Inevitable: Chapter 12
Title: Inevitable
Pairing: Sasuke/Naruto
Rating: T - language, violence, and implied sexual activities
Status: In Progess
Preview: This wasn’t just another game of ‘hide-and-watch-the-Uchiha’ Naruto was playing with summons, this was an invasion of Sasuke’s personal space.
Read: the full story on ff.net or
Inevitable
Chapter Twelve
In a small house, just south of Konoha’s busy business district, sat Teushi. The man, nearing his seventies, was engrossed in a file with “Top Secret” written on the outside. Although he knew he wasn’t to look in the file, it had never stopped him before. He knew the file well, including the order of the documents from previous times he’d taken it without permission. On this occasion he found what he was looking for quite quickly.
A small square picture, featuring the bright smile of a woman in her late twenties, was cradled between his fingers. He stared at it, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. Gently moving one thumb, careful not to move the picture a fraction, he gently traced the outline of her face.
Shouko Uchiha was a beautiful and happy woman. Helpful and friendly, her neighbors loved her - as did Shishimaru Uchiha. Teushi could remember the exact moment his young sister, barely sixteen at the time, met her “Prince Charming”. Shishimaru was leaning his body against the Konoha gate, looking bored, cleaning his kunai. Shouko, being sort of clumsy, tripped on her way through the gate. Shishimaru, ever the graceful Uchiha, caught her easily with one arm, a playful smile on his face. Two days later he tracked her down for a date. She didn’t refuse.
Teushi sighed and shifted slightly in his seat. The tell-tale signs of unshed tears burned from behind his eyes as he placed the picture back in the folder. Folding his hands in front of him, the old man took a deep, shuddering breath. He knew what he had to do, what was the right thing to do, but nothing short of a miracle could accomplish it. The Uchiha had to suffer, to feel the wrath of a scorned brother. It made no difference which Uchiha started the massacre, which one actually carried it out, they all needed to suffer the consequences.
--
Tsunade was busy, buried in one of her many medical books. Jiraiya was dealing with more pain than he should have been. Although a master ninja, constant phantom pains were something no person could deal with. Like having an itch you couldn’t scratch, feeling pain in an arm that was no longer there was an irritating problem. She knew there was a way to deal with it. Several methods ran through her head, including killing nerves and severing their connection to the brain.
The light tapping on her door drew her attention away from her current book. Tsunade called out for them to enter and was honestly surprised at who emerged from the hallway.
“Sasushi? Kakashi? To what do I owe this pleasure?” Tsunade asked, shocked at seeing the two of them standing in her office together.
“I…well, we have a proposition for you, Lady Tsunade.”
Honestly surprised, the previous Hokage sat forward in her chair and eyed the two curiously (or suspiciously?). “And what could I help you two with?”
“You see,” Sasushi started, smiling lightly at Tsunade, “I’ve come to realize that, no matter what our young Hokage says, no one will believe what he has seen inside the Uchiha’s head.”
“The councilwoman has come up with a pretty fool proof plan to convince all members of the council.”
Tsunade raised her eyebrow at Kakashi, whose eye was crinkled up in a smile. “And what would that be?”
They both shared a look before answering: “A truth serum.”
For a whole two beats it was silent in the room. Then Tsunade began laughing.
--
Konohamaru was late for work, but he had a great excuse. ‘Old Man Hyuuga’, as Konohamaru called him, was a relentless pursuer. It was all the chuunin could do to out-maneuver the elder jounin. It took him four hours and every transformation jutsu in his arsenal, but Konohamaru managed to hide out at Moegi’s house until morning. Thankfully, Moegi’s mom absolutely adores him, or that could have been a mess as well.
Taking the stairs three at a time, the young chuunin made his way towards the Hokage’s office, only to see the door open and Naruto working silently at his desk. He glanced where Sakura was supposed to be sitting, only to see she wasn’t there yet either. As Naruto’s personal bodyguard, he was to be there before the Hokage was. Mostly he arrived before even Sakura did. He was beginning to think he was insanely late, but it turned out Naruto was insanely early. Since when did Naruto get up before dawn?
He walked toward the door silently, hoping not to disturb the hard-working blonde. But Konohamaru wasn’t necessarily very good at stealth, as last night’s escapade clearly showed.
“You’re late, Kono.” Naruto mused from his desk.
“By a few minutes!” Konohamaru corrected him. “And you’re early.”
Naruto shrugged. “I got an early start.”
“That’s an understatement.” Konohamaru said under his breath as he took his normal post, to the right of the Hokage. The chuunin liked it there. It made him feel like he was Naruto’s ‘right hand man’ in an emergency. It gave him a sense of importance.
Naruto worked in silence for a while until he was finished. Before pulling another scroll in front of him, he glanced at Konohamaru from the corner of his eye.
“That’s quite a shiner you got there, kid.” His hand briefly moved in the direction of Konohamaru’s eye.
The chuunin blushed and gave a nervous laugh. “Yeah…got in a scuffle last night.”
It was Naruto’s turn to laugh. “You call a fight with Hinata Hyuuga’s father a scuffle? From what I heard, the man kicked your ass.”
Honestly taken back, Konohamaru’s mouth hung open. “How…how did you…”
Naruto laughed again. “Hinata told me. I saw her on my way here this morning. She’s quite an early bird, you know.”
Konohamaru scowled.
Sakura walked in then, breaking up the grimace on the young chuunin’s face. Sakura looked happy, almost glowing. Naruto took notice immediately.
“What’d you do last night?”
It was Sakura’s turn to scowl. “How is that any of your business?” Her voice took a new octave in her irritation.
“You look happy.” Naruto noted, pointing a quill at her. “You’re never happy this early…unless…”
“Stop referring to my sex life, Uzumaki.” She shook a fist at him. “You’re just pissed you’re not a part of it.”
Naruto smirked. “It doesn’t matter. All men tell someone about their most recent conquest. I’ll get the scoop from someone.”
“Conquest?” Sakura shrieked. “You’re infuriating, Naruto! Infuriating!”
Naruto snickered, as did Konohamaru. She glared intently at both of them before remembering how she left the night before. It brought a question she was dying to have answered back in her mind.
Coolly, she sat on the edge of Naruto’s desk. After waiting for him to return back to his work, she gave Konohamaru a wink and jerked her head in Naruto’s direction. The young chuunin listened intently.
“So, Naruto. What happened last night with Sasuke?”
The Hokage was writing on a scroll, but the quill suddenly jug down in the paper before creating a large slice in the perfect parchment. The quill scattered across the floor, as did bits of parchment.
“That good, huh?” Konohamaru asked, walking over to pick up the abandoned quill.
Naruto didn’t answer. He could feel his face turning red. Sakura took notice, as she usually did, and smiled to herself.
“Apparently it was that good. Or that bad.” She began picking at her cuticles, casting sideward glances at her friend.
“Can we remove ourselves from the subject of my sex life, Sakura?” Naruto asked, not at all surprised when his voice cracked during his sentence. “It was way more fun talking about yours.”
Konohamaru exchanged a confused glance in Sakura’s direction before raising an eyebrow at his ‘big brother’. “Um…doesn’t there have to be sex to have a sex life? Did I miss something, Naruto-nii-chan? Are you and the Uchiha…dating or something?”
Naruto’s face turned even redder and Sakura smirked. She was quite pleased with herself. At least, now, she was getting some answers.
“Well, I think it’s safe to assume now that there was actual sex taking place.”
“No, there wasn’t, Sakura!” Naruto growled, very irritated. “There was no sex with that arrogant, egotistical, sadistic bastard!”
The large wooden desk shook with the force of Naruto’s fists slamming into it. The scrolls, lined up perfectly in their holders, shook askew as the Hokage stood up and stalked from the office. Konohamaru was beyond shocked and confused, but Sakura sensed something else, something deeper. She patted Konohamaru on the shoulder as the scurried out to find Naruto.
She found him halfway down the hall, still stalking with his hands balled into fists at his sides.
“Naruto, wait up!” She jogged toward him, grabbing his arm when close enough. The blonde slowed down slightly, still irritated. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think it’d piss you off.”
Naruto sighed before stopping, almost having Sakura knock herself into him in the process. “It’s so complicated!” He threw his hands up dramatically.
“If you don’t want to talk about it, Naruto, you don’t have to.” She offered, hoping he’d choose to talk instead.
“No.” He sighed heavily. “I think it’d be better if I did talk. It’s just…what I saw and what he’s saying…and then last night…”
“Start from the beginning.” She offered, smiling lightly. He nodded and led her back toward the office.
After ushering Konohamaru out, he began explaining everything, from beginning to end. Sakura listened intently, knowing what he’d say before he did. She’d been his best friend since they were teenagers; she already knew this by heart.
--
The pencil slid across the paper with grace as lines of gray began taking form. First a shoulder, then the long line of an inner thigh; before long the image began looking like its subject.
Sai didn’t draw people often. It was difficult to capture them when you were incapable of understanding their emotions. But, on this day, he decided to take a chance. Naruto leaning against the aged wood of the Team Seven meeting bridge appeared on his paper until the details began to take over. The layers in his bright blonde hair and even the shadows on his sun-kissed tanned skin. Sai knew them all from memory and drew them as if he’d been drawing Naruto for years.
It wasn’t until he was finished he realized there was enough room beside Naruto on the sheet for another person. The person began pretty generic. Just a lean pale figure. He drew the person with an arm around Naruto, holding him close. It didn’t look normal yet, Sai figured. He continued sketching until the person standing beside Naruto was himself.
Sai sat back in his chair, staring at the canvas on his easel. Something was off, not right. He erased his facial expression and tried again, but it still didn’t seem quite right. Sighing, he tapped the pencil against the canvas, thinking about what could be added.
Naruto needed someone with a personality that clashed with his own; one that would enhance his good parts and even out his not-so-good parts. Maybe someone neat to match his messiness. Someone serious to match his goofiness. Someone tall and dark to go with broad and bright.
Focusing on his canvas again, Sai saw he’d already made the modifications. The dark eyes narrowed slightly, the hair grew out and spiked from the back with dark bangs hanging down the sides. An arrogant smirk replacing thinly drawn lips.
Sai had finished the picture. He’d drawn Sasuke, instead. Somehow, Sai realized with a heavy-hearted sigh, it looked much better this time.
--
An ANBU landed in front of Sasuke, making the Uchiha frown. He’d had a rough night, a rough morning, and now this ANBU was going to make him have a rough afternoon. Why couldn’t everyone in this village just leave him alone? He attempted to walk past him, with the man taking up most of the hallway space, but to no avail. The ANBU wouldn’t budge.
“What do you want?” Sasuke seethed out. He was beyond irritated. If he could use jutsu, he would have right then and there.
“We have orders to keep you under strict surveillance until he orders otherwise.” The man took his ‘at-ease’ stance before continuing. “I’ve been ordered to keep you under my personal guard, up close and personal.”
Taking a step back, Sasuke glared at the man intently. The only person who should have control over ANBU is the Hokage. What was Naruto punishing him for this time? “Why?”
“Orders.”
The young Uchiha tried to move past him again, but the man stood his ground. Sasuke ground his teeth before heading toward his front door. This wasn’t just another game of ‘hide-and-watch-the-Uchiha’ Naruto was playing with summons, this was an invasion of Sasuke’s personal space. It wasn’t fair that Naruto was using his power to mess with him. It was an abuse of power, and the Uchiha wouldn’t stand for it. He would put a stop to it now.
Before the guard could stop him, Sasuke teleported himself past the front door. He knew he was banned from using jutsu of any kind, or pooling his chakra for any reason. But, at that point, Sasuke didn’t care. He was halfway down the street before any member of Sai’s group got near him. Breaking into a run, Sasuke fought to lose the trailing guards.
As he rounded another corner, he saw the Hokage Tower in sight. Villagers were jumping out of the way, knowing who the guards were and why they were chasing the Uchiha. He was a criminal, he was supposed to be under house arrest. But Sasuke didn’t care, he was on a mission. Let the ANBU try and stop him, they wouldn’t get the chance…this was personal.
Pairing: Sasuke/Naruto
Rating: T - language, violence, and implied sexual activities
Status: In Progess
Preview: This wasn’t just another game of ‘hide-and-watch-the-Uchiha’ Naruto was playing with summons, this was an invasion of Sasuke’s personal space.
Read: the full story on ff.net or
Inevitable
Chapter Twelve
In a small house, just south of Konoha’s busy business district, sat Teushi. The man, nearing his seventies, was engrossed in a file with “Top Secret” written on the outside. Although he knew he wasn’t to look in the file, it had never stopped him before. He knew the file well, including the order of the documents from previous times he’d taken it without permission. On this occasion he found what he was looking for quite quickly.
A small square picture, featuring the bright smile of a woman in her late twenties, was cradled between his fingers. He stared at it, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. Gently moving one thumb, careful not to move the picture a fraction, he gently traced the outline of her face.
Shouko Uchiha was a beautiful and happy woman. Helpful and friendly, her neighbors loved her - as did Shishimaru Uchiha. Teushi could remember the exact moment his young sister, barely sixteen at the time, met her “Prince Charming”. Shishimaru was leaning his body against the Konoha gate, looking bored, cleaning his kunai. Shouko, being sort of clumsy, tripped on her way through the gate. Shishimaru, ever the graceful Uchiha, caught her easily with one arm, a playful smile on his face. Two days later he tracked her down for a date. She didn’t refuse.
Teushi sighed and shifted slightly in his seat. The tell-tale signs of unshed tears burned from behind his eyes as he placed the picture back in the folder. Folding his hands in front of him, the old man took a deep, shuddering breath. He knew what he had to do, what was the right thing to do, but nothing short of a miracle could accomplish it. The Uchiha had to suffer, to feel the wrath of a scorned brother. It made no difference which Uchiha started the massacre, which one actually carried it out, they all needed to suffer the consequences.
--
Tsunade was busy, buried in one of her many medical books. Jiraiya was dealing with more pain than he should have been. Although a master ninja, constant phantom pains were something no person could deal with. Like having an itch you couldn’t scratch, feeling pain in an arm that was no longer there was an irritating problem. She knew there was a way to deal with it. Several methods ran through her head, including killing nerves and severing their connection to the brain.
The light tapping on her door drew her attention away from her current book. Tsunade called out for them to enter and was honestly surprised at who emerged from the hallway.
“Sasushi? Kakashi? To what do I owe this pleasure?” Tsunade asked, shocked at seeing the two of them standing in her office together.
“I…well, we have a proposition for you, Lady Tsunade.”
Honestly surprised, the previous Hokage sat forward in her chair and eyed the two curiously (or suspiciously?). “And what could I help you two with?”
“You see,” Sasushi started, smiling lightly at Tsunade, “I’ve come to realize that, no matter what our young Hokage says, no one will believe what he has seen inside the Uchiha’s head.”
“The councilwoman has come up with a pretty fool proof plan to convince all members of the council.”
Tsunade raised her eyebrow at Kakashi, whose eye was crinkled up in a smile. “And what would that be?”
They both shared a look before answering: “A truth serum.”
For a whole two beats it was silent in the room. Then Tsunade began laughing.
--
Konohamaru was late for work, but he had a great excuse. ‘Old Man Hyuuga’, as Konohamaru called him, was a relentless pursuer. It was all the chuunin could do to out-maneuver the elder jounin. It took him four hours and every transformation jutsu in his arsenal, but Konohamaru managed to hide out at Moegi’s house until morning. Thankfully, Moegi’s mom absolutely adores him, or that could have been a mess as well.
Taking the stairs three at a time, the young chuunin made his way towards the Hokage’s office, only to see the door open and Naruto working silently at his desk. He glanced where Sakura was supposed to be sitting, only to see she wasn’t there yet either. As Naruto’s personal bodyguard, he was to be there before the Hokage was. Mostly he arrived before even Sakura did. He was beginning to think he was insanely late, but it turned out Naruto was insanely early. Since when did Naruto get up before dawn?
He walked toward the door silently, hoping not to disturb the hard-working blonde. But Konohamaru wasn’t necessarily very good at stealth, as last night’s escapade clearly showed.
“You’re late, Kono.” Naruto mused from his desk.
“By a few minutes!” Konohamaru corrected him. “And you’re early.”
Naruto shrugged. “I got an early start.”
“That’s an understatement.” Konohamaru said under his breath as he took his normal post, to the right of the Hokage. The chuunin liked it there. It made him feel like he was Naruto’s ‘right hand man’ in an emergency. It gave him a sense of importance.
Naruto worked in silence for a while until he was finished. Before pulling another scroll in front of him, he glanced at Konohamaru from the corner of his eye.
“That’s quite a shiner you got there, kid.” His hand briefly moved in the direction of Konohamaru’s eye.
The chuunin blushed and gave a nervous laugh. “Yeah…got in a scuffle last night.”
It was Naruto’s turn to laugh. “You call a fight with Hinata Hyuuga’s father a scuffle? From what I heard, the man kicked your ass.”
Honestly taken back, Konohamaru’s mouth hung open. “How…how did you…”
Naruto laughed again. “Hinata told me. I saw her on my way here this morning. She’s quite an early bird, you know.”
Konohamaru scowled.
Sakura walked in then, breaking up the grimace on the young chuunin’s face. Sakura looked happy, almost glowing. Naruto took notice immediately.
“What’d you do last night?”
It was Sakura’s turn to scowl. “How is that any of your business?” Her voice took a new octave in her irritation.
“You look happy.” Naruto noted, pointing a quill at her. “You’re never happy this early…unless…”
“Stop referring to my sex life, Uzumaki.” She shook a fist at him. “You’re just pissed you’re not a part of it.”
Naruto smirked. “It doesn’t matter. All men tell someone about their most recent conquest. I’ll get the scoop from someone.”
“Conquest?” Sakura shrieked. “You’re infuriating, Naruto! Infuriating!”
Naruto snickered, as did Konohamaru. She glared intently at both of them before remembering how she left the night before. It brought a question she was dying to have answered back in her mind.
Coolly, she sat on the edge of Naruto’s desk. After waiting for him to return back to his work, she gave Konohamaru a wink and jerked her head in Naruto’s direction. The young chuunin listened intently.
“So, Naruto. What happened last night with Sasuke?”
The Hokage was writing on a scroll, but the quill suddenly jug down in the paper before creating a large slice in the perfect parchment. The quill scattered across the floor, as did bits of parchment.
“That good, huh?” Konohamaru asked, walking over to pick up the abandoned quill.
Naruto didn’t answer. He could feel his face turning red. Sakura took notice, as she usually did, and smiled to herself.
“Apparently it was that good. Or that bad.” She began picking at her cuticles, casting sideward glances at her friend.
“Can we remove ourselves from the subject of my sex life, Sakura?” Naruto asked, not at all surprised when his voice cracked during his sentence. “It was way more fun talking about yours.”
Konohamaru exchanged a confused glance in Sakura’s direction before raising an eyebrow at his ‘big brother’. “Um…doesn’t there have to be sex to have a sex life? Did I miss something, Naruto-nii-chan? Are you and the Uchiha…dating or something?”
Naruto’s face turned even redder and Sakura smirked. She was quite pleased with herself. At least, now, she was getting some answers.
“Well, I think it’s safe to assume now that there was actual sex taking place.”
“No, there wasn’t, Sakura!” Naruto growled, very irritated. “There was no sex with that arrogant, egotistical, sadistic bastard!”
The large wooden desk shook with the force of Naruto’s fists slamming into it. The scrolls, lined up perfectly in their holders, shook askew as the Hokage stood up and stalked from the office. Konohamaru was beyond shocked and confused, but Sakura sensed something else, something deeper. She patted Konohamaru on the shoulder as the scurried out to find Naruto.
She found him halfway down the hall, still stalking with his hands balled into fists at his sides.
“Naruto, wait up!” She jogged toward him, grabbing his arm when close enough. The blonde slowed down slightly, still irritated. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think it’d piss you off.”
Naruto sighed before stopping, almost having Sakura knock herself into him in the process. “It’s so complicated!” He threw his hands up dramatically.
“If you don’t want to talk about it, Naruto, you don’t have to.” She offered, hoping he’d choose to talk instead.
“No.” He sighed heavily. “I think it’d be better if I did talk. It’s just…what I saw and what he’s saying…and then last night…”
“Start from the beginning.” She offered, smiling lightly. He nodded and led her back toward the office.
After ushering Konohamaru out, he began explaining everything, from beginning to end. Sakura listened intently, knowing what he’d say before he did. She’d been his best friend since they were teenagers; she already knew this by heart.
--
The pencil slid across the paper with grace as lines of gray began taking form. First a shoulder, then the long line of an inner thigh; before long the image began looking like its subject.
Sai didn’t draw people often. It was difficult to capture them when you were incapable of understanding their emotions. But, on this day, he decided to take a chance. Naruto leaning against the aged wood of the Team Seven meeting bridge appeared on his paper until the details began to take over. The layers in his bright blonde hair and even the shadows on his sun-kissed tanned skin. Sai knew them all from memory and drew them as if he’d been drawing Naruto for years.
It wasn’t until he was finished he realized there was enough room beside Naruto on the sheet for another person. The person began pretty generic. Just a lean pale figure. He drew the person with an arm around Naruto, holding him close. It didn’t look normal yet, Sai figured. He continued sketching until the person standing beside Naruto was himself.
Sai sat back in his chair, staring at the canvas on his easel. Something was off, not right. He erased his facial expression and tried again, but it still didn’t seem quite right. Sighing, he tapped the pencil against the canvas, thinking about what could be added.
Naruto needed someone with a personality that clashed with his own; one that would enhance his good parts and even out his not-so-good parts. Maybe someone neat to match his messiness. Someone serious to match his goofiness. Someone tall and dark to go with broad and bright.
Focusing on his canvas again, Sai saw he’d already made the modifications. The dark eyes narrowed slightly, the hair grew out and spiked from the back with dark bangs hanging down the sides. An arrogant smirk replacing thinly drawn lips.
Sai had finished the picture. He’d drawn Sasuke, instead. Somehow, Sai realized with a heavy-hearted sigh, it looked much better this time.
--
An ANBU landed in front of Sasuke, making the Uchiha frown. He’d had a rough night, a rough morning, and now this ANBU was going to make him have a rough afternoon. Why couldn’t everyone in this village just leave him alone? He attempted to walk past him, with the man taking up most of the hallway space, but to no avail. The ANBU wouldn’t budge.
“What do you want?” Sasuke seethed out. He was beyond irritated. If he could use jutsu, he would have right then and there.
“We have orders to keep you under strict surveillance until he orders otherwise.” The man took his ‘at-ease’ stance before continuing. “I’ve been ordered to keep you under my personal guard, up close and personal.”
Taking a step back, Sasuke glared at the man intently. The only person who should have control over ANBU is the Hokage. What was Naruto punishing him for this time? “Why?”
“Orders.”
The young Uchiha tried to move past him again, but the man stood his ground. Sasuke ground his teeth before heading toward his front door. This wasn’t just another game of ‘hide-and-watch-the-Uchiha’ Naruto was playing with summons, this was an invasion of Sasuke’s personal space. It wasn’t fair that Naruto was using his power to mess with him. It was an abuse of power, and the Uchiha wouldn’t stand for it. He would put a stop to it now.
Before the guard could stop him, Sasuke teleported himself past the front door. He knew he was banned from using jutsu of any kind, or pooling his chakra for any reason. But, at that point, Sasuke didn’t care. He was halfway down the street before any member of Sai’s group got near him. Breaking into a run, Sasuke fought to lose the trailing guards.
As he rounded another corner, he saw the Hokage Tower in sight. Villagers were jumping out of the way, knowing who the guards were and why they were chasing the Uchiha. He was a criminal, he was supposed to be under house arrest. But Sasuke didn’t care, he was on a mission. Let the ANBU try and stop him, they wouldn’t get the chance…this was personal.