring his tone.

Surprisingly, Itachi didn’t react to the news of a shinobi in Konoha having the Mokuton. His brother nodded once at the information and said, “It was probably an attempt to restrain you until the situation was properly contained.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong and neither did you,” Sasuke argued.

“I know. We aren’t prisoners, Sasuke.”

“They’re sure hiding you away as if you are one,” Sasuke said, not bothering to hide his anger.

“It’s a purely political decision. As you can tell, I’m not in the best health at the moment. It would be concerning to the village and the elders if the full scope of my condition was made public knowledge. Some would most likely protest having a defective shinobi in line to become the Hokage,” Itachi explained with a soft sigh.

Sasuke was about to deny any care or concern for the elders or the village’s opinions when Sakura stepped over to them with a pen and clipboard. Itachi seemed familiar with this routine because he sat back on his bed and allowed Sakura to pass a glowing hand over his chest. “Have you seen Tou-san yet?”

“No,” Sasuke answered, watching Sakura’s movements like a hawk.

“You should. I heard that he has been asking for you,” Itachi said and suddenly coughed into his hand. Sakura stopped her examination to carefully eye him before slowly proceeding once Itachi had finished.

“What’s wrong with you? You haven’t been this bad since…” Sasuke trailed off. Itachi silently watched him, his eyes growing sad. Immediately, Sasuke’s fear spiked. “No,” he vehemently denied. “You were better. Tsunade cured you.”

“I was never truly cured, Sasuke. Tsunade-sama treated me as best as she could, but a permanent cure was never possible.”

It felt like the rug had been pulled out from under him. Sasuke’s mouth opened and closed helplessly as he tried to work through what Itachi was saying. Fortunately, Sakura spoke up before his thoughts could spiral too out of control. “Sasuke-kun, your brother has an autoimmune disease,” Sakura said, genuine sympathy in her voice. Thanks to his medical training, Sasuke was aware of what that meant. His brother’s own body was at war with itself.

“There isn’t a name for Itachi-san’s exact condition yet, but it’s very similar to Takayasu arteries,” Sakura started. She launched into an explanation that was heavily loaded down with medical jargon, but Sasuke was too hung up on the fact that there wasn’t even a name for what was wrong with his brother.

“Sasuke,” Itachi had to call out to him to bring him back down to earth. Sasuke looked up to see Sakura giving him an expectant look, but he had no idea what she’d asked. Taking pity on him, Itachi said, “Sakura-san asked if you had any questions.”

“There’s no cure?” Sasuke asked because there had to be. Sakura probably just hadn’t thought of it yet.

Sakura shook her head. “The damage being done to his vessels and chakra pathways was manageable before, but the added strain from his eyes is making it difficult.”

“But not impossible,” Sasuke pushed.

Sakura sighed softly. “It’s not a simple thing to treat, Sasuke-kun.”

Sasuke wasn’t quite ready to put his fist through a wall, but he was getting dangerously close. “If you can’t heal him, then who can?”

“Sasuke-kun-” Sakura started after taking a deep breath.

“And don’t say Tsunade. She couldn’t fix him the first time despite being the world’s best medic,” Sasuke spat.

“Sasuke,” Itachi’s voice broke through the fog of Sasuke’s anger. “Sakura-chan is trying to explain, but she can’t do that if you won’t let her speak.” Resisting the urge to huff and roll his eyes, Sasuke gave Sakura his full attention.

“I can see why you wanted to be the one to explain it to him,” Sakura muttered to Itachi. Sasuke glared at her. “The body’s vessels and chakra pathways are located in very close proximity to each other- practically running over each other in some parts of the body. In addition to targeting the arteries in his body, Itachi-san’s immune system is attacking his chakra pathways as well. His medication before was enough to suppress his immune system but the recent changes to his eyes and chakra have put more strain on his body. It’s accelerating his condition past the point that any medicine can treat. Using and molding chakra is putting more strain on his body. It’s too dangerous for him to perform any jutsu or even use his Sharingan. And then there’s the damage to his eyes...” Sakura said with a frustrated shake of her head.

His eyes? Was Itachi going blind? Sasuke turned questioning eyes onto his brother, but Itachi had already closed his eyes as if he were trying to block them out.

“I’m sorry, Sasuke-kun. At this point, even if I were to heal every square inch of him, it wouldn’t do much good. It would only prolong his suffering,” Sakura said with a sad frown.

Sasuke was quiet for some time before he turned a questioning look on his brother. “You’re suffering?” Sasuke asked in a small voice.

“I’ve managed worse suffering,” Itachi replied. Sasuke tried not to be too frustrated with his brother, but he was making it so hard. “I’ve grown used to the pain.”

How had he not noticed that Itachi was in pain? Was he such a terrible brother that he hadn’t been able to see what was right in front of him? Had there been any signs? “Why didn’t you tell me?” Sasuke asked, doing a decent job of disguising his hurt but failing. Itachi frowned deeply but didn’t answer him. Cursing loudly, Sasuke turned away from his brother. “How can I help you if you don’t trust me enough to tell me the truth?”

“Sasuke, I trust you with my life.”

“Don’t lie to me, Itachi. You always stuck your nose in my business, but you always kept me at a distance. I never knew what’s going on with you. The only way I ever hear what’s going on with you is from Shisui,” Sasuke said. For once, Itachi had nothing to say. He could only give Sasuke a sad, repentant look. “How long have you known?” Sasuke had to ask.

“I could tell that my condition was worsening after the first time I tried using my Mangekyo,” Itachi answered.

Itachi had gotten his Mangekyo weeks ago. Frustrations peaking, Sasuke asked, “Does Shisui know?”

He had a feeling that he already knew the answer, but the need for confirmation was too strong to resist. When Itachi gave him an apologetic look, Sasuke’s hands clenched. “When were you planning to tell me? On your deathbed? Or would you rather take all your secrets to your grave?” Sasuke sardonically asked. Itachi remained silently impassive, eyes lowered to his hospital-issued sheets.

His emotions were getting out of control. Sasuke knew that he should leave before he said something that he would regret. But he could already feel that vicious, ugly part of him forcing its way to the front. “What kind of brother are you?” Sasuke spat. Itachi still didn’t reply, his gaze resolutely lowered.

“Sasuke-kun,” Sakura intervened, but Sasuke shot her a warning glare.

“Don’t start. You have no idea what it feels like to have him for a brother. We lived together for most of our lives, but it was always “Forgive me, Sasuke. Maybe next time,” Sasuke scoffed. “I know more about Kakuzu than I do my own brother,” Sasuke spat and turned on his heels. Neither Sakura nor Itachi tried to stop him from leaving, but it hardly mattered. There was nothing that they could have said.

He was furious. Furious and frustrated with Itachi, but also hurt. As much as Itachi liked to claim that he trusted him, Sasuke knew different. Why couldn’t Itachi trust him? Why couldn’t he confide in him the way he did with Shisui? Was he doomed to always be Itachi’s “foolish little brother”?

~:~

After seeing Itachi, Sasuke had faced the small dilemma of not knowing where to go. He’d considered going to visit his father, but his simmering rage kept him away. (Best not to accidentally lash out at his father for something that wasn’t his fault.) Sasuke considered going home, but after seeing the yellow, “Caution” tape plastered all over the entrance to the Uchiha district he’d quickly scratched that idea. Judging by the wary looks and mistrustful glares he received while just walking through the streets, Sasuke knew that the whole village must have known about what happened with his clan. After the fourth barely whispered comment about his loyalties, Sasuke gave up. Rather than face the village’s judgmental stares, Sasuke had chosen to haunt his usual spot atop the Hokage Monument. Sasuke had spent hours alone staring out at the village that probably hated him and his entire family. Unfortunately, his brooding solitude was broken around sundown.

“What do you want, Kakashi?” Sasuke asked when his former sensei had taken too long to speak up.

“Forgive me, Sasuke. I’ve been catching up on everything I missed while I was away,” Kakashi said and moved to stand next to him, still thankfully maintaining some distance between them.

“The village was destroyed, a lot of people died and came back to life, and my clan is full of traitors. There, you’re all caught up,” Sasuke replied and kept his gaze firmly away from the direction of the empty Uchiha district.

“Sounds like the quality of report I would give Iruka-sensei to upset him,” Kakashi mused and sat down. When Sasuke didn’t reply, Kakashi awkwardly asked, “Do you…want to…talk about it?”

Sasuke shot Kakashi a dry, annoyed stare that had his former sensei holding his hands up in helpless surrender. “You and I both know that I’d have better luck having an emotional conversation with a rock,” Sasuke said with a roll of his eyes.

“Ouch,” Kakashi replied and rubbed at the spot on his chest over his heart. “I don’t remember you being so vicious before I left.”

“In case you weren’t listening before, a lot has changed.”

“Did something happen to your brother?” Kakashi suddenly asked. Sasuke shot him a look that had Kakashi once again raising his hands in surrender. “I haven’t seen or heard from him since I’ve been back. I just assumed that whatever happened is what put you in such a foul mood.”

Sasuke scoffed and practically spat, “It’s confidential. Then again, everything is a secret when it comes to my brother.”

Kakashi didn’t reply at first, choosing to stretch out his legs with a sigh. “He’s a shinobi. We tend to collect many secrets in our line of work,” Kakashi pointed out in a light tone.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “I’m not a kid or an idiot, Kakashi. I don’t expect my brother to tell me the details of his missions. I just want him to look me in the eye and tell me when something is wrong.” But why would Itachi tell him anything? He probably doesn’t want or need any help from his little brother. Sasuke scoffed again.

“I think I understand where your brother is coming from,” Kakashi mused. Sasuke shot him another annoyed look. “It’s much easier to keep others at a distance. Maybe you don’t want to them to have to share your burdens, or you think that you can handle whatever it is on your own.”

“I know that he’s a genius, but he didn’t even think to tell me something was wrong,” Sasuke said before realizing that he might have said too much. Sasuke doubted that Kakashi was privy to his brother’s condition.

Kakashi silently stared at him for a long time before he said, “I hear that you’re going blind.”

Sasuke immediately tensed and shot Kakashi a narrowed glare. How had Kakashi- Sasuke’s thoughts came to a screeching halt when he realized just who had been going around revealing his business to the rest of the village. “Naruko,” Sasuke muttered.

“Not intentionally. She didn’t want to discuss anything to do with you at first. But she seems to think that I have all the answers when it comes to figuring out what’s going through your head. As usual, I tried to convince her to speak to you, but she seems to think that you’d rather lose a limb than let her in,” Kakashi said, his monotonous voice managing to sound weighed down with secondary meanings.

There were no doubts or second guessing. Sasuke was the hypocrite. Brows furrowed, Sasuke glared down at his lap. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Sasuke said.

“Fair enough,” Kakashi said and stretched his arms above his head. “If it’s all the same to you, I’m going to take a nap. I’m still a bit drained from an earlier challenge with Gai.”

Sasuke scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Old man,” Sasuke muttered.

~:~

Sasuke had spent a few more silent minutes in Kakashi’s company before deciding to visit his father. Emotions tightly reigned in for the time being, Sasuke stepped into the hospital and approached the front desk for the second time that day. The nurse from that morning was nowhere to be found, but Sasuke did spot his mother leaving with a small basket in hand. “Kaa-san,” Sasuke called out as he approached her.

Mikoto had been staring worriedly at the floor in front of her, but she perked up at the sound of his voice. “Sasuke. Thank goodness. I had gotten worried when I didn’t see you,” Mikoto said and tightly embraced him.

“I was out of commission. Chakra exhaustion,” Sasuke briefly explained.

“But you’re alright now?” Mikoto questioned. She didn’t relax until he gave her an affirming nod. “Your father was worried about you. He’s upstairs in room 203. Do you want me to come with you?”

“No, that’s alright. I heard that you’ve been staying with the Hokage?”

“Yes. Our home has been sealed off while the investigations are ongoing. Kushina insisted that we stay with her and Minato,” Mikoto said, but her mood quickly plummeted. “Have you seen your brother?”

“I saw him.”

Mikoto nodded with a deep sigh. “I don’t know what we’re going to do. Everything seems to be going wrong all at once. Your father, Itachi and even Shisui… And then there’s the clan. I’m not sure where to begin,” Mikoto said with a heavy sigh.

His heart went out to his mother. With one sigh, she seemed to wilt on the spot. Sakura hadn’t lied when she’d said that his mother was stressed. Firmly gripping her shoulders, Sasuke subtly adjusted his mother’s posture until she was standing tall once again. “You don’t have to do everything alone,” Sasuke stressed.

Mikoto smiled softly. “You’re right. Thank you, Sasuke. I’m going to get some rest. Kushina’s offer was extended to the whole family. Stop by and get something to eat. It’ll be dinnertime soon,” Mikoto said and gave him another tight hug. Sasuke gave her a noncommittal grunt before watching her go.

Sasuke still hadn’t figured out what he would say to his father by the time he was standing in front of room 203. He imagined an awkward reunion with his father complete with stilted dialogue and an urgent need to flee. ‘Better get it over with,’ he thought to himself while pushing the door open.

His father was sitting up on the edge of his bed, looking out at the view of the village below. Fugaku slowly turned to see who had entered and a look of genuine relief took over his face. Fugaku was up in an instant, doing his best to meet Sasuke halfway. Sasuke couldn’t help but notice the bandages poking out from under his father’s yukata.

“Sasuke,” Fugaku sighed in relief. Sasuke returned his father’s embrace, trying his best not to do so awkwardly. “I knew that you would be fine, but it’s still nice to see you for myself. What happened to you?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

Fugaku frowned with a shake of his head. “Yashiro’s handiwork,” he said and gestured to his injury. “Meant for your mother. If had been only slightly less aware… I don’t want to think about it…” Fugaku said and went back to sitting on the bed. “What about you? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. Just some chakra exhaustion,” Sasuke said and moved to take up the only seat in the room.

“Good. I’m glad that you’re feeling better,” Fugaku said with a small smile. As if he was remembering something depressing, the smile fell. “Have you seen your brother?” Fugaku asked. Sasuke grunted affirmatively but didn’t expand any further. Fugaku nodded. “It was…quite the surprise.”

“He didn’t tell you?” Sasuke curiously asked.

Fugaku chuckled mirthlessly. “I haven’t known what’s been going on with Itachi in years. He’s never been very open, but he was even less so after the first time the clan… Never mind.”

“I already know, Tou-san. Itachi already told me what happened back then,” Sasuke admitted.

Fugaku looked surprised for a second before nodding in acceptance. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. You two have always been close. You probably know your brother better than anyone barring Shisui or Izumi.”

Sasuke didn’t voice his doubts.

“Sasuke, I’m an old man,” Fugaku said with a serious frown. When Sasuke raised a brow in question, Fugaku continued, “I got lucky this time, but I won’t be around forever. I know that I didn’t do the best job caring for you and your brother. I thought that I could at least take solace in the fact that you both are strong enough to protect yourselves and each other. But with the current situation… Can you promise me one thing, Sasuke?”

Sasuke sat up in his seat, giving his father his undivided attention.

“Promise me that you’ll take care of your brother. He takes on too much- over burdens himself. It’s mostly my fault. I just want him to be at peace for whatever time he has left,” Fugaku said with a deep sigh.

Sasuke’s eyes widened slightly as a lump formed in his throat. The reminder of his brother’s condition compounded with the tired resignation that was flowing off his father in waves. “I will,” Sasuke promised.

~:~

Sasuke hadn’t gone to the Hokage’s residence after visiting his father. Instead, he had popped into the newly rebuilt Ichiraku Ramen and placed an order to go. Teuchi and Ayame had greeted him warmly and expressed their relief at seeing him up and about. They had shown concern over his family but had left the matter alone when they had picked up on his unwillingness to talk and the looks that he was receiving from the other patrons. Fortunately, they had quickly prepared his order free of charge before sending him on his way with a promise to visit again soon. Sasuke was grateful to find out that not everyone in the village bore ill will against him or his clan.

Bag of takeout in hand, Sasuke had returned to the hospital just in time to see Sakura leaving for the night. She took one look at him and the food in his hand before shaking her head with a roll of her eyes. “Took you long enough,” she said and lead the way back inside. Sasuke grunted once but didn’t reply.

When he stood in front of his brother’s door once again, he hesitated. Would Itachi even want to see him? Grasping at his last shred of confidence, Sasuke pushed the door open and met his brother’s gaze.

“Sasuke,” Itachi greeted, his eyes going to the takeout containers.

“Ramen isn’t very good for him, but I’ll look the other way this once,” Sakura said. “No one should bother you tonight. I’ll see you bright and early Itachi-san.”

“Thank you, Sakura-san,” Itachi said gratefully.

Sasuke waited until Sakura had closed the door behind her before slowly approaching his brother’s bedside. Each step felt heavier than the last, but it fortunately didn’t take many before he was standing before his brother. With all of his regret and shame on full display, Sasuke started, “Nii-san, I owe you an apology. I treated you horribly and I’m so sorry. You’ve always loved and protected me. You didn’t deserve to be treated like shit. You’re not a bad brother. I am.”

Itachi gave him a sad smile as he reached a hand out to gently tap Sasuke’s forehead. “While I accept your apology, I was never upset with you, Sasuke.”

“You should be,” Sasuke quickly interjected.

“I could never hate you, Sasuke. No matter what you do in this life, I’ll love you. Always,” Itachi said firmly, like a promise.

Grasping at his brother’s verbal promise, Sasuke released a slow exhale and tried to calm the emotions warring within him. “Despite what my recent actions indicate, I love you too. There isn’t a single thing in this world that could change that,” Sasuke said earnestly. His brother had to be the most loving and patient person in the world. He deserved a better brother so Sasuke would be better. It was as simple as that.

Itachi nodded once with a small smile before gesturing towards the takeout in Sasuke’s hand. “I have some things to discuss with you. Perhaps it would be a talk best had over a warm meal,” Itachi suggested. Sasuke quickly pulled up a seat.

Chapter Text

This had been a long time coming. Despite reserving a large portion of his heart for Sasuke, Itachi had done a marvelous job of keeping his little brother at a distance. There was always something in his life that was too dangerous, too troublesome, or too much for his little brother to be burdened with. Itachi swirled his noodles and broth around in the takeout dish with his chopsticks, pondering the best way to begin.

“Despite already acknowledging your growth and strength, I still purposefully kept you at a distance. Not because I don’t trust you, but because I never wished to burden you with my problems,” Itachi spoke, his gaze trained on an arbitrary scallion floating through his broth.

“You always made my problems your own. Why can’t it go both ways?” Sasuke asked, a bit of frustration slipping into his tone.

The corner of Itachi’s mouth barely lifted. “You’re right. Whether it was my wishes for your well-being, my own arrogance, or both, I restrained myself from seeking you out. I can only try harder to rely on you, Otouto.”

“Arrogance?”

Sasuke was hanging off his every word, his ramen already forgotten. Sasuke was staring at him with wide, questioning eyes, doing a remarkable job of impersonating his younger self. A small part of Itachi was pleased to see that his adorable little brother hadn’t lost all of his innocence yet. “I thought that I could take on all the burdens of the clan and the village, while protecting my precious people in the process. I was arrogant and wrong. Sasuke, you once called me perfect. I have to disagree with you. Perfection can never be obtained by one individual acting alone,” Itachi said.

Itachi knew to never underestimate an opponent during battle. One miscalculation could cost you your life. Unfortunately, he hadn’t put much thought into the dangers of overestimating his own strengths when he had been younger.

“The Yondaime stopped the coupe from happening-” Sasuke started, but Itachi cut him off.

“Not alone. Not even the Hokage is that powerful. Minato-sama often seeks council from those he trusts most. Relying on others- on their strengths- is what makes a shinobi and the village strong.”

Itachi allowed Sasuke a few moments of quiet reflection before continuing, “In fact, I’m starting to believe that sometimes two people of completely opposite personalities- two sides of the same coin- can accomplish more together than they ever could separately,” Itachi hinted. Itachi raised some noodles to his mouth as he waited for Sasuke to catch on, his gaze resting heavily on his little brother. When Sasuke continued to silently stare at his food, Itachi decided to give him a nudge, “How did Naruko-chan react when you spoke to her?”

“About my eyes? How do you think she reacted?” Sasuke asked rhetorically with a scoff. “I would have told her eventually. You didn’t need to involve her.”

His adorable, little brother could be very unhelpfully dense at times. Itachi held back a deep sigh. He chose not to physically react and instead replied, “While that wasn’t what I had been referring to, I can’t help but wonder… Wouldyou have informed Naruko-chan of your deteriorating eyesight?”

Itachi wasn’t surprised by the soft, “It wasn’t her burden to bear” that Sasuke muttered.

Itachi could remember a time where he had reacted the same as Sasuke- shutting out those closest to him. He’d been unable to successfully bar Shisui from his burdens, but he’d been hellbent on keeping Izumi distanced from his problems. He’d rationalized it as necessary for her protection and peace of mind, but had only managed to hurt her with his lack of trust and honesty. “Learn from my mistakes, Sasuke,” Itachi finally said. “That’s what elder siblings are for after all.”

The look that Sasuke gave him gave Itachi slight pause. Sasuke looked ready to debate the reality of Itachi evermaking a mistake, but seemed to reconsider at the last second. Itachi was relieved to avoid having to hammer another lesson into his stubborn, adorable little brother’s head.

After taking another bite of his cooling noodles, Itachi decided that it was time to broach more monumental topics. “Are you going to ask me what you really want to know?” Itachi asked. Out of the corner of his eyes, Itachi saw the way Sasuke tensed. He did his best not to read too much into his brother’s response, but he couldn’t help the sliver of dread that settled in his gut. Itachi knew that Sasuke craved a deeper insight into his older brother’s life. Itachi had every intention to include his brother on more aspects of his life (anything that wasn’t too personal, of course). But Itachi wondered how Sasuke would see him after learning the truth of what he was capable of.

“What…What did you do…with your Mangekyo? It looked like a genjutsu, but I’ve never seen you use a genjutsu so…” Sasuke said and left his sentence hanging.

Itachi chose to respond to his brother’s slight trepidation with indifference. “When my Mangekyo Sharingan was awakened, Tsukuyomi took root in both of my eyes. You’re right in that it’s a genjutsu unlike any other that I’ve used. It allows me to trap the minds of others in a world of my own creation where I can alter their perception of time and reality.”

Despite the slight widening of Sasuke’s eyes, Itachi clutched onto his indifferent façade. “Like you, I am able to use Amaterasu. However, I am unable to shape it as you do,” Itachi continued. “From what I can tell, my Susanoo is different from yours as well.”

Itachi had thought that he’d had Sasuke’s attention before, but that paled in comparison to the scrutiny that Sasuke was displaying. “I haven’t been able to summon a full body Susanoo without putting strain on my body. But the one time that I had, my Susanoo wielded the Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror,” Itachi informed. At his brother’s confused expression, Itachi went into further explanation of his Susanoo’s abilities.

As he spoke, Itachi kept a close eye on Sasuke, cataloging his brother’s micro expressions and unconscious reactions. Itachi felt like he was observing his final moments as Sasuke’s beloved older brother. He waited for the other shoe to drop where Sasuke would look at him in fear, hatred, and possibly disgust. Itachi had done a decent job at disguising the darkness within him from his little brother. But if he was no longer going to keep Sasuke at a distance, it was only a matter of time before his brother saw him for what he truly was- a wrathful, violent, and merciless man.

When he finished speaking, Itachi lowered his eyes to his cold ramen, his stomach too heavy to even consider finishing his meal. Itachi impatiently waited for Sasuke to respond, somehow managing to keep his mask of indifference in place. When a soft “hn” was the only response he received from his younger brother, Itachi looked to Sasuke with a brow raised in question. Sasuke was staring down at his probably cold ramen, his brows furrowed and shoulders tense. Itachi didn’t want to rush his brother but it the same time…

“Just when I was starting to think that I had caught up to you,” Sasuke scoffed.

Itachi couldn’t prevent a stunned expression from overtaking his face. His brain worked at over a hundred miles a minute, calculating and analyzing his brother’s reaction in a matter of seconds. He hadn’t intended to instill any feelings of jealousy or inadequacy in Sasuke by speaking to him, but he had still managed to do so. “Sasuke-” Itachi started, but Sasuke cut him off.

“Don’t bother, Nii-san. I already know what you’re going to say. Our eyes are a manifestation of our spirits or at least that’s what Shisui told me. How can I hold your inherent abilities against you?” Sasuke said with an air of feigned nonchalance, but Itachi could see the frustration on Sasuke’s face.

Itachi frowned. This was unexpected. “Sasuke,” Itachi tried again, but Sasuke’s emotions were practically rolling off him in waves as he cut Itachi off again.

“I already decided that I was going to get stronger for my own reasons, but I had still hoped that I’d be able to-” Sasuke said but quickly stopped short.

Blunt, direct warnings hadn’t worked. Unobtrusive meddling had failed spectacularly. Itachi doubted that Sasuke would respond well to another indirect confrontation through Naruko. What else could he try to get through to his little brother? “Sasuke,” Itachi said, his voice demanding attention. When he had Sasuke’s full attention, Itachi asked, “Why do you crave strength?”

Sasuke raised a brow, his confusion on full display. “I…” Sasuke hesitated, his eyes quickly lowering to the floor. Itachi watched as Sasuke waged a short mental war before steeling his nerves. “It bothers me…how much weaker I am.”

Itachi knew that he had to handle this conversation delicately. One wrong word and Sasuke would immediately shut down and whatever chance he had to influence his brother’s path and mindset would be lost. “I thought you were no longer comparing our strengths. You made that quite clear to Tou-san,” Itachi said.

“I decided not to train for his sake,” Sasuke corrected, only slightly petulant. “Besides, you aren’t my only goal.”

Like a final, puzzle piece sliding into place, Itachi felt like he was finally beginning to understand. “I admire your need to protect and defend, but I don’t think it should come at the expense of your better judgement and control. Power for the sake of revenge will only leave you hollow, Otouto. Trust me.”

Spotting the unvoiced question in Sasuke’s eyes, Itachi knew that he had some explaining to. “Shortly after joining the ANBU, I took on a mission with Shisui. The mission itself wasn’t dangerous nor difficult until we were ambushed by a group of Iwa shinobi on our way back to the village. As much as we were hailed as gifted prodigies, we were both still children and were hampered by our physical capabilities,” Itachi spoke, the memories flashing before his mind’s eye as if it were yesterday.

He had been measuring his chakra usage carefully, but he hadn’t expected their battle to last this long. Never one to complain, Itachi quickly took stock of their opposition. He hadn’t expected Iwa shinobi to employ such a patient or calculated strategy, attacking both him and Shisui in waves to slowly wear them down and demoralize. Despite his best attempts to spot or sense just how many of them were lying in wait, his estimates had been far off.

A quick glance at Shisui (‘Not Shisui, Crane!’ he mentally chastised himself) told Itachi all that he needed to know. His cousin was slowly losing steam, taking on more opponents than necessary to spare Itachi from overexerting himself.

Itachi felt small seeds of frustration budding within him. Despite their similar titles and positions, Shisui still sometimes clung to his overprotective ways. Itachi knew that it was past trauma that dictated Shisui’s actions, his fears of losing another friend in battle keeping him from straying too far or allowing anyone to get too close to Itachi. He’d have to speak with Shisui about it once they returned to the village.

Their battle had started about an hour after sundown yesterday. The sun was beginning to rise now, bringing warmth and light to the forest that had long since been vacated by any animal life. He could barely catch his breath anymore, the muscles in his limbs burned and screamed with exhaustion, and his average chakra reserves had dwindled far more than he was used to. But he could show no weakness. He was Uchiha Itachi of Konohagakure. But he was also Weasel- a mission-bound tool for his village. His size already gave away his age and relative lack of experience to his opposition. At the first sign of fatigue, they would pounce on him mercilessly like rabid animals.

He was aware of it less than a second after he had blundered. A small twitch- a flinch- upon sparking contact of his kunai with a kunoichi’s blade. She barely outclassed him in weight and height, but she had been one of them to join the bout only minutes ago. A careless mistake somewhere around midnight had put strain on his wrist that he could tell that she planned to capitalize on based on the smug, knowing expression on her face. “Konoha is more heartless than I expected. Sending a child to their death,” she sneered and increased the frequency of her strikes, all the while focusing on his right side.

Itachi was aware of the light and darkness within his village, but it was to be expected. The balance existed everywhere and in every person. It was an inescapable truth. Perhaps one day he would be able to look upon the world that knew peace- a world that drowned in light and only held specks of darkness. (Without darkness, how could one know light?)

It was pure obstinacy that kept him from crying out when an unexpectedly heavy blow had his wrist screaming and cracking. He had miscalculated her strength and paid the price. His sharingan had seen a second strike coming, but he’d only been able to raise one arm in time to block the blow that still managed to send him flying backwards. A quick kawarimi spared him from a possible concussion, but another shinobi- a man easily twice his size- was quick to intercept him. As if the man was nothing more than a savage brute, he raised a leg with every intention of stomping down onto him. With a practiced ease, Itachi pulled the man into a genjutsu that had him freezing in place. A quick swipe of his kunai across the man’s neck later and he had increased his body count by one (not that he kept count of something so morbidly depressing anymore).

“You brat!” the kunoichi shouted and clasped her hands in the sign of the snake.

He would be ready for her this time. Armed with a better understanding of her strengths and speed, there would be no way for her to take advantage of his injury. His chakra was running low, but if his timing was perfect, he could dispatch of her as well. Itachi had already began gathering chakra behind his eyes to lace a genjutsu over the woman but paused at the sight of Crane’s sudden interference. While he was grateful to be able to conserve chakra, he still felt a bit frustrated. His gleaming red eyes zeroed in on the kunoichi’s dismembered hands that had fallen to the ground. Crane stood in front of him, ignoring the kunoichi’s pained wails and raising his bloody tanto in defense.

Despite losing her hands, the kunoichi had no intention of backing down. She shot a look loaded with malice and fury at Crane before taking off towards him in a sprint. Her eyes screamed bloody murder, but Itachi doubted that there was much she could do without her hands. Itachi took an extra moment to catch his breath before drawing another kunai with his left hand. He’d leave her to Crane and refocus on the few remaining Iwa shinobi.

He had taken his eyes off them for only a few seconds- just long enough for him to work out a plan of attack to handle the two shinobi that Crane had abandoned in order to unnecessarily protect him. Those crucial seconds had ended with a strangled cry from his partner. The seals within his ANBU mask did an excellent job of disguising his voice, but Itachi swore that he could still hear traces of Shisui’s voice hidden underneath. His breathing and heart had stopped, but his eyes had shot over to where he’d last seen his cousin only to widen fearfully.

The woman had somehow caught his cousin by surprise (had she been even faster than she had shown him before?) and was restraining him with her legs and bleeding arms. But it was the absolutely feral look in her eyes as she wrestled his cousin to the ground and spat bloody curses at him. “You took my hands. So, I’ll take your throat!” the woman shouted, doing a remarkable job of sounding both deranged and vengeful.

Itachi would forever be ashamed to admit that he moved too late to stop her. Truthfully, he hadn’t expected the kunoichi to viciously bite down on his cousin’s neck, quickly drawing blood. His Sharingan let him see the gathering of earth and lightning chakra that was building in her mouth long before she had finished whatever jutsu she was using. In the back of his mind, a voice supplied him with information that he’d read about Iwagakure’s Explosion Corps. But that voice was quickly silenced by the fear that shook his body. Although he couldn’t see his cousin’s face, the way Shisui suddenly froze spoke volumes. Itachi’s shout of, “No!” had been drowned out by the semi-contained explosion.

While his Sharingan had forever imprinted the sight of Shisui’s bleeding, immobile form on his brain, it was the putrid smell that made his stomach suddenly turn. Smoke and ash with hints of burnt metal.

“Tatsuo, you crazy bitch. Way to go overboard!” one of the men shouted.

The woman, Tatsuo, couldn’t reply. She’d foolishly blown her jaw off in her attack, but the defiant gleam in her eye said it all. It was pointless to expect any repentance from an enemy. But she looked far too pleased that Shisui wasn’t moving. Charred and covered in blood, she started to pitifully crawl away from his cousin’s body. She didn’t get far.

Before he’d even commanded his limbs to move, Itachi was standing in her path with Shisui’s discarded tanto in his hand. “You’re going to die,” he told her, voice unnaturally even. Surely, she would have bled out from her wounds. But her punishment didn’t suit her crime. As she struggled to lift her head, Itachi pierced her back and heart with the blade. He twisted the blade a few times before withdrawing it with a wet squelch. He would have set her body ablaze to return the favor, but he would need what little chakra he had remaining. Instead, he would have to be satisfied with severing her head from her body.

His eyes were burning in their sockets, but he didn’t stop the flow of chakra. With Shisui’s tanto still clutched in his hand, he crouched next to his cousin’s body to inspect his injuries. Shisui would need immediate care, but the two, Iwa shinobi still poised for a fight took precedence. He’d needed to pace himself before, when there had been no end in sight to the battle. But Shisui’s condition nagged at him.

With a level of efficiency that startled him, Itachi quickly closed in on the men with his superior speed. Slipping through the gaps they created between their bodies, Itachi targeted the men’s vital areas with his kunai. He landed several cuts along their bodies, always remaining one step ahead. Achilles’ tendons, femoral, and brachial arteries were all severed. He moved around them like a dance, setting both men up in the perfect position to target the back of their necks with his shuriken. Both men released a garbled cry as they fell, their bodies immobilized. Itachi hadn’t waited to see them fall before he was rushing back to Shisui’s side.

“Shisui,” he couldn’t help but call out.

“C…rane,” Shisui struggled to chastise, his hand soaked in the blood still flowing from his wounds.

Itachi almost would have chuckled if he wasn’t gripped with fear. “There isn’t time to get you to a healer. You’ll have to bear with me,” Itachi said, doing his best to remember what little he knew of medical ninjutsu. Small hands faintly glowing green, Itachi did his best to save his cousin with what little chakra he had left. He’d just barely managed to stem the bleeding before he passed out.

“I wanted them all to suffer, even those that played no direct part in Shisui’s injuries. For months after, I found myself acting inexplicably cruelly towards Iwagakure shinobi,” Itachi finished.

Sasuke was quiet for some time before he said, “But they deserved it! They almost killed Shisui!”

“Sasuke,” Itachi said, refraining from sighing. “We were at war. If both sides fight for their justice, then who is right? But that’s beside the point, Otouto. My vengeance would have destroyed me. Not a day goes by where I don’t fear that it still might. When you died, it almost did so again. The only thing that would have ended my need for retribution would have been my own death. Whether that death came at the hands of my enemies or my own didn’t matter.” Sasuke’s mouth clicked shut as he stared at Itachi with an unreadable expression. “You asked me if I would kill for you. Despite my hatred of fighting and unnecessary violence, the answer is yes. Without question. If it would keep you safe, I would willingly die for you, Otouto.”

“I don’t want that!” Sasuke immediately exclaimed as he stood, his eyes wild and gleaming. Itachi silently stared his brother in the eye, watching for the moment everything sunk into place. Itachi saw the strained expression on Sasuke’s face just before his brother fell back down onto his forgotten seat.

Voice ringing with finality, Itachi repeated, “Learn from my mistakes, Sasuke.”

~:~

The next morning, Itachi was awoken by knocking on the other side of the hospital door. He’d finally managed to fall asleep sometime around one in the morning, too tired to converse with his little brother any longer. He didn’t need to look over at the only seat in the room to know that Sasuke had already left. Hopefully, his brother was off doing some serious introspection.  

When the door clicked open, Itachi pushed himself up in a seated position with a small smile. Itachi watched Sakura wheel Shisui into the room on a wheelchair and situate him at the side of his bed. Itachi heard the soft, irritated sucking of teeth as Sakura moved to clean up the empty takeout containers littering his bedside. “I’m sorry for the mess, Sakura-san,” Itachi apologized.

“It’s not your fault, Itachi-san. I don’t know why I expected Sasuke-kun to clean up after himself,” Sakura grumbled as she worked.

“Looks like I missed the party,” Shisui remarked with an easy smile. Itachi noticed the way his cousin’s eyes lingered on Sakura’s form as she moved about the room, and he quickly flicked Shisui’s cheek while her back was turned. At his cousin’s affronted look, Itachi gave him an unamused look in return. At least Shisui had the decency to look a bit shameful.

“How are you feeling this morning, Itachi-san?” Sakura questioned as she approached him with clipboard in hand.

“Better. Thank you for asking, Sakura-san.”

Like Sasuke had done yesterday, Shisui watched Sakura go through her examination. Thankfully, Shisui’s gaze was much less critical and penetrative than his Otouto’s had been. “I heard Sasuke nearly attacked a defenseless nurse yesterday,” Shisui casually stated. Itachi closed his eyes with a sigh. “I can’t say that I’m surprised. He tried to set my hair on fire when I told him that I was stronger than you.”

“He was eight,” Itachi defended. Shisui waved him off with an easy grin and Itachi felt his body relax at the sight. “I’m glad to see you in such good spirits.”

“Of course! How could I not be when I have the world’s best medical ninja taking care of me,” Shisui said, turning a charming grin onto Sakura. Sakura looked up from where she was running a glowing, green hand along his chest to roll her eyes at his cousin. Despite the display of irritation, Itachi noticed the barely there smile on her lips.

“No lasting damage?” Itachi asked.

“Nah. I have another wicked scar to add to the collection, but that’s about it. Soon, I’ll be able to get around without this thing,” Shisui said and pat his wheelchair. “I just hope someone brings me a pair of pants first. Can’t have my innocence exposed for everyone to see.”

Itachi’s lips twitched. “Of course not,” he agreed. Although Shisui was speaking to him, his cousin’s eyes were practically glued to the pink-haired medic currently making notes to his file. “Has anyone come to visit you yet?” Itachi asked, keeping his tone casual.

The tiniest glimmer in Shisui’s eyes signaled his understanding of Itachi’s covert questioning. “I’m afraid I woke up only an hour ago, cousin. I wouldn’t know if I had any sympathetic visitors shedding tears on my behalf,” Shisui said with a wistful sigh. Shisui turned his wheelchair to try to meet Sakura’s gaze, but the rosette was doing an admirable job of ignoring him. “How I envy you, Itachi. I’m sure Izumi-chan is already preparing a feast of all your favorite meals for when you return home,” Shisui continued with his gaze still locked on Sakura. Itachi didn’t let the disappointment show on his face. Shisui hadn’t seen Izumi either. Was she still being interrogated?

“I’m sure that you’re more than capable of preparing your own meals, Shisui-san,” Sakura stated in a purely professional tone.

“Not at the moment. I’m nothing more than an invalid. I can’t even bathe myself!” Shisui exclaimed dramatically. Itachi contemplated how much effort it would take to remove his cousin from the room until Sakura finished her duties. Despite her earlier professionalism, Itachi saw Sakura’s slight flinch and tensing of her shoulders. Shisui must have noticed as well because he suddenly looked far too pleased with himself. Itachi was now contemplating how to get them both out of his room.

“Shisui-san-” Sakura started, but Shisui cut her off.

“Just Shisui is fine, Sakura.”

Sakura’s cheeks gained a deep flush, her mouth opening and closing wordlessly. She looked both irritated and frustrated by Shisui’s words. But there was an underlying spark of interest in the way her pupils dilated slightly and the pulse point at her neck started to flutter. Fortunately for Sakura, she was saved from having to respond by someone suddenly pushing their way into the room. Shizune scanned the room quickly before giving Sakura an exasperated look. “Sasuke is upstairs again. He wants to speak to you,” Shizune informed in a strained voice.

“What does he-” Sakura started.

“Want was an under exaggeration. He demanded to speak to you right away. He’s making things difficult for the staff. Please tend to him before I have him removed,” Shizune said and left the room as quickly as she came. Sakura sighed deeply with an irritated tick to her brow.

“I apologize for my brother, Sakura-san.”

“I’ll handle him,” Sakura said with her fists clenched and a displeased frown on her agitated face. Itachi and Shisui watched her leave the room, the clack of her heels echoing after her.

“She cracked the tiles,” Shisui observed with a silent swoon. Itachi sent a silent pray up to heavens for his brother and Shisui’s sakes.

~:~

Itachi stared and stared some more. After Shisui had been wheeled away by a much calmer Shizune, Mikoto had taken his place at Itachi’s bedside. She’d brought a basket of fruits, sweets, and his favorite foods, but Itachi hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her face. His vision was slightly blurred due to his mangekyo, but he could pick up the changes in her appearance since the last time that he saw her. The bags under her eyes had doubled in size, her pink nose looked like it had been rubbed raw, and her eyes looked a tad puffy. Although she hummed softly to herself as she peeled and cut an apple for him, Itachi observed the way her hands shook slightly. When the knife barely slipped from her grip, not enough to cut herself but enough for him to notice, Itachi reached out a hand to stop her.

Mikoto looked up at him in surprise. “You’re not hungry? Sakura-chan said that your appetite may decrease. Would you like something else? Maybe something easier to keep down…” she started muttering to herself as she put the apple to the side and started searching through her basket.

“Kaa-san,” Itachi called out softly.

“I know that you like sweets, but maybe they were a bad idea. They can’t be good for you anymore…”

“Kaa-san,” Itachi said, raising his voice slightly to get her attention.

“Hmm?” Mikoto hummed, her head snapping up and causing the low bun that she had her hair in to jostle and loosen. “Oh!” she exclaimed and started fussing with her hair. “I was in a bit of a rush this morning, Itachi. I wanted to make sure that I had enough time to visit you and your father. And Shisui’s awake now. I have to see him as well. Your brother didn’t come home last night. I have to make sure that he eats and gets some rest,” she finished in a mutter as her hands uselessly smoothed her stray hairs.

“When was the last time that you got some rest?” Itachi gently questioned.

Mikoto gave him the same soft smile that she used to when he had been a boy and said something that amused her. “Last night of course. Kushina gave me some tea to help me sleep and it had me right out,” his mother said.

“You look like you haven’t slept in days, Kaa-san,” Itachi pointed out bluntly. It would do no good to beat around the bush. “You were crying last night.”

The forced smile slowly fell from her face as Mikoto sighed. “I knew I wouldn’t be able to fool you, Itachi. You’ve always been so observant.”

“What else is troubling you, Kaa-san?” Itachi asked. He knew his mother. She was strong, stern, gentle, and a force to be reckoned with when she took charge. She would bend, but never break. But the women sitting before him looked so very close to breaking.

“I can’t help but feel that I played some part in all of this. Our family has been falling apart for months. I did my best to keep everything together but it all managed to collapse anyway. Just when I thought that things were improving, the curse spread to the rest of the clan and now it has infected the village. I can see it in the way others watch us when we walk about the streets. The whispers are worse now than they were ten years ago.

“I saw what the clan, the village, and your father’s expectations did to you, Itachi. You were a shinobi, but you were just a boy back then. A boy expected to take on the weight of mistakes made by men. I wanted to protect you and Sasuke. I made a promise to myself to never again allow things to fall apart the way they did before. But I failed. I failed and I have no idea how to go about repairing the damage that’s been done,” his mother finished, tears gathering in her dark eyes that refused to fall.

“As cliché as it sounds, none of this was your fault, Kaa-san. The clan chose to harbor its ill feelings for over a decade. You were not in control of their actions. You were and are in even less control of the village. You can’t control how others will see us or what they’ll say,” Itachi said, giving his mother a sad look.

“You may be right, but it doesn’t change the fact that I had direct control over our family. I saw the way that  Fugaku treated you and Sasuke. I could have done more to make him see-”

“Father’s actions were his own choice,” Itachi interrupted sharply.

“And my inaction was mine,” Mikoto argued softly and hung her head. “Your father survived this ordeal, but you may not. A parent should never have to bury a child. Of course, I knew that this was always a possibility, but I never imagined that death would be staring us all in the face so soon. I fear our family would never recover if we lost you. It would have broken us if we had permanently lost Sasuke.”

Itachi knew that losing his mother or father would have the same result. Their family needed his mother’s loving and patient spirit. Despite his often-misguided efforts, Itachi knew that his father was an irreplaceable piece of their puzzle. His strong hand was the pillar that helped ground and stabilize them.

“You take on too much, Kaa-san. Tou-san is still alive to help you. Our situation would most likely never return to normal, but he still has an opportunity to make things better. I know that Sasuke would do anything for you. Despite his best efforts to distance himself from his emotions, he’s highly attached to his precious people. My life may be ending sooner than any of us would like, but I will do whatever I can with the time I have left,” Itachi promised.

Mikoto perked up slowly, a genuine smile sliding onto her face. She quickly wiped at her eyes as she exhaled deeply. “You guard your emotions so tightly, Itachi. But you’re just as caring and sensitive as Sasuke,” Mikoto said. Itachi liked to think that they learned it from her. “I ran into Ikeda-san in the village today. She gave me so many homemade treats for you and Sasuke. She was very grateful to your brother for saving her life when the Akatsuki attacked the village. Since Sasuke doesn’t care for sweets, I suppose you’ll have to eat his share,” Mikoto said and started pulling more food from her basket. Itachi eyed the tri-colored dango, hakuto jelly, mochi, and namagashi that his mother laid out for him. Some of his glee must have leaked through because his mother let out a delighted giggle.

~:~

Itachi was turning the last page of his book when he heard three, soft knocks on the door to his room. Due to the chakra suppressors that were etched into every corner of the room, he was once again unable to determine who was visiting him. It was a chore to constantly remind himself that he didn’t need to be on guard as hidden away as he was, but old habits died hard.

Sakura pushed the door open but gestured for another to go ahead. A silent breath of relief left him at the sight of Izumi’s equally relieved face as she rushed past Sakura. “Itachi,” she said in a soft voice, her hands cupping his cheeks as she examined him. He was so focused on Izumi that Itachi barely noticed Sakura quietly closing the door as she left.

“I’m glad you’re alright,” he replied.

Izumi chuckled once with a few tears gathering in her eyes. “I don’t think my health is the biggest concern right now.”

“It is mine,” Itachi firmly stated. Izumi gave him a strained look. They didn’t often argue, but their self-sacrificing natures often clashed and caused conflict. Itachi was of the mindset that his health and happiness were far outweighed in their importance by the well-being of his loved ones and the stability of his village. Izumi usually understood his logic and rarely questioned him once he explained himself. But she could never agree with him on this matter. She could never choose the village or even herself over her loved ones.

“That’s not fair. You’re trying to distract me with romance and sincerity,” Izumi softly complained, a light dusting of pink on her cheeks.

“I was only stating fact,” Itachi pointed out.

Izumi quickly wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. “That just makes it even worse,” she whined.

Itachi released a breathy exhale that could almost pass for a laugh. The light warmth that filled him whenever Izumi was near did a decent job of distracting him from reality. Her chakra wasn’t grand or dense, but he equated its presence to a sense of home. But he knew that if he let himself sink too deeply into her comforts, it would make the upcoming discussion even harder. “Izumi,” he spoke and eased out of her arms.

“What’s wrong? Has something else happened?” she asked, her eyes inspecting him intensely.

“You can’t argue this time. Reality has made sure of that,” Itachi started. He still remembered how adamantly she stuck by him the first time he’d been diagnosed. Before Izumi could get a word out, Itachi interrupted her, “I’m dying, Izumi.”

“Do you really think that now is the time for this? We each spent days not knowing the other’s condition. We should have a few moments of peace.”

“I do not have many moments left,” Itachi said. It was harsh to force this on her now, but he had to make her see. His mother and Shisui had been in denial when they had learned, but he’d eventually been able to make them see logic. He knew that they still hadn’t truly accepted his impending death, but they kept their denials and feelings to themselves. Itachi wasn’t sure if he would be able to acheive the same, hesitant acceptance from Izumi, much less Sasuke.

“Sakura-san explained your condition to me. There’s really nothing we can do? Maybe there’s a healer outside of the village who has experience with this,” Izumi suggested.

“I doubt that there is enough time to find them,” Itachi rejected with his mind on the pile of bloodied tissues he’d accumulated over the past few days.

Izumi stared at him for some time. Her eyes moved over his face, probably taking in his exhausted expression, paler than normal skin, and far too lean frame. “You want me to accept this like you have, but I can’t,” she said. All her energy seemed to leave her at once when she plopped down onto the seat at his bedside.

“You will.”

She looked ready to argue with him but stopped herself short. “I’ve never wished for genius more in my life than right now. I want to fight this, but I don’t know what can be done.”

“All the genius in the world can’t prevent fate from doing as it sees fit,” Itachi soothed.

“How can you be so okay with this? You’re always so calm and levelheaded, but this is...” Izumi trailed off with her arms gesticulating fruitlessly.

“I’m a shinobi. I’ve made peace with the fact that I may die at any moment. I have my regrets as anyother person facing death, but I think that I can leave what I've left unfinished for my comrades. I have faith in them,” Itachi replied.

Sasuke was strong enough to protect himself, his precious people, and the village. Despite the clan’s actions, his brother had once been seen as a hero of Konoha. Based on their last conversation, Itachi was sure that he’d given his brother enough to consider and possibly change his mind set on vengeance for good. His parents would live out the rest of their days together. Shisui had faced death and survived yet again. Izumi would be free to live the rest of her life as she saw fit. Eventually, his clan’s reputation would be repaired with all of them still alive and in the village to help repair it.

Izumi rising from her seat broke him out of his reverie. She was desperately trying not to cry, but a few tears managed to spill over. Before he could wipe them away, she quickly did so herself with a sniffle. He had accepted his fate, but it still wreaked havoc on his heart to see those he loved suffer in grief. Wordlessly, he scooted over in his small, hospital bed to make space for her. Without hesitation, she climbed in and took her place at his side. “This sucks,” she said softly in a watery voice. Itachi gave another single exhale/chuckle.

~:~

Sasuke had returned to his bedside just before sundown. His adorable little brother had been led by a mildly annoyed Shizune, but it was the stack of books and precariously balanced scrolls in Sasuke’s hands that drew Itachi’s attention. Shizune had quickly left them alone, probably still remembering his brother’s less than polite behavior that morning. Once the door had clicked shut behind her, Itachi questioned, “A bit of light reading, Otouto?”

Sasuke shot his brother a quick look of annoyance before dumping the books on his bed, narrowly missing Itachi’s outstretched legs. “I went to the library and checked out everything that I could find to help us.”

“With?” Itachi prompted with a raised brow.

“We’re going to fix you, Nii-san,” Sasuke said as if it were obvious. Itachi’s lips twitched downward in a barely-there frown. Sasuke hadn’t noticed however, too busy laying out the books and scrolls all over Itachi’s bed. “I know that you can’t use your sharingan to help you memorize, but I can still use mine. You’ll just have to read the old-fashioned way.”

“Sasuke,” Itachi started gently. “I’m sure that if there were a cure hidden in these pages, Sakura-san would have already considered it.”

It was Sasuke’s turn to frown. “Sakura doesn’t get it, Nii-san. If you…died,” Sasuke struggled to get the word out. Itachi refrained from correcting the “if” to “when”. Sasuke continued, “It wouldn’t mean much to her. She doesn’t have anything to lose. It’s your life. You’re my brother.”

“Sasuke, while I appreciate the effort, I don’t think that this is wise.”

Itachi could see the exact moment that Sasuke’s hope started to diminish. “You sound like you’ve already given up,” Sasuke accused.

“I choose to accept what is instead of chasing what could be.”

“I hope you don’t expect me to do the same,” Sasuke said, his eyes narrowed.

Itachi sighed softly. He didn’t want Sasuke pursuing a pipe dream. Death had been nipping at his heels for years. While he’d been able to put some distance between them before, his good fortune was running out. Honestly, Itachi could feel satisfied with the amount of time he’d been given.

With a final, disappointed huff, Sasuke grabbed a book and roughly plopped down on the seat next to his bed. “Give up if you want. I’ll fight for you by myself if I have to,” Sasuke said with his sharingan spinning before burying his nose in his book.

Itachi silently stared at Sasuke quickly read through his book. Itachi wondered if Sasuke had addressed his thoughts with Sakura or Shizune. Surely, they would have tried to talk sense into his little brother. Itachi nearly chastised himself. His foolish little brother was far too obstinate to let something like logic and reality impede him. Itachi sighed. “If you did manage to find a cure, it would be pointless. My eyes are straining and weakening my body,” Itachi started. Even when he wasn’t using his Mangekyo, Itachi could still feel migraines and phantom pains behind his eyes.

Sasuke hesitated for a moment before turning a page in his book. “You won’t talk me out of this, Itachi,” Sasuke promised.

“You misunderstand me yet again, Sasuke. I know that your persistence and stubbornness won’t allow you to let this go,” Itachi smirked. “When you awakened the Mangekyo, I spent some time reading the old texts and documents that were stored under Naka Shrine. I wanted to understand exactly what was going on with you and your eyes.

“There were several documented cases of Uchiha going blind due to overuse of their Mangekyo. It was believed to be an inevitable side effect of the increase in power until Uchiha Madara,” Itachi explained.

“Him again?” Sasuke mumbled. “What does he have to do with me?”

Itachi raised a questioning brow. “Nothing specifically as far as I’m aware. But Uchiha Madara was the first to solve the mystery of our eyes. He gained the ability to use the perfect Susanoo with less cost and strain on the body. Most importantly, he was able to preserve the light in his eyes.”

“You knew about this the whole time? Why didn’t you say something sooner? What did Madara do?” Sasuke asked urgently. Itachi frowned deeply at Sasuke.

“He stole his brother’s eyes.”

Chapter Text

“He stole his brother’s eyes.”

Sasuke’s eyes widened a bit before he schooled his expression. “I don’t remember reading that in the clan’s history,” Sasuke replied.

“It’s not common knowledge. After the death of his last brother, Izuna, many in the clan felt that Madara’s actions and decisions were questionable at best. Standard protocol of the time was to remove and burn any Uchiha’s eyes upon death, long before the funeral was normally held. No one knew that he had kept Izuna’s eyes,” Itachi explained.

“But he didn’t go blind? Why keep that hidden?” Sasuke questioned, his confusion and frustrations growing. There was a cure- not just for his brother but for him, Shisui, and anyone else in the clan with their eyes. Why not share clan secrets amongst the entire clan? Why bury such important history?

“The loss of his last close family member ravaged what remained of Madara’s sanity. By the time he implanted his brother’s eyes into himself, he was unrecognizable by even those that knew him well. Madara’s condition was believed to be an extreme form of our clan’s curse- a madness so profound that no one was spared. By the time the first Hokage was able to break through the madness and darkness surrounding Madara, he had already singlehandedly killed many Senju and Uchiha alike,” Itachi continued.

Sasuke couldn’t keep the stunned disgust from his face. Could their clan’s curse really drive one of their own to madness? Could it really make them so homicidal (and fratricidal)?

“Everyone shared the blame in his brother’s death- his clan for not being strong enough, the Senju for opposing them, and Senju Tobirama for striking the killing blow,” Itachi answered Sasuke’s unasked question.

“But the curse was broken. The fighting between clans stopped, Konoha was starting to thrive, and the Uchiha were prospering again after decades of death and war,” Sasuke pointed out. History may not have been his favorite subject, but Sasuke did know that much.

“Yes, but Madara eventually succumbed to his hatred once again. He tried to use the Kyuubi to attack the village, and those actions sowed the seeds of distrust towards the Uchiha. Our clan’s tumulus relationship with the village is believed to be partially Madara’s fault by many of the clan’s elders. Needless to say, the clan elders buried the history and made the practice of exchanging eyes forbidden to prevent another Madara from being born within the clan.”

“None of that matters now!” Sasuke loudly objected. “At least half of the clan elders were outed as traitors to the village. What they want doesn’t matter.”

“I understand your upset, Sasuke. But even if you and I were to trade eyes and neither of us suffered any side effects from the change, it wouldn’t save my life. At most, my life would be prolonged by some years,” Itachi pointed out, but Sasuke was no longer listening.

“That’s what these are for, Nii-san,” Sasuke said in exasperation and held up a book. Sasuke waited for his brother to offer up any more excuses, but Itachi remained silent. For the first time in days, Sasuke was starting to remember what hope felt like. He stared pleadingly at his brother for what felt like a lifetime before Itachi finally released a heavy sigh and held out a hand. Pure elation overtook his features as Sasuke happily handed Itachi a thick, medical scroll to read through. “We can cure you, Nii-san. I know that we can.”

“Hn,” Itachi grunted, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

~:~

Sasuke was sure that he’d managed to blindside Sakura when he practically accosted her in front of the hospital as she was heading in for her morning shift. The poor pinkette had let out a girlish shriek and stumbled backwards at his sudden appearance, but Sasuke hadn’t focused too much on the mild panic he’d instilled in his friend before dawn.

“Sasuke-kun-” Sakura started to chastise, but Sasuke cut her off.

“Sakura, what about these for Itachi?” he asked before shoving a piece of paper with a list of some plants and compounds under Sakura’s nose.

A confused, “Huh?” escaped before Sakura took the list and quickly read through it. The further along she got, the faster realization set in. “Sasuke-kun…” she started slowly.

“Would those work or not?” Sasuke pressed.

“Normally, some of these medications would be worth the try,” Sakura started and then lowered her tone. “But with the full extent Itachi-san’s condition-”

“We already have a cure for that. I need to know that you can fix everything else,” Sasuke pressed.

Suspicions rising, Sakura asked, “What do you mean that you already have a cure?”

“It’s a clan secret. But please, Sakura. You can treat him. Right?” Sasuke asked, for once invading Sakura’s personal space without prompting.

Sasuke watched Sakura frown slightly as she glanced at the paper in her hands again. His breath was caught in his chest as he waited for her to pass her judgement. It felt like she made him wait for hours on the spot, but eventually she gave him a look of determination. “Let’s go inside. I understand how important clan secrets are, but I’ll need to know everything before I even consider moving forward with any experimental procedures,” she finally said.

Sasuke barely held back the urge to fall to his knees in relief. Convincing Sakura would be easy. He and Itachi had spent the last three days pouring over what remaining medical texts had managed to survive Pain’s attack. They’d worked through idea after idea together until they’d had several semi-viable treatments in mind.

Despite the grim nature of their days together, Sasuke had enjoyed the one-on-one time with his brother. Every moment spent in companionable silence or being the sole witness to his brother’s unexpected quirks was a moment that he deeply treasured. (Itachi was constantly brushing his hair out of his face. Sasuke couldn’t understand why he chose to keep it so long.) Sasuke had to frequently remind himself that those moments wouldn’t be his last moments spent with his brother. Not if he had anything to say about it.

When they had made it back to Itachi’s room, Sakura paused in the doorway. Her jaw dropped slightly as she took in the sight of the small room. There were books, scrolls, and loose papers strewn about. The small trash bin in the corner was buried under a pile of crushed papers and empty take out containers. Itachi was currently resting under his blankets and a small pile of books that couldn’t have been comfortable. “I was here just a few hours ago. What happened?” she couldn’t help but ask.

“I apologize, Sakura-san. We normally clean up the mess before you arrive, but Sasuke was insistent on seeking you out first,” Itachi apologized.

“As long as it gets cleaned up before I get back for my mid-morning rounds,” Sakura hinted with a serious tone and her fists planted on her hips.

While Itachi nodded in acquiescence, Sasuke was shoving a book into Sakura’s hands. “We can cure his eyes, but we need your help with his disease,” Sasuke steered the conversation.

“How? I thought that the condition with Itachi-san’s eyes were permanent.”

“Permanent in the sense that the only method of fixing the problem is forbidden by our clan’s laws,” Itachi explained.

“But those don’t matter anymore,” Sasuke inputted. Sasuke ignored Itachi’s chastising look and continued, “The old ways and laws are probably going to be changed anyways after what’s happened. The clan head has the final authority over all decisions within the clan. It’s pretty much guaranteed that we can do this.”

“What exactly is this?” Sakura asked, her irritation at being out of the loop starting to show.

“We need you to exchange our eyes,” Sasuke requested. At Sakura’s wide-eyed shock, Sasuke rushed to explain, “It’s worked once before for our ancestor, Uchiha Madara. He implanted his brother’s eyes into himself to cure his blindness and relieve the strain on his body.”

“I’m sure that he had no idea that doing so would have cured his vision. He most likely did it after he was driven to madness,” Itachi (unhelpfully) pointed out. Sasuke shot Itachi a narrowed glare.

“Madness? You want to attempt a procedure that’s only worked once and was performed by a madman?” Sakura asked incredulously.

“If it saves Itachi’s life,” Sasuke said in a serious tone.

“What if it endangers it? Organ donations are risky enough as it is. To do such a procedure with the eye could easily go wrong if either of your bodies rejected the transplant. And an organ transplant might be too much for Itachi-san's body to handle,” Sakura said with a deep frown.

Sasuke wanted to pull his hair out. “I know the statistics, Sakura. He’s my brother. That already makes us at least somewhat compatible. If not me, there are others within the clan,” Sasuke said.

Sakura looked at Itachi then. “I know how Sasuke-kun feels, but this is still your decision to make, Itachi-san.”

“I admit that I had already accepted that death is inevitable. I was fully prepared to leave this life behind, but I also found it difficult to ignore my brother’s passion. I’m actually starting to feel a bit hopeful,” Itachi replied with a serene expression.

Sakura nodded once with an unreadable expression. “I want to take some blood samples from the both of you to compare. I won’t go forward with anything without some sort of indication that it won’t be a complete catastrophe. I won’t be responsible for causing my patients harm or worse,” Sakura said with a look that was ironically threatening.

“Fine,” Sasuke easily agreed.

“And one more thing,” Sakura said as she rested the book in her hands on an already large stack at the foot of Itachi’s bed.

“Name it,” Sasuke said, his tone full of eager promise.

“You’ll speak to Naruko before we do anything. Since Kakashi-sensei started hiding from her, she’s been following me around and asking about you. I had to change my shifts just to get some peace,” Sakura said, walked towards the sink, and began washing her hands.

His tone was remarkably less eager when Sasuke replied, “Fine.”

Both Sakura and Itachi had matching, dubious expressions. Sakura even snorted once as she went about gathering her supplies to begin Itachi’s morning examination. “Foolish little brother,” Itachi muttered loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. Sasuke chose to ignore them both.

~:~

Sasuke wasn’t sure if he should have brought some ramen with him as a peace offering. He stood before the Hokage‘s residence feeling hesitant, nervous, and slightly guilty. He was sure that his tight leash on his chakra was the only thing that had spared him from having the front door shoved open and an incredibly irritated blonde already screaming in his face. He hadn’t intended to ignore Naruko. With the situation that he’d been dealing with, it had just...happened…

He should have brought some ramen.

Before he could change his mind, Sasuke raised his hand and quickly rapped at the door. Less than a second later and the door was already being pulled open. Sasuke froze on the spot at the sight of an eerily calm Yondaime gazing down at him. Desperately fighting his mounting nerves, Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but the Yondaime was quicker. “She’s not here,” Minato said, his tone leaving no room for arguments.

Sasuke knew that this was a blatant lie on the Hokage’s part. He could sense Naruko’s chakra within the home, brightly gleaming away in what felt like her room. He knew that he should have tried her window first. “Is that her clone that I’m sensing?” Sasuke asked rhetorically.

This proved to be the incorrect thing to say because the space around Yondaime quickly dropped several degrees as his icy blue eyes narrowed. Sasuke was spared from whatever tirade the man had prepared by Karin loudly shouting, “Is that you, Sasuke-kun?” from within the home.

A louder voice shouted from even further within, “Sasuke!?”

Against his will, his entire body froze on the spot. Her rapid footsteps descending the stairs sounded ominous to his ears. Sasuke wasn’t sure what face he was making, but it caused Minato to willingly stand aside and quickly pull him into the home. Just as Naruko descended the last step, Sasuke heard Minato lock the front door. Sasuke barely noticed the Hokage turn and leave him to his fate before his face was suddenly full of irate Naruko.

“You!” she shouted as she grabbed him by the collar. “What part of stop running away from me don’t you understand!?” she shouted loud enough to leave his ears ringing. She started roughly shaking him as she shouted, “I’d chase you down anywhere, Bastard. But that doesn’t mean that I want to do it for the rest of our lives, dattebayo!”

If he wasn’t disoriented, he might have blushed from her words.

Eventually, she let him go and folded her arms in front of her expectantly. Sasuke silently stared down at her blue eyes as he tried to figure out what he wanted to say while not getting too distracted. (When was the last time he’d gotten the chance to stare at her too blue eyes?) After several seconds of silence, he was no closer to what he needed to say. The less the subtle attempts of the house’s other occupants to observe them was also a bit unnerving.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly, pouring every ounce of sincerity that he had into the words. Apologies weren’t something he did often. They still came out awkwardly and stilted whenever he tried. But that didn’t mean that he didn’t mean them.

“Good,” Naruko said with a nod.

“Maa. She forgave him so easily,” a low voice drawled.

“Too easily,” the Yondaime griped.

“He’s so much like his father that it hurts.”

“I think he’s doing better than Fugaku, dattebane.”

“Shh, Kushina-nee. They’ll hear you,” Karin’s poorly whispered voice hissed.

Sasuke shot the peanut gallery a look, but none of them had the decency to look cowed. Turning his attention back to Naruko, he pointedly said, “I need to talk to you.”

“I have privacy seals in my room,” Naruko said and took him by the hand. As they passed, Sasuke couldn’t help but notice the encouraging looks on his mother’s, Kushina’s, and Karin’s faces, the subtle promise of bodily harm on the Hokage’s, Kakashi’s bored look and thumbs up.

For once, Naruko’s room was nearly spotless when he stepped inside. He watched her quickly go through some hand signs before some seals appeared on the walls, glowed bright blue, and faded away. Surrounded by the silence, Sasuke once again found it difficult to form the right words. “I…didn’t want to involve you because I thought it wasn’t your burden to bear,” he started.

“Are you talking about your eyes or what happened with your clan, ‘ttebayo?”

“Both,” Sasuke answered. He wasn’t sure what to make of the look she was giving him. The mix of emotions were all on full display, but she moved through them so quickly that he didn’t have enough time to decipher them.

“You thought that, but you don’t know how much it hurts.”

“I…wasn’t trying to hurt you,” he said. He wasn’t sure that he could spitefully hurt her.

“I know that. I meant you don’t know how much I hurt when you hurt, ‘ttebayo,” Naruko said. “I feel it right here. I see you taking on all these things and it hurts. I know that you feel it too, dattebayo,” she said and held a hand over her chest.

He did. He felt it profoundly whenever she suffered. It made him want to act- drove him to do anything to relieve her pain. If she felt what he did… “I’m sorry,” he apologized again, sounding even more contrite.

“Dobe,” she insulted him and punched him in the shoulder. “I guess someone has to pull your head out your ass, ‘ttebayo,” she mused with a shrug.

Sasuke wasn’t sure if he was right to feel relieved that she understood him so well. He’d spent nearly an hour being chewed out by Sakura that morning. Apparently, Naruko had been spending more time with Sakura and Ino than he was aware. Enough time for Sakura to form in depth opinions on his performance as a boyfriend. She’d properly dressed him down on everything he was doing wrong with unhelpful commentary from Itachi as well. It had been humiliating and irritating, but Itachi’s unreadable expression had kept Sasuke in place throughout all of it. Despite her blunt criticisms, Sasuke couldn’t totally disagree with her words. He couldn’t change his past actions. But he could do and be better.

The easy expression on her face slowly slid away when she looked up at him again. The curiosity on her face was plain as day. “Itachi’s dying,” he blurted because he didn’t see the point in sugar coating the news.

Immediately, her jaw dropped in shock. “What!?” she shouted.

“His eyes are making his condition worse. Sakura doesn’t think that he’ll live longer than a year at most.”

“His eyes? Itachi-nii-san has the Mangekyo, too? It’s killing him? Is it going to kill you too?” she asked, her panic steadily increasing.

“I’m not dying. Itachi was sick before his eyes changed. The strain from his eyes is too much too handle,” Sasuke answered. Before she could start another round of panicking, Sasuke rested his hands on her shoulders to regain her attention. “We’re going to deal with it. Sakura is working on it.”

“I thought Sakura-chan couldn’t cure you.”

“She can if she exchanges mine and Itachi’s eyes. Once he has my eyes, she can treat his disease again. He won’t be fully cured, but he’ll be able to live a long life,” Sasuke explained.

She didn’t reply right away. For several seconds, she silently stared him in the eyes. “It’ll cure you too, ‘ttebayo,” she said and brushed one of his bangs away from his face. “When are you going to do it?”

“As soon as possible. I’m sorry that you can’t know where or when. Everything about Itachi’s condition is being kept confidential for his and the village’s sake,” Sasuke replied finally succumbing to the urge to move in closer. He had barely taken a step into her personal space before Naruko was responding by embracing him tightly.

“It’s okay, ‘ttebayo. You’ll just stay here until you have to leave. Ne?” she asked, not so subtly daring him to disagree. She narrowed her gaze as she stared up at him, making her slowly tightening embrace feel only mildly threatening.

“Hn,” Sasuke grunted while returning her embrace. He could feel her wholeheartedly return his embrace, taking advantage of the chance at physical contact. She was in the middle of nuzzling her face into his chest when Sasuke felt his heart lurch.

He’d fully intended to apologize and tell her about the upcoming operation, but he’d also wanted to do more. Itachi had made him realize several things that he now wanted to share with her, but he wasn’t sure how. The easiest way to be through his actions (he liked to believe that they spoke louder than his limited words ever could). But he had tried to tell her. It wasn’t his fault that she was so dense.

Despite the near silence in the room, his voice still sounded like a whisper, “Usuratonkachi.” Fortunately, she squeezed him once to show that she’d heard him. He wasn’t sure that they could hold each other any closer. So, with her head tucked under his chin and his cheeks burning a soft pink, he murmured his quiet confession. It took a little over a second for the words to register with her, but he could feel the exact moment that they did. Her entire body froze on the spot before she suddenly tried to pull away and look up at him. Cheeks burning red now, Sasuke tightened his embrace. She eventually gave up trying; wordlessly accepting and returning his affection.

“I love you too, ‘ttebayo,” she muttered into his collar, sounding more bashful than she ever had when she spoke to him.

~:~

True to his word, Sasuke spent the next few days at the Hokage Residence as he waited for Sakura to let him know when she was ready to proceed. He wasn’t sure what more she had to work through, but she’d threatened to literally throw him from her office the last time he’d asked. Sakura had looked almost manic surrounded by texts and loose scribbles on scrolls that he’d quickly let her be. He still woke up early to visit his father, Shisui, and Itachi but the rest of his days were monopolized by Naruko.

They tried to slip back into old habits, but even a simple trip to Ichiraku Ramen was complicated by villagers’ sneers or mistrustful glances. Naruko had wanted to defend him loudly and vehemently, but he hadn’t seen the point. The court of public opinion was ruled by fickle notions. He’d gotten almost endless praise and thanks from random villagers after fighting Pain, but they’d been just as quick to shun him now that his clan had torn itself apart.

The Hokage had already imprisoned and publicly condemned the traitors, while simultaneously clearing some clan members from suspicion. But the damage was done. The Uchiha were so close to the Hokage and his family. Could an Uchiha be trusted? Should an Uchiha become Hokage?

But Sasuke found that he had more important concerns than the opinions of civilians.

Despite having her face pressed into his neck, Sasuke clearly heard Naruko ask, “It’s safe right? I know that it’s Sakura-chan doing the operation, so there’s no need to worry.”

“She didn’t want to do it at first. It’s only been done once as far as we know. My ancestor, Uchiha Madara, implanted his dead brother’s eyes into himself after he succumbed to grief and madness,” Sasuke honestly replied as he shifted in place beneath her. He had almost forgotten how clingy she got whenever they shared a bed. He had one arm wrapped around her loosely, but she’d fully intertwined her legs with his own while wrapping him in a firm embrace.

She didn’t reply immediately to that, but eventually she managed, “Remember your promise, ’ttebayo. Old and wrinkly.”

“It’s not like you’d let me forget it,” Sasuke scoffed.

“Of course not! I think it’s clear by now that we’re stuck together, ‘ttebayo. It’s a good thing that you’re becoming less of a bastard,” Naruko said.

“It’s a shame that you’re still a loser,” he couldn’t help but tease.

As he predicted, she quickly took the bait. She pulled away just so that she could look him in the eye and confidently proclaim, “I’d kick your ass again if we sparred and you know it.”

“Again?” Sasuke scoffed.

Her twin bed may not have been the appropriate choice of setting to start an argument, but that fact didn’t set in until Sasuke was staring up at Naruko’s fiery expression as she straddled him. “I could kick your ass any day of the week and I wouldn’t even need sage chakra, dattebayo!”

His heart skipped a few beats before starting an elevated rhythm. Whatever half-formed comeback that he’d had quickly left his mind as he stared up at her. He lost track of time, so he wasn’t sure how long he spent quietly observing her, but it was long enough to cause her face to flush. He wasn’t sure what about his expression made her so embarrassed, but he didn’t stop to consider it.

Sasuke found himself reacting purely on instinct more and more lately. His instincts hadn’t led him wrong yet, so he didn’t hesitate to lift his head from her pillow and kiss her suddenly. He had been taking more liberties with her and their relationship, growing bolder as time passed. But it still felt like he was following her lead. For every hug or kiss he initiated, she was quick to take control and ramp up his slow exploration into overdrive. Without warning, she broke off the kiss to nibble lightly on his ear. Sasuke had felt the rush of arousal flowing down his body and centering in his crotch, causing him to tense and quickly clamp his hands on her hips. His already heated face flushed even darker when he heard her gleeful snicker. “Usuratonkachi-” he started but she cut him off with a quick kiss. Once his grip on her hips had relaxed, she pulled away from the kiss and shot him a knowing smirk. 

It was embarrassing to have such an exploitable vulnerability. Sasuke glared up her in warning, but he could tell that it had no effect. He supposed that it wasn’t horrible to have her know something so intimate about him. But now he could feel the competitiveness with her that he was used to start to rear its head. Once again, instinct and his own pride demanded that he match her efforts. With a challenging gaze, Sasuke reached around her to tug her blonde hair loose from its pigtails. He got rush of triumph at seeing her lips part and head tilt back. When she looked at him again, he could see a frustrated and lustful glint in her darkening, blue eyes. “Bastard,” she said without heat, her hips starting a slow grind over his. 

Sex had never been something that Sasuke cared about or gave any consideration to. The act always felt too vulnerable, too intimate, and too much of a distraction for him to pursue. He’d never felt any inclination to experiment until now. It was a curious thing to feel- absolute trust- in another person. But now that he did, he found himself frequently distracted by thoughts and fantasies that he’d never had before- all of them involving his best friend. Sasuke bit back a groan.

“I hope you have clothes on!” a singsong voice called out from the other side of the bedroom door just seconds before the door was roughly slammed open.

Naruko released a loud shriek while simultaneously scooting off his lap. She even tried to pull the blankets over herself, despite still having all her clothes on. But once she spotted Karin’s amused face, Naruko quickly became enraged. “Karin! That’s not funny! Don’t you know how to knock!?” Naruko shouted. Sasuke couldn’t help but silently agree.

“I gave you plenty of warning,” Karin said with a shrug and readjusted her glasses. “Sakura is here to see you, Sasuke-kun.”

Just like that, Naruko’s anger dissipated and was immediately replaced with muted worry. Sasuke moved to get up, but he was suddenly grabbed by the arm and pulled to his feet. “Sasuke-kun, I figured it out! Hurry up! I need to talk to Yondaime-sama first, but I did it!” Sakura was excitedly ranting. He hadn’t even noticed her enter the room.

“It’s done?” Sasuke asked in confusion. Sasuke had never seen Sakura look so unkept. Sakura had bags under her eyes, her hair was up in a messy bun with numerous loose strands, and she reeked of coffee. She looked far more manic than he remembered seeing just a few days ago.

“What? No. I didn’t do want to anything until the Yondaime looked over everything to make sure that it’d work. But I really think that it will!” Sakura rushed with an excited grin. Just how much coffee had she drank?

“Sakura-chan?” Naruko questioned, also doubting Sakura’s well-being.

“I figured it out. I figured out a cure!” Sakura shouted while brimming with confidence. Sasuke’s eyes widened in shock.

~:~

A seal.

The idea wasn’t entirely novel given that Sakura had been inspired by the Byakugo no In. But she had spent the last few days pouring over fuuinjutsu scroll after scroll to try to master the basics before delving into building a seal from scratch. From what Sasuke had gathered from listening to Sakura’s quick words and only slightly jumbled thought process, the seal should act as both a storage seal as well as monitor the physical state of the sealed person.

Sasuke’s understanding of fuuinjutsu was elementary at best, but he had been able to understand the basics of what the seal would do for his brother. The seal would both store a vast amount of chakra and constantly monitor Itachi’s physical health for drastic changes to his chakra and blood cell count. Any drastic changes would cause some of the stored chakra to be pushed through a simple healing jutsu. The seal’s chakra stores needed to be maintained regularly, but that was more than manageable.

The Yondaime had been impressed by her ingenuity and had quickly delved into examining her seal design from all angles. He’d pointed out a few areas for improvement and some suggestions for finetuning. Sasuke had watched from the outside as Sakura’s caffeinated energy matched the eager Hokage’s. After about an hour, the Yondaime had sat back at his desk with a stunned smile on his face.

“I’m very impressed, Sakura-chan. You’ve grasped the fundamentals rather quickly and you’ve managed to create something unheard of before,” Minato praised.

Sakura flushed a bit at the praise before bowing once, “Thank you, Hokage-sama.”

“If it’s alright with you, I’d like to have Kushina look over your designs as well. They do look viable now, but I’m sure that Kushina would be able to provide some insight that would further improve the seal matrix,” Minato said and stared down at the papers on his desk thoughtfully.

“Of course! I’d be honored to have another fuuinjutsu master look over my work,” Sakura preened.

“I may not be very knowledgeable on medical ninjutsu, but even I can tell that you’ve created something game changing. Tsunade-sama would be proud. Hopefully, you’ll be able to show her your accomplishment soon,” Minato said with a nod and proud smile.

Sasuke had left the Hokage’s office with a much less energetic Sakura shortly after that. Her excess energy seemed to have been fully spent and now the girl was practically dragging her feet on the way out of the Tower. She still had enough energy to grin proudly, however. “I thought I was going crazy for a second there. I didn’t think that my design would actually work,” Sakura said.

“Sakura, thank you,” Sasuke said wholeheartedly.

Sakura glanced at him from the corner of her eyes before waving him off. “It’s the least that I could do. Itachi-san is my patient, but he’s also your brother,” Sakura said and stretched her arms above her head. “As soon as Kushina-san approves of the seal, we can start the operation. But until then, I think I’m going to head home and finally get some sleep,” Sakura said with a wide yawn.

Sasuke smirked and raised a brow. “Are you sure you’ll make it all the way?”

Again, Sakura waved him off as she slowly started shuffling away. “I’ll be fine. I’ve pulled all-nighters at the hospital before. This is nothing,” Sakura said in a sleepy drawl. Sasuke had his doubts, but he decided to trust her judgement. (He’d just send a clone by her house later to check in on her.)

~:~

Sasuke knew from their days in the Academy and their time on Team 7 that Sakura was considered very intelligent. He’d never given too much credence to this fact until the moment that he was sitting on a hospital bed as her patient. Sakura was currently explaining the ins and outs of the upcoming procedure to both him and Itachi, looking completely different from the walking zombie he’d seen her as just two days ago.

“Shizune-san will be assisting me in treating you, Itachi-san. But I’ll be performing your eye transplant by myself,” Sakura explained as she flipped through some papers on her clipboard.

Itachi hummed once in acceptance. “Clan secrets,” he acknowledged.

Sakura nodded and said, “On the bright side, this means that I’ll be considered the primary physician for the Uchiha clan.”

“Naturally. We wouldn’t want anything less than the best,” Sasuke scoffed.

“I’ll take that as a compliment, Sasuke-kun,” Sakura grinned. Sasuke smirked in amusement as he waited for Sakura to continue. “The transplant shouldn’t take long. You’ll both be put under for the procedure, so it’ll feel like no time has passed for you. The recovery process should take a few days, but I don’t expect any side effects or complications,” Sakura said.

Sasuke could feel his excitement slowly build as he let Sakura’s words wash over him. His brother was going to be alright. It had only been a few weeks of torture hanging over them, but the threat of death had made the time feel like a lifetime. Sasuke looked to his brother, but Itachi was totally focused on Sakura’s speech. As Sasuke stared, he sent up a silent prayer of thanks. When Itachi finally met his gaze, his brother gave him another serene smile that was loaded with his own gratitude.

“Alright. If neither of you have any questions, we can begin,” Sakura said and slipped on a pair of rubber gloves.

~Omake 1~

Despite the glaring differences between their families, Sasuke found it relatively easy to slip into the Uzumaki family routine. Like his own family, everyone was up relatively early (mostly to make Kushina’s morning mealtime call), but mealtimes were chock full of animated discussion, vibrant energy, and the occasional shouting. Minato was easily the most even-tempered in the home, but he spent the entire day away. Kushina frequently stole his mother away in her never-ending attempts to get Mikoto to relax and lift her spirits. Unfortunately, this left Sasuke alone with Naruko and Karin who seemed to be trying their utmost hardest to annoy the living daylights out of each other. Even more unfortunate was that he’d somehow been unwittingly pulled into their squabbling.

“I knew it! You are following him, dattebayo!”

A loud and drawn out shush had Sasuke rolling his eyes. He had been content to ignore Karin’s troubling tendency to follow him nearly everywhere he went. (Fortunately, she hadn’t tried to follow him into the bathroom). She was mostly quiet when she stalked him aside from the occasional, muffled squeal. “I already knew you were there,” he pointed out. So much for a moment of solitude and quiet...

Karin took that as her invitation to move in closer, a grin on her face. She took a seat next to him at the table and shamelessly stated, “Sasuke-kun, I'm glad that you’re staying with us. Finally, Naruko’s chakra can stop looming over the whole house.”

Sasuke raised a brow at the same time that Naruko shouted, “My chakra doesn’t loom!”

“All she did was mope around the house for days. It was cute at first how much she missed you, but then it got-" Karin started to say but was suddenly cut off my Naruko tackling her to the floor and wrestling her hands over Karin’s mouth.

“Dobe,” Sasuke said with another roll of his eyes. He got a small glimpse at the embarrassment that she felt when she risked a glance back at him from over her shoulder. She was so red in the face that he wondered if she’d ever recover. He rose to leave them to their bickering but moved to poke Naruko’s forehead as he passed. She half-heartedly protested the abuse as her cheeks burned even brighter.

Karin’s must have taken advantage of Naruko’s lapse in attention because Sasuke could hear her say, “What was that? I’ve never seen you blush so red!” as he left the room.

“S-shut up, dattebayo!”

~Omake 2~

Since becoming a cat summoner, Sasuke noticed some small changes to his life. Small, innocuous changes, but still noticeable to a shinobi of his caliber. He sometimes finds fur of all different colors on his clothes, but he’s never seen the cats that leave their traces behind. He’s come home to find small, dead animals left on the floor in his room. (He learned that this was both a gift and an insult on his capabilities as a hunter.) Additionally, he constantly smells like cats. Sasuke hadn’t noticed any changes in his scent, but both Kakashi and Naruko have confirmed that he smells different. Kakashi was the only one to take offense to the change in his scent, however.

“What do you know? You live with eight dogs,” Sasuke pointed out with a scoff. He’d been curious as to what Kakashi had found while he’d been searching outside the village. But he was now regretting tracking the man down. He’d barely approached where his sensei was standing before the Memorial Stone before Kakashi had loudly sneezed and demanded that he maintain his distance.

Kakashi only pinched his masked nose with two fingers. “Yet, I’ve never once been told that I reek of dog,” Kakashi replied.

“You have a subtle canine smell, Boss. It’s comforting,” Pakuun said, a smirk barely showing on his wrinkled face. Sasuke raised a brow at Kakashi.

“You smell like strawberries on most days. Are you sure that your sense of smell is still as sharp as you remember?” Kakashi mused down at Pakuun.

The small smirk fell off Pakuun’s face as the small pug glared grumpily up at Kakashi. “My sense of smell is the best it’s ever been!” Pakuun argued.

“I don’t know if that’s better or worse,” a voice rumbled from the shadows between the nearby trees. Sasuke wasn’t surprised to see Inei’s eyes shining in the shade. He’d quickly learned that his summons came and went as they pleased, but rarely made an effort to interact with him- the epitome of aloof independence.

Pakuun’s mood soured even more at the sight of Inei slinking through the trees. “Inei. I’m surprised you managed to find a summoner. I thought you were too difficult and stubborn for anyone to work with.”

Inei scoffed. “I’m surprised as well. I was beginning to think I’d never find a summoner that met my standards, but even miracles can happen. Thank goodness I didn’t settle for any old summoner,” Inei smirked as he slowly prowled around the group.

“Settle?” Kakashi parroted, his low drawl managing to sound offended.

“You should know that it was the Boss that taught your summoner. So, I wouldn’t consider it settling,” Pakuun huffed. “Maybe you could learn something from me as well.”

A loud snarl was all the warning Inei gave before he attempted to grab Pakuun up in his jaws. Kakashi’s quick reflexes let him snatch Pakuun up and out of the way, but he refused to put the pug down. Kakashi shot Sasuke an expectant look, but Sasuke shrugged once in a “what do you expect me to do?” sort of way. Inei purred almost contentedly at Sasuke’s feet, not fooling anyone with his attempt at innocence.

Chapter Text

A vague and distant sense of déjà vu greeted Sasuke once he was conscious. A light fog clouded his mind, his entire body felt weighed down, and his eyes throbbed slightly. A spike of panic caused his entire body to tense. His eyes weren’t in pain, but what if it hadn’t worked?

“I think he’s waking up,” a distant voice noted.

“Sasuke?”

The feeling of someone’s small hand slipping into his, helped pull him from his drug-induced fog. They were squeezing his hand now, wordlessly encouraging. It took far longer than normal for him to become fully aware of his surroundings.

“Sasuke-kun? If you can hear me, can you squeeze your hand?”

Finally, the fog was starting to lift. He recognized Sakura’s light voice even under the medical professionalism. Cursing softly, Sasuke tried to lift his hands to remove the bandages he felt around his eyes.

“Sasuke!” his mother’s voice chastised.

A deeper voice on the other side of the room chuckled. “He’s fine. His mouth is still filthy, but he’s fine,” Shisui’s voice mused.

“Son? How do you feel?” his father’s voice asked. Was his entire family here?

Coming back from the dead had been easier…

“The disorientation should fade within a few hours. The anesthetics we give shinobi are a bit stronger to ensure that they don’t wake during surgery,” Sakura explained with amusement in her voice.

“Did…I say that out loud?” Sasuke asked, his throat far too dry. The chuckles were louder this time.

“I’m afraid so, Otouto.”

Despite the fog, hoarse throat, and apparent disorientation, Sasuke snapped to attention at the sound of his brother’s voice. “Itachi, are you-”

“Fine,” Itachi cut off firmly. “We’ve all been waiting for you to wake.”

All? He could sense Sakura’s chakra signature moving towards his bedside, his parents were nestled in between him and Itachi’s muted presence. Shisui’s chakra was stronger than it had been the last time he’d seen his cousin, nearly overshadowing Izumi’s smaller reserves.

“Did it work?” Sasuke asked.

He felt Sakura’s hands on his head and her familiar chakra probing before she spoke, “The operation was successful. There weren’t any complications during surgery. And from what I can tell from yours and Itachi-san’s chakra pathways, you should both make a full recovery and have your vision fully restored.”

His mother was muttering soft prayers of thanks while squeezing his hand again. Finally, Sasuke was able to relax slightly. He breathed a soft sigh of relief as he slumped against his pillow. Itachi would be alright.

“I would like to keep you both for a few days of observation just to be sure. Itachi-san, we’ll move forward with your treatment once you’ve fully recovered,” Sakura informed as she fiddled with his bandages. When the dressings loosened and fell away, Sasuke experimentally blinked the initial blurriness away. “Look at me,” Sakura gently commanded.

After months of slowly deteriorating eyesight, he could only vaguely remember what perfect visual acuity felt like without his sharingan. But now, he could easily see the individual strands of Sakura’s pink hair and the creases on the finger that she slowly moved in front of his face. He patiently waited for her to finish her examination and make her notes on the file in her hands before he softly said, “Thank you, Sakura.”

Sakura stilled in the middle of her writing to give him a look of surprise. A light pink flush colored her cheeks as she blinked at him in surprise. She quickly shook herself out and replied, “What are friends for?”

“We owe you a great debt, Haruno Sakura. The Uchiha owe you an even greater one. We won’t forget what you have done for us,” his father said with all the seriousness of the clan head. Sasuke could hear the gratitude in his father’s voice and see it on the faces of his family.

Sakura’s blush had deepened now as her eyes scanned the room. She struggled to find the right words but was abruptly interrupted before she could. The door was suddenly pushed open and an ecstatic, teary-eyed Shizune was poking her head into the room. “Sorry for the intrusion, but Sakura I need you. Tsunade-sama’s awake,” Shizune said with a watery smile.

Sakura’s eyes widened is stunned surprise as Shizune’s words sank in. The rosette offered a stuttered apology to anyone listening but was already half-way out the room. Sasuke was almost sure that her final words were a warning not to go anywhere until she cleared them, but Sakura shut the door behind her before she had finished speaking.

“I knew everything would work itself out,” Shisui remarked with a bright grin from his wheelchair at Itachi’s bedside. Itachi snorted once but didn’t comment.

“We are incredibly fortunate to have the allies that we do,” his father acknowledged. “This is a difficult time for the Uchiha. Our loyalty to the village has been called into question, yet again. We’ve lain to rest over half of our clan and those that remain struggle with the consequences of our actions- mine in particular.”

“I thought that I was doing what’s best for the clan, but I was wrong. My inaction allowed all of this to happen. I failed as a patriarch and clan head. Now I know that for our clan to recover, we need someone capable of guiding us through much needed change,” Fugaku said.

Sasuke had never heard his father sound so contrite. Sasuke had always seen his father as stern and uncaring. But in just a few short months, his father had shown more emotional range than he had for the entirety of Sasuke’s childhood.

“I believe that you are the change we need, Shisui,” Fugaku finished with the utmost conviction in his voice and eyes. Everyone looked to Shisui then, but his cousin was too busy staring at his father in dumfounded silence.

“I agree,” Mikoto acquiesced with a small smile.

“Fugaku-sama-” Shisui started, but Fugaku was quick to interrupt.

“The responsibility of clan head should fall to the one best suited for the job and I can’t think of anyone better,” Fugaku nodded.

Sasuke smirked at Shisui’s wordless floundering. His cousin’s eyes kept darting around the room, hoping to find any hint that someone would put a stop to what was unfolding. Unfortunately for Shisui, he received nothing but unyielding support. When Shisui’s gaze landed on Sasuke, he could only give his cousin a casual shrug. “Maybe the responsibility will help you grow up,” Sasuke jeered with a grin.

Shisui sneered but gave up his protests with a sigh. “This is all your fault,” he told Itachi darkly. Itachi smiled unabashedly.

~:~

Once twenty-four hours had passed and Sakura had triple-checked his chakra pathways, Sasuke was finally cleared to leave the hospital. As he tugged on his shoes, Sasuke marveled at the relief that had been keeping him buoyant since he’d woken up. Itachi would be alright. Sasuke kept repeating these words to himself as he stood and faced his brother. Itachi was still smiling again, still full of good cheer from the night before.

After declaring Shisui to be the next clan head, their small family had conversed well into the night. For once, a family gathering had been filled with smiles and laughter- a far cry from the normal quiet or stilted conversation. As if all their masks had been stripped away, everyone had spoken their minds without any hesitation. It had been the most liberating family discussion that Sasuke had ever had.

“I’ll see you soon,” Sasuke promised.

Itachi nodded once and pushed himself up into a seated position. Sasuke was surprised to see his brother hold out his arms for a hug, but he was quick to move into and return the embrace. “Thank you for being stubborn, Sasuke,” Itachi whispered into his ear. He will forever deny it, but the sentimental lump in his throat kept him from replying. Suddenly, Itachi squeezed him a bit tighter and said, “Don’t forget what I told you, Otouto.”

When he looked at his brother again, Itachi had a heavy, meaningful look in his eyes that had Sasuke frowning and looking away. “Just get better soon. If you spend any longer on your ass, they’ll be no helping you,” Sasuke teased and pinched a small fold at Itachi’s side. All positive emotion vanished from Itachi’s face and was quickly replaced with light annoyance. Even as Itachi rolled his eyes, Sasuke could see that his brother wasn’t fooled by his impish teasing. Fortunately, Itachi was allowing him to avoid any more awkward conversations or lectures.

Sakura had been patiently and unobtrusively waiting for him to finish before she held the door open for him and followed him out. “He’ll be fine. I’m very optimistic for his procedure. And the recovery time shouldn’t keep him hospitalized for much longer,” Sakura mused with a smile.

“Hn,” Sasuke replied, but Sakura wasn’t bothered.

“Shishou was impressed when I showed her my seal. She’s looked it over and she thinks that it could have other applications as well. She called it revolutionary,” Sakura bragged, her ego growing by the second.

Sasuke chuckled once with a shake of his head. “Have you decided what you’re going to call it?”

Sakura shot him an excited grin. “I have some ideas! What do you think of Sakura Fuguken Fūin?” Sakura posed with an expectant look. Sasuke made a face that made Sakura huff. “I’ll keep working on it.”

Before he turned the last corner that would put him at the hospital entrance, he could sense her chakra. Judging by the intermittent small spikes in her chakra, he could tell that she was anxious. Sasuke sighed softly. ‘Dobe,’ he thought fondly.

Just as he predicted, Naruko was attempting to pace a rut into the floors of the hospital entrance. Sakura was snickering next to him behind her hand. “I may have told her that you were being released today,” Sakura grinned. Despite the unnecessary meddling, Sasuke couldn’t find it within himself to be annoyed with Sakura.

Sasuke hadn’t taken more than three steps before Naruko’s attention was on him. She watched him like a hawk, her eyes narrowed in focused consideration. He wasn’t sure what she was looking for exactly, but she must have found it because she her expression started to soften as he approached. “Sakura-chan, I owe you an extra-large order of miso ramen with extra pork,” Naruko said gratefully.

“How about some umeboshi instead?” Sakura smiled. “Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid for the next few days. He’s fine, but I don’t want to see him back here unless it’s absolutely necessary. He’s been a nightmare for the staff.”

“Bastard,” Naruko admonished with a shake of her head. “You can count on me, Sakura-chan! I’ll keep him out of trouble.”

“Dobe,” Sasuke scoffed and stepped around her to leave.

“Oi! Sasuke! Wait for me, dattebayo!”

~:~

The Uchiha District had been cleared after the investigation into the clan and its members had ended. Those that survived the coup had already returned to their rebuilt homes and begun the cleanup efforts. Sasuke listened with one ear as Naruko chattered away about the progress on the rebuilding. He wasn’t surprised to learn that the construction had slowed to a crawl since many of the villagers outright refused to step foot in the district, much less help build. Like a one-woman army, Naruko and her clones had done their best to compensate for the loss of manpower.

As he walked with her through the district, the reception he received was the opposite of the villagers’ treatment. Aunts, uncles, and distant cousins all nodded or bowed as he walked by. Some even stopped him to express their concerns for his family. Sasuke was quick to reassure them that his family was fine and would be released from the hospital soon enough.

The familiar sight of the main family residence soothed the ache in his chest that he hadn’t known was there. It was as close to the home he remembered as could be. Sasuke turned questioning eyes onto Naruko, and she flushed and rubbed at the back of her head. “I tried my best to rebuild from memory. I think some rooms ended up being bigger than they used to be though,” Naruko explained.

Because there was no end in sight to his gratitude lately, Sasuke raised a hand to tap Naruko’s exposed forehead as he said, “It’s fine.”

Cheeks as red as cherries, Naruko smiled brightly. “Don’t just stand around. Go inside, ‘ttebayo!” Naruko shouted and pushed Sasuke forward.

Slipping his shoes off in the entryway, Sasuke observed the (mostly accurate) recreation of his home. The home still smelled of fresh lumber and there were a few leftover tools and supplies scattered about, but Sasuke still felt a bud of affection blooming in his chest. There were only basic pieces of furniture in some rooms- tables, chairs, and shelves. So, Sasuke was surprised to see that his room was already fully furnished. His bed was unmade, and several boxes were still waiting to be unpacked.

“I brought over your stuff from my room. I figured you’d want to move back in sooner rather than later. Don’t worry. I got the clothes that Karin took too, dattebayo,” Naruko said from the doorway. Sasuke chose not to comment on the fact that Karin had stolen some of his clothes.

“I was kind of hoping that you’d let me stay here tonight,” Naruko said. Sasuke raised a brow at Naruko from over his shoulder, but she was glaring at the floor with a light blush to her cheeks. “Tou-chan’s left the village for another Kage summit and Kaa-chan took Mikoto-obaa-chan to a spa so Karin kicked me out. She has a date with Kiba.” Flinching at what Naruko was insinuating, Sasuke sharply nodded and forced himself to focus on anything other than Karin or Kiba.

Quickly making a hand sign, Naruko said, “I’ll get dinner then!”

Sasuke knew better than to trust Naruko to cook anything. She was remarkably bad at preparing anything without the word “instant” in the name. Sasuke paused his unpacking to shoot Naruko a glare from over his shoulder. “I’m not eating ramen again,” Sasuke warned.

The excited grin on Naruko’s face fell away. “Then what are you going to eat, dattebayo?” she asked with a puzzled frown.

Sasuke searched through the boxes until he found some loose paper and pens mixed in with some books. He could sense Naruko peering over his shoulder as he quickly wrote down a list of ingredients. “Here. Buy these and I’ll make dinner,” Sasuke ordered and handed over the paper. Naruko took it with a curious expression and read through the list, but eventually gave him a salute before leaving through the window.

By the time that Naruko had returned, Sasuke had finished unpacking his clothes, made his bed, and begun assembling what he’d need to make dinner. Naruko watched with wide eyes as he silently went about washing the rice. “I want to help, too ‘ttebayo,” Naruko volunteered.

Personally, Sasuke wouldn’t trust Naruko anywhere near a kitchen. When they were still a team, it was an unspoken rule to never allow Naruko to prepare any meals at the risk of her not only burning the food but any surrounding wildlife as well. “As long as you don’t burn down my home,” Sasuke said and placed washed vegetables on a cutting board.

Naruko scoffed with a look of pure confidence. “If you can do this, then so can I,” she reassured, but Sasuke wasn’t convinced. He spent the next few minutes watching Naruko from the corner of his eyes until he was sure that she wouldn’t somehow set the kitchen on fire. When she had finished, she proudly displayed her work for him to examine. She hadn’t done a bad job, but Sasuke pulled an unevenly cut carrot from the bowl and gave her a flippant, “They’ll do”. Sasuke smirked when he heard her grumble, “Bastard” under her breath from behind his back.

The rest of their preparations were spent mostly in silence, aside from Naruko’s questions. It was all incredibly domestic, but oddly welcome. He raised a brow when Naruko had started humming a tune he didn’t know, but it had him subconsciously relaxing, nonetheless. In the end, Sasuke was pleasantly surprised that they hadn’t had a single accident.

“Itadakimasu!” Naruko exclaimed just before digging into her bowl of nikujaga. In the middle of chewing, Naruko smiled brightly. She had barely finished swallowing before she was speaking again. “This is pretty good, Sasuke! You should cook more often, ‘ttebayo,” she praised.

“Hn.”

“I didn’t get to ask you earlier, but everything’s fine now, right? With you and Itachi-nii-san.”

He hadn’t tried to use his Mangekyo yet, but without the dampening of the pain medication, Sasuke could feel the difference now more than ever in his eyes. ‘Itachi’s eyes,’ he reminded himself. It was an unnerving thought, but Sasuke pushed those feelings aside. Him having his brother’s eyes meant that Itachi would live a long life with full vision- a small price to pay for such a huge reward. “Itachi takes longer to recover than I do. But once he’s ready, Sakura will heal him. He’ll be back to full health soon,” Sasuke reported.

Naruko relaxed with a breath of relief. “That’s good. I’m happy for you, Sasuke. I know how much Itachi-nii means to you,” she said with a sincere smile. Sasuke could see the emotion shining in her eyes, a mix of sentiments that were taking root within him as well. He couldn’t be sure if she was reflecting his emotional state or if it were the other way around. Ignoring the way that she still made his ears warm, and heart pound irregularly, he made his best attempt at stoicism, but he felt his resolve crack when her smile widened. “We’re all gonna get old and wrinkly, dattebayo,” Naruko promised and took another mouthful of rice.

“Hn.”

~:~

Sasuke rubbed a towel over his damp head as he stood in front of the mirror in his bathroom. Once he’d soaked up enough water, he took a moment to wipe off the mirror and stare at his reflection. He stared at Itachi’s eyes for several moments but couldn’t pinpoint any prominent differences. No one would be able to tell the difference. Channeling chakra into his eye, Sasuke watched his sharingan activate and shift into his mangekyo.

The design was different now- a mix of his old eyes and Itachi’s three-pronged design. The customary burn in his eyes was completely gone and the pull on his chakra reserves was minimal now. Idly, he wondered how long he could keep going like this before he tired.

“Oi, Sasuke! Would you hurry up in there? You’re not the only one that needs to use the bathroom!”

Despite appearances, the plumbing situation hadn’t been fully fixed. With a roll of his eyes, Sasuke unlocked the door and gave Naruko an unamused stare. “I told you to go first,” he pointed out, but Naruko didn’t reply. Her fist was still raised to mostly likely pound on the door, but her cheeks were slowly coloring. “You’re in the way, Usuratonkachi.”

Visibly shaking herself out, Naruko stared up at him in concentration. “Your eyes are different now.”

Before she could start interrogating him, Sasuke cut off the chakra flow to his eyes and put his hands on her shoulders. Ignoring her rapidly darkening face and neck, he lightly pushed her backwards and out of the way. Despite standing before her in an arguably vulnerable position, Sasuke couldn’t find it in him to be embarrassed. He’d never been naked in front of her before and her reaction was both interesting and amusing. Nonetheless, he pulled his hand away and left her to get dressed for bed.

Sasuke was turning down his sheets for bed when Naruko entered the room. He spared her a glance out of the corner of his eyes when he heard her rifling through his drawers. She was frowning down at his shirts while clutching her towel to her chest. He didn’t mind the large number of shirts that were steadily going missing from his closet as much as he thought that he would. He’d never admit it to her, but a part of him liked seeing her wear his clan symbol.

After she had dressed in one of his navy shirts, Sasuke waited for her to claim her half of the bed (before disregarding it and practically melding into his side anyways). But she was silently staring at the wall in deliberation. He was about to snap her out of her daze, but she beat him to it when she suddenly straightened with an air of resolve. “Usuratonkachi,” Sasuke beckoned.

Sasuke was convinced that Naruko would spend the rest of her life surprising him with the unexpected. He had been fully intent on going to sleep, but those plans flew out the window when Naruko pulled the sheets off his lap and straddled him. “I didn’t bring any clean clothes with me,” she told him.

“Obviously,” Sasuke replied and waited. He could tell that she had something planned, but he made no moves to figure it out.

Would she spend the whole night redder than a tomato? “All of my clothes are dirty, dattebayo,” she whispered, her eyes pleading with him to understand. The seconds seemed to tick by until realization hit, and it was his turn to blush. “Is that okay?” she asked.

How did she expect him to answer? His brain was short-circuiting, unable to form a coherent thought. Somehow, he managed a stilted nod and averted his gaze. Unfortunately, his eyes landed on her exposed skin of her thighs. He moved his hands to her thighs, softly squeezing the toned flesh. Naruko pulled his attention back onto her face when she rested her hands on his shoulders. Sasuke tried to swallow around the lump in his throat when he saw the unabashed attraction in her eyes.

They were alone. They were completely alone with their families sufficiently occupied. Just that thought had his heart pounding in nervous excitement. Of their own accord, his hands squeezed again. That seemed to be a sufficient sign because Naruko quickly slid her hands around the back of his head and kissed him within an inch of his life. Even after she had pulled away to catch her breath, he found himself unsatisfied. Unexpectedly, it was him initiating their next kiss and the following one (and the one after that).

She was so warm. He’d noticed it a long time ago that her body temperature was always a bit elevated compared to others. The only times he’d ever come close to her level of warmth were after he’d been using his fire release. Now, she felt impossibly hot even through the layers of their clothes. It felt like her hands were smoldering as she slid them down his front.

She tugged at his shirt before making a disgruntled noise and abruptly pulling the shirt up. He lifted his arms to make it easier for her, but he hadn’t even fully removed his shirt before Naruko was pushing at his chest and forcing him backwards.

Her enthusiasm was infectious. Her hands had stilled on his chest as she buried her face in his neck, but his hands were making their way up her thighs to her bare hips. A soft hitch of her breath had him pausing in his explorations, but he continued when she nipped at the skin of his neck. With each slightly labored breath that she took, he could feel the puffs of air caressing his ear. He resisted the urge to shiver, his grip on her hair unwittingly tightening. She released a quick gasp and wriggled a bit, causing him to freeze and release his hold on her. 

She had never been one to complain that he’d hit too hard or gone too far, but that was during sparring. Shifting away as best he could, Sasuke looked up at her in mild concern. He watched her face for any sign of discomfort, but she only looked content and a little dazed. “Naruko,” he tried to get her attention. When her blue eyes finally focused on him, she gave him a lazy smile. “Do you want to stop?” 

Naruko raised a brow at him in confusion. “No. Do you?” she asked.

Not at all. He supposed that there were a few reasons for them to stop and just go to bed. But each sounded more unappealing by the second. She must have seen the reluctance in his eyes because she quickly grinned at him and said, “Good.” Splayed out beneath her, he received a foxy smirk that was far more alluring than any look that he’d seen on her face before. Hands resting on his chest, she leaned in close to pepper kisses along his jaw. 

He was mostly motionless beneath her except for his hands that were slowly gripping and releasing her hips and waist. Without warning, her lips latched onto his ear and lightly tugged. Sasuke had felt his arousal intensify and his already heated face and neck burn. He pulled one hand from her shirt to fist a hand in the hair at the back of her head. Her hips immediately lowered from where they were hovering over his as she practically mewled in his ear.

He’d closed his eyes without realizing and when he opened them again, he was surprised to see the world through the red tinge of his sharingan. He watched her start to lose herself in what she was feeling, her head tilting back and hands clenching on his chest as she slowly writhed. Her breasts were by no means large, but they fit perfectly in his cupped hand. They were soft to the touch, her nipples growing hard at his fondling. When his thumbs ran over the nubs, she mewled and gasped as her hips stuttered. 

When she locked eyes with him again, he felt his cock stir at the heat pouring from her gaze. Her hand moved to caress his cheek and the side of his face as she breathlessly said, “Sasuke, your eyes.” 

He would never forget this night. “Does it bother you?” he asked.

She was still slowly grinding away when he’d asked. She took a few beats to consider his question before shaking her head and subtly picking up her pace. Without prompting, she grabbed the hem of her top and quickly pulled it up and off. He wasn’t sure that it was possible, but he felt his blood boil even hotter. 

His eyes slowly roved over her mostly naked form, catching on the sight of her pink, hardened nipples. When his gaze stopped on her flushed face, he was slightly taken aback by the nervous expression she held. “They’re not huge,” she excused. 

“I don’t care,” he replied because he didn’t. He could care less about the size of her chest when the reaction she gave him when he fondled them was far more arousing. She moaned loudly, her voice filling the room. With a surprise jerk of his hips that had her squeaking in shock, Sasuke quickly switched their positions. 

He had been mostly following instinct when he touched her, his lack of experience and knowledge being of little help. Fortunately, it was easy for him to discover what she liked. His eyes committed the way she moaned and arched away from the bed to memory when he pulled a nipple into his mouth and sucked. While his hands and mouth continued to lavish her chest with attention, his eyes were focused on her face and every expression of bliss and pleasure that crossed it. He was impossibly hard at this point, but he ignored it in favor of moving further down her body. From where he kneeled between her legs, Sasuke took in all traces of his handiwork from her tousled hair to flushed and heaving chest. When she opened her eyes, she shot him a lecherous and heated look.

Thanks to some very detailed diagrams from some anatomy books that Sakura had insisted that he memorize months ago, Sasuke felt a bit more confident in his explorations- just a bit. But what had started as tentative caresses were quickly becoming more sure strokes. He marveled at how wet she was, his hand was quickly becoming covered in her essence. He experimented with a few, different patterns before landing on a combination of circular motions that had her thighs spreading and back arching as she breathily moaned his name.

He’d done well to ignore his own needs so far. Even now, the urge to touch himself was nagging away at him. Every action he took to increase her arousal was like a double-edged sword. He supposed that he could have asked her to do it for him, but a part of him was determined to outlast her. So, when he watched her body bend until she suddenly jerked and spasmed with a loud, euphoric cry, Sasuke felt a pleased sense of sense of conquest fill him. 

He sat back on his heels, watching her slowly come down with a few more quick spasms before she laid out and breathed deeply. Eventually, she lifted her head and looked up at him with a small smile. “Ne, Sasuke?”

“Hm?” he hummed, his mouth incredibly dry. 

“Can we do that again?” she asked with an eager grin. 

He wasn’t really surprised that she was ready and willingly to keep going. “Hn,” he chuckled once before moving to hover over her. 

~:~

The next morning, Sasuke awoke feeling pleasantly warm and with the scent of Naruko’s citrus shampoo filling his nose. Before he had opened his eyes, he got the feeling that he was being watched. Naruko’s bright chakra pulsed at his side signifying her conscious state. When he felt her fingers brushing his hair away from his face, he opened his eyes to stare at her curiously. She looked surprised to be caught, her hand frozen by his face. “G’morning,” she greeted sheepishly and pulled her hand away. 

“Hn,” he responded and rolled over onto his back. As he moved, Sasuke registered his nakedness, but couldn’t muster up the effort to be embarrassed. It’s not like Naruko gave him a chance to anyways. As he moved, she moved as well to close the space between them and fit against his side. 

“I didn’t get what Ino was talking about before, but she was right,” Naruko mused and wrapped her arm over his chest and tangled her legs with his. Sasuke felt that it was better not to ask what exactly Ino had been right about.

~Omake~

Sakura went through her mental checklist for her daily responsibilities for the third time as she walked through the halls of hospital. With her clipboard in hand and white coat swishing around her, she was the perfect picture of dutiful professionalism. In actuality, she was deliberately avoiding the last of her tasks for the day. Once again, Sakura silently sighed as she stopped in a deserted hallway in the maternity ward. She knew that she was just postponing the inevitable and if there was one thing Tsunade had drilled into her, it was facing everything head on. Steeling her nerves, Sakura made an about-face and headed towards the general ward.

Sakura hadn’t initially realized the implications that went along with becoming the primary care physician for the Uchiha clan. She had assumed that she would be performing more eye transplants or annual physicals in the future. She hadn’t expected that Uchiha Fugaku would refuse to allow anyone other than her to treat his clan members.

Quite a few Uchiha had occupied the hospital beds after The Uchiha Incident. The majority had had nonfatal wounds and had been released days ago. Unfortunately, Uchiha Shisui hadn’t been released in time for Fugaku’s nonnegotiable declaration.

Sakura supposed that it was a small nuisance that she was making such a mental fuss over. All she had to do was check in on him and administer his medication. Piece of cake.

Knocking twice on the door to Shisui’s room, Sakura paused for a second before she pushed the door open. She had expected to see Shisui sitting up and waiting for her with a flirtatious grin, but he was staring out the window with his back to her instead. “Shisui-san,” she called out to him, but a slight turn of his head was the only response she got from him. Frowning in concern, Sakura approached him with her eyes searching for any signs of injury or distress. “Are you alright?” she asked, but she was already running a hand of healing chakra over his back.

“Yes. I feel fine. Thank you for asking, Sakura,” Shisui replied, his voice almost monotone.

Alarm bells blaring now, Sakura moved to stand in front of him and stared into his eyes. Shisui’s expression was calm and almost vacant, as if he wasn’t truly present. “Can you tell me where you are?”

Shisui gave her a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’m with the world’s most beautiful medic,” he said, his voice lacking its usual joviality. Sakura frowned at him in exasperation with a sigh. She worried for nothing. He must be fine if he can still make lame jokes. “I’m sorry for worrying you, Sakura. But I don’t think I’ll be very good company today.”

“And why is that?” Sakura asked idly as she flipped to the last page in his file and placed her fingers on the pulse point in his wrist.

“I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

His heart rate was normal. “I understand. He may not look like it, but without the strain to his body Itachi-san is slowly improving. You don’t need to worry,” she said and used her chakra to continue her examination.

“I know. I wasn’t talking about him,” Shisui said. Sakura paused to meet his gaze, wordlessly prompting him to continue. If it was even possible, Shisui seemed at a loss for words. “…Have you… Do you ever…” Shisui struggled before eventually settling on, “Fugaku-sama has declared me to be the next clan head.”

“Congratulations,” she replied automatically, but almost wished that she hadn’t when she saw Shisui cringe. “I’m guessing that you don’t want to do it either.”

Sakura knew through the grapevine (read: Ino) that both Itachi and Sasuke had turned down the title of clan head. She had wondered what that meant for the Uchiha clan, but she’d refrained from asking. It probably wasn’t her business or place to ask about important clan matters.

“No. I don’t think I’ll be very good at it,” he answered with a mirthless chuckle.

“Why not?” Sakura asked. She couldn’t think of a single reason why someone as skilled and talented as “Shisui of the Body Flicker” would be a bad clan head.

“I’ve made too many crucial mistakes to lead the clan.”

Sakura could hear her Inner Sakura loudly wondering what mistakes Shisui had possibly made, but she held her tongue. Despite her curiosity, she didn’t want to pry. “Fugaku-sama doesn’t see it that way. He has a whole clan to choose from and he chose you for a reason. I don’t really know him, but he doesn’t seem like the kind of man to do things on a whim,” Sakura reassured.

“Your blind faith in me is reassuring, Sakura,” Shisui said and gave her grateful smile.

Shisui’s grins normally filled her with annoyance or mild irritation. But the small upturn of the corners of his mouth and genuine gratitude in his dark eyes made her breath catch in her chest. “It’s not really blind faith. I’ve seen you in action, remember? You’re strong enough,” she complimented.

Shisui’s brows raised slightly in surprise. “Thank you, Sakura.”

Was he saying her name differently or was she imagining things? ‘He said Sah-ku-rah,’ Inner Sakura said with a wolfish grin. Viciously ignoring the voice in her head, Sakura cleared her throat. “Do you still feel any discomfort or pain?”

Shisui was still giving her that small smile as he shook his head. “I feel fine now. Don’t worry about me, Sakura. I’ll be out of your hair soon at this rate,” Shisui said.

Her mouth was moving faster than her brain could keep up. “I’m your primary physician now. You can’t get rid of me that easily,” she said, and ducked her head to hide the mild panic rushing through her.

“No. I guess not,” Shisui chuckled once and moved to lay down.

‘He has a nice laugh, doesn’t he?’ Inner Sakura unhelpfully pointed out.

“Well, since you’re not in any pain, I won’t give you any more pain killers! I’ll let you get some rest. Sleep well, Shisui!” Sakura rushed out in one breath, grabbed the still open file that rested on the mattress, and sped out the door before Shisui could speak. Once there was a solid wall between her and Shisui, Sakura released a slow breath. Her Inner Sakura had plagued her all throughout childhood, but she’d worked hard to get the voice out of her mind. She found that the annoying voice was quiet so long as she was honest with herself and refrained from keeping her emotions bottled up. She wondered what the reappearance of Inner Sakura could mean, but a small voice in the back of her mind already knew.