In good company
Four: Sarge
Kiba tells Hinata who tells Ino because she's proud of her cousin, her boyfriend and her teammate, and she can't keep it inside anymore.
Ino first hits Shikamaru for hiding something like this from her (Shikamaru says, "What is wrong with you woman?") and then tells Sakura, but does not get the desired affect. Sakura just hm-s distractedly because she has just started her pediatrics rotations and there's a crying toddler in her arms who refuses to shut up about getting a vaccine. When the toddler throws up on Sakura's scrubs, she forgets about Sasuke becoming ANBU entirely.
Feeling neglected, Ino goes to the Hokage Tower. Naruto glances up sharply at the news, going completely still. Which is when Ino realizes her mistake: she should have let Sasuke deliver the news himself, but instead, she went in with her big mouth and now Naruto looks like he needs a hug.
So she hugs him, and Naruto says into her shoulder, "Sometimes I wonder if he even cares."
"You dolt," Ino mutters and holds Naruto close because Naruto deserves better. If he just opens his eyes maybe he would realize that he can aim higher, find someone better to pine after instead of an Uchiha with a death wish. Ino is not an idiot, so she knows that one day Sasuke will leave Naruto again, which means Sakura, Hinata, Neji, Lee, Kiba, Shikamaru and herself will have to clean up the mess he leaves.
Naruto pulls away from Ino, looking feral. "I'm going to kill him."
This is the Naruto that Ino knows and has fallen in love with slightly, so she can't help but grin at him. She says, "Withholding sex will also do the trick." Naruto flushes pink so Ino leans forward and kisses him on the lips, chaste, before turning with a flourish. She has a dead body waiting to be given justice in the Konohagakure Police Department. Ibiki gave her charge of this case, called her Agent Yamanaka, so she has to deliver.
The Yondaime turns to the Nidaime and says, "Kill me now," because he's starting to realize that this Sasuke-Naruto thing? It may not be entirely one-sided. The Nidaime says, dutifully, "You're already dead Namikaze."
As Ino walks away, Naruto repeats under his breath, "I'm going to kill him."
The Yondaime groans, "Please, do."
**
This is how Sakura finds out:
Naruto tells her.
Sakura then visits Kakashi for confirmation, going directly to the man's apartment for a lunch break. The jounin ah-s and hm-s at her ramble as she fusses around Kakashi's kitchen ("don't you have anything to eat in here, Kakashi-sensei, this is awful.") Sakura cooks Kakashi lunch and they picnic out on his balcony, Sakura explaining how it breaks her heart every day to walk into the pediatrics department and see the oncology patients because they're dying, Kakashi-sensei, and she can't save them, will never be able to save them, but she doesn't want to leave them alone.
Kakashi listens, wonders just when Sakura grew up so quickly, and hopes she doesn't get jaded and cynical, like Tsunade has become after nearly fifty years roaming hospital wards. He notices the shadows under her eyes, the calluses on her fingers, how her hair doesn't look as well-kept as it used to, how her lips look chapped.
An hour into her visit, Sakura glances at her watch and gushes about needing to see this patient of hers, how she promised to get her flowers. Then she rolls her eyes, mumbles under her breath about being so forgetful, and fishes around her backpack before drawing out a bag of fresh fruits. They are Kakashi's favorites: oranges and Asian pears.
"I picked these up for you, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura says with a bright, bright smile and hugs him. Kakashi hugs her back, chuckling under his breath and hoping--praying--that the world won't ask too much from Sakura because she's not in the habit of refusing her compassion to anyone. After all, the girl found it in her heart to love Kakashi (he remembers her waiting by his bedside after a particularly bad mission, heaving sobs and yelling at him between breaths, Kakashi-sensei, please be careful, what will I do if something happens to you? Kakashi-sensei...)
And if that isn't difficult, Kakashi isn't sure what is. Sarutobi says to the Shodaime, "Sometimes I think..."
"The Village will be just fine," Shodaime finishes. "It'll be fine."
Sakura pulls back cheerfully from Kakashi and says, looking up, "I might have to kill Sasuke, if you don't mind, Kakashi-sensei."
Kakashi smiles. "Ah, of course not, Sakura. Thank you for the fruits."
**
This is how Sasuke finds out that Naruto and Sakura have found out:
The Hokages tell him, interrupting each other to deliver the news. "Take cover," Sarutobi says, cheerful.
Sasuke ignores the Sandaime because he's an Uchiha and Uchiha's don't take cover. Instead, he focuses on the map in front of him. Hiashi points to a region in Land of Rice Fields. "We have reports of some movement along this route, concentrated near this village over here," he says. "I want to know who it is, what they're doing, and why they're doing it. You'll be working with Jiro's men. Jiro is in command of both teams, but you pick the route since it seems you have more...personal experience in this part of the continent."
Sasuke nods and listens to Hiashi give a few more directions a little absent-mindedly. Hiashi dismisses him, but not before asking who the team's second would be. Sasuke pauses, not sure if it would be wise to exclude the Captain's nephew so baltantly. Shikamaru might be the better strategist, but he loathes any more responsibility than he already has. Neji is the obvious choice, by all accounts, but Sasuke would rather die than admit Neji as second. If he does, they would be working together more than the others. Sasuke says, "I haven't made my mind yet."
Hiashi gives him a blank look. "Then make up your mind, ANBU."
Sasuke leaves the room, feeling his neck get warm with anger at the man. "What do you mean you haven't made up your mind?" Nidaime barks. "That's the stupidest answer I've ever heard from a subordinate--"
"Such a childish idiot." Yondaime scoffs and when Sasuke glances at him, he looks unimpressed, condescending, and it makes Sasuke grit his teeth hard enough that he feels a muscle jump on his jaw.
"Enough," Shodaime interrupts and the other Hokages fall silent. "You're commanding officer now, Uchiha, and you have four men who will follow your every order." The Shodaime suddenly appears in front of Sasuke and automatically, Sasuke comes to a halt in order to avoid him. "Those men," Shodaime continues, and comes just a little closer towards Sasuke. The Shodaime is a little taller, and having to look up at him a little has the intended effect. He repeats, "They will follow your orders, boy. Each and every single one, without question."
And he leaves it at that, stepping aside to let Sasuke pass. There's a second's pause as Sasuke's hand lingers over the door-knob. And then, he's inside, interrupting a loud conversation Kiba is having with Shino. "Aburame, you douche--"
"Mission." Sasuke walks to the front of the room. There is a white board with a map of the continent hanging over it. Sasuke pulls down the map to its full length and points to a square which includes a section of Land of Rice Fields and Land of Fire. "Unauthorized movement in sector JF6. We survey their activity with Jiro's team, but we do not engage." He looks around the room. "No one gets hurt."
Sasuke takes off his mask and ties it to his belt, the movement familiar and comforting now. The weight of the mask against his hip is barely noticeable, but it's always a heavy presence in Sasuke's mind. Kakashi wore this, he'll think sometimes and the enormity of a legacy like that weighs on him. It's like having Itachi for a brother, almost. "Someone we know?" Shikamaru asks, stretching. The shadows on the walls flicker a little. The 'we' in his question is mostly 'me and my contacts,' because now it's no secret now that Shikamaru is the counterintelligence liaison for the team. It could be Akatsuki, but he's not willing to share that information, not when it's based entirely on a hunch. Hiashi would not be sending out a still-new team to scout out Akatsuki, no matter how good the team is.
Yuuta is surveying a town with high-chakra nin only thirty miles northwest. Far enough that they should be able to pass safely, but still, Sasuke feels a little hesitant, finds himself calculating the amount of time it would take for the Village to dispatch reinforcements if the need arises. "We approach from south, move along the border and then enter JF6," Sasuke says. It took him little time to decide on the approach, figured out their strategy while Hiashi was showing him mission specs.
"Good move," Nidaime says, thoughtfully. "You'll stay out of Akatsuki's way."
"He should face them," Yondaime says, and he sounds angry. "Why is he running from--"
"Enough," Shodaime mutters. "Let the boy finish."
Shino is the one to object. "We would be wasting time. We can cut across instead of following the length of the border."
"How much time?" Kiba asks and leans forward in his chair a little, eyes narrowing in concentration. He's silent for a moment, calculating, and then mutters, "Eight hours, man."
It is too dangerous because Sasuke knows that his team, even with Neji, Kiba, Shino and Shikamaru, would be no match against Akatsuki in enemy land with an army of recruits. They would be too far from the Village to get reinforcements. It's not worth the risk, not when there are four lives at risk. Sasuke says, voice unflinching now in its finality, "Then we add those eight hours." Kiba opens his mouth to say something but thinks better of it when Sasuke levels his gaze at him. Sasuke moves towards the door. "We leave at 0900 hours. Take the evening off, get some rest."
He's at the door, when Shikamaru drawls out, sounding uninterested in the entire issue: "Who's your second?"
Sasuke remembers the Shodaime, looking down at him slightly, saying, These men will follow your orders, each and every single one. So he answers, turning to look at the group still in their seats, "Hyuga."
It's worth the widening of Neji's eyes, an unguarded moment of surprise on the man's face.
**
Daichi does not look happy, but it's not much of a standard because the snake never looks very happy. He's one of the younger snakes, a coral with dark- and light-brown patterns that conceals exactly how dangerous he is. His poison stings Sasuke for hours afterwards, so Sasuke is careful around him. He appeared, uncalled, a few hours ago and lounged around, not speaking as Sasuke did laundry.
Eventually, Kanaye appeared as well, along with Daichi's twin, Hideyoshi. Sasuke asks--because he knows Daichi wants him to ask, is waiting for him to ask so he can complain--"Why are you here Daichi?"
"I was bored," he explains and slithers through a pile of freshly laundered socks.
"Liar liar, scales on fire--" Hideyoshi begins to sing.
"Shut up, Hideyoshi," Daichi snaps and lunges at the other snake. They coil on the floor angrily, fighting now. Their hissing is only mildly distracting, sounding unnatural and vicious. Sasuke hears "Daichi you bastard go die!" and "Hideyoshi I should've eaten you years ago when Rin wasn't looking!"
They're a tangle now, Kanaye watching with his head tilted at an angle. "I think Daichi's going to win."
"Hideyoshi," Sasuke counters, because it's a gamble now and they both can't bet on the same snake. (Daichi will win. He's the more vicious of the two.)
"You should intervene," Shodaime counsels finally. "You can't have your animals--"
"They'll be fine," Sasuke interrupts and dutifully shoves his clothes into the closet.
Daichi screams, "I hate you!" Hideyoshi yells back, "I wish I had a better twin!" Kanaye patiently explains that the quarrel is over a stolen rat, which, apparently, Ishi had eaten. He's not going to tell Daichi or Hideyoshi the truth, though, because it's been a while since something interesting has happened within the family and Kanaye was starting to get bored.
Rin is in one of her month-long naps again, which means that the war between Daichi and Hideyoshi will rage on for days. Sasuke settles down in his couch for some TV. On screen, there's a comedian mocking Tsunade's latest attempt at peace with Land of Water. He pulls a well-worn joke about Water and Fire? They should stay the fuck away from each other.
The man lets the audience's laughter fade before saying. "But I gotta say, gentlemen, we're probably the luckiest demographic on the continent, with a Hokage like Tsunade-sama. She can rule my nins any time of the day..."
Sasuke chuckles despite himself, but when the Shodaime clears his throat pointedly, he switches to the evening news and turns to the papers spread out on his coffee table. Human Resources sent them up to his desk earlier in the morning, saying that if he doesn't return completed forms, they will not pay him. Sasuke knows that it is not complete; he was hoping they wouldn't notice. It had been embarrassing enough when the HR employee told him, dryly, that all fields are required.
Name, Age, Gender, Date of birth, Home Address Line 1, Home Address Line 2, Phone Number, ANBU Number, Ninja Social Security number, and every other one was filled. The only one left blank had been the one that Sasuke always leaves blank. The Next of Kin or Closest Associations, the HR employee had explained patiently, is the name and information of the person Sasuke would like his dog tags and hitai-ate returned to if he dies in action. Those are the only two things retrieved from a fallen ANBU since the body is left behind. SOP, the man had said, standard operating protocol.
Sasuke has never thought this far, not because he hasn't gotten close enough to death--he has--but because it's a little pointless. When he dies, Uchiha Sasuke will stop being a person and become a footnote (textbooks will speak of a dojutsu, long extinct, called the sharingan. Children will read: the last known user was a traitor named Uchiha Sasuke). There is no need to drag it on any further, and Sasuke isn't the sentimental type. He doesn't mind that he will probably not leave any family behind, because the rate things are going, he'll probably go with Itachi. He doesn't mind much of anything because as long as Itachi stops breathing, Sasuke can stop as well and that's enough for him. The truth is that Sasuke wants his dog tags to stay with him, would rather have them stay on his rotting body, melt into his bones because at the end of the day, that's all he has: his name.
So Sasuke told the HR employee if he didn't take the papers and shut up about it, he'd do something cruel. The employee looked positively terrified and took the forms, saying that he couldn't promise Sasuke anything. Now, though, he has to confront this blank space. It's not much of a decision to make, really.
Which is how Sasuke ends up at Kakashi's apartment so late in the evening. Kakashi's house is large, extremely fancy, and has (in Sasuke's opinion) the best surround-sound system in the entire Village. The jounin lives the life of a rich, powerful bachelor who happens to be Commander of Joint Forces, and it shows: two bedroom, two bathroom, 3000 sq ft apartment. It's in the richest area of town, in the kind of building with doormen. Kakashi also has outfitted an armory in one of his rooms: a collection of the weapons of all his fallen opponents. When Sasuke first stumbled on this room, he nearly drooled.
Kakashi opens the door, eyebrow arched slightly. He's wearing only dark sweats with KONOHA written down the length of the leg in white lettering, but his face-cloth is firmly in place, as is his hitae-ate. It's generally not acceptable for Sasuke to barge in like this without a really good reason; unlike Sakura and Naruto, there are boundaries in Sasuke's relationship with Kakashi. But Sasuke risks not getting paid, which in his opinion, is a very good reason since he faces eviction if he can't pay his rent. "I need to talk to you," Sasuke says and tries not to blush at the surprise on Kakashi's face. The jounin steps aside to let Sasuke in.
Kakashi leads them past the living room (where the a large, flat-screen TV is paused on a pre-recorded game). There is a dog lounging on an ottoman, and as Sasuke and Kakashi walk past the living room, it raises his head to watch. In the kitchen, there are vegetables and meat laid out on a chopping board, a pan sizzling on the stove. Sasuke hasn't eaten yet and he's hungry, but he can't just barge in on Kakashi's apartment and expect to be invited for dinner. So he shoves his hands into his pocket and waits for permission to speak.
"What's going on?" Yondaime grumbles. "They going to train or what?"
The Nidaime scoffs, annoyed already. "I don't know. You guys want to watch this?" The Shodaime and Sarutobi say yes, and the Hokages fall silent. Kakashi goes about the kitchen for a while longer, adding spices to his food. It would domestic, were it not for the weapons laid out on the dining table, gleaming fresh and dangerous.
It takes a few more minutes for Kakashi to prompt, "Talk," which is when Sasuke realizes that he has no idea how to bring up the topic on his mind. "You're bad at this communication thing, aren't you?" Nidaime grumbles.
The Shodaime offers, "All Uchihas are a little impaired in this area. Sasuke is exceptionally horrible, but--"
"Give him a break," Sarutobi says, chuckling. "He's getting better."
A little dumbly, Sasuke pulls out the folded paper from his pocket and hands it to Kakashi. He places it on the kitchen counter and stays silent. The older man doesn't look at it until a few minutes later, only after wiping his hands on a dishcloth. "What about it?" He asks and pushes the form back towards Sasuke.
Feeling a little ridiculous, Sasuke holds it up for kakashi to see and points at the missing field: Next of Kin or Closest Association, the header says and it's bolded. There are a few empty lines underneath. "Can I put your name down here? It's a required field and they won't pay me without this form."
"What is it?" Nidaime asks and when Sasuke lets his sharingan come to life, the Hokage is looking over Kakashi's shoulder. "Next of Kin or closest associates," Nidaime reads out finally. He pulls away from Kakashi, staring at Sasuke with a strange expression on his face. Nidaime glances at the other Hokages quickly. They all seem frozen as well, the Yondaime's mouth slightly open as if he were about to say something.
It's another moment before Kakashi offers, "You thought you had to ask?"
Well, yes, Hatake, Sasuke thinks, but that voicing that would earn him a slap. Instead, he says, "I figured it would be annoying if you had to deal with paperwork once I died."
"Once you died," Kakashi repeats, and actually goes still. He puts down the knife he has been using. "Not if, but once you died?"
Sasuke shrugs and folds the paper, putting it away. "Brother will kill me," he says and it sounds nonchalant. "You'll get my hitai-ate and dog tags. You can trash those. You'll also get a few forms to sign. I've already taken care of all the other paperwork, my will and things. I don't need a funeral, so that would be the extent of your troubles--"
"You thought it would be annoying for me, once you passed away," Kakashi interrupts and still makes no move to continue cooking. The dog lumbers into the kitchen, silently watching the exchange.
Sasuke shrugs. "I didn't want to be a burden," he mumbles and realizes what Kakashi's questioning is all about: it's his way of saying no, and the disappointment of that stings more than it should. He clears his throat, looking away from the jounin before saying, "I understand. I didn't mean to interrupt--"
"I didn't say no, Sasuke," Kakashi says and he sounds resigned. "Why would you think I would say--" He stops, abrupt. "You know my information?"
When Sasuke nods, Kakashi stares at Sasuke for a moment longer. Time's up, Sasuke thinks and mutters, "I'll go then." Kakashi walks with him to the door, dog trailing behind with a pitter of claws against hardwood floor. Sasuke steps outside, and suddenly remembers a lesson his mother taught him a long, long time ago. "Appreciate it," he says and nods once at the man.
Kakashi looks as if he's about to say something, but instead, he reaches up to pat Sasuke on the side of the face lightly.
The jounin has done this--strange, cheek-patting thing--once before, when Sasuke returned from the Village of Sound. He visited Sasuke in his cell, where Sasuke had been beaten, tortured by Ibiki's men, and then chained up in the deepest dungeons of Konohagakure. If Sasuke wanted to, he could have escaped. Instead, he turned himself in, silent except for the occasional grunt when a blow landed too heavily. Kakashi had walked in, saw Sasuke slumped onto the floor and barked at him to stand up. And Sasuke stood, bracing himself for the beating he knew he deserved.
Kakashi hadn't lifted a finger against Sasuke, just muttered under his breath, sounding a little surprised, "you've grown," and patted him on the cheek before telling Sasuke to get some sleep, his trial was tomorrow, and don't be an idiot about it.
Now, when Kakashi does it again, randomly, Sasuke feels his entire face heating up. So he shoves his hands into his pocket and doesn't meet the jounin's eyes. "You need help paying your rent this month?"
Sasuke does need help because he hasn't gotten a pay check since he joined ANBU. But he says, "No."
"I'll send a check over," Kakashi says, and pauses for a moment. "You eat yet?"
Sasuke lies, "Yes," but Kakashi is Kakashi so he doesn't fall for any of Sasuke's bull shit, no matter how good Sasuke is at doling it out in large quantities.
"Get in," Kakashi snaps, and Sasuke does because it sounded like an order. He's taking off his shoes again when he gets a slap on the head, unexpected. "What was that for?"
Kakashi just levels a glare at him. "Your idiocy, Uchiha. Your persistent, never-ending idiocy."
**
Their mission--even after everything that happens--is considered a success. The two teams find nothing, even after sitting perfectly still in trees for several hours on end. In the end, Jiro orders them to fall back, there's nothing here to see. They're nearing the border of Land of Fire when Kiba falls behind and it all goes to hell.
It took them a day to reach their destination and once there, it's as barren and empty as suspected. It's a bit of a surprise for Sasuke because he had been expecting something, was anticipating something. They're heading back through a darkened farm on the border, about twenty miles from Land of Fire when they get hit. Shino radios in, sounding hurried, "We have company. Inuzuka went down."
"Retreat," Jiro snaps into the radio. "Keep moving, ANBU."
"He's injured," Shino repeats. "I need backup--"
"He falls behind, he stays behind, Aburame," Jiro interrupts. Sasuke winces at the volume of this conversation. The corn stalks are thick and with no light, it's practically impossible to see anything. But he can sense Kiba and Akamaru several hundred feet away, can see their chakra faint but persistent with his sharingan.
"But--"
"Aburame, fall back," Sasuke radios in. "I've got a visual on Inuzuka."
"Uchiha, I said fall back," Jiro hisses. He is Sasuke's senior, so technically, he outranks Sasuke. But Sasuke never really cared for hierarchy. And he's always been bad at following orders, been much better at giving them.
"Fall back, everyone. That's an order," Sasuke mumbles and starts heading towards Kiba.
"I outrank you--"
"He's my man," Sasuke snaps and waits patiently, crouching close to the ground. The others are already fading away. He, Kiba and Akamaru are the only ones left behind. "He's my responsibility."
"I'll give you cover," Neji's voice comes in, urgent.
"Retreat, Hyuga," Sasuke snaps. "You're second, take over. That's an order, all of you."
"If this mission is a failure," Jiro warns, but doesn't finish his sentence.
"My responsibility," Sasuke repeats and turns off his comm. There's silence in the air now, except for the corn stalks crackling in the breeze. There's at least four enemy nin, so Sasuke stalks around them, crawling still. It's easy, with so much noise to cover his movements, for Sasuke to pick out two of the four. He does not kill them, just knocks them out. Which is when the other two start to panic. One breaks ground and runs when he spots Sasuke, looking dangerous with his sword drawn.
The other is with Kiba and when Sasuke finally reaches them, he sees that Akamaru is the only thing standing between Kiba and the attacker. The dog is growling threateningly, standing over Kiba's form and baring fangs. Every time the man moves, the dog jerks his head up, as if to bite. It takes very little time for Sasuke to slide his sword into the nin's side (still not to kill, never to kill) and twist hard. The man whips around, and before Sasuke can pull his sword back and retreat, the man shoves a sebon into Sasuke's thigh.
Akamaru flies into action, biting into the man's throat until bone crunches and the man gasps to his death. Sasuke pulls out the sebon, frowning when a shiver runs down his leg. It's just a sebon, Sasuke thinks, sniffing the tip--no poison, not as far as he can tell.
Akamaru turns to Sasuke, nuzzling the site where the sebon broke Sasuke's skin. He starts to lick at it, whining at the back of his throat. "It's just a scratch, you mutt," Sasuke grumbles and pushes the dog away to inspect Kiba, who is on the ground, gurgling for breath.
Sasuke rips Kiba's shirt open and wipes the blood cleaning, trying to see in the dim moonlight the extent of damage. He has basic training so he knows that this is a puncture wound, that Kiba's lungs are slowly filling with his blood, that it's easily treatable with the right training and equipment. Sakura, Sasuke thinks, and starts to bandage up the wound as he'd seen her do millions of times before. He takes off Kiba's mask and face-cloth to help with the breathing.
Kiba grins at him, teeth looking black and metallic with blood. "Fuck, man--"
"Shut up, Inuzuka," Sasuke interrupts and starts to put another bandage over the wound, just in case, just to be sure. He knows only the most basic medical jutsu, but those require knowledge of the exact wound site. In the darkness, there is a higher chance of Sasuke hurting Kiba than helping him.
"You shouldn't have com back. Jiro was right," Kba begins and starts to cough, a wet sound that has Akamaru licking at his face worriedly. "Hey, buddy, I'm all right--"
"When I said shut up," Sasuke says and eases Kiba into a sitting position. "That was an order."
Akamaru barks at Kiba, tail wagging furiously. Kiba listens for a moment before turning to Sasuke and gasping out, "Your injury. It could be poisoned. Akamaru says it doesn't smell right--"
"I don't recall asking you for your opinion, ANBU," Sasuke mutters but can't help but carefully feel his thigh out. It feels normal, nothing out of the ordinary. "Let's get out of here."
"Aye, aye, Sarge," Kiba says, and it's a wonder he's still good humored in a situation like this. Sasuke takes a deep breath and hauls Kiba over his shoulder. He tries the radio, calls in for the others' location, but there is no response. Sasuke does a few seals and Ishi appears, looking dangerous in the night.
Akamaru growls low in his throat at the sight of the snake. "Keep him alive," Sasuke orders, pointing to Kiba. The snake slithers onto Kiba, twisting around his torso to cover the wound. "I can't clear his blood, but I can keep some of it out," Ishi hisses and glows a little blue as the healing begins. Akamaru approaches the snake a little hesitantly. He inspects Ishi for a few moments before withdrawing, satisfied.
Slowly, carefully, Sasuke picks his way back home with Kiba (at 5'9'', all hundred seventy pounds of him) thrown over his back. Akamaru leads the way, turning back every so often to whimper and urge Sasuke on. They cover twenty or so miles slowly, taking nearly three hours on foot. He can't afford to get caught in a fight again, so Sasuke breaks from his route to double back, get rid of his trail, setting Kiba down now and then to check the bandages and see if the man is still alive.
On their fourth stop, a few miles from Land of Fire's border, Kiba leans over to the side and coughs out blood, hacking loud enough that any enemy or border patrol nin ten miles away could probably hear. Sasuke begins, "Inuzuka, let's go--" but the man falls face first into the blood-speckled dirt, breathing harsh and shallow.
"There's too much blood for me to fix, and he's too heavy for you," Ishi hisses, sounding annoyed. "He will die either way. Leave him and retreat."
"This isn't your decision to make, Ishi," Sasuke says and the snake considers him for a moment, eyes unblinking.
Ishi bites Sasuke lightly on the hand, but there is no poison behind the attack. "You will wear yourself out," he warns. Sasuke grunts his understanding and watches as Ishi goes back to coil around Kiba's chest.
Akamaru howls, nudging at Kiba's face and looking up at Sasuke pleadingly. An animal shouldn't be this intelligent, Sasuke thinks and says, feeling a little ridiculous for talking to a dog, "I'll move ahead. You take care of my tracks out behind." Akamaru tilts his head a fraction before jerking his head--a nod, Sasuke thinks--before disappearing into the forest. Sasuke lifts Kiba over his shoulder again, wincing at the strain now. He's been traveling for nearly two days with little to no food and absolutely no rest. He was tired even before they got attacked, but with Kiba in tow, he feels his body running out of energy, his chakra pulsing freely in an effort to keep up.
It's not subtle in the least, Sasuke knows. Any half-decent ninja in the surrounding twenty miles would be able to sense his presence. Sasuke keeps up his pace, feeling his back and legs start to cramp with the weight, listening to Kiba's gasping breaths throughout the night. He's in Land of Fire by dawn and still, no radio contact. Which is his own doing, Sasuke thinks. He insisted on going this route, on avoiding any confrontation. The thought angers him, makes him grit his teeth. "Fuck," Sasuke grunts and falls to his knee, panting a little.
Are you injured? Ishi communicates forcefully.
How is he?
Nearly dead. Are you injured, boy?
Just a scratch on my thigh. I need a few more hours, Ishi. Keep him alive, Sasuke thinks back and hears the snake's angry hiss from over his shoulder. The cobra does not say anything else, though, falls silent in his healing.
Akamaru returns a few minutes later to lick Sasuke's mask, nudging him with his nose. "Right, you filthy mutt," Sasuke breathes and gets to his feet again. His chakra is running out, Sasuke knows. He's pushing himself, each step driven by chakra.
Kiba's gurgling becomes louder as the night wears on and the sun rises. In the light of day, Kiba's face is pale and drawn, teeth bloody and lips a little blue-tinged. Not enough oxygen, Sasuke realizes and feels his entire body strains under this weight, traveling for such a great distance at such a speed. He's not getting enough air. Akamaru is nipping at his heels now, growling anxiously, always a few feet behind of Sasuke and Kiba. As they near Konoha, Akamaru starts to get more restless, even bites Sasuke lightly on the calf when he slows down.
Leave him here, your chakra does not feel right, Ishi tries yet again. Something is wrong, you hear me? Something is wrong with your chakra--
"I hear you," Sasuke hisses, and his voice is out of breath. He continues to move though, ignoring Ishi's warning sssss. When Sasuke reaches the Village, it's late evening of the next day. The walls are a welcome sight, and Sasuke gasps into the radio, drawing heaving breaths in between every few words, "ANBU to base. I need a medic at the Western Gate. Man down."
Someone radios back, "We're ready for you, ANBU," and then the airwaves fall silent. It takes what little energy Sasuke has left to limp to the gates. The doors open and when Sasuke steps through, Akamaru barking loud enough to alert every guard on duty, there are jounin waiting for him.
"He can't breathe," Sasuke says and hands Kiba to a jounin who has a dog standing close next to him. Ishi falls off Kiba's body and immediately slithers up Sasuke, hissing angrily. Akamaru whimpers, pawing at the ground, nudging the jounin into action.
"Rest," Ishi says and coils around his neck, a warning. "Enough. Find a human healer--"
"Sucking chest wound," Sasuke breathes out. "Lower left lung. He can't breathe."
The jounin takes Kiba, and Sasuke hears a man say gruffly, "Kiba, Kiba, look at me, Kiba, my boy--" And even as Sasuke's legs collapse underneath him, he identifies the man as Kiba's father. "Thank you," the jounin says harshly and he's gone, gently easing Kiba onto a stretcher nearby.
Sasuke breathes once deeply and falls face-forward into Konoha dirt, just as he hears the Hokages' voices fade into his conscience and he hears Ishi rasp out in human tongue, loud and commanding, "He's dying, you fools!"
"Good job, Sasuke," Shodaime says, and as Sasuke slips into a sleep, he smiles.
**
Uchiha Fugaku was a tall, broad-sholdered man with a bad temper. It was only after marrying Mikoto that his famous short fuse became grounded, and he matured into the father that Sasuke remembers: patient, commanding, in control.
He was the second son of Uchiha Yashiro, had two more brothers and a sister after himself. It was a large family and Fugaku was always a responsible older brother. He helped his aunts deliver Obito, watched his second step-mother, Yashiro's third wife, bleed to death.
Fugaku loved his sons, would have loved his daughter had she been born. Sasuke knows intuitively that Fugaku loved him, even if he didn't think Sasuke was a very good Uchiha. With a son like Itachi, there really was no need for Fugaku to have another child, but Fugaku was raised in a large family and he wanted his son to have the same experience.
Itachi was three when Fugaku first said, "Good job, son."
Sasuke was six when he heard Fugaku said this about him, and that too indirectly. Fugaku told Mikoto, while Sasuke eavesdropped, "The boy's doing all right." It was Sasuke's first year in the academy and he just brought home his first A.
Mikoto had said, patient, "He's doing great, Fugaku. You should tell him that."
And Fugaku, who was always a good father (Sasuke will never, ever say otherwise), said, "I'll tell him when he earns it."
Sasuke never earned it, still hasn't earned it, but Sasuke is fine with that. Eventually, if Sasuke ever sees his father again, he'll have his brother's blood on his hands. That is all Sasuke can do in this lifetime.
This is how Sasuke remembers Fugaku: just as his life faded away, Fugaku put a bloody, wet hand on Sasuke's shoulder and said, "Sasuke, my boy."
**
He wakes up, breathing, "Father?"
"No, it's me," Shodaime says and he's right there, icy cool touch on Sasuke's shoulder. "How are you?"
Sasuke blinks up at the ceiling. He's in a hospital, can hear the steady beep of a monitor to his right. He's taking stock of his body, when he feels Ishi stir by his feet. The cobra raises his head, looking worn out. "You're a moron," Ishi hisses and makes a coughing, hacking sound.
"What happened to you?" Sasuke mutters and holds out a hand. Ishi slithers up to bite him lightly on the arm before coiling next to his head on the pillow.
"Me and Plum-Wine healed you," Ishi whispers. "I've been with you for the past week."
"Rest, Ishi," Sasuke rasps out and leans over to scratch the cobra's belly. The snake tolerates the treatment for a few moments before slithering away.
"Humans," Ishi spits, biting Sasuke on the neck. The sting of his poison is oddly familiar and comforting. "No sense of self-preservation."
Sasuke swings his feet over the bed, groaning at the strain in his muscles. "I can say the same about you," Sasuke says and hears Ishi's offended hssss.
"Hardly," Ishi scoffs and vanishes with a pop.
"You feel all right?" Nidaime asks as Sasuke is carefully pulling on clothes. He's fumbling with his pants when the door opens and Sakura walks in, clipboard in hand.
She looks Sasuke up and down before snapping on gloves from the counter. "It was a chakra draining poison," she says, gesturing for Sasuke to sit back down on the bed. "Since you did not bring back the weapon, we were unable to identify the poison or its antidote. As a result, there was a slight glitch in your healing."
Sasuke sits down because if Ishi was right and he had been out for a week, then something must have been wrong. "What the fuck did you do, Haru--"
"Shut up, Sasuke," Sakura interrupts and pushes Sasuke onto his back, looking dangerous. "Watch." She pushes some of her chakra into Sasuke's system. This is a routine procedure, medics do this all the time. Usually, it's a little ticklish, as if someone were crawling inside Sasuke's skin, makes his eyes tingle a little. This time, though, Sasuke's chakra pathways light up so bright and blue under his skin, he turns fluorescent. The Nidaime starts to laugh. "He looks ridiculous."
"Impressive," Sarutobi mutters. "Were you aware you had this much chakra, Sasuke?"
Sasuke stares at his hand, turning it over slowly. He's practically glowing, the outline of his legs visible through the black of his pants. "All Uchihas do. They have to sustain the sharingan," Shodaime offers. "But I doubt many Uchiha have this much."
"Is it dangerous?" Yondaime asks and he sounds so close that Sasuke actually flinches away from the chill to his right. The Yondaime doesn't pay any attention, just puts a hand thoughtfully through Sasuke's arm, hm-ing under his breath.
"I doubt it," Shodaime says and comes to stand next to Sasuke, arms crossed over his chest. "His body is built for it. The chakra pathways are always more extensive in an Uchiha, so it should be able to take this load."
"--arm, the one you blew out with the chidori that day, Sasuke, remember?"
"What?" Sasuke mutters and returns his attention back to Sakura. The woman looks angry at Sasuke's absent-mindedness. She grinds out, "The chakra pathways you blew to your left hand with your chidori."
"What about them?" Sasuke mutters.
"Sakura restored them," Sarutobi explains with a smile.
As far as Sasuke is concerned, his chakra pathways had been blown out so badly that they were beyond repair. But Sakura had always been a good medic, one of the best. It shouldn't be so much of a surprise that she fixed him up. "How?"
"How?" Sakura yells and brandishes her clipboard threateningly. "I just explained how, you stupid, stupid, arrgh!"
"Of course." Sasuke lies down on the bed because this will take long, he can already sense it. "Go on."
Sakura takes a few calming breaths before saying, "Your energy was depleted, almost died of chakra exhaustion. I was keeping you stable with my chakra until Shizune got here, when your snake, the cobra, it pointed out a reserve--"
"Where?" Sasuke demands because it's just a little embarrassing that he didn't know about this reserve in his body. His chakra control was a little weaker than Sakura's but missing an entire chakra reserve large enough to turn him into a glow-in-the-dark freak of nature was beyond ridiculous.
"Your abdomen, by your lymph nodes," Sakura explains and for added measure, unbuttons Sasuke's pants and pushes it down. Sakura starts to poke around his stomach with gloved fingers, seemingly unaware of the fact that her former teammate, ex-crush, and Uchiha goddamn Sasuke is hers to ogle. "Here and here," Sakura continues and moves her hand even lower, so dangerously low that Sasuke hopes--prays--that his body doesn't betray him.
Sakura is all curves, dangerous green eyes, and wild hair, the kind of kuonichi that Sasuke might take as a wife. The light blue of her scrubs makes her look a little older, especially since her hair is falling around her face a little loosely. But she's Lee's woman and even if Sasuke's body might think otherwise, according to Sasuke's mind, Sakura is too much 'friend' to be anything more. He looks away from Sakura, concentrating instead on Sarutobi's kind, smiling face. "Shameless!" Yondaime yells loudly. "Utterly shameless. One minute he's lusting after my son like a crazed lunatic and then this? What is this? I knew you were a good-for-nothing--"
"Namikaze," Nidaime grumbles under his breath. "So this definitelymakes the Uchiha kid bi, right?"
"--worthless piece of adolescent shmuck who would just ruin my son's life--"
The Shodaime gives Sasuke a side-long glance. "I assumed he was straight since he gives preference for only women. Of course there's Naruto, but no other man has interested him..."
Sasuke tries to keep his face carefully neutral. Having his sexuality discussed by dead men is making him uncomfortable, mostly because Sasuke has never really thought about it. There's Naruto, who he wants. And then there are the women with their sweeping curves, long hair, coy smiles. Like Sakura and Ino and Hinata, and the entire goddamn Village, filled with women.
And Naruto. Always, forever, Naruto. "--you don't deserve my son!" Yondaime screams. "Stay away from him!"
"Look," Sakura says suddenly and slaps Sasuke on the chest. Sasuke dutifully looks and Sakura puts a hand right over the line of his boxers and pushes chakra in. His entire stomach lights up such a brilliant shade of blue that chakra starts to wisp away from his skin, like steam.
"Shit," Sasuke mutters because he can feel a slight tingling in his groin, feeling strange and unfamiliar. Hesitantly, he lifts the band of his boxers to look. It's blue. "Oh, fuck."
Sakura peeks under the boxers as well, eyes going wide. "I missed that," she says, unfazed, and writes it down on the clipboard. "Excuse me," she says politely and snakes a hand under Sasuke's boxer, feeling around carefully.
"Sakura," Sasuke says, lying completely still.
"Sasuke," Sakura says, looking at Sasuke in the eyes, face serious even as her hand experimentally squeezes here and there. "Don't make this awkward, Uchiha. I'm your attending physician."
"Right," Sasuke says carefully and stares at the ceiling. Sakura is always his attending physician because no other medic will willingly treat Sasuke, not after what he did. If, in the rare occasions, Sasuke gets injured and Sakura is not around, he has to wait, even if his injuries become infected and swollen. They've turned him away at the ER before, so Sasuke usually avoids the hospital. "What are you doing?"
"Testicular exam," Sakura mutters under her breath and pushes Sasuke's pants further down. When he feels Sakura push some more of her chakra in, it feels ticklish. Sasuke blushes despite himself--Sakura is groping him with chakra, he thinks, and tries not to think about that too much.
"Well," Sakura says and straightens, taking her gloves off in a practiced motion. "That's news to me, but everything looks fine. You should still be able to have children."
"That's...good," Sasuke says slowly.
"Orgasms might be more intense, which will make Naruto very happy," Sakura mutters to herself. The Yondaime groans, sounding so utterly devastated and miserable that Sasuke can't help but smirk. Sakura writes down something on her clipboard. "I'm ordering a testicular ultrasound just to be sure. The hospital will call to schedule it with you."
Sasuke zips up, trying not to feel too self-conscious. "Your pathways are still the same, but you should be careful not to overload jutsus with more chakra than necessary," she cautions. "I showed Kakashi-sensei your file, he said he'd work on it with you."
"Fine," Sasuke grunts and pulls on a shirt, wincing when the muscles in his back practically creak with the movement. His uniform is still caked with dirt, and disturbingly, Kiba's blood. He draws his katana, inspecting it for any damage. There is still blood caked on its tip. This could have been Akatsuki recruits or just wayward ninja, and he needs to find out who.
"I just sent Naruto home," Sakura says, voice suddenly soft, not the clinical tone she uses whenever it concerns her healing. "He's been staying over every night, wanted to be here when you woke up, but he hasn't been eating well and I--"
"I have to get back," Sasuke interrupts because it's not like he hasn't noticed Naruto's absence. The blonde is always there when Sasuke wakes up. This is the first time he's been missing.
"For being such an idiot, Sasuke, I will kick your ass another day," Sakura snaps, not missing a beat. She watches as Sasuke finishes putting on his uniform. "I have to do rounds still. You should visit him, by the way."
"Who?"
"Naruto, you idiot," Sakura growls. When her pager starts to beep she glances down at it, mumbles a "for fuck's sake" under her breath. She doesn't leave immediately though, just lingers by the door. "Kiba has already been discharged."
Sasuke ties on his kunai pouch. "Good."
"I'm wondering, Sasuke," Sakura says after a moment's pause. She sounds thoughtful, as if she's figured out how to say this already, has practiced it a little. "When will you start valuing your life as much as you do other's? Or maybe your Brother's?"
Sasuke freezes at that because it's not a secret in Team 7 that Sasuke has a death wish, that he's resigned himself to dying before he ever reaches twenty. Once Itachi dies, Sasuke isn't sure what else to do with himself. Dying seems just as good an option as any. People like Kiba, Naruto, Sakura, Neji, though--they have a life to come back to, a life they want to come back to.
"I do," he lies, and doesn't meet Sakura's eyes as he leaves the hospital room.
**
The ANBU headquarters is milling with people late in the evening, either reporting for duty or getting back from missions. It's an austere building with a black marbled wall at the entrance, with the ANBU logo etched in silver. Next to it is the lettering: Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushi Butai.
When Sasuke steps out of the elevator onto the sixth floor, there are people waiting for him, in uniform, in civilians, even with just a towel around their waist. "Uchiha!" One of them yells and they all start clapping, some whistle, a few more thump Sasuke on the back as he walks by. "Well done, ANBU," a few lean forward to mumble, and they all give way for Sasuke as he steps into the locker rooms. It makes something warm stir in Sasuke's stomach, because the last time people lined up to welcome him back, it was to hiss Traitor and You're not welcome here.
When he gives the Hokages a sidelong glance, the Shodaime is smiling at him. The Nidaime nods his head, an acknowledgment that is almost respectful. Even the Yondaime looks impressed, arms crossed over his chest. He takes a quick shower, changes out of uniform, and is about to return home when Hiashi finds him. "My office, ANBU, now." And then, he's walking away. "What, really?" Nidaime barks, voicing Sasuke's own annoyance. Sasuke follows Hiashi anyways, keeping his face neutral as the older man holds open his office door.
"Your theatrics, although impressive," Hiashi says by way of hello. "Were out of line."
"Shit bag!" Nidaime snarls earnestly. Hiashi sits down in his chair, eyes narrowed. "You disobeyed your commanding officer's orders. The mission was that you should avoid confrontation."
"Here we go," Sarutobi says. Sasuke's mind goes blank, and when he doesn't say anything for a moment, the Yondaime urges, "Answer your Captain, boy."
This is such a stupid line of questioning, Sasuke isn't sure how to answer it. It was an obvious choice, not something that needs to be explained away in the Captain's office. "He's my teammate," Sasuke says.
"That's no excuse to risk the mission--"
"The mission," Sasuke snaps, and gathers his words before continuing. "The mission was completed successfully by that point. I ordered the others to retreat. Whether or not I returned is irrelevant to the mission's success or failure."
"You are a part of the mission," Hiashi thunders. "More importantly, you still have trouble following orders--"
"With all due respect, Captain," Sasuke interrupts. "No matter what you say, how you say it, or how long say it for, I won't apologize for or regret my actions."
"You are out of line--"
"And this conversation is pointless, Hyuga," Sasuke snarls, eyes burning into a sharingan now. "He is my man, my responsibility."
Sasuke is half-expecting Hiashi to lash out, maybe even throw a jutsu at him. It's a surprise when Hiashi takes a deep, steady breath and stands up. "Like teacher, like student, they say."
"Don't you dare bring him up in this," Sasuke hisses, gritting his teeth. "It was my decision--"
"I'm suspending you from your duties."
"The fuck?" Sasuke growls, just as the Nidaime mutters, "Prick."
"For forty-eight hours," Hiashi finishes coolly and the Shodaime actually laughs. Sasuke snaps his mouth shut, not sure what to say to something like this. The Yondaime is the first to speak in the silence that follows, "I thought he was going to fire you..."
Unthinking, Sasuke repeats, "You're not firing me."
"My nephew, your second in command, was there that night," Hiashi interrupts, voice quiet now. He looks at Sasuke in the eyes when he says the next words. "I wonder if it had been my boy instead of Inuzuka, whether I would've ever been able to repay you." Sasuke unclenches his fist, relaxes his muscles at this. There's another moment's silence before Hiashi says, voice curt again, "Dismissed."
Sasuke leaves, wondering whether that's what binds a ninja village: debts, from one man to another. In the Village of Sound, the only thing that bound men together was bloodlust. Sex, alcohol, and the adrenaline rush of killing or getting killed were enough for ninja to work together under Orochimaru. But in the end, they all betrayed each other, ran like cowards as Sasuke burned his way through their ranks.
The Hokages are silent for a while before the Nidaime points out, "I think your Captain doesn't hate you anymore."
"Hate him?" Shodaime asks. "The man never hated him--"
"He hated him," Yondaime deadpans. "He's a Hyuga, this boy is an Uchiha...God that story gets old."
"It's a new chapter in history!" Sarutobi enthuses. "Imagine the two clans getting along!" Sasuke feels his lips twitch into a smile despite himself. The Hyuga and Uchiha Clans will never, ever get along. The next generation's future is ruined already, due to the simple fact that Neji is eyeing Naruto.
Shikamaru's voice, when Sasuke hears it from across the street, is a surprise. "Uchiha!" Shino is with him and raises a hand in greeting. Sasuke returns the gesture and approaches them. Neji is also there, and when Sasuke is within earshot, he drawls, "I turned in the report already for you."
"A hello would have been good," Nidaime grumbles.
"They're talking!" Sarutobi breathes, delighted. "They're talking, Shodaime..."
"Let's eat," Shino says and jerks a thumb over his shoulder, in the direction of a grill/bar. Sasuke follows them towards the restaurant and settles in a chair. The men order a round of beer, which is when, surprisingly, Kiba walks in.
"Gentlemen," he greets, sitting down across from Sasuke. Akamaru barks happily and then settles under the table. Kiba looks like he usually does, which can only mean that Tsunade healed him. He orders a beer as well and sits back, grinning. "You were out for a while," Kiba says, smirking. "I recovered before you did, huh?"
"Uchihas have always been slow," Neji mutters under his breath, and when Sasuke turns to look at him, there is no malice in his expression.
"Fuck you, Hyuga," Sasuke says and leans back into his chair when the waitress places their orders on the table.
"You get demoted?" Shikamaru asks around a mouthful.
"Suspended," Sasuke corrects and takes a sip of beer. "Forty-eight hours."
Kiba sniggers. "Should've gotten fired for what you pulled."
"Shut up, Inuzuka," Shino says politely. "What he's trying to say is thank you. Unfortunately there is not very much gray matter in his skull so--"
Kiba slams his fist into the table, voice raised already. "Oi, Aburame!" A few of the other patrons in the restaurant turn to look at them.
"Shut it, you troublesome piece of--"
"Goddamn bug-freak! I'll show you thank you--"
"Behave, for gods' sake," Shikamaru grumbles threateningly.
Sasuke points out, "Nara, your woman's turning you into a woman." He takes a swig of his beer, smirking when Kiba starts laughing at that.
"Behave," Kiba mimics and falls into a fresh round of laughter. "That sounds like Ino, you wanker."
"Boys, that's no way to talk in front of a lady," Sasuke mumbles and Neji's lips twitch. Even Shino chuckles.
"Fuck you, Uchiha," Shikamaru says solemnly, jabbing his fork at Sasuke. "Fuck you."
"Teamwork, right?" Yondaime mumbles. "You can just feel the love."
**
Kiba is re-enacting Sasuke's dramatic rescue, full with Ishi's hisses, when they see the others. "Then he goes, Cover my trail, Akamaru!" Kiba says. "And the snake goes sssssssss, and then Uchiha actually says back, ssssssss. And it's like, they can fucking communicate this way or something--"
Neji starts to laugh again. The man has had a few beers and has loosened up considerably. Shikamaru is bent over in half, laughing so hard that he can't sit up straight anymore. "I mean, there's this fucking seven foot long cobra around me, and I'm thinking, damn, this thing is going to eat me for dinner--"
"He wanted to," Sasuke says. He glances at the waitresses to get her attention, and orders another drink. "I should've let him."
"And after I throw up my guts, I pass out. But does this man leave me? No--"
"You need to get on a fucking diet," Sasuke interrupts, turning to look at Kiba with a smirk.
"Inuzuka, you fat cow," Shino deadpans and takes a swig of beer. "Fat, bloated cow." Neji and Shikamaru drown in slightly-drunken hysterics again. Kiba follows shortly, slapping the table top with his palm. He makes a wet coughing sound now and then, but that's the only sign of his previous injury.
Which is when Sasuke spots Naruto, walking through the restaurant doors, Sakura, Lee, Hinata, Ino and Chouji close at hand. "Hey, Sarge--" Kiba begins but then falls silent when he realizes who just walked in. "Hinata!"
"Hooo boy," Nidaime whistles. "Steady, Uchiha."
"This Village has at least fifty restaurants," Yondaime grumbles. "Why they all have to visit the same one?"
"Perhaps the food is good," Shodaime speculates.
"It looks good," Sarutobi puts in, sighing wistfully. "I want an apple."
Nidaime says, looking longingly at the beer in Sasuke's hand, "A sake. A shot, that's all I ask."
Sasuke watches Naruto approach, hand curled around the mug in his hand. Naruto looks older, tired, worn out, as if the in week Sasuke was sleeping, he's aged. When he sees Sasuke, he looks relieved, but his lips are still pressed into a thin line. But not a smile in sight, which is when Sasuke realizes just how much he likes them--Naruto's smiles, the way they make the scars on his face become thin, his eyes brighten, something in the air lighten.
And why, Sasuke wonders, did Naruto even leave his side? Why wasn't Naruto there when he woke up? "--pull up a table," Kiba enthuses and within the next minute, the gathering has doubled in size. Naruto is on the other end of the table, paying attention to the story that Kiba starts narrating. He doesn't meet Sasuke's eyes for a few moments, not even when Sasuke stares pointedly. Sasuke gets to his feet, ready to leave. The table falls silent and everyone turns to look at him.
Kiba asks, "We'll see you Monday, then? Finally get some missions once you get back..."
"You," Sasuke says, jabbing his finger at Kiba, "Are relieved of field duty until you're fully recovered, Inuzuka."
"Oi--"
"Hyuga." Sasuke turns to Neji, voice a little flat as he doles out orders. "I want him doing paperwork."
"Roger," Neji says, stretching. "We've only done patrol since you've been out, though." Sasuke places a few bills on the table, ignoring Kiba's indignant howls.
Hinata gives him a grateful, heartfelt smile. "Thank you, Sasuke. For everything. My father is Captain, so I know what your actions must have cost you." Only forty-eight hours, Sasuke wants to say, but Hinata smiles again and all he can do is nod. Kiba yells, "Paperwork? Fucking piece of shit Uchiha! Is that why you saved me? So I could do your goddamn paperwork?"
"You should do something," Nidaime whispers in his ear, hurried. "Don't just ignore Naruto, you won't get anywhere if he has to make all the effort himself--"
"Stop helping--"
"He was so worried," Sarutobi sighs. "He stayed by your side for days, Sasuke."
"Take the initiative for once, boy," Shodaime commands. "Don't be a coward." And that's all it takes for Sasuke to make up his mind (coward? An Uchiha?) "Dead last," Sasuke says, as he's passing Naruto. "You done?"
Naruto freezes, eyes widening slightly. "Done?"
"Eating," Sasuke growls, aware of the entire table staring at him now. Naruto's plate is full, but he gets up anyways and says half-hearted good-byes to the others. Ino grabs Naruto's arm just as he's about to leave and gives him a long, meaningful look. "I know," Naruto hisses, pulling away from her. Sakura scoffs around a mouthful, jabbing Lee in the side as if encouraging Lee to speak. The man just shakes his head, looking disappointed.
Neji gives Naruto a blank, heavy look before turning away. "That's...odd," Nidaime says finally. "What was that?"
"Let's go," Sasuke snaps when Naruto lingers, and is rewarded with a "You impatient bastard."
Then, they're outside, walking towards Naruto's apartment. "Say something," Nidaime prompts. "Go on. This is a perfect opportunity, boy--"
The Yondaime screams, "Get away from my son, you delinquent!"
"Where were you today?" Sasuke asks and that's all it takes for Naruto's monolithic guilt complex to kick into hyper-drive. He comes closer to Sasuke, touching his elbow hesitantly.
"I went home for the afternoon, a few hours at most, I didn't think..." He trails off and grips Sasuke's wrist lightly. "I wanted to be there when you woke up, you bastard."
"It's fine," Sasuke relents because the expression on Naruto's face is the definition of misery. Naruto still looks ready to walk off a cliff in his despair, so Sasuke repeats, "Naruto. It's fine."
"You feeling all right?" Naruto asks, voice pitched low.
Sasuke rolls his eyes. Naruto and his goddamn concern, he thinks. It's annoying, a burden almost. "I'm fine, dead last."
"Good," Naruto says, voice clipped. He grabs Sasuke's arm and forces Sasuke to face him.
Sasuke stops, frowning slightly. "What are you--"
"I will kill you now," Naruto says, smiling brightly, and lets his fist fly.
**
After kicking each other around for a few hours, Naruto decides that he'd given Sasuke the beating Sasuke deserves for being such an idiot and declares loudly that he's going home. Sasuke usually enjoys sparring with Naruto because it's challenging, because Naruto can hold his own against Sasuke and because when Naruto fights, he becomes slightly sweaty, flushed a pretty pink, and sometimes even takes off his shirt to combat the heat. As time went on, Sasuke realized that if he uses more fire jutsu and raises the temperature enough, Naruto will strip down faster and well--there are a great number of perks to being an Uchiha.
But while Naruto heals instantaneously from the spars, Sasuke is always still slightly sore. Today, he's even limping from a brilliant maneuver Naruto executed to pin Sasuke down. Which is why Naruto takes pity and offers to fix Sasuke up before sending him on his way. Sasuke protests for an appropriate amount of time and then lets himself get dragged behind Naruto.
Naruto's apartment is close to town, set in one of the ritzier areas overlooking the Hokage monuments. Naruto moved in once he started to train under Tsunade as the unofficial, next-in-line pick. Tsunade has unknowingly furnished Naruto's house, mostly because the inordinate amount of time Naruto spends as her aide gives him a good paycheck.
Naruto keeps a spare of everything for Sasuke to use, so spending the night at Naruto's place is never an iconvenience. Sasuke's toothbrush is in the cabinet, his towel in the closet in the bathroom, shaving cream and razor behind the mirror, even though Naruto can't grow a beard or any body hair (the kyuubi's chakra leaks out and fries his hair follicles, Naruto explained to him once mournfully; Such a fucking woman, dead last, Sasuke dutifully insulted, but then went home later that night and readjusted each and every one of his fantasies and wet dreams.)
Naruto has even bought Sasuke's favorite brand of shampoo, soap, and deodorant, stocked his house so if Sasuke were to ever show up one day, he would feel at home. Sasuke steps into the shower for a quick rinse and then emerges, towel around his waist. He's going through Naruto's walk-in closet, looking for pajamas when he hears Naruto yell from the bathroom around the toothbrush in his mouth, "Second drawer, to the left."
"Right," Sasuke mutters and wonders idly why Naruto so compulsively rearranges everything in the apartment. "Just leave my clothes alone, dead last."
"You have closet space here?" Yondaime breathes, sounding desperate. He clutches at his heart dramatically. "I think I'm dying. Oh god I need to lie down. I need to lie down."
"You're already dead, Namikaze," Nidaime says, unhelpful as always. He eases Yondaime onto a chair regardless. When the Yondaime descends into paler shades of blue, the Nidaime turns to the Shodaime. "Brother, he doesn't look too good."
"Breathe, Minato," Sarutobi counsels. "In, and out, in and out, in and out, see?"
"Shut up, you bastard," Naruto snaps back and spits viciously into the sink. Sasuke watches him wrench open the closet in the bathroom (his bathroom is big enough to have a closet, two sinks, plenty of counter space and a glitzy-looking shower stall). He rummages around before emerging with an armful of first aid items: gauze pads, self-adhesive tape, warming pads, antibacterials. He doesn't need any of these personally; they're for Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi when the need arises.
Sasuke dutifully sits on the bed, dressed in boxers and sweats. The bed is as deliciously comfortable as it looks (Naruto has furnished his apartment with the most luxurious furniture available. Sasuke is willing to pass out on Naruto's carpet--steam cleaned once every month by a service Naruto hires--if Naruto gave him permission.) It's a little embarrassing that Naruto makes so much more money than he does. His days of living on a meager stipend provided by the village Council are long over. Now, Naruto is what ninja Sasuke's age consider well off. The strangest thing is that Naruto is still genin, but goes on A- and B-rank missions right along with the other jounin. At this rate, he'll be the first genin who becomes Hokage. And that's so typically Naruto, the most unpredictable ninja in the Village. From genin to Hokage, and no one will contest his ascent anymore, not after everything that has happened.
Naruto gets to work on dressing Sasuke's wounds with practiced ease. He's done this countless times for Sasuke before, and it's a familiar routine. When Naruto rolls up Sasuke's pants to expose the injured knee, Sasuke doesn't protest, just leans up against the headboard. They're silent as Naruto goes through these movements except for the occasional "Hey, bastard, this feel all right?" and "Fine, dead last."
It's when Naruto is carefully spreading antibacterials to scratches on Sasuke's back (courtesy Naruto's nails as he fought tooth and claw to escape Sasuke at one point) that Naruto mutters, "I'm proud of you. For what you did for Kiba."
Kiba, Shikamaru, Neji and Shino all nearly died in an attempt to retrieve Sasuke from Orochimaru once. There was a time when Shikamaru would not look at Sasuke in the eyes, still seething over Chouji's injuries. There was a time when Kiba would look through Sasuke, as if Sasuke didn't exist. Sasuke doesn't say any of this, even though they weigh heavily on his mind. Instead, he says, "Did you think I'd leave him behind?"
"No," Naruto says, voice suddenly loud. He is a little rough when he presses a two-by-four gauze pad into one of Sasuke's wounds and doesn't say anything for the rest of the time. When he's packing up the materials fifteen minutes later, he mutters, "It's nice to see the Village start to start accepting you again, though."
And isn't that the strangest part of it all, Sasuke wonders, flexing his fingers. Naruto bandaged his knuckles up a little too tightly but Sasuke will not complain. He's too amused at the irony of it all: Naruto, once the hated demon child of Konoha, now the obvious pick to be the Sixth Hokage, taking pity on Uchiha Sasuke, once the Village's darling, now their reformed traitor. "I'll take the couch," Sasuke offers, getting to his feet.
"See?" Nidaime asks, sounding triumphant. "The boy's horny as hell, but he's not going to take advantage of your son! He's a good man, like I said."
The Yondaime growls, sounding petulant, "Yeah well."
"Take the bed, you jerk," Naruto snaps and pushes Sasuke back towards the bed. "You just got out of the hospital." Naruto never, ever offers to take the couch. He likes large, comfortable beds, heavy sheets, big pillows. This is the first time Naruto has ever willingly given up a bed for Sasuke. Even on missions, Sasuke usually spends the night on the floor or lumpy futon while Naruto spreads out happily on the bed (mostly because Kakashi orders him to; otherwise Kakashi will have to sit through Naruto's incessant complaints for the rest of the mission.)
"Dead last--"
"My house, my rules," Naruto insists, defiant now and shoves Sasuke onto the bed. "Shut up and just take the damn bed."
"He's worried," Shodaime explains patiently. "He thought you were going to die, Sasuke."
"We all thought you would," Nidaime puts in, and his voice sounds gruff. "You piece of shit, puling a stunt like that."
Sarutobi chuckles, placing a hand on Nidaime's shoulder. "What Tobirama-sensei means is that he was worried. As was Naruto, so you should comfort him."
Sasuke isn't very good at comforting people, mostly because he hasn't had to do it much in his lifetime. So he offers, trying to lighten the mood, "We can share the bed." On any normal day, Naruto would yell at him for being a pervert before hitting him and throw him out. Today, though, Naruto freezes for an instant before muttering, "Fine," and he's crawling into bed the next instant.
Sasuke's mind goes blank. This, he realizes, is a plan that has backfired. He can offer to take the couch, kick Naruto out of the bed, or settle in next to the blonde and thank the gods for his luck. The only problem with sleeping next to Naruto is this: Sasuke almost always ends up getting hard about half-way into the night and has to jerk off, which is beyond embarrassing when it's in Naruto's bathroom. But there's really no way of escaping this situation because Naruto mutters, "Hey, you coming to bed?" And that's all it takes for Sasuke's will to crumble (maybe today's my day, he tells himself) and he settles under the covers as well.
Naruto turns off the light, which is when the Yondaime whispers, "Can we possess people, Sarutobi-sensei?"
"No, Minato, we can't possess people."
"Maybe I should sleep on him," Yondaime says slowly.
"And what would that accomplish?" Nidaime drawls. "He'll just get cold."
"Eventually, I'll sink into his spirit, take over his body and then walk him off a cliff," Yondaime breathes, the idea slowly forming in his mind.
"You can't possess people--"
"Shut up," Sasuke mumbles and rolls onto his stomach, getting more comfortable under the covers. The bed is even more comfortable than he anticipated. It's perfect, he thinks with a sigh.
Naruto shifts closer to Sasuke, hand reaching out to touch him. "I didn't say anything, Sasuke."
"Fine," Sasuke says and pulls away from Naruto's touch, edging to the other end of the bed. He's not sure he can handle Naruto so close. But then again, the Yondaime is right there so it's doubtful he'll get horny any time soon.
"Just remember, Uchiha," Yondaime hisses. "One move..."
Naruto is silent for a few moments before he inches closer and puts a hand on Sasuke's back. He pushes chakra in, not budging even when Sasuke hisses in annoyance as his skin lights up blue. "Is this safe?"
"It's fine," Sasuke snaps and tries to push Naruto away.
"Kakashi-sensei looked a little worried when Sakura told him," Naruto murmurs and his hair falls into Sasuke's face, smelling fresh and wild.
Sasuke clenches his fist so he doesn't reach up and do something stupid: like feel the texture of Naruto's hair between his fingers, maybe tuck it behind Naruto's ear. "He was probably just bored."
"No, he was worried," Naruto insists, sounding a little angry now. "Are you sure it's safe?"
"Uchihas are born with this," Sasuke explains and rolls onto his back. Naruto moves his hand to Sasuke's stomach, resting it lightly over his belly button. "It's for the sharingan."
"But Kakashi-sensei isn't an Uchiha, so how does he keep up the sharingan without the chakra pathways?"
Good question, Sasuke knows, but he's not willing to stay up discussing the specifics of the Hatake bloodline, their strange, ancient chakra and Sasuke's private theory that Kakashi might be the greatest ninja to date. "It's Kakashi," Sasuke insists. "Dead last, I'm tired."
Naruto stills at this, and even in the dark, Sasuke can imagine the expression on the blonde's face, the dulling of his blue eyes, the small crinkle between his eyebrows. "You always do these things, you idiot," Naruto says softly and moves his hand up to Sasuke's chest, where his heart is. "Sakura said you probably wouldn't survive. I asked Tsunade to heal you but she wouldn't."
Tsunade refusing to heal Sasuke is no surprise, but the knowledge of it still stings. "I'm sure she had her reasons," Shodaime says, but his cheer is a little forced. Sasuke's betrayal of the Village is still fresh on Tsunade's mind; Sasuke could live a thousand lives, serve the Village with all his heart and she would still not forgive him for his treason.
"Sakura did fine on her own," Sasuke mutters and lies completely still because Naruto lowers his head onto Sasuke's shoulder slowly. Sasuke stiffens at the contact because this is a first. A few moments later, he pulls away from Sasuke slightly but doesn't move far, his breath hot against Sasuke's shoulder. Naruto is silent for a long, long time. Eventually, he presses his hand against Sasuke's stomach. Sasuke is glowing bright blue before he can protest, chakra evaporating off his body like steam. "Dead last--"
"Sakura said," Naruto mutters, sounding wicked and inching closer. "That you were blue."
"I am, you idiot," Sasuke barks and holds up his hand. "I get that--"
"Blue everywhere," Naruto repeats and puts his face close to Sasuke's, close enough that their noses are touching slightly. He angles his head as if to kiss Sasuke, parts his mouth as if he's going to lick Sasuke somewhere. The blonde has spent enough time with Jiraiya, knows exactly what will drive someone mad with lust. It's frustrating because Naruto realizes this advantage over Sasuke, uses it to his full extent, because Naruto is a shameless, manipulative bastard like that. It's the same way he pulls out a sexy no jutsu for Jiraiya, dangles the latest edition of Icha, Icha Paradise for Kakashi. "Blue everywhere, Sasuke," Naruto breathes on Sasuke's lips hotly.
Sasuke freezes for a split moment before he slaps Naruto's hand away. The glow of his body fades almost instantly. "What happened to patient confidentiality?"
Naruto laughs, loud and clear. "I heard sex with you would be greatly improved as a result," he says, leering. He pulls to the other side of the bed before Sasuke can process the phrase. "Good night, Sasuke."
Sasuke feels his mind go blank and he manages, "Huh." The Yondaime just howls.
**
Sasuke gets hard at exactly 2:13 am, when Naruto rolls onto his back and mmmms in his sleep, breathing deeply. His hand brushes against Sasuke's shoulder.
So, dutifully, Sasuke slips out of Naruto's apartment, blurs across town and slams into his bathroom (ignoring the Hokages yelling at him, What's wrong, Uchiha? Is there a threat?). He emerges twenty minutes later, scowling, and wearing a new set of boxers.
The Nidaime is the first to understand and he whispers something into the Shodaime's ear. Sasuke hears him say, "Brother, he's..." The Shodaime's eyes go wide in understanding and he conveys the message to Sarutobi who 'ah's. They leave out the Yondaime who keeps glancing between the others and demanding an explanation.
Sarutobi clears his throat and says, as Sasuke is slipping under his covers (his ears are burning in embarrassment), "Sasuke. It's a natural process for teenagers to--"
Both the Yondaime and Sasuke round on him, faces flushed pink. "Sarutobi-sensei!"
Sasuke does not masturbate for three entire days after this incident.
End of Part Four
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