In good company
Three: The C.O.
Sasuke wakes up to a dream that he's drowning. When he looks up in the dream, feeling his body get heavy and dragged down, he sees his cousin Shisui, reaching out a hand for him to take. Sasuke gasps awake, the sharingan flaring to life. "Shisui," he rasps out and starts to cough, clutching at his throat because it felt too real to be just a dream, he's still drowning, on air now.
"Just a dream, boy," Shodaime says. "Just a dream."
Sasuke pushes himself up, breathing heavily now. He's drenched in sweat, the sheets clinging to his skin a little disgustingly. "Shisui," he whispers again and staggers to his feet. The clock reads 2:34 a.m., but there's no hope for him to fall asleep again. The Hokages step aside as he walks past them and into the kitchen. There's no food there, just alcohol, which is fine by Sasuke.
So he grabs a can and settles in the couch, trying not to remember his last memory of Shisui. Every time he closes his eyes, he sees the body--bloated, rotting, inhuman, Sasuke thinks and takes a swig against the image.
Uchiha Mikoto had not wanted her son to see the body, but the entire compound was abuzz with the news. Shisui was dead, Sasuke overheard, and with his hands shaking--what does dead mean? Gone? For good? What?--he ran all the way to the Nakano River where the police and older members of the Clan had gathered. And Sasuke watched, eyes wide, as the body was dragged from the riverbed. It had been submerged for more than forty-eight hours, he would later learn. Forty-eight hours, he was left alone in that godforsaken water.
"Boy, you need to stop drinking," Shodaime warns and he sounds genuinely angry. "Put down that beer and--" Sasuke bites back the perverse curiosity for a few moments before he finally gives in. He walks back into his bedroom, opens up the closet and digs until he finds the kunai box. It was his Uncle's, with the Uchiha crest starting to fade on the wood.
"What's this?" Nidaime asks, and Sasuke ignores him in favor of opening the box. He's thumbed through these pictures so many times now he knows the order they're in, knows the faces he'll see, has memorized their smiles. Sasuke settles against the wall by the closet door, takes a swig of his beer and shuffles through the pictures until he finds what he's looking for.
Shisui looks exactly like Sasuke's Uncle in the picture. Shisui's smiles are always crooked, as if one side of his lips is incapable of quirking up into a smile. He's like all the other Uchihas--dark-haired, tall, handsome in a strictly traditional sense. Sasuke's mother had high hopes for Shisui, that he would bring home the most beautiful bride that the clan had yet to see.
Shisui taught Sasuke how to swim, had held him up in the water while Sasuke paddled and made an utter fool of himself. And once, when Shisui let him go (a little too early, Sasuke wasn't ready yet), Sasuke remembers feeling terrified, of sinking, and Shisui lifting him out of the water with a laugh. Sasuke hadn't let go of Shisui's neck until the older boy had waded out of the water. He didn't let go until Shisui carried him all the way back home and handed him over to Mikoto's open arms.
Sasuke fingers the edge of the photograph and shuffles through until he finds the second picture. This one is of Shisui holding Sasuke as a baby, looking terrified of the boy in his arms. Sasuke is grinning toothlessly into the camera, wearing only a diaper and a hand fisted into Shisui's shirtsleeve. The story is that Uncle Obito took this picture right before another picture was taken with Obito and Sasuke.
Sasuke was always told as a child that he looks more like Shisui than Itachi. Sasuke runs a hand over the line of his jaw, wondering if his mother would still think so now. "He looks like you," Nidaime says, sounding gruff. "Who is he?"
"My cousin, Shisui." My favorite cousin, Sasuke almost says. Sasuke shuts the box and drinks the last of his beer. Murdered by his best friend, drowned, and then falsely depicted as suicide. This is what the sharingan does to its users, Sasuke thinks, and remembers his own greed for it (still his greed, Sasuke knows, and worries waking up one day lusting for the mangekyou enough to kill the one good thing in his life.)
"I remember him," Sarutobi mutters and falls silent. "You must feel very lonely, Sasuke."
Sasuke shrugs and puts the box away. He's gotten used to it by now, the sting is less painful when he takes stock of his life. When he looks at the Yondaime, the man has a pitying look on his face. "It's not that bad," Sasuke says a little unnecessarily and starts to pull on clothes.
"Where are you going?" Shodaime asks. Sasuke starts to lace his shoes, pulls on arm warmers and gloves.
"Run," he says. He does a few stretches.
"Now?" Nidaime asks. "It's three--"
"I'd like to go alone," Sasuke interrupts and pockets his keys. "If you don't mind." He's shuts the door on Sarutobi's face, ignoring the older man's defeated expression.
Sasuke does twelve seven-minute miles before his legs start to cramp in the chill of early morning. He returns to his apartment at six. The Hokages are waiting for him, silent, but don't say anything even as Sasuke slips into the shower for nearly an hour.
Sasuke falls into his bed naked, wrinkled like a prune after his long shower, and doesn't wake up until ten, when the morning light streams in and interrupts his watery dreams.
**
Sasuke does fifty laps with Lee before he even reaches the bridge. Sakura and Naruto don't comment even when Sasuke takes off his sweaty shirt and falls onto the grass to dry.
Sakura looks him up and down before saying, "Maybe more caffeine next time, Uchiha." And Naruto and Sakura launch into a lengthy, detailed analysis of different sources of caffeine, the best brands available in these sources, and the best way to make Sasuke ingest them. Sasuke ignores them both and closes his eyes to doze, enjoying the sun against his skin.
A few hours later--when Naruto and Sakura have moved onto the merits of free trade--Kakashi appears with a pop and a smile. "No missions today either," he says and sighs forlornly. "This is what peace does to a ninja."
"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto chides, and Sasuke rolls onto his stomach because he knows where this conversation is going. "How can you say that about peace--"
"Sasuke, you're late again, I see," Kakashi interrupts and he's still casual. "Fifty--"
"Done." Sasuke feels the grass tickling his chin every time he talks. "Earlier today, around the Village."
Shodaime starts to laugh, a deep, bounding sound that fills up the open space. The Nidaime joins and eventually the other Hokages also fall into slight hysterics. Sasuke hides his own grin into the grass when Kakashi kicks him lightly in the side.
"It's going to be a hundred from now on." Kakashi sighs. "I have something fun planned for you three today."
Naruto lets out an excited yell and Sakura cracks her knuckles expectantly. "Finally," she says and gives Sasuke a hard kick in the leg. "Get up, Uchiha."
Sasuke stays face-down in the cool grass for a few more moments before pushing himself up into a sitting position. He lingers, yawning widely before getting to his feet. Sakura and Kakashi start walking away, Sakura talking excitedly about her ob/gyn rotations in the clinic, about how she delivered a baby--"and it was a girl, Kakashi-sense, she was so disgusting and adorable..."
Naruto watches Sasuke with bright, wide eyes, flushed a little. Sasuke stares back, sitting cross-legged on the ground. "What?"
"I think," Shodaime says pleasantly, "Naruto is staring at you, Sasuke." Which is obvious enough, Sasuke thinks.
"Nothing," Naruto snaps and crosses his arms over his chest. "Let's go."
"If you're in such a hurry," Sasuke snaps, "Go ahead--"
"As in," Nidaime interrupts. "He's staring at you."
"Oh, god, someone please kill me now," Yondaime moans. "My boy's actually interested in this delinquent?"
Sasuke thinks oh and snaps his mouth shut. He gets to his feet, stretching a little unnecessarily and notices Naruto's face flush slowly but steadily.
"God," Naruto snaps suddenly. "You're so slow sometimes." And he rounds on Sasuke, jogging to catch up with Kakashi and Sakura. "Well," Sasuke says to himself and pulls on his shirt, ignoring Yondaime's miserable wailing in the background ("...my son is ahhhhhh, oh my god, Sarutobi-sensei, what do I do?") and the other Hokages' careful consolations ("I'm sure it's just a phase, Namikaze. I mean, the Uchiha is a good looking kid...")
Sasuke catches up with the others quickly. Kakashi leads them for some time, "hm"ing and "ah"ing at Sakura and Naruto's low-pitched rambles about their lives, the trees, the weather, whatever strikes their fancy at the time. "Kakashi-sensei," they begin each sentence with, and it's like they're still twelve, trying to get the jounin's attention and approval, fighting between themselves to earn the next fond look or indulgent smile.
It's a little pointless because they're all Kakashi's favorite in one way or another: Sakura for her intelligence and carefully suppressed anger issues, Naruto for his persistent compassion so overwhelming that Kakashi doesn't freeze up anymore when the blonde dives in for a hug, and Sasuke for...
Sasuke trails off, not sure how to finish the sentence. Maybe for his sharingan, he thinks, and bites down on the disappointment at that. Maybe because Sasuke reminds Kakashi of Obito or himself .
"Where are we going, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asks and Sasuke can see her bright green eyes already darkening in calculations, estimates, and guesses. Naruto expectantly looks up at Kakashi--still such a huge height difference between them, Sasuke thinks with a smirk, because Naruto seems frozen at just 5'7'', nearly a head shorter than both Sasuke and Kakashi.
"You'll see," Kakashi says and he sounds just a little too pleased with himself. Finally, he stops at a clearing by the lake's bank. The three of them stare at him expectantly, and then, Kakashi fumbles around in his back pocket before pulling out something. He holds it up in a closed fist for a split-second, and then opens his fingers wide. Two bells drop down and tinkle invitingly.
The three vanish, all of them grinning widely.
**
"So the point," Yondaime is explaining to the others, "Is that one of them will inevitably be a casualty."
"Ooh," the Nidaime says, sounding excited a little. Sarutobi and Shodaime 'ah' as well.
"How about this? I have a jutsu for you to try, boy," Shodaime says finally. "Ready?"
Sasuke wants to point out that this is really not the time to be trying out new jutsus because he's crouching so low to the ground that he can practically smell the earth underneath him. The bush is tickling his skin and from this angle, he can see Kakashi clearly, reading his book on a tree limb. He's wide open from two different angles--everything else is rigged with traps. Naruto set off one already for Sakura and Sasuke to see.
The Shodaime reads off, "Focus your chakra into the ground, right beneath your fingertips. Search with your chakra until you find the roots of the trees. You find it?" The Shodaime demonstrates for Sasuke, who watches with the sharingan swirling. "By the time this jutsu is done, you should be able to manipulate the tree. Understand?" Sasuke nods. "Now," says the Shodaime and his hands fly into seals. Sasuke's hands automatically start to copy the movements. Then he feels it: the tug and pull of a tree, the one that Kakashi's leaning on. He watches the jounin to see if he has noticed and--there's a slight movement as Kakashi lowers his book a fraction of a centimeter, and then he's still agian.
"Go," Shodaime instructs, and Sasuke's flying just as the tree branch lurches and sends Kakashi tumbling down, two vines coming to wrap around his torso and slam him up against the tree trunk. Sasuke counts one, two, three traps, flashes by them all and is about to lunge at Kakashi when--there's no one there. "Shit," he hisses and feels someone right behind him.
Sasuke blocks a punch, a kick, a shuriken and is about to retreat when he hears a rapid yell of seals. It the Nidaime, and Sasuke follows the orders in quick succession. Four walls come up around him and another shuts on the top. "Here's one," says Sarutobi and does a few seals. He presses his hand into the ground. "It's to move earth. More chakra, more movement."
Sasuke repeats the steps and then, hesitantly, presses some chakra down through his feet and into the ground underneath him. He sinks nearly a foot. He grins and begins to dig away from Kakashi and back into the brushes for cover when he hears the Yondaime behind him, "Oh, try this one. See if you can get it." Sasuke pauses and turns to look at the Yondaime, glowing an eery blue-white in the dark of the tunnel. The Yondaime does a series of seals for some time. "It's a water dragon," he says once he's finished.
Sasuke digs back up to the surface and sees Kakashi reading his book, looking bored. He looks at Sasuke and waves amiably. Carefully, Sasuke walks backward until he's at the edge of the water. "Let's go, Uchiha," Yondaime urges and when Sasuke looks at him, he has a wild grin on his face, looking so much like Naruto in that instant that the corners of Sasuke's lips twitch into a smile.
"Here we go," Sasuke says to himself and starts to do the seals. The Yondaime joins him, as a guide when Sasuke stumbles once with the seals. "Fine, you're doing fine," the Nidaime coaches.
"Well this is interesting," Kakashi mutters and puts his book away, his hands blurring into seals.
A giant two-headed water dragon rises out of the water behind Sasuke, and he turns around to stare at it, disbelieving. "It worked?" He says over the rush of water. The dragon roars, a loud gurgling sound that drenches Sasuke with water. He laughs, swallowing water accidentally. "It worked?"
"Impressive, boy," Shodaime says and he's also smiling up at the monster he's created. "Very, very impressive."
"The first try, too," Yondaime yells over the rush of water. "All right, let's see what this baby can do." Sasuke urges it on towards the jounin, quickening it with his own chakra. And then, he vanishes to start setting his own traps to get the bells when the Nidaime interrupts, "Come on, kid, I have a really good one."
"I have to get the bells," Sasuke hisses.
"You make it impossible for us to live vicariously through you," Nidaime sighs forlornly. He adds, "It's a fire jutsu."
Sasuke growls and turns back to face the jounin who is now, satisfyingly enough, dripping wet. But he doesn't have time to listen to what the Nidaime has to say because there's another Kakashi right behind him, holding him down.
**
"How about an earth jutsu..." Nidaime offers. It's an hour into training already, and Sasuke has about seventeen new jutsus memorized and stored away in his mind. "You're too slow, boy. There's no excuse for you getting stuck in here."
"I was doing fine until all four of you went off at the same time and distracted me," Sasuke growls and says, "And Nidaime, I can't do jutsus."
"It was my turn," Shodaime. "I can't believe the rest of you forgot the order we were going in!" The others offer sincere apologies to the Shodaime who wrinkles is nose, satisfied.
"Fire?" Yondaime asks.
"I'd burn alive," Sasuke snaps and wriggles life into his fingers. He's buried neck-deep in sand and there's seven different traps around his head in case he moves. Naruto and Sakura are nowhere in sight.
"Oooh, this is a good one," Nidaime says and he's floating a few feet off the ground to examine the knots that Kakashi made on a nearby branch. "Well done, Hatake."
"Kakashi was always good with traps," Yondaime mutters. "No way out."
"Actually," Sasuke says, idea dawning on him. The air around him fizzles and cackles with electricity. The problem with dealing with thunder is grounding. If the grounding is off, no matter how accurate the aim, it'll kill the user first. Neck-deep underground, Sasuke really doesn't have to worry about it too much.
Sasuke's studied the traps for the past ten minutes now, so he already knows which order to disarm them in. A sharp crack and there's a whip-blue line cutting the first paper-seal in half. "One down," Nidaime says, grinning, "Six to go."
**
By the time Sasuke traces Kakashi again, he senses Naruto and Sakura waiting nearby. The bells are still in Kakashi's hands. It's a tense moment, and then Sakura appears an inch away from Kakashi. She lets her fist fly and a large, large crater appears in the ground. Naruto appears a moment later, clones already in place. It's an impressive battle strategy that they've devised, Sasuke has to admit. They grapple, they struggle, and Kakashi dodges each and every single one of them.
An instant later, all is silent again, and Kakashi is parked neatly at the center of Sakura's crater, flipping through his book casually. "All right," Nidaime growls. "Either he's good or you're slow, boy."
The Shodaime mutters, "Will you be taking a bell or will you sacrifice yourself?" Sasuke shakes his head slightly. They don't understand still. It's not about getting the bells for yourself, it's about making sure your teammates get the bells. "I have one, a good one," Shodaime says. He waits for Sasuke's nod before starting an explanation. "It's a barrier, boy. Barriers are usually used to protect, but you can also use a barrier as a cage. You'll need a seal facing South, East, West and North. I'll tell you the blood seals, but how you're going to get it around the man is up to you. Ready?"
Sasuke nods and watches the Shodaime as he demonstrates. The Shodaime repeats it just to be sure, and the other Hokages offer tips (don't put too much chakra for the boar seal, it will ruin the balance; take your time with the Eastern ward, it's the hardest out of the four..) He memorizes the seals, does a mock-run until the Shodaime is satisfied. And then Sasuke waits.
He needs them close to Kakashi, but there's no way of him getting anywhere near the jounin without being noticed. Sasuke looks around and then, he grins. Carefully, making sure not to make too much movement, he plucks of four leaves from the tree he's hiding in and quickly makes the seals onto them, biting down on four different fingers for four different samples of blood. Next to him, the Nidaime mutters, "Nice..."
"So he's not too slow," Yondaime says, and they all fall silent.
One, Sasuke counts and blows the leaves into the air and towards Kakashi. Two: he watches them float about languidly, sharingan swirling to keep track of which seal is which. Three: four shurken out, poised to strike. Four: The shuriken fly and in instant, Kakashi's attention is on them. The shuriken change trajectory mid-flight to curve slightly, and catch their intended leaf.
Kakashi doesn't move an inch as the four shuriken miss him by at least half a foot and land neatly on four different corners. He glances down briefly at the leaves, realizes their intent, and is about to jump away-- "Now," Shodaime hisses, but Sasuke doesn't need any encouragement. He bites his thumb, draws blood, does the fifth seal and finishes the jutsu. Four, paper-thin blue walls rise up into the air, trapping the jounin in a small, contained box. Sasuke waits because knowing Kakashi, he's probably going to vanish into a log, or a chipmunk, or dissolve into water. He doesn't do any of that, only angles his head in Sasuke's direction, smiling.
I won? Sasuke thinks giddily, and jumps down to his feet, approaching the jounin carefully on all fours, crawling around the man to scout for any traps. There are three, but two are intended for Naruto and Sakura and the third he can easily avoid. He disarms them all quickly and finally rises to his feet to amble up to the jounin. They consider each other through the blue-wall. "Well," Kakashi says, "Get me out of here."
Sasuke grins. Like hell he'll let the man out. He, Uchiha Sasuke, is going to savor this moment. Behind him, Naruto and Sakura land neatly onto the ground. "What was that?" Naruto breathes and goes around the barrier with disbelieving eyes. Sakura does the same, and finally, they both turn to stare at Sasuke. "That was so many new jutsus!"
"Bet your ass they are," Nidaime says and Sasuke feels a cool touch on his head. "You remember everything, Uchiha, because it'd be a pain to teach them all to you again."
Sasuke tries very hard not to look too smug. But he has Hatake Kakashi trapped in a small box. He has Hatake Kakashi trapped in a small box. Sasuke, for sentiment's sake, goes through all the permutations of that sentence, adding emphasis to different words at different times. "All right, Sasuke," Kakashi sighs. "I understand you're proud of yourself but undo the seal."
Sasuke smirks and nods at Naruto and Sakura. "Get the bells."
Naruto slowly, carefully, puts his hand through the barrier and tugs one bell away from Kakashi's hand. Sakura takes the other and they hold it up, staring wide-eyed. "Wow," Naruto says finally. "I'm actually holding the bell. And not in a dream..."
Sakura waves it around in the air a little. "Oh my god, you dream about them too?" She asks, rounding on Naruto (Sasuke has dreamed about the bells as well; he will, however, never admit this). "Although...it's kinda anti-climatic."
"Sasuke," Kakashi insists again, looking slightly irked now. "The barrier, please." Sasuke relents and does the unbinding seal. Once the blue walls fall away, the leaves start to smoke and then catch on fire, slowly burning away. They all watch silently, until Naruto interrupts, "How did you know this jutsu--any of these jutsus you did?"
For the heck of it, Sasuke mutters, "I have these voices in my head..." and ignores both the disbelieving looks of Team 7 and the laughter of the Hokages.
**
The next morning, when Sasuke reaches the bridge (late, as usual) he sees a note pinned up on the tree in Sakura's handwriting: No training today. At Ichiraku if you want to join us. She signed it with her initials. At least, Sasuke thinks, he has time to train with the sharingan. He snatches the note and is about to leave when he senses Kakashi.
"I thought there wasn't any training."
"There isn't," Kakashi says, and drops to the ground in front of Sasuke. "But you're coming with me."
"I'm in trouble?" Sasuke scowls. "I didn't do anything."
Kakashi smiles. "You're not in trouble. Surprisingly enough."
"Then?" Sasuke demands. Kakashi just jerks a thumb over his shoulder. "Come with me," he repeats and starts to walk away. Sasuke falls in step, swallowing on the questions that he's itching to ask.
"This seems interesting," Nidaime mumbles a few feet away from Sasuke. "Hey, Namikaze, you going to spend time with your kid or--"
"I want to watch this," Yondaime says slowly. "Shodaime? Sandaime? You two coming, too?" The two men say yes, and then all is silent again.
"Where are we--"
"Yesterday," Kakashi interrupts pleasantly, "All those jutsus. Where did you learn them?"
"Orochimaru," Sasuke lies easily. "Where are we--"
"The water dragon stunt you pulled, that's my sensei's favorite jutsu, did you know? I learned it when I was very young"
The Yondaime chuckles. "The kid wouldn't leave me alone until I taught it to him," he says, and sounds fond. "It took him two tries to master that. And he was nine."
The Nidaime grumbles his approval of "this Hatake fellow." Sasuke got the jutsu it in one try, but he's already seventeen, so Kakashi still beats him by a wide margin. "Yeah, I know, when you were nine," Sasuke scowls and shoves his hands into his pockets. "Overachiever."
Kakashi's stride actually falters and he gives Sasuke a long look. "How did you know that?"
"Wild guess," Sasuke lies.
The Nidaime scoffs. "Yeah, that sounds believable."
Kakashi raises an eyebrow, but doesn't ask again. "You didn't take the bells."
Sasuke wants to say, No shit, Hatake but that will probably win him a slap on the head. So he settles for, "There were only two."
"But you could have taken one," Kakashi insists. "You won the test. You have the right to one."
"That's not the point of the game," Sasuke scowls. "The point is to ensure that your team gets the bells...Didn't you invent this game?"
"I did!" Yondaime interjects. "Come on, give a man credit where it's due--"
"Namikaze did, huh?" Sasuke says to himself and lets his sharingan swirl. The Yondaime is walking ahead of the group a little.
"That's Yondaime, punk. And yes, of course I invented it. Nearly twenty years ago. Obito and Kakashi were miserable the first time around."
"He did," Kakashi says. Nearly twenty years ago, Sasuks thinks to himself. Before he was even born. "God you're old." Kakashi's hand flashes out to hit him upside the head automatically. Sasuke has gotten so used to these slaps now, he can't even find the energy or interest in him to protest them anymore.
But he's Uchiha Sasuke and he'll be damned if Kakashi gets away with the last word in this. "I did the math," Sasuke goes on, stepping out of Kakashi's reach. "You're really old. Thirty."
"Thirty," Kakashi mumbles, "Is not really old."
"It's practically senile. Explains all the white hair..." Sasuke says, and Kakashi's hand comes out to cuff him again, this time harder. Kakashi doesn't say anything else, though, so Sasuke smirks and adds to the scoreboard in his mind: Uchiha Sasuke 7, Hatake Kakashi 83. Sasuke is starting to catch up.
Kakashi starts heading up the stairs of one of the many large, training dojos. He doesn't usually bring Team 7 to this end of the Village, mostly because it's reserved for jounin and ANBU ninja and--according to rumors and Sasuke's own embellished fantasies--the dojos house the largest collection of weapons in the entire East, courtesy the Nidaime Hokage. Sasuke nearly drools at the sight of the building.
As they walk down the corridors, they pass ANBU in uniform. Each time they do, the ANBU comes to a complete stop, steps aside and stands at attention until they pass. "Why do they do that?" Sasuke mutters, looking over his shoulder at the last ANBU. The man looks at Sasuke, the mask of a bird hiding his face.
"Ask them yourself," Kakashi answers politely and then pushes open a door for Sasuke to walk into. It's an arena with a viewing area set above. Sasuke has been in a hall like this before, for the chuunin exams. But this is much, much bigger. "For this session," Kakashi says without bothering with the preliminaries, "You can't use any ninjutsu and have no weapons. You have a partner. Your mission, pay attention, Uchiha--Your mission is to get yourself across this arena. You have an hour."
"Fine," he mutters and drops his kunai holster onto the ground, stretching with a yawn. "Is my partner the dead last or Sakura--" Kakashi walks away before Sasuke can even finish the sentence. "Or not," Sasuke mutters to himself.
"Remember the mission objective," Nidaime mutters to him. "That's the only way to pass this exam."
"Don't give him any more clues," Sarutobi chides. "Good luck, Sasuke." The other three Hokages echo the sentiment and disappear as well.
Sasuke is about to yell a question at Kakashi's retreating back when someone drops down next to him, wearing a face-cloth like Kakashi. He has brunette hair and blue-gray eyes. The man stares blankly. Feeling a little ridiculous--because his father taught him manners--Sasuke nods a hello and says, "Uchiha Sasuke." The man turns away from him to look resolutely at the finishing line across from the hall. "Right," Sasuke mumbles and looks away as well. The arena is quiet for a few moments, before the earth starts to shift and pillars start to rise, slowly taking the form of humans. Sasuke gets into a defensive crouch. The partner just remains standing.
"What are you--" But Sasuke doesn't have time to finish the question because there are at least a hundred kunai coming at them.
**
Nearly half an hour later, Sasuke is bruised, bloodied and has a kunai lodged into the back of his thigh because his partner, apparently, is a --"fucking moron," Sasuke yells at the man he's crouching over defensively. The man stares blankly up at him.
Whatever 'training' Kakashi had in mind, he wasn't really joking around because although the ninja attacking them are faceless creatures of hell and crumble into rocks the minute Sasuke lands a good kick on them, their kunai are very, very real. Sasuke spent the first ten minutes dodging kunai, picking them up and using them against his own enemies.
Then he realized that his parter was getting pummeled to the ground and had to switch tactics. Currently, they are taking cover behind two of the Rock-Ninja that Sasuke demolished and pushed on top of each other to create a wall. They are still only twenty feet away from their starting point. Ahead of them, there is at least a quarter of a mile to go, littered with rock ninja, who are waiting patiently for even an inch of Sasuke or his partner to emerge so they can pin their asses with needles.
"Fucking piece of shit," Sasuke repeats and pulls out the kunai from his thigh. It didn't go too far in, but he'll need stitches for that later on. "Here's what we're going to do," Sasuke says after taking a minute to think. "You will follow me, understood?" The man nods his head. "Think of me as your shield, all right, you idiot?" The man nods his head again. "Good."
Sasuke glances down at his watch. He's eaten up 42 minutes already, so without further ado, he gets into a crouching position and arms himself with the kunai still red with his blood. "All right, then."
Sasuke manages to make it ten more feet in one more minutes--before he senses that his partner is in deep shit again, so he lunges at him to help him avoid stray kunai. "What did I just tell you?" The man stares blankly up at him. Sasuke glares sullenly at the finishing line. He has only eight minutes left.
"I fucking hate you," he growls at the partner. The man stares. Objective, accomplish the objective, Sasuke says to himself. Get yourself across the arena, Sasuke thinks and hears it being said in Kakashi's voice. Get yourself, Sasuke repeats to himself disbelievingly. He doesn't have to protect his partner because his objective doesn't instruct him to. All he has to do is get himself across. He can cross this arena easily--it would probably only take him two minutes flat--but his partner, on the other hand, refuses to defend himself.
Uchiha Sasuke does not like to lose. This is how he generally lives his life--don't lose, don't fall behind, stay ahead. But the problem with this situation is that no matter how he looks at it, he's going to lose. Either his partner or the mission objective. This battle, Sasuke realizes, isn't even worth fighting.
So with a growl, he drops onto his back behind a dead rock ninja and pillows his head on his arms. His movement proves another attack from the enemy, so Sasuke pushes his partner onto the ground next to him and lets the rock ninja's crumbled body shield the attack. "Don't move till this is over," Sasuke instructs, and goes back to staring up at the high ceiling of the arena. "Piece of shit Kakashi and his fucking crap-ass excuse of a training session."
The partner is silent. The entire arena is silent, which is seriously starting to creep Sasuke out a little. "You're going senile, Hatake Kakashi the great goddamn Copy Nin," Sasuke yells as loudly as he can. "Senile in your old age."
The partner says, "Five minutes to complete mission."
"How dumb are you?" Sasuke asks politely. "I mean, really. How would you rate yourself on a scale of one to ten? Ten being you know your name. And one being you have a brain that's as big as your nuts."
The partner says, "Four minutes to complete mission."
"I'll give you a two," Sasuke says generously. "Because you can apparently keep very good track of time."
"Three minutes to--"
"Here's an order for you. Shut up, shit face."
The partner is silent for a moment before saying, "Two minutes to complete mission." Sasuke doesn't say anything. Just grits his teeth and breathes in deeply to stop himself from killing his partner himself. He thought Naruto was hard to deal with, that Sakura was annoying. Nothing--absolutely nothing in this world--compares to his partner right now.
"One minute to complete mission," the partner says solemnly. "You will fail to complete the mission if you don't cross the finish line."
"No, really?" Sasuke gasps. He is very, very bitter for not being able to complete as asinine a task as walking across a field. "I'd never have figured that out if you didn't tell me. Thank you oh so very much."
The partner heaves a weary sigh and sits up. "Your hour is complete. You failed the mission."
"Wow," Sasuke says, sitting up as well. The rock ninja don't attack. Instead, they all crumble to the ground in one big heap. "You think?"
"Come with me," the man says roughly, and stands up.
Sasuke heaves to his feet as well. "I think I'll give you a three," he snaps at the man, falling into step beside him. "If you can talk then--"
"Shut up," the man growls and runs a hand through his hair. He guides Sasuke out of the arena, around a corner, and up a set of stairs.
"Piece of shit Hatake Kaka--"
The man rounds on Sasuke and grabs his collar, shaking it for emphasis. "And one more word about the Boss," he growls. "I'll kill you myself."
"The Boss?" Sasuke says with a bark of laughter once the man lets go. They start to walk again. "Kakashi? The Boss?"
The man wrenches open a door and pushes Sasuke through it. It's a medium-sized room with a table in the middle. There are two chairs on either side of the table, and one side of the room has a large, black-tinted window. It's an interrogation room, no doubt about it, because Sasuke has been in these rooms more than once already. The door slams shut behind Sasuke so he walks up to the desk and sits down.
When he glances at the window, all he sees is his reflection, so he goes back to staring the lines on his palm--Orochimaru took him to a palm reader once as a joke, and the woman had very seriously said that Sasuke would father an entire flock of children, perhaps he should consider getting a vasectomy?--when a snake pops up in front of him. It's Yuuta and he swivels his head around before turning to look at Sasuke. "Where are you?"
"No clue," Sasuke mumbles. "Dog-master got me into this shit. You have a report for me?"
"I established base," Yuuta hisses, sounding a little urgent. "There is a lot of high chakra-level humans in a concentrated area. They're all moving out north west, though. Do you want me to follow?"
"Follow them," Sasuke mutters and reaches out to rub at a deep scratch on Yuuta's back. It's still lightly crusted with blood so he asks, "What happened?"
"Eagle attacked," Yuuta says. "I killed it."
Sasuke isn't really the affectionate type, but he's already lost two of his snakes to Orochimaru and there is nothing worse than trying to summon one of his animals and getting no response. There's only nineteen snakes now, including Rin, and he can't afford to lose anymore. So he says in a low voice, "Be careful." Yuuta gives him a look before biting him on the hand lightly. He disappears.
Sasuke is sucking on the puncture wound when the door slams open and three men stride in. One of them has long, black hair and it takes only a few seconds for Sasuke to recognize him. A Hyuga. "Your snakes summon themselves," the Hyuga states and sits down regally. The other two, with face-cloths, stand at attention against the wall behind the Hyuga.
"They like to visit me," Sasuke drawls. "Why am I here?"
"You inherited them from Orochimaru," the man snaps, ignoring Sasuke entirely. "You can speak their language."
Sasuke leans back in his chair with a weary sigh. It's another one of those Are-You-Sure-Orochimaru-Is-Dead interrogations, which means any plans he had of training today are going down the drain. "I already gave you people this information."
"The mission," the man says and it's like Sasuke doesn't exist because the Hyuga is carrying this conversation over Sasuke's head somehow. "Was to get yourself across the arena. You failed."
"Wow," Sasuke says, throwing his hands up in the air. "I am just amazed at how intelligent people are in this place--"
"You gave up," Hyuga interrupts. "And here I was, thinking that the Uchiha clan were people of more mettle."
"The Uchiha clan, Hyuga," Sasuke hisses, and leans forward in the chair a little. "Doesn't need to explain itself to anyone."
"You gave up," the Hyuga says again, smirking a taunt now. "Uchiha Sasuke can't even walk across an arena--"
"Because the assignment was stupid," Sasuke snarls, getting up. "Look, I'd love to chat with your high and mighty ass another day, but for now, I have better things to do."
Sasuke turns to leave when the Hyuga thunders, "Sit down, boy."
"I don't have to answer to you," Sasuke hisses, rounding on Hyuga. He lets his sharingan swirl into life, because he is sick and tired of the Hyuga's superiority complex. And this man reminds him of a certain other Hyuga that Sasuke really doesn't like very much at all. "I don't have to answer to any--"
"Hey, punk," Kakashi's voice says lazily over the intercom. "That was an order."
Sasuke clenches his fists by his side and considers the consequences of walking out. Sasuke can completely ignore Tsunade, betray Orochimaru, and face down the Five Kages themselves, but Kakashi--god damn the man--is Kakashi. So Sasuke wrenches the chair back and sits down again, breathing deeply to control his anger.
"You managed to get to 23.2 feet," Hyuga says and smirks again. "That's an all time low."
"The partner you gave me," Sasuke says, "Was a defenseless--"
"He's one of the more advanced members of our squadron," Hyuga says politely. "So if you'd refrain from insulting him any more than you already have, it would be in your best interest." Sasuke scoffs, rolling his eyes a little. "You spent the first forty three minutes defending your partner. Then, you abandoned the mission and rested."
"There was no point in completing the mission," Sasuke drawls out. "The partner would have been a casualty."
"The mission objective--"
"I got that," Sasuke sighs. "The mission objective didn't require the partner to cross the line with me. So I should have just abandoned him and gone across."
Hyuga's eyes narrow a fraction. "You understood the objective, then."
"You'd be an idiot not to," Sasuke mutters and glances at the two men flanking the wall. "What are they? Your cronies?"
"The fact that you understood the objective and didn't accomplish it anyways," Hyuga says, standing, "Makes you even more of a failure."
Sasuke raises an eyebrow. "You wanted me to abandon the partner?"
Hyuga looks down at Sasuke, head held high. "The job of a ninja is to finish the mission," he says. He sounds condescending, taunting, when he adds, "I'm surprised you haven't been taught that by your esteemed teacher Hatake--"
Sasuke shoots to his feet even before the Hyuga can finish the sentence. The movement topples his chair over with a loud crash. "Shut the hell up," Sasuke hisses. "Ninja who think like you are--"
"Following rules. My men are in the habit of doing just that. If you can't, you have no place here," Hyuga finishes easily. "Trust me, Uchiha, ninja like you who don't follow rules and orders are--"
"Trash?" Sasuke hisses, and the Hyuga's words sting more than they should. Sasuke's been down that path, and he has Naruto's sky-blue eyes as a reminder for the decisions he's made. "I know. But you know what's worse than trash? People who don't protect their team, you fuckwad."
"Is that another one of Hatake's teachings?" The Hyuga scoffs and he sounds so patronizing it makes Sasuke's blood boil. "Typical of him to--"
The Hyuga doesn't have time to finish the sentence because Sasuke nearly disappears in his speed. He has the Hyuga slammed up against the far wall, a hidden kunai against his throat an instant later. The Hyuga stares blankly into Sasuke's eyes, a smirk still curling his lips upward. "You say one more word about him, Hyuga," Sasuke hisses and presses the kunai harder against the carotid. "Mark my words, I'll rain down a world of hurt on you--"
"Let him go, kid," Kakashi says over the intercom. He still sounds unbelievably bored. Sasuke shoves the Hyuga up against the wall one more time as warning before letting him go and storming out the room. The minute he closes the door behind him, though, he runs into Kakashi. The jounin, predictably, is reading porn.
"That shit face," Sasuke snaps. "Who the hell does he think he is?"
"He's the ANBU Captain, that's who," Kakashi says, and puts his book away before looking pointedly at the closed door. "Watch your temper, Uchiha."
"I don't care who he is," Sasuke seethes. He pushes past Kakashi and is about to walk away when Kakashi grabs the back of his neck hard.
"I realize you don't," Kakashi mutters and pushes the door open with one hand and drags Sasuke in with the other. Sasuke hisses obscenities in snake tongue and lets his sharingan swirl into life again. He sees the Hokages then, casually stepping through the wall and into the interrogation room. They're all smiling or grinning, and even the Yondaime looks grudgingly pleased.
Kakashi kicks Sasuke's chair upright and shoves him down into it, letting his hand fall heavily on Sasuke's shoulder, a warning. Sasuke glares at the Hyuga across the table, clamping his jaw down on the insults crawling up his throat. "Uchiha here," Kakashi says pleasantly, "Understood the objective. Which means he passes."
"He failed the mission," Hyuga counters, looking at Sasuke still. "And he very obviously has trouble following orders."
"I'm working with him on that," Kakashi says and pats Sasuke's shoulder. "And I hardly think that failing the mission should be a concern here. Shall we move onto the next round?"
Hyuga finally looks away from Sasuke and up at Kakashi, eyes narrowing dangerously. They consider each other for a few moments, Kakashi's one visible eye still curled into a smile. There is a tense moment that has Sasuke itching for a weapon, and then it passes. The Hyuga stands up and snaps, "The next round, then."
Kakashi waves goodbye at the Hyuga as he walks away. The two bodyguards pause to nod respectfully at Kakashi before leaving as well. The minute the door closes on them, Sasuke gets to his feet. "What the hell is going--"
Kakashi slaps him upside the head. "Thirty is not senile," he says casually, and walks out as well.
Sasuke doesn't have time to even understand the context of what's happening because he gets shown into a bathroom by another face-cloth wearing man. He has a white vest thrown over his clothes, a medic. He patches up Sasuke's injuries up, takes a vial of blood and asks for a urine sample. "Look," Sasuke says, turning to look at the man. "I can't piss with you staring at me like that." The man continues to stare, so Sasuke turns back and focuses on the wall over the urinal. Eventually (twenty minutes and two bottles of water later), Sasuke emerges from the bathroom.Kakashi and Hyuga are waiting for him. They lead him outside, to a large opening surrounded by all the dojos. It's a forest, Sasuke thinks, mouth dropping open a little. It's a miniature, closed in forest. "Get across," Kakashi instructs and points at the other end of the large, large area. "Don't be seen, don't engage. There are enemies stationed around this land. No ninjutsu, no genjutsu, and no weapons. You have an hour"
Sasuke stares at him. "Are you serious?"
"Just do it, boy," Nidaime growls in his ear.
"Right," Sasuke says and walks towards the tree-line. He looks over his shoulder at Kakashi for a brief second before blurring in his speed.
**
Sasuke's shirt is ripped, and his back is so sweaty that dirt is starting to cake onto his skin. He is disgusting, Sasuke thinks with a grin, but he's also blending into the canopy so well that the man twenty feet from him has no idea that Sasuke is breathing down his neck.
Easy, Sasuke thinks and slowly climbs down to the forest floor (fake, man-made, tiny forest floor, Sasuke corrects) and crawls on all fours around the man and up the next tree. It's twenty minutes into training, but Sasuke is nearly at the finish line.
Hiding is Sasuke's forte, and Sasuke is well aware of this. Being Itachi's younger brother and Shisui's cousin taught Sasuke a great many things, but patience and disappearing into shadows is the best lesson of all. They used to play hide-and-seek together, and once (once) Sasuke hid himself so well that Itachi and Shisui nearly lost the game (Sasuke was in his Great Aunt's kitchen pantry, in the very back behind a large gourde of home-made sake, holding his breath every time the door opened. Eventually, Sasuke got bored and took a sip of the alcohol. He was raging drunk by the time Shisui found him).
Sasuke eases his way past two more enemy guards--there are more of them towards the end now, Sasuke thinks, and waits patiently for what is bound to happen. It takes a few moments, but eventually, all the enemy trickle towards the other end of the forest, where Sasuke left dummies for them to find (thus the ripped shirt, pants, and socks; sacrifice is necessary after all) and get distracted by. There is also a trap at each of these dummies, the kind that Sasuke used to rig in the Academy using twigs, rocks and logs.
Grinning, Sasuke reaches the end and glances up at the viewing area. Kakashi and Hyuga are waiting patiently on the balcony. For once, Kakashi is not reading a book, just scanning the trees. The Hokages are also there. Sasuke scouts the area for any more ANBU and sensing none, climbs back down to the forest floor.
He waits, crouching, muscles tense, until the Hyuga and Kakashi are looking away. Then, he blurs again, disappearing through the doors and into the building. "Well," he says, and dusts himself off. It takes a few more minutes but he eventually finds the balcony. Stretching over his head, Sasuke walks over to Kakashi. "What's next?"
"Well done," Sarutobi says. "That was one of the finest performances I've ever seen, Sasuke!"
"Bar none," Shodaime enthuses. "I didn't even notice you enter the building.
Nidaime puts a cold, icy hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Your speed was impressive, boy."
"You're a mess," Kakashi says, and doesn't look at Sasuke, focusing on the trees still. "Those traps you set up were childish."
"I thought they were a nice touch," Sasuke defends. "Are we done?"
"Not yet," Kakashi sighs and turns to the Hyuga who is considering Sasuke carefully.
"One last test, Uchiha," the Hyuga says and it doesn't sound so insulting any more.
**
Sasuke is bored and, more importantly, angry. "Senile," he grumbles under his breath but continues to run on the treadmill as per his instructions.
He spent the last three hours going through all sorts of crap with only his taijutsu and sharingan to rely on. He's battled two jounin and two ANBU. In the process, he's gotten stabbed, beaten, and slammed so hard into a wall that he flew right through it and into an outside courtyard. His battle with the second ANBU nearly ended in a stalemate. But then, Sasuke spotted the Hyuga standing with a smug grin in the viewing platform, and that was inspiration enough for Sasuke to cast a terrifying illusion on the ANBU that had the man rooted to the spot, shell-shocked.
The illusion, Sasuke is not ashamed to admit, is inspired by Naruto's Sexy no Jutsu. Only modified--which means the ANBU got to live out his best, most desired sexual fantasy. It lasted only for a few seconds, a distraction, nothing more, but that was enough for Sasuke to bury the man into the ground. And flip off the Hyuga triumphantly.
He's shown to showers after his last match and Sasuke spends ten minutes watching brown-tinged water drain away. When he comes out, towel wrapped around his waist, there's a two people--a man and woman--waiting for him, wearing medical vests and holding clipboards. Sasuke spends a good twenty minutes trying not to be too uncomfortable as they do a quick physical check-up. They poke, prod, ask questions about each and every single scar on his body ("That's from Orochimaru," Sasuke explains pointing to one curving around his torso. "Torture session." The woman stares at him, going pale. He explains away the scars on his back from his wings by saying they're from Kabuto.)
After muttering under their breaths about his chakra pathways ("This level is normal for you?" the woman asks. "Yes," Sasuke says, and let thunder dance from his fingertips), they give Sasuke loose-fitting shorts, shoes, and usher him into a room with two sections. There's a treadmill, bike and weights on one side, and a small glass-enclosed room on the other. They hook things up to Sasuke's chest and tell him to run as fast as he can for as long as he can on a treadmill before disappearing into the glass room.
Which is how Sasuke ends up running on a treadmill, staring at a screen with a picture of his body colored orange, yellow, blue and red. There are also vitals listed: heart rate at 84, breathing at an even 14, blood pressure at 114/76. The woman keeps informing Sasuke, a little unnecessarily, that he can stop when he feels tired. But the thing is: she doesn't realize that Sasuke spends most days doing fifty laps around the Village, that he actually enjoys running and spends a good amount of his workout schedule dedicated to picking his way through forest trails. At fifty miles, the man orders Sasuke to stop, giving him an odd look. He and his colleague come to unhook Sasuke, handing him loose sweats and a shirt to change into. Sasuke tugs on the clothes roughly and follows them into another room.
Kakashi and the Hyuga are waiting for him. The room is relatively bare: a table with a chair on either side, and a wooden box on the table. Kakashi is at the back of the room, slouching comfortably. Hyuga is sitting on one end of the table, the other chair is empty. Sasuke takes a seat across from Hyuga and watches the woman hand a clipboard tohim. "How's he look?" the Hyuga mutters, as if Sasuke weren't sitting directly across from him.
"I'm fine--"
"I wasn't talking to you," Hyuga snaps and turns back to the woman. "Well?"
"Damaged but still functioning at a very, very high level," the woman says, shrugging. "His left leg is a little weak, but his chakra pathways are..." She gestures widely. "Inhumanly huge."
"The muscles in his back are odd. There's two scars, symmetrical down his back. They seem to be a result of repeated trauma, still relatively fresh," the man puts in. "I'd recommend a scan, for follow-up."
"Odd, how?" Hyuga presses, and Kakashi steps in neatly with a fabricated answer. "He was tortured by Orochimaru. The muscles didn't heal properly, but I've put him through physical therapy."
"I'm fine," Sasuke reiterates and is glad that Kakashi is there. He's not sure he can explain wings to the Village officials.
"Well then," The Hyuga flips through the pages on the clipboard. "Your blood test came back clean."
"He should be dead," the man interrupts urgently. His words sound hurried. "There's several thousand milliliters of venom in his system. All kinds. I detected rattle, cobra, mamba, several breeds of water snake--I've never seen anything like it. I mean, if someone were to accidentally ingest a few drops of his blood, it's just a matter of seconds before the venoms hit. He's a walking..."
The woman supplements, "Bio-weapon. A walking, talking bio-weapon."
"When your snakes bite you," Hyuga says slowly, leaning forward. Even Kakashi looks a little surprised to hear this. "Do they poison you?"
"Tough love," Sasuke sighs and sits back in his chair. He can feel the chill of the metal through the flimsy fabric.
"It's freakish, that's what," Nidaime growls. Sasuke's sharingan flares to life and he sees the Hokages stepping through the wall. "You done here?"
"Seems so," Sarutobi says. "Let's see what Hiashi decides..."
"Thank you," Hyuga says and the two examiners leave the room. He turns to look at Sasuke. "There is the matter of your loyalty to Konoha, but I've been assured by Kakashi that you're allegiance lies with this Village and country."
Sasuke keeps his face carefully neutral. It's not necessary for the Hyuga to point this out. The Villagers still refuse to make eye-contact with him. "You had three tests today. You nearly failed the first, but the other two you finished. You passed the physical test, so now you have a choice." The Hyuga pushes the box across the table, towards Sasuke. "You take it or you leave it. You have an hour to make a choice." And with that, he leaves the room.
Kakashi lingers, still leaning against the wall, watching as Sasuke stares at the box. "What the hell?" Sasuke says to himself and glances up at Kakashi.
"Open it," Nidaime urges. The Yondaime puts in, "Don't you want to know?" Sasuke flips the lid off the box and stares at what he sees.
It's a white, wooden mask with a pointed nose, looks slightly like a dog or a wolf. There are deep maroon-colored markings on the sides. "ANBU?" Sasuke asks dumbly.
Kakashi takes the seat across Sasuke, where the Hyuga had been only a moment ago. "You don't have to take it. I just wanted you to have the option."
Itachi became ANBU Captain at thirteen, Shisui was ANBU at twelve. Sasuke fingers the design on the cheeks of the mask. "The Hokage trusts me now, then." Daringly, Sasuke picks up the mask and is surprised to learn how light it is. "Is this a wolf?"
"You were young, you made a mistake. People have done worse," Kakashi says after a moment. "And no, that's not a wolf. It's a dog."
Sasuke puts the mask in the box and closes it. "Did you have to pull strings--"
"No," Kakashi interrupts cleanly and gets up to leave. "You passed on your own merit."
Kakashi is at the door when Sasuke asks, "Why a dog?"
Just when Sasuke thinks that he's not going to answer the question, Kakashi looks over his shoulder and says, "It used to be mine."
**
Sasuke always thought that getting an ANBU tattoo was some sort of secret, intensely moving ritual. It isn't. In fact, it is the most anti-climatic way to end his day.
A balding man came into the room, ordered Sasuke to remove his shirt before spending a quick fifteen minutes tattooing Sasuke. He then shoved a large box at Sasuke--his uniforms, apparently--and then left. So now, Sasuke is carrying the large box and trudging down the already darkened streets of Konoha.
He is tired, cold, hungry, and his arm is starting to sting a little. The very worst part is that the Hokages are dissecting his performance minute by minute, jutsu by jutsu. "Although," Sarutobi is saying, "That illusion was a little shameless."
"It was perfect," Nidaime defends staunchly. "He understood his enemy's weakness and exploited it."
They debate the merits of Sasuke's performance and whether he is truly worthy of wearing Kakashi's ANBU mask even as Sasuke dumps the box in his living room, crawls in between sheets and falls asleep.
In the morning, they're still talking about it, so Sasuke resolutely ignores them and goes about getting ready. He's about to slip out of his apartment (he's actually going to be a little early today, it's only 7:30) when he realizes that he has yet to check out his uniform. He stares at the large brown box, the knowledge of Kakashi's old mask still weighing heavily on his mind. "Well, open it," Nidaime urges.
Sasuke slips out a kunai and slides it across the tape holding the box folds together. It pops open and Sasuke sees several uniforms packed neatly together. On top of it, though, there is a small note. It reads: Report 0700 hours, ANBU Building, 2nd floor meeting hall.
"My boy," Shodaime says cheerfully, "You're late."
"Fuck," Sasuke groans and is about to rush out the door when the Nidaime says, "With your uniform, Uchiha, change into your uniform! And don't forget your dog tags." Sasuke tugs on his uniform quickly with the help of the Hokages who instruct him on how to pull on his white breastplate, how to thread the mask around his face, and everything in between. Sasuke slips out his window, still adjusting his gloves and manages to make it to the Hokage Tower in ten minutes. It's already 8:00.
Sasuke nearly trips over himself in a hurry to run down the stairs. He doesn't know where he's going, how he's going to get there, and the worst part is that he's an hour late now for his first ANBU meeting. "Take a left," Nidaime says hurriedly in his ear.
"No, no, take a right," Yondaime corrects. "They changed the layout when I was--"
"It's actually straight ahead," Sarutobi says pleasantly.
Sasuke nearly runs to the door and when he approaches it, he takes a few seconds to calm down. Once he has his heartbeat back under control, he pushes into the room. Only to have the entire ANBU squad turn around to look at him. Hiashi is at the front, looking regal and commanding.
"You're late," Hiashi thunders.
"And royally screwed," Nidaime says into his ear. "Say good bye to the uniform, kiddo."
"There were baby dolphins," Sasuke says, and it's out his mouth before he even registers the idiocy of something like that. He's spending too much time with Kakashi. This, if nothing else, is proof. "Drowning."
Hiashi stares at him, just as a few of the ANBU snigger. "What?"
"Dear god, it runs in the family," Yondaime groans. "Obito used to--"
"There were baby dolphins drowning," Sasuke repeats, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. He has to stick by his story now. No matter what. "I had to save them. ANBU duties, and everything." There is some muffled sniggering in the crowd.
Hiashi levels his gaze at the ANBU again and says, "Sign up for patrol duty by the end of today. I want the rosters filled for this month. Missions will be handed out at 0900 hours. New recruits, report to Jiro. The rest, Dismissed."
Sasuke lingers by the door, unsure of what to do or where to go when he sees the dog (more like a wolf now, Sasuke thinks, and tries not to kill it out of reflex when it growls at him.) Kiba appears a few seconds later, face hidden by cloth. "Well, well, if it isn't the great Uchiha."
"Inuzuka," Sasuke thinks and can't help but wonder how the dog-boy made ANBU as well. He'd known that Kiba made chuunin, that he was toying with either jounin or ANBU for a while now (courtesy Naruto, who keeps Sasuke updated on the lives of everyone in the Village.) He just didn't think that Kiba would pass.
But then again, Sasuke thinks, he'd defected from the Village for nearly three years. That should have been enough time for the dog-boy to master his skills. "Wasn't expecting to see you here," Kiba mutters and there's an insult in his words that makes Sasuke's skin itch with unresolved anger.
"Likewise."
"Unlike some people, Uchiha, I didn't get here by association--"
Sasuke takes a deep breath, but the sharingan is flaring already. "Enough, both of you," someone interrupts. Sasuke is surprised that he hasn't sensed Shikamaru yet, but the man has a way with blending into shadows. "We need to report to Jiro sometime today," Shikamaru calls out, "Aburame, Hyuga, you coming?"
"You should quit," Shodaime says, sounding very serious. "Before you kill the Hyuga boy."
"I second that," Yondaime grumbles. Sasuke ignores both of them and concentrates on not starting war with Neji again. Another ANBU approaches, and this one has a loose-fitting cape around his ANBU uniform. "Uchiha," Shino mumbles and walks past Sasuke with a slight nod. Neji walks over a little more cautiously. He gives Sasuke a blank look before walking by.
"Let's go," Kiba growls and follows Shikamaru out the door. Sasuke trails behind the group a little.
They find Jiro in a small meeting room, flipping through manila folders. He's leaning against the table in the room. The man grunts a hello when the four of them walk in and glances up, bright brown eyes sizing up the new members. "All right, ladies, welcome to ANBU. Say hello to each other if you haven't met yet. You'll be in the same group. I'll be your commanding officer, and as your C.O., my word is law."
The five of them sit down and for a second there's only the scraping of chairs for noise in the room. "I've been through your files, so let me be clear..." Jiro pushes himself off the table and stretches. "I know every dirty little secret of your lives. I'll be evaluating your progress for the next few weeks. If satisfactory, you'll be taken off probation. Any questions?"
Sasuke clears his throat and the entire room turns to stare at him. "Is Kakas--"
"You should call him the Boss," Jiro interrupts. "Otherwise people will doubt the merits of your acceptance into ANBU."
"Nothing to doubt--" Neji begins, and Kiba sniggers.
"Oi, that's it," Nidaime yells loudly. "Let me at him!"
"Calm down, Tobirama," Shodaime chides.
Jiro rounds on them before they can finish. "I won't tolerate any of your childhood Academy issues in this squad. If you have something between yourselves, take care of it when you're not in uniform."
Neji goes silent, eyes narrowing dangerously. Sasuke clamps down on the retort crawling up his throat. "Is the Boss ANBU?"
"No, he isn't. Now that you're ANBU, you'll have to get familiar with the hierarchy of this Village. The Boss is Commander of the Joint Forces, outranked only by Tsunade-sama herself," Jiro answers and motions for everyone to follow him. He guides the group down a corridor. He rounds a corner and then ushers him into a locker room. There are several men walking around with only towels tied around their waists, still dripping wet from showers. "Gentlemen! I'd like to introduce you to the newest creepers, Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuga Neji, Nara Shikamaru, Aburame Shino and Inuzuka Kiba."
Everyone in the room pauses to look at the group. They all say "hey, man!" together, and some raise a hand in greeting while others grin. "How did the dolphin rescue go, Uchiha?" Someone asks.
"Unfortunately, some tuna fish became collateral," Sasuke drones and is surprised to hear the men laugh out loud. Even Kiba sniggers, looking a little guilty when Neji swivels a blank gaze at him.
For years now, stuck with Sakura and Naruto, he's come to think that he doesn't have a sense of humor. But these ANBU are actually laughing at what he has to say. Either Naruto and Sakura are abnormal and have no sense of humor, or ANBU are just as odd as Sasuke is.
Jiro loops an arm around Sasuke's shoulder, chuckling. "This is going to be a fun squad." He tugs up his face-cloth and ushers the group out the room and down the corridors again. "The locker room you can use whenever you want to. You have your own space in there somewhere. Put on your masks, gentlemen"
The new recruits follow the order. Jiro turns to say something but comes to a sudden stop. "That's the Boss's mask," he says, voice holding no hint of emotion. "You get it by random?"
Sasuke isn't sure what answer would be best for this situation. So he settles for the truth, making sure to avoid Kiba's and Neji's gazes. "He gave it to me."
"And you earned it," Shodaime puts in encouragingly.
Jiro doesn't say anything, just turns around and continues to walk. Neji gives Sasuke a lingering look before following. When they reach the mission room, it's filled with ANBU and Jounin. There's a row of desks at the front of the room, and a line of men in front of each of them. "We do patrol with Jounin," Jiro says next to him, "Go sign up for a shift. You'll operate as a group. Just hope you don't get stuck with the Eastern gate."
"What's wrong with the Eastern gate?" Kiba asks, but Jiro is already walking away.
"Right," Sasuke mumbles under his breath. "Let's go." He leads the way to a desk at the front, the other four close at his heels. Kurenai is sitting behind the desk when he finally reaches it.
"Kurenai-sensei," Sasuke says.
"Just Kurenai will do now," she corrects. "Congratulations. All of you." Her gaze lingers, a little fondly, on Kiba and Shino.
Sasuke shrugs and glances down at the roster, which is nearly filled. The Eastern Gate column is woefully empty, but there is one spot left: the Northern later that night. It's a full ten hours, starting at 2000 hours and ending the next morning at 0600. "I hope you don't have plans for the night," Sasuke says over his shoulder and signs them all up. There's a slot for ANBU numbers, and it takes a moment for Sasuke realizes its purpose.
He fishes out his dog tags and stares at it. In his rush, he didn't have the time to look at them closely, but now he finds something warm swelling in him at the two tags dangling off the metallic chain. They both read the same thing: Uchiha Sasuke, DOB 23. 7. 1992, Konoha ANBU, 24 907 552. Sasuke pushes the dog tags back behind his breastplate and signs his number down, handing the pen over to Shikamaru.
"What do we do in the meantime?" Kiba asks, the last one to sign. Kurenai shrugs.
"You're not authorized to take missions yet," she cautions. "But you never know..." Kurenai points to her right, where there's already a short line of ANBU in front of a desk.
"Sounds like a plan," Kiba says and Akamaru barks in agreement, wagging his tail enthusiastically.
"Sure," Shikamaru drawls. "They'll just hand us a mission."
"We should run it by Jiro," Neji snaps. "We're not authorized to--"
"What, Hyuga?" Kiba asks, taunting now. "Scared?"
Neji's blue eyes turn a shade darker. "If you're not interested, you don't have to follow," Sasuke interrupts before anything starts up. "You have no obligation to follow me." Sasuke walks towards the line. They follow behind him. Neji lingers for a moment before catching up to them.
"This is a bad idea," Shodaime interjects hurriedly. Sarutobi echoes the sentiment. "So he's showing some initiative," Yondaime puts in mildly.
"Nothing wrong with that, technically." Nidaime is silent for a moment before saying, "Just be confident. Don't let them know you're probationary. They can smell it--"
"Stop encouraging him, Tobirama!" Shodaime snaps, but it's too late. The group in front of them moves away and Sasuke saunters up to the desk, trying to look casual. The ANBU in charge of the missions is looking down at his papers, so Sasuke has to clear his throat to get noticed. The man's eyes go wide when he sees Sasuke. "Boss...?"
"Uchiha," Sasuke corrects and holds out his hand. "Mission."
The man stutters for a moment or two before saying, "Uh...aren't you new?"
"The name is Uchiha," Sasuke repeats. He lets his sharingan come to life and takes off his mask for added effect. "Uchiha Sasuke, check the list."
"Smooth," Nidaime says, sounding proud.
"Try Hyuga Neji," Neji says casually. "That should be on it."
Shameless, Sasuke thinks, but smirks anyways. The man at least knows how to bend the rules, how to use his name to his advantage. He isn't as big a prick as Sasuke previously thought. The man starts to fumble with the papers when Kiba points out, "Hey, man, I appreciate the effort but if we're late and the Captain nails our ass for it, I'll be sure to bring your name up."
"What was it again?" Neji asks, lightly. "You haven't told us your name yet."
"Uh...right," the ANBU says and snaps his folder shut. "Who's the C.O.?"
There's a split moment's pause before Shikamaru volunteers, "Uchiha." Neji stiffens visibly at that, but doesn't protest because the man hands over a scroll to Sasuke.
"Courier mission," he says, and hands another scroll over. "Your specs."
Sasuke pockets the scroll and walks away, the other four in tow. "I really don't think this is a good idea," Sarutobi says, once they've left the mission room.
Sasuke looks at the four men around him. "Any objections to going through with this?" Shino shakes his head. Neji pauses a moment before conceding. "If this proceeds towards to hell," Shino speculates.
"If it goes to hell," Kiba corrects with a sigh. "And it's not going to hell."
"Sure it isn't," Shikamaru grumbles, but follows when Sasuke leads the way.
The Hokages wish Sasuke the best of luck, saying that they won't be able to follow him beyond the walls of the Village; their souls are tied to their bones.
"All right," Kiba says loudly. They jump off the Eastern wall and blend into the forest below.
"Let's go, gentlemen," Sasuke radios in and Kiba replies, his voice crackling a little over the radio, "Aye, aye."
**
The mission is a success (and boring, except for the part where they get attacked by wayward missing nin; naturally, it ends a little messily. Bringing back five of the six missing nin proves worthwhile, though, because apparently, their mission pay gets increased for the effort)
It goes to hell when Hiashi finds out, which is how Sasuke ends up in the Captain's office, Kakashi as sincere witness, getting yelled at. The entire team nearly got punished but Sasuke stepped up and took responsibility. "Your student is out of line," Hiashi thunders. "I knew it was a bad idea, bringing him on, he's hardly mature enough--"
"The mission was a success," Kakashi interrupts, flipping through the report that Sasuke wrote earlier in the day. It's a good report, Sasuke knows, because Shikamaru was at hand to help with its construction. He holds up the folder. "Five captured missing nin, a sixth injured..."
"Whether or not it was a success is not the issue." The Hyuga makes a fist and slams it onto his table. A pen clutters to the ground. "The question is about the Uchiha's ability to follow orders."
"Technically, he did follow orders," Kakashi points out pleasantly. "He's already proving useful to the squad. Serving Konohagakure, securing her interests at large..."
"Goddamnit, Kakashi," Hyuga snarls. "Just because he's your student doesn't change the fact that we can't trust this boy--"
Kakashi's face goes completely serious. "Now you're out of line, Captain."
The Hyuga stills for a moment before switching gears on his argument. "He's on probation. He's not authorized to operate a team, let alone run missions."
"There's a way around that," Kakashi says, smiling. The Hyuga stares at Kakashi for a split second before turning to Sasuke. "Dismissed. You wait with the others."
Sasuke leaves the room and joins the others in the hallway. Kiba is scratching Akamaru behind the ears, looking serious. Neji looks supremely unimpressed with the entire situation.
Shino turns to look at Sasuke, eyes hidden by his sunglasses. Sasuke is starting to get annoyed at not being able to read the man, so he's a little surprised when Shino says, "Thank you for handling the heat."
"Taking the heat, Aburame, you freak," Kiba corrects. He looks up at Sasuke, lips pursed into a thin line. "Almost got fired if you hadn't done that," Shikamaru grumbles. "Not too bad, Uchiha." Sasuke meets Neji's gaze, but the Hyuga doesn't say anything. Just looks away.
Sasuke pushes down the urge to pace. So instead, he leans against the wall, trying to look detached. The Captain wants to discharge him. The only thing in Sasuke's favor is Kakashi's approval and Jiro's good report. Hiashi never wanted Sasuke on the squad to begin with, so this is a perfect opportunity for him to fire Sasuke. The thought grates on Sasuke's nerves. Not even a day, he thinks. I might not even last the day. And there is still the matter of his loyalty. Always, his loyalty.
"Are you going to get demoted?" Kiba asks, standing now. Sasuke shrugs and stares at Hiashi's office. There is no wall, just a glass door with shutters, and although the shutters are drawn, they're not angled shut. He can still see inside, and just beyond the HYUGA HIASHI, ANBU CAPTAIN in white letters on the glass door, Sasuke can see Kakashi. A few moments later, Jiro walks in, glancing at Sasuke for a second before shutting the door.
Sasuke watches as he stands at attention and answers Hiashi's questions. It's another ten minutes before Jiro steps outside and motions for Sasuke and the others to come in. As Sasuke walks past Jiro, the man slaps Sasuke on the shoulder, grinning through his face-cloth.
Hiashi leans back in his chair, staring down the newly minted team. "I hear from Jiro that he never actually told you not to take missions. Is this true?"
"Yes, sir," Sasuke answers for them all. He stands at attention, staring straight ahead.
"Your mission was successful, far more than anticipated..." He shuffles around his desk for a moment. "I have chosen to remove your team from probation. Effective today, you will assume the responsibilities of full ANBU rank." He pauses, glancing sharply at Kakashi before saying. "According to the report, Uchiha you were the team leader."
"Sir," Sasuke says and feels something like hope stirring in his stomach. Maybe he won't get demoted.
"Fine, then," the Hyuga snaps. "You're promoted to commanding officer. Dismissed." It takes a moment for the information to sink in, but it eventually does and Sasuke has to bite the inside of his cheek to stop a grin. So Sasuke mutters a "sir" before leaving the office.
Once outside, Jiro thumps him on the shoulder. "Congratulations," he says, and sounds sincere. "If you need help with any paperwork...I'm on the second floor."
"Appreciate it," Sasuke says and watches the man leave. When he turns to face the others, Kiba is grinning. "Off probation in a day," Kiba breathes. Akamaru nips at Kiba's fingers, barking happily. "Sweet."
Sasuke glances at his watch. Another hour before patrol starts. "Let's eat," he says and starts to walk away. Shikamaru and Neji fall in step with him, Shino, Kiba and Akamaru follow. It's a little odd, having all four of them actually following him without an intent to capture and kill for once. He glances at the others and asks under his breath, "You know any good places?"
"Sushi," Kiba answers enthusiastically.
Shino growls loud enough for everyone to hear. "No more sushi, please. I may have to kill myself if I eat sushi--"
"Shut it, Aburame," Kiba snaps. "Sushi!"
"You should have intercourse with yourself, Inuzuka," Shino says pleasantly.
"Hey, dickwad--"
"Right," Sasuke mumbles under his breath. Shikamaru looks expectantly at Sasuke as does Neji. "We'll get ramen."
End of Part Three