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Chapter Text

The war had been going fine, in Sasuke's opinion.

Rough, but fine.

They'd defeated Kaguya. He and Naruto had fought almost to the death. They had thought it was over.

It wasn't over.

Then they'd lost Sakura.

Sasuke had been completely blindsided by the death. He'd always seen her as useless, but...

She'd always been there.

And when he'd come back, after everything, she'd welcomed him, had smiled at him with all that love that he had never deserved, and never wanted. And he'd thought, after the war, he'd have plenty of time to figure out if he wanted it or not.

After all, she was practically indestructible now.

Turns out, not so much.

After that, everything pretty much fell apart. She was the lead medic, apparently, having taken over from Tsunade.

Once she died, the medical corp fell apart, and everything else after that.

It was Kakashi that had approached him with the idea first.

Send someone back in time, to stop everything. He asked for Sasuke's chakra to help fuel the seal. Kakashi had intended to go himself.

Then Kakashi had died. 

And now here he was, about to be sent back in time. Him, Sasuke Uchiha, a traitor to the Leaf, suddenly the last hope for the Shinobi Alliance. It was laughable. It was insane.

Naruto was all for it. Of course he was.

That same dumb blond idiot was currently meticulously drawing out a seal on the ground.

Sasuke personally felt Naruto would be the far better choice. But Naruto had smiled that bright crazy smile, and said he believed in Sasuke. That he deserved to right the wrongs of the past. Sasuke thought Naruto deserved the same choice. 

Then it turned out Naruto would actually have to perform the seal, and couldn't possibly be sent.

So Sasuke it was. 

They'd decided to send Sasuke back to just before the Uchiha massacre. Naruto asked him to talk some sense into "the old man". 

Sasuke decided killing Danzo would be close enough. He thought Naruto might know that was his plan, but the blond didn't bring it up, didn't ask Sasuke to change course, or consider not murdering people. He simply trusted Sasuke to do the right thing. 

He was the biggest fool Sasuke had ever met. Yet, somehow. When Naruto looked at him like that, believed in him so strongly, it made Sasuke want to do the right thing. And after losing Sakura and Kakashi so brutally, Sasuke had quickly found that all the anger he'd been brewing his whole life was just...

Gone.

He wasn't sure what was left.

Naruto finishes the seal, and stands. He offers Sasuke a sad smile, the saddest Sasuke has ever seen. He sort of hates it.

He asks Sasuke to never forget him, tells him that he'll always believe in him. And that he's sorry he can't go with him.

Sasuke only manages to say "hn." 

He kicks himself mentally. The last words to his best friend and all he can come up with is "hn?"

Naruto, somehow, seems to understand.

He'd be so much better at this than Sasuke.

Naruto makes a one handed hand sign, and the seal array glows. Sasuke activates Itachi's Mangekyou, and watches. 

The world fades away.

He wakes up on the ground, somewhere outside the walls of Konoha, in his adult body. That's probably for the best. He'll have to explain himself to the Hokage anyway.

Sasuke makes his way to a path, and finds he knows it, sort of. Remembers it being bigger, broader. But it's surely the main path to Konoha, same as it's always been. The Hokage mountain comes into sight. There are three Hokage faces. There should be four.

Dobe, what did you do? When am I?

Chapter Text

Sasuke makes his way towards the gates of Konoha. He's in the wrong time, but he doesn't know when. At least one thing remains: if there are three Hokage, that means Danzo is alive somewhere. And that means Sasuke can still kill him.

Sasuke runs through a dozen plans in his mind, and comes to a conclusion he absolutely does not want. He can't outright kill Danzo yet. Not if he wants to stay in the village, and guide it further along in the future. The truth is, Sasuke has no idea what Danzo had his hands in before the death of the Fourth, and there's no way Sarutobi would believe his best friend is enough a future threat that he'd forgive Sasuke for killing him.

Sasuke is going to have to investigate him. The thought makes his skin crawl. He'd much rather just kill the man and be done with it. But life isn't fair, and Sasuke learned that lesson long ago. As the gates come into sight, Sasuke realizes he's going to have to find some kind of reason to be in the past. At least one he can give Sarutobi, that he'll believe, and let Sasuke start investigating Danzo. He'd better keep his eyes open. One way or another, Sasuke is going to kill Danzo. But he can be patient. He can wait.

The gate guards are not ninja that Sasuke recognizes, and they don't look any older than Genin, honestly. Sasuke wonders briefly if they're in a war, if he's dropped dead into the middle of wartime. He supposes it doesn't really matter either way, proving himself in a war couldn't be that difficult. 

The Genin are easily manipulated into allowing him into the village. He simply shows them his headband, which is Naruto's, actually, and they wave him through with no other identification whatsoever. That's, a little dangerous. Even with his hair long enough to cover the Rinnegan, that's definitely a security risk. Walking slowly, taking the village in, Sasuke walks in the general direction of the Hokage tower. The village is both smaller and bigger than he remembers, if that's possible. There's less development, but a lot more ninja. That tells him he's in the time before Sarutobi invested heavily in a peaceful village, civilians included. 

He finds nothing else of interest and before he knows it, he's at the foot of the Hokage tower. He pauses for just a moment, looking up at it. What on earth is he going to say? 

At precisely that moment, something small and incredibly fast knocks into Sasuke's legs. Out of reflex, he grabs and hoists the offender into the air. It's a small, white haired, masked child who's clearly been crying and trying to hide it.

Kakashi.

Well, that narrows the timeline a bit more. Sasuke notes the headband on the child, who's now struggling to get out of his grip, panic in his eyes. Sasuke doesn't let go, instead staring bemusedly at his child former sensei. 

"Where are you going in such a hurry?"

Even a Genin should have enough self awareness to not run into someone who's standing still. Either Kakashi isn't as much of a genius as Sasuke has been told, or something else is going on. Said child is now staring at Sasuke with a death glare, even as his eyes slightly water again.

"I have to see the Hokage, so put me down!"

Sasuke sets him down, but doesn't completely let go of his collar. He could tell Kakashi he's going to see the Hokage too, but he thinks better of it and simply releases him. Kakashi sprints into the tower like Hell itself is on his heels. Sasuke follows behind, at a much slower pace. There's no receptionist, no one to stop Sasuke from simply walking up the stairs towards the office.

Fortunately they do at least have two ANBU guarding the door to the Hokage's office. Sasuke was beginning to think security was non-existent. He rounds the corner just in time to hear Kakashi enter the office and immediately burst out with:

"The White Fang is dead."

The door swings closed, and the ANBU turn their attention to Sasuke, but Sasuke's mind is racing. If the White Fang killed himself today, that means the Third Great Ninja war either just started or is about to start. Sasuke suddenly wishes he'd paid just a little more attention during Iruka sensei's history lessons. 

He calmly tells the ANBU he would like an audience with the Hokage, and then ignores them in favor of thinking things through. 

Unbidden, a memory comes to mind, and Sasuke recalls his first fight with Naruto, Chidori versus Rasengan, on the hospital roof. Sasuke had felt so far behind then, so far from reaching his goal. He realizes now he was being manipulated by Itachi so that Sasuke would kill him, but Sasuke remembers the despair he'd felt at his brother's hands, taken out on Naruto. He'd run, afterwards, to where, he hadn't known yet.

And Kakashi had stopped him.

Sasuke had threatened to kill everyone Kakashi loved, so he would know what it felt like to be Sasuke. 

Kakashi had simply smiled. A bitter, terrible smile that had made even his youngest, angriest self stop for a moment. And Kakashi had told him that everyone he loved was already dead. He'd told Sasuke that revenge wasn't the answer. That it was empty, and hadn't taken away the pain. Sasuke hadn't believed him at the time.

It had turned out to be true.

Sasuke remembers just how hard Kakashi had tried to get through to him. Looking back, it was the desperation of someone who knew exactly what would happen.

And now, Sasuke knows more than Kakashi ever did, what will happen, and it's his turn to try and stop it.

He supposes if he was Naruto he would be elated, happy to have the ability to befriend people, and save friends. If he was Sakura.. Well, he wasn't sure what Sakura would do, but she'd probably take this on with single minded determination. Itachi probably would take on any task like a perfect mission to complete.

As for Sasuke... Well.

Sasuke simply sighs, and curses Naruto for what he's sure won't be the last time, for sending him, of all people. 

The ANBU open the door, and little Kakashi walks out with his back ramrod straight, his eyes red but determinedly not crying. He doesn't spare Sasuke a second look. The ANBU motion for Sasuke to enter, and even though Sasuke thinks they're out of their minds to let him in without checking any identification, he does so.

The Third Hokage already looks old, though not quite so old as Sasuke remembers him. He looks lost in thought, but when he spots Sasuke, he stiffens slightly, as if ready to battle.

Good, at least someone has some sense in the village. 

"And who might you be?"

Sasuke has never been one for mincing words.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I'm from the future."

Hiruzen sighs as if that's not even the craziest thing he's heard this morning. He is no less tense. Sasuke respects him for that.

"Would you be willing to prove this claim?"

Sasuke considers. He could ask for a Yamanaka, but they'd root through all of his memories without remorse, and Sasuke isn't sure he wants everyone to know everything. Especially not yet. Hiruzen won't take kindly to him if he realizes Sasuke's deepest wish is to murder Danzo. 

"Do you object to being put under a genjutsu?"

The Hokage across from him tenses further. Sasuke makes an awkward attempt at trying to sound less aggressive.

"With guards present, of course. Although, perhaps not the two outside this door. They asked far fewer questions than they should have."

Hiruzen relaxes slightly, but the guarded stance doesn't leave him. He signals, and the two guards from the doors enter.

"This traveler is here to send a message, through genjutsu. Guard me, and monitor his chakra."

Sasuke is absolutely dumbfounded that the Hokage is willing to let himself be put under a genjutsu. Maybe he doesn't believe Sasuke is really an Uchiha, or maybe the allure of knowing the future is worth the risk of Sasuke potentially killing him. Either way, he is underestimating Sasuke enormously. The Hokage nods for Sasuke to proceed. 

He uses neither of his eyes, and casts a simple genjutsu that is both easily cast and broken, in an attempt to seem non-threatening. He also doesn't necessarily want to reveal to the two guards outside the door that he is Uchiha. Sasuke has already decided not to move to his childhood home. 

First he shows some easy memories. Graduating to Genin, being placed with Naruto and Sakura. The bell test with Kakashi. The sight of Kakashi's face forces him to flinch, and he shows a flicker of Kakashi's dead body, which Sasuke shuts down as soon as possible. He shows Hiruzen himself as an old man, shows him his own funeral. He shows him snippets of the war, though he is careful not to show revealing faces. He shows rows of bodies. A memory of someone saying "Fourth Ninja War". Konohamaru running wildly through a street after Naruto. After a moment's consideration, he also shows the Hokage mountain, with four hokage faces. Since he is unable to turn that particular eye off, Sasuke does allow the memory of meeting the Sage of the Six Paths, and the resulting Rinnegan, though he keeps the conversation muted. Then he ends the jutsu.

The Third Hokage slumps slightly in his seat, and sends out his guard. He gives Sasuke a single nod.

"I believe you. What is it that you want to do?"

This question Sasuke is actually prepared for.

"I'm here to save the future."

He is considered closely for a moment, then Hiruzen smiles slightly.

"How can I help?"

Sasuke hadn't thought he would get this far, honestly. He's never been this lucky before. He starts his requests small.

"I'd prefer if my status was kept between the two of us. There are some things no one needs to know about their future."

Hiruzen lights a pipe, and takes a long drag before nodding. Sasuke needs to sound strong, in control. But he isn't sure what to do. He can't ask Hiruzen if he can kill Danzo, and he doesn't really even know anyone from this time, except for his parents. And that is something Sasuke decidedly does not want to get involved in. Should he be honest and say that he jumped too far back and he isn't sure what to do now? Sasuke doesn't think it's wise to admit weakness in front of the Hokage. Not now, at least.

"I'm still working it out. What will happen to Kakashi, he said his father died?"

The sorrow on Hiruzen's face is real, but there's also a trace of something else that looks suspiciously to Sasuke like guilt. He instantly goes on alert.

"Yes, that is very unfortunate to be orphaned at such an age. As a Genin, he is legally considered an adult, so he will continue to live in his home, or an apartment if he prefers."

Sasuke pauses.

"He didn't look any older than five years old."

Hiruzen nods.

"He recently turned six, if I remember correctly. Sakumo was so proud of him. I'm sorry it came to this, Sakumo was a valued shinobi."

Sasuke remembers living in the Uchiha compound, all alone, in a bloodstained reminder of everything he ever lost. He remembers living in an empty house, haunted by ghosts. He remembers the bloodstains that never fully washed out of the streets, the mats, the floors. He remembers being painfully alone. He sighs. 

"No one is looking out for him?"

Hiruzen smiles a small, almost secret smile.

"Are you offering, Sasuke?"

Sasuke imagines his reaction if a strange adult had just started telling him what to do, or tried to move in with him, parent him. He would have been furious. He would have raged. He had needed it desperately.

"I suppose I am."

Pulling out some paper, Hiruzen writes a quick note, and stamps it.

"It's agreed then. You are a long term infiltrator who just returned home, you will be reinstated as Jounin immediately, after a mandatory rest period-"

The pause here let's Sasuke know this 'rest period' is actually a probationary period and Hiruzen is planning to keep an eye on him. Sasuke supposes that's fine.

"-and you are to be given protective detail over Kakashi Hatake, effective immediately, to be terminated at your request or when I deem fit. Are you prepared to serve your village again, Sasuke?"

Sasuke nods,

"I am. I also understand there is a war about to happen. If there are particular missions I feel I need to be involved in, I will keep you informed. Otherwise, feel free to assign missions to me as you see fit."

It's the only thing Sasuke can really say. If he isn't a full respected Jounin of the Leaf, they'll never trust him enough to let him investigate Danzo, which he still doesn't plan to tell anyone about.

"What name would you prefer to go by?"

"Just Sasuke."

Hiruzen makes a final note, and then stamps the paper in front of him.

"It is done. You should probably go introduce yourself to your new charge. I will warn you, he may not take your presence exceptionally well."

Sasuke sighs, imagining it.

"I'm well aware."

Well, here goes nothing. Or, rather, here goes everything.

Sasuke hopes he's making the right choice.

Chapter Text

Little Kakashi hates Sasuke. After the third impromptu interrogation and a trip to the Hokage's office, Kakashi finally realized that Sasuke was here to stay. He'd taken it with all the grace an angry toddler who happens to be trained to use sharp weapons could have. Which is to say, badly.

Sasuke has been living with Kakashi for a week, staying in a guest bedroom and trying to scope out the village while Kakashi goes out to "train". He may be training, but he told Sasuke on the first day he was going to train with his sensei. Sasuke knows this isn't true, he'd heard from the Hokage himself that Minato was out on a mission and wasn't expected back for nearly a month. Every night, he makes sure Kakashi eats, and Kakashi glares at him with impotent rage. Sometime after they turn in, Kakashi attempts to assassinate Sasuke.

The first night, Sasuke had sighed, resigned. By the end of the week, Sasuke finds himself bemused more than anything else. Kakashi has been told he is a genius, and likely, he is. But he's still a Genin, and he's still six. To a civilian, Kakashi would be silent, dangerous. To Sasuke, it's like a very small, very angry elephant, tromping into his room and breathing audibly as he decides the best way to catch Sasuke off guard. Sasuke has so far pretended to sleep until the kunai leaves Kakashi's hand, or until Kakashi is looming over him. Tonight, he decides to mess with Kakashi just a little bit. Kakashi enters the room, and pauses.

Without opening his eyes, Sasuke says evenly, "Good try".

A muffled curse, and Kakashi flees the room.

Unlike other nights, Kakashi tries again. Three hours later, Sasuke wakes to the sound of a kunai whistling through the air. He plucks it out of the air, redirects it back at the door, and waits. Kakashi takes a running leap, a second kunai in hand. Sasuke kicks him neatly through the open doorway, again without even opening his eyes. Killing Intents drips into the room, and if Sasuke was the sort of person who laughed, he would have laughed then. The Killing Intent is weak, pathetic even. But as he lays and thinks it over, Sasuke decides he's going to have a conversation with Kakashi tomorrow, whether he likes it or not. 

Sasuke could care less about the assassination attempts. It's not hard to repel a Genin, and Sasuke has run on far less sleep than this. But if he is to help Kakashi in any way, they are eventually going to have to some kind of truce.

The next morning Sasuke makes rice, and serves them both a bowl. Until this morning, Sasuke has not brought up any of the assassination attempts, and neither has Kakashi.

"Kakashi, we are going to have to reach a ceasefire here."

Kakashi sleepy, bored face instantly transforms into rage. 

"You think you're so great, but you aren't! If I kill you, I don't have to listen to anything you say."

Sasuke cocks his head in agreement.

"You aren't doing so well on that front so far."

Kakashi slams his hand down on the table, jarring the table. Sasuke catches his falling teacup with his hand, not spilling even a drop of tea, as calm and collected as ever.

"I hate you. You think you can be my father? Well I hated him too! He betrayed the village, and broke the ninja rules!"

Sasuke knows from meeting a much older Kakashi that this isn't even remotely his actual feelings on the subject. Regardless, he'd felt the same way about Itachi for a very long time. Kakashi is reminding Sasuke far too much of himself. So Sasuke knows exactly what to say.

"Alright. After breakfast, we spar. If you can land a single hit on me, I'll leave. If you can't, you have to hear me out."

A glint in Kakashi's eyes. 

"Deal."

Pride. What a ridiculous downfall. It's almost as if Kakashi never had his ass handed to him by Naruto. That was enough to inspire humility from anyone. Kakashi finishes his rice in record time. Just to further irritate Kakashi, Sasuke finishes his rice slowly, cleans and washes his bowl, then slowly makes his way to the courtyard. He decides not to bring along his sword. Kakashi needs to feel he is being taken seriously, Sasuke gets that. On the other hand, he's positive Kakashi might decide to impale himself out of spite.

Kakashi sizes up Sasuke, scoffing as he notes the empty sleeve on Sasuke's shirt. He likely thinks Sasuke missing an arm is a liability. He supposes on some ninja it would be.

"Whenever you're ready."

Kakashi, to his credit, takes a whole minute to strategize, circling Sasuke, before he attacks. It's easy, blocking his attacks. It reminds Sasuke of his first fight as a Genin, trying to take down Kakashi while he read porn. Sasuke does not read porn. Just blocks kunai and fist and legs. Kakashi's hits are pretty strong for a Genin, but to Sasuke, it's like swatting a fly. After spending the last year of so of his life in a high stakes war, almost all of Sasuke's attention is spent making sure when he parries little Kakashi he doesn't accidentally kill him. He could so easily snap Kakashi, like a small branch. Sasuke can even vividly imagine how the crunch would sound. He stays alert and careful.

What little Kakashi has in strength dies out very quickly. Apparently stamina is something he has always struggled with. Sasuke wonders briefly if he can train that out of him. That makes him pause, and Kakashi almost gets a lucky hit. Train? Sasuke has never considered becoming a sensei before. That is a problem for later, he decides. Almost out of steam, Kakashi gets desperate, makes a bad lunge, and Sasuke decides enough is enough. He kicks Kakashi straight into the air, and by the time Kakashi hits the ground, he's tied up.

Kakashi's angry little face glares at him.

"Well if I can't kill you, I'll kill someone you care about instead!"

The sense of deja vu Sasuke gets is overwhelming. Fate must have cursed him, somehow. Or have some sick sense of humor. Sasuke wouldn't put it past his Kakashi to have wished this upon him. Now that he is the one who tells Kakashi,

"I'm afraid you're too late. All my precious people are already gone."

Kakashi slumps defeatedly. Sasuke continues, outwardly unbothered.

"Now it's your turn to listen. I don't want to be your parent. But you need someone to look out for you. If you want, I'll help you get strong enough that one day you might be able to beat me in a fight. But I'm not just here for any reason."

Sasuke words his next phrase carefully. Kakashi is a ninja, after all.

"I'm here to conduct an S class mission. And you might be able to help me. But you'll need to get stronger first. For now, can we agree to be professional, at least?"

Kakashi considers him very suspiciously.

"Prove it."

Sasuke shrugs noncommittally. 

"It's S class. If I find out any information you're cleared to know, I'll tell you. But you have to work with me here."

Kakashi huffs.

"Fine."

The easiness of the agreement tells Sasuke that Kakashi is not going to cease in his attempts on Sasuke's life. He'll measure progress if there is at least more time between attempts. Sasuke is fine with that. He doesn't expect Kakashi to trust him in a week. Or a month. Or even a year, for that matter. Sasuke is simply going to have to show Kakashi that he's going to stick around. After all, it had taken almost five years, and multiple attempts on his life before Sasuke came to accept that Naruto would stay.

Sasuke leaves Kakashi tied on the ground, knowing he'll figure out a way to get out of it eventually. Especially since Kakashi had a few kunai lying around that he'd thrown at Sasuke. He returns to his scouting of the village.

His preliminary investigation of Danzo is not going well whatsoever. He hasn't overheard anything about the man, positive or negative. There is so much talk about the war starting that Danzo isn't mentioned anywhere. Sasuke hasn't even seen the man yet, and he thinks he's seen the whole village twice over at this point. It's almost a suspicious lack of Danzo. But there isn't anything Sasuke can do about it. He hasn't earned the trust of the village yet.

As he passes the Uchiha district, which Sasuke has been careful not to journey any farther into than he needs to, he hears a commotion. Trying to remain as unobtrusive as possible, Sasuke slips inside to see. A young boy is laying on his back, scowling at a stall owner, who is yelling.

"For the last time, thief, if you step foot in here again, you'll regret it!"

The stall owner looks with disgust at the boy, and actually spits at him. For just a second, Sasuke sees blond hair instead of black, sees Naruto on the ground, being rejected from a store yet again. The thought turns his stomach, and Sasuke nearly intervenes. The boy stands up, adjusts his orange goggles, and makes a rude gesture.

"Fine! I'll tell my grandmother never to buy from you again!"

The boy makes a run for it, straight into Sasuke. Sasuke prides himself on his stealth, but being run smack into by two kids a week apart is almost insulting. Still, the boy reminds Sasuke too much of Naruto, so he grabs the boy by the collar to stop him from faceplanting on the ground. He looks a little older than Kakashi. Maybe eight or nine. He's rubbing at his goggles, which Sasuke easily notes are covering the boy's quickly watering eyes.

"Excuse me, sir."

Sasuke hardly thinks he's old enough to go by sir but he accepts it nonetheless.

"You want to tell me what that was about?"

The boy shakes his head quickly. 

"No."

Sasuke hums thoughtfully.

"Really?"

The boy bursts into tears in earnest and Sasuke immediately regrets his decision to interact with this child.

"He doesn't believe me, but I never stole from him! I never stole from anyone! Just cause I like to play pranks doesn't mean I'm a thief. I was just trying to buy a bento lunch."

Sasuke waits patiently. The boy wipes his eyes and replaces his goggles. It's no use since he's continuing to cry but Sasuke's vast experience with Naruto allows him to not comment on the futility of the action. The frustration in the boy's face flickers to pain for a moment. The expression looks familiar, but he can't place it.

"You don't believe me either do you. Nobody does."

Releasing the boy's collar, Sasuke shrugs.

"I believe you. What's your name?"

The open wonder on the boy makes Sasuke think no one has believed this child before. And confirms that he was in fact telling the truth.

"I'm Obito Uchiha, and I'm going to be Hokage someday!"

Time freezes for an instant, and Sasuke sees trees and pain and death on the battlefield. Of course he would run into Obito. Sasuke considers killing him right here. Then Sasuke looks at his young face, looking back at him like he's surprised Sasuke even bothered to give him the time of day. He sees Naruto in that expression, and realizes he's already lost the fight. He can't kill Obito. Not with the kid looking at him like that. Sasuke realizes it's been too long since he's spoken.

"Are you, er, in the Academy?"

Obito bounces excitedly on his toes, tears forgotten. Sasuke is more relieved than he'd prefer.

"Oh yeah! I'm gonna be a Genin soon, the test is next month, I'll be the strongest ninja in the village, just you wait and see!"

The boy smiles at him with an intensely false bravado. Sasuke looks at the sun in the sky briefly, then back at Obito, in his orange goggles.

"Isn't it a school day?"

Obito's eyes widen, and he gasps.

"Oh NO! I'm going to be late! My Sensei is going to kill me. Sorry Sir!"

And he books it, dust flying in his wake.

Sasuke sighs and wanders over to the stall Obito was kicked out of. There has to be some kind of story about this. And whatever stories this village has, for important future players like this, Sasuke feels that he needs to hear them. The owner is sweeping out his storefront when Sasuke approaches. He quietly pockets his headband and decides to play dumb.

"That was quite a commotion earlier."

The store owner, clearly Uchiha, huffs out a breath.

"Yeah. Damn kid is always running around, pulling pranks and stealing. A disgrace to the Uchiha."

Sasuke widens his eyes, feigning shock.

"Really? and no one stops him?"

The owner leans in conspiratorially.

"The kid hasn't got any good parents to discipline him. Lives with his grandmother, you know."

Sasuke nods knowingly.

"Died, did they?"

Feeling secure in the fact Sasuke is on his side, the man scoffs.

"Mother did. Father, well. She didn't exactly tell anyone who he was. Rumor is he's a bastard, not even full Uchiha. Disgraceful."

That was quite the rumor, and explained a lot about Obito's treatment. The Uchiha were,

are, he reminds himself,

extremely traditional. Even birthing a child outside of a marriage would be enough to get the child and mother all but shunned in the district. Sasuke has seen the power of Obito's Mangekyou, and seriously doubts he's a bastard Uchiha. More than likely the mother refused to reveal the father to protect him from the punishment that would have surely ensued.

Sasuke hn's agreeably, and takes a look around the small shop. He spots the bentos Obito must have been looking for, and purchases one so that the shop owner doesn't get suspicious. Thanking the man, he makes his way out of the district before slipping his headband back on. This day had already yielded more information than any Sasuke had yet. He knew now that Obito and if he recalled correctly, Rin, would graduate around the time Minato returned. Around that same time, Kakashi would be promoted to Chunin, and they would all be placed on Team Minato. It's not a lot to go on, but it is something. Having some idea of what was going to happen could only help Sasuke. 

Now what he really needs is for Sarutobi to trust him enough to send him on a mission or two, so Sasuke can discreetly ask questions he couldn't by just observing. For that, he'll just have to wait. Sasuke takes a moment to consider where the rest of the morning, and then afternoon of wandering will take him before he returns home to a likely unhappy Kakashi.

As he walks, he remembers he has something in his hand, and looks down at the bento. Sasuke doesn't necessarily need it. But he'd had to buy something to ensure the shop owner would write him off as a simple customer. 

If a bento just happened to appear on Obito's desk while the class was training in taijutsu, well, Sasuke certainly doesn't know anything about it.

Chapter Text

By the time Sasuke has spent a full month in the past, things are starting to take shape. He still doesn't have any leads on Danzo, which frustrates him, but he's finally starting to get a handle on the time he's dropped into, and Kakashi has begun limiting his assassination attempts to once a week. Since running into a young Obito, Sasuke has learned a lot. Mostly from Obito, but Sasuke tries not to dwell on the fact his primary informant is only nine years old, and until two weeks ago couldn't throw a kunai straight. He wouldn't have interacted with the child again at all, except for one thing Sasuke had never anticipated.

He'd ended up lonely. Sasuke hates admitting it, even to himself. He'd never needed anyone, even as a child. He'd been more than happy to be a lone wolf, dependent on no one, letting no one close. But then, he'd had his rage to keep him company. Every single night, he'd burned against Itachi, and later, Konoha itself. With all of that rage gone, Sasuke had found himself shockingly empty. In the future, he'd filled it by running from death, and fighting alongside Naruto, and Kakashi. But then, he'd made it here to the past. And all the distractions Sasuke had ever had were stripped away. And he'd just felt, empty. After realizing it, Sasuke had wandered the streets for a day or two, listless. He'd like to say he had been keeping watch, but the truth is, Sasuke felt stuck. And purposeless. 

How completely embarrassing was it that the most exciting part of the day was waiting to see if your ward was going to attempt to murder you? 

It was that day he ran into Obito again. He was throwing kunai at a target, and missing one after the other. It was honestly pathetic. It pained Sasuke a little bit to know this was the standard for a graduate. But with the Third Ninja war being declared any day, any kid that could hold a kunai and follow an order would be thrown on a Genin team and then onto the battlefield. With a lack of anything else to do, Sasuke had wandered over, and watched for a moment. Obito had noticed him eventually. His small face had lit up at the sight of Sasuke, and something about being noticed relieved something tight in Sasuke's chest, though he'd never admit it.

He'd offered to help Obito with his stance. The boy had accepted with the kind of eagerness only an ignored and excitable child could have. While Obito practiced, he talked. On and on, prattling about anything and everything. Sasuke had asked where the Sannin were, after adjusting Obito's wrist motion for the third time. and Sasuke learned that Lady Tsunade had left the village only last year, upon the death of her Fiance and brother in short order. Jiraiya had followed shortly after, and Obito talked at length about how the prevailing rumor was that he'd gone after Lady Tsunade, that he'd secretly loved her all his life. Sasuke thinks its far more likely that Sarutobi had started him as a spy but he refrains from saying so. Orochimaru was still in the village, but, as Obito had put it 'he's creepy and no one likes him.' Sasuke has yet to run into him yet. He isn't sure he wants to, really. 

By the end of the afternoon, Obito was hitting the target in the center about eight out of every ten, and hitting the target itself every single time. Obito had glowed with pride, and Sasuke had a lot of information to chew on, so he'd gone home. On the way there, he'd learned what Kakashi's 'training' regimen consisted of. He saw Kakashi doing a D rank.

He couldn't hide his smirk, so he stayed out of sight as he saw Kakashi painting a fence, looking about as bored and angry as any Genin. He followed Kakashi to the missions office, waited until Kakashi turned in his mission report, and left. Sasuke approached the desk, and asked the Chunin working it about Kakashi, only to learn that Kakashi was currently close to setting the record for most D ranks in a single year. The Chunin confided to Sasuke that the Hokage had told Kakashi he couldn't leave the village on C ranks when Minato was gone unless he either passed the Chunin exams, or passed a certain threshold of D ranks.

Sasuke huffs with amusement when the Chunin shows him Kakashi's record. Four C ranks, undoubtedly with Minato, and three hundred and seventy two D ranks, probably by himself. Sasuke has no idea what the arbitrary number of D ranks Kakashi has been told to do is, but the kid has got to be close. Sasuke hadn't tried to be all that stealthy, so he isn't surprised that Kakashi sets a trap underneath Sasuke's bed filled with poisoned senbon the very same night. Sasuke simply releases it, makes a note on the seal on how to hide it better, and slips it under Kakashi's door.

And so it goes for the next couple of weeks. Kakashi tries to kill Sasuke, Sasuke gives some advice on how to do it better, and Kakashi attempts to better himself before he tries again. Kakashi goes off to D ranks, Sasuke roams the village looking for anything that might help him. Every couple days, after the Academy lets out, Sasuke 'happens' to run into Obito, and Sasuke helps him train in return for information. Not that Obito knows that, of course.

At the end of the month, Kakashi has learned how to make a seal invisible on the ground (even if he can't hide the chakra signature yet), which poisons not to use in food (they smell strongly), and how to regulate his breathing (a little).

Obito has learned how to throw a kunai accurately, the Academy three jutsu with a high success rate, and is somewhat proficient in the Academy style of taijutsu.

For his part, Sasuke has learned that 'Rin is the prettiest and most wonderful girl in the world' (not helpful), that Sarutobi has tried and failed to retire once already (all his potential successors died, which piques Sasuke's interest immensely, not that Obito knows any more than that), the names of every 'cool' Jounin, and that the young Uchiha head Fugaku had recently gotten engaged to a 'very pretty lady named Mikoto'.

Soon after, Minato shows up for breakfast. Sasuke is not terribly surprised. Kakashi is, especially when Minato excitedly tells Kakashi that he had a Genin team now! Kakashi looks like he'd rather die than have two more teammates. Sasuke tries to turn an amused huff into a cough. Badly, if the way Kakashi glares at him had anything to say about it. Minato smiles in amusement at him, and his smile is so bright it's almost like sunshine, and there is a little piece of Sasuke that aches, too close to one he was missing. Minato sent Kakashi off to do some training, promising to bring his two new teammates along soon, and asks Sasuke if he would walk with him to the Academy.

Sasuke agrees amicably, and they start off.

They've barely left the house when Minato starts talking.

"So I hear you've taken on Kakashi as a ward."

Sasuke nods. Minato continues,

"Do you mind if I ask why? I've never met you before, and Sakumo never mentioned you before he.. Well."

Sasuke would like to say he prepared for this conversation. He had not.

"I've been away for a long time on an S class mission."

This is his official cover story, and he's going to stick to it, at least for now.

"When I returned, I heard that Sakumo had died that very day. My family died when I was young, so I stepped in with the Hokage's permission. Don't worry, I'm not planning on taking your student away from you."

Minato just accepts this as is.

"I am relieved to hear that. To be honest, I was extremely worried about Kakashi when I heard his father had died, and I wasn't here to help. I'm glad you were here. With the war starting, I'm sure I'll be on the front lines more often than I'd prefer. It's good to know someone will look out for Kakashi when I'm not here."

Sasuke inclines his head.

"I'll do my best. I'm still active Jounin, but when I'm in the village I'll keep an eye on him."

Minato sighs.

"Can I ask you something?"

The urge to reply that he already had sits on Sasuke's tongue, but he doesn't voice it.

"Of course."

The anxiety rolls off of the man next time, and with a start, Sasuke realizes Minato is younger than he is. He's probably only sixteen years old. And already a Jounin with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Does Kakashi like you? I try and be there for him, but to be honest, I think he hates me. I don't know what to do. I thought maybe adding in a couple more teammates would help, but you saw his face. What do I do?"

Sasuke could laugh. Minato was worried Kakashi hated him? And he was asking Sasuke for help?

"Does he like me? No. He's starting to respect me, though. Kakashi is an angry kid. He likes you well enough. He won't show it. Just keep doing what you're doing. You're getting through to him more than you think you are."

That isn't exactly true. Little Kakashi has not shown the signs of liking or hating Minato, but older Kakashi had loved him. Sasuke knows the sentiment is probably there. Minato slumps in relief immediately.

"Thank you so much. I'm sorry for dumping that on you, I should probably be figuring this stuff on my own, huh? That's what part of being a Jounin is about."

He's bluffing, Sasuke can hear it. He's nervous. And why not, he's so incredibly young. He should probably say something reassuring. Sasuke isn't good at reassuring.

"Konoha is known for its teamwork. I'm sure that applies to Jounin too."

Sasuke knows he's said the right thing when Minato throws an arm around his shoulder, but that doesn't make him regret saying it any less. Still, the camaraderie is nice. It's been over a month since Sasuke had an actual conversation with an equal. Sasuke has no idea when he became weak enough to need other people, but he absolutely blames Naruto.

They come across the Academy, and part ways. Just in time for a Chunin to run up to Sasuke and hand him a mission summons to the Hokage's office. It looks like Sasuke has finally finished his probationary period and will be allowed out on actual missions. Hopefully that allows for Sasuke to get more intel, and eventually, a lead to Danzo.

He makes his way to the Hokage's office and knocks before entering. There, standing beside the Hokage's desk, is Orochimaru. He's so much younger, and he looks slightly bored standing there in his Jounin vest, except for his eyes, alight with interest as Sasuke enters. 

Sasuke blinks, the only show of surprise he allows himself. The Hokage stands, and motions to Orochimaru, and Sasuke notes that there is another ninja he doesn't know. He forces himself to look at the Hokage and collect himself

"Sasuke, this is my former student Orochimaru, and Jounin Namida Yamanaka. They will be your teammates for this mission."

So much for looking forward to missions.

Chapter Text

The mission entails three weeks of border patrol. Usually, this is one of the most boring, mundane missions a Shinobi can be given, or at least that's what Shisui had always moaned about when Sasuke was a child. When a war was starting, it was one the the most dangerous. Any border could become the frontlines of a battlefield at any time, and there were any number of scouts in the woods every second, looking for weaknesses. The Yamanaka is an important tactical decision, as any Jounin-ranked Yamanaka could call for help to a different border patrol squad at any time using their clan's jutsu. Orochimaru was likely chosen because he is incredibly powerful. Sasuke thinks he was likely chosen because he is expendable. Sure, Sasuke could defeat Orochimaru, even in the past when Orochimaru is likely at his peak. But the Hokage didn't necessarily know that. Sasuke was fine with that thought. What he hadn't been fine with was Orochimaru.

Or so he thought.

A little over halfway into the mission, and Sasuke is absolutely thrown by the Orochimaru he's seeing. He'd expected snide comments, evil eyes flashing Sasuke's way. The overwhelming wrongness of being in the presence of someone who wants to eat you alive. But that isn't the Orochimaru that Sasuke is seeing now, and to say he's uncomfortable would be an understatement. Orochimaru is quiet and calm. The dark and concentrated energy Sasuke is used to feeling around him is not present. Instead, his chakra feels cool, and slick. There is an undercurrent of darkness, and Sasuke assumes that is why the other shinobi avoid him. But the thin thread of darkness underneath Orochimaru's chakra is no more prevalent than Sasuke's own. Even Neji Hyuga had a stronger feel of it, when Sasuke had known him, and the man had died honorably in service to Konoha.

Sasuke's discomfort is nothing compared to the Yamanaka's disdain.  She outright refuses to speak to Orochimaru, even though he's officially the leader for the mission. She follows his orders to the letter but seethes the entire time. She may think she's being reserved about it, but she is anything but. Sasuke isn't much for talking, and never has been, and Orochimaru seems to prefer silence as well, only speaking when necessary. Which makes meals unenjoyable, to say the least. The Yamanaka talks to Sasuke neutrally, but with interest, which is expected since Sasuke literally dropped onto the scene a month ago, already a realized Jounin. She outright ignores Orochimaru. Orochimaru, for his part, seems unsurprised by this. 

Sasuke finds himself so entirely uncomfortable due to the Yamanaka's badly concealed hatred that he actually finds himself drawn to Orochimaru, which would normally cause him to panic. Somehow, knowing he could absolutely take Orochimaru down in a fight helps. The young him, the one traumatized by Orochimaru, was powerless in front of him. The person Sasuke is now could easily warp Orochimaru into the kamui dimension and then just leave him there, especially because this Orochimaru has no idea such a jutsu even exists. It's oddly comforting. So, at night, Sasuke sits next to Orochimaru, not starting conversation but not particularly threatened by him either.

They take down a couple of scouts across the first two weeks with a fair amount of ease, killing one or two scouts is no large feat for their border patrol, and they dutifully fill out reports to send along with Orochimaru's snake summons to inform the Hokage of the number of scouts, the locations, and their affiliated nation. Of course, just like every other operation Sasuke has ever been on, things go badly.

Just five days before they are due to report back to the village, they are ambushed in the night. Unlike a fight with one or two foreign scouts, usually Jounin level, Sasuke finds himself in an all out fight with no less than eight high levelled Jounin. Even worse, they clearly know how to work together. Sasuke has no doubt that this team has trained together to specifically pick off border patrol squads like the one Sasuke is on now. Orochimaru clearly agrees, because he sends a snake off to report immediately upon the trap being sprung.

They must have been watching them for a while, because they attack while the Yamanaka is on guard. While she is a fine Jounin, and about the strongest Yamanaka Sasuke has ever worked with, compared to him and Orochimaru.. well.. She's definitely the weak link. She gives them about five seconds of warning. Just enough for Sasuke to open his eyes and leap from his bedroll before the first jutsu is on them. Sasuke is at a slight disadvantage, because he doesn't want to reveal his Sharingan, maybe ever. And he is still wary enough of Orochimaru to not want to show off what his Rinnegan can do just yet, though he's sure Orochimaru has noticed it. He's too observant not to have done so. So it comes down to Sasuke with his sword, and a small arsenal of jutsu that won't accidentally fry teammates he isn't used to working with.

Earth spikes, because of course Iwa hadn't just been sending a scout here or there. They've sent a full on assassination squad. Sasuke dodges and tries to shake the sleep from his eyes. knowing he won't be able to fight one on one, Sasuke falls back to where the Yamanaka is fighting, and Orochimaru does the same. Fighting back to back gives them the advantage of being able to trust the the ninja behind them will shove aside any blows, allowing each of them to face more than one ninja from the front. The downside is that it prevents dodging to some degree.

Even though Sasuke sensed eight presences, there are only two in front of him right now, and he assumes the Yamanaka and Orochimaru are facing a similar number, which means there are two in the shadows somewhere, and Sasuke does not like the idea of that one bit. But he can't do anything about it right now. He blocks earth jutsu with fire, while knocking aside projectiles with his sword, forcing his opponents to come in closer to try and land a hit on them. Sasuke is dangerous at any distance, but he prides himself in being downright lethal in close combat. The second the first shinobi makes it within range, he lops off one of their arms. The resounding scream sounds female, and the ninja pulls back just as her partner steps forward in the other direction, trying to catch Sasuke unprotected. 

It might have worked, too, if Sasuke were any less fast, and the enemy's stone fist comes a little too close for comfort. Sasuke leaps onto the fist, redirecting his sword at the same time he lets lightning cover its length, and he stabs the unfortunate enemy right through the heart with Sasuke's sword chidori. The next attack comes as Sasuke is pulling his sword from the corpse, and he kicks out to knock the enemy away.

The now one armed woman dances in and out of his strike zone, throwing earth jutsu with rage. She's stopped the bleeding in her arm by covering it in rock, and Sasuke guesses the pain is no less because of it. She dodges his fireballs and lightning strikes, and he blocks her earthen attacks and kunai. He has little idea how his teammates are faring, other than knowing that they haven't dropped yet. Taking advantage of the brief cover of his fireball, Sasuke makes a shadow clone, and leaps out of the circle of fighting to get an overview, and maybe find the two hiding nin.

His opponent does not notice and attacks his clone, who continues to dodge, but uses far less jutsu, since Sasuke only allowed it to take a fraction of his chakra instead of the usual half.

Just as Sasuke thought, both Orochimaru and the Yamanaka are fighting multiple enemies. Orochimaru is fighting two, with a dead one at his feet. The Yamanaka is fighting two as well, and though she hasn't killed any, she's holding her own. That means there's only one missing. Still watching his teammates, Sasuke casts out a chakra net, to see if he can sense the one still in hiding.

That's when he sees it.

The Yamanaka gets an earthen spear thrown at her, and instead of moving to block it, she starts moving to dodge it. It's intentional. Orochimaru will be impaled through the back. Sasuke moves without thinking about it, using the replacement jutsu to replace the earthen spear with himself.

That's when it all falls apart.

The surprise of Sasuke's interference causes the Yamanaka to flinch, and her opponent takes advantage and spikes shoot up from the earth. The Yamanaka get her side grazed and cries out as she rolls away from the brunt of it. Sasuke is still falling, unable to escape the basic force of gravity. He turns so that he won't be killed, but receives a spike of earth through his shoulder. Luckily, that shoulder has no arm to go along with it. Unluckily, Sasuke has to pull himself up and off the spike, and it hurts enough to make him white out for a fraction of a second.

If only he was Naruto and could just heal himself of any injury like it was nothing.

His clone jumps forward and dispatches the female he'd been fighting before. And the ninja Sasuke had been searching for takes that exact moment to set off a seal that instantly stops Sasuke's ability to use jutsu. He'd guess the same for his teammates. The remaining Iwa nin jump to what must be outside of the effective range and start positively bombarding them with earth jutsu, trying to trap them in. Sasuke counts four, including the one who set off the seal.

They surely think the inability to use justu will handicap them.

But Sasuke isn't considered the second coming of the Sannin for nothing, and he's fighting alongside a founding member of the original.

They made a fatal mistake in separating themselves. They are no longer in a squad formation. Which means Sasuke can pick them off one by one.

Orochimaru pulls a sword out of his mouth, which, Sasuke is disgusted to see is something Orochimaru already does, and he and Orochimaru go to war. The Yamanaka seems to be holding her own on dodging, though at this point Sasuke could care less about her.

Sasuke rushes forward, dodging, leaping, ducking earth jutsu of all kinds. Rocks, spears, walls of earth, spikes from the ground. It's nothing in Sasuke's narrowed focus. He springs off one rock after the other, in dogged pursuit of the casters. He leaps high into the air and exits the sealed perimeter, coming down sword first, decapitating the first ninja. He then pivots and body flickers to the second, slicing them entirely in half.

The jutsu all break, and Sasuke looks around to see there isn't anyone left standing, save for his squad. Looking himself over, Sasuke finds that he has a ragged, freely bleeding hole in his shoulder, and some minor cuts and scrapes from the shards of rock.

For a moment, Sasuke misses Sakura. He thinks back somewhat fondly of her healing jutsu, warm and soothing. He refuses to remember what she looked like dying in his arms, or what had been left of her.

He must have zoned out for a second, because the next time he opens his eyes, the Yamanaka is at his side, as is Orochimaru. The girl looks pained, clutching her side where she'd been scraped, and Sasuke notes that she's favoring her right leg, which looks like all the skin has been ripped off. Sasuke doesn't feel all that sorry for her. Orochimaru's stare is so hard Sasuke can almost imagine another hole being bored through him.

The blood loss causes Sasuke to feel a bit dizzy, so he drops to a knee, and starts fumbling for a bandage. Kami, he misses Sakura. 

Orochimaru approaches him smoothly, and only because Sasuke knows future him extremely well does he notice that Orochimaru is hesitating slightly. The snake Sannin opens his hands nonthreateningly, in a motion of help, and Sasuke nods, accepting it. It's quickly becoming obvious to him he isn't going to be conscious much longer unless he stops the bleeding. 

Orochimaru's hands glow green, which startles Sasuke enough he actually jumps slightly. When the Sannin touches Sasuke's shoulder, he feels it start to knit together instantly. It's not quite as smooth, or as soothing as Sakura. But right now, it's saving Sasuke's life, so he's not one to complain. Sasuke digs around in his pack for a blood replenishing pill and a painkiller, and he swallows both dry. 

After a few moments, the world is no longer spinning, and Orochimaru removes his hands. The hole has healed, filled in and skin smooth, as if nothing had ever happened to it. Sasuke is still sore, but he thinks the ability to take all soreness and pain away was probably just a Sakura thing. Orochimaru watches him roll his shoulder experimentally.

"I didn't know you could heal," Sasuke says stupidly.

He isn't supposed to know Orochimaru at all in this timeline, of course he isn't supposed to know the man could heal. Sasuke decides to blame the blood loss.

Orochimaru inclines his head, his golden eyes glowing in the dark.

"Tsunade insisted we all at least attempt to learn. I confess my control isn't quite on that level, but I am proficient enough."

More than proficient. Sasuke has only ever had better healing from Sakura and Tsunade themselves. He can't believe he's never seen Orochimaru do this before. But he saw the flinch when Orochimaru mentioned Tsunade, and he wonders if Orochimaru had hidden that part of himself away. The parts of him that connected him to his team.

"Thank you." And Sasuke is grateful. He probably could have bandaged himself well enough that he wouldn't bleed out on the run home, provided he consumed enough blood replenishers. But it would have majorly impacted him, and he probably would have spent quite a while in the hospital in the Leaf upon his return.

Orochimaru inclines his head again, and turn towards the Yamanaka, who is in the process of stitching up her own side. She preempts him, speaking sharply.

"No thanks, I'm doing fine."

"As you wish. We will depart as soon as you've finished. We have a report to make."

After any major attack like the one they've just experienced, the protocol is to go to the nearest guard station, report, and then head back to the village immediately to fill out mission reports and to inform the Hokage directly.

On the way home, the Yamanaka refuses to meet Sasuke's eye, and he knows exactly why. He fully intends to throw her under the bus in his mission reports. A shinobi willing to let teammates die is not one the Hokage should be sending on these sorts of missions. Besides, it should win him points with the Hokage, and Sasuke needs as much good will as he can get. Orochimaru is the opposite of the Yamanaka, looking at Sasuke every time Sasuke isn't looking in his direction, though Sasuke can always feel his gaze. The puzzlement of the Sannin is obvious, and Sasuke would laugh if it wasn't so sad. He hadn't seemed the slightest bit surprised that a squad mate had almost allowed him to die, but Sasuke doing the bare minimum of teamwork threw him?

It was enough to make Sasuke wonder.

When they return to the village, Sasuke is the one to officially request that they report to the Hokage separately. He feels a small spike of killing intent from his female squad mate, but he ignores it. She decides to report first, while Orochimaru and he stand in relative silence out in the hall. Before the Yamanaka finishes, and it's one of their turns to report, Sasuke turns to Orochimaru, somewhat awkwardly.

"I could use a sparring partner, sometime?" His voice trails off. Ugh. It's so awkward Sasuke wants to kill himself right then and there. This is why he'd had Naruto, so he never had to learn to talk to people. He's awful at it. He forces himself to meet Orochimaru's eyes, as if he hadn't essentially asked the man to hang out in the most ridiculous way possible.

Orochimaru's eyes light up with faint amusement. 

Oh great. He's going to get made fun of by a Sannin.

"That seems acceptable."

Sasuke nods, and Orochimaru returns it.

Then it sinks in. He'd actually just agreed to spar recreationally with Orochimaru.

Why exactly had Naruto decided Sasuke was the one who should travel in time again?

Chapter Text

Once Sasuke is done reporting, he and Orochimaru make plans to meet up and spar the next week, and then Sasuke heads to his lodgings. He can't really call the Hatake house 'home', yet. First of all, it doesn't belong to him and never will and second, well, it just isn't right. Not yet. Sasuke rubs his aching shoulder, thinking about making some tea and then just dropping into bed.

When he enters the house, he calls out, "I have returned." Not because he thinks Kakashi will particularly care, if he happens to be home, but more to prevent alarming him. To his surprise, not only is Kakashi at home, he isn't hiding from Sasuke in his room, as has been his habit so far. Instead, he's making himself a cup of tea in the kitchen. Rather awkwardly, making the motions so mechanically it's almost as if he's simply acting out the process of making tea instead of actually making it. The oddness of it all makes Sasuke pause for a second. Why would Kakashi make a cup of tea if he doesn't want one? He takes in the boy's appearance, and notes a new green flak jacket. There's no reason for him to need to wear a chunin vest inside his own home, in fact, most shinobi do not. unless..

Ah.

So he's made Chunin, and he's proud of it.

and...

He wants me to know, too.

The odd little tea procedure makes a lot more sense. Now how does Sasuke go about this?

He digs through his memories of his father, and tries to recall how he'd acted when Sasuke had done something well. The day Sasuke learned his fireball jutsu springs to mind. He'd been practicing for weeks, much to his father's initial disapproval, and when he'd accomplished it, he'd begged his father to come to the lake to see. Fugaku had stood stoically behind him and watched as Sasuke had produced a textbook fireball jutsu, and had looked proudly to his father. Fugaku hadn't said anything at first, and Sasuke had been crushed. Then, just when he thought his father was going to walk away from him, Fugaku had ruffled his hair and said 'that's my boy'.

That memory is the only one Sasuke can recall where his father showed he was proud of him. It would have to do. Sasuke approaches Kakashi steadily, as if he's done this a million times and definitely isn't afraid of how a six year old is going to react to him. He reaches out and ruffles Kakashi's hair.

"I see you made Chunin. Well done, Kakashi."

Then he steps away. Kakashi glares at him, and says 

"Whatever."

But he doesn't leave the room once his tea is finished, and Sasuke goes to the kettle to discover Kakashi had heated enough water for two. They drink their tea in silence, and Sasuke can't help but feel like he just defused a bomb. Kakashi wears his vest all day long, and Sasuke wonders with some amusement if the kid is going to sleep in it.

That doesn't stop Kakashi from unleashing an elaborate set of traps he definitely worked on while Sasuke was gone. The second Sasuke steps into his room, they all trigger, senbon, kunai, some sort of animal trap, and even a short burst of fire. These traps are pushing early Chunin level. Kakashi is improving. Sasuke slides a note on how to have traps trigger at different times instead of all at once under Kakashi's door. Then, satisfied that things aren't going as completely terribly as they could be, he goes to sleep.

Minato invites Sasuke to join them the next day for training, and the hopeful look on Minato's face is so earnest that Sasuke just nods in agreement. 

When he arrives at the training field, a grassy area surrounded by trees, the three students are finishing their warmup, or so it seems to Sasuke. He spots Minato standing on the other side of the field. Minato beams when he sees him, and beckons Sasuke to make his way over. The kids haven't noticed him yet. Minato makes no move to break the silence, only gestures proudly at his students for Sasuke to watch as they finish the katas they're working on.

Kakashi is all perfection. His movements are precise, flowing, and flawless. There is also no give in them. In a real fight, his lack of flexibility would probably hurt him. Obito is next to Kakashi. His movements are jerky, excited, and barely contained. He is also not so subtly watching Kakashi out of the corner of his eye and becoming vicious, as if his imagined blows were against Kakashi instead of just the air. Next to him is someone Sasuke recognizes on sight as Rin Nohara. He's never seen her before, and honestly hasn't really ever heard of, but Obito had talked about her so frequently in such detail Sasuke recognizes her instantly. Obito had probably been thrilled when their names were called for the same team. Rin's motions are much slower than the two boys, but her determination shows through as she strikes carefully, over and over. 

Kakashi, being a Chunin, naturally is the first to recognize there is a new person in the clearing. When he turns to see Sasuke, he visibly stiffens, and rolls his eyes in exasperation. Obito is not to be outdone by Kakashi and turns around immediately after. His reaction couldn't be more different. His jaw drops and his eyes brighten as he calls out,

"Mr. Sasuke!!"

At Obito's call, Rin turns around and sees him. She looks surprised and immediately shrinks in a little on herself. Honestly, looking at this team of Minato's, Sasuke understands exactly what Kakashi had seen, when Sasuke had been a Genin of Team 7. The similarities were too close for comfort. Beside him, Minato claps his hands together.

"Everyone come over and let's talk about our next exercise!"

Kakashi trudges over as if every step he's headed to his death. Obito runs over so fast he nearly runs straight into Sasuke. Luckily, he does not. Rin alone shows any signs of grace as she walks unbothered either way. Once they've arrived, Minato holds a hand up for silence, which cuts off Obito's stream of talking which Sasuke can admit he wasn't listening to in the slightest.

"I've asked a friend, Sasuke, to help out with a little training exercise I have planned for today."

Minato smiles expectantly.

Obito whoops and throws his fist into the air. Kakashi audibly groans. Obito flips around to look at him.

"Even you can't be upset, Bakashi! Mr. Sasuke is so cool! I bet the training is going to be amazing!"

"Cool isn't the word I would use." Kakashi mutters.

Rin leans forward, having been listening intently to every word and movement from Kakashi.

"Do you know Mr. Sasuke, Kakashi?"

Kakashi says "Unfortunately."

At the same time Sasuke says "Yes, I'm his guardian."

Obito explodes with words.

"WHAT!? Mr. Sasuke is your GUARDIAN?"

Kakashi just sighs again. Obito looks affronted.

"I bet you get taught cool stuff all the time.."

Obito trails off, and looks down for the briefest of moments before recovering.

"but just you wait! I'll kick your butt and become Hokage anyway!"

Sasuke feels like he's supposed to intervene but he has no idea what to even say. Luckily Minato breaks in first.

"As I was saying. We have a training exercise for us today, with Sasuke's help!"

Sasuke had not been prewarned for this 'training', but he refrains from sighing and just stands motionless, waiting for Minato to finish.

"We are going to split into two teams and have a spar!"

That sparks interest in all three of their eyes, even if Rin's look is more worried than not. Minato rushes to continue, probably so that he won't be interrupted. Sasuke doesn't blame him.

"Sasuke and I will be on different teams. We're both Jounin, so that should be fair."

Minato meets Sasuke's eyes and he nods. Understanding passes between the two. 

Fight at the Chunin level, let the kids help decide the win.

Sasuke will just have to make sure his kids win.

Minato gestures to Kakashi.

"Since you recently made Chunin, you can pick which Jounin you want to fight with, and Obito and Rin will be on the other team, to make it even."

Kakashi doesn't even pause. He nods and says,

"I pick Sensei."

Sasuke almost smiles, but manages to refrain at the last second. Minato looks as if he's about to cry, he's so excited Kakashi picked him. Sasuke looks over at Obito and Rin. Obito is smiling but there's a little restraint in his eyes. Probably thinks I'm disappointed it's him instead of Kakashi. Rin looks vaguely terrified. Sasuke nods to Minato.

"Ten minutes to strategize?"

Minato's eyes sparkle. "Eight."

Sasuke inclines his head, and Minato and Kakashi shunshin away and Sasuke doesn't waste a second. He turns to Rin.

"I know Obito, but we haven't met. What are your strengths and weaknesses?"

Rin balks at the question, but forces herself to answer.

"I'm, a.. well I'm learning medical ninjutsu. I'm not very good yet but I can heal cuts and bruises. My weaknesses... Well."

She looks down.

"I'm not very strong, and I'm not very fast. Especially against Minato sensei and Kakashi."

Sasuke nods thoughtfully. It's like talking to a young Sakura. 

"If you know medical ninjutsu, you probably have good chakra control, correct?"

Obito cuts in for her.

"She does! She's even better than Bakashi!"

Rin nods a little.

"Usually I'm behind everyone, because I'm the medic."

Sasuke looks at her carefully.

"Do you want to stand behind your teammates?"

The looks she gives Sasuke is helpless. He's running out of time for her to draw her own conclusions, so he shoves it at her.

"I had a medic on my team when I was a Genin, and she got so strong she battled on the front lines with the rest of us. Do you want to do that, or are you content where you are? There's no shame in either."

The answer is little more than a whisper.

"I don't want to just stand behind them."

Sasuke nods.

"Okay. I have a strategy, listen up."

The eight minutes is up far too quickly. Minato and Kakashi stand on the other side, and the second Minato calls for start, Sasuke launches a fireball, big enough to block their line of sight. They both dodge, naturally. When the fire clears, Rin is gone. Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke sees her jump into a tree.

So far so good.

Kakashi beelines straight for Sasuke, and Sasuke lets him, and flips him off his feet with a small earth wall when he gets close. Before Kakashi can recover, Sasuke focuses in on Minato, and they start trading blows. Their hits are light, exploratory more than anything else. They aren't hitting as fast as they could to ensure that if the students got involved, no one would get hurt. This leaves Kakashi against Obito. Kakashi is playing with Obito, making him fall on his face over and over. Minato sighs as he dodges a kick from Sasuke, and Sasuke shrugs as he blocks a punch from Minato.

The two remind Sasuke a lot of himself and Naruto. It's almost fond. Obito leaps to his feet and yells in frustration. He throws a handful of kunai, that Kakashi dodges easily. Kakashi smirks, and it's obvious he's ready to force Obito to surrender. Minato's strikes grow even slower as he watches, and Sasuke doesn't take advantage, because he's watching too.

One of the kunai behind Kakashi transforms into Rin, and she strikes Kakashi hard on the back of the neck, knocking him out. This had been the hardest part of the plan to convince Rin of, because she didn't want to hurt Kakashi. Her obvious growing crush went unmentioned. Sasuke had finally convinced her by telling her she was a medic and could easily wake him up when it was over, and if she didn't hit Kakashi, Obito would instead.

Kakashi goes down and Obito starts hogtying him with frankly, a little too much enjoyment. 

Minato raises an eyebrow at Sasuke as they keep trading blows, slowly getting faster again.

"Interesting strategy. How did you come up with it?"

Sasuke strikes with his sword as Minato parries with an oddly shaped kunai.

"I used it on a Missing nin on my Genin team's first C rank."

Minato laughs a little as he unleashes a combo of kicks aimed at Sasuke's head.

"Typical first C rank curse, huh?"

Sasuke huffs in agreement. Time for stage two of their plan. Rin and Obito finish tying up Kakashi, who is starting to stir, and run over to where Sasuke and Minato are still exchanging blows. Obito throws himself between Sasuke and Minato and starts exchanging his own blows, with Rin timidly following. Sasuke turns as if he's off balance and swings his sword right at Rin's head. Minato's eyes widen and he throws Rin out of the way, spinning underneath Sasuke's strike. As he's underneath Sasuke, Sasuke kneels and Obito launches himself off Sasuke's outstretched knee and lands on top of his sensei. 

Minato could dodge, but it would likely cause some harm to his student, so he allows Obito to land on him, and forfeits. Of course, Minato could have dodged that entire event, and had certainly been fast enough to do so. He'd allowed his students who had worked hard to defeat him, and Sasuke nods to Minato in acknowledgement. Minato just grins, and ruffles both of his student's hair. The second the match is called Rin rushes over to Kakashi, green hands glowing. He probably would have growled at her, which would have ruined whatever fragile confidence Rin has, so Sasuke puts Kakashi under a genjutsu in which he wakes up normally and cuts his own bonds off, when in reality it is Rin that is doing so.

When Kakashi stands, Sasuke releases it. Kakashi still makes a terrible face at Obito, but because Rin is beside him, she's left out of it. 

"So you could only beat me by using cheap tricks, dead last?"

Obito bristles,

"If you're so great why do you fall for 'cheap tricks' then! Mr. Sasuke said he used it to defeat a missing nin!"

Kakashi glances over to Sasuke, who shrugs in acknowledgement. Minato steps between them, puts a hand on both of the boys' shoulders and interrupts.

"Kakashi, sometimes we get outmatched. It happens to everyone, even Jounin. That's why we work in teams, and don't run off alone. Considering that, you did well. Obito, great work, your team had a plan and pulled it off."

The boys continue to glare at each other, but Minato ignores them temporarily in favor of Rin.

"Rin, that was excellent! Great work with the transformation into a kunai, and was that a bunshin you sent into the trees at the start of the battle to distract us?"

Rin nods. Minato beams.

"Good use of your chakra control."

Minato sets them to a set of exercises and they get to it with various amounts of grumbling. Sasuke watches them train with some amusement, but he has to admit it's mixed with a little fondness. They really are similar to his own Team 7. Minato rejoins him. They watch in silence for only a few seconds before Minato speaks

"Thank you for helping out today. I'm sure it meant a lot to them. It did to me."

He shows no hesitation. Just admits he's glad Sasuke is there just like that. Sasuke wonders if Naruto's mom is like this too or if it's just these insane blonds. Sasuke hadn't even been able to tell his best friend goodbye before he'd leapt through time. 

"Any time you'd like."

Minato chuckles easily.

"I do wonder though, how did you come up with that strategy for Rin and Obito? It was almost perfect."

Sasuke hesitates, unsure of how much to say, or if he even wants to say it. Maybe Sasuke is getting soft, but he relents.

"They... remind me of my old team. Rin is, a lot like our medic was when we were Genin. Obito, he reminds me.." 

He coughs, to cover his sudden sentimentality.

"He reminds me of someone too. Kakashi reminds me of myself."

Minato looks at him, surprised.

"Really?"

Sasuke doesn't answer. After a pause, Minato relaxes again.

"Well that's comforting. I suppose there's a good amount of hope for his teamwork then."

Sasuke shakes his head slightly. Curse this whole family line, what with their unwavering faith in people.

Minato seems to realize Sasuke isn't going to say anything, and he says with a teasing grin,

"Next time you join our training, we should spar for real."

Sasuke nods.

"Agreed."

After another few moments, Sasuke takes his leave, and begins walking back towards the greater village. Kakashi shoots him a glare on his way out. Sasuke just ignores the look on his face, 

"I'll see you later."

Rin gives him a shy wave, because she has of course located herself as close to Kakashi as possible. Sasuke has barely turned the corner when Obito runs to catch up to him. Sasuke waits for him. The boy looks incredibly nervous, bouncing from foot to foot.

"Uh, Mr. Sasuke?"

Sasuke waits him out.

"I guess you're Kakashi's guardian and all that but..."

The boy looks at the ground, and takes a deep breath. Throwing his head up and clearly forcing himself to look Sasuke in the eye, he blurts,

"Would you still train me sometime?"

He jerks back, fingers twitching but eyes still trained on Sasuke's face. 

Sasuke reaches out and ruffles Obito's hair. The kid trembles beneath him.

"Sure will."

Obito's eyes widen slightly.

"You, you mean it?"

Sasuke just huffs a laugh.

To Sasuke's surprise, Obito throws his arms around Sasuke's middle, hugging him. Sasuke freezes, unsure what to do in this situation. Obito luckily pulls back almost immediately.

"Uh, sorry. See you around?"

When Sasuke makes no move to toss the boy from his sight, Obito grins and dashes back towards the training field.

Sasuke should feel good about this, changing the past. The reality is, he's growing more terrified by the second.

I have ruined every single thing I've ever touched. 

Sooner or later, I'm going to ruin them too.

Chapter Text

Sasuke had never once considered that he would one day be a frequent sparring partner of Orochimaru. When he had been a child, Orochimaru was whispered about, a villain who had betrayed the Leaf. When Sasuke had gotten older, Orochimaru had been his worst nightmare, and then his chance to get stronger. Finally, Sasuke had killed him to save himself. Throughout all of it, there had been no question in Sasuke's mind, Orochimaru was evil, was beyond humanity. 

Then he'd time jumped. This Orochimaru might as well not even be the same person, to the level where Sasuke is getting incredibly suspicious at what happened to Orochimaru between now and when Sasuke first remembers him. This Orochimaru is quiet, and sometimes Sasuke thinks he may actually be lonely. The man is still calculating in style, and there's still a dark edge to him that Sasuke is sure why the villagers feel uneasy around him. But the evil Orochimaru who was totally lacking in humanity is nowhere to be seen. He's strange, certainly. Orochimaru is seemingly incapable of normal conversation, but so is Sasuke. 

Of course, Sasuke is being forced to talk more and more these days, and he's not sure if he's happy with that or not.

But sparring with Orochimaru? That's easy. They don't speak during spars, and they push each other. It's nice to spar with someone you don't have to worry about hurting, and Orochimaru seems to be similarly pleased. They'd decided early on not to use Sasuke's Rinnegan, or Orochimaru's summons if for no other reason than to spare the training grounds, which take enough of a pummeling as it is. 

Sasuke finds out through their brief post-sparring interactions that Orochimaru is working in a lab, but he was very closed off about what lab, and what he was working on. The knowledge makes Sasuke a little sick because he knows what kind of experiments Orochimaru could be running, and he can't trust the man, no matter how different he seems from the snake Sasuke used to know. But he settles himself that he really can't do more than he is right now, getting Orochimaru more comfortable with him through sparring. Hopefully Sasuke will be able to stop him before he does anything truly horrible.

There is one area in which Sasuke thinks he's made an improvement. Orochimaru tells Sasuke after a spar that he's thinking about taking on an apprentice, because Sarutobi had been asking him to. Sasuke had immediately recalled Anko, her curse mark, and her untimely end. Orochimaru may not be as evil yet as Sasuke remembers him, but he is in no shape to be around children. Sasuke simply tells him that he thinks Sarutobi is worried about him, and if Orochimaru is happy with what he's doing now, there's no need to take an apprentice, and Sarutobi would get over it. Orochimaru had looked thoughtful, and agreed that Sasuke may be right. After a quick personal meeting with Sarutobi, Sasuke ensures that the subject never be broached again.

What he doesn't expect, is for Sarutobi to start sending Sasuke on more missions with Orochimaru. Almost every mission Sasuke runs these days seems like it's done alongside Orochimaru. Sasuke doesn't mind too much, it keeps Orochimaru away from his experiments, and eventually the Sannin might slip up and tell Sasuke something he actually wants to know.

Things continue to improve with Kakashi as well. He has started to eat breakfast at the same table as Sasuke. Occasionally in the evenings he will sit alongside him and drink a cup of tea. They still don't talk, not really, but his presence alone is a major improvement.

Everything is going well. Except that Sasuke feels a sense of impending doom.

After a particularly tough mission, Sasuke is walking tiredly through the streets towards the Hatake home when he feels something strange. A familiar chakra signature, tugging at the edge of his senses. He focuses in on it, a little confused why he can't identify the person right away. The chakra feels like a long lost memory, it's rough and unpolished, but bubbling happily. Sasuke makes the conscious choice to drift towards it. When he closes in on the source of the feeling, he's a little confused. It's just a dango stall. There's a civilian man and teenager running the stall, that Sasuke is absolutely certain he doesn't know, a Uchiha woman who Sasuke probably had met but doesn't remember, and a small child, toddling among a handful of civilian customers, some of whom seem to be from Shinobi clans. 

Sasuke sighs and clears his mind. Perhaps he imagined it. But when he flushes his chakra, it's still there. A little whisper, of a long forgotten person. He knows he won't be able to leave until he figures it out, so he joins the line for dango, and as casually as he can manage, checks the chakra of every person in line in front of him. Even civilians have chakra signatures, even if they can't access their chakra. It is generally considered rude for shinobi to scan chakra signatures like this, but Sasuke isn't just any shinobi, and he's certain he can do it without catching the attention of anyone.

Sasuke is carefully studying the Akimichi two people in front of him when the small child toddles over to him and grabs Sasuke's leg for balance. He shuts off his chakra flow as fast as possible, not knowing how much chakra output would hurt a toddler. He doesn't quite manage it fast enough, and the kid gasps and falls over. He looks up and Sasuke, and Sasuke cringes internally. If this kid starts crying, he doesn't know what he's supposed to do. He's never been around children. At least, not since he was a child himself. Luckily for him, the toddler breaks into a wide smile and makes to grab for Sasuke's leg again. 

The Uchiha woman steps forward before the boy can and scoops him into her arms.

"Sorry about that, Shinobi-san."

She shakes a finger at the boy in her arms,

"Shisui, apologize to the nice man."

All the blood drains out of Sasuke's face, and he's feeling unsteady on his feet. He runs a short burst of chakra to be sure. Yes, this child is the chakra signature he felt. His brother's best friend. Sasuke still remembers the day he died. When he'd realized that the ninja that gave him candy that Sasuke hated with a wink, and teased him and his brother, who'd joined them for dinner so often Sasuke's father used to ask if he was moving in, had died. 

The toddler in front of him, with big innocent eyes says

"sorry!"

The woman smiles at him, and it takes all of Sasuke's composure to nod.

His thoughts are spiraling.

He hadn't even considered Shisui in his plans for the future. How could Sasuke have forgotten him? Itachi had said he'd killed Shisui, but Sasuke can't trust that anything Itachi said was true. Had Shisui killed himself so that Itachi could unlock the Mangekyou? Had Sasuke's father forced Itachi to kill Shisui? Was there an outside reason? Sasuke didn't know. Every person he encounters feels like another weight dropped onto his shoulders. 

He's at the front of the line for dango, and the civilian man running it is looking at him oddly.

"Uh, are you alright?"

Sasuke must have been more zoned out than he thought. He buys two sticks of dango to not look suspicious and then walks off, still feeling overwhelmed.

Of course, fate takes that moment to run him into Obito. The young Uchiha's head is hung low, and he is sitting on a bench by himself, sorting through a pack. Sasuke decides he might as well unload this dango on Obito, since there's no way he'll get home without a conversation. The kid has an uncanny ability to sense Sasuke's presence. He approaches the bench, and waits for Obito to look up. It takes a second, which is much longer than it's ever taken before.

When Obito faces him, Sasuke almost winces. He has a terribly nasty black eye. In fact, his whole face looks swollen. Sasuke really isn't in a good place to deal with whatever this is, he just wants to go home. He holds out the sticks of dango wordlessly, and Obito cocks his head in confusion before accepting them. Sitting on the bench beside him was a good idea, Sasuke isn't sure his legs will even hold him. He's exhausted and every memory he's ever repressed about his family, his friends, all dead, are weighing him down until Sasuke thinks he must weigh about as much as the whole village.

For lack of anything else to do, Sasuke takes the pack from Obito's lap and inspects it. A first aid kit. It's embarrassingly empty. Sasuke pulls out his own pack instead, and removes an ice pack, cracking it so that it starts to cool. It occurs to him this is the longest Sasuke has ever heard Obito go without speaking. Is he supposed to do something about that? The pressure starts to make him feel a slightly dizzy, and Sasuke forces himself to steady. He can't fall apart here, in front of a kid. He's an adult, he can freak out in his own bedroom at home. He just has to get through this interaction first.

Obito breaks the silence as Sasuke hold the now cold ice pack to Obito's busted face.

"Thanks for the dango, Mr. Sasuke, but. Are you okay?"

Great. He can't even hide it from a kid. Sasuke hopes he can still believably lie to one.

"Long mission."

Probably this is the opening he's supposed to take to ask what happened to Obito. He thinks.

"And you?" He gestures to the bruising.

Obito munches a dango thoughtfully. He hasn't flinched away from the ice pack. Sasuke thinks that's probably a poor sign for the bruising.

"It's not a big deal. I took a couple of punches."

Sasuke gives him a flat look that hopefully shows that he doesn't believe him. If Obito had taken a hit during training, Rin should have healed him.

"What? I did!"

Obito protests.

"It's Rin's hospital rounds today, so she wasn't there. So don't even think badly of her!"

Sasuke wasn't, but he waits Obito out, there's always more to the boy's story. Obito stubbornly eats another piece of dango off his stick. He chews, and swallows. Sasuke has made no move to speak, just kept sitting and holding the icepack to Obito's face, using the cold of the pack to ground himself through this conversation. Obito sighs, and averts his gaze.

"The Uchiha healers won't heal me. They never do. But it's fine, because it's just first aid training for me! You gotta know first aid to be the Hokage!"

He sounds like he's trying to convince himself more than Sasuke. 

"And the hospital?"

Obito freezes for just a moment. In that moment, Sasuke suddenly worries that Danzo has already planted seeds of hatred against the Uchiha, and that the hospital is starting to treat them less fairly. Obito makes to facepalm, almost stabbing himself in the eye with the dango stick.

"Oh YEAH! I forgot now that I'm a Genin I can go to the hospital!"

Sasuke can't help the sigh that escapes him. This really is Naruto all over again.

"You should go and do that. I think your cheekbone is broken."

Obito nods, and finishes off the last of the dango.

"Okay, I will. Thanks for the icepack, Mr. Sasuke! And for the dango, it was really good."

Sasuke nods in response, and leaves the icepack with Obito before heading home. It really was a wonder Obito survived as long as he had, as absentminded as the boy could be. 

Sasuke makes it all the way home before his thoughts overwhelm him. He locks himself in his room and the memories flood out without end. He starts remembering everyone. All the dead bodies he's seen, all the dead bodies he's made. It had been so easy to jump into the past with the intent to kill Danzo. But the past is so much more complicated than one man. Can he save Obito from Madara, Shisui from 'suicide', his parents from standing against the village? How far is he supposed to go? Is he supposed to save the other jinchuriki, all of Orochimaru's experiments, entire villages, the Akatsuki? How much can Sasuke expect to reasonably change, how much is he supposed to do. And worst, how does he choose what to try and change and what to leave to fate.

At some point, he falls asleep. And being asleep is so much worse.

He dreams of Sakura, bleeding out in his arms, but smiling because he had been there. He tries to shake her, to tell her not to smile at her death, it's his fault. She morphs into Itachi, who pokes Sasuke's forehead and tells Sasuke he doesn't have to forgive him. He doesn't listen to Sasuke's begging him to accept that Sasuke already forgave him. Then he's Naruto, telling Sasuke he believes in him, that he can do this, even though there's a huge hole through him, or was it Sakura? Now it's Kakashi, then Shisui, Minato. People dead in Sasuke's arms, people dead in Sasuke's home. And always, always, it's his fault. He wasn't strong enough, he killed them himself, he wasn't there to stop it.

He looks up to see Danzo looming over him, a smirk on his face. Sasuke lunges.

Sasuke jerks to alertness to find that his arm is embedded in Kakashi's stomach, blood pouring out of the boy's midsection. Sasuke performs two 'kai' in quick succession. This isn't a genjutsu, this isn't a dream. he just stabbed Kakashi.

Probably while Kakashi was doing one of his increasingly half hearted assassination attempts.

There's no time to panic, Kakashi might die. His little face looks so shocked as he rapidly looks from Sasuke to his middle. Sasuke knows you aren't supposed to pull a weapon out of a wound. But the weapon is his hand. And it's his only hand. He won't be able to carry Kakashi to the hospital without it. Taking a breath, he pulls his hand out of Kakashi as smoothly as possible. Blood pours from the wound. Kakashi now looks terrified. Sasuke sweeps him up in his arm and bolts.

Out of the house, onto the rooftops, faster and faster. Kakashi is small enough still that Sasuke can cradle him like a child with his one remaining arm. His small face gets paler each second. Sasuke's attempted clarity is interrupted by the intrusive thought that, Kakashi hadn't been carrying a weapon. As if hearing his thoughts, Kakashi croaks out,

"I'm really sorry."

Kakashi had been completely unprepared for resistance. Kakashi hadn't been trying to attack him. Kakashi had tried to wake him from his nightmare. Sasuke stutters, nearly sliding off a roof before he regains his footing.

"It's all my fault. Hold on, Kakashi."

The boy's first attempt to reach out to Sasuke and Sasuke may have just killed him. The hospital comes into view. Kakashi's breathing starts getting labored.

"Don't fall asleep Kakashi. Stay with me."

He leaps off the roof and into the hospital waiting room. He flares his chakra so sharply he's sure there isn't a person in the hospital who isn't aware of him.

"I need a medic, NOW!"

Sasuke shouts, and two medics and half a dozen nurses scurry around a corner. A cot is shoved in front of him and Sasuke lays Kakashi on it as gently as possible. A medic looks at the wound, then at him.

"What happened?"

"I stabbed him. He woke me up from a nightmare and I impaled him."

The medic nods and shouts several instructions at once. Kakashi looks at him, and he looks so afraid. Then he closes his eyes. Sasuke knows better than to follow the nurses and medics, but he does so anyway. They shout for him to leave but he refuses. He forces his way into the room and watches them work on Kakashi, anxiety growing.

After what feels like several centuries, Kakashi stabilizes. Sasuke almost collapses on the floor. The bravest of the nurses comes up to him and tells him Kakashi is unlikely to wake up for a couple of hours, and Sasuke might want to get cleaned up. That's about when Sasuke notices that his grey sleeping clothes are almost completely maroon, and he's absolutely covered in Kakashi's blood.

Nodding his assent, Sasuke makes his way to the bathroom, and wonders despairingly if any amount of washing will take away the feeling of Kakashi's blood on his hand.

Chapter Text

Sasuke is scrubbing the floors where his parents died, but no matter how hard he scrubs, their blood just won't come out of the floorboards. Mother would hate it if she could see how awful the stains looked, she worked hard to keep the Main House beautiful. Itachi had ruined it all. Ruined their family, ended his parent's lives. And now Sasuke is all alone, and the blood just won't come off the floors. He wipes his eyes angrily, and keeps scrubbing.

Someone grabs Sasuke's hand, and he jerks, reflexively. No one should be here. Not in the Main House. 

Itachi?

Sasuke grabs for a kunai, but his pouch isn't there. He throws a punch, lightning fast, and it's dodged.

He falls back, looking up into the face of

"Naruto?"

The blond stares worriedly down at Sasuke, his blue eyes searching him. Sasuke blinks, and blinks again. The image of Naruto wavers, but the concern doesn't.

"No, Sasuke, it's Minato."

Minato? who is-

It snaps back to him all at once. He's in the past. He is not eight years old. He is in a house, but it's not the Uchiha. It's the Hatake. When did he get here. Minato, not Naruto, is looking at him with open alarm. It's still somehow a warm emotion, coming from him. Things are still blurring. Sasuke swears his parent's blood is right there on the floor. Kakashi is.

Kakashi!

Why isn't he at the hospital with Kakashi? Sasuke doesn't even know if he's alive. 

Minato shakes his head.

"It's fine. Sasuke, are you okay?"

Sasuke remembers sticking his hand through Kakashi's middle, all the blood. The terrified look on Kakashi's face. 

He throws up, only managing at the last second not to do so directly on Minato.

A cup of water comes out of nowhere, and Sasuke reaches to take it gratefully. As his hand grips the cup, he notices that his hand is speckled with blood. Kakashi's blood.

He drops the cup and it shatters.

Minato crouches down and slowly reaches out to Sasuke.

"I think you might need to clean up first? Come on then."

Minato gently but firmly grabs Sasuke by the wrist and pulls him to his feet. When he wavers slightly, Minato puts an arm around his waist and starts moving him toward the bathroom. He sits Sasuke by the edge of the bathtub, and turns to grab a cloth. Sasuke doesn't even manage to make a single noise of protest as Minato washes the blood off of his hand, and peels Sasuke's sticky shirt off of him.

"Do you think you'll be able to wash off, or do you need help?"

The words aren't condescending, but they are soothing. Even though it's not Naruto, Minato feels the same. Feels safe, to Sasuke. 

"Kakashi?"

Minato nods, understanding his question.

"He'll be fine. He's awake, that's why I came to get you. But not until you've eaten something and cleaned off."

Sasuke thinks he can manage that. The cleaning, anyway. Minato leaves him to it, and Sasuke half expects him to hover around the bathroom door, but his chakra fades slightly as he moves about the house. Sasuke cleans as quickly as he can, discarding all the clothes with even a bit of blood on them. He'll have to burn them, he'll never be able to wear them again. But Sasuke doesn't trust himself with a jutsu like that right now. When he steps out of the shower, he pulls on a change of clothes that Minato must have left when Sasuke wasn't paying attention.

He feels like a zombie, trudging through the house towards Minato's chakra. But at least he's alert and in relative control of himself now. He's in the dining room, and when Sasuke gets in there, Minato has a cup of tea ready for him. Sasuke sits and pulls it to him, taking a long dredge, and ignoring the burn of the heat of it. Minato sits across from him. For being so young, he's remarkably composed. 

"Sasuke, what happened?"

Sasuke flinches, thinking of Kakashi.

"I- Kakashi woke me from a nightmare, and I stabbed him."

Minato shakes his head.

"Not that, I already got that from Kakashi."

Confused, he looks to the blond for answers. Minato leans forward, and looks like he's choosing his words carefully.

"Sasuke, Kakashi has been in the hospital for a day. His nurse said she sent you to clean up, and a medic found you in the bathroom scrubbing your hand so hard it was bleeding. When she attempted to heal you, she said you 'disappeared'. That was well over twelve hours ago."

Sasuke's widen slightly. He has no idea what Minato is even talking about. He does remember leaving Kakashi's bedside, and then. Nothing. Just bits and pieces of memories that happened years ago, months ago, a whole different lifetime.

"I don't know. I left Kakashi's bedside, and then you were here."

If Minato is alarmed by this, he doesn't show it.

"You called me 'Naruto'. Who is that, if you don't mind me asking?"

Sasuke isn't ready to tell Minato the truth. He'll likely have to, especially when Minato becomes Hokage. But he's not ready yet. But he has to tell Minato something.

"He is-was- my best friend. I apologize for mistaking you."

The blond shakes his head.

"No harm done. When I came looking for you, what were you seeing?"

Sasuke doesn't want to answer him, but something about Minato's calm demeanor makes him speak anyway.

"When I was about Kakashi's age, my brother murdered my parents. When I got home from the hospital, I couldn't wash their blood out of the mats on the floor."

Minato's face falls, and he looks emotional, like Sasuke's pain is his. Sasuke feels compelled to keep going, somehow.

"When I heard that Kakashi found his father... I remembered cleaning the floor of my home. No one should have to come home to that."

Sasuke finishes his tea. It's good, calming.

"You were cleaning Kakashi's blood off the floor because you thought it was your parents," It's not a question, but a statement. Sasuke inclines his head, gripping the empty teacup.

"I should pack my things. Kakashi shouldn't have to live in a house where he's afraid."

The vicious headshake that Sasuke receives in return causes him to pause in his musings.

"You shouldn't leave. It would upset Kakashi."

Sasuke huffs.

"Minato, I almost killed him."

A melodic laugh in response.

"I heard he's been trying to do the same to you. I can't believe you were letting Kakashi attempt to assassinate you!"

"He needed an outlet."

"He attacked a Jounin repeatedly in his sleep. He's lucky he didn't end up in the hospital already."

"I usually have better control than this."

Minato gives him a look.

"Don't worry, Kakashi and I have already had words about that little habit. It's dangerous for both of you.  As it is, Kakashi was the one that begged me to find you. He thought you'd abandoned him."

Sasuke runs his fingers through his hair in agitation.

"Please don't lie to me to spare my feelings, Kakashi and I are barely amicable."

The look of 'you absolute moron' that he gets from Minato is reminiscent of Sakura, and Sasuke twitches.

"Sasuke, Kakashi was terrified you would leave. He thinks he went too far. He may act like he hates you, but he's only six. You're more of a parent to him than you think. He acts out around you because he feels safe with you."

Sasuke narrows his eyes. Minato had been convinced Kakashi hated him not too long ago.

"He's almost seven. And that's something, coming from you."

Minato blushes sheepishly.

"Well, I talked to Kushina and..."

"Ah," Sasuke replies. 

"Anyway, you shouldn't leave. It'll only upset him more. And you should go visit him, if you're feeling more yourself."

Sasuke does need to go see Kakashi. He has to apologize.

"I'll go, but I'm at least offering Kakashi the choice to have me leave."

Minato insists on accompanying him to the hospital, watching him as if Sasuke might fall apart any second. Fair enough, he supposes. Sasuke hasn't been like that since.... Well, it's been a long time since he'd been in that bad of a place. He'll have to be more careful, have to be more in control. He can't afford any lapses. He's also privately grateful to Minato for not making a bigger deal of how he'd found Sasuke. If it had actually been Naruto, Sasuke never would have heard the end of it.

Sasuke feels exhausted by the time he reaches Kakashi's room, and even though he's clean, he must look terrible. He looks to Minato, who nods encouragingly. Sasuke enters.

Kakashi is laying in the bed, and he's pale, but he looks so much better than last night. He's awake, and he watches Sasuke carefully as he enters and sits beside Kakashi's bed. As the adult, Sasuke assumes he should be the one to start this conversation.

"Kakashi, this is all my fault. I-"

"That's what you said last night."

Kakashi's voice is quiet and scratchy. 

Sasuke thinks back to the whole ordeal. He vaguely remembers saying something similar while running with Kakashi.

"That's because it's true. It's my fault this happened to you."

Kakashi shakes his head. Sasuke is prepared to argue but Kakashi speaks first.

"That's what you were saying while you were asleep. You filled the house with this weird chakra, and I went to see what was going on, and you just kept saying that. 'It's all my fault.'"

He sighs. Sasuke absolutely does not want to talk about his nightmares with Kakashi.

"I apologize you had to hear that. I was having a nightmare."

Kakashi nods thoughtfully. It's quiet for a moment. Then, in almost a whisper, Kakashi asks,

"Did you someone die because of you too?"

As far as Sasuke knows, Kakashi hasn't gotten his first kill yet. He certainly hasn't killed any comrades that Sasuke is aware of. He should at least answer the kid's question first.

"Yes, there are many people who died because of mistakes I made. Sometimes I see them when I sleep."

Sasuke doesn't mention that all of his nightmares have perfect clarity because of the Sharingan. He's not supposed to have one here. Kakashi nods acceptingly. Then, even more quietly,

"Someone's dead because of me too."

Sasuke leans in a little, trying to project the same kind of accepting calm that Minato had shown him earlier.

"Who, Kakashi?"

Kakashi closes his eyes. Laying in the hospital bed, he really does look little. A child. Not even quite seven.

"My dad."

This surprises Sasuke, but he does not show it. Just waits it out. If Sasuke has any good qualities, patience is one of them.

"Everyone in the village hated my dad. I hated him too. Everyone said he betrayed the village and started a war. I believed them. I think that's why he..."

Kakashi trails off, and Sasuke sees he's shaking a little bit. Sasuke has never seen this much emotion from any variation of Kakashi ever. He almost doesn't know what to do with it. So for a moment, he pretends it isn't Kakashi, but him, laying in the hospital after the Massacre, blaming himself for not getting there earlier, for not loving Itachi enough, for being an annoying brother.

Slowly, Sasuke reaches out and puts his hand over one of Kakashi's.

"That was never your fault."

Kakashi jerks to face him, but he doesn't pull his hand away.

"He betrayed the village, so I don't miss him. It's just my fault."

Sasuke knows that isn't true. He knows because he's felt it. All his love for Itachi pushed into hatred, but not really.

"It's okay to miss him."

Kakashi sniffs a little bit, and Sasuke notes that his eyes are red, though he isn't crying.

"No it's not, and Minato sensei says it's not okay to attack you either, so when you leave, that's my fault too."

That takes him aback, and he blinks, unsure of what to say. That parenting book Sasuke had picked up and read when he first decided to stay with Kakashi floats into his mind. Most of it had been civilian garbage, and Sasuke had thrown the book out in disgust the moment he finished it. But, it had said that consistency was really important for kids. That was part of the reason why Sasuke had allowed Kakashi to continue his assassination attempts, though he'd never admit that to Minato, even under torture. 

Maybe all Sasuke has to do is say he plans to stay. Would that be enough? He hopes so. Kami knows he has no other plan if it doesn't.

"Kakashi, I am not planning on leaving."

Kakashi turns wide eyes to him.

"What?"

"What happened to you last night was my fault, not yours. I should have known eventually you would catch me by surprise. I'm a Jounin. I should have known I could seriously hurt you."

Kakashi's gaze is so hopeful Sasuke hardly feels like it's the same child.

"You really aren't leaving?"

Sasuke shakes his head.

"Not unless you want me to."

Kakashi gapes, or Sasuke assumes he is, he's still wearing the mask, even in a hospital. Some things never change. Kakashi doesn't say anything else, and eventually he falls asleep.

The second he closes his eyes, Sasuke looks around the room until he finds what he was looking for. the IV in Kakashi's arm is loaded with pain reliever. The kind that makes even the most hardened Shinobi more emotional and less guarded. From what little he knows from Sakura, ANBU straight up refuse it, calling it 'truth serum' and not wanting to reveal their identities. Sakura had rolled her eyes and confided that the higher level medics knew who they all were anyway.

He shakes the memory away, and looks down at Kakashi. No wonder the kid had been so emotional. He's on a high enough dose Sasuke is fairly lucky the kid was coherent. The thing about his dad was new. Sasuke had never heard or even guessed that Kakashi had ever felt this way, in this life or his last. Sasuke decides that this conversation can stay here. He feels sure Kakashi will be embarrassed by it when he wakes, and Sasuke won't tease him for it. Not for this.

The next day, when Kakashi is released on the condition he stay in bed for a day or two, Sasuke finds that all the blood has been cleaned off the floor, and his sleeping clothes have been burned. Minato's chakra still hangs faintly in the air.

Sasuke is pretty sure he's never done anything in his life to deserve a friend like either Naruto or Minato. But somehow, as he settles Kakashi into his bed, still fairly high on painkillers, Sasuke can't find it within himself to be upset about it.

Chapter Text

It's been a few months since Kakashi had landed in the hospital, and Sasuke could not be more frustrated. Not with Kakashi, of course. Although the kid had been an absolute pain in Sasuke's side to keep in bed for the last two days of his bedrest. Afterwards, the kid was a little more present. He ate dinner with Sasuke every night his team was in town, and he had started having the occasional actual conversation with him. Never about small talk, always about different jutsu ideas or a rant about Minato's latest teamwork practice. In fact, Sasuke actually missed the brat trying to attack him, so he'd made a point to challenge Kakashi to a spar here and there.

That was not to say Kakashi was above punishing Sasuke in his own way. When he realized Sasuke had agreed to train Obito, during an eventful morning in which Obito had actually shown up at the house, Kakashi had been livid. Instead of hiding away like he would have before, he went on a different offensive.

Sasuke, weeks later, still has no idea how Kakashi figured it out.

Kakashi had introduced Sasuke to his 'eternal rival', which turned out to be a very small and very enthusiastic Might Guy. Sasuke had attempted to be pleasant, but Sasuke had never had the patience for a grown up Guy, or his student Rock Lee. They were just, too much. In a way that Naruto even wasn't. He didn't have anything against them personally. He'd grown to respect them as Shinobi in their own right. But still.

Kakashi must have picked up Sasuke less than enthusiastic response to Guy, and suddenly the kid was everywhere. Sasuke would come home from a mission and Guy would just be sitting at the dining room table, ranting happily at Kakashi. Kakashi would just level Sasuke with a stare that dared Sasuke to say something about it. Sasuke had taken the high road, and only expressed that he was glad Kakashi had a friend. But somehow, deep down, Kakashi knew Guy made Sasuke slightly uncomfortable, and he capitalized on it every chance he got.

Sasuke was equally impressed and disturbed at Kakashi's level of insight into him.

But Sasuke wasn't frustrated about that.

No, the thing currently driving Sasuke to the brink of madness was Danzo Shimura.

He has absolutely no leads on Danzo. Every time Sasuke thinks he has even part of a hint, it's gone before he can make any progress. He's done everything he can think of. Physical surveillance. subtly interrogating Danzo's neighbors, fellow shinobi, shopkeepers, anyone. Sasuke had even gone through the records department, trying to find even a scrap of proof of what Sasuke knows.

It's like trying to catch smoke. For how comically over the top evil Danzo is in the future, he's religiously covering his tracks in this time. Sasuke is beginning to see why Sarutobi either hadn't noticed or had let this go on. More and more, Sasuke is tempted to simply eliminate Danzo. The thought of killing Danzo is so satisfying it almost makes up for the loss of public shaming that would be missed if Sasuke can't prove anything.

The only thing worse than Danzo himself is that Sasuke is beginning to believe that Danzo's network is strong enough to go on without him. There's no way Danzo can be running the entire thing, he's too much of a public figure. He has to have some other contacts. And for that reason alone, as much as it angers him, Sasuke is just going to have to wait for Danzo to make a mistake.

Sasuke has just finished reading the last round of records, and once again found nothing. If he'd dropped into the time he'd originally intended, he could have reached out to some of the Clan Heads, or Jounin that Sasuke trusted to be either against Danzo, or so focused on the truth they would investigate anyway. As it is now, there is one Jounin he trusts, Minato. Sasuke supposes he would tentatively be open to Kushina as well, though he hasn't met her just yet. He also knows the Nara head and Tsunade had been very against Danzo when Tsunade had been Hokage, but Sasuke has no way of knowing if they feel that way already. Tsunade is a grieving, young person, and Shikaku Nara has just recently made Jounin, against his will if Sasuke heard through the grapevine correctly. Begrudgingly, Sasuke admits to himself that the Uchiha Clan likely already holds distaste for Danzo. His anti-Uchiha stance was what had cost him the position of Hokage to Sarutobi initially. But for those exact reasons, no one would believe the Uchiha if they were the ones to come forward with information.

Leaving the records office, Sasuke finds he isn't even sure where to go. At this point, wandering the village seems purposeless. So he ends up where he normally ends up when he's lost in thought. Ichiraku ramen. It's a smaller stand than it is by the time Naruto will be around. It's just the slightest bit bigger than a street stall. Whenever Sasuke gets lost in thought, he usually ends up here. From what he's heard from Minato, it's strange he's never seen Kushina here, as Minato swears it's by far her favorite restaurant.

Sitting morosely with his bowl of ramen, Sasuke can almost hear Naruto's excited chatter from a stool next to him, can feel Sakura's eyes on him, but never when he's looking at her. And sometimes, if he's in the right mood, as he is today, he can almost hear the sound of pages turning as his sensei pretends he isn't paying them any attention at all.

He misses them. His Team 7. But it's no good for Sasuke to reminisce for too long about the past. Sakura and Kakashi are dead.

it's all your fault.

And Sasuke will never see Naruto again.

you couldn't even say goodbye.

Sasuke shakes the memories out of his head, and pays for his ramen. He'd promised Obito he would help him with his fireball jutsu today. Obito had not questioned where Sasuke had learned the Uchiha Clan's signature jutsu, he had just been thrilled that Sasuke knew what it was and was willing to help him with it. You were not considered a full member of the Uchiha Clan until you could perform one, and Sasuke had been more than a little surprised when Obito had admitted he didn't know how to do it yet. It shouldn't have surprised him, as no one was willing to help Obito in the Uchiha, and the boy's grandmother was quite old.

When he arrives to the training ground to find Obito is already there, working on the breathing exercises Sasuke had left him last time. Sasuke flares his chakra and Obito jumps up and runs over excitedly. Where anyone can find the energy to be this excited about everything, Sasuke will never know.

"Mr. Sasuke! I learned all the breathing exercises, want to see?"

He inclines his head, knowing Obito doesn't really need an answer and Sasuke is about to see them anyway. Obito adjusts his goggles, and starts in on the first one. He takes a deep breath in, holds it, and then blows air out firmly. Sasuke counts about fifteen seconds, which is sufficient. Then Obito sticks several leaves to himself with chakra and does it again. Sasuke is amused to see that instead of the traditional 'leaf on the forehead' chakra exercise, Obito has stuck one to his shirt, one to the side of his face, and one on the back of his dominant hand. It shows above average control to be able to do all three at once, and Obito once again is able to maintain a steady stream of air for fifteen seconds.

Obito beams expectantly up at Sasuke.

"Well done. Now, show me the hand signs, no chakra."

Obito weaves the six hand signs slowly, then speeds them up, without chakra as requested. Once Obito is able to handle the full technique, and control his chakra better, the number of hand signs can be cut down to two. Sasuke nods down at Obito.

"You're ready to attempt with chakra now."

Sasuke leads them down the training field to the river section. He'd chosen this training field precisely for the river that wound through it. No use burning grass and trees unnecessarily. Sasuke himself had learned to do it over a lake. Obito is hopping from foot to foot, waiting for Sasuke to give the word.

Training Obito had been quite a stretch for Sasuke. His own father had shown him the handsigns and left him to it, let Sasuke burn himself over and over while he figured it out. Sasuke's Kakashi had talked Sasuke through theory briefly, mentioned the hand signs and left him to it. When he'd been apprenticed to Orochimaru, he was just given a scroll. Or told to spar using only the new jutsu, and attacked if he didn't.

Obito just didn't learn that way. He had to have an explanation, be shown how to do it, and given occasional adjustment advice before he learned anything well. Sasuke wasn't sure if that was how normal children learned, as he and all of his teachers had been considered 'genius', or if was simply an Obito thing.

He'd actually felt a little guilt at how Naruto was treated, now that he was teaching Obito. Sasuke wonders now, if someone had slowed down, explained, and offered advice to Naruto, if he would have learned faster.

There was nothing Sasuke could do about it now. And in front of him was a kid with Naruto's bright hopeful eyes, and his Hokage dream, looking for Sasuke to help. So he would. Sasuke slowly goes through the handsigns again.

"The first two handsigns accompany you drawing in breath, form the next two while you hold the air in your lungs, and the last two while you expel it."

Obito bobs his head and copies Sasuke. Sasuke turns towards the lake and does it again, slowly, this time with chakra. He emits a carefully controlled Fireball that covers the whole surface of the river. At this point, Sasuke has enough chakra and control that if he wanted to he could probably burn down the forest on the other side of the river. But this isn't a fight, or the time and place to show off. He turns to Obito and gestures to Obito to try it. 

The boy gulps a deep breath, and goes for it. Sasuke notes right away that he doesn't draw enough chakra into his lungs to coat the air, and when he releases the jutsu, it's just air with a slight amount of chakra in it. Obito scratches his head and looks at Sasuke, who just gestures for him to continue.

The second time is much the same. The next few times, he gets a spark, but after all the air has left his lungs. By the tenth time, he's gotten nothing more than a tiny spark outside of his mouth. Sasuke decides to give a little hint. A lot of jutsu learning does have to be done individually, but Sasuke can still offer advice.

"The fire doesn't start in your mouth, it starts in your lungs. Your chakra ignites it."

Obito considers for a second, then starts trying again. The fifteenth attempt is eventful in that Obito succeeds in burning his lips badly enough to blister and split. His eyes tear up behind his goggles immediately. He tries to hide it and goes for the sixteenth attempt. Sasuke interrupts with a hand, and kneels in front of Obito.

For a moment he remembers coming home looking like this to his own mother, and the soft look in her eyes before she'd heal Sasuke with the basic healing jutsu, and tell him he'd get it next time. Sasuke is spending a lot of time in his head today, so he shakes it out again and takes in Obito's brave front, only slightly ruined by the quivering of his lower lip. 

Sasuke calls the basic healing jutsu to his hand. It's nothing powerful, nothing like Sakura or any trained medic could do, but most Jounin levelled ninja know some sort of basic healing jutsu, to disinfect or close small wounds. He reaches up to Obito's face and puts his hand over the blisters. It won't heal them completely, but it reduces them significantly.

"Everyone burns themselves a couple of times."

Obito starts his attempts again. By the thirtieth attempt, he has burnt his mouth three more times, singed his own shirt, and somehow managed to fall into the river twice. But he also has a tiny, correct, fireball. The kid has to be low on chakra, so Sasuke signals for him to stop.

"That last fireball was correct. Now you have to focus on getting it larger, more controlled. But not today."

Obito opens his mouth to protest and Sasuke cuts him off.

"Chakra exhaustion is not a helpful training tool."

The kid huffs but gives up the fight. A good call on his part. Sasuke had already proven to Obito he wasn't the kind of person who could be swayed by any sort of rhetoric, even if they were spouted by the world's most excited nine year old. Just as Obito is trying to explain to Sasuke how quickly he's going to finish it and be seen as an adult by the Uchiha, Sasuke suddenly feels a malevolent chakra signature nearby. He looks down at Obito. He pats the kid on the head, and then vanishes in the replacement jutsu, headed towards the chakra as quickly as possible.

Maybe this will be it, his break into Danzo. Sasuke knows logically not everything that happens in the village is connected to Danzo, but at this point Sasuke is willing to fake some evidence if he has to.

Sasuke crosses into the Forest of Death, which was fortunately nearby to where he and Obito were training, going after the source of the chakra.

It's Orochimaru, and he looks angrier than Sasuke has ever seen him. Even angrier than when Sasuke killed him.

Sasuke decides to approach. He drops down from a tree behind Orochimaru. He makes sure to flair his chakra in case the other man hadn't heard him. No use attacking him just yet. Orochimaru turns around, and throws a water jutsu at him. It doesn't feel like an intent to kill, just an outpouring of some emotion Sasuke currently does not understand. He dodges. Orochimaru throws another. Sasuke parries this one with an earth wall, which melts into mud on contact with the water. 

Their eyes lock, and Sasuke understands. This is not going to be talked out until Orochimaru can fight it out. Sasuke makes the sign of intent to spar. Orochimaru does not return it, but instead begins an assault.

Sasuke is unbothered. He returns all of Orochimaru's jutsu one for one, taking the full brunt of Orochimaru's rage. Sasuke doesn't make any moves to get the upper hand. This isn't a spar that needs to be won, just endured. 

A full out battle between two Sannin isn't anything to scoff at.

Trees splinter and explode under the force of jutsu, under a blast of chakra as they push off the trees around them and take their fight from the ground to the air.

The earth quakes and splits as they make it back towards the ground, earth jutsu colliding with lightning as they crater the area around them.

The sand in the soil under their feet turns to glass at the heat of their flames, and shatters at the rush of the freezing water.

Eventually, once the area of Forest they were fighting in has become less of a forest and more of a small clearing, they move to hand to hand.

Orochimaru, who is normally smooth and controlled in his strikes, is nothing like that now. His strikes are liquid lightning, flowing and deadly fast, each poisonous and lethal. Sasuke returns the fluid motions with his own quick and blunt style. It's a delicate, dangerous dance, and Sasuke is the only one of them who is in control. If he makes even the slightest mistake, Orochimaru will kill him. 

As blows are exchanged, and fires burn around them, it's still obvious to Sasuke that Orochimaru isn't trying to kill him. But whatever is going on, it's upsetting Orochimaru more than anything Sasuke has ever seen in his previous life. 

He dodges, blocks and weaves, sweat making his clothes stick uncomfortably to his back.

After a while, the chakra toll of all the jutsu they've unleashed starts to catch up to them, and they slow, and finally, Orochimaru stops. Sasuke spares a brief look around. All the trees around them in a dozen yard radius aren't toppled, they've exploded and there's nothing at all left of them. There are sharp spikes of glass speared up through the earth where Sand and Earth had been hit by fire, and the ground underneath them is cracked, and smooth from melting together. It looks like a bomb went off. 

Sasuke wonders not for the first time who fixes these training grounds after they get destroyed like this.

He turns his attention back to the Sannin in front of him, who's breathing hard, and still looks upset. More than that, he looks...

Sasuke can hardly believe it. His eyes may be tricking him, but it truly looks like Orochimaru might be close to tears. He approaches carefully.

"Do you mind if I, ask what happened?"

Orochimaru closes his face off immediately, and opens his mouth to hiss something at Sasuke, but. Nothing comes out. Sasuke knows it's not emotion because Orochimaru physically chokes on whatever he was going to say. Sasuke is so far beyond alarmed at this point he doesn't even know what to call it. Orochimaru closes his mouth and tries again,

"Suffice it to say trust is not something a shinobi should ever give."

Sasuke wonders if he did something. Then dismisses it. If Orochimaru really felt betrayed by something Sasuke did, he would have gone for the kill. Nothing in that spar told Sasuke that Orochimaru's distress was aimed at him. He looks like a wounded animal. Sasuke is going to have to be so careful.

"Who brought this on?"

Orochimaru looks like he might choke again, then shakes his head. Sasuke gets a creeping idea, but, no way. It would blow Sasuke's whole view of how the past went down. If his senses, on all alarm, are accurate, this could change everything. But even the trees in Konoha have ears.

"Can we go somewhere private?"

Sasuke motions his head towards the trees around him. Orochimaru eyes him warily, but nods. Sasuke points to his Rinnegan, shifting his hair so that it is visible. Orochimaru's eyes narrow, but he doesn't make any move to fight it. Sasuke activates it and pulls them both into his pocket dimension. It's different than future Obito's kamui dimension, but the concept is the same.

Orochimaru's eyes open wide, looking around the barren place that looks nothing like something that could be found on the planet. Sasuke knows he needs to at least briefly explain this before asking his questions.

"The eye, it gives me the power to access this pocket dimension, but it costs quite a bit of chakra. It's not on our plane of reality, as far as I can tell. I brought us here so we could be truly alone."

Orochimaru looks like he wants to ask about a few thousand questions himself, but his face shutters again, and he slouches slightly. Sasuke asks his question.

"Is it privacy or inability to tell me who brought this on?"

Orochimaru's face is cold.

"Inability."

Sasuke considers.

"Can you, show me?"

Orochimaru looks taken aback.

"Why do you desire this?"

Because I want to know all about the underbelly of this village doesn't seem like a good reason. Sasuke pretends he's Naruto for a moment.

"I've never seen you in this much distress before. Is it wrong to look out for a comrade?"

The suspicion is evident on Orochimaru's face. Sasuke lets him think through all possible options.

"Would you return me to Konoha if I said no?"

Sasuke inclines his head.

"Of course. I could try and prove it to you, but I'm not sure I have enough chakra to ferry us back and forth another several times. You'll have to take my word for that."

Orochimaru considers for another few moments, and then he nods once at Sasuke, and sticks his tongue out. Sasuke raises an eyebrow questioningly, but then he sees it. A seal, black and clearly fresh, on the very back of Orochimaru's tongue, near his throat. Sasuke walks forward slowly to get a closer look. Orochimaru does not stop him. Sasuke has seen this seal before. On that weird replacement Team 7 got. Sai, or whatever. It was no longer active when Sasuke met him due to Sasuke having killed the person who placed the seal.

Sasuke hisses.

"Danzo."

This changes everything. Was Orochimaru only sealed in this timeline, or had the evil, terrifying Orochimaru Sasuke had met in the future also been sealed by Danzo? Sai had said that the seal could be used to enforce Danzo's will. How much of Orochimaru was actually Orochimaru when Sasuke met him? How much was leftover from Danzo? His head is swimming. Did Jiraiya never come back to the village to check on his teammate? The man was a sealmaster, surely he could have helped. Did Orochimaru hide it from him? Or had Orochimaru wanted it in the future, but something had changed this time?

Orochimaru looks absolutely shocked as he closes his mouth, probably that Sasuke guessed on the first try. 

"Don't try and confirm it, I don't think that seal will let you."

Orochimaru is now Sasuke's ticket to taking Danzo down. If he can figure out how to remove that seal, he can probably convince Orochimaru to throw Danzo under the bus, especially taking into account how upset Orochimaru seems by this turn of events. 

Why did it have to be seals, though? Sasuke is terrible with seals, and always has been.

But Minato isn't.

Sasuke comes up with a plan.

"Orochimaru, I'm no good with seals myself, but if I asked someone I trusted absolutely to help me, and we were able to get the seal off, would you let me?"

Orochimaru takes very little time to consider this, and Sasuke guesses he'd thought this far ahead when he allowed Sasuke to see the seal in the first place.

"I would. What would you want in return?"

The Sannin is too transactional to believe Sasuke would do this out of the goodness of his heart. Sasuke understands, he feels the same more often than not.

"Your information on Shimura, so I can send that old bastard to the hell he belongs to."

Orochimaru's eyes narrow again. Sasuke is going to have to come up with a reason to hate Danzo. But what to pick, there's so many good reasons.

"He killed my family and I can't prove it."

Orochimaru waits, and Sasuke realizes he wants to see what Sasuke's 'friend' which he's more than likely guessed is Minato, will get out of it.

"People like Minato would do this kind of thing just because they think it's the right thing to do. But, if Minato helps me with this, I'm going to endorse him for Hokage."

This could be the make or break moment. Sasuke knows that Orochimaru wants to become Hokage himself. If Orochimaru doesn't realize that being manipulated by Danzo is going to take him out of the running already, this whole thing might be over before it begins. He'll just have to hope Orochimaru realizes that Hokage is already out of the picture for him.

"I agree to your terms."

The Sannin's gaze softens. Sasuke is sure he doesn't imagine the quiet 'thank you' when he warps them back to the Forest of Death.

Now to tell Minato....

Chapter Text

Sasuke had known sealing was a difficult shinobi art, but until he'd asked Minato about removing Danzo's seal on Orochimaru, he hadn't known just how difficult. It had been nearly four years since the initial request.

Since then, a lot of things had changed. The Third Great Shinobi war had become official, and had been raging the last three years. To prevent Orochimaru from being too influenced by Danzo, Sasuke and Orochimaru had formed an official two man squad, and Sasuke quickly got his name in the Bingo book with a 'flee on sight' order, one of only three in the Leaf, alongside Orochimaru and Minato.

Kakashi was training hard for his Jounin exams, which he was hoping to take in the next few months. His relationship with Sasuke had improved greatly. Neither one of them were big on talking, but they were much more like family than friends at this point. Kakashi still brought over Guy as often as possible, and they begged Sasuke to spar them as a pair frequently. Sasuke had eventually gotten used to Guy, but he was still by far the weirdest kid Sasuke ever met, in any lifetime.

Obito and Rin had both made Chunin, and were working hard alongside Kakashi. Obito no longer had to beg Sasuke for training, because they'd worked out a schedule so that the training was consistent. Obito was now, in Sasuke's opinion, an incredibly competent fighter for still being only thirteen years old. Rin had turned into quite the medic, and she had asked Minato to help her focus her taijutsu. They made a scarily competent four man squad, and the missions team Minato was starting to be given reflected it. It gave Sasuke a little bit of a heart attack each time. Sasuke had no idea what the missions were when they had perished in the future, so every time he saw Kakashi off at the gate, he wondered if that was the mission for one of them.

Sasuke had officially met Kushina, and as much as Minato looked like Naruto, Kushina acted like it. She was brash, and emotional, and kind. She was also a taijutsu powerhouse. Once she'd learned Sasuke didn't mind fighting with her, even knowing she was a jinchuriki, she regularly made it her mission to beat Sasuke into the ground. She hadn't quite managed it yet, Sasuke was far too well versed in fighting Naruto, but sparring with Kushina kept him on his toes in a very different way than sparring with Orochimaru did.

He'd seen a little Itachi only once, and Sasuke had kept a careful watch over him since, though he never interfered. He wasn't sure he was ready to. But little Itachi had been adorable as a toddler.

As for the seal, Minato was certain he was close to solving it. The first step in removing a seal was, apparently, understanding a seal. After meeting with Orochimaru and studying the seal in depth, Minato had copied it out on paper and studied it religiously. It had taken far longer than Sasuke would have anticipated. Apparently each seal line could mean dozens of different things depending on how it interacted with other lines. Minato had explained it once, and Sasuke may have considered himself a genius, but the conversation left his head spinning. After that, Minato had announced it couldn't be nullified without a counter seal, which would have to be created from scratch. And that was where they were now, with Minato's several dozenth prototype, which he swears is getting much closer. 

Which leads Sasuke to today. He's been summoned to the Hokage's office, alone, and he has no idea why. He's slightly concerned that Hiruzen is onto Sasuke's plans concerning Danzo, but Sasuke is too seasoned of a shinobi to show it on his face. He enters the office with no expression on his face. Hiruzen is sitting behind the desk. The War has aged him, and he looks tired, more than anything else. The old man's face is serious as he regards Sasuke, with a pipe in hand. The door closes behind Sasuke, and he awaits orders. He doesn't have to wait long. 

"Sasuke, you've done very well as a Shinobi of the Leaf these last few years. Your strong partnership with Orochimaru has been a benefit to the village, and a credit to your skill. Don't think, however, your other activities have gone unnoticed." Hiruzen taps his pipe, releasing some of the ashes, and refilling it before he replaces it in his mouth. 

Sasuke does not twitch, or make any expression whatsoever.

"Sir?"

Hiruzen cracks a smile, and instead of making Sasuke relax, it increases his anxiety immensely. 

"I have heard many reports on your interactions with team Minato. Kakashi and Obito in particular, have shown marked changes since you took an interest in them."

Sasuke resists the urge to shift uncomfortably. He hadn't expected this turn in conversation, and now he really doesn't know what this conversation is about. He waits for the Hokage to continue.

Hiruzen lets out a quiet laugh.

"No need to look so nervous, Sasuke. All reports I have heard on the young Hatake and Uchiha have been nothing short of excellent. And that's why I called you here today."

Sasuke seriously doubts he's here simply to get a commendation.

The old man pulls a paper out from the pile on his desk.

"Therefore, it is my pleasure to inform you that you have been assigned a Genin team."

Sasuke blanks.

"What."

The laugh he receives looks actually genuine.

"Surprised, are you?"

Sasuke can't imagine anything he'd like less than receiving a Genin team right now. He's worked with Kakashi and Obito, sure, and even Guy at Kakashi's insistence, but training Genin from the beginning? Just some random kids?

"Sir, I don't think I'm cut out for that."

Hiruzen waves his hand.

"Nonsense. Besides, we are low on Jounin sensei. Due to your, unusual circumstances, and the war, you may be allowed occasional missions."

He doesn't know the first thing about being a good Jounin Sensei. What if he screws these kids up and they were better off with who they ended up with in Sasuke's lifetime.

"Sir I really-'

"This is an order." Hiruzen's face is more stern now. 

Sasuke sighs. It's time to accept defeat. For now. Worse, he can't even fail these kids because they're currently in war time, and failing new recruits is forbidden. He reaches for the papers.

"Who might these Genin be?"

He doesn't receive a verbal answer, and he flips through the file. To his absolute surprise, he recognizes all three names. Izumo Kamizuki, Kotetsu Hagane, and...

"Shisui Uchiha?"

The Hokage taps his pipe thoughtfully.

"I hand picked them myself, to better fit with your specialties."

This is definitely different. Sasuke remembers hearing about Shisui being teamed with his best friend, and that friend's subsequent death leading to the boy unlocking the Mangekyou due to it. And he's definitely met Izumo and Kotetsu before, as they guarded the gates of Konoha throughout Sasuke's time as a genin. Shisui might not unlock the Mangekyou if Sasuke accepts this team as is. However, Danzo is less likely to steal Shisui's eyes if he doesn't... Is Sasuke going to be able to face Shisui Uchiha every day? He guesses he'll have to. Hiruzen had ordered him, after all.

"What will happen to Orochimaru?"

Sarutobi's gaze becomes more thoughtful.

"Orochimaru has grown quite attached to you. Unfortunately, he is needed in the village."

Sasuke takes that to mean Danzo is trying to sink his claws all the way in. He'll have to tell Minato to hurry with that seal. And he'll have to keep as close of an eye on Orochimaru as he can. He nods respectfully.

"When am I supposed to start training the Genin?"

He swears the Hokage's eyes actually twinkle.

"In about an hour."

Sasuke sighs. Of course. No time for him to talk himself out of it. He walks out of the office without another word.

A Jounin sensei is never something Sasuke had imagined himself being. And it's worse, knowing all three of his students. He knows the kind of people they became, and when fate inevitably changes, it will be due to him. He's not sure he'll even be good at it.

But he can try. And he'll have to.

If Shisui dies again, Sasuke isn't sure he'll ever forgive himself.

Soon enough, it's time to go to the Academy to pick up his team. Sasuke doesn't know much about being a sensei, but he knows he doesn't want to be a habitually late one like Kakashi was. He shows up exactly on time, to the second, outside the Academy classroom noted on the file he'd been handed. He enters to see several children in the classroom. The energy is insane, excited chakra signatures, not yet trained to control themselves, are spilling copious amounts of energy into the room. It's almost choking. Sasuke does not envy any Academy instructor.

"Team 1, follow me."

Shisui, who is sitting with a boy who must be his best friend, stands and walks towards Sasuke, all smiles. Izumo and Kotetsu rise together, already a pair and run over grinning. They're so young. In wartime, the graduation age is so much younger. There isn't a child in this classroom over the age of eight. His team is even younger.

For lack of a better place, Sasuke walks them all the way to a training field, far enough from the Academy that he assumes other new Jounin sensei won't use, but basic enough his new team won't die just being on it. It's a forested area, and Sasuke finds a space large enough to seat all four of them on the ground, and leads them by sitting first. 

His team follows. They'd been chattering quietly together the entire way. Sasuke had simply pretended not to hear them. They seat themselves quickly. Sasuke clears his throat slightly and starts.

"I'm your Jounin sensei, Sasuke. Tell me your name, strengths, and goals for the future."

He thinks of Kakashi asking about their hobbies. Should Sasuke ask about their hobbies? He decides he doesn't particular care at this moment. Kotetsu starts.

"I'm Kotetsu. I'm good at... Well, I don't know if I'm good at anything yet. My goal is to be the best with weapons!"

They don't go over weapons in the Academy, except for shuriken and kunai. Unless you come from a clan, and Sasuke is pretty sure neither Kotetsu or Izumo do. Sasuke nods. Izumo follows him quickly.

"I'm Izumo, and I'm pretty okay at everything, I guess. My goal is to be the best with weapons, with Kotetsu!"

Sasuke wonders why they settled on weapons if they've never used them before. That's a question for later. Shisui goes last. He's smiling, but his words are serious.

"I'm Shisui Uchiha. I'm good with ninjutsu. My goal for the future is to be strong enough to protect my clan and the village."

It doesn't escape Sasuke's notice that Shisui alone mentions his last name. It also interests him that at such a young age, Shisui already desires to protect the village and the Uchiha, instead of focusing on his own glory.

The kids all look at him expectantly. He bites back a sigh. It's probably not a good plan to show frustration to his new Genin. It's not their fault he's their sensei, and he finds himself not wanting to wipe the excitement off of their faces. They're still innocent, in a way Sasuke wasn't, even at their age. He finds himself wanting to protect it, protect them. 

He's gone soft in all these years. Naruto would laugh at him forever if he knew what Sasuke was doing right now. Sasuke wishes he could tell him. He clears his mind. He can't let the past cloud the present, or he'll certainly fail the young Genin in front of him.

"As I said earlier, I'm Sasuke. I'm considered an expert in ninjutsu and kenjutsu. My goals for the future.. Well, right now I suppose it's that you all survive to make Chunin."

They all nod and then sit quietly.

Sasuke suddenly realizes in horror that, as the sensei, it is his responsibility to lead conversations now.

As well as training.

He wonders if it's too late to quit. They're all just sitting waiting for Sasuke to tell them what to do. Sasuke hates leading conversations.

He casts through his memories of anyone who could have done this...

He could try and act like Minato, but that man practically explodes with sunshine every single day and Sasuke thinks he might actually die if he tried it.

Of course. Sakura.

What would Sakura do? Of all of Team 7, she probably would have ended up the best sensei...  Sakura probably would give an in depth explanation and then started testing them out.

He takes a deep breath.

"Normally, we test new Genin, and if they aren't up to the task, we send them back to the Academy. As we are currently in a war, you don't get that luxury. If you aren't up to the challenge, you will probably die. It's my job to try and make sure that doesn't happen. So, I'll be pushing you all to your limits every single day. For now, I'd like to test you all, and see your skillset for myself. Do you have any questions?"

Shisui nods.

"Yes. Are you an Uchiha? You look just like one."

That kid is way too perceptive for his own good. He doesn't think Shisui would buy a lie, the kid's too smart. He also can't tell the truth.

It's time to channel his future Kakashi's obnoxious way of diverting questions he didn't want to answer.

"I don't know. Am I?"

Shisui wisely gives up, but he gives Sasuke a piercing look that tells him this topic isn't over.

Sasuke sets them a series of challenges. They are well versed in the basic Academy training. They can all channel chakra, they can all throw a kunai and shuriken with reasonable accuracy, and they know the basic Academy fighting style. He spars with them individually. Kotetsu and Izumo both show a fair bit of proficiency in basic strategy. Kotetsu is heavy on defense, while Izumo favors attack. Already, they show excellent signs of a future two man squad. Shisui knows the Uchiha fighting style, and the Fireball jutsu, marking him as a full adult by the standards of the Uchiha. Only Shisui can treewalk of the three.

Making the training assignment for the day is easy. He goes over basic chakra control again, and sets Izumo and Kotetsu to walking on trees. Shisui he decides is ready to learn water walking. There isn't a water source nearby, and still water is easier to learn on anyway, so Sasuke does an earth jutsu followed by a water jutsu, with the end result being a small puddle, about ten feet across and only a few inches deep. It'll be enough to start. In future training sessions, once Shisui learns on this puddle, Sasuke will pick a training ground with flowing water, which is much more difficult.

After a few hours, all three of the Genin are low on chakra. Shisui has unsurprisingly learned to stand on the puddle. Kotetsu and Izumo have each made a solid attempt at the tree. It'll be hard to balance, a genius Uchiha and two 'normal' shinobi. Sasuke will have to think things through carefully. He calls practice for the day before they all collapse. The sun is low in the sky when he dismisses them home, and tells them to meet him by the river training ground the next morning.

They all nod and give a tired nod before they head off in their own directions. Sasuke heads home himself, imagining the snort Kakashi is going to give him when Sasuke breaks the news that he's a Jounin sensei now. He's also going to have to talk to Minato as soon as possible. While Sasuke is stuck training Genin, who knows what will happen to Orochimaru. Sasuke is loathe to admit it, but he's grown somewhat attached to the snake Sannin. He doesn't want to watch him turn into the monster he's met in the future. And he still needs to take Danzo down. and watch out for Itachi. And kill the members of the Akatsuki as they desert their villages.

There's so much to do, and even though Sasuke had landed too early in future, right now he feels like he's running out of time.

Chapter Text

Sasuke hadn't gone straight back to the Hatake compound. He'd stopped by the library first and checked out every single book they had on Genin level training techniques. Reading wasn't normally Sasuke's preferred learning style, but there was no one Sasuke trusted to ask. Minato was a great sensei but Sasuke knew the man made up most of his training techniques on the spot. Sasuke would not be capable of the same. He needed to know exactly what he could do to help these children. 

Kakashi more than snorts when he hears the news. He outright laughs in Sasuke's face, one of the first times Sasuke has ever heard Kakashi really laugh. It takes a surprising amount of self restraint to not smack the kid upside the head and instead just let him laugh. 

The next morning, Sasuke gets up before dawn and goes to Minato's. Minato is awake of course, doing his stretches and katas like the dedicated shinobi he is. He's living with Kushina now, and Sasuke casts out his chakra sense to ensure she isn't around for this particular conversation. It's not that he doesn't trust her. Sasuke would trust Kushina Uzumaki with his life. He would not trust Kushina Uzumaki to keep Orochimaru's secret to herself. She would absolutely march up to Danzo's residence and make an attempt on his life. Kushina is not nearby, so Sasuke drops down in front of Minato.

"I have bad news."

Minato doesn't even flinch, just keeps stretching, though he smiles at Sasuke in greeting.

"Well, don't keep it to yourself."

"Danzo made a move on Orochimaru. He's dissolved our two man squad."

Minato raises an eyebrow.

"Wow, that's pretty bold. I suppose since the move was so brazen, they must have no idea any of us are onto them, Danzo's too crafty of an old man to make an obvious move if he knows he's being watched. What are they having you both do?"

Sasuke runs a hand through his hair, irate.

"I'm a Jounin sensei, now. Orochimaru-"

Minato freezes for a moment, then smiles so wide Sasuke continually wonders why the man doesn't burst.

"A Jounin sensei? Congratulations!"

Sasuke waves him off, and continues.

"Orochimaru is being forced into the labs. Minato, I can't leave him down there. We can't let him stay there. It's going to change him. More than it already has, anyway. How close are you?"

It's a moment of silence before the blond responds.

"I have a counter seal I know will work. I've been trying to find another way around it, however. My current version would nullify the seal, but it will also probably put him in the hospital. It could even potentially kill him. I didn't think the risk was worth it. How bad do you think the situation is?"

Sasuke remembers the dead look in the replacement, Sai's face, as he detailed what Danzo had put him through. He recalls that Mokuton user, Yamato, screaming at night thinking he was back in Danzo's clutches. He thinks of the Orochimaru he remembers from his future.

"Orochimaru would be better off hospitalized or dead than what Danzo is going to do to him."

Minato sighs.

"I was afraid of that. I have a solo mission this week. When I get back, we'll do it. Only with Orochimaru's permission though, do you understand? I am not using a seal that could hurt him without his consent."

His mind is already running through scenarios to mitigate the damage. And Sasuke keeps mentally running into the same conclusion.

"I'll request a solo mission of my own. I think I know someone who might be able to help."

Minato balks.

"What about your new Genin team?"

He hums.

"It's wartime. They can handle a few D ranks on their own."

With that, Sasuke leaves, heading toward the residence of Orochimaru. The door opens before Sasuke can even knock. Orochimaru is paler than usual. He motions for Sasuke to enter, and he does. He settles at Orochimaru's table, where there's tea already set. Orochimaru had been expecting him, clearly.

"It looks like your experiment failed, Sasuke." Orochimaru's voice is flat, and matter-of-fact.

"How so?" Sasuke tests the water. Orochimaru's words are never what they appear.

"I apologize that I won't be able to uphold my side of the bargain, but it seems I will be rather, tied up from now on." Orochimaru is careful not to show any emotion, but he's averted his eyes slightly, a tell Sasuke has come to understand is a showing of emotion from the Sanin. 

"I'm not giving up yet," Sasuke states his intentions as bluntly as possible. Unlike Orochimaru, he's not usually one for word games. He says what he means and that's all.

"You must hold a great deal of disdain, to keep trying even after your 'experiment' has failed." Orochimaru sips his tea. Sasuke thinks he's starting to unravel the word game.

"And you are the 'experiment'?" Sasuke watches carefully for Orochimaru's tells. They are so minor as to be invisible to most, but Sasuke has worked shoulder to shoulder with him for four years. The tiny pause of his hand tells Sasuke the answer to his question, but Orochimaru has worked with Sasuke too, so he answers anyway, knowing Sasuke prefers direct communication.

"Of course." He stares at Sasuke, daring him to disagree. 

Sasuke always dares to disagree.

"You're not an experiment, Orochimaru." He stares back, daring Orochimaru in turn to disagree.

"What am I then, do tell?" Orochimaru sips his tea dispassionately, as if he couldn't care either way. He's trying so hard to be unreadable that Sasuke knows from that alone the man is boiling over on the inside.

Luckily, Sasuke knows the answer to this question.

"You're a teammate. A friend." Sasuke can't believe his life got to the point where he considers Orochimaru a friend. But here he is. And admitting it too. Further proof that Naruto did get through to him eventually.

Orochimaru scoffs.

"You are far too idealistic. You don't even know what I've-" He chokes off as his seal activates. Only the slight clenching of his hand gives away that the Sanin is in a considerable amount of pain as it activates.

"Tsk. I think I've made my point." Orochimaru releases his cup carefully.

"I think we both know this wasn't all your doing. Besides, I have some experience myself in doing things that drove others away." Sasuke makes his counterpoints calmly. Now is the time to bring up the counter seal.

"Minato has a solution, finally. The only downside is, it may hospitalize you. There is a potential for death. He won't force you to do it, if you don't think the risk is worth it."

Orochimaru stills, and considers. "You would have me do it?"

Sasuke shrugs. "I would not force you either. But, were our places reversed, I would do it."

The Sanin must read something in Sasuke's posture. "You have an additional plan."

Of course Orochimaru can read Sasuke as well as Sasuke can read him. "It's more of a crazy idea, really. I'm thinking of taking a solo mission, finding someone who can help reduce the risks."

He receives a bitter laugh in return. "Minato has certainly imparted some of his ridiculous optimism. She won't come back, not for me."

"She's your teammate."

Orochimaru's eyes grow so incredibly sad, but his expression does not change. "Was, my teammate. She used to sit across from me at this very table. They both did. Saying the same things you have. Tossing about words like 'teammate' and 'friend' like the very meaning of the world was in them. And yet, I am still here, and where are they?"

Sasuke had always considered himself to be similar to Orochimaru, in all the wrong ways, as well as some of the right. But in this timeline, meeting a different version of the man, Orochimaru actually reminded Sasuke the most of Sakura. Incredibly intelligent, left behind by their teammates. If Sakura had fallen in with someone less savory than Tsunade, would she have become this bitter? Did Sakura ever sit in the village and wonder why both of her teammates left? Sasuke's chest burns uncomfortably with guilt and pain. 

He'd been in Tsunade's place, too broken by the village to stay in it, and he'd left without a thought for his teammates, convinced they'd be better without him anyway. Not caring what happened to the people left behind. Until it was too late.

Orochimaru is still sitting across from him, expressionless except for his eyes, which look as if they're seeing ghosts at this very second. Sasuke won't be able to prove to Orochimaru anything with words. He'll just have to use actions. 

"It's worth a shot to try. If it could help you."

A scoff.

"You're ridiculous. You and Minato both."

Sasuke can acknowledge this.

"Perhaps. If I get this mission approved, I will let you know."

Sasuke thanks Orochimaru for the tea, and leaves the man sitting at the table, looking at two empty chairs. At this particular moment, it looks far too much like a small pink Genin, laid out on a bench. Sasuke fights down his own self hatred. He'll never have to opportunity to apologize to Naruto and Sakura.

He gets to the training ground he'd asked his Genin to meet him at, still early. None of them are here yet, but Sasuke didn't expect them to be. He starts his own stretches.

As the sun finishes rising, a dark blur shoots towards Sasuke. 

"Mr. Sasuke!!"

Sasuke already knows what this is about.

"Good morning, Obito."

The boy jumps up excitedly.

"I heard you got Genin!"

He looks absolutely delighted to hear the news. Sasuke has no idea why, but he is pleased nonetheless.

"Yes, they're due here any minute."

Obito buzzes around, asking a million questions about them. Sasuke doesn't even have a pause to answer in, the questions are all overlapping.

"Why don't you just meet them and find out for yourself?"

Obito explodes.

"You'll let me MEET THEM?! YEAH!!"

Sasuke has a lot of questions as to how exactly Obito's thought processes work, but he thinks any response he might get if he asked would raise more questions than answers. At that moment, his three Genin enter the clearing, all together. Their timeliness is appreciated. Obito sprints at them, and all three go on guard instantly. A good instinct, Sasuke thinks.

"Siblings!" Obito yells at them.

Sasuke silently adds to the questions he has about Obito's thought process. The three Genin look helplessly at Sasuke, either for answers or for him to save them from the hurricane which is Obito, he isn't sure. Either way, they're out of luck. Sasuke simply shrugs. Obito starts launching questions at them left and right, and Sasuke finds he does have to intervene. He does have to train them, anyway. Walking over, Sasuke puts a hand on Obito's head, silencing him.

"This is Obito Uchiha. Obito, this is Kotetsu, Izumo, and Shisui."

They all three look dazed, but Shisui recovers first. Sasuke wishes he hadn't.

"Siblings? We aren't... Wait. Is Sasuke-sensei your dad?"

Sasuke expects Obito to say something like 'sibling students!' or, 'I also train under Mr. Sasuke!'. Obito is incapable of following set patterns, however.

"Pretty much! Mr. Sasuke is the coolest ever. That makes me like your big brother! I'll teach you all kinds of cool tricks, and we can prank my teammate Kakashi and-"

Sasuke wants to put his face in his hand. He refrains, but barely. Tapping Obito, he cuts in again.

"Obito is a Chunin on Team Minato. While not official, I view Obito as a student of mine."

He could refute Obito's claim that he's 'basically his dad', but the befuddlement on Shisui's face is honestly one of the funniest things Sasuke has ever seen. He decides to leave the claim alone for now. He can always explain to Shisui later. Besides, something flinches inside of him when he considers telling Obito off for it.

Sasuke sets them a warm up of laps, physical exercise, and katas. Then he sends them off, and Obito stays behind.

"You got lucky with Shisui! The clan says he's a genius!"

Sasuke hums.

"Perhaps."

Obito cuts straight to his point, which Sasuke is relieved about. He's already mentally exhausted and it's barely past dawn. Obito drops his happy-go-lucky facade, and gets serious. 

"Are you going to stop training me now that you have real students?"

Sasuke has learned a lot of things about Obito the last few years. He genuinely is happy a good deal of the time, but Sasuke quickly realized it was often a coping method. When he dropped the pretense of happiness, it was clear he was actually somber, depressed, and terrified that no one cared about him. Even though Sasuke is sure he doesn't mean to, Minato's constant bright presence only amplified the need to only appear happy in Obito.

Sasuke had eventually convinced Obito that it was okay to not be happy all the time, and the boy had relaxed greatly. For the most part, if he acted happy around Sasuke, he generally was. Sasuke had also learned that Obito was also affection starved, and a hand on top of his head or shoulder could calm him more than a far larger number of words. This had been a relief to Sasuke. Once Obito had officially decided to hang around Sasuke like his life depended on it, the next thing Sasuke learned about him was that he was often afraid Sasuke would just leave. The guilt of that line of thought never ceased to depress Sasuke.

Putting a hand on Obito's shoulder, Sasuke feels him relax slightly.

"No, I won't stop training you."

Obito takes a deep breath.

"I believe you."

He still seems sad, somehow. Sasuke has seen enough sad people today, he wishes Obito wasn't.

"You know, you're a Chunin now. If you wanted to, you could help me train them in between your own missions."

Unsaid is 'even if you don't need training, you can still be around.'

Obito throws his arms around Sasuke, and Sasuke lets him. That's another thing he's had to get used to. No one ever hugged Sasuke before Obito, and the sensation was hard to get used to. 

"Me, Kakashi, and Rin have a mission today, we'll be gone for a couple days."

Sasuke nods, he'd been aware. He'd bid Kakashi farewell last night and expressed his apology at being unable to see Kakashi off at the gate. He'd gotten the requisite eyeroll and insistence that he 'wasn't a little kid' and didn't need to be seen off at the gates. But he'd accepted Sasuke's hair ruffle and the bento Sasuke packed for him.

Obito looks up hopefully at him.

"When I get back, maybe I can help?"

"I may be gone on my own mission then. If I am able to leave the Genin in the village, I'll request you as their squad captain for D ranks."

Obito lights up.

"Really?!"

Sasuke huffs. Only Obito would be so excited to be a captain he'd accept D ranks.

"Yes. Of course, I may also put Kakashi in charge of one, you know how much he enjoys D ranks."

Obito snickers. Kakashi notoriously hates D ranks after the hundreds he'd completed in his first year as Genin.

"Okay, bye Mr. Sasuke!"

Sasuke watches as Obito barrels off towards the gates. 

He knows he's never deserved anything like the loyalty that he's been shown in this timeline. Sometimes, he wonders if they'd still hang around if they knew who Sasuke really was, what he'd really done. But he can never tell them.

Turning his attention to his Genin, who are dutifully going through their katas, Sasuke tries to clear his mind.

When they've finished, they head over to Sasuke. He's gained a little more confidence, having stayed up most of the night reading books on teaching Genin. The only one he has left to finish is on genjutsu and when to introduce specialties. He has an idea of where to go now. He'd been on the right track with the chakra control exercises yesterday, which was a relief.

"Today, we are going to continue our training from yesterday. We won't be taking any missions out of the village until you can all three tree walk as easily as being on the ground. We are in wartime, and it's dangerous to simply walk along the roads. Kotetsu, Izumo. Pick a tree to begin practicing on. Shisui, I moved us to this training ground because of the river. It's much harder to walk on than a puddle."

They all three get to it immediately, and Sasuke watches carefully. By the time they break for lunch, Shisui is able to walk on water. Sasuke can already tell trying to deal with a prodigy is going to be difficult work. Izumo has made it halfway up a tree, and Kotetsu about a third. It's good progress. After lunch, Sasuke tells Izumo and Kotetsu to get back to it. They'll be forced out of the village on missions quicker than Sasuke would like, and he would be much more confident if they can take to the trees to hide or get away.

Once they start, he walks onto the river with Shisui following.

"Now, we'll spar."

Shisui's little face looks shocked. It's easy to forget he's only six.

"On the river?"

Sasuke nods.

"You'll fight more on the surface of water than you think you will. And this will help your control immensely."

They start slow, a little more than katas. Shisui falls in several times, and Sasuke forces him to get out using chakra on the surface of the water instead of swimming to the shore. By the time he can start to feel everyone's chakra wavering, Shisui can defend from basic attacks while keeping his footing on the surface of the water. Walking to shore, Sasuke is pleased to find that Kotetsu and Izumo have decided to work together, and have both gotten almost to the top of their respective trees, though their footing is shaky.

The last thing he has them do is spar each other in a three on one. No chakra allowed. 

He sends them home exhausted and filthy, and heads to the Hokage tower to request his mission.

Chapter Text

In an unsurprising turn of events, Sasuke is cleared to go on a mission searching for Tsunade, but with a serious condition. He has to bring his new Genin team. He doesn't tell Hiruzen why he wants to find her, and Hiruzen doesn't ask. There have been many missions to find her already, and each one came home with their hands empty. Most didn't even catch a glimpse of her. Sarutobi likely assumes Sasuke's mission will end in failure as well. He doesn't know it, but in a way, he's crippled Sasuke's ability to do this mission in a shorter timeframe.

With his Rinnegan, he can travel certain distances much more quickly than possible simply on foot. Removing that ability as well as insisting Genin need to go is going to slow Sasuke down immeasurably. Sasuke gets the distinct feeling that the Hokage thinks he's trying to run from the Genin, not find Tsunade. 

Whatever, Sasuke can deal with it either way.

It puts off his departure two days, however. True to his word, Sasuke refuses to leave the village until Izumo and Kotetsu can both treewalk relatively easily. That's not to say that they're good at it now, but in a pinch Sasuke is convinced they could flee to the trees. After this mission, they'll be a lot better at it.

True to prodigy potential, in that same two days, Shisui is able to hold a full fight on top of the river, jutsu included.

The morning they're set to leave dawns, and Sasuke waits at the gates for the three Genin. Izumo arrives first, living closest to the gates. Sasuke goes through his pack to make sure he's packed correctly. A slightly messy grouping of kunai, shuriken, ninja wire, and other academy approved essentials. He has included a first aid kit. Sasuke gives approval, and notes that if he packed more neatly, it would be easier to access his weapons. For a civilian born shinobi, the packing is to be expected. He followed the academy instructions closely. Sasuke will have to work on additional packing for more advanced missions later.

Kotetsu arrives next, and his pack is in similar shape to Izumo's. The difference being that Izumo brought a large pack of exploding tags, and his clothes were arranged far more messily. Sasuke makes a similar comment about neatness allowing for more items and easier access.

Shisui arrives last, his compound being the farthest from the gates. His pack is as neat as any Sasuke has ever seen. There is also not a drop of individuality in it. The other two boys had brought bandages and exploding tags, but Shisui packed to the letter and nothing more. Sasuke comments to the boy that he should think about packing something that benefits him specifically, instead of just a general pack. Shisui nods seriously.

Then they're all off. Sasuke had given them each a packet of information that he'd made, to give them experience in strategy. He'd read a book about this already and it gave him some interesting strategy pointers for Genin. Enough that Sasuke felt confident enough to broach the topic. It laid out who they were looking for, and well known characteristics of their target. After they've set their pace in the trees, Sasuke starts questioning them.

Kotetsu correctly answers what definition of mission they are on: tracking.

Izumo correctly answers the question of their target: Tsunade Senju.

Shisui correctly defines the parameters of a search mission during wartime.

"How would you track Tsunade Senju, if you were running this mission?"

This should give Sasuke some idea of their strategic capabilities. It takes a few moments for the Genin to gather their thoughts. Izumo and Kotetsu because they're still half focused on staying in the trees. Shisui because Sasuke has been throwing a light genjutsu over him every few minutes until he notices and dispels it. 

"I would go to all her friends and question them about where she might be!" Izumo exclaims.

"That would work best with a civilian target." It's as gentle of a putdown as Sasuke can come up with as a return. Shisui opens his mouth to answer the question and Sasuke throws a genjutsu that makes the affected reverse their left and right over him.

"I would go to her house and try and find her chakra signature, and then search by her chakra signature." Kotetsu is more thoughtful, but no more realistic.

"That would work best if the target had left the village recently." It'd been over five years since Tsunade left, and any chakra signature would be long gone. Shisui shakes the genjutsu. Sasuke waits to layer the next one.

"It says in her file she gambles, and is bad at it. So I'd go looking for people she owes money to." Shisui still looks a little disoriented from that last genjutsu, so Sasuke decides to wait a little before the next one.

"That is what we are currently doing. There are other ways to track, but this one will work best for our current purposes. We are headed to a small gambling town in Fire country."

If they weren't in the middle of a war, Sasuke would leave the Genin outside the town limit and have them train while he searches for Tsunade, but he's paranoid enough to think they'll get killed if he lets them out of his sight.

Sasuke could have made the trip to this town in less than a day. Travelling with Genin, they have to stop for the night. He sets them to work, having Shisui set traps while Izumo gathers firewood and Kotetsu starts the fire. The evening goes without event. The traps get set, the fire gets made and started. They don't have shifts, because they're still near the Leaf and there are patrols nearby, though the Genin probably can't sense them.

The next day they make it into the town by midday. Sasuke gives a brief explanation on how to hide a chakra signature, and sets them to working on it while they walk through town together. Despite their headbands, Sasuke is asked no less than three times by nosy old women if the three Genin are his children. He supposes they strike quite a picture, a dark haired man and three dark haired boys around the same age, all of them quietly bickering behind him.

Sasuke hasn't stopped the fighting, partially because he's secretly glad that Kotetsu and Izumo are including Shisui in their bickering. He can't exactly train Shisui the same way as the other two, and Sasuke is afraid to either play favorites or isolate one set over the other. But they're arguing like the six and eight year olds they are, over who hides their chakra better, and how to do it, and who is faster and so on. Besides, as long as they're arguing, they aren't interfering with Sasuke's information gathering.

The information gathering goes about as Sasuke expects. The owners of the gambling establishments all remember her, she has debts all over town. But she hasn't been in town for almost a year. He takes all of their theories on which way she went, and mentally checks those off at places he doesn't expect to find her. It's useful intel, just not in the way they think it is. Tsunade is a shinobi. She might be ignoring that right now, but any hints she drops about her next locations are more than likely false lures for her many debt collectors.

The next stop they'll need to make is closer to the border of the country. The fighting could be a lot worse there. It worries Sasuke, but there's nothing he can do about it. He has to find Tsunade, to give Orochimaru a chance, and the Third Hokage had commanded Sasuke to take the Genin. He rents a room at a nearby inn for the evening. Better to stay in the town's limits while they can. They all pile into a single room, and argue until they pass out in a tangled pile on the floor.

They make quite the picture. Izumo and Kotetsu are laying on top of each other, and it's difficult to tell where one of them ends and the other begins. Somehow, they've dragged Shisui into it as well, Kotetsu using his legs as a pillow, and Izumo's legs are sprawled over his arm. They're just a pile of children on the floor, too innocent to know what the war going on around them looks like, what it feels like. They've never lost anyone, never felt true fear. They trust each other enough after a week to pile in a senseless way that would get them killed if they were in an actual warzone. Sasuke never remembers being so open.

But as he looks at them, he does remember his own team. The good parts of it, before Sasuke had ruined it all. The careless way Naruto would roll onto Sasuke's bedroll at night and make Sasuke get up and move. The way it felt to wake up and see Kakashi-sensei's back guarding them in the night. The way Sakura would smile genuinely at him when he passed her food at dinner, or acknowledge her after a practice. He misses them. He has always missed them, from the second he walked out the gates of Konoha. 

He'd never fully apologized to Sakura. She'd died before he could make amends to her. Sasuke sees her everywhere. In Orochimaru, lost without his teammates. In Rin, trying desperately to stand alongside her teammates. Sometimes Sasuke even swears he sees her in the street, the briefest flash of pink around a corner, a laugh just a little too far away. 

Sasuke wonders now, sitting in the dark, leaning against the wall. Looking at his Genin, curled on the floor, if this is how Kakashi had felt. Watching his team, missing his lost teammates and sensei. It must have been lonely for him. And his Genin were far easier than Sasuke had been to Kakashi. He feels a spike of affection towards his old sensei. 

He cares for this young Kakashi deeply, but he's nothing like his old sensei. Sasuke plans to keep it that way. But he'll keep the memory of his sensei, burdened by the weight of the world, but watching over him nonetheless.

The night passes in an eternity, and an instant. Sasuke sleeps briefly, senses still on alert just in case.

He wakes the Genin in the morning, and they rise groggily and start packing their things, while he packs his own.

When they've all finished, Sasuke informs them that they are heading to another town on the border, far closer to the fighting, and that they'll have to be careful. He asks them to continue practicing chakra cloaking on their journey. Genin don't really have big enough signatures to register as a threat to Jounin, but a team of Chunin or other Genin might track them down for a fight, and while Sasuke can handle that, he doesn't really want to have to. 

To his surprise, Kotetsu is actually the best at it. The boy instinctually understands how to hide part of himself away. Sasuke wonders if some skills might be related to personality, but he keeps his thoughts to himself. Shisui figures it out fairly quickly, but he's not great at keeping it up. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and his chakra signature appears to be part of that. Izumo is by far the worst. Half of the time he flares his chakra instead of hiding it. He's very lucky he has mediocre reserves. If he doesn't figure it out by the time they get closer to the border, Sasuke is just going to have him to stop, because flaring his chakra like that is dangerous, even if he doesn't have much chakra to flare.

They pass the sites of a couple of skirmishes, not unlike the ones Sasuke has run on his few shifts as border control. There are no bodies, so the fights aren't recent, which is relieving. There are signs of jutsu usage, bent and broken trees, overturned earth here and there. Fire has singed the trees where they run. Sasuke allows them a pause to check out one site, and the boys speculate what the fight must have looked like. Izumo finds a broken shuriken in a bush. Sasuke makes him throw it out. No need to cart around broken equipment.

Over the next few days of traveling, Shisui and Kotetsu have figured out how to tamp down their chakra signature a significant amount, and Sasuke sets them on the next level, which is to make their chakra signature resemble a bird or a rabbit. No chakra signature at all is almost as obvious as a huge one, and the ninja best at stealth are the ones who are able to match the amount of chakra they have to their surroundings. Izumo has nearly conquered the basics. He's at least stopped flaring his chakra, which is a success in Sasuke's book. They've been traveling much more slowly, because the closer they get to the border, the higher the danger gets.

It is no longer safe to stay in towns, so they sleep in the outskirts.

Eventually, their luck avoiding all conflict runs out.

Late one night, as they make camp, a squad of enemy ninja attack the tiny village nearby. Sasuke weaves a heavy genjutsu for hiding around himself and the three Genin. He's glad to have them now, he hadn't really known many area genjutsu of it's type before the Fourth Ninja War. They'd been so necessary for hiding, getting the smallest bit of rest, so they'd all learned a few. That it doesn't require the use of either of his eyes is a bonus. The unfortunate thing about a hiding genjutsu is that it doesn't isolate sound from outside. 

His Genin wake up to the echoes of screams. A particularly high one pierces the air, a scream of anguish that carries through the air and makes all the hair on the back of Sasuke's neck stand up. The kids jolt awake, terrified. They grab at their weapons, ready to fight, to help. Sasuke shakes his head at them, holding a finger to his lips. The desperate look in all three of their eyes as they silently beg Sasuke to let them rush to the aid of the villagers hurts Sasuke. It's more than likely that the attackers are Jounin. His kids are Genin of about a week, there's no way they'll survive.

Please, their eyes beg. 

Sasuke beckons them closer, and all three of them rush at him, their eyes big and bright in the dark. All three of them are shaking, Izumo looks like he might be crying. Sasuke speaks as quietly as he can. An explosion sounds in the distance.

"You aren't ready, you'll die."

Kotetsu is the one who speaks first, keeping his voice a whisper. Paper bombs continue to explode.

"But, sensei. Those civilians."

Sasuke bows his head. Someone's weeping carries. It sounds like a man begging for his life. Somewhat nearby too, likely running away from the little village.

Shisui's whisper is horrified.

"They're going to die, aren't they, sensei?"

Sasuke isn't going to lie to them. Silently though, he curses Sarutobi for making Sasuke bring these Genin. These children. The gurgling sounds of someone choking on blood filter through. They are much closer than Sasuke thought. 

"Yes. If there was a patrol in the area, they may try to step in and help."

Izumo is full out crying now, and Shisui looks a second behind. Izumo pulls a kunai out of his pack with a shaky hand.

"We can't leave them, sensei.. We swore to protect the Fire country."

Sasuke pushes his kunai down firmly. The gurgling noise stops, and the rustling signals a ninja running back towards the village. They're safe for now.

"If you live now, and train, you'll save more in the long run."

They all look like they want to argue with him, but there's no argument to be made. Another scream splits the air, and Sasuke realizes they can't stay here. Not just for his Genin, but for him. The screaming is eating away at that part of his mind that he tries to push down. If he sits here too long, the empty Uchiha compound is going to get closer and closer to the forefront of his mind, and Sasuke needs to keep on top of himself. Has to keep these Genin safe. Who knows if an enemy will start prowling around for survivors.

All three of them now have tears streaming down their faces. Sasuke motions for them to pack, and they do, as quickly as they can. Every explosion, rumble, and scream causes them to flinch. They look to Sasuke, and he nods in the direction they need to go. Sasuke makes a shadow clone, and runs ahead and behind simultaneously. As they start to run, the wailing starts, carrying through the trees. Sasuke leads them away from the fighting as much as he can, but still heading to the town he thinks Tsunade may be at. She better be here, or all of this will have been for nothing.

They run across the civilian who died. His blood pools around him, silver in the moonlight. Sasuke knows the Genin have seen. To their credit, they don't pause, but all three of them flinch massively. They've probably never seen a body before. Sasuke only sees theirs. They have to get away from here.

They run almost all night, and as the morning dawns, the target town is in view. The Genin stopped crying after a while, the pace too exhausting to both cry and run, but their spirits dropped throughout the night. At this point, it was nothing short of miraculous that they were still on their feet. He finally calls them to a halt, and Izumo and Kotetsu slouch exhaustedly, choosing to crawl down the trees without chakra. Shisui, who is the smallest and has the natural lower stamina of a small child, passes out on the spot the second he stops moving, and falls out of the tree. 

Sasuke intercepts him mid-fall and catches the little Uchiha. Shisui has dried tear tracks on his face, and he's covered in sweat. Sasuke probably should have called for a halt earlier, but he'd been possessed with the need to get as far away from the fight as possible. What if a scout had followed? Sasuke simply couldn't risk it. But now, in the shadow of the next town, with everyone likely on high alert, they are safer. For now.

Sasuke sits against a tree, trying to decide whether it's worth setting up a bedroll for Shisui or if he should just lay him on the ground next to him. He dismisses his shadow clone, receiving the memories of a few hours of running. Kotetsu and Izumo make it down from their trees respectively, but their feet are dragging. They collapse beside Sasuke, and lean against him on either side. Sasuke doesn't know if they're looking for protection or comfort, but he doesn't stop them. He decides it's no longer worth trying to navigate setting Shisui on the ground, and just keeps the kid on his lap. 

It's a little claustrophobic, being underneath all three Genin. Restricting. But Sasuke can't move, or doesn't want to. He's exhausted too. He's slept so little the past few days, and his senses had been on high alert the entire nighttime run.

Before Sasuke drops off to sleep a little himself, he cloaks them in the genjutsu once more. It'll protect them for the hour or so Sasuke will need to rest. Then he'll figure out what to do. The kids will definitely need longer than an hour.

He wakes up forty five minutes later to his genjutsu shattering.

I must have the worst luck in the world.

He sets Shisui down in an instant, between the other two boys. He doesn't have time to wake them. He swirls around, unsheathing his sword, towards the chakra signature of the intruder. There are two of them, he notes just before a fist comes flying at his face. He dodges, and takes a flash of pigtails as the person flips to through another blow. Pigtails?

Maybe not as unlucky as I thought.

He knows better than to try and block the kick aimed at his head, only dodging will do.

"Tsunade-sama, stop."

His opponent flinches. Sure enough, Tsunade Senju stands in front of him, rage in her eyes, like Sasuke is the source of all of her problems. Which, to be fair. He's is the cause of a problem she's about to have.

"Identify yourself."

Sasuke sheathes his sword and holds his hand up nonthreateningly.

"Sasuke, a Jounin from Konoha."

The rage does not dissipate, but she does stand down. She makes a hand gesture, and Shizune appears at her side. She's young. Probably not older than Obito and Rin.

"Why are you here? Don't tell me Sarutobi sent you."

The sheer amount of rage in Tsunade's face is not one that Sasuke is completely unused to, but the bitterness of it is. The Tsunade Sasuke remembers was angry often, but it never had any real bite to it. This Tsunade looks ready to dismantle a village brick by brick. Sasuke used to know how she feels, once upon a time.

"No, Sarutobi didn't send me. I sent myself. I have something important to discuss with you."

Tsunade peers behind him at his Genin. Sasuke looks too, and they're all still asleep, piled underneath a tree. He stiffens slightly. He has to remind himself he doesn't know this Tsunade, just as he hadn't know this Orochimaru.

"I would appreciate my Genin team being left out of it."

She scoffs, a bitter sound.

"If you wanted them left out of it, you should have left them at home."

Sasuke sees a little red, but forces it back.

"I would have if I had been permitted to. No child deserves to be put near a battlefield."

Tsunade laughs at him, and Sasuke resents her for it. She knows exactly how to get on his nerves, despite having never met him before.

"They aren't children. They're shinobi. We're in a war, if you hadn't noticed."

Sasuke seethes, and has to force himself to take a deep breath.

"I believe they can be both. They are not why I'm here."

Tsunade waves a hand, and Sasuke notes that it's steady. She isn't drunk, at least not yet.

"If you're here to convince me to come back to the village, leave now and I'll leave you and your little team in one piece."

Sasuke is tiring quickly of her put on indifference.

"I'm here about Orochimaru."

That makes her flinch, though she tries to hide it.

"And what about him? Don't tell me he got himself killed."

She tries to sound nonchalant, but the intensity of her gaze says otherwise. This is going to be harder than Sasuke thought.

"He's alive. But in trouble."

Tsunade crosses her arms and taps her foot.

"You have five minutes, spill."

Sasuke spares a glance at his Genin. They appear to be asleep. He doesn't trust it, though.

"Can we do this in private?"

With a motion, Shizune walks over towards the Genin, and stands in a defensive position. Tsunade motions him a little farther away, still in sight, but hopefully out of earshot. Sasuke follows carefully.

"Shizune will guard them. You have my attention, but if you're messing with me, you will regret it. I still haven't completely ruled out that you were involved in the annihilation of that little village. Yes, I heard about it. I'm not as uninformed as you think."

Sasuke can think of a long list of things he'd rather do than stand here and antagonize this obnoxious woman.

"Orochimaru has been sealed. I checked the seal myself. Someone put it there against his will. I've been working with someone to come up with a counter seal. We think it will work, but there's danger to Orochimaru's health. I would prefer if he didn't die during the removal. So I came to find you."

Sasuke doesn't mention Danzo's name, or Minato's. He has no idea how much he can trust Tsunade. Right now she reminds him far too much of himself after he fled the village. She could turn on him in an instant. Tsunade picks up on it of course.

"You aren't naming names on purpose. You know who sealed him, but you don't trust me. As for your little 'helper', it has to be Jiraiya's little star pupil. What was that brat's name? Minato?"

Sasuke inclines his head. No use pretending otherwise

"That's correct."

Tsunade huffs as if the inconvenience of his request is a personal affront.

"Orochimaru should know I don't wish to return to the village under any circumstances. Why is that so hard to make those two knuckleheads understand?"

Sasuke thinks of Orochimaru looking at those empty chairs at his kitchen table.

"Orochimaru isn't asking you to return. In fact, he advised me against finding you."

She turns her bitter glare at Sasuke once more.

"Well, at least the snake has some sense in his head. This is just a trick to get me back in the village, I just know it."

Rage rises again, but Sasuke stamps it down insistently.

"It's not a trick. Don't you want to help your teammate?"

It's the wrong question. He realizes it the second it comes out of his mouth, but it's too late to take it back.

"Teammate? Don't get all mushy on me, punk. Sarutobi was always onto us about it. 'Precious people' this, 'Will of Fire' that. Well, having precious people never helped me before! You know what happens when you have special people, Sasuke? They die, and then what, huh? Then what!"

She practically spits in his face.

"Do you know what it's like to lose everything, Sasuke?"

"Yes."

Tsunade doesn't even pause at his acknowledgement.

"Then you know why I can't go back."

Sasuke doesn't bother to temper his rage.

"What about Orochimaru? He could die if you don't help him."

Tsunade stamps the ground and cracks appear.

"So what?! That is not my problem. People die all the time, it's a war you know."

A few minutes pass. Sasuke doesn't speak and neither does Tsunade. He doesn't need to make her admit she cares. They both know she does, even if she's trying to forget it. He only needs her to help. He watches the rage slowly reduce to a simmer as he doesn't give the woman any bait to rise to. Eventually, she quietly says,

"Why aren't you leaving?"

Sasuke sucks in a breath. This is his last chance. He knows she cares. Somewhere deep inside, under all that rage, she has to still care. Or all of this is for nothing.

"Because Orochimaru is my friend. If something can be done that could help him, I'm going to do it."

Tsunade sighs, and visibly deflates.

"I'm not staying after. No matter what."

Relief rushes through Sasuke. Orochimaru will live now, he's sure of that.

"That's fine."

He doesn't know if he could put up with her long term anyway. Trying to keep her in the village would just cause more harm than good. She'll return when she's ready. When her anger dies out, she'll want to go home, too. Sasuke just has to make sure the village is there long enough for there to be a home to return to.

The Slug Sanin stomps over to Shizune and Sasuke follows. She barks at Shizune to pack her things, and the young girl jumps to do so. They stalk off, well, Tsunade does. Shizune just timidly follows behind. Sasuke just assumes she'll return later. She could run, it's not out of the realm of possibility. But if she decides to run, she'll have decided to cast this situation out of her heart, and Sasuke knows nothing he can do would help her return.

He sends a shadow clone into the town to grab some food for the Genin, and returns to the tree where his Genin are still fast asleep, dried tears on all of their faces. They've been through a lot, on this trip. At least Sasuke had been able to prove himself in battle his first trip out of the village. His bright, happy Genin had gotten a hard look at the real world, and Sasuke hadn't allowed them to make a difference in it. He'll have to make it up to them, somehow.

For now, he's just happy they're alive. Uninjured. 

Hopefully with Tsunade at his back, the trip home will be uneventful.

He hopes this all turns out to be worth it. He sits himself down against a tree next to his Genin, and falls asleep. With Tsunade around, he can chance a little rest before their trip home. He closes his eyes.

Chapter Text

The journey back to Konoha is less eventful in that they successfully avoid all conflict heavy areas. But it is no less stressful for Sasuke. Tsunade is angry, and she's bitter, and it takes every ounce of self restraint Sasuke has not to try and kill her, or leave her by the roadside. She's clearly trying to get a rise out of him, and Sasuke manages to avoid giving it to her the first two days. Those days are a personal hell, but Sasuke holds the line.

She makes digs at Sasuke's abilities as a ninja, since he's down an arm. He senses that she's looking to fight, so he doesn't respond.

She sets a pace so slow even Sasuke's genin team starts getting bored.

She insults his teaching abilities, insinuating he isn't fit to lead Genin since he was all too willing to walk them into a war zone. That one was a narrowly avoided fight, because Izumo overheard that one, and decided to defend Sasuke's honor by attempting to attack Tsunade himself. A bold move. Sasuke can't find it in himself to tell Izumo off for it, and just catches the kid when he inevitably gets thrown towards the nearest tree with barely a flick of Tsunade's finger.

Catching Izumo was the weakness Tsunade needed to see, and on the third day it comes to a head.

She insults Kotetsu directly.

"A Clanless ninja, huh? Didn't they tell you there's a war going on?"

Kotetsu nods. He's more reserved than Izumo, and the direct attention from one of the Sanin is overwhelming him.

"I-I want to do my best to protect the village."

Tsunade snorts derisively.

"You can't protect anything when they kill you. And they will kill you."

Kotetsu shoots a helpless look at Sasuke, and he intervenes. Putting a hand on Kotetsu's shoulder, he grits his teeth, and tries to be as polite as his mother had always taught him.

"Lady Tsunade, while I appreciate your concerns, I would request you keep your thoughts about my Genin to yourself."

She has the delighted look of knowing she's hit someone's sore spot. 

"Oh? I thought surely you wouldn't mind me toughening them up. Or was that not what you were doing, taking them on this little mission of yours?"

"Because you've been so protective of Shizune's innocence." It slips out before Sasuke can stop it, and he silently curses himself.

That was the opening Tsunade had clearly been looking for, and before he knows it, they're in a heated spar. In a way, it's relieving to vent his stress with his fist. He wonders briefly if Tsunade has been feeling the same. Or if she's just using this as an excuse to run off, and this fight is ensuring that she'll never return to the village. That is an unacceptable conclusion, and if comes to that, he'll have to incapacitate her and force her back to the village. 

He remembers the Slug Sanin being quite a bit stronger, when they were in the war. Either she's out of practice, or holding back. Sasuke decides to hope for the latter. Tsunade is taking pains to be as flashy as possible. Her every step shakes the earth, every punch shatters a tree, or causes a crater. He decides to match her flashiness, because why not. His fist crackles with electricity, he goes at full speed, dashing so quickly about her that he's not visible to the normal eye.

On the sidelines, Kotetsu and Shizune are standing together, looking mortified. Shizune is calling out an exasperated, "Lady Tsunade!" As though her words alone will sway her master. On the other side, Izumo is excitedly cheering for Sasuke. "Give it to her, sensei!" Shisui has been swept up in Izumo's excitement and is also cheering.

The fight goes on for quite a while, and it slowly becomes clear that Sasuke has the advantage. He's faster than Tsunade is, and even though she can heal the wounds he's inflicting, it takes chakra. She's afraid of blood, he knows. So as an attempt at respect, every wound he inflicts is either internal or lightning burns. Both of them have an enormous well of chakra to burn through, but Sasuke isn't using as much as she is, and he seriously doubts she's going to unseal her Strength of One Hundred just for this spar.

Sasuke also realizes that her pride won't allow her to lose. She'd kill him or herself before admitting defeat. He realizes it as he realizes he can't allow himself to lose either. If he does, it'll just tell Tsunade that she can continue to make disparaging comments at his students, and Sasuke can't stand for it. He just has to wait for the right opening.

The fight ends with Sasuke's chidori over Tsunade's heart, and Tsunade's chakra scalpel at his throat. They call it a draw. Their students rush them at the same time. Sasuke can hear Shizune fretting over Tsunade, while his own students do their own sort.

"Sensei, are you okay?" Kotetsu is almost immediately drowned out by Shisui yelling, "You could have got her, Sasuke-sensei!" Izumo echoes Shisui's statements with equal vigor. Sasuke looks at Tsunade to find her already looking at him. He nods at her, and she returns it. Respect for your fellow ninja. It's so much easier to fight than talk, Sasuke wishes he could resolve more problems that way.

Looking down at his students, he finds that Kotetsu is still looking fearful and slightly concerned.

"I'm fine."

He's actually sore, and he's sure he'll have bruises. He didn't take any direct hits, or he'd probably be dead. Even just being in the vicinity of one of those blows caused shockwaves hard enough to bruise. But as far as his students need to know, he's fine. Kotetsu doesn't really look like he believes him, so Sasuke ruffles his hair. To Shisui and Izumo he says,

"It's generally frowned upon to kill the mission objective."

Izumo expresses distaste for that, but Shisui looks thoughtful. Sasuke has no idea what that's about and he's not about to ask.

Tsunade isn't any nicer on the rest of the journey, but she refrains from actual insults, and settles for just being massively unpleasant. Sasuke makes it through by imagining challenging her to a fight again. Late at night, only a handful of hours from Konoha, Sasuke wakes up for his shift of guard duty just a few moments too early, and he sees Tsunade sitting quietly, with an empty, broken expression. She hides it the second she realizes Sasuke is awake, and he never mentions it. The next morning, she's just as bitter. But Sasuke knows what he saw.

Just before they enter the village, Tsunade quietly remarks,

"Does sensei know? About Orochimaru?"

Sasuke shakes his head. Tsunade sighs.

"You think Danzo did it, then."

Sasuke doesn't respond. Perhaps Danzo had been up to some schemes before even Sasuke was aware about it, if Tsunade was certain immediately. She inclines her head.

"I won't say anything. Until afterwards, that is."

Sasuke keeps his voice barely over a whisper.

"Thank you."

Then Tsunade holds her head up high, and stalks into Konoha like she owns the place. She absolutely refuses to show ID to the gate guards, who are actually making a solid attempt at security. A flustered Shizune follows in Tsunade's wake, apologizing on Tsunade's behalf and begging Tsunade to show decorum. Sasuke can see why Tsunade likes her so much. Tsunade is a lot of personality, and for a thirteen year old to even stand up to her is impressive.

Sasuke and his Genin diligently show ID, and then follow Tsunade as she loudly makes her way to the Hokage tower. People are stopping and staring in the streets, and they march all the way to the Hokage's office. Tsunade opens the door to the office without announcing herself in any way. Sasuke has never been so glad to be back in the village, and he's deeply looking forward to not seeing Tsunade for a few hours. But first, the Hokage. 

Sasuke will treasure the look of shock on Sarutobi's face as long as he lives. It is only the old man's quick reflexes that keep his pipe from falling out of his mouth. He makes a decent attempt at a recovery, but Sasuke feels sure he isn't even fooling the Genin.

"Ah, Tsunade, it's good to see you again."

Tsunade crosses her arms and looks him up and down.

"You look old, sensei."

The Hokage smiles politely,

"And you haven't aged a day, my dear student."

Tsunade cuts straight to her point, which Sasuke can appreciate. He just wants to go home and eat not rations, and take an actual shower.

"I'm not here to help with your war, or with your hospital, so don't even ask. I'm here to visit."

Sarutobi tries to demur, but Tsunade is insistent. After a few moments, she shoos Sasuke and his team out of the office, with a demand that Sarutobi go out to lunch with her and catch up. Sasuke is more than happy to leave. He releases his Genin, and tells them to take the next day off to recover. They accept the orders, and start trudging home. They look exhausted. But they'd all survived, and Sasuke could live with that outcome.

He trudges through the door of the Hatake house, calling out a tired "I'm back".

Kakashi is sitting at the table, drinking a cup of tea while reading a book. He gives Sasuke a salute to show he's heard him and goes back to his book. Sasuke toes off his shoes, and puts his pack down.

"Is Minato back in the village yet?"

Kakashi nods from behind his book.

"He got in last night. We've got team training tomorrow."

Sasuke nods.

"Alright. Thanks."

A hum is his only answer. Sasuke heads to take a well deserved shower, and then rest. He'll talk to Minato in the afternoon, after the team training is over.

He doesn't get to rest as long as he'd like. It's barely evening when a small snake wakes Sasuke up by hissing in the most obnoxious way possible. He jerks awake and stares at it. It's clearly a small summon. The urge to kill it for waking him subsides slightly when he realizes it's probably sent from Orochimaru. The snake just stares at him, hissing. Sasuke asks, still clearing sleep from his mind,

"What do you want?"

The snake closes it's eyes happily. It almost looks delighted to have annoyed Sasuke. Wonderful.

"Orochimaru requests your presence, for a, pressing issue."

There are several reasons Sasuke can imagine Orochimaru would be in dire enough straits to contact Sasuke, but none are good. If it's Danzo, well, he definitely deserves to die for waking Sasuke.

Sasuke decides not to bother walking across the whole entire village, and uses his Rinnegan to walk through dimensions, right into Orochimaru's back yard. He's done it a few times before, so he's reasonably certain there's no trap set to kill him. There aren't, and he strides into the house as quickly as possible. A raised voice meets his ears even before he opens the door. A raised voice he recognizes.

You can't kill her, you still need her.

Sasuke sighs. Danzo would have been much easier to deal with.

He swings the door open.

Tsunade is standing over Orochimaru, her face getting redder by the second. Orochimaru is sitting straight, carefully expressionless. They both turn to face him as he enters. Tsunade looks enraged.

"Why are you here, brat?"

If Orochimaru didn't tell her he had called for Sasuke, Sasuke certainly wasn't planning on it. 

"Social call," he deadpans.

Tsunade's eye twitches. Sasuke does not change in expression. She gives up in a huff and turns back to Orochimaru.

"You have no right to make such assertions about me! You know what I went through!"

"Ah, yes. Of course. I had forgotten that personal loss was such an excellent cause for village abandonment. Forgive me, princess." Orochimaru's voice is calm, but it's laced with poison.

"You have no idea what I went through! And quit calling me princess! If it had really been village abandonment, Sensei would never have let me back into the village, you know that. He knows I just need some time." Tsunade is practically spitting in Orochimaru's face.

Sasuke has no idea what caused this fight, or why Orochimaru is continuing it, but he decides not to interfere for now.

"I can never understand because I never had a family to begin with, isn't that right, Tsunade? And you must know that the only reason Sensei lets you come and go as you please is your status as the last Senju princess." Orochimaru has not raised his voice even the smallest amount, but his words are barbed, and Tsunade looks like she's been slapped.

"You know that's not true!" It's unclear what Tsunade is referring to. Perhaps both.

"If I set a single foot out of this village without permission from the Hokage, I'd be labelled a missing-nin faster than I could draw a breath." Orochimaru's voice is flat, accusatory.

Tsunade stomps her foot, putting a small crack in the floor. "That's not why!"

"Why is it then? Perhaps because you too, secretly see me as the villagers do? As a 'monster'?" Orochimaru's statement lands, and it looks as if all the breath has been knocked out of Tsunade, she deflates so quickly.

"Orochimaru... You know that isn't what I meant.."

Sasuke doesn't really want to listen to this conversation anymore. He doesn't exactly want to interfere, either. So he just loudly pulls a chair out and sits down as if the conversation isn't happening around him. It sort of works. They stop looking at each other, and instead face Sasuke again.

"Do you mind?" Tsunade is trying to look angry, and failing.

"Not at all, please continue." Sasuke reaches for the teapot, and finding it empty, goes to the sink to fill it. 

They do not continue. Sasuke fills up the teapot and sets it on the stove.

"Tsunade, are you planning to stay for tea?" He asks it casually, like he's discussing the weather.

"What?" Tsunade stares blankly at him.

"Would you like a cup of tea." He repeats the question.

She huffs, some displeasure starting to color her face again. Sasuke decides to take that as a yes and gets out three teacups. He picks out a light blend from Orochimaru's cabinet and starts steeping it. No one speaks while he fills the teacups and sets them on the table. Orochimaru is looking determinedly at the teacup, as if it's the only interesting thing in the world. 

"Do they really call him a monster?" Tsunade's question is quiet, but it's definitely aimed at Sasuke.

It's also a very loaded question. Sasuke hates loaded questions. He's not ever sure how to navigate the conversation afterwards and he never says the right thing. He decides to take a leaf out of his Sensei's book and go for casual deflection.

"I wouldn't know, I don't talk to many civilians. They are often misinformed. A terrible source of information. I can't remember the last time I talked to one."

Sasuke's Kakashi-Sensei would have said something funny or off color about a fake conversation he'd had with a civilian, but Sasuke just doesn't have the imagination for it. But there's a little light back in Orochimaru's eyes, and he isn't holding the cup quite as tightly, so Sasuke considers it a win.

Tsunade makes a sound that's almost a growl, and she turns to Orochimaru.

"I can't believe you went and befriended someone who somehow manages to be more obnoxious than Jiraiya."

It's an olive branch, an attempt at an apology if Sasuke has ever seen one. 

"There is no one more obnoxious than Jiraiya, Tsunade." Orochimaru takes the olive branch with a quiet grace.

Tsunade makes a noise of agreement, and the tension leaves the room. They chat for a while about going's on in the village, and Sasuke tunes out for a while. He's still exhausted, honestly. Sasuke waits for a moment where Orochimaru is looking at him, and he tries to convey the question 'is everything fine' without actually asking it. 

Orochimaru dips his head slightly. Sasuke slides his chair back, and puts his cup into the sink. 

"I'm going to rest. I plan to speak to Minato tomorrow afternoon, and then we'll make plans. Agreed?"

The Sanin nod, and then continue with lighter conversation. Sasuke takes his leave and goes home to get some actual sleep.

He never thought he'd see the day when he, Sasuke Uchiha, was called to solve an argument. Plus, he'd gotten compared disfavorably to Jiraiya. 

Things have certainly changed, and Sasuke hopes he can keep his footing, somehow.

Chapter Text

When Sasuke rises the next day, there is a toad sitting on the table when Sasuke makes breakfast. Sighing, Sasuke extends his hand, and the toad drops a note into his hand, and disappears with a small pop. Sasuke has no idea how he got to the point in his life that people just send summons to his house instead of waiting to talk to Sasuke like a normal person. As he eats, he takes a few moments to wonder whether having summons enter the house at their ease makes the house more secure or less. Probably both.

After he's eaten and more alert, Sasuke unrolls the small note from the toad. The note is written with a loose script, as if the writer was so excited they had forgotten to attempt to be legible.

Sasuke,

I heard you got back in town yesterday. Who wouldn't? Tsunade made quite the splash, I'm sure there isn't anybody who hasn't heard! Oh, right. I'm sure Kakashi told you we have team practice this morning. Afterwards, meet me at Orochimaru's, I already cleared it with him. We can talk more then. 

Minato

PS If you run into Kushina be sure to tell her it's just the two of us hanging out. She still hasn't forgiven me for last time... 

Thanks!

The odds of Sasuke running into Kushina are small, but Sasuke understands the fear. Kushina had been apoplectic the last time Minato and Orochimaru had publicly gotten together to train. They'd decided to test a jutsu that they'd been trying to understand from a journal of Tobirama's. The resulting rerouting of the river had not gone unnoticed, nor had the absolute levelling of surrounding landscape. Kushina and Sasuke had been alerted to a potential security breach, and had arrived on scene to find Minato covered with ash, and leaping around the clearing delightedly shouting the results while Orochimaru hurriedly transcribed it into a notebook, looking pleased. 

The result was a strongly worded request from the Hokage that the two not attempt to create jutsu within the confines of the village any longer, which Kushina fully endorsed. Sasuke had personally found the whole thing funny, especially considering only the month before Kushina and Mikoto had done the exact same thing with a seal while on border patrol. The only difference had been instead of blowing up part of the village and getting reprimanded, Mikoto and Kushina had inadvertently blown up an enemy regiment, which earned them a commendation from the Hokage, and a dual entry into the Bingo Book.

Sasuke was pretty sure Kushina already knew that Minato was still meeting up with Orochimaru occasionally, testing jutsu. Minato has about the worst poker face Sasuke has ever seen when it comes to Kushina. But, as long they don't blow up the village, Kushina pretends that she doesn't know.

What Minato doesn't know is that if Sasuke did happen to run into Kushina, he would tell her. They had a silent agreement to keep the other in the loop about Minato, so that he didn't do anything too stupid without either of them knowing. He's pretty sure Minato and Mikoto have the same pact about Kushina.

Looking at the clock, Sasuke finds it's already almost midday. So he makes his way towards the training ground he knows Team Minato uses. He has no idea how long this unsealing process might take, and if they undertake it today, Sasuke wants to make sure he has a back-up plan for his Genin team the next day. 

Arriving at the training ground, Sasuke sees all four of them going through their warm down stretches. He heads to Kakashi first. Kakashi doesn't pause in his stretches, but he nods so that Sasuke knows he's listening. 

"Kakashi, I'm doing some classified work while Tsunade is in the village. I'm not sure I can expect how long it will take. If I'm not finished by tomorrow, would you train with my Genin?"

Kakashi squints at him, and continues to stretch.

"What kind of training?"

Sasuke shrugs.

"I'll leave that up to you. Set them on D ranks, set Guy on them, whatever you think is best. I know you're training hard for the Jounin exams, I apologize for tearing you away from them."

Kakashi finishes one set of stretches and flows into the next.

"And you aren't asking Obito because..."

"I have another task in mind for him."

Kakashi thinks it over.

"Fine. But if your little meeting takes too many days I'm dumping them on Obito. And you owe me a spar after."

Sasuke inclines his head. He would have sparred Kakashi anyway, he knows how much Kakashi wants to win his Jounin vest.

"Of course."

He almost wishes Kakashi good luck, but then thinks better of it. If Kakashi thinks training Genin are too much work, he's likely to dump it on someone else from the start and work on something for his exam. Sasuke just ruffles his hair, making Kakashi roll his eyes, and walks over to Obito.

"I am working with Tsunade on some necessary items the next day or so. Would you be willing to show her student around? Her name is Shizune."

Obito salutes him merrily while continuing to stretch.

"You know it! I'll show her everything there is about this village!"

Sasuke huffs.

"I'm sure you will."

Obito pauses in his stretches, a silent invitation for Sasuke to ruffle his hair. Sasuke does, and takes his leave.

Minato is waiting for him on the edge of the training ground. His face is bright, but there's an undercurrent of seriousness. It almost gives Sasuke pause, but he shakes it off.

"Are you ready?"

Sasuke inclines his head. 

Minato talks animatedly the entire walk to Orochimaru's, something about his mission, but Sasuke isn't listening that closely. He's too busy worried about this unsealing. If something goes wrong, it could be catastrophic. If Orochimaru is injured enough to bleed, Tsunade might be unable to heal him. She might also change her mind at the last minute. So might Orochimaru, though Sasuke doubts that greatly. 

They arrive at Orochimaru's house, and Sasuke finds that Tsunade is already there, waiting tensely at Orochimaru's table. Minato enters after Sasuke, and as he closes the door, he sticks some sort of seal on the wall, and activates it immediately. Sasuke vaguely recognizes it as a privacy seal, but there are several parts of it he doesn't understand at all. Sasuke greets his host with a nod of his head. He doesn't know what a person is even supposed to say in these sort of circumstances. That's what he has Minato for now, he supposes. As awkward as the future Hokage is, it's apparently endearing, as the man is very popular in the village.

Minato joins them at the table with a grim sort of smile, and unrolls a large seal onto the table. It's huge. Sasuke doesn't know why he thought the counterseal would be small, perhaps the fact that the original was so small. Minato looks to Orochimaru and addresses him directly.

"The seal you have on you, it's invasive. You know this. It can freeze your entire body if you make the wrong move, or if you say the wrong thing. That is also its defensive mechanism. When we try and nullify it, it's going to attempt to burn you out from the inside. The counterseal is made in several parts. The first is to try and protect your nervous system, to ensure that the seal can't damage your brain. Then, it will attack the seal directly. It will attempt to erase it entirely, but I built in a backup in case things go sideways that will leave the seal in place but nullify all the effects of it. Or, at least, I'm pretty sure it will."

Orochimaru listens with the patience of someone who's clearly heard all of this before. Minato continues.

"Ideally, I'd prefer it to be risk free. But with circumstances being what they are... Are you still willing to go through with this, knowing it could potentially kill you, or brain damage you, or some effect we aren't even aware of?"

Orochimaru blinks his golden eyes once, twice. He looks to Sasuke. Sasuke isn't sure what he's looking for, so he doesn't know what to give. He meets Orochimaru's gaze evenly. The Sanin turns back to Minato.

"Yes. I've considered the possible outcomes, and this is the only path with the potential to not lead to my death."

Minato nods then. Sasuke notes that Tsunade has gone quite pale, and is uncharacteristically quiet. Sasuke decides not to mention his particular brand of backup plan to the group. He's sure Orochimaru may have already guessed it. 

There is a moment where they're all silent, taking in the magnitude of what they are doing.

Then they start moving. Sasuke and Tsunade clear the kitchen of all items and furniture, including the table and chairs, Orochimaru goes to partially disrobe, and Minato starts transferring the first part of the seal to the floor. This part of sealing Tsunade is clearly familiar with, and she helps Minato draw out the enormous circle on the floor that Orochimaru is meant to sit inside of. The whole thing is complex. Sasuke is willing to help, but he's unsure what to do, so he simply watches.

Orochimaru returns, stripped down almost entirely, save a short pair of pants that look to be made of cotton. He watches alongside Sasuke as the other two paint the floor.

Minato calls for Orochimaru to be seated about an hour later, and he does. 

The next stage begins, and Sasuke is tasked to help with it. Minato is attempting to recreate his seal on Orochimaru's skin, and he asks Sasuke to check over his sealwork to make sure the patterns match down to the brushstroke. 

Sasuke starts with the circle on the floor, critiquing it as carefully as possible. While he started out seeing Orochimaru as a potential information source, Sasuke has to admit to himself that they've grown beyond it into an actual friendship. Sasuke finds that he's more invested in this sealing going well than just as a way to finally sink Danzo. He wants Orochimaru to make it out of this alive, and relatively unharmed.

The painting takes hours. By the time Minato finishes, it's evening. At some point, Tsunade has gone out and purchased food. They eat in silence. Tsunade is almost as pale as Orochimaru. Minato is getting calmer by the second, a sure sign of him focusing, going into mission mode. Sasuke finds himself the slightest bit fidgety, and he sees that Orochimaru is the same. Both twitch slightly as they eat, and both are hiding it badly.

Eventually they can't pretend they're eating anymore, and the time comes.

Minato asks again,

"Orochimaru, this is your final chance to say no."

Tsunade jerks as if she's going to be sick, but refrains. Orochimaru inclines his head.

"I trust that my teammate has taught you well. This is still my best chance."

Minato looks seriously at Tsunade.

"No matter how bad this gets, you cannot, cannot heal him until the counterseal is finished. If he gets any extra chakra in his system, it will kill him. Do you understand?"

Tsunade's face colors slightly.

"What do you think I am, some rookie Genin? I've got it, Namikaze."

Minato looks to Sasuke. His blue eyes bore into Sasuke with a rarely seen seriousness. Sasuke is grateful for it. 

"If something happens, you can hold him down while the sealing is ongoing, provided you don't use chakra."

Sasuke breathes. In and out.

"Got it."

Minato takes his position, and Orochimaru locks eyes with Sasuke again. Sasuke holds his gaze as the sealing circle on the floor begins to glow as Minato infuses chakra. The chakra gleams silver, crawling up Orochimaru's body with the ink. Orochimaru stiffens, and in the split second before Orochimaru closes his eyes, Sasuke sees his pain, and the briefest flash of fear.

Then the Sanin's eyes close, and he begins to tremble. The swirling, glowing seals revolve around his body, rising and encasing him. Orochimaru clenches his fists, and Sasuke knows its time to enact his backup plan. He turns towards Tsunade, who's face is nothing short of horrified, and he casts a powerful genjutsu on her using his Rinnegan.

He doesn't even regret it, because the next second, Orochimaru begins to scream.

In Tsunade's genjutsu, she's watching the sealing, but Orochimaru is in no pain and she is emotionless. If she ever finds out this was a genjutsu, she'll likely attempt to kill Sasuke for it. He had already judged the risks and decided he didn't care. It's more important that she not freak out over any potential blood than it is she be completely aware.

Orochimaru's screams intensify, and he begins to writhe. Sasuke has no idea what the counterseal is doing now, but he's hopeful it's almost over. The kind of pain that would make someone of Orochimaru's caliber react this way must be absolutely unbearable. 

Orochimaru keels forward, and starts seizing.

Sasuke jumps forward, and pins Orochimaru to the ground. It's hard, without being able to use chakra. Sasuke has to put almost his full weight on Orochimaru, but he tells himself it should be over soon. Seizures usually aren't too long, from what little he remembers from first aid in the Academy.

This one isn't.

The glowing ink around Orochimaru changes from silver to gold to red to back to silver again, and Orochimaru continues to seize. 

"Keep him still," Minato hisses. The blond is sweating, holding a handsign and trying to keep control.

Sasuke looks at the swirling ink, and decides if it was really important he not touch it, Minato would have said so. All he'd said was for Sasuke to keep him still. 

So Sasuke climbs on top of Orochimaru, half sitting on his stomach, and half kneeling to keep control. He pins Orochimaru's arms by his sides, one arm with Sasuke's arm, and one arm with Sasuke leg, and tries to keep him as still as possible. 

It goes on, and as it does, Sasuke realizes it's not a traditional seizure. The seizing isn't sporadic, or random. It's almost synchronized. And that is when Sasuke realizes it's Danzo's seal. Fighting.

Orochimaru chokes, and blood spews from his mouth, hitting Sasuke directly in the face. He finds himself hoping Orochimaru bit his tongue, and it's nothing more serious. The coughing continues, with every raspy breath Orochimaru draws between seizures, he splashes Sasuke with more blood. 

"Can I turn him" He grits out at Minato.

Before Minato answers, Orochimaru jerks upwards, almost unseating Sasuke, and vomits blood, drenching Sasuke. The sealing array explodes with light, and then fades. Orochimaru goes limp under Sasuke.

"It's done!" Minato calls.

Sasuke all but leaps off of Orochimaru, rolls the man over, but blood leaks slowly from the Sanin's lips, and the breathing Sasuke hears is shallow and raspy. 

"Tsunade!" Sasuke barks, and looks up. She's shaking, ashen faced. She's not under genjutsu. When did she break it?

Of course.

Perfect chakra control. Sasuke should have known she'd be immune to genjutsu. 

And there's blood coating everything. 

Sasuke turns his attention towards Orochimaru again. He's clammy, and hasn't opened his eyes. Sasuke doesn't know too much about medical arts, but that seems like a bad thing. If genjutsu can't help, Sasuke doesn't know what to do. He doesn't know enough medical jutsu to help in any way. 

Starting to panic, Sasuke looks up at Tsunade, but Minato gets there first.

Minato hauls back and slaps Tsunade across the face with a resounding crack.

"Do you want your teammate to die or not?!"

Tsunade absentmindedly touches her face where the red imprint of Minato's hand marks her skin.

"So much blood... So much blood..."

Minato gets in between Tsunade and her line of sight. And Sasuke sees him do something he'd never imagined out of the blond. 

Minato grabs Tsunade by the shoulders and literally yells at her.

"Tsunade! You are a Senju! Pull yourself together! Heal your teammate, NOW!"

The last word is a roar that is so laced with chakra that the hair on the back of Sasuke's neck stands up. To Sasuke's eternal surprise, Tsunade loses the glazed look in her eyes, and she nods.

Leaping forward, she puts her hands on Orochimaru, turning her head slightly so that she doesn't see so much of the blood. Her hands glow green and she starts pouring chakra into Orochimaru. It's easy to see why the woman is currently unmatched in terms of medical jutsu. She's pouring chakra in at such a fast rate it's dizzying. But Orochimaru doesn't look any better. His breathing doesn't deepen, his color doesn't improve. He just lays on the floor, lifeless.

Minato joins Sasuke at Orochimaru's side. He's shaking, Sasuke isn't sure why, but he can't pull his eyes off of the sight in front of him to find out. They watch in silence as Tsunade works.

Outside the window, the sun begins to rise. 

When Tsunade starts to shake, from chakra exhaustion this time, she removes her hands. Looking down at Orochimaru, she speaks quietly.

"I've done all I can for him. He's not dying. When he wakes up, we'll have to judge the damage then, and see if your little counterseal even worked."

Minato's voice is shaky, "But he will wake up, right?"

Tsunade trembles slightly. "If he knows what's good for him, he will."

That doesn't sound confident to Sasuke at all. He shifts slightly, and his whole body crinkles from dried and tacky blood still covering his front. Sasuke had forgotten.  

"We should move him to bed." His voice croaks.

Tsunade looks up at him, probably to agree. She takes in the sight of all the blood still drying on Sasuke, her eyes roll back into her head, and she passes out on the floor of the kitchen. 

Minato stands, arms still shaky, and walks over. He gathers Orochimaru up into his arms, all gentle movements. Sasuke gets up to follow him, and untucks Orochimaru's blanket so that Minato can deposit him. Minato does, and when he looks at Sasuke, his eyes look strangely distant.

"I think I almost killed a Sanin."

Minato keels over, and Sasuke barely catches him before he hits the floor. The amount of unconscious people in this house has immediately become ridiculous, even to Sasuke. 

Sighing, he hefts Minato over his shoulder and walks down the hall to the guest room. Luckily, there is a bed in it, like Sasuke had been hoping. It doesn't look like it's been slept in, maybe ever. It's even got a fine layer of dust on it. Sasuke dumps Minato onto it, trying not to jostle the man too much. 

He hopes Minato isn't allergic to dust.

Walking back to the kitchen, Sasuke decides it probably falls on him to clean up in here. He sighs. There's blood everywhere, and the table and chairs are stacked away. No use cleaning covered in this much blood. He should probably clean himself first.

He looks down at Tsunade, still on the floor. He debates trying to drag her somewhere, and decides against it. He just pulls her leg out from under her, so that she's in a more horizontal position and leaves her in the middle of the floor. 

Yeah, that seems fine.

He goes back into Orochimaru's bedroom, and grabs a towel and spare set of clothing. They're close enough in size, and they'll be cleaner than what he's wearing now. He chances a look at himself in the bathroom mirror, and even he winces. Sasuke looks like he's taken a shower in blood. His hair is stuck to his face, which has dried blood tracks down it. His clothes are even worse, since they have a mixture of blood and vomit on them.

After far too long scrubbing, Sasuke returns to the kitchen, reasonably sure he's free of blood. Tsunade is gone, and Sasuke doesn't sense her in the house. He hopes she made it to whatever place she's staying to sleep. He doesn't think Shizune deserves to deal with whatever terror a low on chakra, traumatized by blood Tsunade would probably be. 

The sun is high in the sky by the time he finishes reassembling Orochimaru's kitchen.  It's at this point he decides it's time to wake Minato, if he can. If Kushina is in the village, she's probably starting to worry about him. He shakes the blond awake, and Minato comes to.

Minato looks in on Orochimaru, and then looks at Sasuke.

"We did the right thing, right?"

He thinks the real question Minato is asking is probably 'did I do the right thing'.

Sasuke takes in Orochimaru's motionless form. He looks younger, asleep. Somehow more innocent.

"A fate with Danzo is a fate worse than death."

Minato exhales.

"Okay. Okay, I'll try and keep telling myself that."

Minato goes home to Kushina, as Sasuke thought he might. They decide Orochimaru shouldn't be left alone while he's unconscious, and Sasuke elects to take the first shift. After Minato leaves, Sasuke makes a shadow clone, and goes to sleep in the guest room for a few hours. 

He's woken, not by his shadow clone like he expected, but a messenger hawk tapping at the window. It doesn't question why Sasuke is in Orochimaru's house, and for that, Sasuke is glad it isn't a summon. It carries an immediate summon to the Hokage tower. Sasuke dismisses his current shadow clone, and makes another, slightly less tired one to stand watch over Orochimaru.

Then he makes it to the Hokage tower as quickly as possible. He doesn't know why he's been summoned, but it can't be good. He's supposed to have a whole week in the village to train with the genin before receiving another mission outside the village. 

It's late afternoon now, and when Sasuke arrives at the Hokage tower, his heart nearly stops when he notes that Minato and Tsunade are also there, holding summons. They look no happier to see him than he is to see them.

The three of them summoned together.. Had Danzo figured it out? Had their behavior been too suspicious?

"Anyone know why we've been summoned?" Sasuke grumbles as they climb the steps.

Minato shakes his head, "No idea."

Tsunade's mouth is in a firm line, and she shakes her head.

They're called into the office immediately, and Sasuke immediately sighs with relief.

In the office are Kakashi, Obito, Shizune, Izumo, Shisui, and Kotetsu.

The Hokage wouldn't have called them here about Orochimaru with all of their students present. Would he?

It does raise some interesting questions. Sasuke looks the kids over. Kotetsu's arm is in a sling. Izumo is covered in ash. Shisui is favoring his right side and pretending he isn't. Kakashi looks absolutely mortified. Obito and Shizune are covered with dirt, and look delighted. 

Sarutobi sighs.

"Thank you all for coming so quickly. This is an important matter, concerning your respective students."

Minato looks concerned, and he frets over Obito and Kakashi. After he confirms something to himself, he turns to the Hokage, "What happened?"

Sarutobi takes a long drag of his pipe. Tsunade interrupts.

"Before you start blustering, I'd like to hear it from them." 

She looks at Shizune. "What happened."

Shizune tries, and fails to look serious. "Sorry, Lady Tsunade. We, er. Had a training mishap."

The Hokage clears his throat. "That's a bit of an understatement, wouldn't you say, Shizune?"

Tsunade holds a hand up to shush Sarutobi, and surprisingly, it works. Shizune shifts, clearly unwilling to throw whoever was at fault under the bus.

Sasuke knows who to ask. He turns to Shisui.

"Shisui, report. Don't hold anything back."

Shisui looks nervously at Kakashi, who is pointedly not meeting his eyes. Then he takes a deep breath and reports.

"Izumo, Kotetsu, and I met up at the training ground as requested. Kakashi-senpai was there when we got there, and he said he was in charge of training us today. He said he had a training exercise in mind that would help him with the Jounin exams and help us too. First we all sparred together, and Kakashi-senpai watched us to judge our strengths and weaknesses."

Izumo looks greatly like he wants to jump in and add his two cents, which are probably along the lines of 'so awesome!' So Sasuke shoots him a look and silences him. Shisui continues, carefully not meeting anyone's eyes but Sasuke's. He tries to shift on his feet, but winces. Sasuke is going to have to teach him how to play off injuries better than that.

"Then Kakashi said we were going to play capture the flag. Like a mission objective. He said his teammate Obito would be guarding the flag, and Obito had a ninja visitor to the village with him. He would command us, as captain, and we would run the mission."

This sounds like a terrible idea already. Sasuke is not surprised whatsoever.

"We all got different jobs."

Izumo cuts in before Sasuke can stop him.

"I was on demolition! Kotetsu was on defense and Shisui was supposed to get the flag!"

Sasuke wants to put his face in his hand. He has to ask.

"Demolition?"

Izumo perks up,

"Yeah! I got a whole roll of paper bombs, and I'm pretty good at climbing trees now, so I strung them in all the trees around where Shizune was guarding the flag and then I blew them all up!"

A roll of paper bombs was enough to level a small forest. Sasuke's eyebrows raise. Minato turns to Kakashi.

"Kakashi! You let them do this?!"

Kakashi looks increasingly nervous. Tsunade turns to Shizune.

"What happened during this little game of yours?"

Shizune bounces briefly, then stills. She's still smiling.

"Well, Kakashi asked Obito and I to help and it sounded like a lot of fun so we hid the flag in this forest and I guarded it and Obito was the lookout. Once the explosions started happening Shisui and Kotetsu ran in from two sides to try and get the flag. Obito tried to get Shisui because he's the fastest, but Kotetsu distracted him and they started a taijutsu fight. I decided to take on Shisui but don't worry Lady Tsunade I didn't use any of my poisons at all!"

Tsunade does not look impressed by the admission, but she motions for Shizune to continue.

"Kotetsu I think was a little confused by how loud the explosions were and Obito accidentally broke his arm. That made Izumo mad and when he came down to help he forgot to stop stringing the paper bomb and the ground started blowing up behind him. Before I could do anything to help, Kakashi jumped down and tackled Izumo before he accidentally blew himself up. I thought it was a distraction so I went back for the flag and then a HUGE explosion happened and we all went flying! I think Shisui hit a tree but he swore he didn't."

She stops for a breath. Izumo cuts in.

"BUT WE GOT THE FLAG!"

Obito points an accusing finger,

"Just because your teammate accidentally blasted you in the direction of the flag doesn't mean it's not cheating!"

"Silence!" The Hokage booms and all the students go silent.

"As you've heard, your students blew up an entire section of forest, made the civilian section afraid we were under attack and start panicking, and ruined the landscape, as well as almost got themselves killed. This is, of course unacceptable."

The look he gives Sasuke, Minato, and Tsunade silently demands them to punish their students. Tsunade actually has her head in her hand. Minato looks so absolutely shocked his mouth is open, gaping like a fish. Sasuke looks over to Kakashi, and sees the growing worry on his face. He's probably concerned he won't make Jounin for this. Actually, all the kids look nervous. But especially Kakashi.

Sasuke walks over and puts a hand on Kakashi's shoulder. He turns to the Hokage.

"This is my doing, I'm afraid. I asked Kakashi to work with the Genin to practice for his Jounin exams."

Sarutobi splutters. Sasuke turns to Kakashi.

"Did you learn anything?"

Kakashi looks at him, really looks at him, and his face drops, "I'm sorry."

Sasuke shakes his head.

"That's not what I meant. I meant, what did you learn from this exercise?"

Kakashi searches Sasuke's face, shocked that Sasuke is taking blame for this, and Sasuke squeezes his shoulder gently, his best attempt at encouragement. Kakashi thinks for a moment. 

"Izumo should probably not be trusted with so many paper bombs at once unless it's an emergency. Kotetsu is shy except when his teammate's safety is on the line. Shisui is agile and he throws the enemy off because he looks like a baby."

Shisui looks incredibly offended. Sasuke looks at his Genin.

"What did you learn?"

Izumo predictably goes first.

"Always look where you're laying your paper bombs!"

Shisui follows it up,

"If the enemy can see you and catch you, they'll fight you."

Kotetsu doesn't answer until Sasuke looks expectantly at him.

"Be aware where your teammates are."

Sasuke looks at Kakashi. He still looks on the verge of devastated. Sasuke leaves the hand on his shoulder, and looks at the Hokage.

"It sounds like the exercise was a success to me, Sir. Kakashi did as requested."

Obito cheers, and the rest of the students looks relieved. Kakashi lets out a breath, and relaxes a little. Sarutobi starts to get red in the face. Sasuke follows up quickly with,

"They will all, of course, spend as much time as necessary repairing the damage to the training ground, and personally apologize to the civilians they scared. This too, is a part of training."

Tsunade catches Sasuke's drift and smirks.

"I think it was good for Shizune to learn some teamwork, we've been out of the village so long, and she's only had me for training. We are indebted to Kakashi for including her in this exercise, and to Obito for working with her."

Minato looks less sure, but Sasuke and Tsunade meet him with equally hard stares.

"Well, I guess since no one got hurt..."

The Hokage slouches slightly, and he looks tired.

"Fine. Sasuke, I ask that in the future you be directly involved in overseeing future 'exercises'",

The so it's easier to punish you goes unsaid. 

"However,"

He shoots a stern look at Obito, who smiles unflinchingly, and Kakashi, who deflates a bit underneath Sasuke's hand.

"You must be much more careful when training. These sorts of destructive exercises are not excusable. Especially in the wartime when nerves are high."

Kakashi utters a, "Understood, sir."

Obito looks unrepentant, but gives a jaunty salute anyway.

Sarutobi looks at the three sensei.

"Please get out of my office, and take your students with you."

Outside the office, Obito and Shizune excitedly high five Izumo and Shisui, and they all start chattering excitedly. Kotetsu even smiles slightly.

Kakashi, however, steps closer to Sasuke. This is the point where Sasuke would have knelt to talk to him. But Kakashi isn't six anymore, and he comes up to Sasuke's chest in height now. 

"I'm sorry I got you in trouble with the Hokage."

Sasuke puts his hand on Kakashi's head.

"Don't be. Just be a little more cautious in the future. Izumo should absolutely not be trusted with paper bombs."

Kakashi looks at him, puzzled.

"Aren't you angry at me?"

Sasuke has literally never shown an ounce of anger towards Kakashi, even when he's occasionally been so infuriating Sasuke wants to break something.

"Why should I be?"

Kakashi looks upset, like Sasuke is punishing him by making him explain his crimes.

"I broke the rules. A shinobi must always follow the rules."

"Hm. Well, I think that shinobi should follow the rules. But, a shinobi that abandons his teammates is worse than that." Sasuke says it carefully, judging Kakashi's reaction.

"You didn't abandon your teammates, and you jumped in front of a paper bomb to save Izumo. I'm proud of you for that."

Kakashi looks at Sasuke with an unreadable expression.

"But that doesn't explain..."

Sasuke hates explaining himself. He sighs.

"I'm not going to get in trouble with the Hokage for one little training accident. It was an easy decision to make."

Kakashi looks a little lost. The only thing Sasuke hates worse than explaining is explaining feelings. But with that look on Kakashi's face, he has to try.

"You are, important. To me."

Sasuke is sure he doesn't imagine Kakashi leaning slightly into his hand at the words. To say Sasuke is uncomfortable would be an understatement. He goes for levity.

"Besides, the whole thing was humorous, don't you think?"

Kakashi hates talking about feelings even more than Sasuke does. He clears his throat, and smiles a little,

"Yeah, I guess it was, wasn't it?"

Sasuke notices Minato trying and failing to look like he wasn't eavesdropping on that whole conversation. Obito and Izumo run up to Sasuke, cutting off any reaction Minato might have had.

"Hey hey can we go get ramen, Mr. Sasuke?!"

"Yeah, please Sasuke-sensei?"

Sasuke looks down at their faces, so hopeful. He turns to Kakashi,

"Well, what do you think?"

Kakashi slowly gets a wicked look in his eyes. 

"Ramen is for winners."

Obito screams. Sasuke huffs a laugh.

After ramen, he'd go and continue his vigil over Orochimaru, but for now, he can enjoy some ramen with the kids.

Chapter Text

The training field clean up ends up taking the better part of two days. This is relieving to Sasuke, because it allows he and Minato to take shifts watching over Orochimaru without too much attention. Tsunade floats in and out, and she's clearly torn between her desire to make sure Orochimaru is okay, and her need to get out of the village as quickly as possible.

Sasuke is unsure whether or not he should be alarmed that no one has gone looking for Orochimaru. He's been out of the eye of the village for three total days, and not one person has come to the house, sent a message, or come to look for him. On one hand, it's made hiding his absence far easier than they had anticipated. On the other hand... Sasuke had been sure that Danzo kept a close eye on his important investments. Either he trusts Orochimaru to continue without his oversight, or he's staying quiet for a reason. Both are uncomfortable conclusions. As for Orochimaru himself, in the past two days he hasn't done as much as stir. And soon, the training ground will be fixed, and either Sasuke or Minato's team will certainly be called out of the village. If not both.

Sasuke gets word from Kakashi that the training ground has been repaired. As the Jounin responsible, Sasuke goes personally to check out the repairs before they report to the Hokage. He arrives to find the training field in excellent shape. The ground has been reformed, grass has been replanted. The dead and fallen trees have been cleared. All of the students are standing off to the side, watching. Well, Kakashi is watching. Sasuke hears his Genin sparring nearby, and Obito and Shizune are talking animatedly together. The two have definitely made friends. Sasuke has never seen Shizune show anything but a serious side. Either due to her youth in this time, or Obito's influence, she's been happy and talkative whenever Sasuke has seen her.

There is nothing left to do here. The field is as repaired as it can be. Sasuke calls the group to attention, and when he sees his Genin come out from behind the trees, he almost groans. Izumo is holding a tanto he definitely didn't have before, and Kotetsu is lugging a battleaxe that's as tall as he is. He'll have to ask about that, but first.

"The repairs on the training field are complete. I will make the report to the Hokage. You can return to regular training today."

They all nod, and Kakashi, Obito, and Shizune move to the side, but no one starts training immediately. Sasuke looks down at his Genin. 

"Kotetsu, Izumo. Where did you get those weapons?"

"Kakashi-senpai gave them to us." Kotetsu looks up at Sasuke, trying to judge whether Sasuke is happy about it or not. Sasuke betrays no emotion.

"He said if we won the training he would help us with one thing of our choice, and we won, so we earned them, Sasuke-sensei." Izumo is earnest, and he's clutching the tanto as if it might disappear.

Sasuke looks at them. They look so excited, clutching their new weapons. Neither of them are even holding them correctly. This is going to be so much work.

"You'll have to train with them for a while before I allow them on missions."

Their matching smiles are wide and they chorus together,

"We will, Sasuke-sensei!"

Sasuke turns to Shisui.

"What did Kakashi teach you?"

Shisui smiles his childish, crooked smile.

"Can I show you?"

And isn't that a wonderful opening. Sasuke is immediately on guard.

"Sure."

Shisui stands back, turns, and makes a handmotion. Sasuke tenses. Shisui shunshins across the whole field and directly into a tree. Or, he would have hit a tree, if Sasuke hadn't made it there first and caught Shisui by the back of the collar. 

An out of control shunshin and two unusable weapons. Sasuke wonders if it's too late to punish Kakashi for this whole fiasco. He's going to be smoothing out these new techniques for potentially literal years. 

Well, it's not like he hadn't known Genin were a lot of work. Which was the whole reason he hadn't wanted a team in the first place, but they're here now, all staring happily at him, showing off their new skills. And Sasuke can't find it within himself to be upset with them for it. Besides, Kakashi had evidently put quite a bit of thought into what he taught each of them.

Kotetsu was geared toward defense, so making him a heavy hitter had been a good move. Izumo was quick and unafraid of head to head combat, which made the tanto a good enough weapon to begin with. As for Shisui, his gift was speed, and showing him a jutsu that amplified it was helpful. Kakashi had no way of knowing that Shisui had once earned the moniker of "Shisui of the Shunshin", but he'd once again set him on that path.

"Shisui, you need to learn some control before you try and use that unsupervised."

He'd almost ended up in the hospital just then. Shisui smiles again and nods happily.

Training for today... Sasuke would happily set them all on D ranks, but the truth is, they'd been doing to equivalent of a D rank for the last couple of days. And Sasuke still has to report to the Hokage. 

"Your training today."

All three of them stand to attention.

"Information gathering."

They all slouch disappointedly. Before they can interrupt him, Sasuke continues.

"Go to the library, and check out a scroll on your new techniques. Kotetsu, Izumo, find a beginners kata for your respective weapons. Shisui, find a scroll about the Shunshin technique. You may practice what you find in your scrolls."

At once, they all brighten again. The whiplash they go through is honestly astounding. They all give him a salute, and start to run off. Sasuke grabs Shisui's collar before he disappears from sight.

"Shisui, your scroll should have warm up techniques to the Shunshin. Even though you can perform the Shunshin, the warmup techniques can be practiced safely. I want you to perfect those, and not use Shunshin without my supervision. Understood?"

Shisui nods seriously. Sasuke releases him.

"Alright."

Shisui runs to catch up with his teammates. Kakashi and Obito are gone from sight, as is Shizune. Sasuke decides to file his report before he switches watch with Minato. 

Sasuke has barely made it into the village limits when he's waylaid by a frantic looking toad. Sasuke's never seen a summon look frantic before, but this one is.

"Urgent." It croaks and then unsummons. 

Sasuke runs.

He bursts through the door to Orochimaru's house to the feeling of roiling chakra and Killing Intent. Sasuke heads toward the source, the back bedroom and starts hearing raised voices.

The door is open, and Minato and Tsunade are just inside. Sasuke steps in beside them and takes in the scene.

Orochimaru is awake, and crouched in the corner of the room. He is snarling, and the full intensity of his Killing Intent is washing over the room. He looks feral, almost as terrifying as the Orochimaru Sasuke met for the first time in the Forest of Death.

"You are not her. Who are you really?!"

Tsunade is unleashing massive amounts of chakra as well, her emotions broiling off of her.

"I am Tsunade, you idiot! Why can't you listen to me!"

Minato is standing to the side, looking worried. He too, is releasing chakra, a calming kind that Sasuke assumes is meant to settle the two Sanin. It is not working. Which he obviously knows as he's currently tense, ready to attack. Sasuke isn't sure who he's planning on subduing.

Sasuke moves behind Tsunade and next to Minato as carefully as possible while Tsunade continues to yell and Orochimaru hisses back.

"What's going on," Sasuke keeps his voice as an undertone.

"Orochimaru woke up, but he was disoriented. So I called for Tsunade. And, well..." Minato gestures minutely at the two. 

Orochimaru's eyes flick to Sasuke.

"You too?!"

Sasuke takes a breath. They have to calm this, immediately.

"Tsunade, you need to leave."

Tsunade turns on him, rage flowing out of her like a physical force, her pigtails flying back from the force.

"Not until I check my teammate! Not until I convince him it's me!" 

"You're not helping right now," Sasuke keeps his voice as level as possible.

Tsunade dismisses him and takes a step towards Orochimaru, her hand outstretched.

"Let me help you, Orochimaru!"

The chakra in the room takes a turn for the worse. Orochimaru's Killing Intent spikes, and he looks ready to lunge. As if in response, Tsunade's chakra forcefully pushes harder. Minato tenses.

"Minato, get her out of here now." 

The blond looks unsure, "but what about you?"

"I'll be fine, get her out." Sasuke insists. If Orochimaru goes on a rampage, it'll be extremely difficult to stop him, almost impossible without killing him.

Minato blinks, and then he's behind Tsunade. He slaps a seal on her, and all her chakra gets sucked out of the room. The blond throws an arm around her waist, and bodily drags her from the room. She starts screaming obscenities at Minato, and Sasuke does not envy the man one bit.

The second the door closes, Sasuke turns back to Orochimaru. He's still crouched, with a snarl on his face, and the Killing Intent has not lessened in the slightest. He looks like a caged animal. Sasuke opens his hand nonthreateningly, and stays back.

"She's gone."

"And yet you're still here," Orochimaru hisses.

Clearly, Orochimaru thinks something is going on here, but Sasuke doesn't know what. Would he even answer if Sasuke asked? Sasuke decides to try it.

"What's going on?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that question?" Orochimaru spits. "Ask your master, why all the tricks?"

Sasuke's... Master?

"And who might that be?" Sasuke tries to stay nonthreatening, but it's increasingly difficult as the Killing Intent in the air is choking.

Orochimaru begins to look irate.

"As if you don't know. You made a mistake. If you wanted me to trust you, you shouldn't have started with Tsunade. Only a fool would fall for that henge."

So the Sanin thinks they're all fake. But why?

"I am Sasuke. Sense my chakra if you don't believe me."

Orochimaru should have been able to tell if Tsunade was actually Tsunade as well, but Sasuke has heard that chakra signatures can change slightly over time, growing with personality. Perhaps her time away from the village changed her just enough to seem an imposter.

"How can I, when you've hidden it so well?" Orochimaru's eyes are starting to hold confusion, and Sasuke isn't sure if that's an improvement or not.

Steeling himself, Sasuke releases his chakra slowly, letting it interact with Orochimaru's toxic Killing Intent. It feels a little like being flayed alive, but Sasuke maintains it. The Killing Intent flickers, and the confusion grows on Orochimaru's face.

"You can't be. The real Sasuke would never work with him."

It's much harder to think, now that his chakra is exposed and being attacked. "Him" has to be Danzo.

"You're not with Danzo, Orochimaru."

Sasuke is almost choking, now. He won't be able to keep his chakra open to sensing much longer.

"Where else could I be expected to be tortured in Konoha?" The venom in his voice almost makes Sasuke's knees buckle, and he withdraws some of his chakra to keep his feet under him.

"It, wasn't torture." Every breath hurts. "We removed your seal."

The Killing Intent lightens, and Sasuke drags a breath in. Orochimaru looks puzzled, and Sasuke assumes he's checking the seal himself, with his own chakra.

"Say his name," Sasuke isn't sure what else would work. If anything would.

"Danzo." The word is whispered from across the room, and Orochimaru flinches as if expecting pain. When none comes, all the Killing Intent leaves the room with a nearly audible whoosh. 

Sasuke drops to a knee, gasping a little for breath. He'd forgotten how utterly poisonous Orochimaru's chakra could be when he wanted. The Sanin falls backward. He still looks disoriented. But he's not trying to kill Sasuke at the moment, so Sasuke sees it as an improvement.

"You're in your house. I left Konoha and returned with Tsunade. The two of us, along with Minato, applied a counterseal. It went about as well as could be expected. You've been unconscious for three days."

Orochimaru's face goes absolutely blank for a moment. Then two.

"I... Remember."

Sasuke regains his breath and stands again.

"You should lie down."

Orochimaru closes his eyes. Sasuke waits until he opens them, and takes a step towards him. Orochimaru watches him but doesn't show signs of distress. So Sasuke takes another, and then another. Until he's directly in front of the Sanin. Orochimaru's tired eyes meet Sasuke's, and Sasuke extends his hand.

Orochimaru takes it, and Sasuke pulls him to his feet. The Sanin limps over to the bed and sits on it, sighing.

"Tsunade is going to kill me."

Sasuke dismisses that with his hand.

"I'm sure she took it out on Minato already. Should I let her back in?"

"She'll force her way in eventually anyways." Orochimaru no longer looks angry, or confused. But there is a deep well of exhaustion behind his eyes.

Tsunade storms in the minute Minato relieves her of the seal. Minato follows behind her and Sasuke overhears him muttering 'even louder than Kushina'. The female Sanin marches right up to Orochimaru, still sitting on his bed.

"Are you going to let me help you now or what." 

Orochimaru just exhales in response, and Tsunade gets to work, green hands glowing. Orochimaru doesn't look better by the time she finishes, but he doesn't look worse. Tsunade announces her results.

"HIs whole chakra system is just short of fried. He should be resting for the next few days, and should be off missions for even longer, but there is no lasting damage to his brain."

Minato sways on his feet with relief written all over his face.

Tsunade swats the back of Orochimaru's head.

"Since there's no brain damage, you have no excuse for being a moron. What was that even about?"

Orochimaru looks loathe to respond. Sasuke decides to step in.

"We've got bigger problems, Tsunade. Orochimaru, now that you are no longer sealed, what can you tell us about Danzo? Do we have enough to take him down?"

Minato and Tsunade snap to attention, and watch Orochimaru carefully. He looks, almost nervous.

"I, need to clear some things from my lab. Things Danzo shouldn't get his hands on."

Sasuke has a general idea of the sorts of horrors his lab might show. 

"I agree. However, will we have enough to take to the Hokage?"

Orochimaru nods grimly.

"You will. We need to clear the lab as quickly as possible, however."

Sasuke prepares himself for the kind of experiments they will find inside.

Chapter Text

They decide to clear the lab that evening, since Sasuke still had a report due, and Minato had a summons, likely for a mission. They were to meet in the Forest of Death after sundown.

Sasuke files his report with no issues, and pulls as many sealing scrolls as he can into his pack. Sasuke knows better than most what sort of experiments Orochimaru could have been up to. He's slightly concerned that Tsunade may not handle any potential blood well, but he has no way to warn her of it without overplaying his hand.

Before he heads to the Forest of Death, he drops by the library to secretly check on the progress his Genin were making, and is reassured to find them all sitting at a table together, reading scrolls. They each have a notebook and seem to have filled several pages of notes already. If they're studying in the library, they're doing fine for now. He slips out as silently as he can and heads towards the Forest.

He is met by the gates by Orochimaru, Tsunade, and... Kushina. The redhead smiles grimly when she sees him.

"I'm Minato's replacement for this. He filled me in, ya know?"

Orochimaru and Tsunade look impatient to get going, but Sasuke finds himself slightly concerned.

"Is Minato... okay?"

Kushina makes a so-so gesture with her hand.

"Hokage called him in. We had a mass of casualties on the front line. Minato and his team are supposed to make a preemptive attack. Minato said if it worked, it might start ending the war, ya know? It's classified, but he's a little stressed out about it, seeing as his team is supposed to go too. Kakashi even got made Jounin for it, so it's looking serious, ya know?"

Kakashi made Jounin. Sasuke finds he's slightly disappointed. If he'd made Jounin in the exams, Sasuke would have been able to plan for some sort of gift, and celebratory dinner. As it is, Kakashi is preparing for a high stakes mission and Sasuke is going to clear out a lab full of potentially terrifying experiments. Sasuke will simply have to catch him before he goes off on his mission tomorrow, and give what congratulations he can. 

Tsunade interrupts his thoughts by tapping her foot impatiently, causing small tremors.

"Are you ready or what, brat?"

Sasuke nods his assent, and off into the woods they go. Sasuke is glad to not see Shizune on this trip. Whatevere they are going to find is not something Sasuke would want her to see. Kushina keeps up a steady stream of one sided conversation, asking Tsunade all about her travels in between her gushing about how great it is to have such a powerful kunoichi in the village and that they should totally train together. Tsunade responds with short, one word answers, but Kushina doesn't seem to mind. Orochimaru is moving slowly, and Tsunade had said he probably wouldn't be able to channel his chakra for quite some time as he recovered, but he doesn't look nearly as bad off as he had before. That doesn't completely explain the way the man looks more and more nervous, shifting on his feet, the closer they get to their destination.

They get to the secret entrance, which looks like a tree like every other tree nearby, without incident, and Orochimaru relaxes minutely after he examines his seals.

"Danzo has not been here."

That's a relief to all of them. The door in the tree requires Orochimaru's chakra to enter, so he slices his palm open and smears his blood on the door. As they enter, Tsunade heals his hand with a flash of green. Inside the doorway is clearly the office and paperwork side of the research area. It holds a desk and several filing cabinets, along with a chair. Orochimaru looks like he's seen a ghost. Sasuke looks down the hall, past the reception area. There is nothing in sight, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything.

"Do you have specific tasks for us?"

Sasuke asks, knowing he's going to comb through this whole lab, but wondering if Orochimaru is willing to try and warn off Tsunade or Kushina. Tsunade scoffs loudly.

"Let's just walk through and see what we're dealing with first."

And she stalks off. Orochimaru pales even more. Sasuke motions to Kushina and the two of them follow in Tsunade's footsteps. The literal first room in the hallway, Tsunade enters and cries out. Kushina rushes to her side. Sasuke takes his time, unworried. Entering the room himself, Sasuke finds that it's full of operating tables, meticulously cleaned, but some scuffed enough to have obviously been used. They are all outfitted with hand, ankle, and head bonds.

And each of them is child sized.

Tsunade spins around and points a finger at Orochimaru. 

"What have you been doing!?" Her tone fluctuates between desperate and enraged. 

Sasuke doesn't give Orochimaru time to respond.

"Firstly, Orochimaru was sealed heavily. Secondly, if you're going to do this in every room, this is going to take forever."

Tsunade gapes at him, and a very pale Kushina gives Sasuke a side eye that means she's suspicious, but not saying anything yet. Sasuke notes that each examination table has a monitor next to it.

"Do the monitors hold important information?"

Orochimaru shakes his head.

"The readouts are in the filing cabinets."

Sasuke nods, and leaves the room. This time, the women follow him. The second room has tanks that Sasuke recognizes as ones Orochimaru kept potential victims in, but they're all empty. He leaves that room too. The next room looks like a training ground. The floor is slightly cracked, but there's no equipment except for two wooden training posts.

The next room starts the turn for the worse, at least for Tsunade and Kushina. It is full of calcified and jarred specimens. Some of it obviously human. Most of it incomprehensible. Tsunade starts going through them, her chakra roiling faster and more chaotic with every human specimen she finds. Kushina looks like she might be sick. Sasuke has seen far worse. He turns to Orochimaru.

"Are any of these important?"

Orochimaru looks cagey, but answers more straightforward than Sasuke thought he might.

"For potential continued research, yes. For current information gathering, no."

Tsunade drops a jar, and it clunks loudly on the floor and begins rolling.

"What did you just say? 'Potential continued research'?! These were people, Orochimaru! You're..." Tsunade grasps for words. Sasuke notices she has tear tracks on her cheeks, and he looks at the dropped jar to see that it's a very tiny brain.

"You're a monster!"

Orochimaru and Kushina both flinch. Tsunade looks about a second from trying to destroy the entire lab or start a fight. Sasuke assumes he needs to be the one to calm her down, but he has no idea what to say that won't cause her to immediately fly further into a rage. 

Kushina speaks up instead.

"Tsunade, maybe we should finish looking through everything before we have this conversation."

Kushina looks more torn than Sasuke has ever seen her. Sasuke has no idea what to do to help with any of this. How much of it was Orochimaru, and how much was Danzo? Sorting the whole thing out for himself is hard enough, trying to calm and sort things out for others is totally out of the question.

Orochimaru is silent, and just follows Sasuke as he heads into the hall. There is one room left. A small lab, but considering that Orochimaru has only been under Danzo's influence and in his lab for a few years, and only full time in the lab for a few weeks, the size begins to make more sense.

The last room is the worst, and Sasuke had saved it for last to avoid a fight, because he can feel chakra coming out from the door. Taking a breath, Sasuke pushes the door open.

It's full of cages. And the things in the cages are alive. There are animals, some Sasuke recognizes and some he doesn't. All of them look experimented on. There's a cage of rabbits all with extra limbs. There's a cage of something Sasuke isn't quite sure about, but it's obvious they are missing pieces. There are some cages with small animals, where the inhabitants are clearly deceased.

When Sasuke notices the first of those, Orochimaru quietly comments.

"I left enough nourishment for two days. It's been four."

In the very back, there is one more liquid tank. This one has a child in it. And the child is alive. It's watching them, with empty eyes, floating in the tank with nothing but a pair of shorts on. 

In short, Tsunade freaks out. She slams her palm against the glass, shattering it, and catching the child as he flows out with the liquid contents of the container. Kushina jumps to her side to help, and Tsunade's hands glow green instantly. 

Sasuke hangs back, and comments quietly,

"Do any of the animals need to be kept?"

Orochimaru is so quiet it's barely a whisper.

"Most would say it would be kinder to kill them."

While Kushina and Tsunade work on the child, Sasuke and Orochimaru systematically kill whatever is left. They're all broken, abominable things. Sasuke feels no regret. It's a kindness to the creatures to end their existence now. When they finish, Kushina is holding the child in her arms, and she is openly crying. Tsunade is shaking so hard it's surprising she's able to keep her feet. With rage or fear, Sasuke isn't sure. She's pulled her chakra in so tightly reading her mood is difficult. And Sasuke isn't very talented in that area to begin with.

They begin to backtrack through, and Tsunade snatches the sealing scrolls out of Sasuke's hands and starts sealing the files away quickly, her lips pursed. Kushina is sitting in the chair at the desk, combing through the boy's hair. While they are distracted, he pulls Orochimaru a step away.

"The jars. You said they could be used in potential research. If left, would Danzo have access to them?"

Orochimaru is standing straighter and straighter, a sure sign of the man trying to hide his thoughts.

"Danzo wouldn't know what to do with them, no."

Sasuke pauses a half second, and asks a question he's a little afraid of.

"Do you want to keep them?"

The real questions lies underneath. Sasuke is trying to judge, how much was Orochimaru, how much was Danzo. Now that Danzo has lost control of Orochimaru, does the desire for the experiments continue? Orochimaru can read right through his question, Sasuke has no doubt. He's not concerned about Orochimaru seeing his true intentions beneath the question. He is only concerned with the answer.

"Only one set of them."

"Alright." Sasuke follows Orochimaru back to the room and Orochimaru pulls out two jars, both labelled 'Hashirama', and seals them away. Sasuke knows exactly what that is, but he doesn't say anything. They walk to the doorway, and Sasuke casts a fireball jutsu large enough to burn the whole room to the ground, and closes the door. 

When they return to the front room, Sasuke helps Tsunade seal the rest of the documents into sealing scrolls.

"How is the boy?" He asks quietly.

Tsunade's answer is curt.

"Fine. I knocked him out for now."

They finish quickly, and leave the lab. There's a moment where they all look at each other. Kushina crying and holding an unconscious child. Tsunade uncharacteristically silent. Orochimaru standing ramrod straight and expressionless. Sasuke is just trying to figure this whole thing out, but one thing is for sure. They need to see the Hokage as soon as possible, for the best chance to catch Danzo.

Tsunade steps forward and punches Orochimaru so hard he flies into a tree with a resounding crack. Sasuke sighs. He really doesn't want to get in the middle of this. But he does. He grabs Tsunade's fist before she can go in for a second hit.

"We need him for the Hokage," Surely Tsunade is reasonable enough to see that even if she wants to kill him, they need him.

"How can you be so callous. Those were children, innocents!" Tsunade spits at him.

There's really not a good way to answer that. Saying that he's seen it all before is far too much to say. Saying he's seen worse from Orochimaru himself is out of the question. Voicing his own warring opinions doesn't seem like a great idea either. Somehow, Kushina manages to step in and save him yet again. She approaches, tears still silently streaming, the child cradled so carefully in her arms.

"He was sealed. We don't know how much of it was him until we talk to him." Her face is pale, but determined.

Tsunade looks like she wants to argue, but who's going to argue with the last known Sealmaster of the Uzumaki, especially when it comes to the potential of seals. Tsunade spits on Orochimaru instead. And starts walking towards the Hokage tower. Sasuke pulls Orochimaru to his feet. Tsunade had been thoughtful to avoid his head, which would have likely killed him on impact. However, his entire left ribcage feels like gravel.

Orochimaru hangs heavily onto Sasuke as they walk through the Forest, out of the gates, and to the Hokage's office. Sasuke had not even tried to argue Tsunade about waiting to have a plan before they all stormed in there. By the time they get there, it's the middle of the night. To Sasuke's surprise, there is a light on in Hiruzen's office. Tsunade marches up there, and Sasuke and Kushina follow behind, Sasuke with Orochimaru, and Kushina with the child.

Danzo is in the Hokage's office.

Orochimaru blanches beside him, and Sasuke is sure he's gone a few shades paler as well. 

"Ah, good of you all to join us, and with the person we were looking for as well." Danzo's smile is the most evil thing Sasuke has ever seen.

The urge to assassinate him on the spot overwhelms his senses, and he sees red. He forces himself to breathe, in and out. Tsunade has no such reservations.

"As if you have any room to talk, you ridiculous piece of filth. Sensei, we have evidence that Danzo Shimura is running an illegal operation underneath Konoha, against your knowledge."

The Hokage merely raises his eyebrows.

"And Danzo has brought me evidence that Orochimaru has been running experiments on children in secret. Who to believe, I wonder?"

His voice seems calm, but there is true steel underneath it. There is a reason he became Hokage, after all. 

"He and Orochimaru should both be put on trial if you ask me!" Tsunade slams her palm on the desk to accentuate her words.

Kushina's voice carries through the office. 

"We have evidence that Orochimaru had been sealed by Danzo to commit these acts. Since you've heard Danzo out, it's only fair that you hear him out too."

Her voice carries so much reason and conviction, Sasuke is vividly reminded that it is Kushina's dream to become the Hokage.

Hiruzen takes them all in, and sighs.

"This day has taken its toll on me already. In the interest of fairness, I will hear you out."

All eyes turn to Orochimaru. Sasuke carefully deposits him into a chair, so that he can't be accused of controlling him.

"I would prefer if Shimura were not here."

Danzo's eyes flicker with malice, but his voice is smooth, "I would prefer to hear these allegations against me, Hokage-sama, so that I may uphold my own honor."

"Granted," Hiruzen lights a pipe and begins to smoke, looking far older than his actual age. "But you cannot interrupt the allegations, as you called them."

Danzo makes a bow that seems exaggerated to Sasuke, but the Hokage seems used to it. "Of course."

Orochimaru is motioned to go ahead, so he does. He gives backstory, about how Danzo had approached him, tried to recruit him. He talks about how he hadn't wanted to join Danzo. Then he speaks of the sealing.

Danzo freezes minutely. He clearly hadn't expected for Orochimaru to be released from the seal. Sasuke hopes he's starting to sweat.

Orochimaru explains that he'd become aquaintences with Sasuke and Minato, and when they'd discovered his seal by accident, Minato had offered to help him remove it. This isn't exactly true, but Sasuke is glad for Orochimaru's discretion. He continues by describing all of the experiments Danzo had asked him to do, and they are horrific.

Orochimaru does not spare details as he explains that Danzo wanted to see if Hashirama's cells could be implemented into a Shinobi to give them both the healing abilities and the Wood Release of the First Hokage. The details of the experiments are sickening, and Orochimaru hands over the scrolls that they'd sealed out of his filing cabinets. He talks about all the children who'd died in the course of the experiments, and the one who had lived. This piques the interest of everyone in the room, and Orochimaru explains the child was the first to survive the procedure, and now had the Wood Style, but not the healing. 

He finishes by saying that he lied to Danzo about the surviving child so that Danzo couldn't get his hands on him as a child soldier, and the unsealing done by Minato, Sasuke, and Tsunade.

After he concludes, Hiruzen leans back in his seat.

"That is, quite the tale, my student. Danzo, do you have evidence to refute this?"

Danzo had recovered from his semi frozen state at some point, and his delivery is so calm it's almost believable. But not to Sasuke.

"If I were to seal your precious student, Hokage-sama, shouldn't there be a sign of a seal on Orochimaru?"

That's where he makes a mistake. Orochimaru still has the physical sign of the seal. When Orochimaru shows it off, Danzo pales slightly.

"It's my word against yours, Orochimaru." He says it patiently, like he's talking to a small child.

Tsunade interrupts.

"It's not his word against yours. There are witnesses. Sasuke and myself witnessed the seal personally. We are willing to prove it. In front of a Yamanaka if needed."

Hiruzen interrupts before it goes further.

"I think it's clear this is an important matter. I have a further question. Orochimaru, answer me honestly. How much of this experimentation was you, and how much was directly commanded by Danzo?"

Danzo looks offended that the Hokage would even dare ask such a thing. Orochimaru straightens, and winces.

"I'm not certain, Sensei... It is difficult to describe how I felt during it. But my original plans before this event were never to create child soldiers, or another Hashirama."

Danzo scoffs.

"Plans change, and so do dreams. It's foolish to pretend otherwise."

The fight looks like it's about to escalate. Tsunade looks torn on who she wants to fight more. Hiruzen interrupts.

"This will be continued. However," He gestures to the child.

"This child needs rest, and potentially a hospital. Kushina, Sasuke, and Tsunade, I ask that you accompany and care for the child while this is sorted out."

It's a clear dismissal. Only, Sasuke doesn't want to leave. Before he can voice his concerns, Tsunade growls.

"You are not kicking me out for this, Sensei. I'm staying, whether you like it or not."

"You would do well to obey your Hokage, girl," Danzo's voice is tense.

Tsunade smiles a terrifying smile.

"I could also kill both you and Orochimaru right here in the office so Sensei can be done with it."

Hiruzen raises his hand.

"Enough. Tsunade, you may stay. Kushina and Sasuke, please."

Sasuke isn't seeing a way out of this, so he gives Tsunade a look, trying to tell her what he can't say. 

She rolls her eyes at him. Sasuke hopes that is a sign of understanding.

He puts a hand on Orochimaru's shoulder briefly, then takes the child out of Kushina's arms and walks out the door, with her following behind.

They don't go to the hospital. They actually end up at a training ground, sitting quietly at first. Sasuke lays the boy down. Looking closer at him, Sasuke realizes he's actually met this child before. He was a captain of Team 7, he remembers. Yamato.

Kushina breaks the silence first.

"That was one of the worst places I've ever been, ya know?" 

Sasuke stays silent.

"You could feel the hurts there, soaked into the walls." Kushina shudders. Uzumaki are sensor type, Sasuke recalls. She probably felt a lot more from the chakra than he did, while they were in the lab.

"It was awful. I can't believe this little guy made it. The things he's seen. Do you think Orochimaru meant it when he said he was trying to protect the kid from Danzo?"

If this is Yamato, Sasuke knows he did a stint in ROOT. They all share the same expressions. Which is to say, usually none.

He nods as an answer.

"That seal. It was some nasty work, ya know? I've hardly seen such an invasive one before. I wanna know who developed it, and teach them a thing or two, ya know? They butchered everything that's good about sealing." She's starting to ramble, and Sasuke lets her. 

It's comforting, in a way. It reminds him of Naruto and Sakura, chattering away when they really should have been thinking. 

Her rambling dies out, after a while. And after even longer in silence, she says, "I don't think it's all his fault, ya know? Do you think he's a monster?"

Sasuke pauses. A loaded question. 

"I don't think anyone is a monster because of what other people force upon them," He glances sideways at Kushina, "Or inside them."

"I guess I am talking about me a little bit, too, huh?" She massages her stomach where her seal must be unconsciously.

"Yeah." 

They sit for a moment longer, then Sasuke is the one to break the silence.

"Should he be punished for his mistakes? Even if it wasn't all his doing, he did participate."

And he hadn't known himself how much of it was him. Sasuke's mind is spinning with it. Do people deserve forgiveness. Sasuke knows he hadn't deserved it. Hadn't deserved to have Sakura and Naruto accept him back, to give him this second chance, or even the people around him now.

"I think if people are trying to do better, that means they're not all bad inside, ya know? We might never know how much of it was him, but we also won't know if he would have done it without Danzo, so we can't judge on either, ya know? I guess we just make extra sure that he doesn't do anything like that again. Even after something like that, I think everyone deserves a second chance." Kushina is thoughtful, and she's stroking her hand through Yamato's hair. 

Sasuke had never seen Kushina as upset as she was going through that lab, and how many tears she'd shed. And yet she was here, saying that she was willing to forgive. To be careful, but to forgive. It's so, refreshingly Naruto. She would have been so proud of him. She still would be, Sasuke would make sure of it. Sasuke had seen so much horror that walking through a lab of child experiments hadn't affected him as much as it should have. And yet, Kushina was here, faced with the same darkness, and she threw light on it. She and Minato both, throw light onto the darkness.

Sasuke has seen the worst the Shinobi world has to offer. And he vows now to protect the light inside of it. Kushina is looking at him now, probably waiting for an answer.

"You're right."

A bright beacon of rage stalks towards them, and Sasuke easily recognizes it as Tsunade. Orochimaru is limping along quite some distance behind her. Sasuke has no idea how she found them.

"That stupid old man! How blind could he be!" Tsunade punches a tree, and the whole thing splinters and explodes under her touch. She punches another, and then another. After several trees are nothing but sawdust, she turns back to them.

"Sensei decided that Danzo was doing what he thought was best for the village, even though it was wrong. He's told Danzo to cease all of his underground activities, and then he LET. HIM. GO."

The world stops. Tsunade splinters another tree.

Kushina looks about as angry as Tsunade.

"What about this kid, ya know!? And all those other kids! He's gotta be stopped!"

Tsunade cries out with frustration.

"I KNOW! There is NOTHING I can do to change his mind. I TRIED!"

Kushina starts doing some sort of breathing exercise, and Sasuke feels the acrid, burning chakra of the nine tails in the air. Tsunade runs out of steam about tree number twelve. She comes back, and stares down at Yamato.

"I did the only thing I could for him. I made him a Senju."

Sasuke blinks. "What?"

Tsunade doesn't change position or look at him. "He has the Mokuton. That's a kekkai genkai of my family. It was within my rights as clan head. He's officially under my protection now. Not that that'll stop Danzo from going after him."

Sasuke has a sudden thought, and the world spins.

"Wait."

Tsunade pauses to look at him, and even Kushina slows her efforts to hold back the fox.

"You're saying Danzo is facing no consequences, and he now knows exactly who to blame."

Tsunade nods. "What are you, stupid? That's what I said!"

All the blood drains from Sasuke's face. He thinks of Kakashi, Obito, Shisui, Kotetsu, Izumo. Every connection he's made in this new timeline. Everyone he's tried to help.

"That means every single person we care about is a target."

And Danzo has nothing stopping him.

Chapter Text

Sasuke barely makes it back to the Hatake house before Kakashi leaves. Kakashi looks a bit irate, and Sasuke hopes it isn't because of him. He's wearing his new Jounin vest, and sorting his pack. 

"Congratulations on Jounin."

Kakashi huffs.

"They didn't even let me do the exams. I'm being treated like some kid."

That would be the source of irritation then. Sasuke is glad it isn't him, he's not sure he can deal with any difficult conversations today.

"The Hokage wouldn't have made you a Jounin if he didn't think you could do it."

Also, Kakashi is barely twelve, so he is a child, in Sasuke's opinion. Not that he's going to say that. 

Kakashi makes a face under his mask.

"If he believed in me so much, why is my first mission a joint leadership with my sensei?"

Sasuke wonders if Kakashi is aware that in any given mission there are multiple Jounin, unless it's a Genin squad. He decides not to mention it, for fear it would make Kakashi feel even more like a child.

"I heard that the mission may turn the tide of the war."

The boy doesn't answer right away. He finishes his pack, and stuffs some breakfast in his mouth. Sasuke politely looks away while he does. 

"I guess you're right. We're supposed to blow up Kannabi bridge."

Sasuke has no recollection of there being a Kannabi bridge in the future, so he feels no hesitation in saying, "I'm sure you'll be successful."

He walks Kakashi to the front gate, which Kakashi allows despite his insistence that he isn't a child. On the way, Sasuke apologizes for not having a Jounin gift for Kakashi, and he promises to have it upon Kakashi's return. In truth, Sasuke hadn't thought about it yet. He'd still thought he had months to go until Kakashi made Jounin.

They arrive at the gate to a more serious than usual Minato, an overly excited Obito, and a worried looking Rin. Sasuke knows Minato hasn't heard about the results of their attempted incrimination of Danzo. Kushina had said she would wait to tell him until he returned, so that he wasn't distracted on his mission. Sasuke has no idea why Rin is worried in particular, but it tends to be her default state, so he isn't overly concerned about seeing it, simply nodding kindly in acknowledgement when she looks his way.

Obito, true to form, runs up to Sasuke and hugs him as a form of greeting. Sasuke still isn't all that used to hugging as a whole, but he's gotten enough from Obito to know that the correct response is a ruffling of his hair. He pulls back and smiles at Sasuke.

"Thanks for coming to see us off, Mr. Sasuke!"

Sasuke dips his head,

"Of course."

Obito begs Sasuke to let him train again with Sasuke's Genin when he returns, and Sasuke agrees easily enough. After a moment, Minato announces that it's time to depart. Sasuke meets his eyes and they nod, a silent agreement for Minato to return. They run through the gates, and Sasuke turns to go back into the village.

He has his own work to do. He'd stayed with Kushina working on seals the whole night. Shisui's home he could expect to be reasonably protected, and Sasuke doesn't think there's any way the Uchiha would allow him to put extra seals on one of their houses. But Kotetsu and Izumo are civilian. They aren't protected by Shinobi, and after last night, Sasuke has no doubts that Danzo would kill either of them, just to prove a point.

He heads to Kotetsu's house first. When he knocks, there is no one at home except for Kotetsu. He learns that Kotetsu's parents work early, and have already left the house for the day. That's fine, it suits Sasuke's purposes all the same. He sticks the seals around the house. As many protection seals as Kushina knows how to draw. Kotetsu follows behind and watches as Sasuke applies a seal on all four corners, a seal over the front door, a seal on the roof, a seal underneath the window to what Kotetsu proudly states as his bedroom. Once applied, Sasuke imbues them all with a touch of chakra, and the whole house glows faintly for a moment, before the seals fade into invisibility.

Kotetsu asks him about the seals, of course. Sasuke simply tells the boy that they are protection seals that most Shinobi have on their house. Kotetsu does not question him further, and becomes visibly excited that he now has a 'ninja house'. He tries to hide it and remain stoic, which Sasuke finds amusing. 

Kotetsu's home finished, Sasuke takes Kotetsu along with him and they head to Izumo's house. There, Sasuke finds that Izumo's parents have also left for work for the day. Sasuke wonders if he should consider holding team practice earlier in the day, if two of his Genin are up so early anyway. 

He repeats the process on Izumo's house, while Kotetsu excitedly whispers about what Sasuke is doing. Izumo is loudly excited to hear that Sasuke is turning his home, too, into a 'ninja house'. Sasuke just wishes the seals actually did more. They keep outside chakra from getting into the house, and they protect a good deal of attempts at damage on the house itself. But Kushina admits that she doesn't currently have a seal that can keep a shinobi from breaking in altogether. So if a ROOT ninja wanted to get into the house, so long as they didn't cause damage to the house, they still could. Sasuke can only hope that Danzo will either overlook the two boys altogether as civilian, or that any attempts on their lives are flashy, and that the seals will help.

In truth, if Danzo really wants to get to his Genin, there isn't all that much Sasuke can do, short of kidnapping his team and keeping them under lock and key. Which he had considered the night before until Kushina had whacked him in the head for it. He'd also considered killing Danzo outright, and just dealing with the consequences. The only thing that had stopped him was the knowledge that to do so would label him a missing nin, and anyone still connected to Danzo would easily be able to get at his Genin or anyone else without Sasuke standing in the way.

By the time he finishes sealing Izumo's house, it's almost time to meet for practice, so Sasuke heads to the predetermined training field, Kotetsu and Izumo in tow. There is only one thing Sasuke can really do to protect them, and that is to teach them to protect themselves.

Shisui, ever the overachiever, is waiting when they arrive. Izumo bounds over to Shisui.

"Guess what? Sasuke-sensei turned our houses into ninja houses!"

Shisui looks to Sasuke, either for an explanation or confirmation. Sasuke nods.

"I put basic protection seals on their homes."

Stepping forward, Sasuke lightly smacks the back of Izumo's head.

"What use is a 'ninja house' if you tell everyone you meet?"

Izumo rubs the back of his head sheepishly. Shisui pins Sasuke with a hard look.

"Why?"

His uncanny ability to look underneath the underneath is slightly unsettling. Sasuke settles for a half truth.

"For protection. You may only be Genin, but I'm in the bingo book."

Shisui accepts the answer, probably mentally slotting Sasuke into the category of 'paranoid Jounin'. Which, was most Jounin, really. Sasuke doesn't think it's paranoid if you have proof.

He starts practice by making his Genin run over their chakra signaling. In the Academy, most Genin learn the basics of flaring their chakra in emergencies, to alert nearby Chunin and Jounin. Sasuke makes them run through it again, ensuring that they can all signal for help at least several blocks away. Once he's satisfied, he starts them on their physical warm up. 

Once they're all sweaty and gasping for breath, Sasuke explains their chakra exercises for the day. Kotetsu and Izumo would be water walking, under the supervision of a shadow clone, and Shisui would be working on a far more dangerous application of chakra on the riverbank. Izumo get started as he always does, by setting off at a run, and spluttering and falling in instantly. The splashing noises of the two falling in set the background noise for Shisui. Sasuke teaches him how to channel chakra into his eyes. 

Shisui won't be able to Shunshin accurately until his eyes can keep up with the speed at which his body is moving. And he doesn't have his Sharingan yet to help him out with it. It's a very delicate process. Use too little, and nothing would happen. Use too much, and Shisui could potentially blind himself. Which is why Sasuke is watching him very carefully.

By the end of the time Sasuke had allotted for chakra exercises, Kotetsu can walk, and run on water with little difficulty. Izumo had taken a grand total of five steps, but it was still a vast improvement. Shisui figured out the channeling easily enough, and is ready for the next step.

The last part of their practice involves their specialties. As Genin, Sasuke is going to try and round them out as much as possible, but for now he focuses on the basics, Izumo and Kotetsu practice forms with their new weapons, and Shisui practices the Shunshin. 

It's a lot of work. When Sasuke isn't reminding Izumo that he needs to slow down and focus on his form, he's grabbing Shisui from another misaimed Shunshin, but even the two of them don't stop Sasuke from noticing that Kotetsu's weapon is so heavy he's actually having trouble keeping it aloft for his forms.

Sasuke has never been more glad to go on a D rank, after that. They're tasked with helping a local farmer harvest his crops, and the kids groan in exhaustion, already tired before the mission even starts. Sasuke calmly reminds them that on missions outside the village they might have to keep going even if they're exhausted. Kotetsu quietly remarks that this D rank is good training for that then. Somehow after that it devolves into a competition about who can harvest the most. They aren't nearly as destructive about it as Naruto and Sasuke would have been at that age, so Sasuke just sighs and lets them go at it.

When they turn in their D rank at the mission office, all of them tired and covered in dirt, the Chunin at the desk hands Sasuke another mission.

"I apologize, but I think Team 1 is done for today."

The Chunin shakes his head.

"It's not for today, it's for tomorrow."

Suspicious, Sasuke opens the mission and reads the details. 

So it begins...

An 'unnamed person' has put in a special mission request. For Sasuke's team to make a run to the front lines to deliver supplies. And the maximum amount of fighting a rookie Genin team is allowed to take, one day shift on the front lines. 

It is not a refusable mission. Sasuke looks over it several more times to make sure, and then clenches it in his hand. Nodding to the Chunin, Sasuke whisks his team outside. They all look up at him expectantly, excited to hear about a new mission. Sasuke clears his throat.

"We are doing a supply and fight run. Tomorrow at dawn, meet me at the Quartermasters. Pack for combat."

Izumo and Kotetsu run off, excitedly giggling about how they must be the strongest Genin ever. Sasuke wonders how they can remain so optimistic after what they'd experienced on their last mission leaving the village. Shisui stays and looks critically at Sasuke.

"I made an enemy, didn't I, Sasuke-sensei?"

Sasuke tries to stay impassive. Who could Shisui possibly be thinking of. He's six. Sasuke really hadn't wanted to have any more difficult conversations today. But that's just his luck. He pushes his exhaustion to the back of his mind, and takes a breath to focus on the student in front of him. Shisui looks very worried.

"What makes you think that?"

Shisui pauses, and Sasuke watches the gears in his head turn.

"I guess since you're my sensei I'm allowed to tell you. They say in my compound that all the Uchiha get the bad missions, because we make people mad, and so we're only safe in the police force."

Sasuke doubts that Hiruzen even knows about it. This screams Danzo's involvement. Sasuke had been hoping that the Uchiha wouldn't be marginalized until after the nine tails attack, which he was hoping to prevent. Shisui is waiting slightly impatiently for Sasuke's answer. Sasuke isn't going to let Shisui carry the weight of what is actually Sasuke's problem. He crouches down to Shisui's level.

"I don't think you made an enemy. Even if you did, if you have an enemy, it's my enemy too. I'm not going to let anything happen to you or your teammates on this mission."

Shisui calms for a second, and then straightens slightly. Shisui averts his eyes.

"I'm not sure I want to be in the police force, Sasuke-sensei..." His voice is quiet, like he's admitting something forbidden. He probably is. Sasuke is pretty sure the Uchiha don't give choices about who ends up in the police.

"I want to be a Shinobi."

Sasuke considers telling him that the police force is also made up of Shinobi, but that's not really the point. Still crouched, Sasuke waits until Shisui looks him in the eyes again.

"If you still feel that way when you make Chunin, I'll talk to your Clan Head about it."

Realistically, now that he knows that the Uchiha are already being maligned, Sasuke is going to need to talk to Fugaku sooner rather than later. He is not looking forward to it. He's avoided them successfully so far. But if the seeds are already being planted, Sasuke is going to have to start making steps to ensure that the Clan survives.

Shisui takes a deep breath, and steels himself. Sasuke hates a little bit that he already knows how to do that.

"Okay, sensei."

Sasuke ruffles his hair. Shisui looks pleasantly surprised by it. 

"Go get packed."

Shisui salutes and runs off. Sasuke doesn't know that he's ever felt so tired. Things are taking a turn, and Sasuke knows that if things go badly, it's his fault. He's supposed to be fixing this timeline, but it doesn't seem much different from the one he left. He'll have to start planning again, figuring out a way to fix things, until the day comes when he can kill Danzo.

He could have spent the night thinking and planning, maybe he even should have. Instead, Sasuke spends the whole night asleep. When he wakes, he's at least completely focused. He can't afford for even a second of lapse in his attention. Not if he's going to keep three rookie Genin alive on a battlefield.

He meets his team at the Quartermaster, like he'd requested. Izumo and Kotetsu look excited. Shisui, who knows more about the implications of such a mission, looks nervous. 

They check in with Quartermaster, and are each handed a pack full of storage scrolls carrying food and weapons. They aren't heavy, even by Genin standard, which is good, because they've been given an extremely short time limit to make it to the front lines. Sasuke can only assume the rushing is more to make his team exhausted than it is a truly dire need for supplies. If it was truly an emergency, they would have sent a Jounin or even some Chunin. No, it's a pointed attempt for Sasuke's team to push themselves to exhaustion right before they fight.

Sasuke explains the pace they'll need to set, and all three Genin groan.

It'll take them two days to get there. The pace is brutal.

By the end of the first day, all of the Genin collapse, and Sasuke has to wake them up to force them to eat. The only thing Sasuke thinks is going well is that the battlefield they're scheduled for is nowhere near the front that Team Minato is headed towards. Something as momentous as blowing up a bridge would be extremely difficult to navigate on nearby battlefields. Sasuke and his team are going to a somewhat more stable one. Sasuke wonders if Hiruzen had intervened on this, or if Danzo had something else up his sleeve. There is also the potential that Danzo simply underestimates both Sasuke and his Genin.

The second day is no less brutal than the first. To Sasuke's great surprise, none of the Genin complain even once. Not even Izumo, who is usually not afraid to be vocal about his opinion. Either they're so exhausted they can't even complain, or they're much more disciplined than Sasuke had realized. By the time evening falls, the sounds of distant fighting can be heard. Soon, the base tents come into view. Sasuke states their intent to the patrol, and they direct the team to the supply tent, where they can hand over their supplies.

The Chunin who takes their supplies gives Sasuke a look of surprise, her eyes darting toward his Genin. Sasuke nods grimly.

"Rookies, yes."

The woman's eyes grow slightly sad, but she has concealed the look of surprise. She looks at the Genin and asks, not unkindly,

"First combat duty?"

His bedraggled and exhausted Genin are about asleep on their feet. Kotetsu stifles a yawn, and Izumo answers for all of them with a polite,

"Yes Ma'am."

Sasuke politely inquires as to where they should sleep for the scant few hours until they're expected on the front lines. He's directed to a tent. When he motions for the boys to move, he finds that Shisui is completely asleep on his feet, eyes wide open. He is still much smaller than the other two, and even though his shinobi training has been more extensive, he's still limited somewhat by his age and size. Sasuke scoops him up and Kotetsu and Izumo follow him to their assigned tent.

In a tent surrounded by patrol, Sasuke has no qualms about forgoing a watch rotation, and simply sleeps alongside his Genin, waiting for the morning to come.

The day comes far too early, but Sasuke dutifully wakes the Genin up, forces them to eat and drink, and then starts arming them. Genin are assigned temporary vests, almost exactly like Chunin vests, except for a small, almost invisible emblem that marks them as Genin to Leaf Shinobi. That is all the armor they are assigned. Too much, and their freedom of movement would be restricted. He confiscates Kotetsu and Izumo's weapons, much to their dismay. Neither of them can wield them proficiently enough to be anything but a danger to themselves.

He informs the Genin solemnly that they are to stay behind him at all times, with no exceptions. This is going to be terrible enough for them as it is, there's no need for them to be in more unnecessary danger.

They leave their tent, and fall in with the group leaving. It's a regiment of mainly Chunin, with a dozen other Jounin than Sasuke at best. There are also, sprinkled throughout, career Genin. Sasuke's team alone are rookie Genin. The excitement that Sasuke's Genin might have still had starts to fade into trepidation. The career Genin scattered throughout are exhausted, bone weary, and they are dragging themselves forward. Career Genin could be expected to spend up to a month at a time on a front line battlefield like this one, and many of these look it. The Chunin are worse. Their shoulders slouch, and there is death and grief in their eyes. Chunin are allowed longer stints without a leave break at home, and also tend to take the brunt of opponents. The Jounin have dissociated completely, and Sasuke understand all the faces, recognizes all of them. The exhaustion, the quiet resolution. The continued fighting just because there isn't any other choice. And those who tune it out altogether, unable to stay grounded in a situation where they watch peers, friends, fall one by one in battle.

Sasuke had been there, had been these shinobi. He'd been lucky. His trip through time had given him a few years off of a warfront, and his Genin team and partnership of Orochimaru had kept him from living on one this time. Sasuke can't afford to go back to the gnawing emptiness of a battlefield. Not with rookie Genin that are his to protect.

The group marches onward, and the sound of fighting becomes very close. Shinobi start passing by them on stretchers, moaning or weeping in pain. Some don't move at all, and are being carried off with glassy eyes. Kotetsu, Izumo, and Shisui press as close to Sasuke as they dare. There is no more excitement. There is only fear. Just before they reach the battlefield, Sasuke puts his hand on each of their heads in turn.

"Stay close to me no matter what, loose battle formation."

They only have to survive from dawn until dusk. Sasuke thinks he can manage it.

The battlefield clears a path, and suddenly, they're in it.

Sasuke had never realized just how many more shinobi had existed in the world before they'd had these wars. There's what seems to be a whole village of ninja on this battlefield, and it's just one of several. Naruto would probably try and do some big thing and convince them all to leave. Sasuke isn't so optimistic. Right now it's them or his Genin.

The only mercy Sasuke will give his enemies is a quick death.

Sasuke slides into battle as if he never left it. His sword crackles with lightning, and he cuts a swathe of enemies down. Sasuke's lightning nature and jutsu easily overpowers even the heaviest hitting earth chakra on the field. He slits throats and decapitates, flowing through each enemy as if he's performing a kata. 

No one gets through to his Genin, and they stay in formation, guarding his back just in case.

It works for a length of time, but as he knew would happen, Sasuke begins to draw attention on the field, and they stop sending low levelled Chunin at him.

Then the fighting really begins.

Sasuke can no longer cut through them like water breaking over a rock. Jounin start heading his way. They throw jutsu from a distance, and Sasuke has to split his attention between dodging, and making sure his Genin have done the same. Inevitably, one by one, they approach.

Some have their own weapons, some their fists. Sasuke meets them blow for blow. He uses as little chakra as possible, so as to preserve it for the entire day. He cuts off appendages, slices off weapons at the hand holding them, before decapitating their owners with no remorse.

It's a Chunin squad that figures out his weakness first.

They wait until Sasuke is momentarily distracted by a Jounin, and then two attack him from the front, and two go after his Genin. 

With a hiss, Sasuke shoves the Jounin off of him, and whirls to defend himself from blows by the two incoming Chunin. He could electrocute them all, but the Genin would be caught in the crossfire. The Jounin and two Chunin team up and start raining blows on him. It takes a few precious seconds to formulate a plan, and in that time, one of his Genin yells.

Sasuke snarls, and unleashes his Rinnegan.

"Almighty pull!"

He yanks on the chakra of the three enemy in front of him, and they fly towards him. Sasuke steps back, and cloaks his sword in lightning so bright it encompasses the sword entirely, and throws it with a wind jutsu. As the three enemy are pulled into line, they are blasted through with Sasuke's airborne sword.

He doesn't stop to watch, and flips around to aid his Genin. Kotetsu is kneeling, cradling an arm with a kunai sticking out of it. In front of him is Shisui, standing in a battle position, two red Sharingan spinning wildly in his eyes, and a kunai clutched defensively in his hand. One of the Chunin is bearing down on him, his back to Sasuke. Izumo is somehow singlehandedly holding off the second. 

Sasuke very nearly casts Amaterasu, before he recalls that his signature jutsu is also overwhelmingly Uchiha. He flings three kunai in quick succession at the Chunin facing down Izumo, and Shunshins directly in front of Shisui. He grabs the shocked Chunin by the face, and crushes the man's skull under his fingers, causing it to explode. A bloody mist dissipates from the now headless body, and Sasuke gets a clear look at Izumo's opponent hitting the ground, kunai embedded in her back. Izumo rushes over to Kotetsu without even checking to make sure his opponent is dead. Sasuke takes in his three Genin. Izumo won't be allowed back to the medic tent, since he's uninjured. The thought of separating the three is not an option.

Sasuke looks across the battlefield, new opponents already stepping in to take the place of the fallen. The sun is midway through the sky. There are still hours to go.

This is Danzo's doing.

His team shouldn't be here. Shisui's red eyes blink at him, and Sasuke knows that to unlock them, Shisui must have been afraid for his life. Kotetsu is very bravely attempting not to cry, looking at the weapon sunk in his arm.

Sasuke had not attempted to change the outcome of this war, just followed what missions he was given, and tried to change the village from the inside.

Sasuke is one of the new Sanin. He has a Rinnegan, a well of chakra to rival even Naruto, and an unlimited amount of jutsu at his command.

He is also, at this moment, the second fastest ninja alive.

On a technicality, first place still belongs to Minato, because of his Flying Thunder God. But Sasuke can nearly match it, with no jutsu except his lightning release.

They can't reasonably force his young Genin to stay here for the rest of the day if there is no battlefield left to fight on.

Maybe it's time Danzo understood exactly who he was up against.

Sasuke looks down at his Genin.

"Stick together."

Then he blurs out of sight. 

Even the Sharingan can't track his speed. Sasuke flies through the battlefield, faster than most can even think. He yanks his sword from the ground, and begins his slaughter.

Entire squads fall over dead without even blinking, electrocuted and burned. 

Genin, Chunin, and Jounin alike find their throats slit before they can even gasp for their final breath.

Sasuke rains down Death onto the battlefield.

Fire falls from the sky, mixed with lightning in a paralyzing and horrific glow, and ice spikes up from the ground, intertwined with the very earth that his enemies would use against him.

There are screams of terror amongst his foes, but Sasuke does not let up.

The ground turns to a thick, bloody mud. And hundreds die in his wake.

The sun is still bright in the sky, though lower than before, and the battlefield is now a massacre.

The few that are left turn tail and run. Sasuke allows it.

Complete annihilation is not his purpose.

The Leaf ninja are gaping at him openly. The ones who still have life left in their eyes show only shock. But Sasuke isn't here for their applause either.

He locks onto the chakra signature of Izumo, who is not suppressing it whatsoever, and he goes to his Genin.

They are all gaping at him too. Shisui's look is dark and unreadable. But Izumo and Kotetsu's look is not one of awe, but one of abject terror. But not terror at the battlefield. No, they are afraid of Sasuke. Sasuke ignores the piercing of his heart when he sees it. He will deal with this later. For now, he has an injured Genin. He hoists Kotetsu up, ignoring how stiffly the boy is holding himself, as if he isn't sure he wants to be this close to Sasuke, and starts walking towards the medic tents.

Izumo and Shisui follow along. Sasuke notes that Shisui's eyes are still red, and each has two tomoe.

"Keep up, you two. Shisui, stop directing chakra to your eyes."

Sasuke feels more than sees Shisui obey. The crowd of Leaf shinobi part before them, and the whispering begins. Sasuke had known it would. Had known unleashing his power would label him a legend, whether good or bad, Sasuke doesn't yet know. He should probably feel more self conscious. But Sasuke has been the focus of whispers his entire life. The last Uchiha, the traitor, Orochimaru's apprentice, and finally, the one who stands shoulder to shoulder with the savior of the ninja world, Naruto.

This is nothing Sasuke can't handle.

Watch out Danzo, I'm coming for you. It might not be today, and it might not be tomorrow, but you will get what's coming to you.

Chapter Text

Kotetsu's arm is repaired easily enough, and the medic nin puts it in a sling for him and tells him not to jostle it too much on the way home. Throughout the medics attentions, Kotetsu and Izumo had pointedly ignored him. Shisui had been curiously turning his Sharingan on and off, and since the Genin wasn't all that low on chakra, Sasuke let him experiment with it without comment. 

The medic releases them, and Sasuke motions for his team to follow him. The campsite, which had been full of whispering before, was now full of ninja outright staring at Sasuke. None of them were brave enough to approach him. Sasuke could have smiled, or carried a Genin or two in a way that showed he was not a threat. But Sasuke has no way of knowing which of these ninja are connected to Danzo. Sasuke is a threat, and everyone in this camp now knows it, and Danzo will have surely been updated by the time Sasuke returns to the village, his Genin unharmed and intact. He did note his Genin's reactions to the surrounding ninja. Izumo and Kotetsu are surprised, awed, and afraid in turn at the sort of looks Sasuke is getting. Shisui is holding his head stiffly, staring ahead and not turning to acknowledge any gaze.

Right. As much as he's loathe to admit it, Sasuke is going to need to talk to Fugaku when they return. Especially now that Shisui has unlocked his Sharingan. He is not looking forward to it. So much so that the thought of a question he has for Tsunade is more worth thinking about.

During the fighting, Sasuke had noted that his Rinnegan was just the slightest bit less responsive than when he'd used it during the Fourth Great Ninja war. It could be from lack of use, or conversely, overuse. But as far as Sasuke knew, the Rinnegan was not supposed to be able to deteriorate, making it more powerful than even a Mangekyou Sharingan. Sasuke had been to using his lightning release to keep himself at his top speed. The truth is, he doesn't know all that much about the Rinnegan, and the Leaf village had been destroyed, so there was no chance at looking for records.

Now though, that the village is intact and Tsunade is in it, Sasuke wonders if there might be some information about it in the Senju records. After all, it was supposed to be a mix of Senju and Uchiha genes that could unlock it. If he's going to use it, he should learn all he can about it. More than Senju alone, Sasuke should probably also do a deep dive into the Uchiha records as well. Yet another thing he should probably ask Fugaku about as well. Sasuke was really beginning to dread talking to him.

Once they've gone past the camp a good distance, Sasuke feels Shisui relax behind him, letting his guard down. This is not usual behavior for Shisui, and Sasuke is beginning to wonder if something happened to him. Izumo is arguing with Kotetsu about the best snack food, an argument they've already had about a dozen times since starting under Sasuke. 

He knows at some point one of them is going to break and ask Sasuke about the battle. He decides not to push them. He's unsure of what they think of the whole thing, and he doesn't want to influence them by answering a question they haven't even thought to ask on mistake. But they don't ask him anything while they travel. Or when they break for camp, or when they start the fire. They don't bring it up at all until they're eating, and the silence is beginning to drag.

Sasuke had privately bet on Izumo being the one to break first and ask him a question. To his surprise, it's Shisui. The boy shuffles his feet uncomfortably for a minute, and then he looks at Sasuke seriously.

"Sasuke-sensei, can you teach me to do what you do?"

He's taken aback by the question. Of all of them, that wasn't one he was expecting. He should have, he would have asked the same thing, much less nicely, at Shisui's age. Sasuke thinks it over. Shisui obviously won't develop the Rinnegan. But he'd been fast enough as a teen to earn a nickname for speed, so it isn't all out of the question. And Shisui is a natural genius, there's no question.

"Not exactly. But with training, and your own style, yes, you can do that. And yes, I will teach you if you want."

Izumo cuts across Shisui before he can answer.

"You want to be like Sasuke-sensei, Shisui? Why?! He was scary out there!"

The words don't hurt as much as Sasuke thought they might, mostly because Izumo doesn't sound particularly afraid of Sasuke in particular, but more of what Sasuke actually did, which was definitely out of the realm a fresh civilian Genin would have ever seen. Sasuke doesn't have to defend himself, because Kotetsu does it first.

"But he protected me.." he says it very quietly.

Sasuke is surprised to hear Kotetsu disagree with Izumo, and he doesn't say anything in response, waiting to see what the other boys will do.

"He protected all of us, and the whole village. I want to do that. That's why I became a ninja," Shisui says firmly, nodding at Kotetsu.

"Me too," Kotetsu's voice is still quiet, and he looks to Izumo for validation. For Izumo's part, he looks thoughtful.

After a moment, Izumo nods at Shisui.

"You're right. I guess being a shinobi means more than just cool jutsu. I guess it means sometimes you have to kill people to protect the village. Right, Sasuke-sensei?"

"That is true," Sasuke agrees cautiously.

"Then I guess it's settled. We'll have to be the strongest ninja in the village so we can protect it!" Izumo's eyes flame with passion and he jumps to his feet, pumping his fist.

Shisui and Kotetsu smile, and they all agree to be the 'strongest ever.'

Sasuke is honestly a little baffled at the whole thing. Watching his Genin just change the way they see the world, and integrate it so quickly. It's astounding. And terrifying. One wrong mission, a few wrong words from the wrong person at the wrong time, and their lives could take an entirely different path. And they've been entrusted to Sasuke. He isn't remotely prepared for this level of responsibility. 

Not wanting to worry the Genin, Sasuke tucks that thought away for later. Perhaps he will ask Minato about it when they return. The man is an inspiration to nearly everyone, he surely knows how to make sure your students don't go rogue.

The rest of the journey to the village is quick and relatively uneventful. Sasuke only has to stop a physical fight from breaking out once, and it's a scuffle between Izumo and Shisui over whether or not sweet food was superior to salty. 

When they enter through the gates of Konoha, it's like being in the camp all over again. People stop in the street and stare at Sasuke. News travels fast. Especially battle related news. And there is no group of people more committed to the spread of gossip than shinobi. Shisui once again straightens his spine and refuses to meet the eyes of the staring. Kotetsu and Izumo have calmed down considerably, and seem to be enjoying the attention.

Sasuke shepherds them into the Hokage tower and into the office. Technically, a simple resource drop is not a reason to report directly to the Hokage. But the amount of attention Sasuke is getting, well. The Hokage is definitely going to want to speak to them.

Sure enough, Hiruzen nods approvingly at Sasuke as the door swings shut behind them. Not that Sasuke's really looking for his approval. But he could make life difficult for his Genin, for now.

"I'm pleased to see your team returns safely, Sasuke." The old man puffs peacefully on his pipe. 

Sasuke just nods and waits.

"Minato was similarly successful on his own battlefield. They're already calling you two 'the wrath of a thousand'. Several devoted parties have already entered my office lobbying to have one of you take the hat after the war." 

Sasuke feels absolutely certain Danzo was not one of those parties. As innocent as the question seems, it's a loaded one. Hiruzen is asking him if he wants to be considered for Hokage. That, is at least, an easy enough answer.

"I'm sure Minato was thrilled to hear it."

The Hokage raises an eyebrow. Sasuke looks on resolutely. He doesn't want to be Hokage. There is no part of Sasuke that wants to be in charge of the day to day of this village. Hiruzen inclines his head, an acceptance of Sasuke's refusal.

"Minato hasn't heard yet. I'm afraid his team wasn't as expedient as yours."

The Hokage smiles warmly at Sasuke's Genin, but Sasuke feels cold. Minato's team are Chunin and Jounin. Kannabi bridge was father away than Sasuke's mission, but they'd also had a day's headstart. He wonders if someone is injured. He knows the Hokage doesn't know either, or he would have said something. Yet another thing to worry about.

They're dismissed soon after, with Sasuke receiving a request to meet again soon. Sasuke figures it's to discuss why Sasuke hadn't done this level of fighting before. But Hiruzen had phrased it as a request, and as long as Minato gets named the future Hokage, Sasuke figures he can get away with not showing up. Unless he gets an official request, that is.

Sasuke drops Izumo and Kotetsu off at home, and finally, it's just him and Shisui. He looks down at his youngest student.

"Are you prepared for this?"

Shisui nods his head.

"You're coming too, Sasuke-sensei?"

Sasuke hn's in affirmation, and they start heading toward the Uchiha compound.

"It is tradition amongst the Uchiha, so yes. Besides, it is time I met your Clan head."

It isn't out of the question to know this about the Uchiha. Any sensei of an Uchiha Genin will be informed of such requirements, same as any clan ninja. The Uchiha demand audience with a sensei once a student unlocks Sharingan, usually to demand the student receives private lessons. If the sensei in question is in high standing with the Uchiha, they may be allowed to observe some of the extra training. The only Clan with more requirements of a sensei is the Hyuga. And Sasuke is glad for many reasons that he doesn't have a Hyuga student.

He walks along with Shisui, pretending to ignore the boy vacillating between excitement and nerves. Shisui's Sharingan will be an excellent excuse for Sasuke to speak with Fugaku. He still hasn't decided what he's going to say. He's made a point not to have ever met the man, and he's only seen Itachi a few times, each time either with Mikoto or a nursemaid. Seeing his mother so young had been a particular kind of pain, and Sasuke had furthered his desire to distance himself from them.

But now, there's no way around it. Sasuke has to get an idea of what's going on in the Uchiha Clan, before it's too late. And that means facing his father.

When they enter the compound, Shisui politely asks for an audience with Fugaku on behalf of himself and Sasuke. The Uchiha he requests it of inquires as to the occasion, and Shisui proudly activates his Sharingan. The Uchiha smiles at Shisui and congratulates him. More quickly than Sasuke would have thought possible, they are ushered into the Head House. It is exactly as Sasuke remembers it, and it takes every ounce of his control not to look around more than he normally would, or betray any emotion. They enter the office, and Sasuke almost freezes at the sight of Fugaku behind the desk.

His father looks much the same as he remembers, just a few years younger. He's already stern, and sitting stiffly. Sasuke spares a thought to wonder if Fugaku had looked like he was carrying a burden in his childhood, and Sasuke simply hadn't noticed, or if something had changed.

Shisui and Sasuke sit on the mats politely, heads bowed, waiting for Fugaku.

"Welcome to the Uchiha, Sasuke."

Sasuke raises his head, as does Shisui next to him. 

"Fugaku-sama, I have unlocked the Sharingan on my mission." Shisui speaks deferentially, a vast difference of how Sasuke remembers him speaking to his father in the future.

"Indeed. Congratulations, Shisui Uchiha. You have added to the pride of the Uchiha. Are you prepared to take your seat at the council?"

Only full blooded, Sharingan wielding Uchiha are welcome at the council. It is a privilege, and a requirement. Sasuke had never sat in on one before. The Shisui that Sasuke remembers from his future had winked and told a much younger Sasuke they were 'dry and boring and full of old people'. Sasuke wonders if the Shisui before him will feel the same.

Shisui bows his head again.

"Yes sir. I am prepared to serve the Uchiha and our village."

The addition of the village doesn't catch only Sasuke's attention. Fugaku looks at the boy curiously, but says nothing about it. 

"Sasuke, as Shisui's sensei, you are entitled to certain knowledge, in regards to training."

Sasuke inclines his head.

"Yes. If I may, I would meet with you privately to discuss this, as well as other matters."

It's a slightly unusual request, and Shisui's chakra starts churning anxiously. Sasuke wonders if the kid thinks he's in trouble. Fugaku considers Sasuke closely, and Sasuke sees the intrigue in his eyes as he grants Sasuke's request.

"Granted. Shisui, you may proceed home and tell your family of your achievement."

Before he rises to leave, Sasuke puts a hand on his shoulder briefly, trying to convey that all is well. It is, for Shisui anyways. Shisui nods completely unconvincingly, and leaves. As soon as the door slides shut behind Shisui, Fugaku's gaze snaps to Sasuke.

"What is your reason for requesting an audience with the Uchiha, Sasuke?"

Sasuke meets Fugaku's gaze head on. And all of his plans to dance around the subject, to demure, leave him. He's going to trust Fugaku. This might be the biggest mistake of his life. Or it might save the future.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha, and I'm from the future."

Fugaku looks far less startled than Sasuke expected. He just frowns deeply. Strangely, that familiar tick of the face calms Sasuke slightly.

"Can you prove this claim?"

Sasuke activates his Sharingan, and then the Mangekyou.

That gets the reaction that was missed before. Fugaku's eyes widen, and he clenches his fists in his lap.

"How do I know you aren't an imposter, or a thief."

Sasuke makes him the same offer he'd made the Hokage.

"I can show you my memories."

Fugaku's suspicious glare is yet another comfort. The man was always paranoid. 

"I suppose, before you do. The real question is why. What do you gain from this? Why only bring it up now, you've been in the village for years. You have an agenda, and I would know it before you continue."

Telling him the full uncensored truth is not something Sasuke plans on. But Fugaku needs to know the future of his Clan, if paths do not change. That, Sasuke is willing to give him.

"In my time, I am the last Uchiha."

Fugaku's fist clenches tighter. He says nothing. Sasuke continues on.

"The whole Clan is annihilated in a single night. My brother and I were the only survivors. I would rather this not happen again. I am coming to you now because I believe you can change the fate of this Clan. I didn't approach before because I had hoped my presence alone in the past would change things enough that it wouldn't come to this. But I am beginning to see the future repeating itself."

Fugaku's face could not be more grave or serious. Sasuke knows his statements are difficult to accept. He is prepared for questions.

"Before you show me your memories, I have a few questions. When does this event occur? Who are the perpetrators? And, how exactly did you travel through time?"

All fair questions. He decides to answer them.

"It occurred when I was a child or seven or eight. I travelled through time with the help of the last Uzumaki."

Fugaku does not lighten in the slightest.

"Who. Are. The. Aggressors."

Sasuke takes a careful breath. Fugaku may refuse to hear him out after this. But he would find out in Sasuke's memories regardless. Well, most of it. If Fugaku hears that Obito took a part in it, he would refuse to hear out any explanations of it, and Sasuke is sure that Obito would be preventatively executed immediately upon his return. Sasuke refuses to risk him.

"There is only one person responsible for the slaughter of the Uchiha Clan. Itachi Uchiha."

At the name of his four year old son, Fugaku leans back on his feet. Then his eyes blaze.

"If you are lying to me, war hero or not, I will kill you."

Sasuke meets his gaze.

"Understood. Are you ready to see the future?"

Fugaku half nods, then stops.

"Wait. You said you and your brother were the only survivors."

Sasuke smiles wryly.

"Yes. I am Itachi's younger brother, and your youngest son. I killed Itachi as revenge for our Clan. This Mangekyou was his."

Some of the blood drains from Fugaku's face as he stares into Sasuke's Mangekyou, and Sasuke gives him a moment to compose himself. Eventually, he signals Sasuke to start showing his memories, and Sasuke does.

He shows Fugaku his memories of growing up in the Uchiha Clan. Of growing up Fugaku's son, and Itachi's brother. Sasuke shows how he learned to throw a shuriken, how Itachi graduated in a single year from the Academy, how Fugaku had taught him the fireball jutsu. He also shows Itachi joining ANBU, beginning to draw away. The day that Sasuke had learned that Shisui had committed suicide. He shows Fugaku the Uchiha massacre in full, from the view Itachi had given Sasuke via Tsukuyomi. He lets Fugaku watch his fight to the death with Itachi, and he shows the revelation that the Uchiha were planning a coup, and Itachi had only done what he could to stop it, and save the village. He obscures Obito entirely so he isn't recognizable. If Fugaku notices, he doesn't comment.

He shows nothing else. Not the war, not the devastation of all people. Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, he keeps hidden. Only those few memories. Of his own childhood. And Itachi's death and revelation. Fugaku does not move or speak for several minutes, and when he does, a tear is rolling down his cheek. Sasuke has never in his life seen the man cry.

"So it's true then. You are from the future, and you are my son."

Sasuke thinks whether or not he counts as this Fugaku's son is debatable. This isn't the time for it, however. 

"Yes."

Fugaku's face is more unguarded than Sasuke has ever seen it. He looks devastated.

"Why not come to Uchiha when you arrived?"

"It was too personal. My wishes are to continue to remain unaffiliated with the Uchiha, for the time being. As well as your keeping my status secret."

"I will respect your wishes on this matter," Fugaku agrees. Surprising Sasuke. "What would you have me do?"

And if that isn't the question. Sasuke had specifically not shown Danzo or his hideous collection of Sharingan eyes. For all Sasuke knows, Fugaku could start a coup right now just to kill Danzo. As satisfying as that sounds, Sasuke still isn't convinced that is the answer. Things will probably improve for the Uchiha in the village once Minato takes the hat. 

"Don't push Itachi through the Academy, or force him onto a battlefield so young. Let him be a child."

Fugaku stiffens.

"The Uchiha need good standing in the village. Itachi must be a good example. I saw how powerful he becomes."

"Pushing him so quickly is only going to turn him away from you," Sasuke is firm on this.

"I will, consider, your request. Anything further?" Fugaku's gaze is challenging.

"Besides the obvious of convincing the council not to throw a coup..." Sasuke hesitates. The other thing he thinks Fugaku should actually do is open the Police force to other ninja besides Uchiha, so that the Uchiha can be more integrated into the village. But there's no way to convince Fugaku of that. He'll leave that up to Minato.

"Shisui has requested to learn from me directly, and I am not opposed to apprenticing him, once he's a bit older."

"That I will allow." Fugaku concedes him this point, and Sasuke nods in thanks.

"I apologize for not having a greater idea of how to improve the Clan's relations to the village. I thought best to leave that up to you." It's flattery. Truly, Sasuke is planning to leave it up to Minato, who is far more persuasive than Sasuke is. Fugaku receives the flattery without comment. Sasuke decides to make his final request.

"My final request is unrelated to the Clan's future, I'm afraid. I have obtained the Rinnegan, and I have little to no literature or insight on the topic. I wondered if I might be able to access the Clan's library in search of some answers." Sasuke might be pushing his luck, dumping so much of the future in the man's lap and then making such demands, but he may as well ask. 

"There is no way for you to access our files without revealing your status as Uchiha. However, in light of your assistance rendered to our Clan, I will look into it myself. If I find anything, I will let you know."

That's as good of an answer that Sasuke is likely to get, so he accepts with grace. After some further formalities, Sasuke ends up allowing himself to be an official ally of the Uchiha, which will allow him to apprentice Shisui. Then he takes his leave.

After leaving the Uchiha compound, Sasuke feels all the air leave him in a rush. That conversation had been just as difficult as he'd thought. But now it was over. He hopes Fugaku doesn't betray his trust. The thought of having to kill his father, to save this timeline, is painful, and Sasuke decides to trust him. For now.

Tsunade isn't at the home she was renting. So Sasuke heads over to Orochimaru's instead, hoping to find the blond Sanin there. He may as well have all his difficult requests today, so that he can rest, and focus on the next steps. Tsunade isn't with Orochimaru either, and the snake Sanin smiles politely as he nods to the empty seat at his table. Sasuke takes it, noting that there isn't a trace of Tsunade in the house at all. He wonders if they had another falling out. He hopes Orochimaru wouldn't want him to fix it if he had. After being passed a cup of tea, Sasuke listens as Orochimaru explains the Sanin's absence from his home.

"Tsunade left. The same day you did. She claimed a fear for her apprentice, Shizune's safety, and they fled the village."

Sasuke almost drops the teacup.

"What?"

"Indeed. She has abandoned us to our fate, so to speak. Oh, she made her apologies and excuses. But she's gone now, just I knew she would be. After the lab, well. She's seen now. It was to be expected." Orochimaru's tone is bitter. He looks like he expects Sasuke to get up and leave as well. Sasuke no longer has anywhere to be, so he doesn't see a reason to do so.

"She left out of fear of Danzo." Sasuke can hardly believe it. The Tsunade he's accustomed to would have done everything in her power to bust Danzo's head in every day until the deed was done.

"Or out of disgust," Orochimaru comments mildly, not looking at Sasuke. Sasuke knows he must be referring to himself.

Before he can figure out how to respond to that, he jerks.

"Wait. What about that kid, Yamato?"

"You must be tired. It took you far too long to get there, Sasuke." Orochimaru comments smoothly. "I heard of your battlefield accomplishment. I suppose congratulations are in order."

Sasuke huffs. "Hardly. My Genin were ordered to do a frontline rotation. Easy to see where an order like that came from. I just allowed our enemy to see who they were up against."

"You were quite successful in that. It's been quite a while since I've since the councilman so flustered." Orochimaru smirks privately at Sasuke. "As for the child. Well, Tsunade left him behind."

Sasuke can do nothing but blink, trying to process it. "She just... named the boy a Senju, making him a target, and dropped him in an orphanage?"

It seems so out of character. Sasuke can hardly believe it. His rage against the blond Sanin starts to simmer.

"Anything to escape her past, it would seem," Orochimaru seems to be reading Sasuke's mind. "However, the boy isn't in an orphanage. Kushina was similarly outraged, and she took him on as a ward, citing a longstanding allyship between the Senju and the Uzumaki."

Sasuke supposes Yamato could have ended up worse places. He hopes this doesn't affect the eventual birth of Naruto. If he accidentally erased his best friend, Sasuke doesn't know what he would do with himself. Sorting through the enormous amount of thoughts he's been forced through today, Sasuke sits in silence with Orochimaru, sipping tea.

It's calm, amiable. Or, Sasuke had thought it was until Orochimaru broke the silence a few short moments later, when Sasuke was in the middle of trying to reconcile Tsunade's actions.

"You don't have to guard me anymore, you know. I'm no longer a threat to you, or the village." Golden eyes meet Sasuke's with a calm resignation.

"I wasn't aware having tea with a partner was considered guarding," Sasuke attempts to sidestep this conversation as neatly as he can.

"And here I thought you had a Genin team." A challenge. Sasuke isn't going to get out of this conversation entirely.

"A former partner, then. Comrades, perhaps?" Sasuke throws the volley back into Orochimaru's court.

"You're supposed to be able to trust your comrades, or so I hear." Orochimaru is really digging, to see if Sasuke will blow up and leave, or if he's serious enough to stick around. Sasuke isn't quite sure. His answer is the same either way.

"Ah, pick up a couple of Genin and you're 'untrustworthy', hn?" Sasuke is doing his best at playing Orochimaru's preferred wordplay, but it is exhausting. 

Orochimaru gives him his out. "It would be understandable, to say the least, if this is our parting of ways."

Sasuke nods his head, showing that he's heard. "Hn. If I ever find someone to make me better blends of tea, I'll let you know. Until then, I'm afraid you'll have to keep setting out a cup for me."

Orochimaru is silent for a moment, and the look he gives Sasuke is full of deep appreciation. Sasuke can hardly stand to look at it. Orochimaru has no idea the bonds Sasuke has broken and abandoned before. He averts his eyes, and takes a long drink of tea.

Sasuke knows things are okay when Orochimaru takes the opportunity to tease him. "Allergic to human emotion, Sasuke?"

He's one to talk. Sasuke finishes his tea in a single drink. "Yep."

Orochimaru smirks at him and refills his cup, and they drink in silence a while longer.

Sasuke takes his leave eventually, citing the need for sleep and a shower. Not even halfway to the Hatake compound, he's almost tackled by Kushina. Her face is the palest Sasuke's ever seen it.

"Minato's team is almost at the gates. Sasuke, you need to come. Like now, ya know?"

He follows her immediately. He doesn't even have to ask, she just keeps talking as they run towards the gates.

"I was sensing for Minato, cause his team's due anytime, and I gotta introduce him to Yamato, ya know? I felt him a couple minutes ago."

Kushina's face is pinched.

"Something's wrong. I was able to sense you on the way, so I grabbed ya."

They land at the gates, Minato and team are not in sight yet. Sasuke looks at Kushina, his alarm rising.

"Is Kakashi okay?"

Kushina won't look at him. Sasuke steps in front of her, trying to force her to look at him, but she won't.

"Kushina."

She's shifting on her feet, her face pale, and she's nearly trembling. She doesn't answer.

Before Sasuke can decide to force her to tell him, Minato come within Sasuke's limited range of sensing. 

He flips around to see Minato signing in at the gates. The blond looks terrible, but Sasuke pays him no attention. 

Behind him is Kakashi.

He isn't wearing a mask.

His bare face is blotchy red, and he looks miserable.

Sasuke runs to him, narrowly avoiding colliding with Rin, who is crying openly. He jerks to a stop in front of Kakashi and crouches, looking him in the eyes.

"Kakashi, what happened? Are you alright? Where is your mask?"

Kakashi looks up at him, and his voice quivers.

"My face. Obito hasn't seen my face."

Obito must have seen Kakashi's face if he'd been walking around without his mask on, the boy was forever trying to rip it off Kakashi's face. Sasuke scans for the Uchiha quickly, and doesn't see him. His heart leaps into his throat.

No.

He casts out his limited sensing network, and doesn't feel Obito anywhere. 

Sasuke feels his own voice crack, "Kakashi?"

Kakashi takes a shuddering breath and looks Sasuke in the eye.

"Obito died."

Kakashi bursts into hysterical tears.

Chapter Text

"Obito's dead."

Kakashi bursts into hysterical tears.

Sasuke feels the impact of an invisible sword slicing through his chest. The pain is immediate, spreading throughout his body until Sasuke thinks he may actually be dying.

Obito.

That bright, warm child.

Sasuke should have known. 

Should have known his training wouldn't be enough to save Obito from Madara's schemes.

Sasuke moves on instinct, and surges forward, pulling Kakashi to his chest as the Hatake weeps brokenly.

Kakashi doesn't fight him, a sign of the enormity of his grief. Sasuke holds him tightly, his arm winding around Kakashi's shoulders.

He's not sure who he's trying to comfort, exactly. Or if it's working. But it feels right, and nothing else does now.

It feels like the world has slowed, and turned to grey. The weight of the earth is on Sasuke's shoulders, and right now, he wants nothing more than to be crushed under the weight of it, and swept away where he doesn't have to feel, or think, or be.

It takes him a moment to process that Rin is standing in front of them, tears pouring down her cheeks. She's apologizing in a steady stream, and the look on her face begs Sasuke to respond. 

He tries to ask why she's apologizing, but it comes out as a choked "Why?"

She's hard to understand, speaking through tears so heavy she may drown in them.

"I-It's-my fault. It's my fault!" She wails.

"We got-we got ambushed. I wasn't strong enough-I couldn't defend myself. Obito and Kakashi- they only came to help!" Her remorse is choking her, and she's struggling to speak.

Sasuke is helpless to stop her, hanging on her every word like she's the last real thing left in the world. That, and the growing dampness of his shirt where Kakashi's tears are falling.

Where Rin pulls her strength from, Sasuke doesn't know, but she steadies herself and continues.

"They threw me in this cave, and caused an earthquake. I was going to die. Then..." She takes a shuddering breath.

"Obito was just there! And his eyes were red. He grabbed me and threw me at Kakashi, and the next thing I knew. The whole cave was full of rocks. And Obito was... Obito was..."

Rin throws herself to the ground at Sasuke's feet.

"It's my fault! I couldn't be like you said. I wasn't strong enough to stand beside them! Please, Mr. Sasuke. Please..." Sasuke has no idea what she's begging him for. He hadn't thought the pain could get worse. But seeing the love of Obito's young life, throwing herself at Sasuke's feet, for mercy or death, because he'd naively let her believe that she could be Sakura...

As if Sakura hadn't died in his arms. An eternity ago. Yesterday. Right now. 

He hadn't let Rin think she'd be Sakura. He'd led her to believe she could be better.

If he'd had the same chance Obito had, Sasuke would have done exactly the same thing.

Pulled Sakura from the jaws of death, and replaced her with himself.

Regret washes through him, dragging him down to the depths, to drown amongst his grief in a never-ending tide.

Gently pulling Kakashi off of him for a moment, Sasuke kneels on the ground in front of Rin, and grabs her chin with his hand. She looks him in the eyes, and the well of her grief seems to go on forever.

"This was not your fault." She tries to pull her chin out of his hand. He doesn't let her, or break eye contact.

"Listen to me. This was not your fault. Losing a teammate is not a failing on your part." If there's even the slightest chance Obito is still alive, he would never forgive Sasuke for letting Rin blame herself.

The question is, did Obito make it this time. Is the boy that had hugged Sasuke goodbye a week ago still alive, at the hands of a madman? Or is he dead, lifeless somewhere far away. When Sasuke thinks of the broken man he'd met in his original timeline, he's not sure which is worse. If Madara has him, time is ticking.

He forces himself into a firmer state of mind. He can't let the weakness of grief overwhelm him until he knows for sure. 

Rin takes one shuddering, gasping breath. And then another. Finally, she nods just the slightest amount, and Sasuke releases her gently. And she hugs him. Sasuke lets her. It reminds him of Obito, and scorches his soul like a red hot brand. When she lets go, he rises, and looks for Kakashi. 

Kakashi is no longer sobbing, but tears are still steadily making their way down his cheeks. Sasuke knows exactly what he's thinking. That this isn't Rin's fault. It's his.

Sasuke has no idea what possesses him to do it, but he cups Kakashi's face in his hand, and wipes his tear away with his thumb. Startled out of his stupor, Kakashi meets his eye. Kakashi doesn't have the Sharingan, and Sasuke has no idea if that's a good sign or not.

"This isn't your fault either."

Kakashi wipes his other eye with the back of his hand. He goes for tough, but the way he's leaning into Sasuke's hand suggests otherwise.

"I think we both know that isn't true."

"I have never once lied to you, Kakashi. That doesn't start today." Moving his hand to the back of Kakashi's head, Sasuke pulls him in close again, and once again, Kakashi doesn't fight him.

Sasuke looks to Minato. The man looks utterly broken, and Kushina's arm around him might be the only thing keeping him upright.

"I'm going to retrieve the body."

Minato winces, pained. "Sasuke, I checked. There was no chakra signal. I would have brought him home if I could have."

Sasuke doesn't budge. In his grasp, Kakashi begins to calm. "I understand. You did what you could. But understand me as well. I am not coming back without the body."

Minato opens his mouth, but Kushina gives him a look, and he closes it. She looks at Sasuke, and he knows she understands his need to know for certain.

"Tell Orochimaru to protect my Genin."

She nods. Kakashi pulls away from Sasuke. His face is still blotchy, but his eyes are clearer.

"I'm coming too."

"I travel much faster than you can run, Kakashi. I'll be back soon." Sasuke protests, shaking his head.

"It doesn't matter how fast you can move. I'm coming. I'm the one that led us there. I should make sure he makes it home." Kakashi's gaze is resolute.

Sasuke absolutely does not want Kakashi to accompany him. There's the smallest chance Obito is still alive, and if he is, he needs medical attention and to be away from Madara as quickly as possible. But Sasuke can't say that. And if he pushes Kakashi away now, he'll break the trust in Kakashi's eyes. It would only prove to Kakashi that Sasuke didn't trust him. Besides the fact he can't protest without some uncomfortable questions upon his return.

There's really only one solution: "Alright. But we aren't stopping until we get there. Do you have soldier pills?"

Kakashi nods. Minato looks ready to fight, but instead just leans more heavily on Kushina. Rin has moved to join Minato, and Minato has tucked her under his arm. She looks, well, terrible. But Sasuke is confident in Minato's ability to handle her grief.

Kakashi pops a soldier pill in his mouth, and Sasuke resigns himself to the fact that he may have just sentenced Obito to a day longer under Madara's thumb. 

They run.

It's so much faster than running with Sasuke's Genin, but so much slower than his own teleportation technique. He bears it as well as he can, for Kakashi's sake. 

They stop only once, for water and a ration bar, before continuing. 

After they've run for just under a day, Kakashi directs him to the cave where Obito had fallen. Sasuke directs Kakashi to sit and eat a ration bar. He's had two soldier pills, which is enough to put him in the hospital upon their return. Sasuke also knows you can take four and a half before you cause permanent damage. And he can't carry both boys.

Kakashi sits at his direction, and Sasuke scans the entire area with his chakra, but he can't feel even a trace of Obito anywhere. He is either truly dead, or Madara has moved him to a different location. It has to be the location, because Sasuke isn't prepared for the alternative.

Sasuke starts moving boulders. Utilizing Sakura's technique, which he's seen dozens of times, he lifts the boulders out, one by one, careful not to make an enormous amount of noise, or disturb anything that might be beneath. He could put them in his pocket dimension, but the amount of chakra required might be too much for even Sasuke's large reserves. Especially considering he hasn't recovered his full stamina from the battlefield.

That feels like a lifetime ago.

He lifts boulders quickly, and his mind sticks on Obito. 

The way the boy had laughed. The way he'd openly cried, over just about anything. When he used to beg Sasuke for training, and follow Sasuke all around the village. The way his eyes would light up when he saw Sasuke.

And Sasuke hadn't protected him. Not from this.

He starts to see the first splatters of blood. And he moves faster. The coppery, almost sweet smell of wet and drying blood fills his nose.

At first it's a few droplets, which quickly turns into stones that are still tacky with blood. And then Sasuke sees the ones that are soaked. The ones that must have directly landed on him. Sasuke can't imagine anyone surviving this. He moves the boulders anyway. And forces himself to look beneath. There is an overwhelming amount of blood, and small chunks of flesh.

And... A tunnel. No body in sight. Sasuke could collapse with relief. But he won't. Not until he sees Obito. Touches him with his own hand.

"Kakashi!" His tone is sharp, and Kakashi appears instantly. His maskless face blanches. 

"They.. took his body? But... why?" Kakashi probably thinks Stone ninja took Obito's body. 

"Let's find out. Be prepared to fight, and stay behind me until I signal you." Kakashi doesn't argue, and Sasuke pulls himself through the opening, folding his chakra away until it's invisible to all but the best sensors. The tunnel enlarges almost immediately, large enough for Sasuke to stand in.

How long was Madara planning this? Sasuke's blood boils. He can't wait to kill the man. He races down the tunnel silently, Kakashi behind him.

Sasuke's heart pounds in his throat as he runs. Sasuke isn't sure if he believes in fate, but if it's true, he hopes it's keeping Obito alive.

The tunnel is much longer than Sasuke would have anticipated, but eventually, he begins to feel faint chakra signatures. One of which he recognizes instantly as a white zetsu. The other is probably Madara. He can't feel Obito. Perhaps he's too weak. That has to be the reason. 

An opening approaches. A young, agonizing wail meets his ears. Simultaneously the best sound he's ever heard, and one of the worst. It's Obito.

Kakashi recognizes it too, because he freezes in shock. Sasuke only feels rage.

Sasuke bursts into the room, hands blazing with lightning. It's a fairly large chamber, with three persons. Of all the luck, they'd managed to arrive when Black Zetsu wasn't here. A shame, Sasuke truly wanted to make him pay. But there was still time. Once he eliminates Madara, he'll have the rest of his life to hunt Zetsu down.

Madara hangs limply from an extensive amount of wiring, connected to what Sasuke vaguely recognizes as a tree of some power. He's old, white haired and frail looking. That won't stop Sasuke from giving him what's coming to him.

On a table across the room lies Obito. He's arching his back and screaming. He's bloody, mangled even. He shouldn't be alive, Sasuke can tell that much from here. Sasuke can see the White Zetsu beside him, ripping himself apart and trying to force himself into Obito's flesh. The strands of white are starting to integrate into Obito's mauled places, obviously causing his immense pain.

Sasuke teleports across the room and cuts Zetsu away from Obito. The thing barely has time to hiss at him before Sasuke sets him aflame. Obito screams one more time, gasps, and then collapses like a puppet with it's string cut. Sasuke wants nothing more than to grab Obito, check him over immediately. But Madara comes first.

He teleports to the old bastard's side, and sees a Mangekyou staring at him. Sasuke has no idea who the Mangekyou belongs to. He knows instinctively it isn't Madara's own. The old man chuckles, a wet raspy sound.

"You just killed that boy. He won't survive without Zetsu."

Sasuke pulls the hair away from his Rinnegan, and Madara's eye flashes.

"Rinnegan." 

Drawing his arm back, Sasuke prepares to slice through all this medical equipment, before he burns decapitates and burns Madara to ashes. 

"That eye is connected to the future. Don't think I can't see it, boy. Anyone who knows can. Tell me, boy, what did you see?"

Sasuke hesitates. He has no idea what Madara means. What he knows. Behind him, Sasuke hears Kakashi desperately whispering Obito's name. He makes his decision. He starts cutting the wiring.

"Even if you take him alive, he'll never be yours. I sealed his heart myself. You'll have to kill him."

Madara, once the greatest of the Uchiha, begins to slump to the floor, quickly dying. Sasuke picks him up by the throat.

"You're wrong. You failed."

Sasuke kills him quickly and efficiently. He wishes he had more time for Madara to suffer, to make him see his own failure in the Tsukuyomi, for an eternity. But Obito comes first. As an afterthought, he rips Madara's eye from his head.

He snaps back to Obito's side. The young Uchiha is barely breathing. Sasuke can hardly see his chest moving. What's left of it, anyway. His jaw and upper chest are crushed and torn, sluggishly leaking blood. His lower half is nothing short of mangled. Sasuke has no idea what, if anything, can be fixed. 

All Sasuke knows is that he's never giving up on Obito. Not now, and not ever. He's taking him home. 

For Obito, Sasuke performs a jutsu he personally despises. He crafts a second arm for himself out of chakra. It will only last until Sasuke dismisses it, or runs out of chakra, but he needs two arms to carry Obito, so he doesn't worsen the injuries. And he doesn't plan to let Obito go, not for a minute. He'd planned to never have a second arm again, to remind himself of what he'd thrown away, and of the friends who had never let him go.

For Obito, he can put that aside, for right now.

Swiftly and precisely, Sasuke slides Obito into his arms. Kakashi is in shock. He's trembling and white all over.

"He's alive, for now. We have to go quickly, Kakashi. Understood?"

Kakashi half nods, clearly not understanding.

"Did you know? That he was alive?"

Sasuke shakes his head. "No. Come on."

Kakashi follows, slowly at first, and then faster. Sasuke races them back through the tunnel, up into the cave, and then starts racing home.

Obito's condition is terrible. The amount of healing jutsu Sasuke is halfway competent with is pathetic. He should have thought of this, learned more. As it is, the only thing he can do is monitor Obito's fading vitals, and make paltry attempts to repair some of the minor blood vessels inside him as Sasuke and Kakashi run towards the Leaf. 

Obito does not open his eyes, does not regain consciousness for even a second.

Kakashi takes his third soldier pill.

Obito's heart begins to fail, stuttering. Each time it does, Sasuke shocks them both with a small burst of lightning jutsu. It works, but each time Obito's heart restarts, it's weaker.

Each breath Obito draws, gets wetter. Sasuke can feel his lungs filling up with blood. He has no idea how to get it out. He sinks more of his chakra into Obito's system, trying to support it as it flags and fails in Obito's body.

Kakashi takes his fourth soldier pill.

Less than an hour away from Konoha, Obito dies in Sasuke arms. He feels the crackle of Obito's lungs as they give out, and Obito stops breathing, and his heart slows to a stop. 

A roar of pain rips its way out of Sasuke's throat without his consent, and Kakashi starts shaking his head rapidly. Obito's body is beginning to cool in his arms.

Sasuke can't let it come to this. Won't let it come to this. He's come so far, Obito has tried so hard, hung on so long. Sasuke won't lose him.

Sasuke can't lose him.

Sakura is sitting around a campfire, hands weaving in the air as she tries to explain to Sasuke everything that's happened since he left the village. As if Sasuke had been away on some sort of vacation, and hadn't abandoned her. Abandoned the village. Her pink hair flies in her face as she talks and her green eyes are alight as Sasuke watches her. 'Pain killed... So many of us. But he had this jutsu, Sasuke. These eyes! Like your eyes. He could raise the dead, Sasuke. He raised everyone in the village. Everyone he killed.' Naruto called it the Rinne Tensei. No, it's not like the Edo tensei. Naruto said it cost so much chakra it killed him.

Sasuke considers it for less than a minute. In a clearer mind, he would have considered it longer. He is not of a clear mind. He surges chakra, and casts the Rinne Tensei onto Obito.

The pain is immediate. Over half of Sasuke's remaining reserves get forcibly ripped from him, and his Rinnegan eye burns like it's been stabbed. The world starts greying around the edges. 

Naruto said it cost so much chakra it killed him.

Naruto was wrong. It didn't cost so much chakra. The cost of the jutsu was the life of the user. Sasuke was dying. He's starting to choke, gasping for air.

Right in front of Kakashi, with Obito alive, but dying all over again in his arms.

Sasuke makes another rash decision. He shifts Obito to one arm and rips Itachi's Mangekyou from his eye socket in one swift movement, while Kakashi cries out in shock. Pulling the eye he'd stolen off of Madara, he jams it into the now freely bleeding eye socket. Sasuke can feel his life force leaving him. He thrusts chakra through the new eye, activating it. And he performs another forbidden jutsu immediately.

Izanagi. 

With a shudder, and feeling more than anything like he's burning alive from the inside out, Sasuke stops feeling his life leaving him. But he doesn't feel any return. The new eye shuts, permanently. It was stupid to take the time to use Madara's, instead of Itachi's. But something about Itachi's eye is too precious to waste, even to save Sasuke's own life. This string of decisions is so objectively terrible Sasuke thinks he's making Naruto look genius in comparison.

But he's alive, and right now, so is Obito. His regrets are minimal. One of them being that at the moment, Sasuke is completely blind. The burning in his Rinnegan has whited out his vision on one side, and the new eye is closed. Sasuke doesn't think he can safely transplant Itachi's back in right now. Not completely blind, with his whole chakra system on fire.

He scoops up Obito with the chakra arm on memory alone and barks out at Kakashi, "Flare your chakra and guide me back."

Kakashi does not question it and does so immediately. Only with Kakashi's chakra flared can Sasuke even begin to sense it.

His whole chakra network is haywire. The pain is incredible. Sasuke ignores it in favor of focusing on the way Obito's heartbeat feels under his hand. All of his other focus is on keeping up his chakra arm, which is becoming more difficult by the second, the way his chakra is burning.

The whiteness in the Rinnegan fades enough that Sasuke can see vague shapes by the time they reach the gate. Obito's breath is coming more rapidly, and more wet. Somehow, even without good use of chakra, Obito's heartbeat is as easy to feel as his own. He doesn't question it. He's running out of time again. 

"Orochimaru," He gasps out at Kakashi, trying to make him understand their direction. Kakashi stops and turns, just a few feet inside the gate, he opens his mouth to argue with Sasuke, and collapses. 

The soldier pills. Kakashi might be in serious trouble himself if he doesn't get to the hospital.

A gate guard is right behind Sasuke.

"He needs immediate medical care!"

The guard says something to the affect of 'what about that dying kid in your arms', but Sasuke doesn't hear it. He teleports directly into Orochimaru's house. Or, he tries to. His chakra is still burning so badly he ends up crashing into the table in Orochimaru's front room.

Orochimaru is on him in a second, hands already glowing green. Or Sasuke hopes they are, he still can't really see. Or breath.

"Not me, Obito."

"That's not as easy of a distinction as you likely think it is. Exactly how moronic are you, Sasuke?" Sasuke is sure there's an answer to that, but he doesn't have it. He blacks out entirely.

When he wakes up, the first thing he notices is that his vision is oddly discolored. The second thing he notices is the weight lying against his side. He flicks his eye down to see Obito beside him, pressed against his arm. The Uchiha's chest is visibly rising and falling.

Sasuke lets out a breath, and almost immediately sucks it back in, pain rushing through him. He feels ridiculously badly.

Orochimaru appears above Sasuke in his field of vision. 

"You can open your left eye, you know. I took the liberty of replacing your Sharingan."

Sasuke does so without thinking, and Itachi's eye flares back to life, resettling the colors of his vision. His brain catches up with him, and he startles. Orochimaru knows he has a Sharingan.

"I've known you were Uchiha for quite a while now. Your secret is safe with me. I'm sure your reasons are your own." Orochimaru waves his hand flippantly.

"I have far more pressing questions." 

Orochimaru isn't usually nearly this direct. Sasuke hopes there's no one else nearby.

"First, what jutsu did you cast on Obito? I've never seen anything like this."

Those are never good words to hear from a scientist who was also teamed with the second best medic in the history of the Leaf.

"Rinne Tensei." The words hurt coming out of his mouth, somewhere deep inside of him. Sasuke wonders just how badly he's screwed up his chakra system. 

Chakra exhaustion felt better than this.

Orochimaru considers him for a moment, then shakes his head minutely.

"So he died, then. Tell me, Sasuke, did you know exactly what this jutsu did when you cast it?"

The words seem innocuous, but Sasuke can't help but think he's being accused of something.

"Raise the dead."

Orochimaru actually twitches.

"No. You absolute fool. I had begun to think you were more intelligent than Jiraiya. It didn't 'raise the dead'. You gave him your lifeforce. A jutsu clearly meant to kill the castor. And then you didn't die. I assume from an additional, likely forbidden jutsu."

Sasuke doesn't deny it. Orochimaru continues.

"You connected your chakra network and lifeforce directly to Obito Uchiha. You are very lucky you didn't both die on the spot."

He- what??

Sasuke chokes. Orochimaru watches him, pulling at the ends of a strand of hair. A nervous tic for Orochimaru. 

"You almost died anyway! If I had physically separated the two of you, you would have both died from his injuries. You merged your chakra systems entirely, and the only reason his heart kept up with it all is because you were forcing it to with your own chakra. Your lives are intertwined. If one of you were to die right now, you both would. Do you realize how monumentally foolish that was?!"

Sasuke looks down again, checking to make sure he can still see Obito's chest rising and falling. Sasuke supposes that might have something to do with his entire chakra network feeling like it's been under attack from Amaterasu. He's less upset about this than he should be, he recognizes that.

"What does it mean now?"

It's still a struggle to get words out, but Orochimaru has clearly been saving this rant for a while. Sasuke wonders how many days they've been out.

"I've repaired the injuries to his body, and to your chakra network. You should be able to extricate yourself from him, now that you're awake. With my help. But there's bound to be side effects."

"Such as?"

Orochimaru rolls his golden eyes, exasperated.

"How should I know? This has never happened before. You have identical chakra signatures now. Even identical twins don't have identical chakra signatures, Sasuke."

Sasuke runs a thread of chakra through his system, and finds that Orochimaru is right. His chakra continues through his body and into Obito's with no resistance whatsoever. Slightly alarmed, he pulls it back and finishes his internal examination of himself. Something is still wrong with his Rinnegan, he can feel it. He has no idea how to fix it. And whatever the cost. It was worth it, if Obito recovers.

It surprises him, the depth of his resolve to save Obito. How little it suddenly matters if Sasuke is able to use one of his greatest weapons to it's fullest potential again, so long as Obito lives. His willingness to use an unknown jutsu, to sacrifice everything in the blink of an eye.

"I want to separate now, if we can. Is Kakashi okay?"

Orochimaru sighs.

"Your little charge is fine. Last I heard he was supposed to stay in the hospital for two weeks. Since you've been raising him, I have no doubts he escaped the hospital and is resting at home. Or perhaps the knucklehead is already back to training against hospital orders. Or perhaps he's decided to use a jutsu he doesn't even know the side effects for." 

The Sanin is looking imperiously at Sasuke, and Sasuke just sighs.

"Thank you for saving us, Orochimaru."

Orochimaru deflates slightly. "Why did you come here instead of the hospital, anyway?"

That answer is obvious, at least to Sasuke. "You're the best healer in the village. And I can trust you."

"Now I know for certain you have lost all sensibility."

Sasuke tries to wave it off, but finds that lifting his hand is difficult. "Blame Minato if you must."

Orochimaru hums. "You were most certainly this way long before he got involved."

His head finally starting to clear, Sasuke sighs. "You're right."

"Just so you know, before we separate the two of you, which might cause you to pass out again. You had better think twice before pulling a stunt like that again. Your Genin are terrors. The little Genin are in good health, though they tried their best to the contrary. They've been in to see you every day, along with Minato and his brood." Orochimaru doesn't look him in the eye, which is no surprise to Sasuke.

"And, how many days is that, exactly?" If Sasuke separating his chakra back into his own causes him to pass out again, he may as well know how long he's been laying unconscious in Orochimaru's house already.

"Five," Orochimaru states bluntly.

Twitching his arm, with marginal success, Sasuke notes that Obito hasn't stirred even the slightest bit in the moments he's been awake. And he has to know. If his efforts were successful. "Will Obito wake up soon?"

Orochimaru looks critically at Obito, and then considers for a moment. "His injuries are much worse than yours, even if you decided to share them with him. He will wake up soon, if he wakes up at all."

"He'll wake up." He's got to. "Alright. Let's get this separation over with then."

Sasuke mentally prepares himself for another heaping dose of pain. If it hurt so badly to put himself into this situation, he can't imagine how much it's going to hurt to get out of it.

"You're still foolish beyond all belief. You'd do this again, wouldn't you?"

Obito's face is neutral, laying so still. But his heart is beating, and his chakra is flowing. Sasuke can feel it. And he knows the answer, just as easy as breathing.

"I know. and yeah, I would."

Chapter Text

Orochimaru had been right. Cutting through the chakra network that entwines Sasuke and Obito feels like being sawed in half from the inside out. Sasuke's only consolation is that Obito is still so deeply unconscious he doesn't do more than twitch during it. To Sasuke's dismay, he does pass out the second it's over, unable to stay conscious even a single painful second longer.

When he wakes again, he finds that he is in a bed of his own. Well, a bed of Orochimaru's own. He recognizes the guest room where he is laying. Sasuke also knows without thinking or using chakra that Obito is across the room from him, and is still asleep. Wondering if it would be a bad idea to test out his limits without Orochimaru around to help, Sasuke begins to do so anyway by pulling himself to a sitting position.

And nearly immediately toppling over when he'd attempted to put weight on an arm that wasn't there. Frowning, Sasuke looks down at himself. He has the same one arm he's had for years. But, somehow... He feels the phantom weight of a left arm that isn't there. Sasuke attempts to flex the missing left arm, and feels a slight itch as he does so. Orochimaru had said there would be side effects. Sasuke had not missed the days of phantom weight, and pain, after losing the arm. All of Sakura's healings hadn't kept Sasuke from it, and he'd had to train himself out of it for a time.

Sasuke finds himself slightly offput by having to do so again. Then he has a horrible thought. Maybe it isn't his arm that he's feeling.

He tries flexing the missing arm again, and is again rewarded with the itching sensation. He looks across the room where Obito lays, and realizes he needs to know. Is he moving Obito's arm? The consequences of that would be severe. Sasuke has to know.

With far more difficult than he could have hoped, Sasuke swings his legs over the side of the bed, and puts his feet on the floor. He stands, and instantly collapses onto the floor with a quiet thump.

Sasuke is in the middle of deciding whether or not to drag himself across the floor and figure it out, or try and climb back into bed when Orochimaru appears in the doorway. The Sanin does not look the slightest bit surprised to find Sasuke on the floor. He doesn't rush to help Sasuke up, either. He just stands there and watches him, amused.

"What part of 'sharing life ending injuries' didn't make sense to you? Should I draw you a diagram?"

Sasuke decides to try and struggle across the floor to Obito, to check his theory. With some effort, he pushes himself into a sitting position.

"I had a theory I needed to test."

Orochimaru draws closer, but he still makes no move to try and help. 

"Your scientific spirit is inspirational, I'm sure. Was the theory you were trying to test 'can I walk', perhaps? If so, I think we can consider this experiment a failure."

At one time, Sasuke would have considered this mocking an insult. Now, he recognizes it as Orochimaru's odd brand of humor, and he accepts it. Better for Orochimaru to be in a good humor at Sasuke's expense, than as upset with him as Orochimaru had been the last time Sasuke was conscious.

"I have phantom pain in my missing arm again. I was trying to decide if it was my arm or Obito's that I was feeling."

A thoughtful look passes over Orochimaru's face, and he walks up to Obito, and places his hand on top of Obito's left hand.

"Squeeze this hand."

Sasuke does so, and itching flares in his entire missing arm, causing him to wince slightly. He looks to Orochimaru to confirmation. 

"Hm. It seems the sensations are yours alone. Obito had no fluctuations of either chakra or muscle."

That's a relief to Sasuke. And a pain. He'll have to get over losing his arm all over again. Placing his right arm on the bed, Sasuke slowly leverages himself to his feet. He sways slightly, but this time is able to keep his feet. Pain flares through his core and lower body, but Sasuke withstands it. Orochimaru looks slightly impressed, and Sasuke counts that as a win.

Flushing chakra through his body, Sasuke scans himself, looking for reassurance that everything is more or less how he remembers it. His Rinnegan remains the only part of him that feels... off. Closing Itachi's Mangekyou, he attempts to look through the Rinnegan alone, and discovers that he can no longer see in color through the eye. Everything is in greyscale. Sasuke doesn't dare to use any jutsu with it yet.

The smooth, unbroken flowing of chakra through his chest to his feet is slightly confusing, considering the amount of pain he's in just to stand. He meets Orochimaru's golden eyes.

"Is the cause of this, physical?"

Orochimaru shrugs slightly.

"Yes, and no. Once you bound your chakra systems together, you began to receive some of his injuries. As I said before, I haven't seen anything like it before, so I only have theories."

Orochimaru's theories were generally as good as most people's facts.

"So what is your theory?"

Sasuke sits down somewhat heavily. If he wants to process Orochimaru's theories, he should probably be in as little pain as possible. Orochimaru hums.

"My theory, is that instead of a simple chakra transfer, using your chakra to 'jumpstart' the boy back to life in the condition he was when he died, you were also attempting to heal him at the same time, either consciously or unconsciously."

Orochimaru looks down at Obito, and an unreadable expression crosses his face. He continues.

"I believe this changed the jutsu. It's possible that your sentimentality for the boy caused you to wish to take the injuries from him. That desire translated into your chakra. My theory is that you began drawing his injuries into yourself at the moment that you cast the jutsu, and that caused the intertwining of systems."

Sasuke looks across the room at Obito, sleeping more or less peacefully. Had he really felt that way? Sasuke thinks back to the moment he realized Obito had died in his arms. The panic that had set in. The pain of loss. Somehow, Obito had wormed his way into Sasuke's life. Sasuke straightens as he realizes that Obito is far more than an ally. Obito is... One of his precious people.

"How is that even possible?" Sasuke's voice is quiet, wondering. 

Amusement once again flashes across Orochimaru's face, but his words are anything but teasing.

"I have heard that prolonged presence in another's company causes a bond. Some might even call it 'love'. Jiraiya definitely would." Orochimaru trails off slightly, and Sasuke definitely doesn't miss the wistful tone as he talks about his teammate. 

Sasuke absolutely ignores Orochimaru's words. If he thinks too much on them... Well...

Luckily, Orochimaru continues, less wistful, dropping back into facts like he'd never left. Sasuke appreciates it.

"As for the possibility of your actions. They are absolutely impossible. There is no reason or logic to your ability to do this, to not only bring this boy back to the living, but to take some of his injuries into yourself so that he would continue to survive. No reason at all. Except, there are still many things we don't understand about chakra. That's why I had always intended on devoting my life to studying its secrets." 

Sasuke inclines his head in acknowledgement.

Silence reigns for a few moments, but it isn't a heavy one. Sasuke's mind leaves Obito for the moment, and he wonders how Kakashi is doing, if he'd really ducked the hospital. How his Genin are. If Minato is holding up okay.  

"Am I cleared to walk?"

Orochimaru stands and leaves the room. Sasuke isn't all that worried, and the Sanin returns shortly with a single crutch.

"You should be careful. Don't overdo it. It is the sixth day since you artfully arranged yourself face first into my table, and it is midmorning."

Sasuke takes the crutch and levers himself to his feet. His missing arm is aching, and his entire body flashes with pain, but Sasuke endures it regardless.

"Orochimaru. Thank you. For saving my life, and Obito's, and everything after."

Orochimaru looks away,

"I will inform you when the boy awakes."

Sasuke nods his thanks, and slowly crutches his way out of the door. 

The pain is intense, but knowing he isn't straining an actual injury helps manage it. As he leaves Orochimaru's yard, he wonders where to go first. He rules out the hospital immediately as a potential source for Kakashi. Chakra exhausted or not there's no way Kakashi would stay in a hospital bed one single second longer than he had to. He considers the training field, and then discards it. Even Kakashi wouldn't be ridiculous enough to start training if he was still supposed to be hospitalized. Well, he hoped Kakashi wasn't that ridiculous. That left either Guy's apartment or the Hatake home.

Sasuke limps his way to the Hatake house. By the time he gets to the front door, the pain of walking has lessened slightly. Sasuke wonders if it's due to his body catching up to the fact his injuries aren't real. There's no way to really know. Sasuke pushes the door open with his usual 'I'm back'. There is no response and Sasuke begins to think Kakashi may not be here. Limping into the kitchen, Sasuke sees his charge sitting at the table, drinking tea. Kakashi is not wearing a mask, and his bare face looks intensely conflicted.

"May I sit?" Sasuke asks politely, sensing that Kakashi may be upset with him. He hopes Kakashi says yes, because if he doesn't, Sasuke may sit on the floor. The walk across the village was draining to say the least. Kakashi nods, refusing to meet his eyes. Definitely upset with Sasuke, then.

"Are you feeling alright? I heard you left the hospital early."

He hadn't heard it, he'd just assumed correctly.

Kakashi shrugs.

Sasuke steels himself and tries again.

"I see you aren't wearing your mask?"

Kakashi stiffens, still refusing to meet his eye. He grumbles something unintelligible.

"Could you repeat that?"

Kakashi grumbles louder,

"Was it all a lie?"

Sasuke wonders if it's a bad sign that there's just too many things Kakashi could potentially be referring to for him to know what the kid is referencing.

"Was what a lie?"

Kakashi jerks upright and smacks his hand on the table, and then grimaces. He must not be in great shape back from the hospital, then.

"All of it! Am I just some mission?" 

Sasuke thinks about being completely honest and admitting that yes, Kakashi had been a mission at first. He immediately discards that. Kakashi may have started out as a way for Sasuke to acclimate to the past, but.. He'd always been more than that, not that this Kakashi knew it.

"No, you're not a mission."

Kakashi looks up at him, and the anger in his eyes surprises Sasuke a little, though he isn't sure why.

"You didn't even tell me you were an Uchiha. How am I supposed to believe you?"

With a slight jolt, Sasuke remembers that Kakashi hadn't known he was an Uchiha and yet he'd ripped an eye out right in front of him. That had probably been some level of traumatizing. Worse, he'd then ruined that eye and replaced it with his original. No wonder Kakashi was having trouble looking at him. Sasuke clears his throat slightly, thoughts racing to figure out how to broach this.

"If it makes you feel any better, the only two people in the village who knew were the Hokage and Fugaku."

Kakashi snorts.

"It doesn't make me feel any better, actually."

Sasuke sighs.

"I didn't want people to know, because I didn't want to acknowledge it myself. I apologize for not telling you. You deserved to hear it from me."

Kakashi has his arms crossed. "But that means they're your real family. So why are you sticking around here, when you have a real family? Are you ignoring them?"

Sasuke hadn't considered that angle of it. At all.

How should he explain to Kakashi that he isn't really related to any living Uchiha, not in the way Kakashi would think, without explaining the time travelling...

"I didn't grow up in the Uchiha compound. I lived.. Elsewhere, with my family." It's even true. After the nine-tails attack, Danzo had banished the Uchiha to the outskirts of the village. The Uchiha compound that Kakashi knows hadn't existed in the same way, in Sasuke's time. Kakashi turns his attention to him slightly, paying attention but still visibly angry.

"When I was eight years old, my parents were killed in front of me." Kakashi's eyes widen and he quickly averts them, trying to hide his expression from Sasuke. He still hasn't pulled up his mask, though.

"I wanted to avenge them. I even ended up leaving the village for a while to train. Then, my brother died. I stayed away longer. Then my team died. I had no one left." Sasuke treads around saying that he was the one that killed his brother, or that his brother was the one who killed their parents. 

"By the time I returned to the village, no one knew who I was. I hadn't lived in the village since I was a child. Only the Hokage knew me." This was all technically true. He hopes Kakashi doesn't ask any other questions about it. This is the story he'd concocted for himself if it ever came up.

"When I returned, I didn't want to try and make myself a place in the Uchiha. None of them remembered me, and they weren't my family. Not really."

Not the ones I loved and lost, anyway. And seeing the faces so similar to the ones he had loved, with no recognition in their eyes...

"I ran into you, at the Hokage tower. Remember, Kakashi?" Sasuke tries to keep his voice level, calm. On the inside he is anything but. Kakashi nods slowly.

"The Hokage told me that you'd just lost your family. I remember what it feels like to be all alone. So I asked to stay with you, and the Hokage agreed."

Sasuke waits to see Kakashi's reaction. Sasuke has never told this partially true story before, because no one has ever asked him, in the few years he's lived in this time, about where he'd come from.

Kakashi is quiet for a little while. Sasuke waits him out.

"You can go back, if you want. I'm not a kid anymore, I'm a Jounin. Lots of Jounin live alone." It's stated matter-of-fact, but Kakashi hasn't met his gaze yet. 

Sasuke thinks this might be one of those instances where Kakashi is actually asking him to stay. He's supposed to be reassuring now. Sasuke has lived with Kakashi long enough to know that much. He still isn't very good at it, but Sasuke likes to think he's getting a little better.

"I don't want to be anywhere but here, Kakashi."

Kakashi finally looks at him again, and his eyes are a little wet.

"Something happened to Obito, when we were almost back to the village. You yelled. I've never heard you make a sound like that before. Then you ripped your eye out. I thought you were going to die, too."

Sasuke lets the information settle over him. Before he can respond, Kakashi says quietly,

"I thought maybe you wanted to."

Sakumo had killed himself. And Kakashi had thought he was going to watch it happen again. 

"Kakashi, listen. I would never do that to you." Sasuke grimaces slightly at the thought. He had almost died. He hadn't done it on purpose, though. Sasuke can't imagine what Kakashi might have gone through if he had.

"If something happens to me, it's not on purpose. I promise you that." Sasuke has no regrets about what he did for Obito. Not a single bit of him regrets casting that jutsu. But now, he feels a pang of sorrow at what witnessing it must have done to Kakashi.

"Do you mean that?" Kakashi is firm, asking for a promise. Sasuke can see the edge of his hand trembling just slightly.

"Yes." Sasuke keeps his voice equally firm.

Kakashi regards him for a long moment, testing Sasuke's resolve. Eventually, he nods. "Okay. I believe you."

While they're on serious topics, Sasuke does have a question he needs to ask.

"Kakashi, why did you stop wearing your mask. You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to."

Kakashi fidgets for a minute with his mask pillowed at the base of his neck.

"I started wearing it because I didn't want people to look at me."

Sasuke waits for him to continue.

"Everyone hated my dad and I look just like him and I hated that. So I wore it so people would stop looking at me." The words start tumbling out of his mouth faster.

"Obito asked me on the mission if he could see my face. He tried to pull my mask off like he always does. He said I didn't trust him. Then he died. Or, I thought he did. No one on my team had ever seen my face before. Obito asking me what was under the mask was the last thing he said before..."

Kakashi sucks in a breath and keeps going. "I don't want my team to not know what I look like. I want to trust them. So I took it off."

He finishes in a rush. Sasuke can't help but feel like it isn't just that easy.

"Do you, like it better this way?"

Kakashi scrunches his face up. It's still kind of cute, even though he's twelve now.

"Not really. But I have to show my team I trust them. What if...?"

Sasuke can imagine what Sakura would say if she heard all this. He can almost see her pink hair, pulled behind her ears as she lectures.

If he put on his mask because of trauma, and took it off because of trauma, that's unhealthy!

Sasuke wishes it was Sakura who was here to help instead of him. He'll do his best.

"Maybe, you can wear your mask most of the time, if that's what you're comfortable with, and you can take it off sometimes around people you trust?"

The solution sounds silly, even to Sasuke. But with no Sakura around, it's the best he can come up with. Kakashi regards him seriously.

"Do you think that would be okay?"

That Sasuke is sure of. "Lots of Jounin have things like that. I'm sure it's fine."

Kakashi nods and pulls his mask up. And immediately loses the tension in his shoulders. Sasuke imagines after so long with the mask on, he's anxious without it. "I do trust you, it's just."

Sasuke waves it off. "Don't worry. It's fine. Do you want your Jounin gift now?"

Kakashi's eyes light up. He somehow manages to look more expressive with his mask on than most people do without one.

"Yes, please."

Sasuke huffs with amusement at the abrupt turnaround in Kakashi's attitude. He can't help but think this isn't over, but at least it is for now.

"Your present is.... I will teach you three jutsu in any chakra nature that you'd like, one that isn't your affinity. Every Jounin needs some surprise jutsu for a tough spot. Having a second affinity should be very useful."

Kakashi looks awed.

"You know jutsu from every chakra nature?"

It's part of having the Sharingan, but Kakashi will likely never know that at this point. And Sasuke definitely does not want to bring up his heritage any more than absolutely necessary in front of Kakashi.

"I do."

"Can I think about it before I pick which chakra nature?" Kakashi asks thoughtfully, and Sasuke can already see the wheels in his head spinning.

"Of course. I'm still recovering, so I probably won't be able to do many jutsu for a little while."

Kakashi nods, and Sasuke notes that he's trying to hold back a yawn. "Why don't you go lie down? Aren't you still supposed to be on bed rest?"

Sasuke expects Kakashi to fight him on it, but the boy just looks sheepish. A sure sign that he's far more exhausted than he's letting on.

"I have to go check and make sure Orochimaru didn't teach my Genin how to blow up the village. I'll be back later."

Sasuke rises, hiding his grimace at the pain of it from Kakashi. Kakashi looks at him. He's not saying anything but Sasuke hears his question anyway.

"I promise I'll be back."

Kakashi relaxes just the tiniest bit farther, and Sasuke notes with amusement that the kid is practically asleep on his feet. Kakashi grabs the wall for support and pulls himself slowly down the hall. What a pair the two of them are. Kakashi definitely escaped the hospital without a nurse's consent.

Next, Sasuke needs to find his Genin.

Chapter Text

Sasuke makes it to the training ground where his Genin should be. Barely. The pain he's been suppressing is starting to weigh on him. He truly feels as if he was crushed alongside Obito, the way his entire body aches. But the drive to see with his own eyes that his Genin are okay overcomes the amount of pain he's feeling, and he forces through it, crutching along slowly. 

The Genin aren't in sight when he arrives, and Sasuke sits against a tree, leaning back and breathing through the pain. He senses them before he sees them, bright and happy chakra signatures they're still too inexperienced to hide. Opening his eyes, Sasuke waits patiently for them to arrive. 

Shisui spots him first, and puts on a burst of speed, flying into the training ground and barely skidding to a stop in front of Sasuke.

"Sasuke-sensei! You're awake!"

Kotetsu and Izumo are close behind, and they are smiling and laughing. Sasuke is glad. Orochimaru, for all his complaining, must have taken care of them at least reasonably well. 

The three of them crowd close, asking several questions which all overlap.

"One at a time."

"I heard you saved Obito's life!" Shisui exclaims immediately. 

"You're back so now we can train even more!" Izumo layers over the top.

"Are you okay, Sasuke-sensei?" Kotetsu adds, looking concerned.

"I did save Obito's life, in a way. Yes, we can train. And yes, I am alright." Sasuke answers each question in turn. "My turn to ask a question. What have you been working on in my absence?"

Orochimaru had said he'd been unconscious for five full days. It had taken almost three to rescue Obito. That was quite a bit more time than Sasuke had anticipated leaving the Genin with Orochimaru. It wouldn't do any good for Sasuke to start their training without a full report.

He looks to Kotetsu first, mostly to bother Izumo who is practically vibrating with excitement.

"Orochimaru-sensei helped me finish my first kata for the battleaxe, and I'm working on the second one. He showed me how to use chakra to make my hands hurt less when I swing it, and how to land more softly when I jump off of things. And I started working on a formation to use with Izumo."

So far so good. Jumping off of 'things' sounds relatively concerning, but Orochimaru isn't one for property damage, so it's probably fine. 

"Good. Izumo?"

Izumo had to be next, because the boy is ready to explode with words. And he certainly does.

"Did you know Orochimaru-sensei has a sword IN HIS MOUTH?!" Izumo shouts like it's simply the most incredible thing he's ever heard.

"I am aware." Sasuke acknowledges, with some amusement.

"Okay, well, I asked him to show me how to do that and he didn't! He said I wasn't good enough for that yet and that I'd die! It was so unfair!" Izumo crosses his arms, pouting.

"Devastating," Sasuke deadpans. "Did you have time train as well?"

Izumo balls his hands into fists. "Hey! Of course I did! Orochimaru-sensei showed me how to do a second kata, just like Kotetsu, and I'm working on that formation with him! I learned how to use chakra to make my sword move faster! And I finished water walking!" The boy yanks his sword out without restraint and Sasuke watches as the blade glows slightly.

He's more impressed that Kakashi had given Izumo a chakra conductive sword than anything else, but the chakra enhanced speed would surely help Izumo in battle. 

"Good work," Sasuke nods approvingly. Izumo beams. 

Sasuke looks to Shisui, who is shifting slightly on his feet.

"We performed ten D-ranks, and I completed my training for the Shunshin. Orochimaru-sensei said it was good enough to use in the field."

Sasuke waits, but Shisui doesn't continue. There simply isn't any way that Shisui only finished a jutsu he'd almost completed when Sasuke left. Orochimaru wouldn't treat him differently because he was Uchiha, and Shisui was more than intelligent enough to pick up more abilities. 

"And?" Sasuke asks as delicately as he can. 

"Hetaughtmethemysticpalm." Shisui rushes out.

"A little slower?" Sasuke requests.

"He, er, Orochimaru-sensei, that is, taught me how to use the mystic palm." Shisui looks extremely nervous.

"The base healing jutsu?" Sasuke clarifies. Shisui nods.

Sasuke is surprised, but he doesn't show it. Shisui looks slightly stressed about it for some reason. Sasuke decides to call him on it instead of asking a question which might be all wrong.

"Why are you upset about this? Did you not want to learn it?"

Shisui's eyes go wide, and he shakes his head.

"No, that's not it! I just, saw him healing Kotetsu after he fell out of a tree, with my Sharingan, and.."

"I didn't fall, I jumped!" Kotetsu inserts.

Sasuke considers for a moment. "Do you want to be a healer, Shisui?"

Shisui shakes his head again. "No, I don't! I want to be on the front lines with everybody else!"

Sasuke is patient, "If you become a combat medic you can do both. Don't think medical ninjutsu is a barrier from the field."

Shisui calms after that, but he still has a bit of a frown. "I was a little worried that if they found out, they'd stick me as a medic," he admits. "But no, I don't want to be a combat medic either. I just thought it might be useful." The kid still looks a little worried.

"It is," Sasuke assures him. "Are you clear to use it in the field?"

Shisui nods, "Only for cuts and scrapes."

So no bones, muscles, or organ damage. Still, Shisui is right. It will be useful to him in his career. If he ever wants further training, he won't be able to get it from Sasuke. Healing basic bleeding is the extent of Sasuke's medical ninjutsu as well.

Sasuke asks what they've done already today, and is told they've completed their D-rank for the day. He asks Izumo and Kotetsu to go through their katas, and while they do, he motions for Shisui to stay behind with him. The other two have a path set out for them. They will need to learn a series of katas and formations to become proficient at their weapons. Shisui, on the other hand, has not expressed a specialty yet, and is the only Genin not to be currently working on something.

"What would you like to learn next?" Sasuke offers.

Shisui thinks it over for a few minutes as they watch Izumo and Kotetsu work their way through the first kata. They are much improved.

"I want to be a ninjutsu specialist, like you, Sasuke-sensei." Shisui says after his silence. 

Sasuke isn't simply a ninjutsu specialist. In fact, he's actually Jounin level in every discipline, excepting non Sharingan fueled genjutsu. But if Shisui wants to learn more jutsu, Sasuke isn't going to turn him down.

"Do you know your chakra nature?" Sasuke assumes its fire. Most in Konoha, and especially the Uchiha, are.

Shisui shakes his head. "Aren't Uchiha supposed to be fire natured?"

Sasuke shrugs. "They usually are. There are exceptions of course." Sasuke himself is one of those, with his primary elemental nature being lightning. Not that he's going to tell Shisui that.

Sasuke ends up sending Shisui to a shop to pick up some elemental paper. He sits underneath the tree watching quietly the entire time. He isn't in any shape to be up and running around the village for simple errands yet. By the time he returns, Kotetsu and Izumo are struggling through their second kata. Sasuke decides to go ahead and test the other two as well, when they finish with their katas. 

He pulls a strip of chakra paper and holds it out to Shisui. "Put just a little of your chakra into this."

Shisui obeys immediately. The paper burns, as expected. But Sasuke doesn't miss the way it slightly crumples as it does so.

"You have a fire nature, as expected. You do possess a secondary nature of lightning, though it isn't as strong as fire."

Shisui looks at him curiously. "Is that.. Good?"

Sasuke nods. "The more chakra natures you can use, the stronger you will be. With the Sharingan, you'll be able to use any chakra nature. But these two will come easier to you."

Especially if Shisui starts inventing jutsu, but he's nowhere near that right now.

"We'll start you with fire jutsu."

Soon, Sasuke is going to have to start training him with his Sharingan. but not today. "Watch this, without your Sharingan."

The Sharingan may allow for instant memorization, but to truly learn a jutsu, inside and out, Sasuke wants Shisui to learn a bit slower. At least for now. Shisui watches as Sasuke weaves one handed signs. "Fire release: Incinerating Hail"

Sasuke opens his hand, and a couple small fireballs fall to the ground. Kotetsu and Izumo cease their katas and stare. Shisui looks awed.

"That's one you used on the battlefield, right, sensei?" His voice is full of admiration. It makes Sasuke a little uncomfortable, but he chooses to ignore the discomfort.

Sasuke had actually used a blended jutsu to make it more powerful, but the idea was the same. "More or less. Did you get the handsigns?"

Shisui nods. Sasuke sends him off to practice with a warning to use as little chakra as possible until he gets the hang of it. The last thing Sasuke wants is a fireball hail the size of the training field. Izumo runs over with Kotetsu on his heels, and Sasuke convinces them to calm down long enough to use the chakra paper themselves.

Izumo is fire natured, which is not a surprise to Sasuke. Izumo seems happy enough with it, especially when Sasuke assures him that when he gets better, he should be able to cloak his sword in flames.

Kotetsu is earth natured, which is also within Sasuke's expectations. Earth is one of the other more common chakra natures in Konoha. Water is next, and Lightning after, leaving Wind as the rarest chakra nature in Konoha.

Kotetsu asks if he'll be able to do something with his nature with his battleaxe, and Sasuke informs him that earth natured chakra can easily help him both stand his ground defensively, and land harsher blows, once he's more experienced.

Since the two have finished their katas, Sasuke sets them on their physical routine. They run off immediately, arguing about who will complete it faster, or better.

Sasuke is relieved that his Genin have so far not fought him on the physical training front. Most Genin despise physical exercise alone, simply because it isn't as flashy as ninjutsu or genjutsu. But the truth is, chakra is made by a mixture of physical and mental energy, and if they want to have more chakra, they need to be in better shape. 

While the Genin go through their training, Sasuke meditates. Yet another thing he'll be forcing on his Genin soon enough. Meditation grows the available chakra pool, and strengthens a shinobi's connection to his or her chakra network. Sasuke doesn't need more chakra. But he does need to get readjusted to his body after throwing his entire chakra network through the wringer.

This had been the only way Sasuke had been able to get rid of phantom itches and pains in his arm when he'd originally lost it. So he easily sinks into a meditative state, and starts working on himself from the inside out.

After what must have been a long stretch of time, Sasuke opens his eyes to see all three of his Genin flat on their backs, panting. He dismisses them, and they give exhausted salutes, and continue to lay on the ground. They must have gone all out on physical activity to have wiped themselves out like that. But no chakra flares had alarmed Sasuke enough to bring him out of his meditative state, so he's not particularly worried.

The sun hangs low in the sky when Sasuke crutches up to the Hatake manor. Kakashi has made food, which is excellent since Sasuke isn't sure he has the energy to cook. Kakashi looks like he used the last bit of his own energy to cook, and Sasuke reminds himself that Kakashi is still officially on bedrest. They eat together in exhausted silence, and go to bed immediately after. 

Sasuke has barely been asleep an hour when Kakashi starts screaming. 

He pulls himself out of bed and down the hall to Kakashi's room as quickly as he can, having forgotten his crutch in his rush to get to Kakashi. He flings Kakashi's door open, and Kakashi sits straight up in bed.

The room is empty.

A nightmare, then. 

Sasuke slumps, relieved. He isn't in much shape to fight anyone off right now. Neither is Kakashi. Kakashi's eyes are wide, and he's covered in sweat, panting.

"Are you alright?" Sasuke offers. It's obvious that it's a nightmare, so he doesn't even mention it. Kakashi nods, still panting.

Sasuke waits in the doorway until Kakashi evens out his breathing, and lays back down. Sasuke takes it as the sign that it is, and goes back to his own bed.

An hour later, it happens again. And then the hour after that. Each time, Sasuke pulls himself down the hall. Each time, Kakashi sits up in a panic, chest heaving. And each time, Kakashi eventually calms down and lays back down.

The fourth time, Sasuke isn't awoken by Kakashi crying out, but by his agitated and weak chakra in the doorway. Sasuke opens his eyes to see Kakashi leaning heavily on the doorway to Sasuke's room, watching Sasuke carefully. Sasuke pulls himself upright, blinking sleep from his eyes. He motions Kakashi over to sit on the bed, and Kakashi hesitates.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Sasuke asks carefully. Kakashi shakes his head.  Sasuke is unbothered by it. At Kakashi's age, Sasuke would never have as much as admitted he'd had a nightmare. He can't imagine he would have wanted to talk about it. 

But when he'd been very young, and had the usual childhood nightmares, Itachi had always told Sasuke to talk about it, and he'd sat with Sasuke and listened, no matter how silly Sasuke's nightmares had been. 

So Sasuke offers anyway. He sits in his bed, leaving a space for Kakashi to sit beside him, and breathes. 

Kakashi looks torn, but slowly makes his way over to Sasuke, and sits beside him. Up close, Kakashi looks even worse, even in the dark. His eyes are swollen, and his shirt is sticking to him with sweat. Sasuke makes no move, and says no words. All he does is breathe deliberately, in a pattern that, should Kakashi follow him, should calm his breathing down.

It's so dark that Sasuke can't make out Kakashi's face perfectly. But he can make out the quiet heaving breaths just fine.

"You died," a whisper hangs in the air. Kakashi is stiff, but Sasuke can tell even in the dark that he's exhausted.

Sasuke puts his hand on Kakashi's shoulder and leaves it there. Even Kakashi's shoulder is damp with sweat. The boy trembles slightly under his hand. Sasuke doesn't say anything, though. There really isn't anything to say. They both know it was a nightmare, Sasuke doesn't need to insult Kakashi's intelligence by repeating it.

"And my dad. And Obito." The confession slips out of Kakashi, seemingly against his will. "It was my fault. It's always my fault."

Kakashi breaths start to shake suspiciously like unshed tears. Sasuke does the only thing he can think to do. He grabs Kakashi by his far shoulder and pulls him into a half hug. He's slow, giving Kakashi plenty of time to pull away. 

Kakashi doesn't.

His exhaustion is written in every line of his body. Kakashi should be in the hospital, possibly still receiving fluids and sedation. 

Sasuke holds him tightly, as Kakashi shakes from exhaustion, and the toll of the nightmares. "It's not your fault, Kakashi. It's never been your fault."

To Sasuke's great surprise, Kakashi buries his face in Sasuke's shoulder, much like he did when he'd told Sasuke that Obito had died.

Aside from those moments at the gate, Sasuke's not sure he's ever been so close to Kakashi, or perhaps any other person, ever. His family had not been a touching, feeling, family. Itachi came the closest, but his comfort was words, and a poke to the forehead, or the occasional piggyback ride. Sasuke had never in memory been held before, or held another person. 

Unless he counts Sakura dying in his arms.

He shakes that thought. He wonders if Sakumo did this, when Kakashi was young, or if Kakashi's mother had. Sasuke wonders if he's comforting correctly. He has no idea. He wonders if Kakashi knows. If Kakashi can tell that Sasuke has never had either examples of comfort, or causes to comfort another. He hopes he's doing alright. Hopes that Kakashi understands that even if Sasuke has no idea what to say, that Sasuke cares. 

All he knows to do is to stay, and so stay he does. He lets Kakashi bury his face in Sasuke's shoulder. He holds him by the shoulder until Kakashi's breathing stops shaking, and starts evening out. 

Sasuke eventually realizes after far too long that Kakashi is asleep. On him.

The next step is easy. Sasuke carefully lays Kakashi on the bed beside him. 

One of the things that had been drilled into Sasuke's head as an Academy student was to never, ever separate teammates that had been through a traumatic mission. Even the hospital usually wouldn't, unless absolutely necessary. When Shinobi went through a traumatic experience, it was supposed to be par for the course for them to only feel safe sleeping near a teammate.

Every trauma Sasuke had ever experienced, he'd been alone.

He doesn't want the same for Kakashi. So Sasuke lays down a respectable distance from Kakashi, and lets himself drift off beside him.

He's awoken the next morning to Kakashi giving a very un-shinobi like shriek and falling off the bed. Sasuke jerks to alertness only to find that one of Orochimaru's snake summons had caused the alarm.

"K'kashi, it's fine. It's Orochimaru's." 

Sasuke shakes the sleep from his head. The small snake, a colorful one Sasuke hasn't seen before, relays it's message.

"The boy should be waking soon."

Then it dismisses itself. None of Orochimaru's summons were particularly chatty. Not that Sasuke would know how to hold a conversation with a snake, should they wish to have one. Sakura would have said Sasuke didn't know how to hold a conversation with a person either, and she might be right about that.

Kakashi looks embarrassed to be caught off guard by a snake summon, but Sasuke doesn't make any comment about it. After he and Kakashi are both dressed, they limp their way together to Orochimaru's. 

Sasuke is sure they make quite the sight. With three crutches between them, they slowly work their way over to Orochimaru's home. Fortunately, it's not terribly far from the Hatake home.

They arrive at the same time as Minato and Rin, who give them a nod and a wave respectively. Orochimaru lets them all in politely, and they file in one after another, and crowd into the room where Obito is laid. 

Sasuke inquires as to Kushina, and Minato informs him that Kushina has been spending a great amount of her time trying to get Yamato adjusted to the house. Evidently, the boy isn't talking yet, and had spent several days in sheer terror. Kushina had managed to get Yamato to trust her, and according to Minato, he clings to her everywhere she goes.

Minato smiles fondly as he tells Sasuke, and Sasuke spares a moment to think that they would have made great parents to Naruto. They still will, if Sasuke has his way. Sasuke wishes Minato luck on getting Yamato to trust him as well, and Minato thanks Sasuke sincerely. Sasuke knows the thanks is for more than the well wishes. Sasuke knows that Minato is also talking about Obito. 

All the while, Rin is talking quietly under her breath to Kakashi, who nods along.

Obito wakes up between one second and the next. Minato, Sasuke, and Orochimaru stand by the wall and watch as Rin and Kakashi rush to their teammate's side.

Rin throws herself on Obito's shoulder and immediately begins crying. Kakashi is far less emotional, but he stands as close to Obito as he can, and stares at him as if he might disappear if Kakashi looks away.

"H-hi guys." Obito croaks out.

Minato walks forward after that, desperate to see his student. Sasuke exchanges a look with Orochimaru, and they both step outside for a moment to give the team time to talk.

"Izumo wants to store his sword in his mouth now." Sasuke says mildly.

Orochimaru looks amused. "Does he now?"

"Are you going to tell him he probably can't?" Sasuke comments, ignoring the elephant that is Obito in the next room.

"Hm.. I don't think so." Orochimaru's eyes glitter with mirth.

 He's likely imagining Izumo attempting it. Sasuke is too. The mental image is quite humorous.

"Don't be surprised if he starts banging on your door about it someday."

"I'll most certainly be out that day."

Sasuke knows if Izumo really did decide to try and learn it, Orochimaru's absence at his home would do nothing to deter him. Sasuke suspects Orochimaru knows that too.

Orochimaru finally brings up Obito, and informs Sasuke that he believes Obito will make a full recovery, with whatever side effects he may end up with. He also mentions that he found the seal Madara mentioned on Obito's heart. Sasuke starts at that, but Orochimaru just says that the seal is broken, and was designed to die with Obito. When Obito had briefly died on the way back to the village, the seal had lost it's effect. Which was an enormous relief to Sasuke. 

They make more minor talk then, about Sasuke's Genin, or some of Orochimaru's less illegal experiments.

A little while later, Minato, Kakashi, and Rin exit the room. Rin's eyes are red and swollen, but she's smiling. Sasuke notices that Minato's eyes are a bit red too. Kakashi is pulling his mask up as he exits, crutching along slightly. Minato clasps Sasuke on the shoulder.

"Thank you."

Sasuke nods. As much as he likes Minato, he hadn't done it for him.

Then Minato hugs him. This is by far the most uncomfortable hug Sasuke has experienced. Hugging children is quite different than hugging another adult. Sasuke bears it with as much grace as he can. Minato can sense Sasuke's obvious discomfort and lets go quickly.

"He's asking for you."

Sasuke inclines his head.

"I hear you're the next Hokage. Congratulations." He'd forgotten to mention it to Minato earlier, and he wants to mention it before the man leaves, in case it makes it awkward that Sasuke hadn't said anything.

Minato's face grows deadly serious. "Yes. Hiruzen says it'll be after the peace negotiations finish. Then maybe I can finish what we started." He nods in Orochimaru's direction. 

The blond turns to leave after his two students, but before he does, he shoots a look at Sasuke.

"I hear we have a nickname now. Congratulations."

Trying to lighten the mood slightly, Sasuke comes up with, "I'm sure you'll regret sharing it with me." It feels awkward, but he tries to make it sound light.

Minato laughs, so he must have succeeded. "Oh, I'm sure." Then he shoos Sasuke towards the door.

"Go, see Obito."

Sasuke places his hand on the door, but before he can push it open, Kakashi appears at his side. He eyes Orochimaru slightly suspiciously, then leans in.

"Obito might need a place to stay while he gets better. Since it's impolite to impose on Mr. Orochimaru this much."

Orochimaru looks amused at the formal title. Sasuke hears the unasked question.

"If that is the case, yes, he can stay with us. Do you want to tell him?"

Kakashi startles and he shakes his head. Embarrassed to admit he cares for his teammate. Sasuke can understand that all too well.

"Alright. If it comes up, I'll tell him."

Kakashi nods and crutches off as fast as feasibly possible. Probably to leave the scene before Obito realizes it was Kakashi's idea.

Sasuke enters the room without another interruption. Obito is looking towards the door, and his eyes light up slightly when Sasuke enters.

"Mr. Sasuke."

His voice is still raspy, and Sasuke sits at his side, laying his crutch down.

"What do you remember?"

Obito shudders all over, and his eyes dull slightly. Sasuke regrets his question immediately.

"I remember how it felt to have those rocks come down. I remember crying because I was going to die all alone, and it hurt so much."

He sniffles slightly. Orochimaru returns from absolutely nowhere with a glass of water and a straw, and Sasuke helps Obito drink before he continues.

"Everything after that... It feels like a nightmare."

So he remembers being 'saved' by Madara and Zetsu, then. Sasuke vividly remembers Obito screaming as Zetsu tried to bond to his flesh.

"This thing, it was trying to... I don't know. It kept saying 'save'. But it felt like torture. It was.." Obito's voice breaks, and Sasuke helps him drink some more water.

"Kakashi told me you showed up to save me. He said the second you heard, you came after me." Obito struggles to turn himself fully to face Sasuke.

"That's right." Sasuke wonders if he's confirming Kakashi told the truth, or if he's going somewhere with this.

"I didn't think anyone would come back. I thought I was going to die, and it hurt so bad." By some miracle, Obito manages to force himself into more or less of a sitting position.

"I kept hoping you would come and save me, Mr. Sasuke." Tears are rolling down Obito's cheeks.

Sasuke has no idea what to do. Is he supposed to say something? Hug Obito like he had Kakashi? Wouldn't that hurt Obito's injuries?

Struggling with words, Sasuke comes up with, "Why me?"

The look Orochimaru shoots him behind Obito's back has so much 'you are a moron' energy in it, Sasuke thinks if looks could deal psychic damage, Orochimaru would have just killed him.

"You're the first person who ever acknowledged me." Obito admits, and Sasuke is once again, speechless. Sure, Obito wasn't popular amongst the Uchiha, but surely he'd had some friends before being placed on Team Minato?

"You liked me because I was Obito, not cause you had to. I wished... Well, sometimes I wish you actually were my dad. The whole time I was there... I just kept trying to imagine you throwing all the boulders away, or killing that white man, and coming to save me. I never thought it might come true. I just thought I was going to die all alone" 

Sasuke is frozen, all the blood in his veins turned to ice. He can't process this, any of these words. He feels himself starting to shut down against his will, and struggles to stop himself from shutting off completely.

"Can, can I ask a question too?" Obito looks at him. 

He gives his permission. Obito had never asked permission to ask questions before, he just blurted them out left and right and half the time didn't even wait for Sasuke to answer.

"Why did you come get me? Everyone thought I was dead." Obito asks him, covered in bandages, tears on his face.

The words slip out of Sasuke's mouth without his permission. "There was never a question. They said you were dead. I had to come get you."

It really hadn't required more thought than that. Sasuke isn't sure he'd actually had a clear line of throughout the whole rescue. It was, get Obito back at all costs. Nothing else had registered.

Obito is crying more freely again. Sasuke wonders if he said the wrong thing. He isn't nearly as good with explaining himself as Obito is. Obito has also probably said double the words Sasuke has said in his entire life, so that could be part of it. Sasuke realizes he may be panicking.

"Kakashi said I died on the way back. Is that true?"

Orochimaru smoothly answers that one before Sasuke can decide whether or not he should lie to him.

"Yes, you did. This moron you call a father figure stitched his entire chakra network and lifeforce into you to keep you alive until he could get you to me. On top of two forbidden jutsu."

Obito's jaw drops and he looks to Sasuke for confirmation. Sasuke scratches at the back of his head awkwardly, trying to keep composure, and Obito takes that as confirmation enough. Obito turns back to Orochimaru.

"Is he okay? Am... I okay?"

Orochimaru sighs. "Aside from suffering from stupidity, Sasuke is fine. He took on some of your injuries, so he is recovering. As are you. However, I expect you'll both make more or less a full recovery because of it."

Obito is more observant than he lets on, and he latches onto Orochimaru's hidden meaning immediately. "More or less, what does that mean?"

Orochimaru looks pleased at Obito's deciphering. "More or less because, a jutsu like that has never been cast before, and the consequences are yet to be seen. Sasuke is suffering some side effects in his Rinnegan, and I feel certain you'll likely have side effects as well, though I can't begin to guess at the nature of them. Additionally, after doing some more research, I have a theory."

Oh great, another theory. Sasuke asks before Obito can, his voice a little tight as he tries to stay present. "Well, what's your theory, then?"

"I noticed when I helped separate your chakra networks. Which are still identical, by the way. I believe your lifeforces are still tied together. I can't test it without killing one of you, which is obviously not ideal. And if it is true, I can't do anything about it. Nor, I suspect, can you." Orochimaru smoothly rolls through it.

Sasuke answers so Obito doesn't have to ask. He doesn't think he could handle whatever might come out of Obito's mouth. "So if one of us dies, the other one probably will."

Orochimaru nods. "You aren't quite as dense as you've been acting lately."

Sasuke wonders if Orochimaru is ever going to let this go. Probably not. Obito, however, goes completely white.

"Mr. Sasuke... I... I'm so sorry!"

Sasuke looks over at him. "For what?"

Obito is panting with the exertion of sitting up, and being upset. Sasuke is fairly certain it isn't good for him. He doesn't stop him. He thinks he may have forgotten how to move.

"I'm not worth, all of that. What if I die for real and you die too?"

Sasuke is far more concerned about the exact opposite. Sasuke is far more of a target than Obito will ever likely be, at this point. 

Sasuke shrugs, forcing nonchalance. He isn't upset about this, and under no circumstances can he let Obito think he is. "I have no regrets. Don't concern yourself with that."

Obito is working himself up into a frenzy, and Sasuke has no idea what to do. Orochimaru is started to look concerned too.

"I ruined your life! You probably hate me!"

Sasuke grabs Obito's shoulder, where he's relatively sure Obito is uninjured. "Stop. Breathe. Right now. Breathe."

Obito does, but as his breaths wind down, he starts crying again. Sasuke has never seen a person cry this much, not even Sakura, and Sasuke had once been sure no one in the history of the world had cried more than Sakura.

"If I had the choice, I would do it again." Sasuke isn't sure if that's an appropriate response, because Obito does not slow down the crying whatsoever.

At a loss, Sasuke looks to Orochimaru for help. The Sanin looks about as lost as he does, which is somewhat of a relief. Maybe Sasuke should apologize? He starts formulating an apology of some sort. He will have to be careful. One wrong word and Obito might think Sasuke actually does hate him. Sasuke is terrible at apologies.

Orochimaru must feel about as awkward about the situation as Sasuke does, or he's aware Sasuke is a few seconds from losing it himself, because he actually ends up speaking first.

"Child, I don't believe hatred is something you should concern yourself with. Just a few moments ago, your teammate and Sasuke decided to take you with them to recover. If I know the two of them at all, they'd probably kidnap you from your own home if you tried to do otherwise."

Sasuke flounders. Orochimaru throwing him and Kakashi under the bus together was not something he had anticipated. Sasuke had fully planned on swearing Obito to secrecy and saying the whole thing was Kakashi's idea. This is far too many emotions for Sasuke, he's started to get increasingly overwhelmed. He needs to calm down. He can worry about the implications of Obito's words later.

Somehow, Orochimaru's words work better than Sasuke's had, and Obito's tears start to slow.

"Really?"

Sasuke just nods, grateful for the moment to not have to say anything, to get himself under control. Orochimaru continues,

"I'll drop you off there after we've determined if there any obvious side effects. Sasuke is in no condition to be carrying people around."

The look on Orochimaru's face says he is glad to be dumping this crying child off to be Sasuke's problem. Sasuke can't blame him. It is a lot of emotions, and neither he nor Orochimaru are equipped to deal with them.

But, Sasuke had dropped everything to run after Obito, had potentially sacrificed everything to bring him back alive. It was Sasuke's fault that their lives were tied together, just as it was Sasuke's fault that Obito was sitting alive in front of him right now. Sasuke supposes that does make Obito, emotions and all, his problem.

That doesn't seem all that bad. 

There were worse problems to have.

Sasuke breathes. 

He can handle this.

Right?

Chapter Text

The incidents start off small at first. Izumo narrowly avoids a falling stack of bricks on a D-rank. It could feasibly happen to any Genin on a job. Sasuke is unconcerned.

Two days later, Shisui nearly gets impaled by a poorly designed fence. Sasuke begins to get suspicious.

The next week, Kakashi reports that Rin had nearly fallen into an abandoned well, and was only saved by Minato's quick reflexes.

Sasuke is a Kage class Jounin. 

He doesn't believe in coincidences. 

The day Kakashi reports Rin's near miss, Sasuke allows his paranoia to come in full swing. 

He moves his bed, along with Obito's and Kakashi's, into the largest room in the Hatake house, far too paranoid to let them sleep unguarded. It has the unintended effect of severely lessening the amount of times Sasuke wakes up to one of the boys screaming.

The next day, he acquires a wheelchair, and even though Obito is confined to bedrest, Sasuke starts wheeling him everywhere he goes, unwilling to leave him unattended for more than an hour at a time. He would have dragged Kakashi around as well, but Kakashi has been medically cleared for light training, and had immediately gone back to it.

He makes a pact with a confused Minato and a fired up Kushina to not let any of their students go anywhere by themselves. Even Kakashi, who technically shares their rank. Minato clearly thinks Sasuke is paranoid. Kushina is much more on board, agreeing immediately, as though she isn't already bringing Yamato along with her every second of every day.

He even checks in on Orochimaru every single day, which leaves the Sanin both bewildered and somewhat amused. But in Sasuke's experience, paranoia is a necessity.

The near misses start to come more frequently.

A Genin team is warned to clear out a threat that turns out to be Kotetsu practicing his meditation.

Kakashi has a C-rank that turns out to be multiple missing nin from Sand.

Kushina reports that Yamato had nearly eaten poisoned rice that had 'accidentally' made its way into their home. 

Minato has a worrying number of people try and convince him that 'someone needs help' and to follow them immediately.

Alone, each incident could be chalked up to a simple mistake. except, there were far too many. And they were happening far too close together. Sasuke had seriously considered demanding Kotetsu and Izumo move in as well, and is only deterred by Minato telling Sasuke they needed to keep a low profile. The Future Hokage's opinion was that as long as they pretended not to notice the continual 'accidents', they were less likely to escalate into direct attacks. On one hand, Sasuke agreed. On the other hand, he told Minato if one of his Genin died because of this, Sasuke would never forgive him.

Minato had agreed to it. The blond clearly had connections, because Sasuke started to see ANBU adding the civilian district where Izumo and Kotetsu resided to their guard rotation. And Sasuke had checked out every ANBU mask to be certain they were all trustworthy. From what he could tell, they probably were. He'd analyzed every mask he'd found, and none had quite put off ROOT sort of chakra... yet.

Obito, for his part, seems to be loving the attention from Sasuke's Genin team. Minato, Rin, and Kakashi continued to get assigned missions, taking them out of the village frequently. Obito, however, is confined to the wheelchair for the near future. The damage to his chest and legs had been catastrophic. The boulders may have missed his face, and arms for the most part, but more than made up for it in the mess that was the rest of him. Obito attended regular healing sessions with Orochimaru, trying to repair everything that had gone wrong.

Orochimaru had pulled Sasuke aside at one point and confided that, had Sasuke not taken on some of Obito's injuries, or rebuilt his chakra network with Sasuke's own, Obito would have had no chance of being a shinobi. As it was, Obito was essentially having his entire body from the chest down rebuilt from nearly scratch. Sasuke had actually had to strap Obito upright in the wheelchair the first few days, as he hadn't recovered enough to handle even sitting upright for more than a few minutes at a time.

Orochimaru must have written to Tsunade for advice, because soon after Orochimaru comes up with a treatment plan, Obito gets a letter from Shizune. Sasuke hadn't read it, but it had made Obito smile for real for the first time in days. And he'd quickly written back.

That had no effect on the amount of talking Obito was able to do. It was astounding how many words the Uchiha could get out in a single day. Chatterbox didn't even begin to cover it. And he talked about everything. If there wasn't anything in particular on his mind, he would simply narrate whatever Sasuke's Genin team was up to. Sasuke would have been frustrated to the point of despair except for one thing: every time Obito wasn't talking, he'd get this serious, mournful, heartbroken look on his face. Whenever Sasuke saw it, he didn't mind the talking as much. 

A couple weeks in, Sasuke realizes Obito must be talking to distract himself from whatever is actually going on in his head. The revelation surprised him, and Sasuke began to wonder if that was why Naruto had never been silent. 

Sasuke has no idea if he's supposed to do something about it or not, so he does the only thing he knows. He goes to the library, and checks out every book available to him on guiding children through trauma. He isn't sure if Obito still counts as a child, seeing as he's both a Chunin and a teenager. But there is a scarcity of information on how to deal with traumatized shinobi. 

That is to say, there are none.

So he sticks with the civilian section. There still isn't a lot, but Sasuke reads everything the library has. There are five books on dealing with trauma with children. Three of them focus on how to help the child, two of them are supposed to be 'from a child's perspective', whatever that means. There is exactly one slim book on how to handle an adult. Sasuke grabs that one, too.

He almost throws the first book away in disgust. The civilians clearly have no idea what trauma is actually like. All of their so called 'symptoms' and 'signs of PTSD' which Sasuke learns is similar to a well known shinobi ailment of 'battle fatigue', are things that every shinobi Sasuke has ever known well exhibits. Sasuke had done most of the things the civilians listed as 'warning signs to watch out for' himself as a Genin, and Sasuke thought, all things considered, he'd been a very well adjusted child. A little angry, and a lot lonely, but overall, adjusted.

He doesn't throw the book away. Because that very same day, he notices Obito staring off into the distance, watching the Genin spar, and the broken look on his face makes Sasuke pick the book back up and continue reading.

By the end of the second book, Sasuke starts to wonder if he had been one of these 'traumatized children', and no one, including himself, had noticed.

Nearing the end of the final book, Sasuke wonders if he is the only person who hadn't noticed this about himself. Even worse, Sasuke realizes he'd been using Kakashi, Itachi, and Naruto as standards for normal. And, if these books have any truth in them.. Well. Everyone Sasuke had used as a measuring stick of regular behavior was actually a mess. The only person Sasuke can even think of that doesn't fit most of the criteria is Sakura. Had she really been the only normal person on Team 7? Had she really been the only well adjusted person Sasuke had ever known?

Sasuke does admit to himself that Minato and Kushina are on par for normal, as well. 

The revelation astounds him so greatly Sasuke almost forgets to speak for two entire days. The only reason he'd answered anything at all was because his Genin were asking him direct, easy questions. The 'accidents' do not reduce in frequency, but just like Minato had said, they don't escalate either. 

After a week of thought, in which his entire worldview upends, Sasuke goes back to the library and checks out every book on shinobi psychology he can find. And the shinobi books back up the civilian ones, with some small changes necessary considering the lifestyle shinobi lead. 

When Minato gets back from a diplomacy mission to help negotiations start, Sasuke straight up asks the blond about his findings. Minato gets the strangest look on his face, and he spends quite a long time telling Sasuke that he thinks Sasuke is an honorable, upstanding shinobi and that he trusts Sasuke with his life. He does not answer Sasuke's question. He gives no confirmation or denial that Sasuke might be 'traumatized'.

So he asks Kushina. She laughs directly in his face, so long and hard that she starts crying. After she picks herself off the floor, and wipes the tears out of her eyes, she realizes Sasuke is serious. And she gives him a straight answer. "Ya think?"

He asks her what to do. She sobers, and looks softly at Yamato. The boy has started speaking, incredibly softly, and usually only to Kushina.

"You already made it through the dark part, ya know? You've already learned to live with it. All you need to do is help Obito learn how to live with it too."

He hadn't said anything about Obito. Kushina somehow always knew. That's why he'd asked Minato first, as unhelpful as the blond had been.

Sasuke returns the books on shinobi psychology, and rereads every book on how to handle trauma. This time, he pays actual attention to how to process it.

It apparently involves talking about your feelings to find peace. It seems promising, since Obito likes to talk so much. It sounds like going to hell, for Sasuke personally. But, Sasuke doesn't think advising Obito to take his particular path to where Sasuke is now. Sasuke thinks on it for a while, and decides Kushina is right. He is, more or less, at peace. He'd thought peace would be a little calmer, and would involve less paranoia and weight on his shoulders.

But, it's been a long time since Sasuke could only think of revenge. He's left the revenge behind. Killing his brother, trying to eliminate the Leaf village as a whole, trying to drag Naruto down with him. All of that was over. Even Danzo was no longer revenge. Danzo needed to be killed for the future of the village. Sasuke decides that doing a job that needs to be done for the peace and safety of his precious people doesn't count as revenge.

The worst part of talking about feelings is apparently to get the best results, you're supposed to talk to someone. And for Obito, Sasuke guesses that's supposed to be him. He'd offered the job to Minato. Minato had just smiled, clapped Sasuke on the shoulder and wished him luck before disappearing. Sasuke wonders what he ever did to Minato to deserve this fate. 

The thing is, Sasuke just isn't ready to talk about it, yet. So, he waits.

Time passes.

The 'accidents' continue, and so far, no one has gotten seriously hurt. Sasuke trains his Genin harder and harder every day, and Minato throws himself into negotiations, hoping to speed up his rise to Hokage. If Sasuke isn't mistaken, the negotiations are taking a suspiciously long time. But for the moment, his hands are tied. Rin makes Jounin, and forms a two man squad with Kakashi, assuring Obito it will become a three man squad the moment he's cleared for action again.

Obito somehow manages to make an enemy of Guy, who is forever at the house. Sasuke has no idea how, as both Guy and Obito are among the friendliest shinobi he knows. The house is often full of passionate arguments, that Kakashi bears and Sasuke ignores. Once Obito gets back on his feet, he and Guy are either going to get along like a house on fire, or they might kill each other. It's still up in the air.

Obito and Shizune become written correspondents, exchanging letters every other week.

Itachi is enrolled in the Academy. Sasuke manages to somehow not break down Fugaku's door, and is only slightly relieved to hear Itachi is not on track to graduate in merely a year. Perhaps Fugaku isn't too out of his mind. When Shisui informs him that Itachi has developed the Sharingan, Sasuke breaks a training field, and not Fugaku's home. He considers that a personal win. If the training field was obviously devastated by Sasuke, and happened to be between the Academy and the Uchiha compound, that's no fault of Sasuke's.

Shisui learns an impressive arsenal of Fire techniques, enough to rival a rookie Jounin, and Sasuke starts him on Lightning techniques. His Shunshin is nearly the fastest Sasuke has seen. Soon, he'll be able to rival his future self.

Kotetsu is able to manage his war-axe well enough to earn proficiency in Sasuke's book. He is working on mastery, and ironing out an earth jutsu that will allow him to stand his ground.

Izumo attains proficiency in his sword, and like Kotetsu, elects to keep the same weapon and work for mastery. Unlike Kotetsu, Izumo is working on weaving flames into his blade.

They are all three Chunin level, and Sasuke knows it.

When Obito stands for the first time, after months of healing, and the broken look on his face hasn't faded, Sasuke comes to terms with it. He has to talk to Obito, even if he has no idea how to broach it.

His opportunity comes in the form of the Chunin exams, which are being held in Suna. His Genin are more than ready for it, and even though Sasuke is insanely paranoid, and loathe to let them out of his sight for the length the exams might take, he agrees to sign them up for it. He asks Kushina if she would be willing to look out for Obito during their absence. She sighs, and turns him down. 

Apparently she's accepted a C-rank escort mission, with Yamato, who she'd apprenticed to keep close to her. Sasuke had been slightly alarmed to hear that Kushina had accepted a C-rank, with Yamato only just recently deciding to go into the shinobi arts. Kushina confides that it's actually a D-rank, but the length of the mission alone bumps it up to a C. Sasuke supposes Yamato could hardly be safer than beside the nine-tails jinchuriki, so he lets it go.

He asks Minato next, only to find the man isn't even in town, he's on yet another negotiation mission with Stone.

Kakashi and Rin are on some sort of assassination A-rank, so Sasuke doesn't bother asking them.

When he asks Orochimaru finally, Orochimaru chuckles, and politely tells Sasuke good luck and shuts the door in his face.

Sasuke decides to take Obito with them. Obito insists he can be left alone, but Sasuke sees the loneliness creep into the boy's eyes, and Sasuke decides the risks of Obito meeting an unfortunate end while he's away cannot be ignored, and informs Obito to pack anyway. He puts up a token protest, but the tension leaves his shoulders, so Sasuke doesn't feel all that bad about it.

He had worried some about the massive amount of time Obito was spending with his Genin team. But his worries were for nothing. His Genin love Obito. They adopted him quickly as some sort of big brother, or maybe a mascot. They all ran to Obito to make sure he saw them when they succeeded, and Obito reassured them when they failed. It's even gone so far as the Genin all calling Obito "Aniki". They are likewise thrilled when Sasuke shows up to the gate with Obito.

Sasuke checks their packs, and makes sure they are sufficiently packed for Suna, and then off they go. Obito is still in his wheelchair, though Orochimaru had enclosed instructions on standing and walking exercises for Obito to undergo when they arrived. The trip goes slowly, but smoothly, and soon enough, Sasuke is sending his Genin off to the first round.

He isn't too worried about the first round, it's nearly always written, from what Sasuke has heard. At least if it's a written exam, the odds of death are far lower. Afterwards.. Well, anything could happen. Suna is currently attempting to be a neutral territory, meaning that there are ninja from four of the five villages present. Iwa had declined to attend out of fury over negotiations with Konoha, citing a mistrust of Leaf shinobi. Considering that Sasuke and Minato had wiped out a large number of them, Sasuke isn't surprised. Unfortunately, Kumo hadn't felt the same, and they were attending in force. Probably hoping to kill as many Leaf hopefuls as possible. Sasuke is trying not to think about that.

He couldn't exactly deny his Genin the chance. The next exams wouldn't be held for six months, in Mist. No, Sasuke needed to show faith in his Genin, so he just waited and worried.

With time to spare, Sasuke decides to finally broach the subject of feelings with Obito. He waits until Obito spaces out. When he spaces back in, Sasuke asks as nonchalantly as possible.

"When you stare into the distance, what are you thinking of?"

Obito looks surprised. Perhaps he thought Sasuke didn't notice, since Sasuke hadn't brought it up yet. He'd be wrong. Of course, he'd noticed. He'd have to be blind not to.

"A lot of things.." Obito makes an attempt to derail the conversation, but Sasuke refuses to be deterred. He's been working up to this for weeks.

"Like what?" He presses, staying calm. The books had mentioned staying calm no matter what.

Obito glances at him curiously. "You really want to know?"

Sasuke is suddenly not all that sure that he does. "Of course."

"hm.." Obito visibly gathers his thoughts. Or maybe his courage. "I think about how Kakashi and Rin are both Jounin, and are probably moving on without me. They say they aren't, but there's no way its not happening even a little. I can't even walk."

Sasuke just breaths, and focuses on Obito's words, trying to make sure he's understanding any hidden meaning as well.

"I think about how I might never be a great ninja after this. I'm happy to be alive, I am," He reassures quickly. "It's just.. yeah. And I think about what a burden I am to you."

It takes a good deal of fighting to fight down the urge to contradict Obito immediately, but Sasuke does so. Listening is supposed to be very important. He can refute later.

"I just keep waiting for you to hate me. For you to decide all this work isn't worth it anymore. I know your eye and missing arm are messed up a little. I wasn't supposed to hear, but I did. You don't complain about it, but you don't complain about anything." Sasuke wonders if that's supposed to be an insult. It's not like complaining had ever helped Sasuke before.

"You're all going to hate me or give up on me someday. I just don't know when. But it always happens. I'm too much of a screw up. Sooner or later, it'll happen. It's not your fault, so don't worry." There he goes again, reassuring Sasuke. Not that anything he's saying is reassuring in the least.

"Anyway, that's it." Sasuke knows innately that this is not even close to the depths of being 'it'. He should probably work with what Obito presented him with first. The next step is supposed to be reassurance.

"What happens if I don't?" Sasuke offers it casually. Obito looks confused. He's probably right to be. Sasuke wasn't very clear.

"Don't what?"

"See you as a burden, or dislike you." There, that was much clearer.

Obito scoffs. "No offense, Mr. Sasuke, but I can't see how you couldn't."

"I've told you before, it's just Sasuke." Sasuke corrects. Formality has it's purposes, but one of them is distance. So Sasuke had gone on a not so silent campaign to get Obito to stop calling him Mr. Sasuke. It largely had not worked. "Obito, I don't think I could hate you if I wanted to, which I do not."

Perhaps that isn't the most delicate way to put it, but it's the truth. Even if Obito goes on to commit every atrocity he had in Sasuke's time, Sasuke doesn't think at this point he could ever hate Obito for it. He knows him far too well, now.

"You're stuck with me forever though! Just cause I was so slow I got captured, and you had to save me." Sasuke had really thought they'd resolved this when Obito woke up, but he supposes not. He'll have to make himself a little more clear.

"Obito, I'm not sure if you know this, but the first forbidden jutsu I used, when you temporarily died, had a cost to it."

Obito nods, "I know, it hurt your eye."

Sasuke shakes his head. "That isn't quite right. The cost was a bit more than that."

Stunned, Obito asks, "What was it, then?"

"The cost was my own life." 

Obito gasps, but before he can interrupt, like Sasuke knows he wants to, Sasuke raises his hand to show he isn't done talking. He's just not quick at sorting out all these difficult words.

"When I felt you die, I realized it was a price I was willing to pay." Technically untrue. Sasuke hadn't known the jutsu would kill him. He had no regrets at any point, even after he realized, so he tells himself in hindsight, it was true. If Sasuke had the knowledge now he did then, he still would have done the same exact thing. So he doesn't feel bad obscuring the truth slightly so Obito gets the point.

"Luckily, I had a second forbidden jutsu that I was able to cast, to stop me from dying. Even if I hadn't known the second jutsu, I still would have used the first one. Do you understand?" Sasuke isn't sure. It had sounded a lot more obvious in his head.

Obito is looking at him with so many emotions Sasuke can't even begin to wade through them, so he chooses not to. "You're saying... You're saying you would have died so I would make it."

"Yes." He would have. And he would again, if it came up. The urge to protect Obito is so strong it is nearly overwhelming. 

"Kakashi would have never forgiven me if you had.." Obito trails off, worried. 

"I wasn't thinking about whether or not Kakashi would forgive you or me at the time. I was only thinking about doing whatever it took to bring you back." This is so uncomfortable to admit, Sasuke sort of wants to shunshin away and pretend he was never here. But he forces himself to stay, to keep going.

"But... At Mr. Orochimaru's house.. When I said I thought of you like a dad sometimes, you got really upset?" So apparently Sasuke isn't as good at hiding his emotions from Obito as he'd hoped. Did that mean these last few months were all his fault? Sasuke shuts that down immediately. If Obito can read him that well, he'll have to worry over that when Obito isn't around.

"I'm too young to be your father, Obito." Far too young. In fact, it would be nearly biologically impossible for Sasuke to have fathered him. "It took me by surprise. I'm, not exactly used to people having faith in me." For good reasons. Sasuke is literally a traitor to the Leaf, although no one in this timeline knows about it. 

"Me neither," Obito admits. "But you helped me, even when I was in the Academy. You believed in me. So why wouldn't I believe in you too?"

They are getting a little off track here. "I'm not going to tell you what you can or can't believe. I apologize that you took my reaction to you as a dismissal. I did not intend it in that way." Sasuke is starting to get overly formal, an annoying tell of his when he gets uncomfortable.

Obito doesn't seem to mind the sudden formality. "So.. you're not mad that I wanted you to save me? Or that... I wish you were my family?" 

Sasuke has had a long time to come to terms with this. He has an answer. "No, Obito. I'm not upset. I may not feel like a father, but you are family to me too. No matter what, I will always do whatever I can to save you when you need me."

Literally and metaphorically family. Not that Obito knows about the literally bit. Sasuke sincerely hopes he did well enough on the reassurance part. Obito's eyes well up with tears. He hopes that's a good sign. 

"So, you really don't hate having me around all the time?"

"Not at all."

"Can I tell you something?" He'd already told Sasuke several somethings. Sasuke doesn't know why Obito is hesitating now, but he nods anyway.

"Sometimes, when I close my eyes, I'm stuck back there in the cave, and everything hurts and I'm scared and I'm going to die." Obito shivers, even though it's almost as hot as the surface of the sun in Suna. Or, at least it feels that way.

"What do you do when that happens?" Sasuke is interested in the actual answer to this one. 

"I reach out my chakra. I know I'm not supposed to, don't tell Mr. Orochimaru.. But, when I reach out my chakra even a little bit, I can feel yours. And then I remember that you came and got me. Then it's not as bad." Obito is still shivering, so Sasuke takes a moment to pull a light blanket out of a storage seal and drape it around Obito's shoulders.

Obito is being surprisingly open. And a little childlike, considering he's a teenager, and they aren't supposed to talk about feelings. Sasuke wonders if growing up alone had something to do with it. Naruto talked about his feelings a lot, too. Or maybe that was more of a personality trait. There was no way for Sasuke to know, he just accepted it as is.

"Did you know, if I try, I can find you anywhere now, Obito? Our chakra is linked, and even though I'm not a sensor ninja, I can always tell where you are, even when you're out of my sensory range." It's true, Sasuke had tried it one day after he'd left Obito with Minato and taken his Genin on an out of the village D rank. "You'll never be anywhere again where I can't find you."

Obito pulls the blanket closer. "That's kind of cool. But you know what, Mr. Sasuke?"

"It's just Sasuke, Obito."

"Right. You know what, Mr. Sasuke?"

"What?"

"You couldn't do that before, and you found me anyway. So I know it's going to be okay." Obito's voice is so confident, so assured that Sasuke will always make it in time. Sasuke knows that isn't always the case. Terrible things can and do happen to everyone, all the time. But now isn't the time to break it to him.

"I'll do my best."

"If you don't mind that I think it, would it be okay if I called you dad?" There is slight mirth in Obito's voice, and Sasuke is almost certain he's teasing. 

"What about an older brother?" Sasuke says, just to make sure.

"Thanks, dad." Obito can't hide his smirk any longer, and Sasuke knows he's being messed with.

Sasuke sighs.

When will Round one of these exams be over, anyway?

Chapter Text

Sasuke and Obito are waiting outside the testing center for Sasuke's Genin team. Sasuke is not nervous for them. He isn't. He hadn't ever officially passed the Chunin exams himself, after all. They don't mean anything. So if his Genin fail, that's fine.

Still, he's relieved when they stream out of the building, and Izumo, Kotetsu, and Shisui are smiling widely. There's no way they'd be smiling if they'd failed. Right?

"Sasuke-sensei guess what?" Kotetsu beams.

"We passed!" Izumo yells at the same time, effectively answering Kotetsu's question. Kotetsu doesn't look put off in the least.

Sasuke ruffles the hair on all three of their heads, and they're all beaming brightly, and for this second, it looks okay. Sasuke doesn't let himself hope this early, however. The survival task will be up next, and Suna is terrible to survive in, weather-wise.

"When is the next portion of the exam?" Sasuke asks before they can start giving him a play by play of the exam.

"Tonight!" They chorus at him, smiling.

He almost grimaces, but doesn't. The desert is freezing at night. More than cold enough to make up for the heat of the day. 

Shisui looks thoughtful, which causes Obito to poke the younger boy in the face. "Whatcha thinking about, Shisui?"

Shisui smiles, "My best friend, Yuki, from the Academy is here taking the exam too. His team passed too."

Obito nods, "Is that a good thing?"

Sasuke watches the exchange with some interest.

"Yeah. He looks a lot stronger. I hope we get to fight in the finals, so we can test our strength together." 

Obito pokes Shisui again, causing him to yelp in surprise. "Sounds good, kiddo. Just don't forget who's team you're on!"

Sasuke tunes the remainder of the exchange out, because it quickly dissolves into a simple shouting match of excitement between all three Genin and Obito about who is a kid and who isn't. He nudges the lot of them towards the marketplace, hoping to feed them before they enter the next phase of the exam. While on the way, he hears all about the written exam. How they had to find their question sheets hidden throughout the building, and figure out which ones belonged to them, and then had an additional difficult of finding answers. Evidently, much like Sasuke's own Chunin exam, there was a twist at the end, and those who didn't share knowledge with their teammates were failed. Izumo proudly announces that they shared all their information, and had definitely been the best team out of all the potential Genin.

Obito riles them up and responds to each play by play moment with the appropriate amount of jubilation or despair. Sasuke finds he slightly envies Obito's ability to respond just the way the Genin want him to. 

They arrive at the food cart, and over the spiced rice dish, they talk strategy. Sasuke reminds Shisui of the simple water jutsu he'd taught him, just in case their canteens ran out. He'd also told him to be careful with it, because of the chakra drain. Casting a water jutsu with no water source nearby is an enormous strain of chakra, compared to the same jutsu near a preexisting source of water. As for the actual specifics of the exam, Sasuke has no idea, which is exactly the point.

A good Chunin candidate should be able to adapt to a survival situation on the fly, since a Chunin is supposed to be capable of leading a squad. The hardest, and most unpredictable part of a survival portion is the other candidates. Sasuke supposes their exam can't be too much worse than his was. Sure, there was an entire village of Genin hopefuls that would like nothing else than to kill anything bearing the Leaf insignia. Hopefully, there would be no high powered ninja infiltrating the exam specifically to target Sasuke's Genin, however. As soon as the thought crosses his mind, Sasuke curses himself.

The moment he starts thinking things will probably go alright, is the exact moment they'll go wrong, and Sasuke has to be prepared for everything to go terribly wrong, at any moment. At any time. It'd be just his luck for Shimura Danzo himself to pop out of the sand like some demented trick and go after Sasuke's team the second they're out of sight.

He shudders at the mental image.

Sasuke drops his Genin off as the sun sets, ruffling their hair and trying very hard not to imagine that it could be the last time he ever does so to one of them. He leaves them with the command to look out for each other no matter what. Three little heads of dark hair, bearing the Leaf headband, walk off into the sand.

"They're so young," Sasuke says, mostly to himself.

"They'll make it. They are strong," Obito assures him.

Sasuke looks down at Obito, who is strangely calm throughout this. Sasuke isn't sure if it's because of the talk they'd had earlier or if Obito just possesses a level of optimism that Sasuke will never understand. 

"We shouldn't let Genin graduate this young." Sasuke suddenly feels about one hundred years old. He tenses minutely, expecting Obito to tease him about it.

"Maybe in the future, they won't have to." Obito says instead. Sasuke wants to say that the peaceful future built on the backs of small child soldiers like this might not be a future he wants. But he doesn't. There really isn't anything he can do about it. Not right now anyway. All he can do is do his best to make sure his three Genin aren't just another set of names carved into the Memorial stone.

After the exam starts, Sasuke gets the notification of the specifics of the exam. It's common courtesy to offer Jounin Sensei details of a long exam such as this one after it begins. It's supposed to offset the paranoia that so many Jounin experience. Perhaps because the climate is a lot harsher than the Forest of Death, the rules are much simpler. 

Survive in the desert for five days. Any team left standing with all three members at the end of five days passes. Easier said than done, Sasuke knows. Some of the teams will spend all five days hunting down other teams. Some will struggle to survive in desert conditions. And some unlucky Genin will probably be attacked by some sort of wildlife. Sasuke can't think of a single desert dwelling animal that isn't poisonous or otherwise deadly.

To stop as many preventable deaths as possible, Sasuke learns all Genin are equipped with several flares. Setting one off is a signal of retreat, and they are also allowed to set one off if they find a downed team. Sasuke knows most won't. They will just leave the fallen there to die, in the desert. To assuage fears, Jounin sensei will be informed immediately if their team surrenders, or is forcibly surrendered.

So, in the best case scenario, Sasuke waits around for five days, with no knowledge of anything. No news would be good news.

But it still sounds like an eternity to not know, to not see them. Sasuke knows they could slip beneath the sand, never to be seen again.

The first day, Obito nervously guesses at what the Genin may or may not be doing. Sasuke knows he's doing it to comfort himself. He certainly hopes Obito is making assumptions for his sake, because it's making every nerve Sasuke has stand on end. He helps Obito with his assigned physical exercises.

That night, he dreams of digging through the sand, looking for three small bodies.

The second day, Sasuke is completely silent the entire day. Obito notices, and chatters twice as much to make up for it. It takes everything in Sasuke not to just leave Obito and find silence for a while. Only the thought of Obito being defenseless, and the memory of Obito dying in his arms keeps Sasuke by his side.

The third day goes the same as the second. That night, Obito is the one having nightmares. He tosses and turns and cries out throughout the night. Sasuke gets very little sleep.

The fourth day, there is a sandstorm. All. Day. Long. Sasuke paces across the small room they've been allotted so many times he thinks he must be wearing a hole in the floor. Obito tries to point out that it's a good sign that they haven't heard anything, and that the Genin are probably fine. Sasuke snaps a little at that point, and bites out that Obito would have to be crazy to believe that the proctors are actually able to see flares or search through the sand. Obito falls silent.

The silence is far worse than the chatter, and Sasuke ends up apologizing to Obito, who accepts his apology with a great deal of grace. But he doesn't resume his usual chatter, and they sit in tense silence throughout the night. The fifth day dawns clear and bright. 

Sasuke knows he isn't the only one holding his breath for a messenger to come and tell them the worst. Obito is too nervous to talk. They work on Obito's exercises in silence. Obito can now stand unaided for an extended period of time. Walking is still a challenge, but Obito looks relieved to find he can at least stand.

The sun gets low in the sky, and Sasuke and Obito go out to where they'd left the Genin five days before. The sun sets, and it begins to get cold. A few Genin start appearing. Far less than went in, Sasuke notes. But no sign of his team. Not yet.

He sees one Kiri team. And about as many Suna teams as he remembers seeing go in. He's not surprised. Home village advantage is real. Unfortunately for Suna, they are a tiny village, and only had three teams enter. 

After the second Kumo team exits, Obito looks at Sasuke nervously. Sasuke refuses to look back.

The other teams have already left. The only two Jounin sensei left are Sasuke and another Leaf ninja he should probably know by now but doesn't.

The other Leaf Jounin must be a sensor type, because he soon sags with relief, even with no visible team on the horizon. Sasuke's anxiety shoots upward. If his team isn't with them, he plans to run out into the sand and not stop until he finds each and every one of them.

Over the crest of a Sand dune, six heads appear. Obito crows out a victory sound that Sasuke is sure the Genin heard. Probably the entire village heard. it is quite late in the evening, and the chill has set in. 

Shisui and a girl Sasuke does not know are supporting a boy that can only be Yuki in the middle. Izumo and Kotetsu are flanking Shisui on the right, and another girl is flanking her teammates on the left. All three of Sasuke's Genin appear to be walking under their own power, and he lets out a breath he thinks he might have been holding for five days.

As they get closer, Sasuke can see them more closely. They look rough. Their clothes are torn, and all three are covered in nicks and cuts. Kotetsu has a half healed slash wound on his forearm. Izumo has what appears to be a swipe from a kunai on his cheek. Some of Shisui's hair is singed. All in all, Sasuke is relieved.

Both teams walk towards the other Leaf Jounin, probably to drop off the injured Yuki, and Sasuke and Obito walk forward to join them.

The Leaf Jounin says something Sasuke doesn't quite catch, and the girl holding Yuki answers immediately.

"We got attacked by a Kumo team, Sensei. They almost had us, but Shisui and his team interfered on our behalf. Yuki was hurt pretty bad but Shisui healed him up. and that was before the sandstorm."

The Jounin takes a look at Shisui, and inclines his head deeply. A huge show of respect. Sasuke can't remember the last time he's heard of someone doing so to an Uchiha.

"Shisui Uchiha, I am in your debt."

Shisui grins, and there's a little blood in his teeth. Sasuke is sure he'll hear all about it later. "Yuki is my friend!"

Shisui passes off Yuki to his sensei, and they leave quickly. Sasuke's team is a little slower, thanks to the limitation of Obito rolling a wheelchair through the sand. Sasuke can't resist the urge, so he ruffles each and every one of their heads.

"How did it go?"

He's surprised Izumo didn't start word vomiting the second Sasuke was in sight. He must be exhausted. In fact, they all look exhausted. Kotetsu answers as they trudge along.

"We made it through to the finals, Sensei. They're in a week."

Sasuke nods, waiting for more about the exam, but the Genin are not very forthcoming. Obito tries to break their silence next.

"You should have seen Mr. Sasuke, he was all worried like a little mother hen during that sandstorm."

Huffing, Sasuke ruffles Obito's hair.

"If I was a mother hen, what does that make you?"

"A chicken," Izumo responds, seeming unable to help himself. His smile is sleepy.

Obito makes a fussing sound. "Am not!"

Kotetsu makes his way right to Sasuke's side, and Sasuke looks down at him. The look on Kotetsu's face is more proud than any he's seen.

"I used the earth wall jutsu to protect us during the sandstorm."

Creating an earth wall strong enough to outlast a Suna sandstorm is an accomplishment indeed. And Kotetsu had barely mastered it when they'd left Konoha. Sasuke puts a hand on Kotetsu's shoulder.

"Well done. That is a high level application of it."

Kotetsu's tired smile lights up his whole face, and something warms Sasuke to see it. Izumo comes up to Sasuke's other side immediately. Sasuke thinks he's there to brag about his own accomplishments, but he doesn't. He just sticks as close to Sasuke as he can. Sasuke doesn't have an arm on that side to put on his shoulder, so he tries asking about it.

"Izumo, are you okay?"

Izumo looks exhausted, and there's a slightly haunted look in his eyes. Sasuke thinks he knows what Izumo's about to say, but he lets the boy say it anyway.

"I made my first kill, Sensei."

Sasuke had suspected as much. He casts his mind back to the books on how to handle Genin, and remembers that the section on first kills tells the sensei not to congratulate their student. So Sasuke doesn't. Instead he asks, "How did it happen?"

Izumo takes a deep breath. They all wait him out, each one of them respectfully silent and giving Izumo space.

"A Kumo team attacked Yuki's team. We stumbled on them and decided to help, since they're from the Leaf too. The Kumo guys were really strong. Shisui went to help Yuki, Kotetsu went to help Haruna, and I helped Meiko. He was so angry, and he was running at me so fast."

He pauses, and Sasuke walks around him so that he can offer a hand on his head, as a sort of weight. Izumo immediately grabs Sasuke's hand with both of his own like a lifeline, and Sasuke sees he still has blood under his fingernails. Sasuke keeps his hand resting where it is on Izumo's head while he finishes his story.

"I pulled my sword out, but it happened so fast. He ran straight onto my blade. I don't think he even noticed I had one until it was too late. His eyes were green."

What Sasuke assumes he means by that is that Izumo watched the life leave the Kumo nin's eyes. Eye color is a specific mention, and Izumo will likely never forget it, for as long as he lives. Sasuke still vividly remembers watching the life leave Orochimaru's golden eyes. That had been Sasuke's first kill.

Izumo is still clinging to Sasuke's hand. It's now Sasuke's turn to talk.

"You protected a comrade of the Leaf against an enemy. You've done well."

He doesn't want to take the attention off of Izumo, but he needs to know. Casting a look at Kotetsu and Shisui, he asks,

"Did either of you make your first kill as well?"

Kotetsu shakes his head, but Shisui nods. Sasuke pulls up the speech from the book. He'd glanced at it with his Sharingan in secret, so that he would be ready when this time came.

"Killing, or not killing, is nothing to be ashamed of. It may seem easy. After all, it's our job as Shinobi to kill as necessary to defend the village. But it is okay to be upset at killing another person. It is also okay to not be upset about it. You might feel guilty, or just relieved. If you need to talk about it, you can talk to me, or Obito."

That finishes the speech from the book. "People deal with death in different ways. Either you can kill until it doesn't bother you anymore, and let it make you harder. Some say that can give you strength. Or, you can continue to feel every time you take a life. Some would say it makes you more human. I disagree. I think you need to do whatever helps you move forward." Sasuke adds this part on his own. It feels important.

To tell them they can let every life they take affect them, to dig at them. Like Naruto, Hinata, and Jugo had. But his Kakashi-sensei had a body count in the hundreds, if not thousands. And he had dealt with it the other way. As had Shino, and Neji. Sasuke isn't sure if either is right. Knowing Kakashi now, he wonders if Kakashi would have been better served to not shut himself down. But the other two, it had worked as a legitimate coping mechanism. So he offers his Genin both.

Izumo's hands tightens on Sasuke's, still on top of Izumo's head.

"I feel a little guilty." He says in almost a whisper.

Shisui looks at the ground. "I'm not sure yet."

"Both of those are okay," Obito interjects, looking to Sasuke for confirmation. Sasuke nods.

Obito takes a sidelong glance at the way Izumo is holding Sasuke's hand, and takes initiative, putting one of his hands on Shisui's shoulder. Kotetsu steps fluidly behind the wheelchair and starts pushing it so Obito continues moving, even as Shisui starts to breathe a little easier under Obito's hand.

By the time they're back in the village proper, Izumo has let go of Sasuke's hand, and Sasuke gently lifts his hand off of his head. Obito holds on to Shisui a little while longer, but by the time they see the first passerby, Obito too, has let go.

When they get back into the room, Sasuke pulls out some food he'd purchased for a hopeful celebration. They eat less quietly than they'd walked. They start talking about the task in more detail while Sasuke and Obito nod along. Obito throwing in some light commentary here and there.

Sasuke had been right. The Kumo teams had hunted down as many Leaf Shinobi as possible. Kotetsu describes seeing at least one other Leaf team, dead in the sand. The look of death has started to leave their eyes, though some seriousness remains, along with the clear exhaustion. Sasuke feels a slight twinge when he realizes that they've truly experienced what it's like to be a shinobi, now. They've been to war, yes. But the only combat they'd ever experienced up until now, Sasuke had been there, a clear protector, making sure nothing too serious would happen to them.

But in this exam, they'd experienced full combat. No sensei to hide behind, or to make sure they all made it out. Just the three of them, and a team they didn't know well, against three people with a vendetta against them. Every move, every moment, had been life or death. And some of their innocence is gone forever. But, he tells himself, they're all here, and they're all alive.

They'll be okay. This is part of shinobi life. And whatever Sasuke thinks about their age, having their first serious combat experience not end in any allied deaths or dismemberment was an excellent start.

After they eat, they all roll out their bedrolls and the Genin pass out almost immediately. Obito waits until their breathing starts to slow in earnest, then whispers across the room to Sasuke. "Did I do okay? I didn't know all that stuff about your first kill."

"You did fine," Sasuke answers quietly. "Didn't Minato talk to you about it after your first kill?"

Sasuke has trouble believing Minato wouldn't have had what was supposedly such an important conversation with his Genin. Obito grimaces a little.

"I made my first kill the day I sort of 'died', so I don't think he had time for it."

Ah. That makes sense. Sasuke makes a noise of agreement.

Sasuke is almost asleep himself when he hears it.

"I protected Kakashi. And his eyes were brown."

Obito likely needs verbal confirmation at the least that Sasuke has heard him, so he repeats what he said to Izumo.

"You protected a comrade. You did well."

Silence.

Then.

"I don't feel guilty about it at all. That's really okay?"

Sasuke hums. "yes."

Obito sighs, "Okay. Okay, that's good. Goodnight, Sasuke."

It's the first time Obito has ever managed to not call him Mr. excepting the few teasing times he's thrown a 'dad' at him.

"Goodnight, Obito."

To Sasuke's surprise, he isn't woken by any nightmares from any of the Genin. He'd anticipated it. The book said so. But he rises the next morning, not having heard a single nightmare.

When he gets out of his bedroll, he sees why, and sighs fondly.

Obito is laying in the middle of the floor, on two bedrolls pushed together. And all three Genin are laying on top of him. Obito looks far more peaceful than Sasuke has seen him in a long time, so he takes care not to wake them. They can sleep in this one day. For passing the exam.

Besides, they'll have to train, or at least do some conditioning, for the finals in a week.

They'll be prepared. Sasuke will make sure of it.

Chapter Text

The week leading up to the finals passes in the blink of an eye. Sasuke and Obito work with the three Genin, running through not only taijutsu, ninjutsu, and kenjutsu. But also strategy. Sasuke makes two shadow clones of himself each day, and assigns each a fighting style the Genin might encounter. Then he spars with them. One clone might be a weapons user, another might be a ninjutsu only. Sasuke limits himself to mid Chunin level each time.

By the end of the week, all three Genin have faced a Sasuke clone for each elemental style of ninjutsu, one taijutsu style, and one kenjutsu. He doesn't bother with genjutsu simply because his Genin already know how to break most low levelled genjutsu, and most Genin are incapable of casting powerful ones. He knows it's a weak spot, but with only one Kiri team left, the odds of genjutsu are exceptionally low.

On the day of the finals, Sasuke decides that the three are as ready as they're going to be. Izumo is unable to beat water style or earth style opponents, which is unsettling for obvious reasons. Kotetsu struggles with taijutsu and wind style opponents, which would put him at odds with most Sand shinobi. Shisui can handle any opponent, as long as they don't have an above average level of stamina. Which some of the older Genin likely do.

In a fair exam, the proctor will pull them or declare them the loser before they die. In an emergency, Sasuke is absolutely prepared to rush the arena. 

Regardless of how they do in these exams, and whether or not they make Chunin, Sasuke has a much better idea of what to work with in the future.

And he admits to himself, he is proud of them.

Dropping them off at the entrance to the arena provokes a lot of stares. Mostly directed at Obito. Sasuke supposes it is unusual to bring an active ninja who is currently wheelchair bound to a foreign country. They've received a lot of stares throughout the week, some of them nasty enough to ensure Sasuke never strays too far from Obito's side. Obito wishes the Genin a cheery good luck, and they make their way up to the arena seating.

There is a small assigned section for sensei and other visitors to Suna. Which, is to say, it's full of Jounin sensei and Obito. Sasuke doesn't see a single other observer. The Suna sections, are of course, packed with civilian and Shinobi alike. In a war, it would be unlikely for a civilian to feel safe enough to travel to a different country, especially one that was on the edges of the fighting. Likewise, most nations likely couldn't spare active shinobi for activities as mundane as watching the Chunin exam finals.

Paranoia in full swing, Sasuke ensures that Obito is seated at the very edge of the box, and Sasuke sits beside him. Any Jounin sensei who might be brave enough to go after Obito would have to go through Sasuke first. And Sasuke is now a well known shinobi. He's seen his bounty in the bingo book, and the reward for killing him is enormous. Most would think twice before starting something during this event. But Sasuke has never been one to depend on reputation, so he keeps his eye out regardless.

Soon after, all the Genin are paraded into the arena. It's a fairly large, round arena. There are no remarkable features about it. It's a plain dirt field, with a light dusting of sand Sasuke feels sure is unintentional. All twenty four of them walk in, some nervous, some with an undeniable swagger.

The arena falls silent as the proctor announces.

"The finals of the Chunin exam are about to begin, listen to the rules carefully."

To his surprise, Sasuke does actually recognize the proctor. It is the same shinobi that later served as Jounin sensei to the Kazekage's children. Baki, he thinks it was. He's much younger, of course. Probably still a Chunin or young Jounin. But the signature headpiece is already present, allowing Sasuke to recognize him on sight. Baki continues,

"The finals will be a free for all. All twenty four contestants against each other."

A murmur floods the arena, and the Genin shift uncomfortably. Obito shoots Sasuke a very concerned look, and Sasuke nods in acknowledgement. This is bad. There are more than enough teams that hate the Leaf to target and annihilate them. But there isn't anything Sasuke can do about it. He'd thought it slightly strange that they hadn't assigned the battling pairs ahead of time, but chalked it up to Suna being a small village. He should have considered that there might be other reasons.

"The rules are as follows: if you wish to resign, simply say so. Any Genin that resigns is not to attack further or be attacked. Am I understood?"

The Genin nod, but Sasuke notes that the Kumo genin look less than genuine.

"The last Genin left standing will be considered the winner. If the last two or three Genin are from the same squad, they will be considered the winning squad."

The unspoken rule being that squads could team up to take out other squads. Sasuke relaxes slightly at that. If there's anything his Genin are excellent at, it's looking out for each other.

"Lastly, to prevent unnecessary bloodshed, if you are unable to continue, you will be considered resigned by default and will be pulled from the arena."

It's small comfort. With twenty four Genin battling at the same time, it will be exceedingly difficult to pull a single unconscious Genin from the arena. Sasuke assumes Baki is stating that more as a 'watch yourselves' to the Genin than anything else. But he's seen the looks on the Genin from the Bloody Mist, and from Kumo. This could very well end in a bloodbath.

Every single nerve of Sasuke's is on edge, and Obito looks more or less terrified. But there is nothing they can do but watch, and hope that the training will be enough. 

Baki asks if anyone has questions, and of course they do not. The Genin are then separated by squad, and placed around the edge of the arena. Sasuke's team is directly across from him, so he can see every single one of his Genin tensing and preparing. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, none of his Genin look particularly concerned. They simply look focused. 

Then, it begins.

If this was a Jounin exam, it would have started silently, all the opponents trying to size each other up. But in a Chunin exam, many of the participants believe a good enormous jutsu is a great opener.

Thus, the second Baki calls 'start', it more or less looks like the arena explodes.

There is sand, earth, and water everywhere. Sasuke spots some fire mixed in with it all, and isn't sure if he should be hopeful that fire is not from one of his, and that they're focused on defense, or if he hopes the fire is from one of his, and that they're still standing.

When the initial chaos dies down enough for the participants to be seen once again, Sasuke scans the arena.

Both Leaf teams are still standing, locked in a team formation. On the opposite end of the teamwork spectrum, is the one remaining Kiri team. The bloody mist ninja are nowhere near each other, one of them is attacking a Suna team, and the team is struggling against the singular ninja. The second Kiri ninja is nowhere to be seen, though that in no way means that they're gone. The third is attacking Sasuke's team.

Or, attempting to. 

Izumo and Kotetsu are in front, weapons brandished and blocking projectiles and ninjutsu. Shisui is behind them, calling out patterns and launching fire jutsu. The Mist shinobi is fast, and clearly bloodthirsty, but Sasuke's Genin are holding their own. 

In the middle of the arena, the two Kumo teams are being assaulted by a single Sand squad, and the fight looks extremely chaotic and very unfocused. 

Off to the side, the last Sand squad is attacking the other Leaf squad, and they seem evenly matched. 

The noise of the fighting is enormously loud, but even all the clashing sounds can't drown out the sound of the first death. 

A Kiri shinobi breaks through a Sand shinobi's guard, and rips their throat out with a fist. The Sand shinobi drops lifelessly, and the Kiri nin crows with success before focusing on the remaining two of the squad. 

Inspired, or perhaps in fear, of the direct kill, instead of a simple knockout, the riot in the middle accelerates to bloody quickly. 

The six Kumo shinobi have the Sand squad pinned to the ground in a second. Pinned in the literal sense, as each of the Sand shinobi are pierced through with earth spears, stuck to the ground. At least one of them is missing a limb.

Baki attempts to intervene, before Sand loses an entire squad of Genin. 

Before he and the other proctors can get there, one Suna who hasn't had his arms pinned let's loose an incredibly strong wind jutsu at the same time a Kumo ninja fissures the earth underneath all of them.

The resulting wind and earthen explosion is a crimson red.

Sasuke loses sight of his team for a moment. 

The proctors flood in, and start yanking unconscious Genin. 

A Kumo missing an arm, another unconscious.

Two Suna with holes blasted through them. Sasuke has no clue if any of them are alive or not.

Beside him, Obito is sitting stock still, and his face is incredibly pale. Sasuke reaches out with his chakra, and finds it still flows easily into Obito's, as if it was his own. Obito's chakra is wild, choppy, as he internally panics. Sasuke keeps his own smooth and calm, and tries to buffer Obito with a soothing presence. In response, Obito shifts closer to Sasuke, so that their knees are touching, and takes a breath, nodding. Sasuke lets him without comment, too busy looking to see how his Genin are faring.

They become visible shortly, and Baki once again sends proctors in to grab fallen Genin, the bloody mist who had attacked his team this time. The Kiri shinobi looks slightly burnt, and has a stab wound small enough it can only be Izumo's. His team have bits of blood flecked on their faces, but they look determined.

Sasuke's Genin are by far the smallest team on the battlefield. And they don't stay unchallenged for long. Mere seconds later, they are assailed by four Suna Genin at once. One of the attackers has a stake of earth sticking out of her leg, though she is ignoring it.

Kotetsu sweeps his weapon in a huge arc, keeping the enemies at a distance. Izumo moves to the side, and darts in with blows whenever he sees an opening. Behind Kotetsu, Shisui continues to call out patterns, and throws kunai, shuriken, and fire in equal measure. The synchronized teamwork throws the Suna Genin slightly, making them less organized. They throw weapons back, mixed with wind jutsu. Kotetsu has wrapped his feet with earth, stabilizing him against the bursts of wind, though cuts start to appear on his face with the brutality of the wind.

Izumo drops his first Sand shinobi, going after the girl who has already been impaled. A good choice, since she's favoring the leg. Izumo darts in, and cuts the back of her remaining knee, dropping her to the ground. She struggles to regain her feet for a moment, but the blood pouring out of her leg is getting concerning. And mere seconds later, she resigns. The three remaining close rank, and they start getting smarter.

The mood in the arena changes in the blink of an eye.

The Kumo Genin seem to come to some sort of agreement, and they swarm the other Leaf team. Part of a Sand squad stands in their way, and the Kumo Genin plow through them like they're nothing.

The whole arena is down to these two fights. Two Leaf teams, Sasuke's fighting Sand, and the other fighting Kumo. There is still a Kiri Genin unaccounted for.

Of the two, Sasuke is enormously glad his team is facing off against Sand. The Kumo are fighting what is clearly a grudge match against the Leaf. There is no showy jutsu, or lighthearted sparring. Just cold, calculated, ruthless attacks.

A shrill cry sounds through the air, audible even to Sasuke on the other side of the Arena.

"Shisui!"

All eyes snap to the second Leaf team. Yuki's teammates have been cut down, and are bleeding out in the Sand. The three remaining Kumo Genin are stepping onto them, pushing them further into the sand, and preventing the proctors from interfering for a moment. Shisui's friend had screamed his name, faced down with three Kumo Genin who are bleeding, and angry. Yuki looks terrified.

Sasuke sees Shisui's eyes dart over to his friend. Time flickers as Shisui faces an impossible position. 

Shisui's team is barely holding the advantage of the three Sand Genin against them. Shisui is fast enough to get to Yuki. But if he does, he leaves his own team unprotected. If he doesn't go, Yuki is going to die.

Panic blooms on Shisui's face, and Sasuke knows what's going to happen about a second before it does.

Shisui hesitates.

The Kumo Genin do not.

Two of them grab Yuki by the arms, and the third slits his throat. Blood sprays onto the sand, and Yuki's eyes glaze over before he is unceremoniously dropped to the sand.

This time, it's Shisui who screams, "YUKI!"

Then the unthinkable happens. Shisui's Sharingan shifts, and takes on a new shape.

His young, tiny student blooms the Mangekyou right in front of Sasuke's eyes.

Tears of blood stream down Shisui's face, and his cry of rage rings through the arena. Two of the Kumo Genin burst into black flames.

Amaterasu.

Obito almost throws himself out of his seat. Grabbing Sasuke's arm, Obito voice is nowhere near a whisper.

"Mr. Sasuke, is that-?!"

Sasuke slaps his hand over Obito's mouth, and shakes his head in warning.

This is bad. This is beyond bad. 

The Kumo Genin roar in rage and pain, as they burn alive. Nothing can put out Amaterasu except Mangekyou users. And Shisui's attention is caught by a strong wind jutsu that blows Izumo back against the wall with a crack.

The screaming of the burning alive is terrible, and Sasuke can see tears streaming down Kotetsu's face as he rushes to cover Izumo's position, taking down a Suna Genin with a well aimed strike.

Shisui is continuing to weep blood, his Mangekyou on full display for all to see. Most won't know what it means, but some might question. It doesn't look like a normal Sharingan.

The missing Kiri shinobi finally makes his appearance, leaping out of the earth and killing the last standing Kumo Genin before rushing the last two Sand shinobi.

Shisui and Kotetsu seize the moment to grab Izumo and prop him upright. Izumo is conscious, but his gaze looks unfocused. Probably a concussion. Sasuke's team is in bad shape. Sasuke only hopes that the Sand can take out the last Kiri Genin, so that his Genin will only get knocked out, and not an attempt at slaughter. Shisui is shaking with exhaustion, and probably grief. Kotetsu has more cuts than unmarked skin at this point, and even with his strong stamina, is beginning to waver. Izumo stands under his own power, but he's in no shape to fight.

The two Sand Genin turn and cast a joint wind jutsu, causing another murmur through the stands. Joint jutsu are notoriously difficult. If these Genin survive, they'll likely be promoted.

The Mist shinobi goes through a flurry of handsigns, and Sasuke realizes that this Genin probably has almost his full stores still. The resulting wall of water looks like a tsunami, and it crashes into the wind with a roar, sweeping everything in the arena. 

Everyone gets on the edge of their seats, waiting to see who is still standing, if anyone.

The spray clears. The Kiri Genin is plastered against a wall, clearly unconscious. The two Sand Genin are facedown in the mud.

And Kotetsu is standing on the wall, clutching one teammate with each hand. All are conscious, none look great.

The crowd explodes.

Instead of wild and raucous cheering they might have heard in the Leaf, the arena is filled with angry, violent boos. The crowd are from the Sand, and they wanted a Suna win. Having a whole Leaf squad still standing is causing an outrage. Sasuke rises quickly, and grabs Obito, wheeling him out of the viewing area as quickly as possible, trying to outpace what will soon be an angry mob. 

He hears, faintly, Baki call his Genin the winning team. He has just gotten Obito down the stairs. Teleporting to his Genin is slower than it's ever been, and Sasuke curses the state of his Rinnegan. As it is, it still takes only seconds. He lands on the wall beside them, scoops a very muddy Izumo over one shoulder, throws Shisui over the other, and gestures for Kotetsu. Kotetsu takes the gesture for what it is and climbs onto Sasuke's back. The whole exchange takes less than a minute, but by the time Sasuke teleports them all back to Obito, there's already an angry crowd kicking at his wheelchair.

That stops immediately upon Sasuke's presence, but the angry looks grow stronger and stronger. They have to get out of here. He dumps Shisui unceremoniously into Obito's lap, and sets Izumo and Kotetsu down. Izumo grabs onto one arm of the wheelchair out of habit, and Kotetsu slowly walks alongside. They move slowly, but surely, towards the gates of Suna. A crowd of civilians quickly catches up and follows them, jeering and cursing at Sasuke's team. 

They stop short of assaulting them, more than aware of what Sasuke is known to be capable of. But at risk of an international incident, Sasuke does not interfere with the taunting, and the sand throwing of the angry mob.

They call Obito a useless cripple. They call the Genin curses in the local dialect that Sasuke doesn't even know, and hopes that extends to the Genin too. He's never been so glad that his Genin are so exhausted they're barely conscious. None of them dare to call Sasuke anything. Sasuke wishes they would, and leave his team alone. Obito holds Shisui to him protectively, but the younger boy doesn't seem to notice.

They start throwing trash, and they're so close to the gates Sasuke can see the open sand beyond it. Just before they pass through the gates, a Kumo sensei stops them, standing directly in their path.

"Move aside," Sasuke says firmly.

"Oh, I don't think so, trash. You killed my brother. And your bastard Genin killed two of mine." The man's eyes glint brightly, like he's delighting in the thought of smearing Sasuke and his team into a paste. Sasuke doesn't have time for this.

Faster than a blink, he drops the man into a Tsukuyomi. Instead of going the usual route of torturing the man into insanity, Sasuke drops the man into a scenario in which he has a child of his own, a child that he loves. Then he causes that child to ask questions without end. There is no worse annoyance than a toddler demanding to know why. He bases the child's questions off of both his Genin team, Obito, and Naruto. Then he just leaves the man like that. In reality, he's only stopped for five minutes or so. In his head, he's trapped for seventy two hours.

It's unusual, but it is different enough from the normal Tsukuyomi that Sasuke shouldn't be caught out as an Uchiha because of it. Not that all that many even know what it is, but Sasuke is careful. Always careful.

He pushes Obito's wheelchair past the gate, and they're successfully out into the sand.

Sasuke feels a twinge of sorrow for the other Leaf sensei, still behind in Sand. Yuki had died, that was not in question. Either of the girls could be alive, but Sasuke seriously doubts it. He'd left the other man alone to mourn his whole Genin team in an increasingly hostile village. Sasuke's loyalty has to be with his Genin first. And his Genin are absolutely a target.

He makes them walk until the walls of Suna shrink into the distance, until Izumo begins to fumble while walking, his eyes still slightly glazed. Kotetsu too is barely keeping his feet in the sand. Sasuke knows they're exhausted. But he pushes them until they cannot go on any farther. A quick earth jutsu later, They're seated on a small earth platform, surrounded on three sides by sturdy earth walls. Only here does Sasuke stop and take a closer look at his team.

They look absolutely terrible. Obito has a pale, haunted look in his eyes. Izumo's eyes are unfocused, and after this length of time, that probably means a serious concussion. Shisui looks catatonic, though he has managed to shut down his Mangekyou. Kotetsu looks near tears, and Sasuke realizes that with as many cuts as he has all over his body, the sand has probably been just short of torture. 

He focuses on Kotetsu first. He makes a small orb of water, like he's seen Sakura do dozens of times, and uses the water to rinse out the boy's wounds. Kotetsu flinches the whole time, but bravely manages not to cry. Once the wounds are rinsed, Sasuke uses his limited healing jutsu to start closing wounds. Sasuke is unable to do more with medical jutsu than basic wound closing. Luckily, it looks like that covers essentially all of Kotetsu's. As they close, Kotetsu breathes easier. By the time Sasuke finishes, Kotetsu looks almost relaxed. Sasuke thinks he might fall asleep, but he doesn't. Instead, his brow wrinkles slightly.

"Sensei, did we mess up?"

Sasuke shakes his head. "No, you did exactly what you were supposed to do."

"But-"

"But nothing. You protected your teammates. And you won the Chunin finals. That's better than I could have done at your age."

Kotetsu's eyes widen slightly. "Really?"

At Kotetsu's age, Sasuke wasn't even a Genin and he'd hated every single person he came across. "Yes, really."

He tells Kotetsu to rest, that they'll have to move again soon. Unfortunately, it's true. Sasuke can't trust that another angry sensei won't try and hunt Sasuke down. They'll need to at least get into the Land of Fire.

He moves to Izumo next. 

"Do you know where you are?"

"uhh, outside of Sand?"

"What's my name?"

"Sensei."

Close enough. Izumo's ability to answer questions is promising. The differently sized pupils are worrying. He won't be allowed to sleep. Sasuke is going to have to watch him. He hands Izumo a canteen and instructs him to drink slowly.

Next he moves on to Shisui, still sitting catatonic on Obito's lap. Sasuke carefully grabs Shisui's face with his hand.

"Shisui, can you hear me?"

Shisui's eyes are unfocused. "Yuki's dead... Because of me."

"Yes, he died. But it wasn't because of you. That was a risk you all took in the Chunin exams."

Sasuke doesn't mention that this Chunin exam was more of a bloodbath than some battlefields he'd been on. It might have been a mistake to bring his Genin here. But he hadn't had too much of a choice. If he kept his Genin out of the exams, he likely would have been questioned for it. And Sasuke has been avoiding the Hokage at all costs.

He can't now, though. Not with Shisui unlocking the Mangekyou. He'd hoped to avoid this, but now, there's no way he can. He and Shisui will have to go straight to the Hokage's office when they return to the village.

Shisui doesn't respond in any meaningful way. Sasuke gently pulls him off of Obito's lap and lays him next to Kotetsu, with a similar command to get some rest before they have to move again.

Lastly, Obito. He's looking at Sasuke searchingly, still far too pale.

"Are you okay?"

Obito nods. "Shisui... He unlocked the Mangekyou, didn't he?"

Sasuke sighs. "Yes, he did."

"What's going to happen to him now? Our Clan.." He trails off. Obito likely has seen exactly what happens to geniuses in his Clan.

Sasuke shrugs. "I will take him on as an apprentice."

"The Uchiha will fight you."

"I know." And Sasuke does know. That's why he's going straight to the Hokage. He hopes he still has some good favor with Hiruzen. He's going to need it.

"I was useless, back there." Obito looks more than a little broken about it. "I'm always useless when I'm needed. The only good thing I've ever done was save Rin, and I screwed that up too. I can't even help Shisui with our Clan. Nobody listens to me there. No one even likes me."

Sasuke knows that Obito has the potential to become one of the most powerful Uchiha to ever live. He wishes he could tell him that. "That doesn't make you useless. And you're getting better. Soon, you can train again."

Obito sighs deeply. "When I saw all that blood and the earth jutsu... I remembered. I remembered being trapped in that cave. And I froze up. What kind of ninja does that?"

"All of the good ones." Sasuke tells him honestly.

"If I had been fighting I would have died!" Obito leaves his hands in his lap, and he looks at them with disgust.

"That's why we work in a team. Besides, it'll get easier with time." Sasuke tries to be reassuring.

Obito half nods, and lapses into silence. Sasuke decides to give him a task, to keep his mind off of things. "I need your help, Obito."

Obito looks slightly suspicious. "Are you just saying that to make me feel better?"

Yes.

"No. I need to keep all of my focus on getting us to the Land of Fire. Can you monitor Izumo, check that he doesn't get worse? Right now, he's unfocused but able to answer. He can't fall asleep, and if he stops being able to answer questions, he's in trouble." That's the truth. Someone does need to keep their eye on Izumo. Sasuke could probably do it himself, yes. But he'd prefer not to, to keep his eyes out for enemies.

Obito looks at Izumo, who takes that moment to smile lopsidedly at Obito. Obito nods. "Yeah, okay."

Sasuke gives them another few moments to rest. Then he wakes Kotetsu and Shisui. And they all start walking.

He'd run them if he could, but none of the Genin have the energy. He does force Izumo to ride in the wheelchair with Obito. He doesn't know all that much about concussions, but he's pretty sure he shouldn't exert himself.

And so Sasuke starts his Genin team off towards home.

Chapter Text

The first thing they do back in the Leaf village is drop Izumo off at the hospital. Kotetsu, of course, refuses to leave Izumo's side. Obito wheels away to show Orochimaru his progress, and Sasuke takes Shisui to the Hokage tower.

The young Uchiha looks increasingly nervous with each step they climb, even though Sasuke assures him that it's the Hokage's job to have the interests of his shinobi in mind. Sasuke doesn't actually agree with that necessarily. A Hokage should have his shinobi's best interests at heart, but Sasuke also remembers that Hiruzen had left Kakashi, Naruto, and himself to fend for themselves at a young age. Shisui shouldn't have to know that. Not yet. Not if Sasuke has anything to do with it.

Sasuke politely requests an audience with the Hokage, and within moments, they are admitted into the office. Hiruzen sits behind his desk, smoking his pipe as usual. Every time Sasuke sees him, it looks like the man ages a decade. He puts on his grandfatherly face and smiles at Shisui.

"I heard your team won the finals of the Chunin exams. Congratulations."

Shisui looks entirely unfazed by the kindly look, which Sasuke is glad for. It bodes well for his career as a ninja to see underneath the underneath.

"Thank you, sir."

Sasuke clears his throat. "We're here to request apprenticeship forms."

It's an outdated practice, but currently, all apprenticeships have to be approved by the Hokage. It's probably a clan politics thing, but Sasuke had never apprenticed in his own time, so he doesn't really know all that much about the reasonings behind it all.

Sarutobi looks firmly at Sasuke, meeting his eyes for the first time since they've entered the office. Sasuke sees that they are cold, and his apprehension grows.

"May I ask why Shisui, and not one of your other Genin?"

It's technically a fair question, although Sasuke knows that isn't why the Hokage is asking. He needs to play this carefully. Something is going on here. In the middle of formulating his response, Shisui answers instead. "I don't want to be a part of the Uchiha police force. I asked Sasuke sensei if he could help me, and he offered to take me as an apprentice."

Shisui's tone is all innocence, but Sasuke hears the thread of something else in it. This is not the ideal place to test out subterfuge skills. In any case, Sasuke will back him up.

The Hokage is smiling kindly down at Shisui, but his eyes are sharp. Sasuke knows Shisui sees it too, because the boy straightens, and shifts slightly towards Sasuke. "Does this have anything to do with the rumors that you've unlocked the Mangekyou Sharingan?"

Sasuke freezes. So does Shisui. The Hokage leans back in his chair, and sternly looks at both of them.

"I do know about the Mangekyou. I was the student of the First and Second Hokage. I may be old, but I am not senile. Sasuke, please state your reasoning for attempting to apprentice the first Mangekyou of a generation without informing the Clan Head."

The look in his eyes is not friendly. Sasuke gets a sinking feeling in his gut. "Based on our previous conversations, sir, I think you know why. I would be happy to discuss it with you in private."

He tries to avoid outright mentioning his past as a time traveler. Shisui doesn't need to know, and neither do the ANBU stationed in the room. The Hokage's eyes grow even colder. "I think you ought to be able to discuss this situation openly with both your Hokage and your Genin student."

Shisui may not know what's going on, but he can sense the shift in the room. "Sir, please let me keep training under Sasuke-sensei!"

Hiruzen ignores him in favor of staring down Sasuke. "There are things you haven't been telling me. Don't think I haven't kept my eye on you."

Sasuke knows immediately that Sarutobi is talking about Danzo. Sasuke had known that the Hokage wouldn't believe him, he'd just been hoping that proof would be enough. Evidently, he'd been mistaken in not keeping the man informed. Still, Sasuke doesn't think Sarutobi would have believed him or acted on Sasuke's words.

"There are some things simply not meant to be repeated." Sasuke tries to make his meaning clear. Shisui has now shifted so close to Sasuke that their arms are brushing. Things are taking a turn for the worse, and Sasuke needs to get Shisui out of here.

"I will talk to Fugaku, as you request. Then we will return. My apologies, sir." Sasuke inclines his head in a small show of respect.

Hiruzen shakes his head. "I don't think that will be necessary." He motions, and the hidden ANBU step forward. The Hokage addresses them. "Please escort Sasuke to T&I for the time being."

The man turns back to Sasuke, and there is true steel in his eyes. "We should have had this conversation a long time ago. But now, we will have all the time we need. And I will finally get the answers that I am owed."

Sasuke considers scooping up Shisui and making a run for it. But he can't leave Obito, Izumo, Kotetsu, or Kakashi alone. Danzo could and would get to them the second Sasuke steps out of the village. If he wants them to survive, in one piece, he's going to have to obey. 

Shisui grabs Sasuke's arm. "Sasuke sensei?" He whispers, alarmed.

Sasuke spins and kneels in front of Shisui, grabbing his shoulder. "Everything is going to be fine. I need you to go and find Obito. He'll look out for you while I'm busy talking to the Hokage."

Sasuke knows that Obito can't protect Shisui from the Uchiha. But he's hoping Obito will think to go to Orochimaru or Minato for help.

Shisui starts tearing up. "Sensei I'm sorry."

Forcing his face and grip to soften, Sasuke shakes his head. "This isn't your fault. I just need to meet with the Hokage about some important things. Jounin to Kage. Alright?"

The ANBU are closing in, trying to block off Sasuke's exits. Like he couldn't just teleport out of this room if he felt like it. But he won't. He has people to protect. Sasuke nudges Shisui out the door. As soon as it closes and locks, Sasuke looks at Hiruzen.

"I will go willingly. If anything happens to the people under my protection, that ends."

Hiruzen raises an eyebrow. "You would defy your Hokage?"

Sasuke stares, letting the iciness of his heart fill his voice. "If those under my protection are harmed, you are no kage of mine."

Then he follows the ANBU down into the depths of T&I. They snap a chakra blocking cuff onto his wrist. 

On most shinobi, this would prevent them from using chakra altogether. For Sasuke, he feels the sealing of his chakra, but the reality is that he can't use chakra outside of his body. For most, that is effectively the same as blocking chakra. 

But Sasuke can still use the teleportation of the Rinnegan. Because it doesn't require any chakra outside of his own chakra system. He isn't going to, but if he has to, he will.

Any chance Sasuke has of settling this easily and peacefully die when, instead of setting Sasuke into a simple interrogation room, they put him in a cell. While he waits for the Hokage, Sasuke goes through his potential options.

He could tell Hiruzen everything. Give him the full and entire picture of the future, and hope that it settles the man. This would require Sasuke to trust Hiruzen to be tactful about what, if any, information Sasuke shared. It would also require Sasuke to trust Hiruzen. Sasuke casts this aside almost immediately. At this point, he will never trust Hiruzen enough to reveal the future.

He could reveal more but not all of the future, and hope that Hiruzen accepts it for what it is. This is tricky, because Sasuke has no way of knowing what other knowledge Hiruzen might glean out of a simple memory. And at this point, the memories Hiruzen likely wants the most are those of Danzo. If a Yamanaka is employed to help sort through Sasuke's memories, Sasuke likely won't be able to stop them from seeing that he was the one to kill Danzo, and his deep well of rage towards the man. That won't buy him any forgiveness from the Hokage. So Sasuke sets this aside as well.

Begging for forgiveness and asking Hiruzen to trust him is the next option. Sasuke almost laughs considering it. Hiruzen isn't a fool, as much as Sasuke wishes he was. At this point, Sasuke will never get away with that.

The last option is to stonewall. To put up with whatever invasive mind jutsu, or interrogation he might undergo, and wait until Minato becomes the Hokage. 

Minato is a complicated thought. Part of Sasuke wishes he'd already told Minato everything already. He feels relatively certain the man would understand Sasuke's viewpoint, and help him. But part of Sasuke is glad that he didn't. Minato is, optimistic and respectful. He's also next in line for Hokage and a known associate of Sasuke's. He will likely undergo a subtle interrogation to see if Sasuke has told him anything. And for that, Sasuke is glad that he hasn't told Minato yet. Forcing the blond to choose between loyalty to a friend or the village would weigh heavily on him, and Sasuke can't be certain that friendship would win, over the potential wellbeing of the whole village.

He'll tell Minato everything, keeping nothing back. As soon as Minato is the Hokage, and Hiruzen is no longer the main factor.

And so his decision is done. Sasuke will stonewall.

All of that is, of course, dependent on the wellbeing of his Genin team, Kakashi, Obito, Orochimaru, and Minato. If any harm comes to them, Sasuke will not hesitate to break out of this cell and raze however much of the village necessary to the ground. At his core, Sasuke is not loyal to the village. Only to some of the people in it. Part of why he would make a truly terrible Hokage.

A small, childish part of Sasuke hopes this doesn't take too long. He hates sitting here, not knowing what's happening on the outside.  

Not too long later, the Hokage shows up himself. A somewhat promising sign. He stands outside the bars of Sasuke's small cell. He no longer even slightly resembles a kindly grandfather. No, the person who stands before him has earned the title "God of Shinobi" for his generation. 

Sasuke is unafraid of him. He's stared down far worse.

"We are alone, Sasuke. It is time for you to tell me everything." The voice is stern, commanding. It demands an immediate compliance.

"The fact that you've had to put me behind bars to do so does not bode well for this conversation." Sasuke keeps his voice flat and unemotional.

"In fairness to myself, you did attempt to frame a very well respected member of this village, without giving your Hokage the courtesy of even the smallest heads up. Additionally, you made what some would consider to be a threat on my life in my own office."

"You would not have trusted my information on this 'well respected villager', and we both know it."

"That is a lack of disclosure I do not allow from my shinobi."

"I am a shinobi of the Leaf, but I do not belong to you. I was sent here on a mission from my Hokage, and I will not jeopardize the future for your ego."

Hiruzen's eyes grow angry. "Who is your Hokage, then?"

That answer, Sasuke has no problem giving. "Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto hadn't been an official Hokage, but at the end, he had been the de facto leader. If things had ended differently, Sasuke would have been proud to call him 'Hokage'.

"Not in this time, it isn't. We are at an impasse, Sasuke. You clearly do not trust me, and due to that, I can no longer trust you."

"If that's how you see it."

The Hokage's eyes narrow. "I don't think you quite understand your position."

Sasuke remains flat and toneless. "Please enlighten me."

"I am giving you one more chance. Tell me about the future, so that I may help you. If you refuse, I will be sending in my head of Interrogation, and his, counterpart."

"Threatening mind invasion and torture. Classy." Sasuke may be riling the man up, but Hiruzen had gotten his temper flaring, and this was the best Sasuke could do while trying to keep composure. He's been through both interrogation and torture before. He's not looking forward to it, but to protect the future, to protect his people, Sasuke will endure it again.

Hiruzen gives him a looks Sasuke assumes is supposed to be pity. It comes off as superiority. Sasuke doesn't blink.

"Very well, Sasuke Uchiha. I will be back in to talk with you again soon."

After they've attempted to break him. Sasuke raises an eyebrow. "See you then."

And Hiruzen spins on his heel and leaves. Sasuke cannot trust him with the future. But he's hoping he can trust him with his Genin. At least for now. And hopefully, Orochimaru and Minato and Kushina will look after them while Sasuke is stuck down here. Now all that's left to do is wait.

He doesn't have to wait long. He assumes a direct missive from the Hokage is all the needed pressure for speed. A Yamanka man Sasuke doesn't even remotely recognize enters first. He sits across from Sasuke, and makes a handsign.

Then he's in Sasuke's head. Time blurs. Days or weeks pass. Sasuke isn't sure.

The thing about a person entering your mind is, you can't hide everything from them. In fact, trying to do so will be your undoing. Sasuke knows this, he's had people in his head enough times. The secret is not to hide everything. It's not to remain so mentally strong no one can break through. These jutsu are designed for that. No, the secret to surviving a mind jutsu, is to hide very little, and show the rest.

So Sasuke carefully tucks his memories of Danzo, of Minato, of Orochimaru, of all the things he can't afford to see the light of day, far back into his mind. Folds them up into a dark corner. And then lets the Yamanaka peruse through the rest as he wishes.

Sasuke leaves almost all the memories since he's jumped back through time, except for a few sensitive conversations here and there. He lets the Yamanaka have access to nearly every memory of the aftermath of battles in the Fourth Great Ninja War. Leaves the dead faces, the broken bodies, the despair, out on display.

The other secret to having someone root through your brain, is leaving out memories that you enjoy. That way, when the intruder pokes through them, you experience the memories that remind you why you're holding on so hard. For that reason, Sasuke leaves almost all of his memories of Team 7. He has to assume that the Hokage has given this Yamanaka clearance to whatever future knowledge he might find. So Sasuke leaves his memories of Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi-sensei open for reading.

The Yamanaka does his job well, Sasuke can give him that. He sorts through all the memories Sasuke has left in the open, quickly sorting through them, filing them as useful and not useful. He discards memories of putting his Genin through D ranks, of throwing kunai with Obito. Soon enough, the Yamanaka has dismissed all of Sasuke's memories since landing here.

And Sasuke finds out that what he'd thought would be memories to hold onto, are now his greatest torture.

His intruder digs into Sasuke's memories of Team 7, watching for any weaknesses he can use to delve into the shuttered parts of Sasuke's mind. He watches the bodies from the war, yes, Sasuke can feel him carefully cataloguing all the faces, all the destruction.

But Sasuke's strongest emotions are tied to memories of Team 7.

Sasuke had genuinely thought he would enjoy, or at least, not hate, watching and rewatching his Genin days.

And at first, he really doesn't. Naruto is just as annoying as he remembers, Sakura is an insane fangirl, and Kakashi-sensei is, well. It's still Kakashi-sensei.

But the more he is forced to rewatch them, the more he sees.

Naruto gets less annoying, and Sasuke starts seeing the quiet desperation to be seen behind his actions. Every time he'd tried to get someone's attention, tried to make people see him, and not the beast inside him, or nothing at all. Seeing Naruto starts to become not a fond memory, but a growing ache. Naruto had been hurting, nearly as bad as Sasuke, the whole time. And Sasuke had never known. But he sees it now, and it's far, far too late. Sasuke is just forced to watch over and over as Naruto practically begs someone, anyone, to love him.

Kakashi-sensei's little eccentricities, that Sasuke had written off as a child as Kakashi just being 'weird' start taking on a new tone. He starts seeing the pain in his eyes when Naruto smiles in a way that's perfectly Minato. The way Kakashi flinches when Naruto says something that might as well have come straight through Kushina's mouth. Sasuke hadn't known them then, but he does now. And he sees the agony it causes Kakashi. He also sees the way Kakashi-sensei looks at him, like Sasuke is his chance at redemption, and his growing desperation to save Sasuke. And Sasuke knows that Kakashi-sensei will fail. He sees it in Kakashi's eyes too, the recognition that he won't be enough to stop Sasuke. And it burns. He starts seeing little Kakashi's face superimposed over Kakashi-sensei's, begging Sasuke to stay, begging him to care. But Sasuke never does.

By far the worst is Sakura. It's obvious now, with the benefit of years, to see that her silly crush had quickly faded into genuine affection, and respect. Sasuke watches as she grows to love him, and he hurts her, over and over again. His control slips a little, because as he sees it, he wants more context for himself. So he lets memories of the War, at least those of Sakura, slip through. He quickly wishes he hadn't. The Yamanaka replays the memory of him putting his fist through Sakura's chest over and over. She'd truly loved him, Sasuke can see that, now. He wonders why he never did before. He sees all the memories after that, too. Them sitting side by side at a campfire, talking over the battles of the day, some nonsense thing Naruto or Kakashi-sensei had said. He sees the memories of himself fighting at her side, not as a boy obsessed with rage and a silly fangirl, but as equals, as teammates. As friends.

The Yamanaka senses his emotions surrounding Sakura, and presses the memories harder, looking for an advantage. He sees them over and over again. Him rejecting her as a Genin, her fighting beside him in a war for their lives. 

And Sasuke begins to see something that he never wanted to think about, never wanted to process. 

Sakura had stood by his side, fighting for him, cheering for him, always. She had never abandoned him, never given up on him. Once her crush faded, and genuine feelings had grown, she'd supported him, listened to him, healed his wounds, and challenged him. She'd grown so strong that she could fight by his side, and he could no longer ignore the person she had become.

He had grown to depend on her, to protect her, even though she was more than capable of protecting herself. He had let her be a rock for him, alongside Team 7. He had noticed when she forgot to eat, held her up while she healed her own wounds that no one else could touch. Watched over her when she cried over losing yet another patient under her hands.

He had loved her, too.

And he had never known.

The moment he realizes it, his reaction is so strong it shakes his entire mental landscape. Trying to seize the opening, the Yamanaka dives deeper. And Sasuke watches Sakura die for real, in his arms. Over and over. The look in her eyes is a torment. Kind, and sad, and warm. 

Sasuke has lost track of the amount of times he's been forced to watch this agonizing death, when he figures out that Sakura had known Sasuke had loved her.

And she had never said anything. Never pushed him. Just let him love her in his own way, never asking anything from him.

The wave of grief Sasuke experiences is strong enough to throw the Yamanaka out of his mind entirely. 

When the physical torture starts, it's almost a relief.

He loses himself in it. The cycle of pain, as they cut him, waterboard him, electrocute him, sleep deprive him, beat him. And then heal him up so they can do it all again.

At times, the Yamanaka attempts to return to Sasuke's head. But Sasuke's head is on fire, burning from his soul through every cell in his body. And the Yamanaka can't stay. Through the haze of it all, Sasuke sees the interrogation expert writhe in pain when he tries to navigate Sasuke's mindscape, until he leaves. Over and over.

As for Sasuke, the pain does not cease, does not lessen. Each time he gets a moment of clarity, one of their faces floats to the front of his mind, and he's lost again. Finding pieces of Kakashi scattered over a battlefield, abandoned by Sasuke even in death. Watching Naruto fade out, never telling him that he was Sasuke's best friend, that Sasuke had noticed him, had loved him. Sakura smiling at him as she died, when she held all the knowledge in the world, and Sasuke had never seen her for what she was.

Sasuke is drowning, and nothing they do to him can pull him above the water.

It cycles on and on into eternity. Even though he's burning alive on the inside, even though they're doing their best to destroy his will on the outside, Sasuke never gives up a single drop of information that he doesn't want to.

This burning, unceasing flame that Sasuke feels is love. And that love, that had belonged to Sakura, and Naruto, and Kakashi-sensei. Sasuke still has it. For the ones he has now.

Sasuke never gives up, because he isn't going to let the people in his heart fade away. Not this time. Not ever again.

Everything falls silent.

Chapter Text

Sasuke gets his first visitor while he's waiting for the T&I healer to show up. He anticipates it being Hiruzen, coming to see if Sasuke has broken yet. He does not expect for it to be Minato.

He hears the blond talking to a guard as he enters the nearby passageway and Sasuke goes full damage control immediately. He attempts to pull himself up into a sitting position, with no help from his ribs, which he thinks might all be broken. He doesn't really remember. As his back grates against the smooth stone wall behind it, Sasuke hisses. He can at least hide the fact that his back likely looks like raw ground meat. 

Minato comes into sight before Sasuke completely finishes schooling his face. Minato's eyes widen in alarm.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke tries to clear his throat, and finds it's been so long since he's spoken that his voice sounds more like a scratching growl. "Nice to see you."

Minato looks horrified. Sasuke hadn't considered that he might look that badly off. The blond rushes off to the side, probably to demand entrance to the cell. Sasuke takes the opportunity to spit a mouthful of blood out while Minato isn't there to witness it. Whatever reason Minato is here for, Sasuke has to convince him that everything is fine, and that he has it under control. If Minato tries to fight Hiruzen on this, he might take the position of Hokage out from underneath Minato, and Sasuke cannot allow for that to happen.

Sure enough, Minato comes back with a guard, who lets the blond into Sasuke's cell. Minato rushes over to Sasuke, looking him over critically. "What on earth is happening down here?!"

Sasuke so badly wants to tell him everything. But it'll have to wait until Minato takes the hat. Sasuke can't take any chances. He clears his throat again. A mistake, because the next mouthful of blood he spits out is in full view of Minato. "Just a small disagreement between the Hokage and I."

Minato looks absolutely incredulous. His hands hover, as if he wants to help Sasuke but isn't exactly sure what to do. "A small disagreement? Sasuke, this is terrible! This is wrong." 

There's a growing fire behind Minato's eyes that would be comforting to Sasuke if he wasn't unsettled by the implications of it. Meaning the trouble Minato looks like he wants to start the second he leaves. Sasuke tries to play off his injuries. "You know, I've heard there's going to be a new Hokage soon. I'm hoping to get along better with him."

His play at nonchalance is slightly ruined by the fact he coughs up blood after. He thinks one of those broken ribs might have punctured a lung. Annoying.

Minato grabs Sasuke's hand in his own. There's nothing wrong with Sasuke's hand, so he decides he doesn't mind. The future Hokage's grip is stabilizing. The first real thing Sasuke's been able to hold onto outside of the burning inferno that is his head. "Sasuke, why are you here? Please tell me."

Sasuke meets his eyes, and that gaze is so Naruto that it makes Sasuke's chest hurt. The warmth, the imploring of an answer, the unspoken promise of help. 

"I want to tell you. But I can't. Not until you're Hokage."

Minato flinches, and looks slightly hurt. Sasuke doesn't know why. He wishes he could take his words back and figure out what he did. 

"You don't trust me?"

Sasuke squeezes Minato's hand, and shakes his head a little more violently than he intended, and he spews another mouthful of blood before he can speak.

"No. That's not it at all," Sasuke gasps, trying to speak between coughs, "I've got to," he wheezes, "keep you safe too."

The blond straightens, and squares his shoulders while Sasuke finishes his coughing fit. "Okay. That's what I'll do then. I'll become Hokage."

That sounds suspiciously like Minato is about to go make trouble. "Don't rush on my account."

Minato lets go of his hand, and grabs Sasuke's face with both of his hands.

"Look at me," like Sasuke can do anything but, the man has a hold of his face. "I am not leaving you here. Hang in there. I'll be back soon."

And the blond sweeps out of the cell, looking every bit the Hokage he'd always heard about. 

There's nothing Sasuke can do to help him or protect him right now. He and Hiruzen have a tenuous agreement, after all. As long as Sasuke stays here, nothing will happen to his kids. Sasuke doesn't want to jeopardize any of them. Not for anything.

More than ever, Sasuke starts to worry about what's going on outside. Is everyone okay? Sasuke hadn't even asked about them when Minato had visited, and he regrets it every second. He knows that they're all physically fine, but that's not everything. Danzo could be pulling all kind of political strings to hurt his kids in other ways. The anxiety of it all makes his need to run start to grow. But he won't. He won't leave and give even a second's chance to any of them being harmed, or get in Minato's way of becoming Hokage. Sasuke desperately needs a kage on his side. If he leaves due to his own worries, he could ruin the future.

Minato's visit had done one thing, it had brought Sasuke some clarity of mind. But all that left was more concerns. How long had he been down here? He'd been healed enough times to lose count, which probably meant more than a week. How much longer than a week. A month, more? Sasuke should've asked. And now he's stuck with no answers. Only able to hold on to Minato's promise to be back soon.

Sasuke worries himself into a stupor, and he has no idea how much time passes before he hears the hallway door swing open again. He's hoping it's the medic. The punctured lung is really starting to become obnoxious.

"It's disgusting down here."

That's... Obito's voice.

Oh no.

The last thing he wants is for Obito to see him like this. Obito's face swings into view before Sasuke can do even as much as lever himself into a better sitting position. Orochimaru is with him.

"Mr. Sasuke!" Obito cries out in alarm. Sasuke notices that he's walking, and not having too much trouble with it. 

Orochimaru makes a displeased tsking noise. "You are so much work." That's probably as close to alarm as Sasuke will ever see from Orochimaru, and he takes it for the concern it is.

"You're walking again. Congratulations." Sasuke has a hundred questions, but that seems the most pressing comment right now. He has to let Obito know he's proud of him.

Obito is somehow already crying. His ability to dissolve into tears is almost impressive. Sasuke idly wonders if it can be weaponized somehow.

"Mr. Sasuke, what happened to you? You look so bad! Shisui said you promised you were just going to talk to the Hokage but it's been forever and people are saying things and no one would let us see you and-!"

Orochimaru lightly smacks Obito on the back of the head. "That's enough words, child." Obito falls silent, sniffling. The Sanin looks Sasuke over.

"What questions do you have?"

Sasuke limits himself to a single question at a time. "How long have I been here?"

"About three months."

That's... a long time. Anything could have happened.

"How is everyone?"

Obito starts talking quickly, looking desperate to be helpful.

"Kakashi is okay. He was a little weird for a while, so he and Rin have been taking loads of missions. Izumo and Kotetsu are good. They got super awesome with their weapons because of Mr. Orochimaru and now they are practicing with other weapons too. Shisui, he's... not as good." 

Obito looks near tears again. Sasuke hadn't noticed that he'd stopped crying the first time. Perhaps he's a little more out of it than he thought.

"Is he alright?"

Obito shakes his head. "The Clan has been really mean. I tried to stand up for him, like you asked me to! I did, I promise. But I got thrown out of the Clan meetings for being... Well. Technically for having a broken Sharingan but they think it's because I'm a bastard Uchiha. I don't know what goes on in them anymore but Shisui looks sad every time they meet."

Sasuke asks before Obito can continue. "Your Sharingan is... broken?" Sasuke had never heard of such a thing and he's pretty sure it can't actually happen.

Obito nods and activates his eyes without being asked. The right one looks normal. Blood red, with two tomoe in it. The left one... isn't. It's pale, so pale it's hardly pink. There are two tomoe in it as well, and they are dark black, as usual.

"Does it work?" Sasuke asks.

Obito nods, "As far as I can tell. It just looks weird."

Sasuke looks to Orochimaru to see if he has a theory. Orochimaru always has a theory.

Orochimaru blinks, unfazed. "I'm fairly certain it's do to your interference. That's a discussion for a different time however. Minato is staging a coup, and I think it's safe to say it's your doing."

Sasuke startles, shifting his injuries. "He's doing what?" He gasps. "Why aren't you stopping him?"

Orochimaru shrugs, pushing his hair behind his shoulder. "He's doing it in the legal way, by using Clan Heads. He plans to pass a motion to force Sensei into retirement and be instated as Hokage effective immediately. Since I am not a Clan Head, I don't feel that's any of my business to intercede."

A thought comes to Sasuke so violently he nearly falls off the narrow bench he's sitting on. "Wait, if Minato is staging a coup and you're here, where are my Genin? Is anyone watching them?" If Danzo knows that his time with free reign is coming to and end, he could and would attack anyone of Sasuke or Minato's precious people the second he can. 

Sensing Sasuke's rising panic, Orochimaru holds up his hand. On it is a clearly written seal. "Calm yourself. They're in Namikaze's house. It's sealed with such strong wards no one can get in, and the seal will burn if one of them tries to leave. They're safe." 

Sasuke doesn't believe that for a single second, but if Orochimaru does, he'll give the Sanin the benefit of the doubt. He takes a few deep breaths, some to settle his mind, the others trying to push the pain out of his body. Obito winces watching him, and Sasuke tries to get himself under control.

"How exactly does one start a legal coup?" Sasuke manages.

Orochimaru looks more than happy to inform him. "Since Konoha has been a gathering of shinobi Clans since the beginning, there is a council of Clan Heads. They make all kinds of decisions, and they have the power to overturn the position of Hokage. There is a token 'non-Clan' member, but usually said person is a personal friend of the Hokage. It used to be Danzo, but recently Minato was elected, as part of his training to take over as Hokage. Aside from that. A Clan Head can make the motion, and if enough Clans vote for it, the motion will pass. Minato has a strong position, as the publicly claimed future Hokage. Not that he didn't stack the deck in his favor anyways.."

Stack the deck? 

Luckily, Sasuke doesn't have to ask. Obito answers for him. "Yeah! Minato Sensei convinced Bakashi to take up his seat as the head of the Hatake! and Kushina is the head of the Uzumaki, and he even found some paperwork that said since Lady Tsunade isn't in the village, Yamato can sit in on her behalf!"

That is quite the stacked deck. The Uchiha will likely vote in Minato's favor, due to Mikoto and Kushina's close friendship. The InoShikaCho trio is now comprised of the Clan Heads Sasuke remembers, and they're young enough to be Minato's contemporaries, and thus will likely vote in his favor as well. The Hyuga will vote against the Uchiha as a matter of pride, and the Aburame and Inuzuka are wild cards.

It's a bit of a risk. But Minato could very well work this out. He could be Hokage today. The thought is so relieving, Sasuke sinks back slightly.

"We are here, unconventionally," Orochimaru begins, which tells Sasuke they somehow broke in. "I am unable to enter the cell. However, if you are able to make your way here, I can heal some of your injuries. You have a punctured lung."

Sasuke coughs, "Yeah, I know."

He swings his legs off of the bench, and pain rips through him, causing another coughing fit. Obito winces in sympathy, watching him. Sasuke really wishes he didn't have to see Sasuke like this.

A sizzling sound that has nothing to do with Sasuke sounds, and he looks up, confused. Orochimaru grows slightly pale.

"It seems one of your little students has left the safe house."

Sasuke knows what that means instantly. Danzo. And he's pretty sure he knows which one of them left. "Which entrance?"

Orochimaru furrows his brow, "The front entrance is most likely, I suppose, but why-"

Before he can finish, Sasuke is gone. He ignites his teleportation and rips himself out from under the chakra sealing cuff.

He lands in Minato's front yard. Danzo has Shisui pinned against the wall of the house. Sasuke recovers just in time to see Danzo's arm shooting towards Shisui's terrified face, reaching for his student's eye. 

Sasuke acts on instinct, and he teleports again, activating chidori at the same time, since he has no other blade.

He lands directly in front of Shisui, almost standing on the boy's feet. With one quick uppercut, he severs Danzo's hand from the rest of his arm. practically touching Sasuke's chest, and just inches from his students face. The ruined appendage drops uselessly to the ground. Barely on his feet, Sasuke stares down his foe, with a mouth full of blood.

"Shisui is mine!" He spits blood at Danzo menacingly.

His chakra flares so hard, accompanying Sasuke's feelings of rage, and his Killing Intent floods the surrounding area, so thick and malicious that if Danzo was even slightly less of a shinobi, he would have died on the spot. And with it, storm clouds that block out the sun. The air is charged with static as Sasuke bristles.

Danzo's bandaged face scowls in agony and rage, and more than the a little fear.

Good.

Danzo clutches his stump arm to his chest. There's no blood, as the chidori burns all the connections. Even if he lived long enough to retrieve his hand, the best medic in the world could never reattach it.

But Sasuke isn't done. Danzo still breathes.

Shifting his broken body more fully in front of his student, Sasuke activates his chidori again, letting the crackle of the lightning blow his hair back and away from his Rinnegan. 

"You don't get to touch him. Shisui belongs to me, and for this, you will die!"

He bares his teeth and lunges, his Killing Intent exploding across the sky in a tempest of lightning and hail for all to see.

Even tortured to the point he shouldn't be able to stand, Danzo is no match for Sasuke's speed. Danzo is a seasoned shinobi, but he's also old. And in shock. Sasuke is neither. 

His chidori sinks into Danzo's chest, and out the other side. Once he's sure the man is skewered completely on his arm, Sasuke yanks his hand back out of the massive hole without pause.

Danzo blinks, in a stupor. And then, Sasuke feels the enormous pull of chakra. 

"Izanagi!"

The bandages over Danzo's eye glows red, and the hole Sasuke just made in the man fills in before his eyes.

Somehow, Danzo has already acquired a Sharingan. Sasuke has no idea who it's from. He'll think about that later.

Danzo is still breathing.

Pulling another chidori to his hand, Sasuke prepares to try again. He'll stab Danzo through as many times as necessary.

Danzo is more prepared this time, and he leaps back, and four ROOT ninja appear in front of him. A guard. 

"This isn't the end."

Sasuke leaps back, once again standing in front of his student. He glares at Danzo, aware even a mere second away from his student's side could spell his death.

"Make no mistake, you will die by my hand."

Danzo tries to smirk, but he's still missing a hand, and it's clearly hurting him. Sasuke hopes it's agonizing.

Sasuke's enemy turns tail and runs, and Sasuke has to let him, because his four guards leap forward.

He can't help the growl of frustration that rips its way from his lungs.

But there's something more important than revenge. Rather, there is someone more important than revenge. And Sasuke is never sacrificing someone he loves for the chance at revenge ever again.

He lets Danzo run.

Because Shisui's life is worth more than the satisfaction of skinning Danzo alive.

But Sasuke will kill Danzo again, even if he has to follow him to the end of time itself.

The four ROOT use a typical ANBU level Leaf formation, which is to their disadvantage. Sasuke knows how those work. And how to get around them.

Pulling a lightning cloak around him to boost his speed, he leaps forward, chidori in hand. Even more unfortunately for them, they're no more than high Chunin in ability levels. In less than a minute, all four are dead, their corpses toppling to the ground. And Danzo is long gone.

He considers following him for a second, before recognizing that in his current state, he wouldn't do much good. If Danzo had a bit of preparation, he could likely take Sasuke down.

Shisui runs up to his side, and Sasuke sees the remnants of terror on his face, and fear in his eyes. Sasuke's student looks so guilty, so afraid. "Sensei! I'm so sorry Sensei, I didn't mean to- Sensei, are you okay?"

Sasuke isn't okay, actually. All the jostling might have punctured the second lung, and there's definitely something wrong with his legs he hadn't remembered. The world starts fading, and Sasuke's last thought as he falls is to avoid collapsing directly on top of his student.

"Sasuke-sensei!"

It all goes dark yet again.

When he wakes, there are four worried sets of eyes looking at him. And one pair of golden eyes, concentrating on putting Sasuke back together. Orochimaru's chakra is soothing, and cool. Somehow, even though all of his Genin and Obito are staring directly at him, Orochimaru notices he's awake first.

"If you keep needing this much intervention, you're going to start owing me favors."

Sasuke huffs, and it doesn't cause of a coughing fit of blood. "I already owe you about a dozen life debts, I think."

The others catch on immediately, and they start clamoring for his attention.

"Sensei!"

"Sasuke-sensei!"

"Mr. Sasuke!"

Sasuke looks them all over carefully. They look concerned, but most importantly, they look okay. Sasuke is so relieved, he can't even speak. 

"Sasuke-sensei, guess what?" Izumo starts proudly.

"You'll have to tell me." Sasuke doesn't think he's really in any shape to try and figure out anything that goes on in Izumo's head.

"We made Chunin! All of us!" He beams proudly, and Kotetsu mirrors him. Shisui's smile is far less genuine.

Sasuke smiles fondly at the three of them. "Congratulations. I am proud of you all."

He doesn't mention that part of the reason they were promoted so early is because they are still technically in a war, and it's also an excellent political move to maneuver them away from Sasuke's guidance. They're young, and they're proud. And Sasuke isn't going to take that from them. And he is proud of them. They've done well. He can tell just by looking at Kotetsu and Izumo that they've gotten stronger. He can see the growing muscles starting to shape their bodies.

He lets their chatter wash over him, and Sasuke listens as Kotetsu and Izumo trade off telling him everything about their training, what missions they've been up to, and stories they think are funny. As they talk and laugh over him, not needing any responses from Sasuke in particular, he starts thinking about their future. Izumo and Kotetsu, if they are to become full Jounin, should probably be apprenticed to someone. 

Sasuke wonders if there's a weapons master he can talk to, one he can trust.

Part of him wants to keep the two of them close to him, train them under him and keep them part of his squad forever. But the truth is, for their own growth, they're going to need more individual attention than a three man squad can get them. And even though Sasuke really doesn't want to play favorites, the truth is, he can do more for Shisui than he can for Izumo or Kotetsu. Even though it pains him to admit it. It won't ever stop him from seeing the two as his, though. Just as much as Shisui, Obito, or Kakashi.

He could let them go as they do in the future. Let them settle into being strong and proficient kenjutsu practitioners, and watch the gates faithfully.

But, now that they've been on his team, Sasuke wants more for them. If that's what they want, too, of course. He'll have to ask them, probably soon.

They could become Jounin, if they wanted to. Sasuke even imagines them becoming a two man ANBU squad someday, if that's what they want. They'd be lethal at it. Sasuke wishes there was more of him, so he could personally train all three of them. Bring all three of them to their full potential. 

Whatever happens, Sasuke will make sure he lets them know they always have a place on his squad, on Team Sasuke. He'll do his best to make sure, even if they don't all train together every day, that they never drift apart. 

But that's a way into the future. Sasuke also has to hunt down Danzo, and Zetsu. And stop Pain. and potentially the whole Akatsuki. But first, get Minato as the Hokage. That way, Sasuke can tell him everything, holding nothing back.

It might be nice to get a second opinion on what he should do, and in what order.

And, Sasuke admits, it might be nice to share the burden with someone. To not have the entire weight of the world on his shoulders.

After a while, Orochimaru finishes healing him, and goes outside to 'get some peace of mind'. Which means 'away from all the talking'.

Obito and Shisui exchange a meaningful look soon after, and Obito tells Izumo and Kotetsu that they should help him make Sasuke some food in the kitchen. Delighted at being given a responsibility, the two bound off after Obito, and soon, Sasuke is alone with Shisui.

Sasuke sits up nearly painlessly, and takes in his youngest student, who is determinedly not meeting his eyes.

"I'm listening."

Shisui startles a little. "Sensei... Thank you for saving me. I... I'm sorry you had to. I should have known better than to listen to Lord Danzo. This whole thing is my fault."

Then Shisui starts crying. It's so rare to see Shisui even tear up, Sasuke is a little stunned. "It's all my fault. All of it. Everything. And I can't fix anything and everyone is upset and-"

And Sasuke suddenly remembers that for all he appears, Shisui isn't even eight years old. He reaches out, and pulls Shisui into a hug. Shisui goes with zero resistance and immediately begins to sob.

Sasuke runs his hand soothingly along the boy's back. It's strange. Sasuke had never really been hugged before he'd landed in this time. And Orochimaru had said he'd only been locked up for, three months or so? But in those short three months, Sasuke had actually missed human contact. 

Hugging Shisui isn't all that uncomfortable. Secretly, it's a little comforting. Obito must have broken him.

"It's not your job to fix everything." It's Sasuke's job. And soon, his and Minato's. "And I'm not upset."

"But Aniki said you were tortured?" Shisui's voice sounds a little strangled, and he doesn't leave Sasuke's arm.

Sasuke doesn't mind that Obito told them. They would've found out anyway.

"Yes, I was."

"So why don't you hate me like everyone else does?" Sasuke assumes at this point Shisui is just talking about the Uchiha. There's no way Izumo, Kotetsu, or Obito hate him. None of them are any good at concealing emotions, and even as tired as Sasuke is, he's sure he would have noticed.

"It wasn't your fault."

"You always say that, but some stuff is my fault!" Shisui pulls back out of Sasuke's grip, and his eyes are swollen and puffy.

"The Clan hates Obito now because he tried to help me, that's my fault. You went to the Hokage because I told you I didn't want to be in the Police, and you got arrested! That's my fault! I listened to Lord Danzo even though Mr. Orochimaru told us not to leave the house, that's my fault."

"The Clan hated Obito before he tried to help you, too." Sasuke says calmly. Shisui looks stricken. "It's true. You can ask him if you want."

"I would have gone to the Hokage at some point and gotten arrested anyway. You just happened to be there." Shisui looks ready to argue Sasuke on that point, but Sasuke shakes his head. "I can't tell you why, it's classified."

"And Danzo was a leader of the village. You are not at fault for listening to his orders." Sasuke or Orochimaru maybe could have mentioned not to listen to Danzo by name. But that could have caused far worse problems if it had gotten out.

Shisui sniffles slightly, wiping at his eyes. "But you had to save me."

Sasuke sees all his dead precious people in his mind's eye. And that gives him the push he needs to go forward.

"I'm your sensei, it's my job to help you. Even more than that, you are. Important to me. Even if you weren't my student, I would have done everything possible to help you."

Shisui stops, then blurts, "Why?"

Sasuke decides he doesn't think he can answer this in a meaningful enough way. It's just a little too much for him to deal with right now. It's time to redirect this heavy conversation. He already knows the one with Minato is going to knock him off his feet. So he reaches out and ruffles Shisui's hair.

"I'm sorry, that's classified."

Shisui fusses with his hair, even though it's a mess every single day anyway. "Really? The reason you like me is classified?"

Sasuke huffs, amused. "No."

"Then why?"

Sasuke pretends to think for a second. "Because I said so."

Shisui groans. "Ugh. Sensei."

Sasuke feels Minato's chakra coming towards the door to the house. He's about to find out if Minato made it to Hokage or not.

Before the conversation ends, Sasuke pokes Shisui's forehead gently.

"If you still want to be my apprentice, I will make it happen."

Shisui's eyes light up. "Really?"

Sasuke nods. And Minato opens the door. 

"Hey guys I'm back! You'll never believe what happened- Agh! Is there a hand on my doorstep!?"

Chapter Text

Minato had, in fact, been made Hokage. His first official act was to send a huge swathe of ANBU to gather all records from Danzo's home and ROOT office. Sasuke had thought ROOT would be more, discreet, as he remembered it. Apparently the Third had been aware of it all along, and had even funded it. Which explained a lot about Hiruzen's non-reaction to Sasuke, Kushina, and Orochimaru attempting to 'uncover' it. It did make finding the office easier, however. 

Danzo had fled the village in a hurry, leaving enormous amounts of documentation left behind. The man had probably thought he had more time.

Sasuke was not involved in the finding process at all, and instead had insisted upon meeting with Minato in his office immediately. Minato had agreed, on two conditions.

The first was that Kushina hear whatever Sasuke was going to tell him. Sasuke had tried to argue it and Minato had just told him it would be better for Kushina to hear it firsthand rather than when Minato returned home and told her everything. Sasuke had warned that his news would likely make Kushina murderous, and Minato had accepted that with ease. Sasuke had folded rather quickly.

The second condition was more of Kushina's. She insisted upon Sasuke having a huge mug of tea and being wrapped in an enormous blanket even though it was the middle of summer. In the Hokage's office. The thought was ridiculous, but the look in Kushina's eyes promised violence to someone if Sasuke didn't accept her smothering. 

So Sasuke finds himself in the Hokage's office, sitting in front of the Fourth Hokage, while Kushina wraps him in the most ridiculously large and fluffy blanket Sasuke has ever seen. It is sweltering outside. Somehow, the blanket doesn't make it any worse. She shoves a near boiling cup of tea into his hand. The aroma is soothing, Sasuke has to admit. Not out loud, of course. He can also smell that she's left it unsweetened. Somehow, Kushina knowing he doesn't like sweet things is enough to make Sasuke's throat close up a little.

Which he ignores. He does not need to be smothered. He's doing it for Kushina.

Minato isn't wearing Hokage robes, but somehow the way he sits in the Hokage chair is so natural, it feels like he should have always belonged in it. Sasuke must be tired from his lengthy T&I stay, because the image of Minato sitting in the chair, looking slightly concerned at Sasuke, keeps flickering between Minato and Naruto. His chest clenches when he remembers that his Naruto is gone, and hadn't even had a Konoha to return to, much less run.

He tries to distract himself from those thoughts by taking a drink of tea, and letting the scorching of his tongue ground him in the present.

Minato leans forward.

"Okay, I'm the Hokage now. You can tell me whatever you want. But, Sasuke. You don't really look so well. Are you sure you don't want to go home, and rest? This can absolutely wait."

Sasuke doesn't even attempt to straighten his spine. The effect would be lost in this enormous blanket. So he just blinks calmly.

"I've had worse. This needs to happen now."

He doesn't say that if he can't tell Minato now, he may never be able to bring it up again. Minato squints suspiciously at him, and Kushina is doing a very poor job of pretending she isn't about to spring to her feet and start hovering. The new Hokage pulls some papers out of his desk.

"You've had worse? It says here that you had a Yamanaka invade your mind, and a top classified torturer working on you, and that you've been regularly healed and forced into a medical coma during the intermission."

Medical coma. That explains why it had felt more like a single month, than three. Perhaps his waking hours were closer to a month or so. Sasuke files that information away, feeling strangely comforted by the fact his internal clock hadn't slipped too badly. He had still been in control of that, at least.

"Orochimaru healed the damage, I'm fine."

Kushina doesn't jump to her feet, but it's a close thing. "You're not fine, ya know! I can see the look on your face the same way Minato can. You shouldn't be here yet at all, you should be resting. Hanging out with your kids, ya know?"

Her fiery explosion is suddenly pink, and Sasuke sees Sakura yelling at him instead. He almost doesn't want to blink the image of her away. She fades anyway, back into Kushina. "You and Orochimaru are all the same, ya know."

Sasuke blinks uncertainly. Had he missed part of the conversation. "How so?" That is hopefully still on topic.

Kushina shakes her head, sinking back into her seat. "While you were gone... Minato was out on a diplomatic mission, ya know? And they kept giving him extensions, so he couldn't come back to the village. This is only his second day back. Anyway, I spent a lot of time plotting your escape with Orochimaru, ya know? And do you know what he did? He set an extra place out for you during tea, every single day. I asked him if he was okay but he was all 'I am of course, fine', and all that." 

Kushina's impression of Orochimaru is terrible. She plows on. "But he wasn't fine at all. We're both the village monsters, so nobody trusts either of us or would listen to a word we said. There was no way we could get you out without becoming missing nin. Which we did consider, ya know? Once we figured we had to wait for Minato, or the kids would be in jeopardy, he spent like all day every day training your kids, ya know? I've never seen him so focused. And here you are, missing and tortured for forever, and you're just the same, ya know? You aren't fine. Get over it."

She seems finished. Sasuke looks to Minato for confirmation, and the blond nods. "Kushina told me I needed to get home as fast as possible, but her letters were extremely redacted and I kept getting orders keeping me out of the village. I guess they thought I'd do something about it when I got back. And they were right. I'm so, so sorry I didn't just drop everything and run. I didn't know the full extent. Sasuke, I promise, I would have been there earlier had I known."

Minato looks devastated at Sasuke, like every bad thing that's ever happened to Sasuke is his fault. Sasuke shakes his head. "I didn't expect you to drop everything. I do have a question, before I start, though. How did you convince the entire Clan Council to force Hiruzen into retirement?"

The blond scratches the back of his head nervously. "Well... I just went to all the Clan Heads who owed me a favor and asked them to trust me."

Sasuke blinks. "That's.. it?"

Minato laughs nervously. "Well I was already supposed to be the next Hokage, so I just... sped it up a little!"

"His official motion was that the village needed to look strong as we go into peacetime, and that he was ready to take the position. He did officially usher in the peace treaty this week, so it was kinda a good reason and everything! The Clan Heads were sorta surprised, but they just voted for it, ya know?" Kushina tacks onto the end of her husband's statement.

That has... a lot of political connotations for Minato later. Trading in a favor that large, even as well liked as he was. Either more Clans owed Minato a lifelong debt than Sasuke realized, or Minato just set himself up to have to fulfill a lot of favors. And he'd done it for Sasuke. He doesn't even know that Sasuke doesn't deserve it, yet.

But he's about to. 

Sasuke clenches the tea in his hands, and forces himself to nod.

"Will you tell us now, Sasuke? Why this happened?" Minato looks at him carefully, like he's attempting to give Sasuke an out if he doesn't want to talk about it. 

"What I'm going to tell you, you probably won't believe. But I only ask that you let me prove it. After, whatever you think of me, whatever you wish to do with the information, or with me. I'll accept your judgement."

Sasuke is going to show them everything. His life, including his abandonment of the village, his betrayal of his friends. Everything.

Minato and Kushina nod in unison. 

Taking a deep breath, he takes the plunge. "I am Sasuke Uchiha. I'm from the future."

Minato does not react in the slightest, and Sasuke envies him his poker face. Kushina outright gasps.

"I want to show you everything. I did not do so with the Third, because I couldn't trust him. That's why..." He trails off. Minato nods encouragingly.

"I'm going to have to show you. If you allow it, I can put you both in the Tsukuyomi. In it, seventy two hours can pass in a handful of seconds. I think that would be the fastest way. But, it's not safe if you don't trust me. The Tsukuyomi is most often used for torture. In it, I can make anything what I want. I could show you false memories, and you wouldn't be able to tell them apart from my real ones."

Kushina pats the blanket wrapped around his shoulders. "Is it safe for you?"

Sasuke nods.

"Do it," Minato and Kushina say at the same time.

Sasuke has just told them both he's kept his real identity a secret the whole time they've known him, and they're still perfectly willing to undergo a potentially dangerous jutsu. They might actually be insane.

His straight face isn't as good as Minato's, because the blond immediately reassures him.

"We trust you, Sasuke. It's going to be okay."

Sasuke doesn't believe that for a second. But he captures them both in the Tsukuyomi anyway. The sky turns blood red, and all three of them stand inside his head. For whatever reason, Sasuke is still wearing that oversized blanket, even in his head. He could get rid of it, but decides not to.

Then he shows them everything.

The early memories are the easiest for Sasuke. They don't react much, when they discover who's son Sasuke is, or even when they see the memories of Sasuke learning at school about the Fourth Hokage and his wife Kushina who had died during the nine-tails attack. Sasuke isn't sure he could be so non-chalant about his own death.

The most reaction he gets is the delight on Kushina and Minato's faces when they hear Naruto's last name for the first time and realize that he must be theirs. Followed quickly by the solemn look as they realize they've both died and left him alone.

Kushina openly cries, but makes no sound, when Sasuke shows the slaughter of the Uchiha Clan, as seen through Itachi's infliction of the Tsuyukomi.

Minato clenches his fists and grits his teeth as Sasuke shows memories of the whole village hating Naruto, throwing him out of shops and spitting at him. 

When he gets to the first meeting of Team 7, which is the first memory he'd allowed the Yamanaka to see, he starts shaking so bad the flows of memories actually stops. Kushina walks over, and sits down with Sasuke, right in the red sky of the Tsukuyomi, and holds his hand. Minato follows her, and sits on his other side. Somehow, it helps give Sasuke the strength to go on. But he doesn't stop shaking.

He makes sure not to look at them when he gets to the part where he abandons the village, and lays Sakura down on a bench to join Orochimaru. He doesn't want to see the horror on their faces.

He skips over most of his time with Orochimaru, since almost all of it is irrelevant. 

He shows the hunt and eventual killing of Itachi, and all the secrets that Obito-As-Madara had spilled to him.

Then he shows the war. The memories get hard again here, and Sasuke feels like choking. But if he loses control in the Tsukuyomi, he'll hurt Minato and Kushina, so he keeps an iron fist on his memories and emotions.

He shows every relevant second of the war he can. All the fireside talking about what had gone on in Konoha in Sasuke's absence. All the members of the Akatsuki, including Pain's invasion of the village. All the fighting. 

All the deaths, though that's his closest to losing it, is seeing dead Sakura yet again, picking up a piece of Kakashi off the ground.

He finally gets to the end, showing as much of Naruto's hard sealwork as he can, knowing that it was a masterpiece and that Kushina would likely be proud of Naruto for it.

Once he's done, he ends the Tsukuyomi immediately, feeling like he's wrung himself inside out. Minato looks stunned.

Kushina is not immediately rushing out the door to kill someone, or many someones, so Sasuke assumes she's stunned into silence as well.

He thinks wrong, and a second later, a weight is laying almost entirely across him and his blanket. It takes him far too long to realize what it is. Kushina is hugging him. The haunted, empty feeling starts to recede slightly, and Kushina doesn't let go. Sasuke doesn't make her, either.

When he starts breathing normally again, even though he can't remember when he stopped, Kushina pulls away and sits back in her seat. Her face is blotchy and her eyes are swollen with tears. Sasuke hadn't even felt her crying, through the blanket. Minato is leaning forward onto the desk, and there is absolute murder on his face. Sasuke isn't sure if it's aimed at him or not. For letting Kushina hug him, maybe? For all the crimes and betrayal he just watched Sasuke commit?

Minato blinks, and clears his throat. "Right. Well, I think I'm going to go and kill my predecessor."

Kushina pins him with a stare. "Don't you dare. If I don't get to kill Jiraiya, and I know you won't let me, then you don't get to kill Sarutobi."

All that death and destruction, and they're mad on behalf of a child they don't have, for a childhood that hasn't happened yet. They'll be dedicated parents, Sasuke knows that for sure.

Minato shakes his head. "I just... can't believe it."

"I don't blame you," Sasuke offers hoarsely.

Twitching, Minato shakes his head more violently. "No, no, not that. Of course I believe you. I just can't believe you've been trying to prevent all of that yourself. Are you insane?"

Sasuke is pretty sure this isn't a question he's supposed to answer, so he doesn't.

Kushina pats him heavily through the blanket again. "You've done a good job already, ya know? I can't see 'Kashi or Orochimaru ever ending up like that now, and Obito.. I don't even have words for what happened to him, and you stopped it. And that's awesome, ya know?"

Sasuke shakes his head slightly. "I've been here for years, and I have only succeeded in killing Madara. Danzo is still out there, along with Zetsu, and the Akatsuki."

Minato walks around his desk, and crouches in front of Sasuke. "All the same, this village owes you a debt. One I'm sure we'll never be able to repay."

Sasuke feels his chest clench and his throat tighten. Minato is just so, wrong. He's not a hero. Sasuke must have shown the memories wrong, making himself look better by mistake. 

"You saw what I did. I owe this and more to, " he chokes on Naruto's name. "To all the people I betrayed."

Kushina joins Minato on the floor in front of Sasuke's chair. She reaches up and pats the side of Sasuke's face. He... doesn't hate it.

"You mean all the people you loved. And you lost. Don't think I didn't notice, ya know. You loved that girl. And Kakashi. And... My son. I'm so sorry that you lost them. I'm even more sorry you've been carrying them all alone. No one should have to do that, ya know?"

He sees the tears in Kushina's eyes, and realizes, she does know. She lost her entire Clan, an entire village, wiped off the map. She's the only one left. And she's carrying her dead with her, the same as Sasuke is.

These last few years, Sasuke has kept his dead to himself. No one else had known them, or mourned their passing. Only Sasuke was left to remember them. And carry their will with him.

But now, he isn't the only person who knows their stories. What they lived for. What they died for.

Kushina and Minato have seen. And the way Kushina is looking at him now, her own grief present in her eyes. She understands.

A single tear rolls down Sasuke's face, before he can stop it. Then another. It's the first he can remember crying an actual tear since the day his parents died.

Then they come in a flood, water flowing down his face. He doesn't shake, he doesn't sob. His insides howl with emptiness, with aching, but not a muscle twitches on the outside. He's a trained shinobi, he's better than that. But he can't stop the tears from flowing in twin tracks down his face.

He cries for Naruto, and Kakashi, and Itachi, and his parents, and Sakura. He aches for every person whose memory he's been carrying, all of their hopes and dreams that never came to pass. All the memories they never made, and never will.

Kushina's crying too, and somehow, Sasuke knows she isn't crying for him, she's crying for her own people. He stares into her eyes and doesn't look away, comforted in a strange way by the depth of her grief, mirroring his own. It makes it better, somehow. To not have her pity. To share their grief together in this moment.

His tears stop as suddenly as they started. He doesn't feel better, necessarily. But he does feel a little less like he's burning alive from the inside out.

Once both he and Kushina have recovered, Minato speaks. "You're not alone in this anymore. Kushina and I will help you. We'll get this done."

Sasuke nods, unable to speak. He's exhausted, and he suddenly feels it.

Kushina elbows Minato. "I think we made the world's cutest kid. We're definitely doing that part again."

Minato flushes red to the very tips of his ears, flustered. He coughs. "Let's maybe not make Jiraiya the godfather this time."

All the hair on Kushina's head flies back as if due to an invisible wind. "I cannot believe your deadweight of a sensei abandoned our child."

Minato's face tightens. "I can't either. The best possible excuse I can think of is he believed the Third would take care of him."

Kushina's temper does not die down. "He should have known when Hiruzen left Kakashi on his own! Did that old man honestly think he could just leave children living alone left and right? It's a miracle only one of them got mad at the village for it." She turns to look at Sasuke. "Not that I blame you, ya know."

"No offense taken," Sasuke croaks, as his speech starts to return to him.

After a long moment, Minato laughs a little, and nudges Sasuke playfully. "I can't believe you rehabilitated Orochimaru. How did you even speak to him after, well, after all of that?"

Sasuke shrugs. "He's not the same person. I've considered that lengthy exposure to Danzo's seal might have done something to him."

Minato nods thoughtfully. "That's why you were so antsy to get it off of him."

All Sasuke can do is nod. It's the truth. 

Kushina looks at him critically for a second, then nods, as if she discovered something just by looking at him.

"You're exhausted. You need to go and rest. Minato and me will talk this through, and we might have more questions later. Is that okay?"

Sleeping sounds like the best idea Sasuke's heard all day. "That's fine. I would be more surprised if you didn't."

Minato stands, and offers Sasuke a hand, which Sasuke takes. The blond pulls him to his feet easily. "Thank you for sharing that with us. I know it wasn't easy. Do me a favor, though?"

"Anything." Minato had seen the worst Sasuke had to offer, and was showing him mercy. At least, for now. The least Sasuke could do was a request.

"Go back to Orochimaru's. Kushina's right, he won't admit it, but Orochimaru's been about as worried as a mother hen. Or, mother snake I guess?" Minato pauses to think, probably about if mother snakes are worriers or not.

Kushina smacks Minato. "That's just weird, ya know." She turns to Sasuke. "You should go, though. Especially since. Well, after what you've been through, I think you'd probably feel safer sleeping in a house where all of the inhabitants could fight you in a spar."

She's implying Sasuke will have nightmares. She might be right. Sasuke had them regularly after each incident of Itachi trapping him in a Tsukuyomi, and his stint in T&I had felt like the longest Tsukuyomi ever. If he did wake up in a panic... Sasuke nods thankfully at Kushina.

He doesn't want to be anywhere near any of kids while sleeping until he's absolutely certain he's not a danger to them.

"I'll do it, then."

He attempts to fold the blanket Kushina had lent him, but she takes it from his hands before he can and shoos him off. Sasuke takes the hint and teleports onto Orochimaru's porch.

Before he can even knock, Orochimaru opens the door. Sasuke clears his throat awkwardly. "I apologize if it's an imposition, but I was wondering if I could stay here until I... better assess my mental state."

Orochimaru's golden eyes hold a deep warmth to them, so foreign to the Orochimaru from Sasuke's future.

"I believe that would put you up to thirteen life debts."

Orochimaru keeps his inflections light, like he's merely making an observation about the weather. Like he couldn't care less.

His table is already set for two. 

Chapter Text

Sasuke is grateful for Kushina's suggestion. The very first night he spends at Orochimaru's, he wakes up with Chidori already in hand more than once. Orochimaru is a seasoned enough shinobi he isn't even in the room whenever Sasuke wakes. Sasuke would guess he's just monitoring Sasuke's chakra in his own room. He can't imagine what might of happened if he'd been in the Hatake home with Kakashi and Obito. Well, he can imagine. He just tries not to think about it.

The next morning, Orochimaru gets a summon to the Hokage's office, and Sasuke makes his way to the training ground Kakashi usually frequents. He hasn't seen his ward since he had escaped from T&I, and Obito's comment about Kakashi being 'weird' has him slightly concerned. Kakashi is there, just as Sasuke had assumed he would be. He's throwing kunai, and judging by the sheer amount of them, he's either upset about something or he's practicing throwing a large number of them at once.

Kakashi picks up his chakra signature right away, and tenses minutely. By the time the young Jounin has turned around, his face is carefully nonchalant. He salutes Sasuke lazily, a habit Sasuke has no idea where he picked it up from. Maybe Kakashi was always meant to do it.

"Yo."

Sasuke considers how to open this conversation. He's not very good at talking around a topic. Kakashi is.

"How have you been?"

It's not subtle at all. Sasuke hopes Kakashi secretly appreciates that Sasuke is straightforward. He's never fully mastered the sort of delicate wordplay that Kakashi and Orochimaru delight in. 

Kakashi sighs instantly.

"Obito sent you, didn't he?"

"He didn't send me," Sasuke hedges, "but he did say you were acting 'weird'. I have no idea what that is supposed to mean."

Kakashi looks critically at him. "So you just decided to corner me and ask me about it? Like I'm supposed to know why Obito thinks anything is weird?"

Sasuke shrugs. "Pretty much."

"And Obito was the one who was weird! He got all cagey and had this crazy look on his face all the time. You should be asking him why he's weird, not me." Kakashi spits out petulantly. Sasuke is vividly reminded of the first time he'd met Kakashi, and told him that he was now Sasuke's ward.

Kakashi rolls his eyes at him.

Sasuke isn't sure if that's a good sign or not. But Kakashi doesn't look like he intends to answer Sasuke's original question. He decides to handle it the same way he had when Kakashi was a child.

"...Would you like to spar?"

"Sure." Kakashi answers instantly.

Sparring is a form of communication, after all. Maybe a good spar will help Sasuke understand. 

They set ground rules, that are mostly just handicaps for Sasuke. He doesn't mind. They decide on no eye based jutsu of any sort. Sasuke adds on no battlefield ruining jutsu. Which, as far as Sasuke knows, still affects only himself. But on the off chance it doesn't. Well, he doesn't want to explain to Minato how he'd broken a training ground on the man's first full day in office.

They agree to the rules and start. By unspoken agreement, they both begin with taijutsu. The Hatake do not have a special taijutsu style, unlike the Uchiha. Sasuke utilizes a mix of Uchiha and his own personal style, and Kakashi utilizes mainly the Strong Fist, which he has no doubt picked up from Guy, with a surprising mix of the basic Academy style. Most shinobi learn a specific taijutsu style after they graduate and use that, but Kakashi's slightly unorthodox use of the Academy jutsu is impressive. 

They switch to kenjutsu after Kakashi draws his tanto, and Sasuke draws his chokuto in return. This, Kakashi excels at. He has mastered the Hatake style of Kenjutsu, despite having no teacher from the time he made Genin. Lightning leaps down both their blades as they clash. At some point, Sasuke begins to see Kakashi getting visibly angry. Sasuke isn't sure if it's because he's holding back slightly, or his other worries, or 'weird' that's made him angry.

Deciding to test it, Sasuke starts pushing him. He increases his speed to just at the edge of what Kakashi can handle. Kakashi gets angrier, and then Kakashi starts getting sloppy. Kakashi's blows get harder, and he starts leaving openings. Sasuke takes advantage of whatever ones he can without drawing blood. One particularly enraged blow causes an opening which sends Kakashi's tanto flying out of his hand.

Without waiting, Kakashi immediately blows a fireball in Sasuke's face. Sasuke dodges, and the ninjutsu battle begins. Kakashi has lost almost all of his usually impeccable battle composure, so Sasuke sticks to low levelled jutsu that wouldn't seriously damage. Because at this point, he doesn't know if Kakashi will dodge all of them.

The spar ends when Kakashi, eyes full of anger, runs at him with chidori. Sasuke knocks it aside, and flips Kakashi onto his back. 

"Yield?" Sasuke has a knee on Kakashi's chest, effectively pinning him to the ground. 

Kakashi's face, so full of rage, melts away into an easily visible despair, even through his mask. He looks away. "I yield."

Sasuke pulls Kakashi to his feet. 

"I thought I was stronger than this.." Kakashi mutters, mostly to himself.

"You'll get there." Sasuke says with sincerity. He knows exactly what kind of shinobi Kakashi can become.

Frustration coloring his tone, Kakashi bites back, "I needed to be stronger now! Do you even know what people are calling you?"

Sasuke pauses, confused. "Is this still about the spar?"

"They called you a traitor to the village! Everyone was saying you got arrested because you betrayed the Hokage!" Kakashi raises his voice.

This is definitely not about the spar. This is about the 'weird' Obito was talking about. Sasuke tries to reassure Kakashi. "I don't mind what the villagers think of me."

It seems to have the opposite affect. Kakashi explodes. "You should care! You should care what kind of reputation you have! It reflects on the whole village!"

Sasuke considers for a moment. He has no idea where this is stemming from. He's totally lost. 

As he's grasping for words, Kakashi follows it up with, "It reflects on me too, you know!" Kakashi takes a breath, then, looking shifty, hastily adds on "And Obito and your Chunin!"

Oh, Sasuke thinks he might understand now. "Did someone say something to you, Kakashi?"

Kakashi averts his eyes and crosses his arms. Textbook avoidance behavior. Kakashi should know that by now, he is a Jounin.

"Nothing I hadn't heard before, no."

Right. Sasuke had almost forgotten that Sakumo had been considered a traitor as well before he took his life. Sasuke wonders if Kakashi is worried about him doing the same. "I'm not going anywhere, Kakashi. Whether they call me a traitor or not."

Kakashi huffs. "Well, are you a traitor?"

Sasuke's heart skips a beat. "What do you mean by that?"

Kakashi looks at him like Sasuke is the dumbest person alive. "My dad broke the Shinobi code. Whether he thought it was right or whatever, that's still being a traitor! So I want to know if you're a traitor too!"

"If you define a person only by the Shinobi code, then I suppose yes," Sasuke allows. Kakashi's eyes flash dangerously, so Sasuke continues quickly before Kakashi can interrupt.

"Let me ask you this, Kakashi. What is your ninja way? Your own personal shinobi code?" Sasuke stays calm, neutral. Kakashi doesn't need Sasuke to get mad or upset. Or at least Sasuke doesn't think he needs that.

"I don't need my own shinobi code, because they already wrote a shinobi code! That's my ninja way!" Kakashi answers immediately.

"Hm. Well, then what would you say your ultimate goal would be, Kakashi?" Sasuke tries a slightly different way.

"To be the best tool I can be for my Hokage and for the village." Kakashi again, answers instantly, still perfectly confident. "Why are you asking me questions when I want you to answer mine?"

Sasuke bends and picks up Kakashi's tanto, laying to the side of the training ground before answering.

"The answer is not easy. If you see yourself as only a tool of the Hokage, then yes. I was a traitor. I kept some intelligence from Lord Third, and according to the shinobi code, that's treason. But I don't see myself as a tool of the Hokage. I'm fighting for the Leaf village."

Kakashi takes the tanto and carefully places it back in its sheath. "But the Hokage is the Leaf village," he sighs exasperatedly.

"Some people see it that way. But I don't. The Hokage does run the Leaf village, yes. But his job is to protect the people in the village, and take care of his shinobi. After all, if you don't take care of a tool, it will rust away." Sasuke explains carefully. 

Kakashi nods, suspicion on his face. 

"I would say being a shinobi of the Leaf does not mean serving your Hokage perfectly. It means serving the people of the Leaf. That's what makes the village. Not the buildinga, not the Hokage, but the people in it. My shinobi way is to protect the people precious to me. And usually, that means I follow all the Hokage's requests, because I know he has the village's best interests in mind. But this time, I disagreed with him. " Sasuke words himself very carefully, trying not to encourage insubordination in Kakashi, but to remind him there are some things more important than orders.

"When the village's shinobi code conflicts with my personal ninja way, I pick my ninja way. And I think your father did, too. You don't have to agree with me." 

Kakashi is looking a bit like he's eaten a lemon. "I heard you escaped too. You weren't even released."

He doesn't mention it's supposed to be impossible to escape T&I.

"That's true. I escaped because I knew Shisui was in danger. I'm sorry my decisions caused you pain. You are, after all, one of the people I intend to protect. But let me ask you one more question. When it came down to a mission, or the life of one of your precious people, you and Obito picked Rin's life over the mission. You ended up completing the mission too, but you didn't know that at the time. That, by your standard, makes you a traitor too. So, I'll ask you again: what is your ninja way?" Sasuke hopes he has been clear enough. He doesn't want Kakashi to go into a crisis. But he hadn't imagined that by saving Obito, Kakashi might not have fully learned the lesson Obito had taught him in Sasuke's original time.

Kakashi opens his mouth to answer, and Sasuke holds up a hand, silencing him. "Don't tell me right away. Think about it first. You can tell me when you know."

And Sasuke walks away, leaving Kakashi on the training ground, a puzzled look on his face.

He runs into a very irate looking Orochimaru on his way to the training ground where he hopes his Genin-turned-Chunin still meet. The Sanin stops dead in front of Sasuke, Killing Intent leaking off of him. He shoves a piece of paper into Sasuke's hand.

"This is your fault. I don't know how, but you're involved in this."

Sasuke looks down at the paper and reads it. It's an apprentice application. Orochimaru's name is written at the bottom, in what is clearly Minato's handwriting. Beside it is...

"You're apprenticing Itachi Uchiha?"

Orochimaru runs a hand through his hair. "This was not my idea, I'll have you know. Minato, that upstart, claims that my 'excellent work' with your Genin team 'proves' that I should have a student of my own."

Sasuke almost laughs. Almost. "I've heard Itachi Uchiha is a genius, he shouldn't be all that hard to train. Isn't he still in the Academy, though?"

Orochimaru sighs. "They graduated him early. I heard he could have gotten out in less than a year. The boy does have one of the highest exit exam scores in the history of the Academy." Orochimaru muses.

Sasuke can see him coming to terms with his fate. An interesting move by Minato, to be sure. The Uchiha can't turn down an apprenticeship with one of the Legendary Sanin. If they did, it would have huge political ramifications. It will be seen across the village as an honor for the Uchiha, they can't afford to turn it down, with how bad it would make them look if they did. At the same time, Minato saw the future that Sasuke lived. And by putting Itachi under Orochimaru, he'll have a chance at a better outcome. At least, it will be wholly different from the life Itachi had lived before. It remains to be seen if it will end up being a benefit or not.

But it's an excellent political move. It makes the Uchiha look better to the village, and in return, the Uchiha likely owe Minato an unwilling favor now. Sasuke has no idea what that might be.

Realizing it's been a moment since he's spoken, Sasuke tries to pick up the thread of the conversation again. "When are you supposed to meet him?"

"Today." 

Sasuke nods. "No time to talk yourself out of it. Hiruzen did the same thing to me when he saddled me with my Genin. But it turned out alright."

Orochimaru gives Sasuke a measured look. "I plan on 'accidentally' dumping this child on you at least as often as you've done it to me."

Sasuke knows that's probably untrue, so he accepts easily. "It's only fair, of course."

He doesn't say that he's never been able to bring himself to so much as introduce himself to Itachi, though he has kept careful tabs on him. He must have graduated extremely recently, if he hasn't been placed on a Genin squad yet. It will probably be easier for Sasuke to keep tabs on him now that he will become Orochimaru's student. Unfortunately, Orochimaru will definitely get suspicious if Sasuke won't as much as talk to him. He's going to have to prepare himself, because sooner rather than later, he's going to have to introduce himself to his brother.

Sasuke doesn't know if he'll ever fully be ready for it. But Orochimaru can't know this. So Sasuke tucks away all of his complicated feelings about Itachi, and puts a humorous smirk on his face instead.

With a teasing 'good luck' from Sasuke, Orochimaru goes on his way to meet his new apprentice, quietly cursing Sasuke's name under his breath. Sasuke knows he doesn't mean it.

His newly minted Chunin are, in fact, waiting for him at the training field. The second they see him, they ask if he's healed. When Sasuke agrees that he is, they all three challenge him to a spar. The three of them versus Sasuke. Sasuke accepts easily.

Since they're Chunin now, they should probably given less gentle handling. Or at least that's what Sasuke tells himself as he easily and efficiently takes all three of them out in under five minutes. The only reason it'd taken five minutes is because once they realized Sasuke was just toying with them they ran in three directions at once and he'd limited himself to no enhanced speed.

While they're all breathing hard, Sasuke decides its time to talk to them about their futures. Or, specifically, Izumo and Kotetsu's.

"Now that the three of you are Chunin, what would you like to do with the rest of your career? You could stay career Chunin, and become a teacher at the Academy, or guard the gates to the village, or any number of other professions. You can even become a specialized Chunin, and become an expert at one specific allocation, such as tracker, heavy combat, genjutsu, or so on. Or, you can try for Jounin, which means you will not only need a specialty, but you will have to be well rounded."

Izumo and Kotetsu look at each other and nod. That tells Sasuke that they've already been thinking about this. That's good. Sasuke waits for their answers.

"Sensei, Izumo and I would like to try for Jounin, with our specialties in kenjutsu. We want to be a two man ANBU squad."

Izumo nods along with Kotetsu's words.

Sasuke is slightly surprised. After all, neither of them make it past Chunin in Sasuke's original time. But he nods. They could make it, if they tried. Sasuke finds he believes in them wholeheartedly.

"To become Jounin, you'll need lots of mission experience. It will also benefit you to have an apprenticeship with someone in your chosen specialty. Because of your age, I wouldn't anticipate becoming Jounin for a few years."

It is possible to make Jounin without an apprenticeship. But without the support of a Clan, it's much harder to the point of near impossibility.

Izumo nods, then freezes. "Wait. Can't a shinobi only have one apprentice at a time?" Kotetsu jerks to look at Sasuke. "That's true, isn't it Sensei?"

"Yes, it's true," Sasuke agrees. "Which is why I will be attempting to help you both find a suitable weapons master to apprentice you."

"Wait a second," Kotetsu says, scrunching up his face. "What about you, Sensei?"

Izumo throws a hopeful look at him.

"I can only apprentice one student. And, I am not considered a kenjutsu specialist by the village. Even though you would no longer be an official member of my team, both of you will always be welcome on my squad. And I will always be here to help you if you need anything." Sasuke tries to reassure them.

The two boys look a little heartbroken.

"Are you apprenticing Shisui, then?" Izumo asks glumly.

"Yes, I intend to." There's no reason to lie to them. "Shisui has told me he plans on becoming a ninjutsu specialist, like myself. Unless that's changed?" 

He looks to Shisui, who shakes his head. "No, Sensei. I still want to be a ninjutsu specialist."

Kotetsu looks at Sasuke with intensity. "You promise if we get apprenticed we can still train together and go on missions sometimes?"

Sasuke nods. "I promise."

Then he pulls out three small boxes and hands one to each Chunin. He'd purchased them before the Chunin exams, just in case they passed. It is traditional for Sensei to gift their students something when the squad makes Chunin, as a reminder of where they started from, and to keep a piece of their Genin bonds with them throughout their careers. 

They take the wooden boxes eagerly and open them. Inside each box is a leather pouch for kunai, embroidered with the Leaf symbol on the front, and a differing pattern on the back depending on the student. Kotetsu's is a shield, Izumo's is a sword, and Shisui's is a kunai, each bordered by an identical ivy pattern. 

"Congratulations again on making it to Chunin."

Izumo's eyes shine as he looks down at his pouch. Kotetsu runs his fingers over the embroidery work reverently. Shisui is clutching his tightly.

Izumo looks to Kotetsu, and then to Shisui. They all three nod, and on some unspoken signal, they all get up and hug Sasuke at once, nearly knocking him over. He ruffles each of their heads in turn.

"Thank you, Sensei!" They chorus.

Now he just has to find a suitable instructor for Kotetsu and Izumo. If Sasuke is honest with himself, he won't let it be just anyone. He's going to be incredibly picky. After all, these are his students. If they want to be ANBU, Sasuke is going to make sure they get apprenticed to the best.

Or he's going to figure out a way to clone himself permanently. Because there's no way he's going to let either of those boys fall through the cracks.

Chapter Text

It takes longer than Sasuke had thought it would to find a suitable apprenticeship for Izumo and Kotetsu. He only finds them one at all because Minato pulls Sasuke into his office and informs Sasuke he is 'no longer allowed to challenge every weapons specialist in the village to a spar'. Sasuke had taken some offense to this, because how else was he supposed to figure out who was a worthy master for his students? Minato had sighed and handed Sasuke the name of a shop scrawled on a piece of paper, and begged Sasuke to go there and tell them Minato had sent them. 

Sasuke had gone to the shop listed and found that it was a blacksmithing shop. It was run by two ancient looking men. He had almost turned around and left immediately. Only because Minato had asked it of him, he told the one of the men why he was there.

He soon found out that this shop was run by retired shinobi, and that the two owners been considered among the best in the village for weapons specialties.

When Tobirama had been Hokage.

Sasuke had mostly been impressed they'd managed to live long enough to retire. Not many shinobi received that luxury. In the sake of fairness to all the other weapons specialists, Sasuke did challenge the wizened old man to a spar. The retiree had just cackled at him. Instead, he bid Sasuke to grab a weapon from the shop he was unfamiliar with and head to a small training area, or perhaps more accurately a small testing area in the back.

Sasuke grabs a weapon he doesn't even know the name of but he's pretty sure he saw the Hyuga's teammate, Tenten or something, use during the war. The old man asks Sasuke to go through a kata with it. Of course, Sasuke doesn't know any specific kata for this weapon, but he knows enough basic kenjutsu kata he just picks one of those.

He starts moving through it, and he's barely through the first motion before the old man whacks him with a stick and corrects his form. Huffing a laugh, Sasuke continues. And gets whacked multiple more times for his efforts. The retiree doesn't look quick, but his corrections are likely accurate, and he's able to swat the offending appendage of Sasuke's with incredible ease and speed.

Sasuke sees his point. He puts the weapon down, and inclines his head in respect. 

"I apologize for challenging you."

Another cackle greets his ears. "I may be old, but I'm not dead! I know every weapon in this shop like the back of my hand. You said you had students?"

"I do," Sasuke confirms. "Two of them, both wanting to be weapons specialists. I'm looking to apprentice them."

"Clanless, are they?" The old man has to look up quite a distance to meet Sasuke's eye.

"They are." Sasuke hopes this doesn't count against them.

"Good for them," The man nods at Sasuke, "less expectations that way. Alright, my partner and I will take them on. If you promise not to come in here every day and watch them! The last thing we need is some worried mother hen Jounin looking over our shoulders all the time." 

Sasuke signs two of his Chunin up for apprenticeships. Izumo and Kotetsu had been delighted when they'd heard. Sasuke made them promise that if things went badly that they would let him know. It was a huge dishonor to quit an apprenticeship. But both of their masters were quite old, and had fought under Tobirama. No one would be surprised if they died of 'old age'.

He doesn't tell the boys that, of course.

Soon after, he gets an 'emergency' summons from the Hokage's office.

Sasuke sincerely hopes it isn't just Minato congratulating him on finding apprenticeships. It would be just like the blond to do that with an emergency summon, just to mess with him.

On the off chance it isn't, Sasuke dashes into the tower and climbs through the window. To his great surprise, Tsunade is in the office, Shizune in tow. She looks incredibly impatient. If she's waiting for Sasuke, that explains the emergency summons. Tsunade is hard to deal with in a good mood, in a bad mood she's absolutely unbearable.

Shutting the window behind him, Sasuke moves around to the front of the desk and bows deeply.

"Hokage-sama."

Minato looks pained at the gesture. "I told you to stop doing that."

This is of course, exactly why Sasuke has continued to do so. Minato twitching uncomfortably is one of Sasuke's favorite sights. When caused by himself, of course.

"My apologies." He makes no effort to sound sorry at all.

He dodges a blow from Tsunade. "Are you done, brat?"

Minato holds up his hands. "Okay, alright. Let's get down to it, then. I received the results from all the paperwork ANBU was able to salvage from Danzo's office and home. And there's some things I think you both should hear. I'm glad you answered my summons, Lady Tsunade."

Tsunade huffs. "Of course I answered. You made it sound like it was a matter of life or death! Is it, or are you wasting my time?" She narrows her eyes.

Minato swallows nervously. "It's something like that... But, are you sure this is something you want your student hearing? It's... quite the news."

Sasuke fully anticipates Tsunade insisting Shizune hear it just so Minato will get on with it. But she looks down at Shizune, who is clearly not listening to a word anyone is saying, shifting on her feet. Tsunade flicks her to get her attention. It must have been gentle, or Shizune is more alert than Sasuke gave her credit for, because Shizune only sways slightly under the blow.

"Go find that little penpal of yours. I'm sure he's in the village somewhere." 

Shizune flushes. "Oh! I, um. Well, I don't.. I don't know where to look?"

Sasuke decides to rescue Shizune before they get too far off track. "Obito usually trains on field twenty six. It's near the river."

And also the field where Sasuke's students usually are these days. Shizune spins around to face him, still flushing, and inclines her head.

"Thank you, Mr. Sasuke."

And with that, she practically flees the room. 

Tsunade has a small smirk on her face. Minato is shuffling papers nervously, which instantly causes Tsunade to drop the smirk and get irritated again.

"She's gone. Tell me. Now."

Minato straightens the paper in front of him.

"The team recovered a lot of information, some of which is heinous enough to ruin Danzo's name permanently in this village." 

His words sound practiced, like he's been rehearsing them. He probably has.

"I will be publishing some of his deeds, as proof of your innocence, Sasuke, and to assuage the Clan Head's on why it was vital for me to take the Hokage hat while I am still able. What we found was-"

Tsunade stamps her foot impatiently. "Would you get on with it?"

Minato nods solemnly. "Danzo has been systematically ensuring that all serious candidates for Hokage have, well. Been taken out of the running in one way or another. For years. I can only assume so either Hiruzen or himself can stay in power. I assume Hiruzen didn't know about this, because some of these candidates were endorsed by Hiruzen himself."

Tsunade's fist clenches. "What are you trying to say?"

Deep sorrow is etched across Minato's face, and Sasuke realizes whatever he's about to say, learning it hurt him deeply.

"Dan's death wasn't an accident."

"WHAT?!" Tsunade shrieks, and the walls shake, and the floor rumbles. The glass windows have to be jutsu enforced, there's no other way they wouldn't have shattered.

"A member of ROOT, or the beginnings of it, I haven't gotten it all in chronological order yet, followed your squad out of the village, and made sure Dan did not return. I have the order here," Minato manages to stay calm, and holds out a sheet of paper. "It's not the original. The original was encoded, which is why it took a short while for our Intel team to crack it. They were lucky, because Orochimaru was slightly familiar with it, and helped with the key to the decoding."

Tsunade takes the paper from Minato's hands, suddenly silent. She reads over it once, then twice. Her hands start to tremble uncontrollably. 

Sasuke wonders why he's here. He doesn't even know who 'Dan' is. Though judging by Tsunade's reaction it's someone who was very important to her. He remembers Obito vaguely telling him that Tsunade's boyfriend and brother had both died. Perhaps Dan was her brother. Or her boyfriend. Either way...

Is he supposed to stop her from rampaging through the village if she snaps? Because, while he would stop her from hurting Minato, he'd join her on her rampage if she'd let him.

"Why?" Tsunade's voice is little more than a whisper.

"Because Dan was being considered for Hokage." Minato says as gently as possible.

Tsunade looks like her knees might go out from under her, so Sasuke quickly grabs a chair and navigates her into it. To his surprise, he is not punched through several walls. She allows it. She clutches the paper tightly, crinkling it under her fingers.

"I have to tell Shizune..." She says faintly.

Minato grimaces. "I'm afraid that's not all. You were also being considered for Hokage, even before Dan was. It's been tradition to have the Hokage hat pass from Sensei to student. Even I'm an example of that, though it skipped a generation."

Tsunade shakes her head. "I don't understand. I'm still alive, and I'd remember an assassination attempt."

Sasuke is sure she and every member of the village would have remembered it. Tsunade is not famous for being subtle.

Minato pulls in a breath. "That is true. Danzo wasn't nearly as confident then, either. He wouldn't have attacked a Jounin."

Tsunade stares uncomprehendingly.

"I don't have an official report for it, but there is some evidence implying that Nawaki Senju's death was also suspicious." Minato lays it out.

Whatever was holding Tsunade together breaks at that moment. She slumps into the chair and lets out one of the worst sounds Sasuke has ever heard. It's a keening wail that seems to come from a long buried place. 

Sasuke looks at Minato to see what the man's reaction is, and finds the Hokage crying silently, too. Judging by the last name, Nawaki had to have been a family member of Tsunade's. From what he can glean from the slight information Minato has shared, and what he remembers from Obito, it's likely that Nawaki was her brother.

Danzo had killed two of Tsunade's precious people. And Sasuke hasn't missed the implication Minato had gone out of his way to avoid making, that Nawaki's death hadn't hurt Tsunade enough to get her out of the running for Hokage, and might have been a factor for Dan as well.

Tsunade has continued to make bone chilling sounds of grief, and Sasuke has no idea what to do. Looking around the office, he spots the blanket Kushina had forced onto him, folded neatly on a shelf in the corner. 

Not stopping to wonder why it had been left there, Sasuke strides over and picks it up, unfolding it. He hesitates when he gets to the back of Tsunade's chair. She's bent in half and sobbing. What if a blanket is not the right thing to do?

He decides that if she gets mad and tries to kill him, it's probably better than this. So Sasuke carefully lays the blanket across her shoulders, like he's signing his own death warrant. For all he knows, he might be. It drapes down her sides, and Sasuke feels a little ridiculous, but she hasn't tried to kill him yet. 

Her fingers loosen from where's she's grabbed herself, and she grabs the edges of the blanket instead, wrapping it around herself in a half confused, half sobbing state. 

She looks at Sasuke, and her gaze is broken and confused, all at once. 

Why?  She seems to ask him, silently.

Why did Danzo kill people on the off chance they might make it to Hokage? Because he's a strategic genius and a nightmare of a person. Why did he give her a blanket? He has no idea. 

She's been looking at Sasuke so long it's becoming awkward that he hasn't said anything. He clears his throat.

"I'm, sorry for your loss."

She blinks, and then turns back to look at the floor, flooding it with her tears. Sasuke looks to Minato.

"No offense, but was I here for news as well?"

Minato still has tears silently streaming down his face, but he nods.

"Yes, I do have something for you as well. I plan to publish all of these wrongful deaths, as they're the least classified deeds committed by Danzo. But before they get around the village, there's some people who need to know first. So they don't learn about it from someone random. News like this deserves to come from your Hokage, or your family." Minato's voice is remarkably steady considering he's actively shedding tears. Sasuke's respect for him rises.

There's no way Danzo killed anyone Sasuke cares about, because most of them haven't been born yet and the ones who have Sasuke has kept a careful eye on.

"Okay?"

Minato senses his confusion, Sasuke is certain. "You fall into the second category. I'm sorry to put this on you, but I think you are probably the best person to tell him this. Sakumo's mission failure, and subsequent ostracization was not an accident, either."

Slightly startled, Sasuke blurts the first thing that comes to mind. "Sakumo was in the running for Hokage?"

"Yes, he and Orochimaru both were. Hiruzen has been considering retirement somewhat publicly for a while."

It's obvious what happened to Orochimaru. Danzo sealed him. Sasuke is sure Danzo hadn't intended for Sakumo to die, it would have been far too suspicious if so many shinobi on the short list for Hokage died. He probably hadn't been all that upset over the man's death, however.

Thinking strategically through all the man's decisions, Sasuke comes to the alarming conclusion that the reason Orochimaru is still alive is likely because Sakumo isn't. Two defamation plots are just as suspicious as two deaths, especially if they were the only two in the running. Sakumo had committed suicide, which means Danzo had likely intended to cause an 'accidental' death for Orochimaru, and had to switch plans at the last minute. Which explained why the sealing came out of nowhere, and all of Orochimaru's experimentation was particularly awful. If it ever came out, and it would were Orochimaru made Hokage, Orochimaru's name would have been ruined, and he wouldn't have been able to defend himself.

Orochimaru is only alive because Kakashi's father had died. The thought is disturbing. Sasuke isn't what his thoughts are supposed to be on this. On one hand, he can't imagine being here, in the past, without Orochimaru. They'd started off oddly, but these days, Sasuke can't even imagine what he'd do without the Sanin around. On the other hand, Sakumo's death had badly hurt Kakashi, and it would affect him all his life. What Sasuke actually feels is a mix of relief, that Orochimaru is alive, and disgust, that he's feeling relief at something that caused Kakashi suffering.

Then he suddenly realizes what Minato actually said. He wants Sasuke to tell Kakashi that his father's death was due to a defamation plot. After the most recent conversation he's had with Kakashi, that is the last thing on earth Sasuke wants to tell Kakashi. In fact, it may actually be a terrible idea.

"Minato, I can't tell Kakashi that about his father. You need to."

Minato looks a bit confused. "I think he'd take it best, coming from you. Since you're the one that stepped in when his father died."

Sasuke shakes his head. "We had a troubling conversation recently, and it involved his father. I'm not sure he'd even believe me if I told him right now. He needs to know it's the truth immediately, and that means it needs to come from you."

"Are the villager's perceptions upsetting him again?" Minato is surprisingly perceptive. Sasuke assumes that's to be expected. He is Kakashi's sensei, and the Hokage, after all.

"Yes, exactly that."

Minato hums in thought. "There's definitely going to be more talk when the news about his father comes out. Maybe I should take the opportunity to place him in ANBU so he can get away from it after it happens."

He may be perceptive, but he's also an idiot. Sasuke runs his fingers through his hair, a nervous habit he'd picked up from Minato.

"I have the utmost respect for you, Minato," Sasuke begins carefully, "but that may be the worst idea I have ever heard."

"Why is that?" Minato asks in confusion. "Wouldn't it get him away from the stares and comments?"

Sasuke considers giving Minato some of the books he's read on trauma. Perhaps later, when he isn't standing in the Hokage's office, with one quietly weeping Sanin, talking about the future of both the village and his ward.

"Minato, Kakashi is not going to handle that well. He already hides from processing things. He actually came at me in a spar with a lethal jutsu that could cause him permanent damage or get him killed in the field, simply because he was upset. If you let him put on that mask, he would never come out. They would let him act like the fool he is, because he's damn good at being a shinobi, and he would get himself killed."

Minato frowns. "You don't think he should join ANBU?"

"I'm not saying never. He'd be an exceptional ANBU, we both know that." Minato has already heard about it, in Sasuke's memories. "You just can't dump him in there until he's more confident in his path in life. He'll break."

"Okay," Minato sighs. "I'll trust your judgement on that."

Sasuke inclines his head gratefully. "Thank you."

Minato waves his hand. "I'll talk to him, too. Would you take Tsunade-" Minato hesitates. Tsunade doesn't have a home here, or many people she can trust and lean on. Only Shizune, really. "-somewhere more private?"

The woman has stopped sobbing. She's just sitting, expressionless, pulling the blanket all the way around her. She didn't react to her name, of any of the conversation around her. As if she's just an empty shell. 

Sasuke agrees to Minato's request.

Sasuke considers where to take her. A small, cruel part of him considers dropping her off with Hiruzen. After all, Sarutobi was the one who allowed his student's life to be destroyed, and Tsunade is his favorite student, as far as Sasuke can tell. He deserves to see what his inactions have done to the people around him.

But he won't do that to Tsunade. Also, it might count as an assassination attempt, if Tsunade ever regains her anger.

And he certainly can't drop her off with Shizune. If Tsunade needed to tell Shizune about Dan, then Shizune probably knew Dan too. It would be cruel to ask the teen to comfort her mentor over someone who had likely meant a lot to her as well.

Orochimaru's it is. Sasuke doesn't know if Orochimaru is even home, or if he wants to interact with Tsunade. He looks down at her again. She has made no movement whatsoever. Sasuke supposes in this state, if Orochimaru really doesn't want to see her she probably won't notice and Sasuke can move her somewhere else without her really knowing about it.

Sasuke opens his pocket dimension, and helps Tsunade to stand. She obeys blindly, like a puppet. It's extremely disconcerting.

He walks her into it, then shuts the exit into Minato's office. The benefit of having another dimension to travel through is that no one has to see Tsunade walking through the streets like this. Sasuke walks, holding Tsunade's elbow through the gigantic blanket she's still wearing. He knows the path to Orochimaru's easily, even in a different dimension.

He opens an exit, in the backyard of Orochimaru's home, and exits with her. Orochimaru exits the house immediately upon sensing Tsunade's chakra.

The man's face tightens, the closest sign Orochimaru ever gives off to being concerned.

"Why has Tsunade returned to the village, and what happened?"

Sasuke explains everything as succinctly as possible while navigating Tsunade into the kitchen and sitting her at the table. Orochimaru doesn't make any moves to stop him so Sasuke assumes he's okay with Tsunade being here.

After Sasuke settles Tsunade into a chair, he turns to Orochimaru for confirmation. "Who was Dan?"

Orochimaru looks at Tsunade, who is still staring blankly into space. "Her intended. They had recently gotten engaged when Dan was killed. Shizune is his niece."

That was close to Sasuke's assumption. Which means... "And Nawaki?"

"Her young brother. He was a Genin. Tsunade doted on him." 

And Sasuke understands. Understands her anger, and her pain. But he can't dwell on it, not right now. He turns back to Orochimaru.

"I don't know that she has a place to stay. I should also head back to the Hatake house soon."

Orochimaru catches his implication. "She and Shizune can stay here. I assume Kakashi is receiving equally distressing news?"

"Yeah. I think if I leave he and Obito alone, only one of them will make it out. I'm already a little surprised they haven't killed each other, with how much they fight." Sasuke tries not to think about what he's going to do if Kakashi looks anything like Tsunade when he hears. Sasuke is completely lost.

A sharp pinch, like that of a senbon strikes his thigh, and a cold feeling suddenly spreads through Sasuke's leg and travels through his entire body, freezing him. Sasuke shudders. Orochimaru looks at him.

"What's this? Afraid of emotions, Sasuke?"

Sasuke shakes his head, but it's difficult. It feels like he's paralyzed, like he's been hit by a paralytic. And yet... Sasuke closes his fist slowly, proving to himself he can do so. 

"I think I've been hit by a paralytic."

Orochimaru reaches out, a puzzled look on his face. His fingers are already glowing green. He touches Sasuke's shoulder. Then shakes his head.

"There's no such thing in your system."

Experimentally, Sasuke cycles his chakra. It's moving fine, but somehow, he still feels the effect. "I don't think I've been hit with one, but I feel like I just got hit with a senbon in the leg. It's like I can feel it and not feel it at the same time."

He shakes his head, trying to dislodge the sensation. If he focuses, he can separate himself from it, but he's still, aware of it. He pulls up his pant leg and checks his leg. There is nothing there. He shakes his head, deciding to ignore it. He has more important things to worry about.

Orochimaru is looking at him strangely, a thoughtful look in his eyes. Sasuke squints. "I know that look. You're thinking about something. What is it?"

"It's not even a full theory," Orochimaru shakes his head. "However... Hm..."

That just makes Sasuke incredibly suspicious. "What?"

"Do you know what Obito is up to today?" Orochimaru asks, changing topics.

"I think he's training," Sasuke says, still eyeing Orochimaru carefully. "Shizune went to visit with him."

"Ah, yes. Shizune is quite skilled with senbon and poisons, I've heard." Orochimaru says almost absently.

"I'm not sure-" Something clicks, "Wait a second. Are you saying-?"

Orochimaru moves to make tea. "I'm not saying anything in particular. Simply thinking."

Sasuke vanishes from the house and in mere moments he's on the training field he'd sent Shizune to. Obito is laying on the ground, and Shizune is laughing at him. Sasuke walks over to Obito and looks down at him.

"Let me guess. She paralyzed you." He says flatly.

Obito doesn't move a muscle. Sasuke doesn't think he can. Shizune jumps. "It's not a serious one! He'll be fine in just a few minutes, I promise!"

Sasuke forces his expression to be much lighter, and looks at the young teen. "Don't worry, Shizune. I'm sure he deserved it."

She giggles a little, then tries to hide it. "He did!" She says with a little too much glee.

Sasuke doesn't want to think about what she might look like when she hears the news. He hopes Tsunade comes back to herself enough to tell her student.

"How did you know I'd paralyzed him?" Shizune interrupts his thoughts, her expression light and curious.

Sasuke stares darkly down at Obito. "That's an excellent question. Obito, guess how I figured out you were paralyzed?"

Obito can't move a muscle, but his eyes widen dramatically. 

Sasuke returns his attention to Shizune. "It was a lucky guess, I suppose." He says kindly. "I need to take Obito home for the evening. We have some, things, to discuss. Perhaps he can meet with you again while you're still in the village?"

Shizune nods brightly. "I'd like that!"

With a single motion, Sasuke scoops Obito up with his arm and throws him over his shoulder. Throwing Shizune a salute, he marches Obito towards the Hatake home.

Yes, there are certainly some things they need to talk about.

Chapter Text

-Some days earlier-

Orochimaru walks through the entrance to the Uchiha compound as if he belongs there. Since he has a summon to follow through on, he supposes he does.

When Minato had summoned Orochimaru to his new office, Orochimaru hadn't been sure what exactly to expect. Perhaps a subtle interrogation on all of his dealings with Shimura Danzo, or an implied threat to stay in line. For all he played the optimistic fool, Namikaze was intelligent, and far more cunning than he lets on.

However, when Orochimaru had arrived in the office, the new Hokage had sat him down, and told him his past with Danzo had been pardoned, under the condition he not continue with any of the more unsavory experiments. He had acquiesced with ease. After all, his personal research had little to do with the body modification and distasteful brain washing that Danzo had preferred. Orochimaru would much rather work on understanding the true nature of chakra, and jutsu creation, if left to his own devices.

Pleased with Orochimaru's easy acceptance, Namikaze had dropped the true nature of the meeting into his hands with a smile.  It had been an application form for an apprenticeship, and it was filled out completely, with Orochimaru's name as the master, and the young Uchiha heir, Itachi, as the apprentice. Of all the political maneuvers Orochimaru could have expected, that was not one of them.

Orochimaru had considered taking on an apprentice a few years ago. It had seemed the appropriate measure. Many Jounin sensei were well thought of, and Orochimaru had been anything but well thought of. So few of his fellow shinobi had wanted to work with him, he'd all but been taken off the missions roster. Taking an apprentice or Genin team had seemed the next viable way to continue testing his ninjutsu in the field.

In the end, Sasuke had talked him out of it, and offered to become a two man Jounin squad. It had worked marvelously, and the idea of taking on students had gone to the wayside. 

Until now.

Knocking on the front door of the Head House, Orochimaru spares a moment to wonder if Fugaku Uchiha even knows who is going to apprentice his heir. It would be much like Namikaze to have come up with this idea and drop it on both parties unaware.

Mikoto Uchiha opens the door, and smiles politely, welcoming him in.

"Orochimaru-sama, we've been expecting you."

There is something genuine about the way Mikoto speaks that causes Orochimaru to believe her. She is an excellent hostess, clearly a credit to the Uchiha. Orochimaru enters their home and bows his head politely.

"Thank you for welcoming me into your home."

She returns his traditional thanks with a small nod. "My husband and Itachi are waiting for you in his office. It is right this way."

Orochimaru is led down a short hallway and ushered into an office. Fugaku Uchiha is sitting, waiting. He nods at Mikoto, who closes the door behind Orochimaru and gestures for him to sit beside Itachi. Orochimaru does so, sparing a glance at the child fated to be his apprentice. The boy is sitting with his back straight, staring straight ahead, well trained enough by his clan that he has already suppressed his curiosity in favor of obedience. It looks unnatural on such a young child.

"Thank you for answering the summons so promptly," Fugaku begins. "This is my son, Itachi."

At this, Itachi turns to face Orochimaru, and Orochimaru watches with interest as the boy takes him in, trying to analyze him. Orochimaru nods to Fugaku.

"It is an honor to be here."

Whether or not Orochimaru actually feels honored to be here is not important. With a Clan such as the Uchiha, formality is important. Orochimaru has trained under one of the best. 

Fugaku goes over his requests for the terms of the apprenticeship. Mainly, which hours Itachi will be free for training, since the boy will be undergoing additional training to prepare him for his eventual role as head of the Uchiha. It's fairly standard, as is the request that Orochimaru notify the Uchiha a day in advance for missions out of the village, unless absolutely necessary.

The freedom Orochimaru has been allowed in his methods and hours allowed with the Uchiha heir speaks heavily to Namikaze's involvement, if the deep furrow between Fugaku's brows is any indication.

Orochimaru, naturally, agrees to the terms with no argument. When the adults have finished figuring out the details of his future, Itachi turns to Orochimaru and bows deeply.

"Please take care of me."

Orochimaru inclines his head in return.

"Shall we commence our introductions elsewhere?"

Itachi agrees, and they leave the Head House. One of Orochimaru's only stipulations were that he be allowed to choose his own training field. Fugaku had seemed surprised, and Orochimaru had explained it would be far easier to train Itachi to his limit if the boy was not in his own compound, where his clan could watch and judge the heir for failure. After some consideration, Fugaku had agreed.

Orochimaru leads the boy to the Forest of Death. It's the most isolated training field in the village, and therefore is often empty. There is nothing inside of it that Orochimaru cannot handle, and he knows the Forest better than most. For their first session, Orochimaru chooses a small clearing. 

Itachi had followed after him silently the entire way, and Orochimaru had felt no compunction to fill the silence with prattling. An apprentice who could appreciate silence was welcome.

Once they've entered the field, Orochimaru turns to his new student.

"You may call me either Orochimaru-sama, or Sensei, whichever you prefer. Most Sensei would have you introduce yourself by talking about your hopes for the future. I find that to be unnecessary. After all, it is useless to pine after a future you will be incapable of reaching. Therefore, I will be testing your capability on differing specialties. After I have made my assessment, I will give it to you. Then, we may discuss your options."

Itachi nods. "Yes, Sensei. I understand."

Orochimaru begins his assessment with chakra control, which is the foundation of any shinobi application. He asks the boy to cycle his chakra, and then attach leaves to different tenketsu points to test capacity for specific control. Itachi scores high enough to impress him, though he would never admit such a thing to a child. The only shinobi Orochimaru has met with a higher base capacity for chakra control is Tsunade Senju. With training, this child could match her. Genius, indeed.

He already knows the boy has a strong capacity for strategy and analytics, based on his Academy exit exam, and thus he won't bother assessing that separately from the Academy.

Next he has Itachi showcase his ninjutsu. He executes the Academy three and the Uchiha Fireball perfectly, with not a drop of chakra wasted. The next step is for Orochimaru to test the boy's control over his Sharingan. Orochimaru asks him to activate it, and then copy a simple jutsu. Itachi does so, and mimics the jutsu perfectly on the first try. His handle over his kekkei genkai is acceptable then.

They go over taijutsu and kenjutsu. Taijutsu, the child does to a perfect standard, but he doesn't show any natural aptitude for it. His shurikenjutsu is excellent, and he shows a foundational understanding of weapons. His stamina is less than standard, but due to age and his status of 'Genius' it is within expectations. Children who learn things quickly are seldom asked to repeat them, and those who understand immediately are generally quite low on general stamina as a result. Nothing that can't, and won't, be trained out of him.

Lastly, Orochimaru tests his genjutsu. Itachi far surpasses Orochimaru's expectations, even for a genius child with a genjutsu geared kekkei genkai. The boy understands on a natural level how to manipulate his own chakra, and that of his opponent. This marks him as a genjutsu type. It's unsurprising, most shinobi who score highly on intelligence tests and show aptitude in chakra control are genjutsu type, including Orochimaru himself. The depth of the child's handle on it is above simple aptitude.

Musing it over, Orochimaru realizes that Namikaze has handed him more of a gift than he even realizes. This tiny child in front of him, if trained properly, has the potential to become the strongest shinobi in Konoha. Perhaps the strongest of all the Great Nations, even. It's almost a waste to have him as a future Clan Head, and trap him in bureaucracy.

Sitting the child down to rest, Orochimaru sits cross-legged opposite him.

"The reports on your abilities are not exaggerated. You have a particular proclivity to genjutsu, your chakra control is high, as is your capacity for learning and performing ninjutsu along with shurikenjutsu. Your capabilities in kenjutsu and taijutsu are acceptable, but trying to specialize in either may be a waste of talent. Your stamina is currently poor, but this can be remedied. I will demand excellence from you in all areas, naturally. However, each shinobi has their particular specialties."

Itachi sits still and serious, dark eyes drinking in the information like a sponge. Orochimaru approves of his attention span.

"As my apprentice, it would be best suited if I passed on some of my specialties. It would waste valuable time for me to attempt to teach you something beyond Jounin level that I don't already specialize in. Fortunately for you, I am a genjutsu type, just as you are. I have weaponized genjutsu to the standard that even my Killing Intent is lethal to many, and breaking minds and controlling battlefields is mere child's play.

I am the leading ninjutsu expert in this village, though perhaps I now share that designation with Sasuke. Regardless, I utilize jutsu from every nature transformation, as well as yin and yang chakra. If I don't have ninjutsu for a particular application, I invent it myself. Ninjutsu creation and application are well within my abilities.

Most recently, though still before your time, I attained full proficiency in medical jutsu. There is no shinobi art I am without knowledge of, and I expect the same out of a student of mine."

Orochimaru had watched Itachi carefully throughout his description of his abilities. Interestingly enough, he sees Itachi's eyes flash with interest when he'd mentioned medical jutsu.

"What are your interests, Itachi Uchiha?"

Itachi hesitates minutely, so Orochimaru makes himself more clear. "I do not wish to hear what your Clan wants of you, nor what you think I expect of you. Those things do not interest me. If I have an expectation, I will voice it. If your Clan's expectations were not a factor, what would you wish to do?"

"Yes, Sensei." Itachi nods. "Sensei, you said you could do medical jutsu. Do you heal people?"

Orochimaru inclines his head. "Officially, no. I am not a designated medic. Unofficially, yes. Frequently."

He thinks of Sasuke and all those accident prone children that follow him about. He has no idea what Sasuke has against hospitals, but somehow the man and his Genin, Chunin, and Jounin children have ended up in Orochimaru's home at one point or another.

"If I could do anything I wanted.. I would help people. I don't want to kill people."

Itachi looks conflicted, as if he anticipates Orochimaru will scoff at his statement, but his desire to follow direct orders from his superior evidently overrides his desire to tow the Clan line.

Interesting.

"If I learned how to heal, and how to make new ninjutsu, that would help a lot of shinobi, right?"

The child's round face looks earnestly at Orochimaru. His desire for approval is unnecessary, but Orochimaru grants it anyway. 

"If you chose to utilize it in that manner, yes. Any shinobi art can be used for the betterment of the village, if used correctly."

Itachi looks slightly relieved at his answer, and nods his head. "Then I would like to learn to heal, and master ninjutsu."

Orochimaru briefly considers the look on Fugaku's face if he had heard that his brilliant son didn't want to kill. A founding Clan of Konoha with a pacifist heir. Which is precisely why Orochimaru had brought them into the Forest of Death. To avoid interference and opinions from those who never look at the bigger picture. Orochimaru eyes his new apprentice critically. An extremely interesting child, to be certain.

But not one without potential, no. Itachi is rife with potential. All that remains is for Orochimaru to push him towards excellence.

A spark of excitement comes to life in Orochimaru's head, and he can see all the potential pathways they could take.

First, he needs to answer his student's request.

"Very well. As I said before, I will expect excellence from you in all areas. Medical ninjutsu cannot be learned without other important foundations. As for mastery of ninjutsu, it will take time and careful application. For the rest of the day, we will focus on chakra movements. Without a foundation, you can go nowhere."

By the end of their session, Itachi can walk, run, and stand still, on trees, walls, and water alike.

Very interesting, indeed.

Chapter Text

Just like Shizune had promised, the paralytic wears off of Obito even before they get within sight of the Hatake home. Sasuke doesn't pause to put Obito down, and Obito doesn't fight it. 

The second they enter the door, Sasuke sets Obito down, and motions for him to take a seat. Obito does so immediately, without a word. That in itself is a bad sign. Obito is seldom without words. He's gotten far more serious with age, and confidence. But the ability to fill a space with speech has never left him. Until now, that is.

Sasuke is so restless he knows he can't sit right away, so he busies himself with starting a pot of tea, to have something to do with his hands. While the water heats, Sasuke tries to think of how to open this conversation. There can't be a good way to do it. On the other hand, if they don't start talking soon, they run the chance of Kakashi walking in, having heard his own terrible news from Minato.

He sets the tea steeping, and turns to Obito. The teen is trying to hide his trembling hands unsuccessfully. Sasuke doesn't want to make any assumptions on this, it's still so new to him, so alarming. 

"Obito, I felt your paralysis like it was my own. Please, explain this to me. What was that? I know that you're aware of it, don't try and deny it."

Obito's hands are shaking so hard he is unable to pick up the cup of tea that Sasuke sets in front of him.

"I-I'm sorry."

Sasuke sees Obito descending into panic, and, on a whim, he grabs one of Obito's shaking hands. He absolutely does not like where this is going. For Obito to already be this upset. It's confirming a growing fear in his own mind. He'll have to stay calm, somehow. At least for now.

"I'm not asking you to be sorry. I want to know what's going on. Orochimaru didn't have any answers for me. I'm hoping that you do."

Obito swallows.

"Okay," his voice trembles. "I'm not really sure why, so I don't think I can tell you. I should have told Mr. Orochimaru. I should have known you would get it too, and you'd want to know why. I was just scared.."

Trying to get some answers and still be somewhat stable, Sasuke tries to lead him in a different direction. "We can figure out the why later, then. Tell me what instead."

Nodding, Obito takes a gasping breath. Sasuke decides to not let go of his hand until he's certain Obito is done panicking. If he can't even hold a cup of tea, something has to ground him.

"I can feel what happens to you. Like, through our chakra or something." Obito's voice is shaking.

"Not your thoughts, or feelings, or mood. But, when you get hurt, I can feel it too. It doesn't actually happen to me, I checked," Obito hastily assures him.

Sasuke's fears realize in front of him. He had, unknowingly, put Obito through three months of T&I, alongside himself.

He thinks he might be sick.

Yanking his hand away, Sasuke stands and starts pacing the room, forcing himself to go through a breathing exercise. He's covered in a cold sweat, his ears are ringing, and Sasuke feels that any minute he might shatter.

It was one thing that Sasuke had gone through it. After everything Sasuke had done to hurt the Leaf in the future, had done to hurt his friends in the future, three months in T&I only scratched the surface of what Sasuke deserved. The mental pain had far exceeded the physical, and Sasuke was no stranger to mental pain. He'd been through Itachi's Tsukuyomi twice, once so powerfully he'd been put into a coma. Compared to that, the well deserved mental agony he'd suffered had been bearable. 

The physical pain had been intense, but Sasuke had been able to bear it. Between the truth that he deserved it, the distraction of the pain going on in his head, and his life experience with painful occurrences, he'd been able to compartmentalize it all. But now, thinking about Obito, who's just a kid. Going through the same thing.

Sasuke starts reliving every second, imagining Obito feeling it from afar. 

And he starts struggling for his own breath.

A warm thump hits his chest, and Sasuke looks down and realizes that Obito has thrown his arms around him and is hugging him tightly. Sasuke doesn't deserve this from Obito. Already, Sasuke is going to spend the rest of his life making it up to him, for what Sasuke had unknowingly put him through. He tries saying this to Obito, but he can't force his voice to work.

Obito looks up at him, and Sasuke realizes that his mouth is moving. He's trying to say something to him. It's like swimming through a thick mud, but Sasuke struggles through the mire to focus on what Obito is saying.

"-not exactly like that. Mr. Sasuke please."

Through sheer force of will, Sasuke clears his mind enough to focus on Obito. Obito is looking desperately at him, still clutching Sasuke.

"Can you hear me?"

Sasuke nods, the closest he can to speech at the moment.

"I figured out how to hide it. You don't have to feel everything I do."

Sasuke stares uncomprehendingly at him. The words are supposed to make sense, but Sasuke can not figure them out.

"It took me a little while, but... I figured it out. I can put away what happens to you, and I can show you how to do it for me too."

"How?" Sasuke croaks. He doesn't believe Obito, not yet. He can't.

Obito hasn't let go of him, and Sasuke doesn't push him away.

"It's like a genjutsu."

This doesn't clear things up at all. 

Obito continues, in a rush. "You can break a genjutsu, but you can also just break it's effects on you even though it's still there, right?"

Sasuke has never heard of this before. Ever. He shakes his head. 

"When I learned how to break genjutsu, I wasn't very good at it, and sometimes when I said 'kai', the genjutsu stopped effecting me but it was still there, like a shadow." Obito explains, seeming incredibly relieved that Sasuke is making an attempt to follow along.

"Genjutsu feels like it's a part of you, but it isn't, right?"

Sasuke nods.

"It's the same way. I just used kai, and it was still there, in the background, but I didn't feel it anymore. After a while, I didn't even notice it unless I wanted to. Does that make sense?"

That does not make sense. That is not how genjutsu is supposed to work. Sasuke shakes his head, forcing words. "That's not how genjutsu is supposed to work."

Obito lets go and steps back, looking at Sasuke carefully. "Okay.. I'll show you."

Before Sasuke's brain catches up with the logic, Obito grabs a kunai from his pouch and gouges his arm. A sharp fire flashes up Sasuke's arm in response.

"Obito!"

Sasuke lurches forward, to try and stop the bleeding, but Obito steps back.

"No, try it first. Use kai."

To humor Obito before he can harm himself again, Sasuke does so. When he stops and restarts his chakra flow, he focuses, and he can feel sort of what Obito means. It feels like there's a second chakra system layered over the top of his own. Closing his eyes, he tries to visualize it.

"Now put the stuff that doesn't belong to you somewhere else." Obito's voice floats to him. "I imagined you standing next to me and put it there."

This sounds like about the craziest thing Sasuke has ever done, but he tries it. He tries to mentally move the second chakra system off the top of his own. At first, nothing happens. 

He concentrates harder, and he feels when it shifts.

A few tries later, and he manipulates the second chakra system, which he visualizes as Obito, off of his own chakra system, and moves it beside him, as Obito requested. The moment the 'imaginary' chakra leaves his own, the sensation of the wound goes with it.

Surprisingly, so does the phantom feeling in his missing arm, that he thought he'd successfully trained himself out of thinking about. The sudden absence of it makes him aware of it once again.

When he successfully maneuvers it out of his own body, he stops to consider. Obito is right. It's the most insane thing Sasuke feels like he's ever done. But, when he closes his eyes, he can visualize it, a second presence beside him, brushing against his consciousness, but not a part of him.

When he opens his eyes, Obito is looking at him, holding his arm, which is slowly bleeding onto the floor. "Did it work?"

Sasuke draws a breath. Obito is telling the truth. He hadn't had to feel everything for all three months. "It did. Give me your arm."

Obito shakes his head. "One last thing. If you reach out to the invisible me, you can still feel it if you want to."

Sasuke narrows his eyes. That doesn't bode well. He does as Obito requests, and as Obito said, as soon as he reaches out to the imaginary chakra brushing against him, he can once again feel the burning sensation of the wound, but it's not nearly as strong as before. 

In a single stride, Sasuke grabs Obito's arm, and heals it. Much more slowly than a medic would, but it's only flesh deep, and Sasuke can handle those.

"How long did it take you to figure this out."

It's not a request. He demands the information. Needs to know exactly how much Obito went through. Obito shifts slightly on his feet.

"A couple of days... And because I know you're gonna ask, I checked how you were doing at least once a day after that."

Something in Sasuke's chest tightens again. "If I'd known it was affecting you in any way, I would have broken out the very first night and gone missing nin."

And he would have. He would have broken out, left a letter of apology to Kakashi, and begged Minato, Orochimaru, and Kushina to look out for the kids and left the village. The thought of Obito going through any pain because of him is unbearable. It feels like a jutsu is scraping away at his soul. Another person he's failed.

"I think I've put you through just as much." Obito's face is so incredibly guilty looking. Sasuke wishes he'd stop looking like that. "I've been thinking about it a lot, and I think the reason you had to use crutches and had trouble walking for a while was because of me."

Sasuke remembers, just after bringing Obito back, how badly his chest and legs had hurt. How much agony it had been to move around, to try and sleep at night. He'd thought, as Orochimaru had said, that he'd simply adopted some of Obito's injuries. He hadn't considered, that, all of this time. He might have just been feeling echoes of what Obito was feeling.

"I'm a Jounin, and I made my choice. Whatever the consequences were for me, I chose that. You didn't choose to go through all of this." Sasuke insists on this. Whatever pain Sasuke has been through, even if it was Obito's, is not Obito's fault.

"What I do not understand is, why you kept reaching out every day, once you were free of it."

The look in Obito's eyes is more than a little haunted. Sasuke finishes healing his arm, and steps back. The tea has long since gone cold, so Sasuke throws it out and starts a new pot.

"I didn't know if you were alive or not. You were just, gone. Everyone was saying you were a traitor. And traitors get sentences to death. Everyone knows that. When the pain started, it was terrible. I think I woke up Kakashi, screaming. But when I realized, I was grateful. Because it meant you were okay. Once I was able to get it away from me, I just kept thinking.. Wondering, if you were still alive or not. And if I reached out, and it hurt, I knew you were still alive. Sometimes I reached out and I didn't feel anything at all. That was, so scary. I thought maybe... But then it would hurt again in a couple of days. And I would be so glad. I'm sorry, for being glad. For not telling anyone. I didn't want anyone to take it away from me. I didn't want to not know."

Sasuke takes a drink of the new tea, and retakes his seat at the table. Obito mirrors him, looking guilty and haunted and broken.

"Mr. Sasuke, how could you bear it? How can someone do that to another person?"

Shrugging slightly, Sasuke tries to clear his head from all of his own guilt. It doesn't work, but he does try. He's at least in control of himself again. That will have to do.

"If you thought the fate of the village was in question, and you loved your village, there are a lot of things people are willing to do. That's T&I's job. To protect the village, by doing what other people can't."

Obito makes a slightly disgusted face. "I can't believe you're okay with it."

Somehow, it doesn't seem like a good idea to tell Obito that Sasuke had deserved it. "I survived it because I knew I was protecting my precious people. It also helped to know I could leave at any time if I had to."

Obito takes a drink of tea, and Sasuke is slightly relieved to see he's able to hold the cup without trembling this time. "Do you have nightmares about it?"

"Yes. That's why I was staying with Orochimaru. I am very unlikely to kill him by accident." He's hard enough to kill on purpose, but Obito doesn't need to know that either.

They drink the tea in silence together, both lost in their own guilt, the things that haunt them both. Once they've finished it all, Sasuke manages to say.

"We should figure out the extent of this chakra connection. I don't want either of us surprised like this again."

Obito nods absently. A decision gets made, and he puts his cup down and looks Sasuke straight into the eyes.

"Do you hate me?"

Sasuke blinks. "What? No."

Obito shakes his head. "Why not? I follow you around everywhere, dragging you down. Ever since I was a little kid. I'm not a good shinobi, I'm not even a good Uchiha. You always have to look out for me, and teach me to be better, and I never get better. When bad stuff happens to me, you have to get me out of it, and when it hurts you, you don't even talk about it, because you have to spend so much time looking out for me. I take up a lot of your important time with your team, and Kakashi, because I'm useless. I know a lot of what happened while you were gone, I was able to feel it. But nobody is helping you. And you're sitting here helping me instead, because I'm that useless! And you just say you don't hate me? You have to be lying to me! I wish you would tell me the truth!"

Obito gets more and more worked up as he goes. For once, he isn't crying, even though he's as visibly upset as Sasuke has ever seen him. "I wish people would tell me they hate me instead of lying to me! I know how I really am, a burden!"

Sasuke is so drained from earlier. He doesn't have the energy to get worked up again. "I don't hate you. I don't lie."

Frustrated, Obito throws his arms in the air. "Why don't you hate me!? I ruined your life!"

"Because I lo-" Sasuke's voice dries out. He'd almost spoken without thinking.

He clears his throat. "You didn't ruin my life. You saved it."

The air rushes out of Obito as if he's been punched. "Liar..." He says weakly.

Shaking his head, Sasuke attempts an explanation. "I was out of the village for a long time, for a mission." His cover story. "When I got back to the village, I didn't know anyone anymore, and my family was dead before I even left on the mission. I took on Kakashi as a ward, because I didn't want him to be alone like I was. But he hated me at first."

Sasuke half smiles remembering it. "He was such an angry kid. He tried to kill me while I slept every single night for a while. Did you know that?"

"no."

"Well, he did. I didn't have anyone, so I wandered the village. And that's when I ran into you the first time. And then I ran into you again."

Sasuke remembers watching a young Obito throw weapon after weapon, missing the target hopelessly. "And every time, you were happy to see me. I started helping you train quite a bit. I'm sure you remember."

a nod.

"And eventually, I wasn't so lonely anymore. After a while, Kakashi stopped trying to kill me, I met Minato and Orochimaru. But before all of that, the only person I had in this village was you." It's hard to say. Even harder than admitting when he'd made a mistake, or asking for help from Naruto. But Sasuke says it all anyway.

"I don't hate you. We're the same, you and I. And we were even before I cast this jutsu that tied us together."

Obito is speechless yet again. But his eyes are wet, and that's a good sign from Obito, Sasuke thinks.

"As for your shinobi skills. You died, Obito. Nobody is going to walk away from that unscathed. You're cleared for training again, you'll get back to where you were. And then you'll surpass it."

He remembers Rock Lee. The boy that had almost died in the Chunin exams. He had been so grievously injured that he'd been told he could never be a shinobi again. Yet, in the war, he'd fought alongside all the other Konoha shinobi as an equal. And Rock Lee hadn't had the benefit of being able to use chakra. If that boy could do it, then Obito could too. Sasuke was absolutely certain.

Silence remains, and Sasuke doesn't mind it. It's a more peaceful one. He cleans up the tea set, washing and drying it out. More than likely, he'll pull it out again when Kakashi shows up. Before coming to the past, Sasuke had no idea emotions and conversations could be so exhausting. Now, all he wants to do is sleep before Kakashi arrives, and he's working through the likelihood of managing it or not. His brain is still traitorously recounting every blow he'd been dealt in T&I, wondering if Obito had felt it too. 

So lost in thought is he that he almost misses when Obito, who is still sitting, unmoved, speaks quietly.

"No one cared about me until you did, either."

In lieu of an audible answer, Sasuke ruffles Obito's hair.

Someone knocks on the door, and Sasuke's dreams of sleeping or working through whatever is going through his head evaporate. Sighing, he heads to the door and opens it, not bothering to put on even the façade of a welcoming face.

Standing in the doorway is Minato. He looks stressed. well, Sasuke is stressed too. He wonders if Minato would be opposed to sake instead of tea.

"Things went badly."

Sasuke sighs. More stress in the day. Just what he needs. He wonders if Orochimaru would put him in a coma. Tsunade would, if he pissed her off enough. Remembering how broken she'd looked sitting at Orochimaru's table, he gives that up as a lost cause for the day.

"I assumed, since you're here instead of Kakashi. If this is a long story, do you want some sake?'

Minato finally seems to notice that Sasuke isn't doing all that well himself, and blinks stupidly for a moment. Sasuke feels a rush of fondness for the blond. Stupid definitely runs in their family.

"I'll say it quickly. I finished telling Kakashi, and I followed him when he left the office. I got derailed in the market by someone who just wanted to tell me about- anyway. When I looked up again Kakashi was gone. I asked one of my guard where he'd gone, and they said he'd gotten some news from a Chunin and-"

This is not quickly by any definition, but Minato is still standing stubbornly in the doorway, so Sasuke nods along.

"so I caught up to the Chunin and asked him what he'd delivered to Kakashi and did you know he's apparently Guy's next of kin?"

This doesn't sound like it's going anywhere good. Sasuke decides to interrupt.

"MIA or KIA?"

Minato stops midword and blinks. "MIA. I think Kakashi went tearing after his last known location. I would have gone after him but I still have eight meetings left today and-"

Sasuke interrupts again, already gearing himself up for a midnight run to some kami-forsaken landscape.

"So what did you do?"

"Oh, I sent Rin and Genma after him of course." Minato answers as if he was just about to say that even though Sasuke knows he wasn't.

Rin and Genma are a good choice. Genma is young, but he's a strong Jounin, strong enough to be in Minato's personal guard, and a former teammate of Guy's. And Rin is of course an ideal choice since she's a fully fledged medic. This is an informational telling rather than a request for Sasuke's interference then. Sasuke stops to wonder if he should go after Kakashi.

If he goes, Kakashi will tell him that Sasuke is treating him like a kid. They're technically in peacetime, and there's at least three Jounin already on it. Kakashi is capable, and Sasuke does not want to push any of Kakashi's boundaries right now. Kakashi will come talk to him when he's ready, and not a moment before. Sasuke decides to leave it. For now, at least.

"How long until I should be concerned that they didn't return?"

Minato hums for a second, thinking.

"Probably six days."

Five days it is, then.

Sasuke inclines his head, "Thank you for letting me know. Is there something else I can help you with?"

He doesn't know if he has the mental energy to do anything taxing. But if Minato asks him, Sasuke knows he'll do it, regardless of what the task is.

"Actually..." Minato starts, scratching the back of his head tiredly. The blond peers over Sasuke's shoulder, and must see Obito behind him.

"Oh good, Obito, you're here too. This involves both of you."

This is either going to be the most obnoxious mission request ever or something serious. Sasuke is torn on which to hope for.

"Obito, as you've been cleared for training, it falls to me to tell you that Team Minato has been officially disbanded, upon two students making Jounin. As well as my new duties as Hokage, of course."

Obito looks a little crestfallen, but he hides behind a bright smile. "I understand, Minato-sensei!"

Sasuke squints slightly. "What exactly does this have to do with me. What are you planning?"

Minato laughs awkwardly. "Well, you see... The Uchiha would prefer that you didn't apprentice Shisui Uchiha."

Sasuke straightens. "I plan to train Shisui Uchiha regardless of who I have to threaten." He throws it out carefully, testing the waters.

"See, that's where my plan comes in!" Minato smiles brightly.

If he wasn't suspicious before, he definitely is now. "Go on..."

Producing an official looking bit of paperwork, Minato presents it to Sasuke. "Congratulations! You are now the captain of Team Sasuke, a three man squad led by you and consisting of Obito and Shisui Uchiha!"

"You're telling me that the same Uchiha who disagree with the apprenticeship are going to full heartedly support the three man squad idea? It's practically the same thing." Sasuke looks critically at Minato. Sure, the man is an optimist, but, this is a little too optimistic even for his standards.

"Well, according to official law, which I looked at today as part of my new Hokage duties, apprenticeships can only be granted by a Clan or guardian, except with special approval from the Hokage. Even then, it's highly frowned upon for the Hokage to interfere with an apprenticeship. Orochimaru and Itachi was a little different because it was an offer, not a Hokage command." Minato explains, still smiling.

Sasuke already knows all of this. Why he expected Sarutobi to go along with it, is a foolishness he should have seen backfiring.

"However... Creating a three man squad is fully within the duties of the Hokage, and breaking a three man squad for an apprenticeship requires special approval from the Hokage!" Minato finishes happily.

"So you circumvented the law." Sasuke states, trying to wrap his head around his friend. Sasuke hates politics so incredibly much. He's glad Minato is good at it on his own, because he would be exactly no help. Why can't people just say what they think and do it? It would make everything so much simpler.

"More took advantage of a loophole," Minato admits. "What do you think? Will you do it?"

Sasuke turns to face Obito, who's standing behind him looking all sorts of confused and exhausted. Sasuke understands completely.

"I'm not forcing you onto another team, or my team. If you want to be on Team Sasuke, which we are definitely renaming, by the way, I will accept. Shisui and I would be happy to have you. But you are an equal member, so if you join, you have to want to. If you don't, Minato will just have to find a different third man."

Obito looks thoughtful. Sasuke doesn't want him to feel like a leftover student. He is, and Minato knows it too, which is why he's trying to get him placed with Sasuke. The guilt Minato likely feels over 'abandoning' a student is probably immense. There's nothing to be done about it, however. A Hokage does not have time to train a student. Not for a while, anyway. Minato is trying to do the best he can for all of his students, and Sasuke respects that. He isn't going to take away Obito's choice, however.

"Can we call it Team Obito?" Obito says with a mischievous grin on his face.

"No," He and Minato both say at the same time.

"What about Team Awesome?" The teen throws it out there, and Sasuke knows what he means is 'yes, I want to join'. 

"Not a chance. If you're not careful, Minato is going to end up naming it and it's going to be something like 'Ultra Three Man Squad: Ninjutsu specialists: Fire style', and then we'll all regret it." Sasuke decides to poke fun at Minato, glancing at the blond to see his reaction. 

The new Hokage gasps, just as Sasuke intended. "I do not name things like that!" His eyes twinkle with mirth, so Sasuke knows he isn't really offended.

Obito laughs. And it's a genuine laugh. "You kinda do, Sensei."

A three man squad. It's not what he'd imagined, but it's not bad either. He'll be able to keep a close eye on Obito, and they can start working out whatever this connection of theirs extends to exactly, and he'll train both Obito and Shisui, as planned.

Yes, this might actually work out alright.

Chapter Text

Sasuke gathers his new squad for the first time. Shisui, as anticipated, was delighted to be on a squad with his 'Aniki' and Obito had promised to give Shisui a rival as well as brother. They'd both taken to the change remarkably well, and Sasuke had been relieved that things were working, at least for now.

They have just barely started warming up, when a small chakra signature makes it's way quietly onto the field. Sasuke would know that chakra signature anywhere. His heart leaping into his throat, he turns around to see his very tiny, older brother.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Sasuke-sama?" Itachi is politely standing at the edge of the field.

The sight of Itachi's young, innocent face looking at him strangles something inside of him, but Sasuke fights it down and walks over to the newcomer.

"I am he. You can call me Mr. Sasuke, if you like."

Itachi nods, all stiff and polite, just as Sasuke remembers him being. "Of course. As you wish, Mr. Sasuke. I apologize for interrupting. I was sent by Orochimaru-sensei. He said you would know why."

Sasuke remembers Orochimaru vowing to 'dump' Itachi on him from time to time, and he also remembers that he'd dropped off a broken looking Tsunade onto the Sanin just the day before. Orochimaru expects him to train Itachi, at least for the day.

"I do know why." Sasuke says, not unkindly, and he motions Itachi to follow him over to the rest of the team. If Itachi is curious, he doesn't say anything.

Shisui gives a cheery wave, and Obito looks like he's just seen the cutest thing alive. Both of them continue their warm up, as Sasuke had requested.

"Boys, this is Itachi Uchiha, and he's going to be joining us for training today."

Itachi looks up at him with something akin to awe. "I get to train with you today?"

Something about being admired by the same brother Sasuke had spent his whole life admiring and hating in turn makes him feel raw. "Yes, that's why Orochimaru asked you to come here."

"Mr. Sasuke, Sensei says you're an expert in ninjutsu, just like he is."

There's no question there, and yet. There is. Before Sasuke can answer it, Shisui does.

"Itachi, Sasuke-sensei is the best at ninjutsu in the whole village!"

Itachi looks equally awed and affronted. Probably because Shisui had just insulted Orochimaru's ninjutsu ability. Sasuke waves Shisui back to his warm up, and Shisui goes, grinning.

"Orochimaru and I are both ninjutsu experts in the village. Our exact expertise is very different, so there is little use comparing."

His brother relaxes slightly beside him. It's true, anyways. Orochimaru sees ninjutsu as a science, to be dissected and understood, and employed when needed. Where as Sasuke sees ninjutsu as a tool, to be trained and collected, and used strategically to the best effect. 

Now, what to do with Itachi today. Sasuke has no idea where he's at, skill wise.

"What is Orochimaru having you work on, Itachi?"

"Using chakra to sense my environment." Itachi recites, like he's repeating his sensei's words exactly. He likely is.

Sasuke thinks for a moment. His team could use some work on that, as well.

"Shisui, Obito, come over here." 

He calls to his team and they appear in a second. Shisui ruffles Itachi's hair in greeting. Delighted by the display, Obito immediately puts Shisui in a headlock and vigorously ruffles his hair. Itachi looks to Sasuke, for help or the hope that Sasuke will stop all of the affection, perhaps.

Sasuke just sighs. There's no stopping the two of them.

"We are going to have a chakra sensing exercise today."

Obito immediately groans. "I hate chakra sensing exercises, Minato-sensei always made us sit and figure out where he was and it was so boring."

Shisui grins at him. "That's probably because you were bad at it, Aniki."

With a gasp, Obito makes a grab for Shisui again. "You take that back!"

but Shisui slips under his grasp and sticks his tongue out at the older boy. "Nope!"

"Boys." Sasuke says as sternly as he can. It makes only the smallest dent in their behavior, but they at least stop to listen, sort of.

Itachi looks shocked, probably overwhelmed by the level of disrespect Sasuke's teammates are showing him. He's probably waiting to see if Sasuke is going to punish them. Itachi doesn't know that there's no point even trying.

"Alright, Obito, since it's so boring, you can go first. Please blindfold yourself. Shisui, Itachi, please pull out your shuriken."

All three of their eyes widen. Shisui's in absolute delight, Obito's in shock, and Itachi looks... Well, Itachi looks terrified.

"You're going to let them throw shuriken at me while I'm blindfolded?! That's so cool!" Obito gapes.

"That's the general idea, yes." Sasuke hides a smile.

Shisui grins wickedly. "Prepare to be a pincushion."

A small tug on Sasuke's sleeve, and he looks down at Itachi, who looks like he might be sick. Sasuke kneels, so as to get to his level.

"Mr. Sasuke? I don't... I don't want to hurt Obito."

He's so small, and so earnest. He also looks like contradicting Sasuke is physically paining him.

"Don't worry about it, Itachi! I'm super cool, you'll never hit me!" Obito proclaims loudly.

Ignoring him, Sasuke looks Itachi in the eyes. He'd never seen Itachi afraid to hurt someone before. That's not to say that Itachi had been violent. Sasuke had always seen his brother being mild mannered, up until that fateful night. But he'd never imagined that Itachi would be afraid to hurt someone. He hopes it's a result of his youth, and not his underlying personality. Because, if it is... 

Well, Sasuke doesn't want to think about that at all.

"You aren't going to hurt Obito. I'm going to put some light armor on him, so even if you did hit him, it wouldn't hurt him. He's going to be a small distance away, so he has more time to sense, and it won't be at point blank range."

Itachi takes a deep breath, trying to steady himself. "Okay, that makes sense."

Sasuke isn't sure if Itachi wants contact, but he's desperately fighting the urge to put his hand on Itachi's shoulder. He fights it off.

"The point of training is to make yourself better, right?"

Itachi nods.

"By doing this, we're all going to learn how to sense objects with chakra more accurately." Sasuke explains it carefully. "And we're practicing somewhere safe. On a mission, an enemy isn't going to wait, they're just going to attack. You're going to be helping Obito and Shisui, so that the next time they go on a mission, they'll dodge better."

Sasuke can see Itachi starting to calm down. Shisui bounds over and throws an arm around Itachi's shoulder. Itachi grimaces under it, but bears it.

"Yeah, don't worry, 'tachi. I love Obito a lot! I wouldn't actually try and hurt him. We're just getting stronger! And Sasuke-sensei will make sure no one gets hurt. He's super fast."

After that, Itachi needs no more convincing.

Sasuke reminds all three what chakra sensing actually entails.

Then he straps light armor onto Obito, blindfolds him, and sends him towards the other side of the field. Shisui and Itachi line up, and Sasuke stands near the middle, ready to interfere. Shisui has tried to shunshin into far too many trees for Sasuke to trust that Obito won't do the same the second he's blindfolded.

Sasuke calls for the start, and they begin. Both Itachi and Shisui start off very hesitantly, testing the waters to see if Obito can really chakra sense their incoming projectiles. Obito dodges easily, and starts making fun of Shisui for being a terrible throw. That's all it takes, and Shisui and Itachi start throwing in earnest.

To his credit, Obito does not run into any trees, though Sasuke keeps his eye on it. Obito takes a few blows from both of the other boys, but he improves quickly. Sasuke pretends he doesn't notice that Itachi is lacing every single projectile with chakra so that Obito can sense them more easily.

Then Sasuke switches out Obito for Shisui. Obito has a few light bruises, but is otherwise completely fine, which he proudly shows to Itachi as proof of his 'absolute greatness'. 

Shisui is even better at it than Obito. Sasuke had forbidden him from using shunshin, to prevent Shisui from being harder to catch should he jump somewhere he shouldn't. Shisui's instinct kicks in, and he only takes two glances blows before nothing hits him at all.

Sasuke allows Obito to switch it up, to make it harder for Shisui, and Obito takes to the job with gusto. He starts throwing everything he can get his hands on. Sticks, small rocks, clumps of dirt.

Shisui dodges all of them.

Finally, it's Itachi's turn. Sasuke asks if he's comfortable with it, because he is absolutely not going to force Itachi to do this if he's afraid. Itachi is surprisingly, not worried in the least at being a target. 

Since Itachi is so young, Sasuke instructs Obito and Shisui to lace all of their shuriken throws with chakra, and to throw only one or two at a time. They agree easily. None of them want to scare the little Uchiha, or hurt him.

They take it very slow, a single, heavily chakra laden shuriken at a time. Itachi learns incredibly quickly, and soon is able to dodge two at once, with only a middling amount of chakra coating the projectiles.

Sasuke does have to interfere, the first out of three. And it's not because he almost gets hit with a shuriken. It's because Itachi, who Sasuke hadn't thought to warn not to Shunshin, Shunshins right at the nearest tree. Sasuke scoops Itachi up easily, redirecting him out of the direct path of a large tree trunk.

He sets Itachi down with a gentle warning not to use the Shunshin while blind, and the rest of the practice goes without incident.

Itachi ends up getting excited at understanding the chakra sense, and it's absolutely adorable.

Just for his own personal amusement, Sasuke assigns them a D rank to finish the training for the day.

They return a few hours later, completely covered in paint. Obito and Shisui are laughing, and even Itachi is smiling. Itachi bows deeply to Sasuke, and thanks him for the training. Sasuke accepts his thanks, and sends them all home. 

His first meeting with Itachi had gone better than he'd hoped. It had also left him with a lot to think about. Itachi hadn't thought twice about putting himself in perceived danger, but had balked at even slightly injuring a comrade. He'd also looked incredibly uncomfortable questioning orders.

Sasuke is still thinking about it two days later when he receives a summon to Uchiha compound. He's relatively certain this has to do with the fact he's training Shisui. He answers the summons easily enough. He hasn't heard from Fugaku since their first meeting, and he's more than slightly interested to hear if things have changed at all.

Showing up at the Head house of the Uchiha isn't nearly as difficult as it had been last time. He's welcomed in by Mikoto, and her warm smile still affects Sasuke deeply, reminding him why he's kept his distance from the Uchiha. He's ushered into Fugaku's office, where the man himself is sitting calmly behind the desk.

He motions for Sasuke to have a seat, and Sasuke does so. There's a moment of uncomfortable silence, which Sasuke is sure would be an effective intimidation tactic, if Sasuke was the kind of person to be intimidated by Fugaku. The time for that has long passed, and Sasuke waits the silence out patiently.

"You may be wondering why I summoned you." Fugaku begins.

"I am," Sasuke isn't, "Please feel free to cut to the point."

Fugaku nods. "You are a man of few words as well. I can respect that. Let me ask you a question, what do you remember about the Clan Elders, from your time?"

This is either an unneeded pleasantry, a subtle dig for information, or the lead in to the real point. Sasuke decides to treat it as a request for information.

"You used to hate them. Or, are going to, I suppose."

Fugaku waves his hand. "It's your past, refer to it how it makes sense."

Sasuke accepts this and continues. "They put so much pressure on Itachi that sometimes he wouldn't speak for a few days at a time. You were always upset after meeting with them. Mother hated what they did to both of you. Shisui used to call them swear words when he thought you weren't listening." 

Sasuke had actually learned most of the swear words he knew that way.

Fugaku nods. "I thought as much. They are old, my Father's age. And very traditional. After we spoke, I began to see how their ways are hurting the new generation. Poisoning our youth against our traditional way of life. Even if we avoid the fate you saw for us, I fear that the influence of the Elders is going to drive away our children, and by the time my generation is gone, there will not be anything of our way of life left. Some of that, I'm certain will be a benefit. But there are some pieces of tradition that could be held onto safely, without harm."

Sasuke is no longer sure where this is going. Fugaku continues.

"I am attempting to allow for change, but it has been extremely difficult, and I have been fought at every turn. Which leads me to why I summoned you today."

Patiently, Sasuke waits for the man to continue. He's never heard his father admit anything of this sort before. And it's comforting, in a way. To know that his father, or at least this version of him, truly cared for Itachi, and the next generation.

"Minato Namikaze has taken office, and while I forsee this becoming a good thing for the Uchiha, it also brings something difficult. Change. In the conversations I have had with our new Hokage, I've found he has a lot of changes to implement. Mainly, he plans to work with the Uchiha to open the Police force to other Clans. I've taken some time, and thought it through. I do think this and other plans will be a benefit to the Uchiha. Especially since I have been assured that in return, more Uchiha will take high ranks in the village. However, I face the issue of the Elders. I fear it isn't going to go well. And that's where you come in."

Does Fugaku want him to assassinate some of the Elders? Perhaps he's hoping that Sasuke will have some inside knowledge Fugaku can use to leverage against the old men. If that's the case, Sasuke isn't sure he will be all that much help. They all died when he was far too young. Sasuke knew next to nothing about the actual inner workings of the Uchiha at the time of their destruction, save what he's heard from others.

"I have a favor to ask of you, Sasuke. I would like to claim you as an Uchiha."

Sasuke's entire brain grinds to a halt. "I'm not sure I understand."

"I'm sure you've noticed, you're a village hero. The tide turned for a while, but after Minato's exposing of Danzo's heinous deeds, public favor is on your side. And because of who you've tried to protect, you are also something of a hero within the Uchiha as well. You've helped cast our clan in a more positive light in the village, and that has not gone unnoticed by the Elders. I would like to reveal you as an Uchiha, to show the Elders the benefit of having Uchiha in the top ranks, as well as shift the public opinion of the Clan even more positively." Fugaku lays his appeal out calmly, making it seem like the obvious choice of action.

Sasuke isn't quite sure he agrees.

"I would not like to reveal my status publicly. If you do this, there will be questions. Additionally, integrating back into the Clan would be... difficult, for me." Sasuke is not revealing his time travelling status to the Uchiha Elders. And the thought of living in the Uchiha compound is enough to make him feel unsettled.

"Not revealing the truth behind your origins would be easier than you think. I looked into your records. The Third made it look like your records had been sealed and destroyed for classified reasons, and the only person who has official clearance to see them is the Hokage himself. Even your birth record is marked as sealed and destroyed. Passing you off as a classified secret would be easier than you think. And the Elders won't push, because they will want to accept you, especially if you reveal your Mangekyou." Fugaku's voice is insistent.

Sasuke reminds himself of how young his father really is, being the Clan Head at this age. He takes a breath. "And how would this benefit me?"

It's a fair question. He's convinced Fugaku thinks the Uchiha would benefit greatly from this. And they might. Politics are not Sasuke's preferred past time, but everything Fugaku has said makes sense. Sasuke is in the Bingo books, and he knows he's considered a war hero at the very least. Such a title would benefit the Uchiha name greatly. His current problem is, it sounds like a lot of work for Sasuke, with little to no benefit.

Fugaku smiles slightly. "Understandable that you would ask. I would, of course, not require you to live within the compound. You would be asked to attend Clan meetings, but as an active shinobi there is plenty of opportunity to find yourself too busy for one, if you understand my meaning. You would have a vote in the Clan's business, and a voice. Which would allow you to help shape the future of the Uchiha, including those of your squad mates. Additionally, you would receive far more free reign over your choices regarding Shisui's training. As our last conversation went, we have no records I can find regarding the Rinnegan, but you would have free access to the entirety of the records yourself, as an Uchiha."

Sasuke thinks it through. Essentially, Fugaku is asking for Sasuke's help. He would never say it clearly, but the implication is there. If Sasuke publicly became Uchiha, there would be another voice fighting for the changes Minato wants. He could protect Itachi and Shisui during meetings, and his status as village hero would likely give his protestations weight.

But once it's public, there will be no taking it back. Sasuke will be an Uchiha for the rest of his life, no matter what happens to the Clan. The Clan would benefit from being associated with Sasuke, but the reverse is also a factor. Sasuke will be judged along with the Clan for the rest of his life. Something he'd finally been able to escape, in the past.

Is it worth it? Is it worth sacrificing his freedom from the Clan, the freedom to become his own person, to help guide the future of the Clan, and hope he and Fugaku can make it better for the next generation?

As he thinks about it, Sasuke realizes that even though he hasn't been labelled a Uchiha in this life, all of his peers that matter already know. Orochimaru, Minato, Kushina. They know he's Uchiha and haven't treated him differently. When Sasuke had become a Genin, he'd told Kakashi-sensei that he planned to restore the Uchiha.

He'd thrown that dream away a long time ago. But what if it was still there? What if Sasuke could help restore the Uchiha Clan now, help guide it into integration with the greater village, protect it from itself?

Sasuke takes a deep breath. He hadn't come back to the past to only make easy choices.

"I'll do it, under two further conditions. I refuse to give up my status as Kakashi Hatake's legal guardian, even though he is an adult in the eyes of the village. And I want Obito restored to his status as full Clan member as well."

If he's going to help the next generation, he's going to help all of them. He could try and claim Obito as his biological child, and their identical chakra signatures would be that more than believable. Except for one thing, there's no way Sasuke was old enough to father a child when Obito was born. Additionally, he thinks of how afraid Kakashi had been that Sasuke would abandon him for the Uchiha. Sasuke isn't going to sacrifice Kakashi for the sake of the Uchiha. He won't pick one precious person over another.

Fugaku grimaces slightly. "Ah, I had wondered if that would come up. It was my word against the Elders, when they voted Obito out. I believe, if you make his case to the Elders, it may go better. As for remaining Hatake's guardian, I will not interfere with that in any way, nor will the council."

Sasuke inclines his head. "Very well, but I will make the same case to the Elders. If Obito is not accepted back into their ranks, I will not return either."

Fugaku hesitates for a fraction of a second. "You and Obito, your chakra is identical now. I'm sure most have not noticed, but I have. You don't have to say of course, but it is a curiosity, and if you both become full members of the council again, I'm certain the question will be asked of you."

"I have no reservations about answering that question, and I will gladly answer the Elder's questions about it if they ask. When Obito was crushed on his mission to the Kannabi bridge, I went to retrieve him, even though all were certain he had died. He hadn't, when I got there, but he had been kidnapped by Madara Uchiha."

Fugaku startles badly. "Impossible!"

Sasuke shakes his head. "Not probable, but certain. It is classified, but since the parties involved were mainly Uchiha, excepting Kakashi, I believe it's permissible.  Madara was a very old man. And as it happens, I believe I can prove that it was in fact, Madara Uchiha. In any case, let me continue. Madara was attempting to weaponize Obito against the Uchiha. I rescued him, slaughtering Madara as I left. I took Madara Uchiha's eye as a trophy. On the way back to Konoha, Obito died in my arms. At great risk to myself, I cast a forbidden jutsu and raised him from the dead. The cost was my own life."

Fugaku is staring at him, blinking. This is probably the most insane thing he's ever heard. "But you aren't-?"

"I'm not dead, no," Sasuke confirms. "I used the eye of Madara Uchiha and cast Izanagi, sparing us both. The cost was great, as it damaged my Rinnegan, and tied our chakra together. We are, to a great extent, tied together by fate now. If I die, it is likely so will he, and the reverse is true as well."

Sasuke does not plan to tell the Elders that his Rinnegan is damaged. Partially because Sasuke doesn't know the full extent of it himself. Which is why he'd been hoping for answers in the Uchiha records.

"I have never heard of anything like this before." Fugaku admits.

"I don't believe it's ever happened before. Every person I know who has used a similar life raising jutsu has died in the process. I am the first to live. I doubt I would ever be able to repeat it." Sasuke waits to see if Fugaku has further questions, before Sasuke dismisses himself.

To his surprise, Fugaku smiles slightly. "You are truly an Uchiha, after all."

It's Sasuke's turn to blink. "What do you mean by that?"

"They say, of all the great Clans, the Uchiha have the greatest capacity for love, and from that was born the Sharingan." Fugaku muses.

Sasuke hums, "Mother used to say that to me, when I was a child. I thought it was a fairytale."

Fugaku sounds a 'hn' in response. "A fairytale is a shinobi who sacrifices his life for one he loves, and still lives. If the Elders do not side with you after hearing your story, I will make Obito a full council member again myself, even if I have to fight the Elders to do so."

Sasuke inclines his head. "I thank you."

Fugaku returns the gesture. "And on behalf of the Uchiha, we thank you as well."

They finish making plans for Sasuke's reveal to the council, and afterwards, Sasuke takes his leave. Itachi is sitting in the front room regaling Mikoto with some training story, and he waves shyly at Sasuke as he leaves, which Sasuke returns.

A Uchiha again, after all these years. Sasuke hopes that it isn't a mistake.

Chapter Text

When Orochimaru requires something from Sasuke, he sends a snake summon. When Minato has a request of Sasuke, he sends a toad summons. His Genin team write letters and knock. When Kushina Uzumaki needs something, she kicks down the front door in the dead of the night.

Which is what jolts Sasuke to alertness, the blast of the front door falling in, and colorful swearing as the intruder attempts to fix the door. Sasuke teleports into the front hall, his weapon drawn.

Kushina Uzumaki is hastily attempting to put the front door, which she's split in half, back into the frame. 

Sasuke sighs, puts the weapon away, and rubs the sleep from his face. "It's three in the morning, Kushina."

Flushing with embarrassment, Kushina abandons the door, leaning it haphazardly across the entrance.

"It sure is! I just got a little overexcited I guess. I'm sorry about the door, I'll fix it later, ya know!"

As if in response to her words, half of what used to be the front door hits the ground with a loud thud. Somehow, that's the final noise that wakes Obito, and Sasuke hears him spluttering to alertness down the hall.

"Is this important?" Sasuke tries to nudge Kushina in the right direction. She's never broken his door down in the middle of the night before. He hopes it is something important.

Kushina startles slightly, "Oh, right. Yes, it is important. Minato got called out on a mission, they needed a sealing master. So he made me Hokage until his return, ya know."

Sasuke hadn't realized Minato had left but it all made sense so far.

"I got a toad about half an hour ago. Minato needs backup. It's.. bad, ya know."

Sasuke starts mentally preparing, "Alright, where is he?"

Kushina looks puzzled and shakes her head. "Not from you, Sasuke. From me. The sealing is going badly."

That, doesn't sound good at all. What kind of mission requires the two best sealing masters of a generation?

"So why are you here?" Kushina should have left the second she got the summons. Why break down his door first?

"Man, you're dense when you're tired, ya know? I need you to be the Hokage until we get back!" Kushina speaks rapidly, and Sasuke notices she is packed and ready to run.

"What? No. I don't want to be Hokage, even for a couple of days." Sasuke protests.

Kushina produces a scroll from her pouch. "This proves you're in charge till we return. Good luck, Sasuke! Sorry again about the door, ya know."

Then she sprints out the doorway, which unsettles the other half of the door, knocking it to the ground with a bang.

Obito wanders down the hall, and looks down at what used to be the front door. "What'd you do to the door?" He mumbles. He is not armed.

"You need to work on your awareness." Sasuke sighs.

Deciding not to deal with the door this moment, and to worry about it in the morning, Sasuke uses the earth wall jutsu to close off the opening. And then he just goes back to bed.

The next morning finds him behind the Hokage's desk, with his two squad members impressed with his predicament, and a brand new Jounin commander who appears to be asleep in the chair beside him.

"You're so cool, Sensei! You're like the backup Hokage!" Shisui looks excited to be in the Hokage's office, particularly with Sasuke sitting behind the chair.

"More like the backup to the backup," Sasuke comments.

"Are you going to do all stuff to help the village?" Obito asks with a grin.

Sasuke makes a noise of displeasure. "Hardly. I hate politics. I don't want to get involved, even for a few days."

Shisui looks sideways at him. "What's so bad about politics? It's not like the Council in a Clan, you're in charge, right? So you can just do whatever."

"Not quite. Every person that asks something of the Hokage asks one question that's actually three hidden questions, and almost every decision affects every Clan and non-Clan shinobi in some way so they all have something to say about it, and no one says what they really mean." Sasuke is starting to wonder if he can get away with doing nothing for however long it takes before Minato and Kushina are back in the village.

The only thing he's done so far is send a missive to Fugaku telling him not to reveal Sasuke as an Uchiha until Minato and Kushina come back. The implications of declaring himself as an Uchiha while sitting in the Hokage's seat is not something Sasuke even wants to scratch the surface of.

Shikaku Nara, who Sasuke had been almost positive was actually asleep, speaks up. "That's the best part about politics. Everyone's motivations are on full display, for those who wish to look."

Sasuke shoots him a glare. "What if I made you Hokage instead?"

The Nara waves him off. "That much paperwork would be far too troublesome."

Sasuke turns his attention back to his team. "Your first mission today is a D-rank. Go replace the front door on the Hatake house. When you return from that, I may have the rest of these missions sorted out, and I'll assign you another."

Obito and Shisui run off, already arguing about what kind of door they should get.

Sasuke looks down at the pile of paperwork in front of him. It's the job of the missions desk to assign missions, normally. But all missions go through the Hokage's desk to get a rank first. Meaning Sasuke has a huge stack of missions requests to sort through. That can't wait until Minato and Kushina return. It would look badly for Konoha if missions stopped for multiple days. Especially important ones.

D-ranks are the easiest. All mission that last less than three days, can be done by most Genin teams, and have no combat, civilian or otherwise, get the rank of D. There are many of them. And all of them have to be read carefully. If there's a chance that the mission might end up with Genin in combat, it needs a different designation. But C-ranks cost more, so mission requests occasionally try and hide potential dangers.

C-ranks are a bit harder to sort. If the mission lasts between a week and a month, it's automatically at least a C-rank. If there's a chance for civilian combat, such as thieves, but not shinobi, it's a C-rank. And if the work requires actual shinobi skill, it's a C-rank. The problem with C-ranks is that they're by far the most likely to be mis-ranked, as the pay difference between B and C is quite large. Sasuke reads over each of these twice before assigning them.

B-ranks are relatively straightforward. The time needed is the same as for C-ranks, less than a month. However, in a B-rank, it either has a high likelihood of thieves or civilian gangs, or potential for shinobi combat. Additionally, any mission requiring at least one shinobi specialist, such as tracking or ninjutsu, is automatically a B-rank. These pose far less of a problem, and quickly become Sasuke's favorite to sort after D-ranks just due to the straightforwardness of the requests.

A-ranks are more difficult to assign. If the mission is expected to last more than a month, it's an A-rank. If it is expected that a shinobi vs shinobi fight will take place, it's generally A-ranked. The difficult part is that many A-ranks are bounty hunting missions for Bingo book shinobi. Each time one of those appears, Sasuke has to pull out the Bingo book and decide if the missing nin are an A or S ranked task. Missions for specialized squads are also A-ranked. There are more A-ranks than Sasuke imagined there might be, and he's not sure if this is due to the fact they're just now out of war, or if there's way more bounty hunting than he'd realized before.

Most of the missions ranked from D to A go straight to the missions desk, where they'll be assigned to whatever teams that meet the qualifications wish to take them. Unless the Hokage has a specific team in mind.

S-ranks are either bounty hunting missions for S ranked missing nin, or missions that require a heavy level of subterfuge and talent. On most S ranks, if you fail, you died, and the Hokage officially disavows you from the village so as not to start a war. The bulk of them are handled by ANBU, and the few that aren't are specifically assigned. All of these go directly to Shikaku. It's his job as Jounin commander to decide which shinobi to send, or when it should be completed by ANBU. 

Obito and Shisui show up when Sasuke is just over halfway through the stack. 

"We fixed the door!" Shisui proudly claims.

"It's the world's ugliest door, but it's there." Obito grumbles good-naturedly.

Shisui spins on him, accusatory, "Hey! It's not ugly! Just because you have no taste!"

"I have no taste? There are dogs on the door!" Obito fires back, grinning as he enrages his teammate.

Sasuke sighs. "Do I want to know about this?"

"We had a rock paper scissors fight for who got to pick out the new door," Obito explains. "Shisui won. And picked the worst door ever."

"The Hatake Clan are famous for being contracted with wolves and dogs, and it's the Hatake Head house. So there was this really cool door that has like a pattern and there's wolves and stuff carved into it. It's a good door for a Clan Head." Shisui argues.

"You completed the mission, so let's just leave it at that." Sasuke says, taking their completed D-rank form, which is clearly an argument made into a report, and pulls another mission out from the stack he was sorting.

"It's a C-rank."

Both boys stop arguing and listen excitedly. 

"There's a farm just outside the walls of the village, and the owner claims that the small animals eating the crops are using chakra. He's convinced enough he's paying for a C-rank instead of a D-rank."

"What, really?!" Obito and Shisui speak at the same time. Shisui sounds excited, Obito incredulous.

From the side of the room where he's looking over S-ranks, Shikaku raises his eyebrow.

"Either there are non-chakra using pests that need to be killed, or they're chakra using pests that need to be killed and documented as existing, or it could actually be a bandit or low ranked enemy ninja of some sort. In any case, it needs to be taken care of, and if the worst were to happen, we can't send a Genin team." Sasuke speaks patiently.

It's highly unlikely to be a bandit or low ranked enemy. More than likely, it's just squirrels or other small pests. It's close to the village, and safe enough Sasuke feels confident about sending his two Chunin. He'd send them on a 'real' C-rank, but with Danzo still on the run somewhere, Sasuke is loathe to send them too far out of the village without him.

Shisui and Obito accept, and immediately begin a new argument about who will kill more. Sasuke shoos them out of the room.

"Are they always like that?" Shikaku asks conversationally.

"Yes. It could be worse, there used to be four of them." Sasuke informs him, silently cursing himself for the note of fondness that's made it's way into his voice.

Shikaku shudders. "I could never take on Genin."

"They grow on you," Sasuke shrugs.

They get back to the paperwork. 

Throughout the day, as Sasuke rates missions which come in more or less constantly, other paperwork starts piling up on the desk. Requests for laws or special allowances, political letters and correspondences, and a simply enormous amount of things concerning the civilian merchant sector. Sasuke has no idea how a Hokage manages to get anything done with the sheer amount of paperwork that goes on.

By the end of the second day, Obito and Shisui have finished their C-rank, completely filthy and insisting that the pests they found were all using chakra but that they couldn't prove it. Sasuke had taken their report and sent them home. In only two days, the amount of non mission paperwork that has piled up is honestly excessive. It covers almost half of the desk.

After expressing his disdain of it to Shikaku, the Nara gives him a sidelong look and comments, "Why not delegate?"

"We both know you wouldn't do it if I gave it to you." Sasuke hasn't known all that many Nara, but the ones he has are enough to let him know that the odds of Shikaku doing something out of his job description that he doesn't find interesting are effectively zero.

"That isn't what I meant. Why not have someone come in and deal with some of it?" 

Sasuke thinks it over. "Like an assistant?"

He remembers how much paperwork Shizune used to do on Tsunade's behalf. He'd always thought the paperwork was due to Tsunade's less than calm personality. Perhaps it had just been the natural amount of paperwork. If he got an assistant on Minato's behalf, would Minato even like them when he returned?

The Nara hums in agreement. "An assistant or maybe a specific advisor. A lot of it is paperwork due to the merchant sector, for instance. Why not get someone to sort that for you and give you the highlights? Minato could use it, too. He's trying to do everything himself, but I think the two of us are wise enough to know that if he tries, his vision for the village is going to drown under paperwork."

He's right. With the sheer influx of paperwork showing up on this desk every moment, Sasuke can't imagine when Minato would have time to actually enact change, or go home to Kushina. If Minato hates it, he can always reassign.

"Which Clan or shinobi is the most well respected by the civilians?" Sasuke has never paid attention to things like that. But if he's really going to get someone to work with the merchant paperwork, he's going to need to pick someone that would both get along with Minato and the civilian sector.

"Easily the Akimichi. For obvious reasons, they invest a great deal into the merchant sector. They've mostly avoided the reputation of being inhuman or terrifying that shinobi generally have by the general civilian population." Shikaku, for as lazy as the Nara are, has carefully divided all of his missions work into piles already, and Sasuke can assume he's sorted out who's doing what already.

"Is Chouza the Head of the Clan?" Sasuke honestly doesn't know. He pays far too little attention to Clan politics. He's fairly certain, but not positive.

Shikaku nods in response. 

Sasuke makes a plan to meet with him the following day. Surely he would have an idea of a clan member who would be willing to take the job. Hopefully, Minato or Kushina will arrive tomorrow and they'll take over for him. If not, well. Sasuke's been through worse than an interviewing process, he supposes.

Minato and Kushina do not arrive the next day. After giving Obito, Shisui, and, at Obito's request, Shizune, a challenge to complete as many D-ranks as possible in a single day, he meets with Chouza.

After describing what the problem is, with Shikaku's input, Chouza surprisingly has a person in mind immediately. After Chouza expresses profound gratitude on behalf of the Akimichi that Sasuke has no idea what to do with, Chouza promises to send the candidate promptly.

Within an hour, Sasuke meets an Akimichi man in his thirties named Akitaru. Akitaru is jovial, as most Akimichi Sasuke has met are, and has a surprisingly excellent grasp on the merchant sector. Sasuke explains that he is Hokage temporarily, and that Minato might feel differently about the position. Akitaru accepts the position regardless, and Sasuke is more than glad to hand off paperwork that is trying to overflow off the desk.

They decide that Akitaru will do all merchant paperwork, and bring important issues to the Hokage's attention, as well as general updates every few days or weeks, whichever Minato decides. Sasuke discovers that there are several empty offices in the Hokage's tower, and assigns one to the Akimichi so that he can meet with whoever is necessary, as well as the resources to stock the office with whatever furniture is necessary.

Which leaves Sasuke to worry about the issue that's been weighing heavier with each passing hour. It's been three days, and he's not seen or heard from Minato or Kushina. Even worse, he hasn't heard from Kakashi either, and he's been gone even longer. He's been putting off pulling out the mission reports and reading them all himself. Mostly because he's getting increasingly suspicious that Kakashi not returning, and Minato's departure are related. If that's true, it's somewhat likely that Kushina made him her replacement to ensure he wouldn't be able to run after them.

If he considers the big picture, having four Jounin, the Hokage, and the bearer of the ninetails on the same mission is already far more than would be advisable for anything short of war. If Sasuke left to help, the only Kage levelled shinobi in the village would be Orochimaru and Fugaku. Tsunade as well, if she is recovering. Sasuke has no idea how she's doing, he hasn't had time to see her. He knows that she hasn't left, because Shizune is still here.

Eventually he can't bear having the knowledge at his fingertips and not using it, so he pulls the file on Guy's mission, and the subsequent notes. When he returns to the office with the file, Shikaku notes his surprise that Sasuke had waited almost three days to do it. Not wanting to engage, Sasuke had sat down and opened the file without a word.

Guy had been sent on a B-rank mission to escort a caravan from Fire across the border, along with two Chunin who Sasuke doesn't recognize. He had been supposed to hand off the caravan at the border to a team from Mist. It was slotted to take two weeks, and had made B-rank because of the border handoff. When the team hadn't returned after three weeks, they'd been marked officially MIA. The next step would normally have been for Minato to send a reconnaissance team to confirm whether the team was living, dead, or missing. The note in the file says that the recon team consisted of Kakashi Hatake, Rin Nohara, and Genma Shiranui. 

Sasuke knows that none of the three are usually assigned this sort of mission, and Minato has taken pains to ensure that it looks officially condoned, instead of Kakashi running off and having Rin and Genma sent after him. There's a note in the file after, and Sasuke takes a breath before pulling it out of the file.

It's a missive from Rin, begging for aid. She writes that the caravan had been ambushed, and the two bodies of the Chunin had been found and their bodies sealed. Guy had been missing, and Kakashi had used his dog summons to track Guy's scent to a nearby cave. 

What follows is a not very detailed description of a scuffle that had ensued between Kakashi, Rin, and Genma against multiple Mist assailants. 

She writes that Genma is injured and is not stable, Guy is suffering from a half finished seal of some sort, and she and Kakashi are aware that there are Mist scouts everywhere, and the likelihood of being found out is growing by the hour.

Rin states that returning to the village with Guy would be impossible without sealing intervention.

The missive finishes with a request for either aid, or a direct order. 

Minato had posted her note into the file along with that he would personally be answering his student's request for aid. Kushina has not updated the file since.

Sasuke reads the whole file multiple times, hoping to glean more information. But there isn't any to be found. 

The last known position of the caravan implies around a day of travel for a shinobi. Which means Kushina has been there an entire two days already, and Minato for at least three. Kakashi, Rin, and Genma have been stuck for as many as five days.

The only solace Sasuke has is that Rin had listed Kakashi as relatively uninjured. As long ago as she'd requested aid, that could have easily changed. But, Minato wouldn't have asked for Kushina's help if they were all dead. He'd have just taken them home. So, likely, most or all of them were alive as of three days ago. As he thinks through it again, Sasuke realizes with a sinking feeling the only person he can be certain of being alive is Guy. 

His last conversation with Kakashi comes to mind, with Kakashi trying to decide what his ninja way is. Kakashi might be confused about it, but Sasuke isn't. Kakashi would do anything for the people he loves, and Guy is one of them, as is Rin. Sasuke can far too easily see Kakashi making a final stand to protect his teammates, and dying in the process. The Kakashi he knows, the Kakashi he's always known, would rather himself die than any of his comrades.

And just like Kushina had intended, Sasuke is trapped in the village. He can't leave without putting the village at serious risk. Sasuke can't risk the lives of every precious person in the village, just for the knowledge of whether or not Kakashi lives. If Kakashi died, he died before Minato got there. And there's nothing Sasuke can do about it. If Kakashi is alive, there's not much protection Sasuke could possibly add on top of both Minato and Kushina.

It should be relieving that there is nothing he can do, that his staying or going doesn't affect the outcome in any way. But it doesn't. Sasuke is sitting, dealing with paperwork, while his ward is out there, living or dead, and Sasuke doesn't have any idea which one it is.

Chapter Text

The obnoxious but doable piles of paperwork seem far too large after Sasuke learns the truth of where Kakashi, Minato, and Kushina are. He barely restrains himself from sending a hawk, or a shinobi to check on them, telling himself over and over that any interference on his part might compromise their position.

So to keep himself busy, Sasuke begins 'delegating' as Shikaku puts it. He puts an Aburame in charge of Genin arbitration after he narrowly avoids killing two career Genin who saw fit to bring an argument to the Hokage's office. He finds an Inuzuka to take over as the Captain of the patrol squads when he gets paperwork requesting shift changes. After an order form for the Armory comes in, Sasuke finds a Hyuga willing to run it, and only due to Shikaku's shadow possession is he able to stop himself from telling the confused man exactly why a stuck up Clan like the Hyuga would fit perfectly in a position where everything has to be perfect.

When the Head of Interrogation announces his retirement and Sasuke has to find another Yamanaka to fill the position, he almost gets up and leaves the village anyway. Sasuke is once again only stopped by Shikaku, who he's beginning to become convinced is psychic. The frustrating Nara always manages to drop a shadow paralysis or possession just when thoughts of abandoning it all and jumping out the window start to encroach on his mind. Sasuke could break it, of course. But the jutsu always reminds him of why he shouldn't go, so each time, he doesn't. But the urge grows stronger each passing hour, and if Sasuke doesn't hear any news soon, there is nearly nothing in the village that would stop him.

Orochimaru comes and visits multiple times under the pretense of obtaining a mission for Itachi. He uses the time to fill Sasuke in on what's going on around the rest of the village. Sasuke learns that Tsunade has started speaking again, but that she hasn't gotten angry, broken anything, or trained since she heard the news. He hears an in depth amount of discussion on Itachi's progress, which is one of the only things that keep Sasuke's attention for more than a few minutes at a time. Orochimaru also informs him that Obito and Shisui, aided by Shizune, are likely the reason behind the mysterious disappearance of the wife of the Daimyo's most recent pet. Sasuke is not surprised, and Orochimaru doesn't appear to be either.

Sasuke had half expected Orochimaru to be jealous of Sasuke being elected as the replacement to the replacement for the Hokage. But, on the contrary, Orochimaru seems to relish Sasuke's complete and utter disdain of paperwork, and when Sasuke desperately offers to switch with him, Orochimaru refuses outright, and comes the closest Sasuke has ever seen to the man truly laughing when Sasuke's face falls at the news.

As helpful as Orochimaru's visits are to get Sasuke's mind off of the obvious, they also come the nearest to causing an incident. After one of Orochimaru's check ins disguised as looking for a mission, a man Sasuke doesn't know the name of or why he's outside the office in the first place makes a comment about how 'very glad he is a village hero is in the Hokage's seat, even temporarily, instead of that monster.'

Sasuke flies off the handle and has the man pinned to the wall in an instant. Even Shikaku's shadows aren't fast enough to reach him or strong enough to hold him. The man snarls,

"Don't you know who I am?"

Sasuke shrugs, letting his Killing Intent spill with ease.  "Not particularly."

"He's one of the Third's advisors," Shikaku offers offhandedly, not seeming interested in the outcome either way despite the fact he's attempted to catch Sasuke in his shadows at least twice more.

The man, who is on the older side now that Sasuke is looking at him, smiles in a way that says he absolutely expects an immediate apology from Sasuke.

"That's right, boy."

Sasuke releases him, but makes no move to stop boxing him in. On the contrary, he leans in close. At Sasuke's refusal to back down and apologize, a bead of sweat appears on the former advisors face. He keeps his voice low, and puts as much threat in it as possible.

"This village is full of monsters. Orochimaru is not among them. I'd be watching your back for the real ones, if I were you."

Then, he steps back, and sits behind the desk. The advisor looks flustered, in a way that's quickly turning to rage. Sasuke turns to the ANBU at his side.

"Please escort this formerly esteemed advisor to anywhere except this office."

The ANBU nods, and the still flustered man is quickly escorted out of the room. Shikaku sighs.

"That might end up being troublesome for you. Or worse, for me."

Frustrated, Sasuke bites out, "If it's an immediate issue, I'll write a mission report ensuring the advisor dies peacefully in his sleep. Otherwise, it can be Minato's problem."

A moment passes in blissful silence.

"I suppose it's not immediately troublesome." Shikaku allows.

At precisely that moment, a messenger runs in to inform Sasuke that Minato has been spotted by a passing patrol, along with a squad, and they are moving back towards the village. The messenger is unclear about exactly how many of them are on their feet, or how many of them there are. Which Sasuke feels is inherently unhelpful. 

After the messenger is dismissed, Sasuke makes to write up the patrols on being unspecific, when Shikaku kicks him out of the office.

"I can write this without you. You're not going to do anything except make more work for me at this point. Go bother someone else, I'll close down the office."

With a nod, Sasuke abandons his post as temporary Hokage. The messenger ninja are fast, far faster than a squad could be. Even with that allowance, Sasuke calculates that they should return within the next few hours.

And he intends to spend every second in front of the gates, waiting. At this point, he hardly cares if Minato teases him for being overbearing. He has to see Kakashi with his own eyes, and know that he's alive, that he's okay.

He doesn't have his squad to distract him, as he'd sent them on a short escort mission to a nearby town. It was well within the ANBU regular patrol route, so Sasuke felt reasonably confident that Danzo wouldn't attack them. He'd sent Shizune as their 'third man', and knowing a medic was on hand was more than slightly relieving.

Sasuke intends to pace the gates alone, but soon finds that he isn't as alone as he'd thought. Yamato is there too, trying to stay out of sight, but he's not good enough at it to escape Sasuke's notice. When he notices his pacing is making the young shinobi anxious, Sasuke musters up all of his willpower and sits on a bench instead.

Over the course of an hour, Yamato moves closer and closer, until he's sitting on the bench next to him. 

More time passes, and the boy musters up the courage to break the silence. "Ms. Kushina says you named me."

Yamato has never spoken to Sasuke before, and he's clearly nervous about it. Well, anything to pass the time, Sasuke supposes.

"That's true. I did."

After the lab clear out, in that time where he and Kushina had been impatiently awaiting the Third's judgement, Kushina had talked about naming the child. And Sasuke hadn't been able to stop himself from suggesting that the boy looked like a Yamato. Kushina had loved it instantly and agreed.

"I thought Kushina was trying to get you to call her 'mom'." Sasuke offers, trying to keep the tone light. He can see how anxious Yamato is, and it's only reflecting Sasuke's own anxiety back on him.

Yamato nods his head up and down. "She is. But, she's not really my mom. She's going to have real kids someday, and she'll want them to call her 'mom', not me." He sounds very hard like he's trying to convince himself too.

Sasuke huffs. "I wouldn't be so sure. Kushina is pretty stubborn."

Yamato grimaces. "Yeah, I've noticed."

Sasuke bets he has. They sit quietly for a while longer, and Sasuke notices that there is now a small branch growing out of a crack in the cobblestones in front of them. He watches with some fascination as the branch grows and shrinks, at Yamato's will. It grows a flower, and it blooms and returns to a bud in turn. Yamato's control is admirable for a shinobi his age.

"Do you think she's okay? And da-uh, Mr. Minato?" Yamato whispers.

Kushina would die if she knew Yamato almost called Minato 'dad' before she got Yamato calling her 'mom'. He mentally files the information away to tease her with later. 

"I think your mother is a lot stronger and angrier than almost anyone. And your father is the Hokage, he's the fastest and strongest around. They're going to be fine."

Yamato nods, and silence falls again for a short while. The sun sets, and night begins to fall.

"I don't want to go back to Mr. Danzo. Ms. Kushina told me that what happened to me wasn't Mr. Orochimaru's fault, and that it was Mr. Danzo who made him do it. If Ms. Kushina and Mr. Minato don't come back, do I have to go back there?" Yamato asks it with more calm than Sasuke imagined he would be, with a question like that.

"No, you don't ever have to go back. Danzo isn't in the village anymore. If he ever sets a foot back here, I'll kill him myself." Sasuke promises grimly, eyes fixed on the gate.

"Okay." Yamato accepts it as fact. Sasuke envies his childlike ability to believe in things, just a little bit.

A flicker of chakra meets the edge of Sasuke's senses, and he notes an increasing presence of ANBU on the gates. They must be close, then. All conversation ends and Sasuke stares down the gates alongside Yamato. It's fully dark now. 

Sasuke can see it in his mind's eye, Kakashi being carried on Minato's back, lifeless. Rin's teary face. 

The anxiety he's trying to shove down emerges full force. As the ANBU activity starts to pick up, Sasuke finds he isn't strong enough to test which chakra signatures he can feel, and which ones he can't. He needs to see Kakashi with his own eyes, whatever shape he's in.

The gates start to open, and Sasuke's heart leaps into his throat.

Kushina walks in first, and her eyes meet Yamato's instantly, and the boy flies to her side.

Next in walks Guy, arm wrapped around Genma. It's unclear who's supporting who. They both look exhausted, and fairly well injured.

Lastly, comes Minato, flanked on either side by Rin and... Kakashi. Seeing Kakashi on his feet releases an iron grip on Sasuke's lungs that he'd been ignoring. Sasuke moves as quickly and nonthreateningly as he can towards him. 

Without pausing in stride, Sasuke puts his arm around Kakashi and pulls him into a tight embrace. He needs to feel Kakashi's pulse, to know without a doubt that Kakashi is alive and here. The first thing that strikes him is that Kakashi is so tall now that his unruly hair brushes Sasuke's chin. 

With Kakashi in his grasp, Sasuke feels like he can breathe for the first time in days. Kakashi wraps his arms back around Sasuke.

Minato winks at him over Kakashi's head. Instead of his usual comeback, Sasuke just feels overwhelming gratitude. He's not fully sure what happened yet, but he knows for certain, if Minato hadn't gone, Kakashi would be dead. He tries to put as much of that feeling as he can into the look he gives Minato, and he thinks Minato might understand.

Finally, he forces himself to pull away from Kakashi. Something has shifted in the boy's face. His usual dead set seriousness has an air of conviction now it didn't before. "I found my ninja way."

Sasuke listens for what he already knows is coming.

"I'll never abandon my friends, no matter what."

Setting a hand on Kakashi's shoulder, he gives Kakashi a nod.

Kakashi meets his face with that conviction, so new to his young face, and so familiar to Sasuke. It's the same face he saw his own Kakashi-sensei make every time they went into battle together. Every time Kakashi-sensei had stepped in to protect Sasuke, and later, fight alongside him. It fits on his younger face perfectly.

"You already knew I would, didn't you?" Kakashi asks.

"Yes," Sasuke confirms it for him.

"You knew I would have died for Guy, even when I didn't know it, and that's why you're worried about me. Because you would do the same for me." Kakashi says it with a sense of wonder. "I'm sorry for making you worry."

"But you came back, and as long as you keep coming back, I don't mind worrying." That's not exactly true.

Sasuke hates worrying. Hated every second of not knowing if Kakashi was alive or dead. But Kakashi wouldn't be Kakashi if he didn't put everything on the line for people he cares about. And Sasuke can't bring himself to take that from him. Not in the least because that's an enormous part of the reason Sasuke is the exact same way. In the end, the only thing that matters is that Kakashi always walks back through those gates, and that Sasuke is always there waiting for him.

To Sasuke's great surprise, Kakashi hugs Sasuke again, of his own choice, this time. Sasuke puts his arm back around Kakashi's shoulder easily.

"I'm glad you're here." Kakashi says it with so much feeling Sasuke knows he doesn't just mean here at the gate.

Sasuke is so glad to see Kakashi alive, it's almost overwhelming, but when Kakashi releases him for the second time, Sasuke takes a moment to really take in everyone else.

Rin is long gone, probably having escorted Genma and Guy to the hospital right away. Minato is standing and ruffling Yamato's hair, while Kushina is on her knees, rubbing Yamato's arm and smiling at him. The boy looks overwhelmed with all the affection.

He and Kakashi head home.

"Uh, what happened to our front door? And why is it covered in dogs?"

"Shisui picked it out. Said the dogs were fitting."

"...They are kind of a cool design, I guess."

"Obito hates it."

"...Actually, I love this door."

Chapter Text

Kakashi doesn't say anything else about his mission that evening, and Sasuke doesn't press him. Minato will have to meet with him eventually to have Sasuke fill him in on all the things that happened while he was gone. Sasuke is certain Minato will tell him anything, if asked. 

In the morning, Sasuke carefully lets Kakashi know of his impending acquisition by the Uchiha. He doesn't want to, especially since things are good between them at the moment. But if he doesn't tell Kakashi now, he'll hear it from someone else. Mainly, Obito and Shisui, who are due back from their escort this afternoon, when Sasuke plans on telling them.

So, attempting to be casual, and failing badly, Sasuke throws out,

"Just so you know, Fugaku asked me to be a formal member of the Uchiha Clan, and I've accepted."

Kakashi blinks slowly, processing the information. "I thought you didn't want to live with the Clan again."

"That's still true," Sasuke tries to be affirming. "I'm not moving back there. I'm just going to start going to Clan meetings once in a while, and advise Fugaku on certain matters."

"Fugaku-sama doesn't seem like the kind of person to accept advice," Kakashi muses.

"And, I'm grown up now. I'm a Jounin. You don't have to live here just to parent me, you know." Kakashi tries to sound casual, and fails.

At least Sasuke isn't the only awkward one here.

He remembers when being thirteen felt like being an adult. That was certainly not a time he actually was one.

"Better to take advice from me than the Elders, who seem hellbent on driving the Uchiha into the ground out of principle, I suppose." Sasuke offers. He doesn't want to talk to Kakashi about the real reasons Fugaku might have for at least hearing Sasuke out.

"As for your Jounin status, I wasn't aware family was something one could grow out of." The word family catches in his throat, and he knows Kakashi doesn't miss the slight change in his voice.

"You are related to the Uchiha, you know. Most would consider that to be family." Kakashi's outward appearance is calm, but Sasuke knows he must be as nervous as Sasuke is.

"You've been family to me longer than I remember being part of the Uchiha Clan." And it's true. Sasuke has been either a student of or a parent to Kakashi longer than he can remember ever living among the Uchiha as part of them. And while Sasuke will always be a Uchiha, in personality, in genetics.

That doesn't make Kakashi any less, to Sasuke.

"Guy asked me to kill him." Kakashi says abruptly.

Blinking past the whiplash, Sasuke tries to recover. "That must have been difficult."

"He meant it, too." Kakashi's eyes unfocus. "They sealed a monster inside of him, and it was supposed to blow the village up when he returned. He begged me to let him die with honor. For days. I had to paralyze him every once in a while with one of Genma's senbon to get him to stop."

"You didn't do it, though. I saw him walk through the village gates myself. You brought him back safe." Sasuke isn't sure where this is going, so he makes his best guess.

He has some idea what kind of 'monster' could be sealed in a person, but Sasuke has no memory of a second jinchuriki in Konoha, ever. He might be wrong. Or maybe it happened before and someone died. If it is a tailed beast, Sasuke is surprised Guy didn't die. He's definitely going to have to ask Minato about it. In all honesty, Sasuke isn't completely sure where all of the Tailed Beasts even are right now, what hosts they might be in.

He must have guessed wrong, because Kakashi shakes his head.

"He's in the hospital, and burdened for the rest of his life. I don't know that he'll ever want to speak to me again."

"Why don't you visit him and find out?" Sasuke doesn't know enough about Guy to be certain about him, but he's never seemed like the kind of person that would hate Kakashi for not killing him. He hadn't hated Kakashi-sensei for all the bizarre and downright embarrassing avoidance tactics he'd employed to shake Guy off in the future.

Kakashi blinks at him. "What if he hates me?"

Sasuke shrugs. "Guy doesn't seem like the kind of person who has the capability to hate people."

Sasuke would be surprised if Kakashi managed it.

But why bring this up now? While they'd been talking about Sasuke becoming Uchiha. Was Kakashi secretly distracted by these thoughts the entire time? Or maybe it was related. Maybe Kakashi was considering hating Sasuke, and this reminded him of it. Or maybe there was a different connection or nuance he was missing.

"I'm apologize, but this isn't related to our earlier conversation, right?" Sasuke doesn't want to find out later they'd been having a totally different conversation.