Declaration, ch. 6
Title: Declaration
Summary: The Uchiha have always been known for their unfaltering perception. But Sasuke never completed his training with other Uchihas and anyway, with Naruto saying "I love you" left and right, he can surely be forgiven for misunderstanding... right?
Chapter: 6/? - Conversation
Chapter Five: Affirmation
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Chapter Six: Conversation
Sasuke was on a mission. True, it wasn't exactly an official mission, but he'd decided to think of this as just another D-rank and get through it that way. Sasuke was capable of enduring a lot for the sake of successfully completing a mission.
Ugh, but this.
"-most awesomely awesome greatest ninja ever! So don't you dare insult the Boss! He's gonna be Hokage, and then he'll kick your ass for talking like that!"
Sasuke stared down at the weird little kid sporting an oversized scarf, and… goggles. Like Naruto used to wear. Adding this up with the random insults just spewed into his face, this had to be… Naruto's biggest fan, apparently. Although it was pretty easy to be someone's biggest fan if there wasn't any competition.
Yeah, this was just what Sasuke needed right now.
"Shut up, kid," he said dismissively. "I don't care. I just asked where to find Iruka."
The little brat crossed his arms over his chest, with a heavy glare. "And I said, what do you want with him? Probably you just want to cause trouble! I know who you are - you're the Boss's Eternal Riv-"
"I'm not your Boss's anything," Sasuke hissed viciously, face a little flushed. "Now would you just shut your mouth and point to the right door?"
The annoying little creature didn't seem intimidated at all. Unfortunately, Sasuke did actually need his help. Kakashi had kept him a little later than usual today, while explaining a trick with ninja wire. Sakura and Naruto didn't really use wire, so they left early… albeit with much protesting on Sakura's part. It wasn't like Sasuke hadn't been extremely grateful that things had worked out that way - combined with their busy day of missions that left no time for idle chat, the extra lesson had allowed him to completely avoid Naruto, at least for now - but that meant that by the time Sasuke had arrived at the Academy, almost everyone had gone home. Iruka always stayed late to grade papers and such, Sasuke knew that, but what he didn't know was where Iruka would be doing that nowadays. Academy teachers typically taught the same group of children from entry to graduation. Since Iruka's last class had all either graduated or gone into remedial lessons with another sensei, Iruka had probably been reassigned to a new class of six- or seven-year-olds. This meant his new classroom could be anywhere, and Sasuke wasn't going to run around the whole Academy looking for it.
But the only person he'd come across so far was this little Naruto-obsessed brat, who - despite obviously knowing Iruka - seemed determined not to reveal the man's location. And today, Sasuke was in such a foul mood that he was rapidly losing his patience, no matter how much he tried to think of this as a D-rank.
"Listen, you little-" Sasuke growled in a low, angry voice, but he was interrupted before he could continue by a door down the hall opening.
Iruka stuck his head out, already yelling. "Konohamaru, your bathroom break is taking a little too long - oh. Sasuke. What are you doing here?"
Sasuke took a deep breath, striding over to his previous sensei. "Looking for you. I found this-" he held out a drawing of the markings on Naruto's stomach; done by memory alone, but Sasuke had faith that it was reasonably accurate, "-in a scroll, and I wanted to know what it did. I - I've been taking an interest in fuinjutsu lately."
Iruka reached out and took the paper Sasuke offered, already looking down at it contemplatively. "Come on into the classroom, Sasuke," he said, then: "Konohamaru! Get back here and start clapping those erasers again!"
Konohamaru slouched over. "Iruka-sensei, this guy was bullying me-" he started to whine, but Iruka had no patience for that.
"I'm sure you deserved it, now get in here." Iruka shut the door behind his disgruntled student, then turned to his ex-student. "Sasuke… I don't mind helping you out, but shouldn't you go to Hatake-san with things like this? He's your sensei now, not me."
The trick with Iruka was not to tell any lies. He was a chuunin, and he'd taught for years - he was adept at spotting any outright falsehoods. With students like Naruto, he needed that skill. But so long as Sasuke didn't say anything untrue, well…
Sasuke frowned. "He wants us to get a firm foundation in the basics before teaching us anything too advanced." Not a lie at all; Kakashi had helped his students greatly with their taijutsu and chakra control, but besides tree-climbing he hadn't really taught them anything new, instead focusing on basic skills and teamwork exercises. Sasuke was getting rather impatient for a jutsu, but that was a matter for another time - he still had Iruka to misdirect. "I understand that, but I was just curious about what this seal might do, that's all. I don't intend to start using it left and right, or any seals for that matter until I'm fully prepared, but Kakashi doesn't seem to get that." …He didn't 'get that' because Sasuke hadn't told him about it, but that wasn't exactly something Sasuke needed to mention.
Iruka hummed thoughtfully, a small smile on his face. "Yes, I can see that. Still, it's not really my place to go against what your jounin sensei wishes - although… Since it's you, Sasuke, I can believe that you wouldn't be reckless with the knowledge. Unlike Naruto!" Iruka laughed at the thought.
Konohamaru didn't say anything, but he did glare over in their direction from his location clapping blackboard erasers out the window. Sasuke had a foul expression on his face at the mention of Naruto, too, although not because he resented the negative connotation. More like he resented mention of the name entirely, but he fought his grimace down, and continued to watch Iruka, as the man looked back at the paper in his hands a little more carefully.
"Unfortunately, Sasuke," Iruka sighed after a few minutes, "I couldn't tell you what this seal does even if I might be willing to. Fuinjutsu was never my specialty, and this is a pretty complex seal. Actually, fuinjutsu isn't really common anymore, outside of exploding or storage tags… Even the Hokage doesn't practice fuinjutsu - though I'm sure he does know some. But in fact, I know of only two Konoha nin who really have much knowledge of the discipline."
Sasuke's gaze sharpened, something Iruka noticed, and responded to as though it had been a question. "Your jounin sensei is one of them, though I suppose you already knew that. He learned fuinjutsu from his sensei, even if he doesn't use it much. But the only other fuinjutsu practitioner I know of is the great sage, Jiraiya."
Sasuke blinked in surprise. "The Sannin?"
Iruka beamed. "It's good to know you haven't forgotten my lessons since you graduated! Yes, Jiraiya of the Sannin. He is the ultimate master of fuinjutsu, and might be willing to explain this seal to you. He's rarely in the village, though, so I wouldn't get my hopes up. If you do ever see him, though, you'll recognize him by his long white hair, and… distinctive personality. I'm sorry, Sasuke, that's as much as I can tell you."
The lack of information was irritating, but then again, Sasuke probably shouldn't have expected to find the truth so easily even if fuinjutsu were a widely practiced art. Any seal to do with the Kyuubi had to be complex.
Sasuke thanked Iruka and left, taking a bit of sadistic pleasure in the sound of Konohamaru getting yelled at again for slacking off during detention - the twerp deserved it. But that didn't last long, and soon Sasuke was wandering through the streets of Konoha, lost in thought.
It seemed Kakashi was the only person Sasuke could go to for information on the seal. But Sasuke was reluctant to do that, given Kakashi's initial suspicions of how he would treat Naruto after learning about the Kyuubi. Everything might seem fine now, but that didn't mean Kakashi wasn't still likely to get suspicious if Sasuke suddenly starting asking lots of questions about Kyuubi-related matters. In the end, going to his sensei was likely to be more trouble than help.
However, Sasuke wasn't willing to just let this matter lie. The seal on Naruto's stomach was troubling. Kakashi had said Naruto was 'just a jailer', but what exactly did that mean? How on earth could something as demonic as the Kyuubi be sealed into Naruto without any side effects? The seal had only appeared when Naruto was doing the tree-climbing exercise - what did that mean? Was it doing something to him in those moments? Hurting him in some hidden way? Freeing the Kyuubi bit by bit?
There were just far too many questions for Sasuke's liking. He was… well, he wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was worried. He couldn't just accept not knowing what the seal did, and let things be. It wasn't his personality, especially when the issue directly involved the wellbeing of his best friend.
Also, the seal was providing a fine distraction from the knowledge, pounding in Sasuke's brain, that Naruto was in love with him - but he didn't want to even go remotely near there.
Sasuke sighed, slowing his pace. He'd been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed where he was going, and now he was right around the area of the bathhouse Team Seven had 'guarded' a few days ago. Sasuke decided that he'd turn back after reaching it - dusk was coming on now, and he didn't want to stay out too late, though he wasn't feeling particularly tired.
The scenery in this area was nice, at least… and Sasuke was enjoying it, at least until he turned a corner and happened upon someone else who was enjoying a different type of scenery altogether. The old pervert from that mission was back, it seemed, face pressed to a small hole in the wooden fence around the ladies' bath, giggling obscenely. At least, he fit the description of the pervert Team Seven had been watching for, what with that long white hair, and the hitai-ite he wore, proclaiming him to be a ninja.
Long white hair. A ninja. That… distinctive personality.
No way.
…No way.
But somehow Sasuke couldn't shake the suspicion, until finally, he found himself asking incredulously, "Are you actually Jiraiya of the Sannin?"
The old pervert (couldn't be, couldn't be, this was just too ridiculous) jumped and spun around, geta clattering noisily on the ground. "SHH!"
Looking at him head on… yeah, he was definitely a ninja, judging by the mesh armor and handguards he wore. Not only that, but he was carrying a very large scroll on his back. In fact, the more Sasuke looked at him, the more he got the sinking feeling that, yes, his intuition had been correct once again, and this really was…
"Jiraiya?" he repeated.
"Yes, yes, that's me," the member of the legendary Sannin hissed impatiently, turning back to the small hole he must have drilled through the fence. "I'll give you an autograph later kid, so shut up, okay? You're interrupting important research, here."
"…Research," Sasuke repeated, deadpan. He couldn't believe this. Why. Why.
"Yes, important research for my next novel, which -" Jiraiya shot Sasuke a sudden glance, "-uh, which you can't actually read for a few more years, so nevermind. Go away."
Putting two and two together into oh good god, and he'd thought Kakashi was the exception, Sasuke crossed his arms and stood his ground. "Your pornos can wait," he said harshly, "I've got a question for you."
Jiraiya shot him another glance, more exasperated this time, before his gaze locked back on the women he was peeping on. Very attractive women, judging by his low whistle and lewd grin. "Are you joking, kid? This can't wait - this is a once-in-a-lifetime - oh, yeah."
Sasuke fumed for a moment, to the accompaniment of splashing and giggles, and Jiraiya whispering, "Yeah, you're such good friends, aren't you, ladies? Playing in the water - just like that…"
He had just wanted strong ninja to be respectable. That was all. It wasn't an unreasonable demand. And there were ninja who were serious, dedicated, and strong, all at the same time. There had to be. Just… never around Sasuke. But they had to at least exist. Somewhere.
Right?
Gritting his teeth, Sasuke finally lost all patience. He took a deep breath, opened his mouth, and practically yelled, "EXCUSE ME SIR, ARE YOU PEEPING?"
The giggling and splashing abruptly cut off. So did Jiraiya's grin, and, mere seconds later, the scenery altogether.
It was much like when Kakashi had kidnapped him away to talk about Naruto's secret, except the world didn't stop blurring after the technique ended. This was because Jiraiya had Sasuke by the collar, and was shaking him back and forth quite violently.
"You - little - brat," he snarled, abruptly far more believable as a legendary shinobi. "They were finally relaxing!"
Sasuke could not emphasize how much he did not care. Instead, he changed the subject, voice stumbling over his words as a result of still being shaken. "I w-want you t-to explain a s-seal to m-me."
Jiraiya finally stopped shaking Sasuke, only to drop him unceremoniously on the ground. They had been transported to a quiet little alley, not exactly the most private place for discussing this sort of thing, but not the worst either. Sasuke wasn't sure at first glance where in Konoha they were, but at least here there was enough light from streetlamps to make his drawing of Naruto's seal visible.
Jiraiya was mid-sentence, when Sasuke shoved the drawing forward at him, and he abruptly changed tacks. "If you want me to do you a favor, brat, that wasn't exactly the best way to - where did you see this?"
Ah. That was definite recognition. Good. "What does this seal do?" Sasuke asked.
"Where did you see it?" Jiraiya countered, eyeing him with interest for the first time since they'd met.
Sasuke just stared up at the sage, gaze expectant.
Jiraiya glared back down at him for a few moments, before his eyes widened slightly. "…Hm. The last Uchiha, eh? Your clan was never interested in fuinjutsu. It's not something that you can just steal away from anyone."
Sasuke almost snapped back in defense of his clan's technique, before realizing that Jiraiya was just trying to deflect him. With an extremely asshole kind of tactic. "Well," he gritted out, "I am interested. In this seal." He hesitated a moment, but then, since it seemed Jiraiya probably already knew, went ahead and asked: "What does it mean when it suddenly appears on… someone's skin?"
Jiraiya's gaze sharpened. "It did? When?"
"When N-someone was doing the tree-climbing exercise. Twice. But it faded away when he stopped."
Jiraiya nodded thoughtfully. "Hm… I see. Ha! That's genius. Really, just what I should've expected from him… Pure genius."
Sasuke took a quick breath, heart pounding all of a sudden. "So - that's good? It's not… doing anything bad. To him."
"What's it to you if it is?" Jiraiya asked. "What do you care if that seal is hurting -someone?"
"It matters," Sasuke asserted. His heart was thumping hard now in anticipation - or maybe fear. Probably fear. What if it really was something bad - any worries about Naruto's feelings for him disappeared completely in the face of the Kyuubi doing something to Naruto. What if it was something really terrible? Sasuke didn't think he could handle that. It probably wasn't - but, so long as he didn't receive any confirmation that this was nothing to worry about, he would never be able to relax.
"It matters because Naruto's my best friend," Sasuke blurted abruptly. "And - and if that thing is doing something to him - I need to know."
There was a long silence. Sasuke instantly regretted what he had said. Even if it had been fairly obvious by now who they were both talking about, he shouldn't have used Naruto's name. And he definitely should not have admitted to knowing about the Kyuubi. And he really did not need to go around calling Naruto his best friend. That whole statement had just been extremely stupid.
Luckily, Jiraiya didn't seem to think so. He was actually smiling. "Are you… worried about him, Uchiha?"
"No," Sasuke snapped, an obvious lie. "I just need to know if it's going to affect his performance on our team."
"Naruto… needs a friend to watch out for him," Jiraiya said, completely ignoring Sasuke's bluffing. He'd closed his eyes, and his voice was tight was something resembling - affection, actually, and that was really weird. What reason did a Sannin have to feel affection for Naruto? "I'm glad he has someone who cares. I can't exactly be there for him."
In that last moment, Jiraiya sounded so sad… it didn't make sense at all, and was actually kind of unnerving Sasuke. This whole conversation had become far too emotional for his tastes (that was happening a lot these days but he wasn't going there), so he abruptly tried to get it back on track.
"Listen, is the seal harming Naruto or not?" Sasuke asked brusquely. Jiraiya's eyes popped open, and he looked down at Sasuke shrewdly for a few seconds before coming to some sort of decision.
"No. Don't worry about it. That seal is - actually, what that seal does is keep Naruto safe from being eaten alive by his prisoner's chakra. It… filters it out, whenever he's using his own chakra. Maybe once your eyes develop some more, you'll be able to see what I mean by that." Jiraiya paused for a moment, then laughed harshly. "You probably will. You're one of those prodigies, aren't you? My least favorite kind of ninja. But, eh, I guess if you're best friends with Naruto you aren't exactly hopeless yet."
A heavy hand dropped onto Sasuke's head and ruffled his hair. He shoved it off, sputtering indignantly; horribly insulted for a wide variety of reasons - but when he glared up at the space where Jiraiya had been, the sage was long gone.
Sasuke grumbled under his breath about that for a few moments, before finally succumbing to the relief rushing through his veins. He fell back against the alley wall with a sigh, closing his eyes. So Naruto really was fine.
…Ah, that was good to know.
Sasuke didn't exactly show it (rather, he went out of his way to do the opposite), but he had some issues with people close to him getting injured or hurt. Obviously. Given the fact that his entire family had been taken from him in a single, very traumatic night, that was kind of expected.
Ever since the massacre, Sasuke had tried to keep himself distanced from… everyone, really. But Naruto had been his stupid, brash, stubborn self and wormed his way in until Sasuke did care for him. Sasuke cared a lot for Naruto, and the fact that Naruto had the Kyuubi sealed into himself was horribly frightening. That demon had almost totally destroyed Konoha with little effort, it had only succumbed after the legendary Yondaime gave his life to defeat it - and it was inside Sasuke's best friend. Not only that, but it affected Naruto somehow - not mentally maybe, but it healed him and somehow did something that allowed Naruto to defeat Haku, and if it could do that, who knew what else it could do?
Ever since discovering the seal, Sasuke had been struggling with a slowly building panic that his best friend might be dying right in front of his eyes without his even realizing it. He'd tried to suppress this fear, tried to bury it and be logical and unconcerned, but - discovering there was nothing to worry about was the biggest relief he'd had in years.
So yeah, Sasuke just smiled for a minute. If he'd been someone else, he probably would have even cried. But he wasn't, so he just stood in the alley and smiled, taking deep breaths. Naruto was fine. There was nothing to worry about.
---
Two minutes later, Sasuke was faced with several things to worry about.
Firstly, in his panic he had managed to actually forget that Naruto was in love with him. What the hell. How in the world he'd managed to forget that, Sasuke didn't know - even given that he'd been trying his hardest to suppress all thoughts of yesterday, how could he have forgotten?
This was a very big problem. Maybe it would have been better if Naruto had been dying. Then at least Sasuke wouldn't have to worry about how to deal with this… utter ridiculousness. What was he going to do? What could he possibly do, except say no?
…But he didn't want to say no.
He didn't want to say yes, either! Sasuke had no desire to agree to Naruto's feelings. Not in the least. But… they had just gained this new level of closeness, this extra trust, and oddly enough, Sasuke didn't want to let go of that quite yet. He didn't want Naruto to be heartbroken because of him - he didn't want Naruto to withdraw from him. For all Sasuke would have denied it, he wanted to be the kind of person Naruto could trust and confide in, the kind of best friend and rival that Naruto could spar with for hours and then talk about the Kyuubi without fear. He wanted to remain Naruto's best friend.
But with Naruto insisting on being in love with him, Sasuke was afraid that was going to be impossible. At least, as things stood now it was. This was a very huge problem, one he needed to deal with as soon as possible, even if he wished it would just go away.
However, there was a second, even more immediate problem. Sasuke needed to deal with this right away. He had to. Or else he would never make it back home. The sun had fully set during Sasuke and Jiraiya's conversation, and the street outside the quiet alley had become crowded, loud and bustling. One quick peek outside taught Sasuke why.
Jiraiya of the Sannin, sage, toad summoner, and fuinjutsu master… had left Sasuke in an alley in the middle of the red-light district.
That. Asshole.
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Chapter Seven: Preparation
Summary: The Uchiha have always been known for their unfaltering perception. But Sasuke never completed his training with other Uchihas and anyway, with Naruto saying "I love you" left and right, he can surely be forgiven for misunderstanding... right?
Chapter: 6/? - Conversation
Chapter Five: Affirmation
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Chapter Six: Conversation
Sasuke was on a mission. True, it wasn't exactly an official mission, but he'd decided to think of this as just another D-rank and get through it that way. Sasuke was capable of enduring a lot for the sake of successfully completing a mission.
Ugh, but this.
"-most awesomely awesome greatest ninja ever! So don't you dare insult the Boss! He's gonna be Hokage, and then he'll kick your ass for talking like that!"
Sasuke stared down at the weird little kid sporting an oversized scarf, and… goggles. Like Naruto used to wear. Adding this up with the random insults just spewed into his face, this had to be… Naruto's biggest fan, apparently. Although it was pretty easy to be someone's biggest fan if there wasn't any competition.
Yeah, this was just what Sasuke needed right now.
"Shut up, kid," he said dismissively. "I don't care. I just asked where to find Iruka."
The little brat crossed his arms over his chest, with a heavy glare. "And I said, what do you want with him? Probably you just want to cause trouble! I know who you are - you're the Boss's Eternal Riv-"
"I'm not your Boss's anything," Sasuke hissed viciously, face a little flushed. "Now would you just shut your mouth and point to the right door?"
The annoying little creature didn't seem intimidated at all. Unfortunately, Sasuke did actually need his help. Kakashi had kept him a little later than usual today, while explaining a trick with ninja wire. Sakura and Naruto didn't really use wire, so they left early… albeit with much protesting on Sakura's part. It wasn't like Sasuke hadn't been extremely grateful that things had worked out that way - combined with their busy day of missions that left no time for idle chat, the extra lesson had allowed him to completely avoid Naruto, at least for now - but that meant that by the time Sasuke had arrived at the Academy, almost everyone had gone home. Iruka always stayed late to grade papers and such, Sasuke knew that, but what he didn't know was where Iruka would be doing that nowadays. Academy teachers typically taught the same group of children from entry to graduation. Since Iruka's last class had all either graduated or gone into remedial lessons with another sensei, Iruka had probably been reassigned to a new class of six- or seven-year-olds. This meant his new classroom could be anywhere, and Sasuke wasn't going to run around the whole Academy looking for it.
But the only person he'd come across so far was this little Naruto-obsessed brat, who - despite obviously knowing Iruka - seemed determined not to reveal the man's location. And today, Sasuke was in such a foul mood that he was rapidly losing his patience, no matter how much he tried to think of this as a D-rank.
"Listen, you little-" Sasuke growled in a low, angry voice, but he was interrupted before he could continue by a door down the hall opening.
Iruka stuck his head out, already yelling. "Konohamaru, your bathroom break is taking a little too long - oh. Sasuke. What are you doing here?"
Sasuke took a deep breath, striding over to his previous sensei. "Looking for you. I found this-" he held out a drawing of the markings on Naruto's stomach; done by memory alone, but Sasuke had faith that it was reasonably accurate, "-in a scroll, and I wanted to know what it did. I - I've been taking an interest in fuinjutsu lately."
Iruka reached out and took the paper Sasuke offered, already looking down at it contemplatively. "Come on into the classroom, Sasuke," he said, then: "Konohamaru! Get back here and start clapping those erasers again!"
Konohamaru slouched over. "Iruka-sensei, this guy was bullying me-" he started to whine, but Iruka had no patience for that.
"I'm sure you deserved it, now get in here." Iruka shut the door behind his disgruntled student, then turned to his ex-student. "Sasuke… I don't mind helping you out, but shouldn't you go to Hatake-san with things like this? He's your sensei now, not me."
The trick with Iruka was not to tell any lies. He was a chuunin, and he'd taught for years - he was adept at spotting any outright falsehoods. With students like Naruto, he needed that skill. But so long as Sasuke didn't say anything untrue, well…
Sasuke frowned. "He wants us to get a firm foundation in the basics before teaching us anything too advanced." Not a lie at all; Kakashi had helped his students greatly with their taijutsu and chakra control, but besides tree-climbing he hadn't really taught them anything new, instead focusing on basic skills and teamwork exercises. Sasuke was getting rather impatient for a jutsu, but that was a matter for another time - he still had Iruka to misdirect. "I understand that, but I was just curious about what this seal might do, that's all. I don't intend to start using it left and right, or any seals for that matter until I'm fully prepared, but Kakashi doesn't seem to get that." …He didn't 'get that' because Sasuke hadn't told him about it, but that wasn't exactly something Sasuke needed to mention.
Iruka hummed thoughtfully, a small smile on his face. "Yes, I can see that. Still, it's not really my place to go against what your jounin sensei wishes - although… Since it's you, Sasuke, I can believe that you wouldn't be reckless with the knowledge. Unlike Naruto!" Iruka laughed at the thought.
Konohamaru didn't say anything, but he did glare over in their direction from his location clapping blackboard erasers out the window. Sasuke had a foul expression on his face at the mention of Naruto, too, although not because he resented the negative connotation. More like he resented mention of the name entirely, but he fought his grimace down, and continued to watch Iruka, as the man looked back at the paper in his hands a little more carefully.
"Unfortunately, Sasuke," Iruka sighed after a few minutes, "I couldn't tell you what this seal does even if I might be willing to. Fuinjutsu was never my specialty, and this is a pretty complex seal. Actually, fuinjutsu isn't really common anymore, outside of exploding or storage tags… Even the Hokage doesn't practice fuinjutsu - though I'm sure he does know some. But in fact, I know of only two Konoha nin who really have much knowledge of the discipline."
Sasuke's gaze sharpened, something Iruka noticed, and responded to as though it had been a question. "Your jounin sensei is one of them, though I suppose you already knew that. He learned fuinjutsu from his sensei, even if he doesn't use it much. But the only other fuinjutsu practitioner I know of is the great sage, Jiraiya."
Sasuke blinked in surprise. "The Sannin?"
Iruka beamed. "It's good to know you haven't forgotten my lessons since you graduated! Yes, Jiraiya of the Sannin. He is the ultimate master of fuinjutsu, and might be willing to explain this seal to you. He's rarely in the village, though, so I wouldn't get my hopes up. If you do ever see him, though, you'll recognize him by his long white hair, and… distinctive personality. I'm sorry, Sasuke, that's as much as I can tell you."
The lack of information was irritating, but then again, Sasuke probably shouldn't have expected to find the truth so easily even if fuinjutsu were a widely practiced art. Any seal to do with the Kyuubi had to be complex.
Sasuke thanked Iruka and left, taking a bit of sadistic pleasure in the sound of Konohamaru getting yelled at again for slacking off during detention - the twerp deserved it. But that didn't last long, and soon Sasuke was wandering through the streets of Konoha, lost in thought.
It seemed Kakashi was the only person Sasuke could go to for information on the seal. But Sasuke was reluctant to do that, given Kakashi's initial suspicions of how he would treat Naruto after learning about the Kyuubi. Everything might seem fine now, but that didn't mean Kakashi wasn't still likely to get suspicious if Sasuke suddenly starting asking lots of questions about Kyuubi-related matters. In the end, going to his sensei was likely to be more trouble than help.
However, Sasuke wasn't willing to just let this matter lie. The seal on Naruto's stomach was troubling. Kakashi had said Naruto was 'just a jailer', but what exactly did that mean? How on earth could something as demonic as the Kyuubi be sealed into Naruto without any side effects? The seal had only appeared when Naruto was doing the tree-climbing exercise - what did that mean? Was it doing something to him in those moments? Hurting him in some hidden way? Freeing the Kyuubi bit by bit?
There were just far too many questions for Sasuke's liking. He was… well, he wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was worried. He couldn't just accept not knowing what the seal did, and let things be. It wasn't his personality, especially when the issue directly involved the wellbeing of his best friend.
Also, the seal was providing a fine distraction from the knowledge, pounding in Sasuke's brain, that Naruto was in love with him - but he didn't want to even go remotely near there.
Sasuke sighed, slowing his pace. He'd been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed where he was going, and now he was right around the area of the bathhouse Team Seven had 'guarded' a few days ago. Sasuke decided that he'd turn back after reaching it - dusk was coming on now, and he didn't want to stay out too late, though he wasn't feeling particularly tired.
The scenery in this area was nice, at least… and Sasuke was enjoying it, at least until he turned a corner and happened upon someone else who was enjoying a different type of scenery altogether. The old pervert from that mission was back, it seemed, face pressed to a small hole in the wooden fence around the ladies' bath, giggling obscenely. At least, he fit the description of the pervert Team Seven had been watching for, what with that long white hair, and the hitai-ite he wore, proclaiming him to be a ninja.
Long white hair. A ninja. That… distinctive personality.
No way.
…No way.
But somehow Sasuke couldn't shake the suspicion, until finally, he found himself asking incredulously, "Are you actually Jiraiya of the Sannin?"
The old pervert (couldn't be, couldn't be, this was just too ridiculous) jumped and spun around, geta clattering noisily on the ground. "SHH!"
Looking at him head on… yeah, he was definitely a ninja, judging by the mesh armor and handguards he wore. Not only that, but he was carrying a very large scroll on his back. In fact, the more Sasuke looked at him, the more he got the sinking feeling that, yes, his intuition had been correct once again, and this really was…
"Jiraiya?" he repeated.
"Yes, yes, that's me," the member of the legendary Sannin hissed impatiently, turning back to the small hole he must have drilled through the fence. "I'll give you an autograph later kid, so shut up, okay? You're interrupting important research, here."
"…Research," Sasuke repeated, deadpan. He couldn't believe this. Why. Why.
"Yes, important research for my next novel, which -" Jiraiya shot Sasuke a sudden glance, "-uh, which you can't actually read for a few more years, so nevermind. Go away."
Putting two and two together into oh good god, and he'd thought Kakashi was the exception, Sasuke crossed his arms and stood his ground. "Your pornos can wait," he said harshly, "I've got a question for you."
Jiraiya shot him another glance, more exasperated this time, before his gaze locked back on the women he was peeping on. Very attractive women, judging by his low whistle and lewd grin. "Are you joking, kid? This can't wait - this is a once-in-a-lifetime - oh, yeah."
Sasuke fumed for a moment, to the accompaniment of splashing and giggles, and Jiraiya whispering, "Yeah, you're such good friends, aren't you, ladies? Playing in the water - just like that…"
He had just wanted strong ninja to be respectable. That was all. It wasn't an unreasonable demand. And there were ninja who were serious, dedicated, and strong, all at the same time. There had to be. Just… never around Sasuke. But they had to at least exist. Somewhere.
Right?
Gritting his teeth, Sasuke finally lost all patience. He took a deep breath, opened his mouth, and practically yelled, "EXCUSE ME SIR, ARE YOU PEEPING?"
The giggling and splashing abruptly cut off. So did Jiraiya's grin, and, mere seconds later, the scenery altogether.
It was much like when Kakashi had kidnapped him away to talk about Naruto's secret, except the world didn't stop blurring after the technique ended. This was because Jiraiya had Sasuke by the collar, and was shaking him back and forth quite violently.
"You - little - brat," he snarled, abruptly far more believable as a legendary shinobi. "They were finally relaxing!"
Sasuke could not emphasize how much he did not care. Instead, he changed the subject, voice stumbling over his words as a result of still being shaken. "I w-want you t-to explain a s-seal to m-me."
Jiraiya finally stopped shaking Sasuke, only to drop him unceremoniously on the ground. They had been transported to a quiet little alley, not exactly the most private place for discussing this sort of thing, but not the worst either. Sasuke wasn't sure at first glance where in Konoha they were, but at least here there was enough light from streetlamps to make his drawing of Naruto's seal visible.
Jiraiya was mid-sentence, when Sasuke shoved the drawing forward at him, and he abruptly changed tacks. "If you want me to do you a favor, brat, that wasn't exactly the best way to - where did you see this?"
Ah. That was definite recognition. Good. "What does this seal do?" Sasuke asked.
"Where did you see it?" Jiraiya countered, eyeing him with interest for the first time since they'd met.
Sasuke just stared up at the sage, gaze expectant.
Jiraiya glared back down at him for a few moments, before his eyes widened slightly. "…Hm. The last Uchiha, eh? Your clan was never interested in fuinjutsu. It's not something that you can just steal away from anyone."
Sasuke almost snapped back in defense of his clan's technique, before realizing that Jiraiya was just trying to deflect him. With an extremely asshole kind of tactic. "Well," he gritted out, "I am interested. In this seal." He hesitated a moment, but then, since it seemed Jiraiya probably already knew, went ahead and asked: "What does it mean when it suddenly appears on… someone's skin?"
Jiraiya's gaze sharpened. "It did? When?"
"When N-someone was doing the tree-climbing exercise. Twice. But it faded away when he stopped."
Jiraiya nodded thoughtfully. "Hm… I see. Ha! That's genius. Really, just what I should've expected from him… Pure genius."
Sasuke took a quick breath, heart pounding all of a sudden. "So - that's good? It's not… doing anything bad. To him."
"What's it to you if it is?" Jiraiya asked. "What do you care if that seal is hurting -someone?"
"It matters," Sasuke asserted. His heart was thumping hard now in anticipation - or maybe fear. Probably fear. What if it really was something bad - any worries about Naruto's feelings for him disappeared completely in the face of the Kyuubi doing something to Naruto. What if it was something really terrible? Sasuke didn't think he could handle that. It probably wasn't - but, so long as he didn't receive any confirmation that this was nothing to worry about, he would never be able to relax.
"It matters because Naruto's my best friend," Sasuke blurted abruptly. "And - and if that thing is doing something to him - I need to know."
There was a long silence. Sasuke instantly regretted what he had said. Even if it had been fairly obvious by now who they were both talking about, he shouldn't have used Naruto's name. And he definitely should not have admitted to knowing about the Kyuubi. And he really did not need to go around calling Naruto his best friend. That whole statement had just been extremely stupid.
Luckily, Jiraiya didn't seem to think so. He was actually smiling. "Are you… worried about him, Uchiha?"
"No," Sasuke snapped, an obvious lie. "I just need to know if it's going to affect his performance on our team."
"Naruto… needs a friend to watch out for him," Jiraiya said, completely ignoring Sasuke's bluffing. He'd closed his eyes, and his voice was tight was something resembling - affection, actually, and that was really weird. What reason did a Sannin have to feel affection for Naruto? "I'm glad he has someone who cares. I can't exactly be there for him."
In that last moment, Jiraiya sounded so sad… it didn't make sense at all, and was actually kind of unnerving Sasuke. This whole conversation had become far too emotional for his tastes (that was happening a lot these days but he wasn't going there), so he abruptly tried to get it back on track.
"Listen, is the seal harming Naruto or not?" Sasuke asked brusquely. Jiraiya's eyes popped open, and he looked down at Sasuke shrewdly for a few seconds before coming to some sort of decision.
"No. Don't worry about it. That seal is - actually, what that seal does is keep Naruto safe from being eaten alive by his prisoner's chakra. It… filters it out, whenever he's using his own chakra. Maybe once your eyes develop some more, you'll be able to see what I mean by that." Jiraiya paused for a moment, then laughed harshly. "You probably will. You're one of those prodigies, aren't you? My least favorite kind of ninja. But, eh, I guess if you're best friends with Naruto you aren't exactly hopeless yet."
A heavy hand dropped onto Sasuke's head and ruffled his hair. He shoved it off, sputtering indignantly; horribly insulted for a wide variety of reasons - but when he glared up at the space where Jiraiya had been, the sage was long gone.
Sasuke grumbled under his breath about that for a few moments, before finally succumbing to the relief rushing through his veins. He fell back against the alley wall with a sigh, closing his eyes. So Naruto really was fine.
…Ah, that was good to know.
Sasuke didn't exactly show it (rather, he went out of his way to do the opposite), but he had some issues with people close to him getting injured or hurt. Obviously. Given the fact that his entire family had been taken from him in a single, very traumatic night, that was kind of expected.
Ever since the massacre, Sasuke had tried to keep himself distanced from… everyone, really. But Naruto had been his stupid, brash, stubborn self and wormed his way in until Sasuke did care for him. Sasuke cared a lot for Naruto, and the fact that Naruto had the Kyuubi sealed into himself was horribly frightening. That demon had almost totally destroyed Konoha with little effort, it had only succumbed after the legendary Yondaime gave his life to defeat it - and it was inside Sasuke's best friend. Not only that, but it affected Naruto somehow - not mentally maybe, but it healed him and somehow did something that allowed Naruto to defeat Haku, and if it could do that, who knew what else it could do?
Ever since discovering the seal, Sasuke had been struggling with a slowly building panic that his best friend might be dying right in front of his eyes without his even realizing it. He'd tried to suppress this fear, tried to bury it and be logical and unconcerned, but - discovering there was nothing to worry about was the biggest relief he'd had in years.
So yeah, Sasuke just smiled for a minute. If he'd been someone else, he probably would have even cried. But he wasn't, so he just stood in the alley and smiled, taking deep breaths. Naruto was fine. There was nothing to worry about.
---
Two minutes later, Sasuke was faced with several things to worry about.
Firstly, in his panic he had managed to actually forget that Naruto was in love with him. What the hell. How in the world he'd managed to forget that, Sasuke didn't know - even given that he'd been trying his hardest to suppress all thoughts of yesterday, how could he have forgotten?
This was a very big problem. Maybe it would have been better if Naruto had been dying. Then at least Sasuke wouldn't have to worry about how to deal with this… utter ridiculousness. What was he going to do? What could he possibly do, except say no?
…But he didn't want to say no.
He didn't want to say yes, either! Sasuke had no desire to agree to Naruto's feelings. Not in the least. But… they had just gained this new level of closeness, this extra trust, and oddly enough, Sasuke didn't want to let go of that quite yet. He didn't want Naruto to be heartbroken because of him - he didn't want Naruto to withdraw from him. For all Sasuke would have denied it, he wanted to be the kind of person Naruto could trust and confide in, the kind of best friend and rival that Naruto could spar with for hours and then talk about the Kyuubi without fear. He wanted to remain Naruto's best friend.
But with Naruto insisting on being in love with him, Sasuke was afraid that was going to be impossible. At least, as things stood now it was. This was a very huge problem, one he needed to deal with as soon as possible, even if he wished it would just go away.
However, there was a second, even more immediate problem. Sasuke needed to deal with this right away. He had to. Or else he would never make it back home. The sun had fully set during Sasuke and Jiraiya's conversation, and the street outside the quiet alley had become crowded, loud and bustling. One quick peek outside taught Sasuke why.
Jiraiya of the Sannin, sage, toad summoner, and fuinjutsu master… had left Sasuke in an alley in the middle of the red-light district.
That. Asshole.
---
Chapter Seven: Preparation