Hey guys,

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Thank you everyone for all the love and support from my disappearance. As shared to many commentors/readers, 2018 has been a difficult year for many reasons, so it was plain hard to sit and write. But I am proud to present my ny newest chapters, by the holidays no less! Please let me know what you think and thank you all again!

Furthermore, if you've liked this story so far, maybe you'll like my other ones on my page, especially the one that I am currently writing, Not the Same as Them. Please read and review, enjoy!

Eggs and Bacon,

CrimsonNi

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Tetsu grinned, a sneaky grin that reeked of of pride and smugness. "Well Mr. God, since this servant failed to satisfy you, what if I could guarantee you the chance to walk again?"

The room fell silent, borderline cold from how fast the air stilled. Regardless, Tetsu remained energized with his beaming smile. The arrogance was cranked to an eleven, causing an electric current to run under Sasuke's skin, but he couldn't read if the current was because he was too angry to react or actually hopeful. But how could he be hopeful?! For Tetsu to guarantee for his brother to walk again?! Fucking nonsense!

The movement was instantaneous. Despite Sasuke standing and Tetsu kneeling, his arm stretched out and his finger wrapped themselves around the flesh of this throat. As he squeezed, he could hear nothing but he knew everyone was scrambling around trying to part the two of them apart. He remained but not because he was powerful enough to ward everyone off but because of those fucking blue eyes. They did not falter or flinch. They were wide and open and so very blue. They said something to him that he couldn't verbalize in language but somehow, he understood what they were expressing. It was enough of a reason for him to let go and when he did, sound returned...in the form of his own grunt of pain.

Tetsu, with an ear-to-ear smile, managed to hook his hand behind Sasuke's knee to trip him backwards. His movements were so barbarian, Sasuke felt his mind go blank and preparation for defense was gone. What was worse was the blonde bastard scrambling to climb on top of him and his mind raced back to the damn dream! The aroused image almost put Sasuke into shock. Before he could resort to using his ninja skills, Tetsu planted his weight hard into Sasuke's abdomen and lowered his face right into Sasuke's.

"Now now, Honey, I'm gonna need you to relax. I'm down for choking but you need to learn the safe word first."

"Fuck you," Sasuke growled out.

Sasuke had no idea what possessed him to say that because he knew that was a perfect opening for Tetsu to sexualize. Instead, he felt Tetsu shiver violently on top of him and it reverbated into Sasuke. Just what the fuck was going on?!

"Don't I ever wish, Darling, but first things first. I gotta talk to your brother and see if we can work a deal out."

His words seized Sasuke's chest again but he was sure it was hope this time. "Can you really do that?" He asked in a low, near whisper. Their eyes were even, black to blue, and neither looked away.

Again, his eyes spoke that unknowing language that Sasuke seemed to be able to understand. The longer they stared at one another, the more his eyes smouldered in emotion. Sasuke knew the answer before he heard Tetsu speak.

"Wanna watch? I'll be really good, promise," he whispered back into his face. The smirk in full return.

Sasuke, regaining his wits about him, flipped Tetsu off and rose up, only to be met with shocked and amused (by Kakashi and Itachi) faces. Tetsu must have noticed because he began laughing in that whimsical manner of his, all child-like and bright. The same way that Sasuke remembered from the dream...fuck.

"Can you please stop losing control of yourself?! Everyone! Are we not adults?!" Tsunade roared. Her blood stained the entirety of her entire face.

"Relax, Granny," Tetsu joked, hoping to lighten the tense mood. "That's how we communicate, all the modern sweethearts talk this way. And speaking of which, we were talking about the proposal I made."

He returned his gaze back onto Itachi and kneeled before him as he done earlier before. "You implied to my brother and myself that you can guarantee my ability to walk." Itachi stated.

"Yes."

"Explain how that is possible."

"Do you know what a Sage is?"

Itachi looked interested but also vexed. "Yes, it is a shinobi who has reached ultimate wisdom in their art. I have heard that those that do, may be considered equal to Gods."

"That first half of your definition is partially correct, but that second half is ridiculous. No human can ever be equivalent to a God. Take it from me; I am powerful in my own right but I would be just an orphaned prostitute were it not for the old fox. But anyways, a human of wisdom is only half of the formula. Can you guess what the other half is?"

Itachi pondered for a moment. "Does this have anything to do with your relationship with the Kyuubi?"

The replying grin would have been answer enough. "I knew you were smart. Yes, it does. See, humans are part of the food chain-right at the tippy-top-but honestly, we're not part of the natural system. The reason being is that humans are fucking complicated. Take you for example; you "should" be the main alpha simply because you're first born, but you're not. You're injured and in the natural world, you'd be dead, but you're not. And that's because humans have a mental system that keeps us from acting exactly like the way instinct should dictate."

"Yes, the study of natural-selection, but what would this have to do with Sages?"

"Don't worry, I'm getting there, I'm at the foreplay stage is all. Anyways, a Sage isn't a human with ultimate wisdom in their art, it's a human that can balance self-awareness with instinct. Naturally speaking, that's not something that can be done without some kind of influence, like…," Tetsu trailed off with an expression that expected an answer.

"Being connected with a biju," Itachi finished.

"Perfect, Mr. God. It could be fair to compare bijus to sages since they are sentient, powerful, and natural, but...ironically enough, bijus are only in existence due to chakra. And if you continue to follow the trail: chakra came from humans that originally came from a tree. Get it now?"

Itachi was finding himself enjoying the lecture, regardless of how odd the circumstances were. "If I am understanding you clearly, the main key to sagehood is the balance of chakra between those 2 ingredients: self-awareness and instinct?"

Tetsu looked to Sasuke in glee. "Your brother is quite the turn on; would you be opposed to sharing me with him?"

If he hadn't felt that Tsunade was at the ready to block him, he would have struck the blonde idiot behind the head. He settled for a glare and a snappy retort. "You seem to enjoy hearing yourself talk more than actually proving you can do it. Are you just stalling?"

Tetsu frowned, 'harrumphing' in the process. "I told you, Sweetheart, I'm foreplaying. You can't just expect a happy ending by jumping straight to it. I gotta lay the foundation, work my way up, and strike at the right timing." Tetsu paused and faced Itachi once again; it was then everyone realized the shackles placed on him were broken. It must have broken from his scuffle with Sasuke. "See, I can smell your anxiety, Mr. God. It's delectable, don't get me wrong, but me just healing you isn't gonna make it go away. You need the right kind of pampering, something to ease you into the reality of what I'm about to do you. And something like this usually starts with-"

His outer form instantly transformed into a shapely figure with dark hair and pupil-less eyes. The blue kimono remained, but now it was fitted with bigger hips and breasts. Kakashi and Sasuke reacted, ready to attack, but Itachi halted them with a muted gasp. The Hinata copy smiled, not with Tetsu's smug smile, but Hinata's. "Trust." 'She' finished.

"Hinata," Itachi whispered longingly.

'Hinata' gently reached for the blanket lain on Itachi's legs and lacked hesitancy in tearing it off his frame. His legs were covered by dark slacks, but it was evident that they were thin and unusable. "Explaining the logic of sagehood provides clarity. It should help you understand the rules; it is why I asked if this was accidental or natural. Natural debilitation can only be cured if there is a natural enemy to combat it but man-made injuries such as yours? They can be fixed with balance; oxygen and carbon dioxide from your peers and brother, energy from the surrounding nature, and chakra from me and Kurama."

'She' wrapped a delicate hand around his ankle while 'she' continued 'her' eye contact with Itachi. Time was not a concept to either of them. It was a world of only two. Yet Itachi felt the most present with himself at that moment; he felt the air enter and leave his lungs; he felt his blood circulating through his veins; he felt the chakra break and mend his broken body. The whole time, 'her' eyes remained with him. So when 'she' pulled away and returned to 'her' original form, he felt at a loss. He finally got Hinata back, but she was pulling away from him to stand by Sasuke. A swell of emotion slithered under his skin until it clutched at his chest. It pulsed with want; it spoke to him in clarity, telling him to pull her back. But he couldn't, she was too far, he would have to wheel himself closer to her. When he tried, a frown sprouted deep from her tan face.

"Walk," she ordered sternly. She sounded like a man, Itachi felt confused, but he saw her, felt her touch, still, on his ankles. He needed to reach her.

"I can't."

But she deflected, keeping her stern expression. "Walk," she said again.

The pull was rather strong because the more he kept the distance, the more desperate he felt to change that. He should have realized that his wife would be stubborn; she was not one to pity. She was trying to help him by getting him to do it on his own, because she believed in him. He needed to walk for her, to reach her like he wanted. The stretch of time was significant as he worked on quelling the anxiety to feed his courage. But it worked. Slowly, he grabbed at the armrests of his wheelchair and pushed himself up. He expected gravity to be quite the bully to his atrophy, but he experienced the contrary. The skin around his legs tightened over the thickened muscles and he could not help but feel powerful. There was a balance to his stance that he thought lost forever and it made him want to run. He wanted to climb a tree and leap from roof to roof as he used to. He wanted to cry with a joy he's only experienced once in his life; when he realized he was in love with Hinata. A glance at Sasuke indicated that he was just as proud about this miracle! Except, he would have to wait; Hinata needed to come first.

With nervousness and giddiness fueling his motivation, Itachi leapt forward in three strides to cup Hinata's heart-shaped face, blonde hair and blue eyes in his hands. That should have set him off, but happiness was an interesting dictator; it commanded him to express this feeling in the most "un-Uchiha" fashion imaginable-through kiss. By no means did the kiss lack passion or technique, but if he could admit it to himself, it wasn't the same. Her lips were different by its definition of soft and her nose rubbed differently against his own than he last remembered. Not to mentioned, the tongue; in the privacy of their home, they could be fresh with each other, but neither were ever fans of sloppiness. Neither him or Hinata fancied choking each other through tongue or "eating" each other alive via lip biting, but maybe time apart made Hinata...excited more than usual. It certainly did Itachi.

"What are you doing?!" Sasuke roared as he pulled Itachi away from Hina-

"You aren't Hinata…"

She-no, HE tapped his lips and laughed when Itachi managed to collect himself. "Is that why you tried draining me like a deprived man? She really is lucky."

"M-My sincerest apologies, I don't know what came over me."

"Do not apologize!" Tetsu coyly joked. "It's sensible-it's just too bad you didn't "come" over me." He followed it with a wink.

"Alright, enough!" Sasuke spat, sickened by the dazed, lovesick look on the dope's face.

"Calm down, Sweety, your brother is just happy. I mean, just look at my handy work! It's been a long while since I've turned damaged bads into perfect goods." And only Tetsu would find it appropriate to smack the outside of Itachi's thigh. The sound was startling loud but Itachi was more surprised of how well he felt it. It didn't hurt, but the feel excited him; he could feel!

"Dear god," Tsunade whispered with wide eyes. Aside from Sasuke, all were too surprised to move or speak. Clearly Tetsu was aware of this if the smug smile was any indication.

He moved to seat himself in Itachi's wheelchair, figuring it was no longer going to be in use. With no shame present, he crossed his legs and weighed his head artfully on his fist. "I'm glad we could work that out because Kurama just gave me some news."

Sasuke eyed the glowing tan skin contrasted against the blue kimono and wanted to stab himself to quiet the "dream" voice whispering desire in his ear. He played it off by scoffing at the dope. Hearing the sarcastic sound had Tetsu eyeing Sasuke and sending a lick of his lips. The voice escalated to groaning.

"I don't mean to interrupt your flirting with my brother, but your news?" Itachi

"Itachi!"

Tetsu responded in laughter but calmed enough to look at Tsunade. "Kurama says that he's caught a whiff of some strangers that remind him eerily of Kabuto. Looks like he's finally made his move."

Her demeanor changed in an instant. "Then I'll send-"

"Don't bother," Tetsu interrupted casually. And with a snap of his fingers, a young boy appeared. He looked a miniature version of Tetsu with a mop of golden hair and wide blue eyes. The boy looked precious in his innocence but it probably helped that his face was rounded with baby fat and his thumb was founded in the young boy's mouth. "I'll be sending Squirt here to do some scouting. Hey buddy, you sense that?"

Squirt nodded and popped his thumb out of his mouth. "It's bad guys!"

"You got it. I need ya to work your usual magic and let me know how it goes. If you pop like a weasel, our GILF here is gonna send reinforcements, alright?"

"Mama won't come?"

"She can't everytime, Squirt, plus I'm trusting you here. You got this!" The little boy looked uncertain but after approaching Tetsu and relishing the calming palm to his cheek, he felt ready to work. With his little feet, he waddled his way to the window and leapt out onto the roof.

"Why send the baby?" Tsunade asked incredulously.

"He's no baby; he's the most unpredictable one in my team. That and Squirt is my only virgin. He's not compelled to fuck random strangers as a means of distraction, unlike the others and myself. Not that I won't start saving myself for you, Love!"

"Would you shut the fuck up!" Sasuke growled.

Everyone else? They were still processing what just happened and the causal power the Leaf's jinchūriki exuded. None, not even Itachi, knew what to make of him, but one thing for sure, he was on their side now and it was due time for The Village Hidden in the Leaves to return to their former glory.