Did I mention I'm bad at remembering to update on this site? This story has been finished for weeks, I just...forgot to update it here.

The Hokage Residence built itself on multiple rows of circular arches. A running joke that the building resembled a dumpling steamer. It existed for generations, seals gradually added to its foundation and load-bearing walls until now, the estate verged tentatively on being defined as a vault.

Inoichi Yamanaka knew that this wasn't a social call, not for the newly appointed Hokage. The Godaime- a brilliant woman, did not appear the sort to casually invite guests over for sake or rice wine.

Still, appearances were important. Inoichi let his posture remain loose, relaxed under the always observing ANBU that stayed watch over the Hokage's location.

Knocking on the door, Inoichi remained casual under the presence of such elaborate chakra seals. He had visited the Third Hokage often, the seals had not changed since the shift in residency.

When the large redwood doors opened, the Godaime herself stood in the doorway with her hair pulled back and pinned into a messy topknot. She lifted one eyebrow, expression thinning into dry amusement at the sight of the wine Inoichi brought along with.

"Look at you," the Godaime said dryly, "already kissing the edge of my robes."

"Of course not," Inoichi said calmly, "you're not working right now."

The Godaime snorted a soft noise that reminded Inoichi of his daughter before she waved him entry past the wards. They slid over him, granting access as well as privacy. Stepping beyond the threshold, the sounds of cicadas and crickets muffled into mute silence. The isolation always felt jarring.

"Come on in," the Godaime said, "the circus performance is in the smoking-room. Well, the main smoking room. Kami knows why there are four in this damned house…"

Inoichi smiled in genuine amusement, "Lord Third enjoyed recreational smoking."

"He really could have lived without that hobby," the Godaime shuddered, her topknot bobbing with the movement. "It always smelled horrible, even decades ago. The man at least kept his decent alcohol there as well."

Inoichi followed her asking politely, "is there anything that pleases you, Lord Fifth?"

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Careful there, bribery won't look nice down the road. And yes. It turns out that old man has a wonderful collection of Shochu, all the way from the Land of Wind! Wonder what poor idiot brought that as a bribe…"

Inoichi couldn't fathom where the Third Hokage had gotten shochu, the man was more a smoker than an avid drinker. "I'll keep your preference in mind."

"Trust me, we'll be cracking open a bottle tonight," the Godaime said bitterly. "Go on, have your pick of the chairs."

Inoichi walked into the smoking-room, his senses tingling the slightest bit. Evidently, someone had thought to use a wind Jutsu to air out the pungent smell, leaving behind a familiar chakra signature as well as a familiar person. "Well well, I didn't know you'd be here, Nara."

Shikaku snorted, reclined back comfortably on a regal low half couch. The man looked every bit like a feudal lord, especially out of Jounin uniform and holding a long pipe.

"Careful," Inoichi teased lightly, taking his seat on Shikaku's left, "I know this is a smoking room, but I have the suspicion you won't get away with actually smoking here."

Shikaku cracked open one eye, glazed and tired, "I haven't slept in days. I don't care if I need to break someone's neck, let me have this."

Inoichi laughed lightly, "You're sounding like your son's teacher now."

"Kami help us all the day I turn into Asuma Sarutobi," Shikaku chuckled dryly, "maybe then Shikamaru will beat me in Shogi."

Inoichi said, "isn't that a bit of a stretch?" to which Shikaku blew smoke directly in his face.

They waited patiently, not asking any questions as the Godaime returned with two stocky bottles of Shochu, the alcohol content dangerously high. She collapsed into a chair nearby them, breaking the metal seal and tossing aside the slightly dented cap. She poured two small glasses, waving lazily at their completion.

"Thank you, Godaime-Sama," Inoichi nodded politely, fetching the two small glasses. Shikaku politely put out his pipe, taking a small sip of the drink.

"Alright," the Godaime said tiredly, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Obviously, there is a topic to discuss."

Inoichi nodded politely, Shikaku waited for her to continue. The evening robe the Hokage had dressed in was every bit as regal as her official robe. The thin tears, and stretched stitching along the cuffs suggested it was an old heirloom or a gift she wore frequently. Perhaps something to wear before sleep, or a private comfort.

"I take it this discussion wasn't a planned thing," Shikaku said slowly, taking another very small sip of his drink. "Something came up?"

The Godaime snorted, tossing half of her glass in one go. Inoichi didn't stir, but Shikaku knew his old teammate had mentally recoiled at the sight. She said, "you could say that. A certain...irritating situation, to put it mildly."

"The council?" Inoichi guessed.

The Godaime shook her head, frowning in thought, "if only. A...specific nin came to me, banging a racket on my window more like it, about a...well, I honestly don't know what to call this."

"I...see," Shikaku said slowly, frowning ever so slightly. There was only one nin...notorious for window-walking, and trouble did follow him.

Inoichi, much more calm and relaxed with the subject, asked content, "ah, has there been a detainment?"

The Godaime looked at Inoichi with a frown, "elaborate, Yamanaka."

"Hai," Inoichi agreed, "in prior instances of mental instability exacerbations, often resulting in psychosis or episodic presentations, protocol mandates temporary detainment until such time where both mental health and intelligence agencies produce synchronous reports of stability."

The Godaime tilted her head ever so slightly. "Obviously, medical and psych records are confidential and are not to be discussed unless situations of emergency."

Inoichi paused before he shook his head. "Hai, however, the position of Hokage obtains all level clearance and access to current and unrelated medical, psychiatric, interrogation, and intelligence reports of any individual within Konohagakure active forces."

The Godaime looked a tad startled at that. She gazed into her drink thoughtfully, tapping her finger silently on the rim. "I am not asking for elaboration, but please answer me this. The jounin, currently assigned as jounin instructor for genin Team 7, was there a sufficient evaluation for stability prior to assignment?"

Shikaku snorted quietly, watching his friend struggle with that can of worms. "Godaime-Sama, if I may…?"

"By all means," she said, "within these walls, there is no need for respectful titles. Please speak plainly and freely. I'd hate for anyone to choke on respect and formalities and withhold vital information."

Shikaku nodded once, agreeing with her opinion. It was something Lord Third hadn't quite grasped. "Senju-Sama," he started, only for her to correct him. He recovered and continued once again, "Tsunade-sama, Jounin Hatake is the largest basket of feral cats we have in Konoha."

Inoichi exhaled heavily, deflating into his seat. "Well, yes, but I would...firmly state that Hatake has reached a plateau. Unless an environmental factor comes into play, I seriously doubt any sort of psychotic event."

Tsunade nodded, "within your list of potential episodes in the current active Konoha force, where would you place Jounin Hatake?"

Inoichi paused for no longer than two seconds, "...latter end of ten operatives, of course, there are substantial factors that discredit the concept of a list, but I trust you are aware of this, Hokage-sama."

"Thank you for speaking openly and plainly with me," Tsunade said, sounding genuine with her words. Another change from Lord Third. "I would like both of you to debrief me on a situation known as the Uchiha Incident."

Shikaku said, "ah, that."

"The incident was thoroughly reported within the archives, Lady Tsunade," Inoichi said politely, "given the location and privacy of this room, am I wrong to presume you wish to hear our personal thoughts on the matter, disregarding the incident report?"

"Correct," Tsunade said, turning to look at one of the many tapestries in the room. Each was subtly stained brown from the smoke residue, but it barely impacted the beautiful imagery of a lotus and koi pond. "I am...obviously, I am aware of situations and conditions triggering such actions listed within the report. Yet…"

"It doesn't match up," Shikaku said quietly, braving the waters that he and Inoichi once discussed years ago. "Nin sometimes snap, it's inevitable. Detainment protocols exist for that very reason, but often there are warning signs which we notice prior to the incident."

Tsunade agreed with him. "The report listed the results of the autopsies. All weapon strikes, with surprisingly little jutsu damage, let alone fire."

"Correct," Inoichi said. "Almost all persons were dealt with quietly, those which fought displayed signs of struggle, particularly from bladed combats. Tendon sprains within the wrist, recoil shock along the forearms. Minor signs of blunt force damage correlating to using the hilt of a weapon."

Tsunade tapped her lower lip thoughtfully, "so...systematic. The report stated that Itachi Uchiha supposedly murdered his clan to 'test his capabilities' which I find very peculiar, given the lack of genjutsu brain damage or Katon burns from autopsy records."

Shikaku lifted his glass, toasting to her quietly. "ANBU commandeered the corpses, a fair number of them at least. If there were signs on those bodies, they weren't written about."

"Messy, all of it," Tsunade said. "I don't understand it, but I personally haven't met Itachi Uchiha."

Inoichi took that as his sign. He sighed quietly, taking his first sip from his glass. "Truthfully, there is little to explain, Hokage-sama. Itachi Uchiha is still recorded as the youngest post-war graduate from the genin academy. He was placed on a genin squad before a mission left him the only survivor. He competed in the Chunin exams alone at age ten, passed spectacularly, and was recruited straight into ANBU."

"Without Jounin exams…" Tsunade mused quietly.

Shikaku said, "the boy was a genius. I still remember watching it. He was close to another Uchiha, also gifted. Talented, able to learn and replicate techniques without his clan Kekkei Genkai. Socially inept, or social stunting."

Inoichi frowned at that, looking at Nara with a disagreeing shake of his head. "No, I wouldn't say he was socially inept. His social development was beyond his age, reflecting four to five years older than him."

Tsunade hummed quietly, looking intrigued. "Can you elaborate, Inoichi?"

Inoichi jerked slightly, a tad taken aback by the first name casualness. "Er- yes, Hokage-Sama."

"Just Tsunade, please," she corrected with intelligent eyes. "There is no need for formality here."

'So different from Lord Third,' Shikaku thought pleased. 'Perhaps things will finally change.'

"Ah, yes," Inoichi corrected. "ANBU mandates regular psychiatric evaluation, often the intelligence department is given such responsibilities due to my Clan's skill with mind-walking. Itachi Uchiha joined ANBU at eleven years old, displaying no signs of social or cognitive delay. The boy...well, plainly said, he was fine. Quiet, lonely, but not at all unable to comprehend others."

"So it was an active personality display," Tsunade summarized. "He didn't appear social because, in truth, he had little in common. Who did Uchiha work with?"

"ANBU team Ro-Han," Shikaku said instantly, "now retired, and referred to as Team Ro. Two recurring members, all else have retired or are no longer active. ANBU level one, missions designated straight from the Third Hokage."

Tsunade's eyebrows lifted, she looked equal parts perplexed and impressed. "A direct recruit into level one?"

"I can't tell you anything about that decision, it's not my area," Shikaku said. "ANBU corps are run by the Hokage and council recommendation."

Tsunade stretched her legs out, rolling and popping her ankles. "Sometimes, I wonder dearly what my old sensei was thinking. Or if he even was. Who are the active members of Team Ro?"

"I don't have the files right now," Shikaku warned, "but I believe current ANBU nin are Yamato and Kiroe, currently deployed."

"On whose orders?" Tsunade asked bitterly, looking unsurprised at Shikaku's equally bitter, "council".

"If I may…" Inoichi said slowly, "I recognize the regulations about confidential information, however, such a coincidence is one I feel the need to address. Itachi Uchiha served on ANBU Team Ro-Han, which, through Uchiha's entire active career, was led by now removed, Hatake Kakashi."

Tsunade righted herself very quickly. She looked at Inoichi piercingly. "You're saying that Hatake Kakashi was the leader of Itachi Uchiha's ANBU team during the massacre?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Inoichi nodded, lifting one hand very quickly to interject, "I would like to add the disclaimer, that although Hatake Kakashi has a...rather large file, in my personal opinion, his is...one of the more loyal nin to the Hokage position."

Tsunade looked at Shikaku and asked blankly, "and your thoughts?"

Shikaku nearly snorted, making a small sound in his throat. "There was an incident in Lord Third's rule, where ANBU had been infiltrated and turned to target the Hokage. I don't have all the information, and this is off the written record. It was presumed to be Orochimaru's influence, but my suspicions stand. Regardless, Hatake Kakashi stood against all ANBU squadrons in favor of protecting Lord Third."

Tsunade made a small noise of agreement, "I've heard of the incident, through a...mutual source. A loud annoying source, but yes. I also believe that Hatake Kakashi is capable of identifying early symptoms of a psychotic episode, especially if leading a squadron."

"I am...relieved, that my long suspicions are shared," Inoichi said, deflating under the weight of his words. He closed his eyes briefly in silent gratitude before speaking the elephant in the room, "then are we all in agreeance that the actions of Itachi Uchiha were not the cause of insanity?"

"And not to 'test his abilities', because that is crap," Shikaku clarified. "There was an alternative motive, which is still unknown."

"Agreed," Tsunade said, "which leads me to my next question. What is your thought of Sasuke Uchiha?"

"A damn tragedy, that's what," Shikaku said with no hesitation. "An absolute disaster."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. She looked at Inoichi, who rubbed at his temple with one hand. "I...will state that my last examination of the child was...perhaps a day after the Uchiha Incident? It was...well, absolutely wretched. The child's mindscape was hell, a shredded mess of emotional turbulence that I haven't seen in most Jonin. "

"I have suspicions that Itachi Uchiha has the means to utilize a genjutsu technique I have never seen before," Tsunade said. "It...manifested in the severity of damage that is, crudely put, impossible for the timeframe."

"Yes," Inoichi said. "That's exactly it. It looked like it had been days of constant trauma, not seconds. I still wonder how it was possible, but…"

"Uchiha was a genius," Shikaku summarized dryly. "You'd be amazed at what people will accept when branded with the label. His brother, Sasuke Uchiha, is not one."

"Not for lack of trying," Inoichi said, "obviously I don't have access to academic reports, but from what I've heard from my daughter, Sasuke Uchiha was the top of his class. Graduated with near-perfect scores, above average in projectiles prior to manifesting his dojutsu."

Tsunade sighed. She finished her drink and tilted the Shochu bottle to refill her glass. After taking a sip from the replenished glass, she asked the room calmly; "what happened with the Chunin exams?"

"Orochimaru infiltrated it," Shikaku said bitterly. "There's much more regarding other areas in both the infiltration and attack itself, but pertaining to Sasuke Uchiha...Orochimaru attacked him personally, placed a cursed mark- as seen on one of our active nin-."

"Anko, I've already read the files, please continue."

"Right," Shikaku said, not bothered by the interruption. "Sasuke Uchiha reacted and used the mark under duress when available Hatake Kakashi sealed the mark, and Orochimaru failed to return to retake the child. The boy later experienced a mutation to the mark, resulting in a negation of the curse mark and a new effective seal."

Tsunade agreed with it, then looked at Inoichi. "What would you explain to the boy's current mental state?"

Inoichi frowned, drumming his fingers against the mostly full glass in his hands. "Running on speculation, I'd...suspect he has normal levels of development. I've heard he interacts on a suitable level, although he tends to be more solitary. I would investigate any sort of emotional distress or dysfunction, potentially a disorder due to traumatic exposure. Lord Third stated that the boy was out of my jurisdiction, due to the sensitive nature of the event."

"The kid turned out alright, somehow," Shikaku summarized. "He isn't insane, or uncontrollably volatile. He's committed to revenge from what I've heard and may display self-injurious behaviour due to the intensity of his training. He was placed with Hatake both due to Hatake being the last candidate to train him with a Sharingan, but also to keep him under control."

Tsunade closed her eyes and set her glass down. She bowed her head in thought until her knuckles rested against her mouth. She thought for a few long seconds.

"Do you trust me?" she asked both men seriously. She opened her eyes, carefully watching each. "I do not mean this as my position, but do you two believe, based on our interactions and now, that you can personally place your trust in me?"

Inoichi floundered, looking at his old teammate in alarm. Shikaku thought, scars puckering along his cheek. He said, slow and hesitant, "you have displayed more...inquiry and neutrality to the fragile state of Konohagakure's affairs than Lord Third, in his later term. I would...tentatively say, that you are both a better Hokage and a better moral conscience than he."

"He means yes," Inoichi translated with exhausted amusement, "that's Shikaku saying yes, we trust you."

Tsunade smiled, finally letting the tired lines on her face show. She grabbed the bottle of alcohol, ignoring her glass, and took a swig straight from the source. Shikaku nearly laughed, Inoichi gawked, and the Fifth Hokage stood dramatically.

"Good," she said firmly, "because I've left Hatake and Uchiha in another room- they can't hear us no worries, and apparently this is a very odd situation."

When she returned, Hatake Kakashi was guiding a very small Uchiha with one hand firmly between his shoulder blades. Tsunade took her seat, Hatake took the empty couch on Shikaku's right and placed his student besides his flank. They created a lopsided circle, every adult looking tired and the boy looking half asleep.

"Alright boys," Tsunade said dryly, folding her hands on her lap. "For the sake of the situation, information needs to be clarified."

"Right," Hatake Kakashi said, voice slightly strained. Shikaku glanced at Inoichi from the corner of his eye, recognizing the serious expression on his friend. Hatake was very stressed. "I presume you know about my little genin?"

"Enough," Shikaku said bluntly. "What areas need to be corrected?"

"Maa, well…" Kakashi trailed off, running one hand along the back of his head. "...You know about the seal I placed to nullify the curse mark?"

"Which subsequently mutated into its own nullification seal," Inoichi finished gently.

Kakashi cringed slightly, "ah, well...yes and no...It did change, but not exactly into a standard mutation."

Shikaku's eyebrows lifted. "I was informed by Ibiki Morino of the mutation."

Hatake shrugged his shoulders, Tsunade rubbed the bridge of her nose once again.

"So, ah…" Hatake trailed off, checking his student who looked unbothered by anything. "I had Jiraiya- the Toad Sannin-."

"Hatake," Tsunade said bluntly, "I know who that moron is."

Hatake ignored her and kept talking, "and after some preliminary testing, we...settled on the explanation of spontaneous development of a Kekkei Genkai."

Shikaku jolted for real this time, little bits of Shucho spilling from his glass. Tsunade still looked unimpressed, only Inoichi looked unfazed by the information.

"The last of the Uchiha…" Inoichi said slowly, "...developing a new Kekkei Genkai? A seal negation technique?"

Hatake shook his head, hair flopping around. "The best Jiraiya-sama and I could decipher, his...ability is on par with you, Godaime-Sama, and your own chakra storage abilities."

Tsunade squinted at the boy. "A chakra storage Kekkei Genkai isn't particularly rare, but it wouldn't negate a curse mark. Let alone one of Orochimaru's design."

"It's more complex," Kakashi said, "I would... cautiously compare it to...ah…" the Jonin seemed to slump in his seat, "...to the late Kushina-san's storage."

The unspoken implications rang loud and clear, even to Tsunade who had little personal interaction with the Uzumaki. The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki.

Shikaku's mouth dried the slightest bit. "Are you implying the boy has turned into…"

"No, no," Kakashi corrected instantly, the awkward demeanour slipping away now to a more serious tone and candour. "The storage is similar to it. I've been unable to see any changes with his chakra levels, unless during an episode."

"An 'episode' meaning…?" Inoichi asked.

Kakashi stilled, grimacing slightly. "Jiraiya-Sama and I have concluded it to be a...manifestation of foresight. He has a level of perspicacity that contradicts the idea of only future events, leaving me to think it's…"

Shikaku felt ice along his skin. He exhaled, voice muted by horror, "the boy is omniscient?"

"I don't know," Hatake said. "At times, yes, but for specific information. I doubt he could inform you of the weather next week, but he is aware of things I have never said and are unreported."

"God help him," Inoichi said, looking horrified. "That...what sort of…"

"There's more," Kakashi said darkly. "I'm led to believe that visions seen within each episode are not only constrained by the mind. Simply put, when Sasuke has a vision of something, he actively experiences it at that moment."

Shikaku felt sick, a twisting pool of dread in his stomach that threatened to upheave with the alcohol. He felt very thankful the Godaime had such a gut intuition to bring it. "To what level of...active experience?"

"He mastered chunin level meditation within an hour," Kakashi said, "he developed signs of bruising and evidence of strangulation during an episode."

Shikaku passed his glass to Tsunade, who willingly filled it with a generous amount. "And he recalls these events after an episode?"

"Almost always," Kakashi said, hesitating ever so slightly. "I...am suspecting there is an alternative hand at play. During severe episodes, where he has lapses of memory, he acts and behaves in a pattern unlike him, yet still... Sasuke."

"Do these episodes occur frequently? Require an external trigger?" Tsunade asked.

"He can induce them," Kakashi said, "or so I believe. Early after the manifestation, he struggled to control it. Now he's informed me he has gained control, but I have doubts. On our most recent excursion, we were attacked by Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha."

"Good god," Shikaku breathed, taking a sip from his drink. "And you survived in relatively good health?"

Kakashi said entirely flat and void of emotion, "Naruto informed me that Sasuke single-handedly killed Kisame Hoshigaki."

The room fell into absolute silence. Inoichi, normally a light drinker, finished his entire glass.

They looked at Sasuke, who still seemed a thousand miles away. He had yet to speak or display any sort of awareness of the environment. Kakashi looked as if this treatment was normal.

"His seal mutated, may I see it?" Tsunade asked, eying Sasuke's throat which was obscured by a dark mesh shirt. "Ignoring the fact he's wearing ANBU clothing."

"Not mine," Kakashi said quickly. His fingers twitched, pausing near Sasuke's neck. Kakashi sighed, withdrawing his hand to grasp Sasuke's shoulder gently, shaking him with steady hands. "Sasuke. Sasuke, the Hokage has questions for you."

Sasuke blinked slowly, awareness filtering back after a long moment. Inoichi grimaced, expression matching that of the legendary healer Tsunade.

"What questions?" Sasuke asked quietly, not making eye contact.

"Sasuke," Tsunade said firmly, speaking clearly for the child. "Can you show me your Kekkei Genkai?"

Sasuke looked at her with an unreadable expression. He lifted one hand, tugging down on the high collar of his shirt. The mark looked to be a horizontal crease, a scar curved like a broad smile against his neck.

Shikaku leaned forward slightly, trying to get a better look. The curse seal was gone, no remnants of a three split mark. The crescent scar seemed too unassuming for something so powerful.

"Why do you want to see it?" Sasuke asked flatly, looking either bored or disappointed by the small audience he had to appeal to.

"To verify the authenticity of the story," Shikaku said, "would you agree? Information proven to be credible has more weight than speculation."

Between blinks, the boy activated his Sharingan. Three tomoe, a dark crimson that looked sharp and calculating. The dojutsu deactivated, turning his iris' an ashy black. "It's impossible to verify information if you don't offer any, to begin with."

Tsunade's index finger tapped along her lips. She said, "You require information prior to verifying it's authenticity?"

"No," Sasuke said sharply. "I don't like being interrogated."

"Have you been interrogated before, Sasuke-Kun?" Inoichi asked gently.

"Stop that," Sasuke said, eyes red once again. "I know what you're doing, stop."

Kakashi, have been quiet since the start, sighed loudly, and rubbed both eyes. He said, wearily, "Sasuke…"

Sasuke, somehow, simmered down. He glowered at the group, before looking down at his hands. "It's easier if I...have a concept."

"A prompt," Inoichi agreed. "You're around the age where students tend to specialize, what might you look into?"

Sasuke had an unreadable expression, something pinched and eerie about the sudden lack of emotion. "What if you don't like my answer?"

"It's all hypothetical," Tsunade corrected dryly, "there's no evidence of anything."

Shikaku took this as a sign that nobody would like the answer.

Sasuke crossed his arms and closed his eyes, looking every bit like a moody child. Inoichi may have smiled at it, if not for the sudden disfiguration splitting the boy's neck open.

The crescent lifted like one might open blinds. Slowly, then quicker as the skin receded into a near-perfect circle. Dark bloody red, it reminded Inoichi horribly of something he saw many many years ago.

"Good God," Inoichi breathed, recognizing a Mangekyo Sharingan even though he had never seen one outside the mind. "It's a straight tomoe."

Kakashi snapped his head around and stared at Inoichi with an expression just shy of bloodthirsty. Something fiercely protective resonated with the man, an implicit threat to explain himself or else.

"I- forgive me," Inoichi stumbled, feeling very at a loss. "I...It's mandated for ANBU evals and…one of my...clients had explained the...abilities of a Mangekyo only briefly. Enough for me to know this shouldn't be possible."

"A client?" Kakashi asked, seemingly calm.

"Shisui," Inoichi explained reluctantly, "he was...very alarmed, wanting to explain the abilities of his dojutsu. This was just prior to his reported suicide."

"A straight tomoe?" Shikaku asked pointedly.

Inoichi swallowed heavily before he explained quietly, "it's...a more physical application. The inverted design tends to enhance the user, where the pinwheel influences others."

Tsunade asked, "by your reaction, I presume these are rare."

"...yes, Hokage-sama."

Sasuke huffed, a small annoyed tch. He opened his eyes, glowing red the exact shade of the Mangekyo on his throat. "Is this enough for you?"

"No," Shikaku said. "You haven't provided any information that has been verified, yet is impossible to know."

Sasuke frowned, the Mangekyo spun slowly counterclockwise. Sasuke said, "it's not that easy."

"You were brought to me with a fractured left arm, and left wrist," Tsunade said, "as well as a bruised trachea, and signs of traumatic genjutsu exposure. Of your injuries, only your fractured forearm had an explanation."

Sasuke looked annoyed, his lip curled and he said sulking, "...I was attacked."

"By who?" Shikaku asked flatly.

Sasuke's eyes flashed. "Itachi."

Kakashi shook his head ever so slightly, "Itachi wasn't near you when-."

"He used a genjutsu on me," Sasuke interrupted harshly. "A technique called Tsukuyomi. He choked me. Happy?"

"No," Shikaku said, crossing his arms. "Why have we never heard of this technique?"

"I can confirm Itachi Uchiha did not have a Mangekyo during ANBU medical examination," Inoichi said quietly. "No more than three weeks before the...event."

Sasuke glared, jaw grinding with an audible creak. His hands curled into fists, and the eye on his neck spun slowly. "I don't care what you think."

"Where would Itachi get a Mangekyou?" Inoichi asked, eyes flickering to Kakashi. "Presuming the same technique as the one used at the night of the incident…"

"It must have occurred before if he's correct," Shikaku said, nodding towards Sasuke. "Even then, there are too many questions."

Sasuke nearly shook with rage, before he inhaled and exhaled slowly. He closed his eyes, admirably composing himself before saying with stiff words. "I don't know."

Tsunade looked back at the painting, deep in thought. "Then we can't act as if-."

Sasuke made a small noise, cutting off sharply. He blinked twice, rubbing one finger below his eyes to catch the sudden twin drops of blood.

"An episode," Kakashi clarified quickly, lifting his forehead protector to observe his student and his Chakra pathways. "Sasuke? Are you-."

Sasuke looked at Inoichi with a genuine expression of dark rage. Lip curling, he looked venomous and said with blunt cold words, "Itachi manifested his Mangekyo because Shisui killed himself before his eyes."

Shikaku slowly leaned in, asking calmly, "why would Shisui do that?"

Sasuke smiled, sharp and razer lipped. "He would die either way. He gave Itachi a gift."

Shikaku at least knew enough to recognize the significance of a gift in Uchiha culture. His expression turned stony, he looked at Inoichi seriously. "Would the timeline work?"

"Yes, but it would be tight," Inoich thought frantically, "presuming that the turnaround rate for development after an incident-."

Sasuke jerked, hands flashing against his neck. He squeezed his eyes closed, jaw clenched as his throat bled. Kakashi shushed his student, offering one hand on his shoulder in comfort. Sasuke muttered something, indecipherable and confused, the gibberish of "...plucked- two no, lost...one lost one given…he failed and- he-..."

Sasuke froze entirely and said very confused- not comprehending his sentence himself; "he was hunted by roots?"

Kakashi froze, as did the rest of the room. Shikaku muttered a quiet, "bothersome piece of shit."

"Alright," Tsunade said, words tight, "now we should discuss the terms of Sasuke Uchiha defecting from the Leaf."

Shikaku asked, " what?"

The hardest part of facing Sasuke Uchiha wasn't realizing what he had lived through, but it was knowing what the child still had to do.

Inoichi and Kakashi left the room, as was standard for the discussion of potential off-record operations. Given the nature of the topic, Shikaku tended to have Jiraiya standing by as well, but that was impossible.

Sasuke Uchiha was small, every bit a prepubescent boy. He had a distant look in his eyes, vague and severely unimpressed. He was too young for alcohol, but Shikaku felt the boy exhaustedly want some.

"Alright," Shikaku said quietly, tapping his hands on the paper map thrown across a decorative kotatsu dragged in from the corner. He traced the old written name of Konohagakure, scanning the borders of the nations. "Theoretically, what would your route be?"

Sasuke looked at the man, fingers twitching ever so slightly. Tsunade watched him with a professional level of interest, expression calculating, and reasonably cautious.

The boy stood, walking towards the map to stare at its detailed lines. Konohagakure had one of the largest collections of cartography maps, some priceless and mapping glacial ridges of distant lands long forgotten. A map of the main nations was easy to obtain, although not as specific as some of the hidden archives.

Shikaku offered a pencil, something light that wouldn't damage the inked lines. Maps took time to reproduce, and he hesitated to damage one as elaborate as this. "Go ahead, whatever you have to offer."

Sasuke nodded slightly, looking at the map. He tilted his head and traced a diagonal path to the North-West, saying quietly, "Iwa."

Tsunade lifted her eyebrow, looking intrigued as to why the Land of Earth had something of interest. Shikaku watched as Sasuke paused then withdrew his hand, seemingly changing his mind, "This route, West along the Black River before along the border and north, to Iwagakure."

"That's a long way," Shikaku mused thoughtfully. "Fairly close to Ame as well."

"Not yet," Sasuke said immediately, tracing one nail clear through Kusa instead of heading North to avoid its border entirely. "Or...North."

Shikaku found the idea of that alarming. "No. We aren't risking any nin near Sound, the situation is still too unknown to risk-."

"Oto is no nation," Sasuke said. His hands stilled, his head tilting slightly as he thought. "It...is an interconnected series of places."

Tsunade said very carefully, "we have suspicions about the Land of Sound, but all scouts fail to report any relevant information. In the wake of reports from the Chunin Exam disaster, we have concluded that Orochimaru has heavily influenced the governing body."

Sasuke blinked a single drop of blood. It fell, splattering near the border of Sound and Fire near a river passage marked the Valley of the Kings. "There is no governing body."

Shikaku frowned at the thought, he asked: "then the revolts?"

"Border skirmishes," Sasuke said immediately, "between endemic and enslaved people."

"Wonderful," Shikaku said, "that's a bothersome thought."

Tsunade looked at Sasuke with an unreadable expression. "Have you been to the Land of Sound?"

"Yes, no," Sasuke said, wincing slightly. The room smelled faintly of burning synthetic fibres. "I…"

"Let's ignore that, and move on instead to what you're hoping to accomplish by leaving," Shikaku said abruptly. "You recognize that leaving Konoha, in a public display, will brand you as a missing-nin?"

"Yes," Sasuke said.

"Are you truly prepared to deal with that?" Shikaku asked skeptic, the boy was no older than Shikamaru, and he doubted even he would be fine on his own.

"I am," Sasuke said. "I know what I need to do."

"And what exactly is that?" Tsunade asked him, looking intrigued and pained at the thought. "What...soirt of grave urgency requires this level of reaction?"

Sasuke grimaced, eyes lifting to the painting on the wall before dropping again. He said, quietly with the shaking voice of a terrified person trying to hide it, "there is another war."

'Well., that would do it,' Shikaku thought tiredly. "And you're aiming to stop it?"

"No," Sasuke corrected. "I'm delaying it."

Tsunade nodded, "and for what exactly? I presume there is some sort of reason why you're going to run across the world buying us time ."

Sasuke said with a heavyweight that exhaustion and knowledge provided, "Naruto Uzumaki needs to be trained."

Shikaku paused, trying to see the reason for why war could hinge on a single child. "Why exactly him?"

Sasuke Uchiha said, "the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi needs to learn his power, without it the world will fall."

Tsunade lifted one hand, "why him?"

Sasuke's mouth was dry, his head throbbing painfully. "The...there is a group…"

"Ah, that mess," Shikaku said tiredly, "the Akatsuki, yes, I've heard of them. They've been traveling around the nations, causing trouble. They attacked you and your team in Tazanuka Quarters."

Sasuke shuddered, hand fluttering against his brow. "No...they- they are...stealing the beasts."

Tsunade's eyes widened, she looked at Shikaku and shared expressions of surprise and grim realization. "This war then, it's not between nations?"

"No," Sasuke said, "it...the beasts are stolen…"

"Which is why the Kyuubi container needs to be trained," Shikaku said, finally comprehending the situation. "And you're on his genin team, defecting would prompt the boy to internalize your choice and inspire him to train harder."

Tsunade thought and found the idea presented settling wrong in her stomach. She clenched her fist, deep in thought. "No, you don't know Naruto as I do. If anything, the boy would blame himself."

Sasuke choked, clutching the paper with a white knuckle fist. Tsunade reached out, her fingertips glowing green with the soothing balm of healing Chakra.

Sasuke clenched his teeth, exhaling a pained wheeze. He said, hoarse and with a strange tone to his words, "Naruto will chase me forever if he views my actions not my own."

Shikaku's eyebrows lifted, "coercion?"

"I'll renounce Konoha," Sasuke said, eyes squeezed closed tightly with bloody tear tracks descending brokenly, "and he will devote his life to changing my mind."

"This will be a long mission then," Shikaku said tiredly, "longer than a year."

"Thirty-two months," Sasuke said.

Shikaku looked at him. "Right...omniscience."

"How would you notify us of any changes?" Tsunade asked critically. "How would you provide reports?"

Sasuke shrugged one shoulder, looking very tired. He said, "summons, birds."

Sasuke Uchiha carried himself with the posture and knowledge of an experienced agent. He ignored the simple questions, responding as if he had experience behind each claim. Shikaku found himself drawing parallels between the boy and some of his distant teams, the ones that returned from constant travel and smelled like haunting memories.

Shikaku couldn't in good faith continue to treat the child as simply a child. Clearly, he had been cursed to lose that innocence. He would take the proper precautions necessary for their most suicidal agents, the ones that left Konoha at night and only returned a decade later.

"Before we leave this room tonight, we are going to create a code for written messages, and then remove all evidence. I will remember it, and your Sharingan should recall all information," Shikaku said, "If you are going to renounce Konoha, you need to be far enough from its borders to avoid detainment."

"I know," Sasuke said, "I'll run, and Naruto will chase me."

" If Naruto Uzumaki fights you and wins," Tsunade warned, "you are facing incarceration at the best. T&I will learn about your skills, and the council will know. It will be one hell of a life, one that you may regret risking."

Sasuke smiled thinly, looking tired and sad. "Then I won't lose to Naruto."

Shikaku rubbed his eyes, this entire situation was incredibly bothersome. "I can't in good faith send you out on a mission without knowing your capabilities. You just returned and required hospitalization, Uchiha."

The boy frowned, expression crinkling into something reminiscent of his late father. Fugaku had once a near-identical expression, particularly aimed at the council and other clan heads. Sasuke said, "It was necessary."

"Necessary my ass," Tsunade said dryly, "what? Was it all according to your plan then? To need me to heal you?"

Sasuke Uchiha said with a flat level of certainty, "you wouldn't have come to Konoha."

Tsunade opened her mouth to argue, then paused. She tilted her head, pondering the thought. After a few seconds of contemplation, she huffed in surprise, "I guess you're right, Uchiha."

Shikaku still felt at odds with such a decision. "Having knowledge does not equate to experience, Uchiha,"

Sasuke looked at him, then rolled his eyes. Every bit like Shikaku's son, even down to the arrogant self-concept. "I can handle it."

"We need to establish a rendezvous time," Tsunade said grimly, "every other month perhaps."

"Too frequent," Shikaku argued immediately, "if he does make it all the way to Oto, returning back after two months is too soon."

"I can return within days," Sasuke said with that despondent voice that spoke of something more. "Ryuchi Cave is only two days through the forest."

Tsunade jolted, spilling her mostly empty glass onto the ground. She stared at Sasuke with something like bafflement. "Excuse me- Ryuchi cave?"

Shikaku hadn't heard of the place beyond that of legends, certainly not in a context like this. Tsunade floundered, abandoning several sentences before finally making something audible. "You...know about the cave?"

Sasuke nodded, looking back at the expansive map on the table before them. "Where are the information checkpoints? Within the Sannin's spy network?"

"He knows about the spy network," Shikaku sighed, "of course, he knows about the network."

Tsunade, still struggling to comprehend how a genin knew about the legendary cave of the white snake, meekly pointed out a few small farming villages. The ones nearest to Oto, Sasuke marked with the pencil before alighting his Sharingan to memorize it all.

"A missing-nin is going to stand out," Tsunade warned tiredly. "Do you already have a cover story established?"

Sasuke said nothing, closing his eyes and sitting back in his seat. He looked well and truly exhausted, dried blood staining his face a flushed red. "Are we done?"

Tsunade was every bit a Hokage. She laughed at Sasuke's exhaustion, accepting the rudeness at face value. Sasuke Uchiha was serving his village and the nations in a way they could not comprehend. Beyond the secrecy of ANBU or hunter-nin, Sasuke was branding himself, traitor, for the sake of peace.

"You have guts, kid," Tsunade said. She admired him, smiling sadly before offering her hand in a rare display of genuine appreciation. "You're planning on this stunt tomorrow then?"

"Hai," Sasuke Uchiha said, nodding ever so slightly. "I have submitted a request to the mission desk for cleaning the Uchiha district."

Shikaku found himself growing more impressed by the child with each sentence. "That's...exceptional. I will provide my best efforts to maintain the district in your absence."

Sasuke Uchiha nodded again, his appreciation silent but understood.

"Well then," Tsunade said with a heavy sigh, "as Godaime, with Shikaku Nara as my witness, I hereby state Sasuke Uchiha promoted to rank Chunin. Under this promotion, Chunin Uchiha is deployed immediately on subterfuge in the name of Konohagakure and her people."

"Hai," Shikaku said with matching dread, "as a witness, I agree."

Sasuke Uchiha bowed his head slightly, then stood and walked out of the room with the slightest wobble in his knees. He closed the door behind him, letting it click quietly. At once, Tsunade let her head slump into her waiting palms.

"I sent that boy to his death," she said distraught, "I've just condemned him."

Shikaku wished he could say that all decisions weren't this hard; there was a reason Hokage was cursed.

Shikamaru Nara thought that being a Chunin would change the missions he accepted. Asuma had promised that there would be fewer menial tasks- Ino had cheered at the thought.

When they arrived at their mission details, along with a pair of Chunin and Jounin, Shikamaru had a horrible feeling.

"Well well," one of the jounin said, wandering over with his hands lodged in his pockets, "I wondered why they brought you in, Asuma."

Asuma shrugged, removing his cigarette and staunching it on the ground. "This was given to us from the mission desk, I was a bit surprised by it too."

The jounin huffed a snort, nodding pointedly, "I was expecting a different sort of uh, body cleanup."

Choji made a gulp, Ino shuddered at the idea. The jounin winked at the two, offering one hand from his pocket. "I've heard about this squad, Shikaku told me not to be too mean. I'm Raido, Genma's the idiot dealing with the seals."

"They're bad?" Asuma asked, noticing the two Chunin elbow deep in something by the large gates.

Raido blew a raspberry, pointing one thumb at the chunin, "had some seal scramblers come over. Nothing like real Fuuinjutsu, but the mission was specific not to break anything, so they sent over some specialists."

Asuma nodded, looking at the large gates with a dark expression. "I should probably explain to you what today's mission is."

Choji gulped, fidgeting nervously. "Is it...uh, isn't this…"

"This is the Uchiha District!" Ino said, blushing faintly, "ah, Sasuke-Kun lives inside!"

Asuma nodded once. "He does, and he's actually the one who gave the mission."

Shikamaru looked up at that, finding that bit of evidence a tad alarming. "Uchiha did?"

The same Uchiha who tried to go hand to hand with a sealed monster? The same type of monster that Shikamaru overheard his father cursing out the day after the disaster? The same Uchiha who would rather stab someone with a Kunai then ask for help?

"I imagine that the mission was given to us for a few reasons," Asuma explained carefully, "all three of you have experience with mind jutsu, meaning you have developed careful barriers to mental trauma."

Shikamaru read the undertone immediately, as well as the implications of the district. "It's a cleanup, isn't it? There aren't any bodies though, it's been far too long and the intelligence division would have taken them away for autopsies. We're damage control then, for whatever happened to the properties."

Ino crossed her arms, looking distantly unsettled. "Wow, couldn't sugar coat it, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru shrugged, watching as the two chunin stepped back and split open the gates with a shimmering red veil. They shouted, "seals are down for twenty-four hours!"

"Just privacy seals," Asuma explained, "as is typical for the larger clans. It's been a while since they've been maintained, so we wanted to disable them to be safe."

They walked into the district, Raido giving a low alarmed whistle at the state of the buildings. Overgrown weeds, broken doors, occasional evidence of deep lacerations into wooden panelling. "Damn, this place is a mess. You said the kid is still living here?"

"Hai," Asuma confirmed grimly, "let's stick to the mission requirements. It said to repair basic damages, report anything needing specialty repair. Search and tidy the interiors of the houses and deliver specific objects to a black table in the square."

"A table?" Choji asked, stepping widely around an overgrown rose bush that looked like mostly thorns. "What sort of objects?"

"Hand-made!" Raido shouted, claiming the closest house on the right before throwing hand signs to the other jounin, Genma, who was already hacking an overgrown shrub to bits with a knife. "Anything that looks like a knick-knack!"

Ino blinked, balking a bit. "We're...looking for...cheap junk?"

"Hey, no," Asuma said immediately. His face turned stony, and he spoke sternly: "we were picked because you all understand sensitive topics. These houses belong to people who have passed away, we're here to help pay respects."

Ino wilted at once, looking properly ashamed, "ah, right. Sorry."

Shikamaru found the district incredibly unsettling. It was a ghost town, abandoned. Why would Uchiha put in a request now? What had changed?

"This place sure is creepy," Choji whispered, jumping as a feral cat hissed and ran off. "I'm glad Ino went with sensei, she looked ready to sneak into Sasuke's house."

Shikamaru snorted, "you're not wrong. Let's just...get this over with."

The house was unlocked, but not by choice. Choji sneezed at the thick smell of mildew, Shikamaru was more interested in the door lock. "It's been cut, broken clean through."

"No way, really?" Choji gaped, spotting the fractured lock-bar. "I mean, I heard that the clan got destroyed but like…"

Shikamaru didn't know by who, it was a taboo subject to talk about. "Let's just...get this over with."

The first thing Shikamaru realized was that the Uchiha clan had been very traditional. Tatami flooring and handcrafted furniture. Embroidery made by experienced fingers, curtains fading in a way that suggested they were once dyed by hand. The clan had been self-sufficient, isolated then. Shikamaru hadn't spotted any sort of exotic possessions that could have originated from a different land.

"Whoa!" Choji said, peering at a small weapon's rack with awe. "Look at these Shikamaru!"

The chunin walked over, feeling a tad surprised by the dull blue weapons. He reached out, taking one short dagger down gently, running his fingers along the stain. "It...isn't painted. It's actually stained into the metal."

"It's beautiful," Choji admired, looking well and truly impressed. "I've never seen this before! They could have sold these to make a fortune, do you think it's a special metal?"

"I doubt it," Shikamaru said, placing the dagger back on the rack carefully. "Let's keep looking."

They searched the house, a bit of dread gaping wider and darker the longer they looked. The bed was unmade, the back hidden closet had broad chopped marks along the wall that signified a fight. The ornate rug didn't show any blood, but Shikamaru knew that ANBU would have used a jutsu to remove surface evidence.

"Look at this…" Choji whispered, face nearly white. "It...it's like someone broke into their house just to- to kill them!"

Shikamaru squatted and tore up the rug, freeing it from the tiny metal tacking that kept it to the tatami. Under the rug was a wretched black mark, clearly pooled in the shape of two corpses. "They didn't remember to clean under the rug."

"Oh Kami," Choji said hoarsely, waiting a second before bolting outside to hurl. Shikamaru closed his eyes, offered a quiet prayer in a religion he knew Uchiha didn't share and put the rug back as he found it.

"Here," Shikamaru said, tossing a few ornately handcrafted combs to his wobbling teammate. "I found this in a jewelry box. Ebony wood, ruby inlay. This is what we're looking for."

Choji turned the two combs in his hands, the delicate craftsmanship dwarfed in his larger fists. "This is beautiful."

"Yeah," Shikamaru agreed, putting his hands back in his pocket. "Do you know how many Uchiha once lived here?"

Choji shook his head, looking green again. Shikamaru glanced at the rooftops, made of broken tile sliding off onto the stone. "I'm guessing by the houses, as well as the size of the river and training ground, and knowing that Uchiha made up almost all of the police force- that...maybe...the police force was two hundred or around that, and the clan stayed pretty far away. It wasn't just isolated, it was a self-sufficient community."

Choji shook his head, the combs shaking in his grip, "they weren't all ninja, they were just- they were civilians too."

The Uchiha had been private, but they were intelligent. There were proven flaws with repetitive inbreeding, not to mention exposing the same genes to a small group over and over again.

Shikamaru sighed heavily, taking the two combs back quietly, "I'd guess around eight to eleven-hundred. Killed overnight."

Choji keeled over and puked again, whimpering slightly at the thought. "Shikamaru, who would... why would…"

"I don't know," Shikamaru said, "but we need to go through these houses. Put them all to rest."

Choji swore again, struggling to his feet. A stray cat watched them with large eyes, hiding under the broken remains of a garden wheelbarrow flipped upside down.

They walked into the next house, Choji searching with a new level of respect and caution. He started crying in one of the rooms, politely stacking the remains of handmade animal plushies back on a small bed.

"It's so tiny, Shika…" Choji said wetly, sniffling loud. "It's...this bed was just- it's not fair!"

Shikamaru watched silently as Choji plucked the smallest plushie, something looking like a rabbit, and cradled it close to his chest. He stood there for a few moments, overwhelmed by the horrible knowledge that a child had died.

"Come on," Shikamaru said gently, helping his teammate out. Shikamaru found a slip of embroidery, carefully stitched a small proclamation of vows, and a prayer to a god Shikamaru hadn't heard of. He took it, along with a small hairpiece made from obsidian and silver.

They met with Ino, looking distinctly horrified and subdued, at the stone table Asuma had mentioned. The table was wide enough to fit the three of them if they pressed tightly, maybe two adults if they lay side by side. Already, its surface was decorated with small bits of trophies. Collected fragments of deceased memories- metal statues, embroidered poems, a set of three sapphire kunai tied together in a wedding ribbon.

"Did you guys find anything?" Ino asked in a whisper, voice wobbling at the edges. She deposited her own collection of keepsakes, a half-finished silk kimono with its needle still attached, a set of gemstone bracelets, a woven necklace accompanied with a short sword with a matching weaved guard. She placed a sheet of old parchment on top, scribbled clumsily over with distorted letters, and a disproportional cat.

"They were so young," Ino said, lifting one hand to her mouth to try and stay composed. "I...sorry. I just...didn't know."

"I don't think anyone did," Shikamaru said tiredly, placing his own bits on top. Ino spared a look at the basket of flowers nearby, pulling out a small collection with sad eyes.

"I can ah, arrange some of these," Ino said lamely, trying to stroke the spindly red flowers, "a bit of a strange selection though…"

Asuma returned, carrying what looked like a roll of tapestry under his arm. "They were here before we got here, Ino-chan."

Ino jolted, one of the red flowers slipping from her grip. "Oh, I guess then...still, a weird pick…"

"What do they mean?" Shikamaru asked halfheartedly, waving at a grim-faced Genma who looked determined to finish as quickly as he could.

"Oh, well, these are red spider lilies," Ino said, showing him the red flowers in question, "and these are hydrangea. Red spider lilies are common for f- funerals, they mean a sense of loss, longing, and abandonment. Lost memories, and sometimes they're used really pretty," Ino said with a small sad smile, "they say that they pave the path to meet a person you'll never see again, so they're...almost like a goodbye."

Shikamaru frowned, looking at the small pile of objects and mementos and such sad symbolism. "What does the purple one mean?"

"Gratitude," Ino said with a small distressed laugh, "it's weird- maybe it's...for us? I don't know, it's almost like...thankful? I don't know- just…"

Shikamaru nodded, letting her struggle with how horrible this entire mission was. "It's fine, thanks."

She nodded, and he left to yet another house. There were a few marked along the road, a paper tag flapping by the door to symbolize if it had been cleared or not. Shikamaru started towards the training grounds, staying towards the outer perimeter to make sure they didn't miss any homes.

This one was different because Shikamaru could feel that it hadn't been as abandoned like the others.

'It wasn't the jounin, they would have left a tag,' Shikamaru thought quickly. 'Ino isn't here, and Choji went a different direction.'

Which left Sasuke Uchiha himself as the only culprit as to why he entered one of the houses. This wasn't even a large one, just a modest little home with a few old burned-out seals. There was no sign of violence here, no broken objects, or forced entry. It was the most alarming fact yet.

Shikamaru searched carefully, finding the lack of struggle jarring. There was nothing, no blood, no displaced shadows. He concentrated, searching for any sort of anomaly that his Chakra could sense.

"Nothing," he murmured, settling down to search the old fashioned way. The drapes were of high quality, a weave that Shikamaru was envious of considering how efficiently they blocked the light. The weapons on the walls were decorative, chipped slightly, and maybe family heirlooms. There was only one bedroom, with very few personal artifacts.

'A nin then,' Shikamaru reasoned tiredly, checking the closet. He paused, running his fingers along with the collection of old abandoned shirts. There were hangers empty in the middle of the selection, contradicting the careful state of the bedroom. "You've been picked through."

'Sasuke has been here,' Shikamaru reasoned quickly, still finding the thought incredibly odd. 'Why? Why hire us if he's able to enter?'

Shikamaru closed the closet, looking over the bedroom again. He settled on the floor, pressing his hands together, "where would I hide something…"

His chakra surged, filling the cracks of shadows and forgotten spaces. There were hidden gaps below the floorboards and hidden behind a wall.

"The hell?" Shikamaru muttered, clambering to investigate the floorboard. A few hand signs had his shadows easing the board from the ground, lifting the tatami mat by an entire section. He peeled it open, pulling out a small collection of objects. Truly random things- a forehead protector so mauled and damaged it was impossible to use in combat, but apparently cherished enough to keep. A chipped Kunai that had the faintest glimmer of blue, fading away after maybe decades of darkness. A few large black feathers- and a stone carved statue of a crow.

Shikamaru pulled it out, tracing the lumps and lines of the handcrafted figure. It didn't have the refined skill of the adults- a genin then? Maybe a chunin?

Shikamaru set it aside, clearly, the statue would be added to the stone table. He picked up a picture, face down at the bottom of the container.

'Oh, no…' Shikamaru thought tiredly. He was a genius, it took a single look to understand the implications of a young Sasuke Uchiha slung around the shoulders of one boy, a cheerful curly-haired Uchiha providing a thumbs up to whoever took the picture.

Since whoever lived here clearly lived alone, it meant that the boy carrying young Sasuke Uchiha was either another close friend (Sasuke with friends? He couldn't think of it) or family. Sasuke, as far as Shikamaru knew, was an orphan.

Actually, this massacre ended the lives of all the Uchiha, who were a formidable collection of fighters. Yet, something slaughtered an entire community overnight- how had Sasuke survived? He should, for all purposes, be dead.

'...unless someone kept him alive on purpose,' Shikamaru thought. Suddenly, the secret storage in the wall became that much more suspicious.

There was no easy way into the compartment, sealed behind a careful doton jutsu that made a stone tomb. Punching through the plaster with an absentminded apology to whatever ghost's house he was vandalizing, Shikamaru hauled out a small metal box.

He flipped it open, pulling out small snips of paper that still smelled fresh. Airtight seal then, hidden away so securely not even a massacre could find them. Or ANBU.

Shikamaru opened the top folded piece of paper, reading the hastily jotted notes of names and numbers and a crude list of jutsu with abbreviated hand sign names. Shikamaru's eyebrows lifted, "well, aren't you an accomplished one."

The list was large, even though the notes weren't that well documented. Most of the jutsu was fire or wind affinity, mixing in strange phrases that Shikamaru presumed implied a Sharingan use. It was alarming, to see such a detailed note- a few nin would kill to try out some of these very high-level techniques.

Shikamaru set that to the side, knowing the danger of powerful knowledge. The next few documents looked strangely like time schedules, all written in a code or shorthand that was impossible to decipher. Certain sections correlated well, scratched through in red ink. They had been tracking something, and considering the alarming amount of red near the later end of the list, it had escalated.

There had to be something more to it because this house had no sign of forced entry which meant the attacker knew nobody was here. Sasuke Uchiha had come into the home recently, clearly had a link to him, and yet the attacker hadn't entered the house.

Clearly, the obvious answer was that the nin had left to confront the attacker, but that was triggering something in the back of Shikamaru's brain. If that was the case, why would Sasuke find the courage to enter this house and not the others?

"It has to be different…" Shikamaru mused, sifting through what looked like documents and medical reports written in code and terminology he wasn't familiar with. He looked and pulled out a heavier piece of paper near the bottom of the metal box.

Shikamaru read, mumbling out loud quietly, "please take this notice as final word and request, this is my formal note and instructions for my body- is this a will?"

Shikamaru read, something frantic urging him to finish it quickly. The wall hadn't been touched, whoever this was for, they had never received it. A formal will would be kept in the Hokage Office, given out for any nin in active duty. This was secret, hidden away for a specific someone who Shikamaru didn't know.

'Someone,' Shikamaru realized quickly, 'important enough to be in a picture. And Sasuke already visited recently.'

Shikamaru knew the intended audience, because the owner of the house, someone named Shisui Uchiha according to the signature at the bottom, actually wrote it. Right near the end, written in sloppy handwriting that looked lazy and surprisingly affectionate, wrote: sorry I can't be there Itachi. I guess I messed up somewhere. You'll do the right thing.

Itachi, which Shikamaru felt nudging distantly, hit the back of his head. A name that had been buzzing around recently, quietly in hushed voices. A taboo that had been recently awoken, and Shikamaru was exceedingly annoyed he didn't know why.

He finished checking the house, hesitating before lodging the metal box under the floorboards and hiding it again. There must have been a reason nobody found it, and why this house wasn't checked over before.

Shikamaru continued his search, the nearby houses revealing small objects and trinkets similar to carvings or crafted objects. Wooden toys made from a Kunai, or little sewn pouches filled with interesting rocks. Shikamaru was clearly in a small area that was once populated by solo occupants. Young adults that left their family homes, nin that were bound on missions and returned frequently. There were none of the elaborate designs and handmade objects that the other houses, but still Shikamaru could tell the amount of time put into their making.

Shikamaru returned to the stone table where Raido was placing more of his finds. Shikamaru added his to the pile, disliking how chipper the sparrows were that watched them from the trees.

"Hey, did you know any of them?" Shikamaru asked, sliding his hands into his pockets. Raido looked at him with a skeptic look, the puckered scars along his face twisting at his expression.

"...Yeah," Raido confessed with a grim nod, "went to the academy with a few. Did some missions."

Shikamaru figured as such. Raido was...infamous for his skill with specific missions, requiring assassinations. "Yeah? Any team assignments?"

Raido scoffed quietly, crossing his arms and leaning back against the table. "You're awfully nosy."

"You caught me," Shikamaru deadpanned.

Raido gave a curt laugh, nodding knowingly, "you're just like your dad. Yeah, I knew a few, did a few missions. Uchiha had... have a reputation that I don't think they ever deserved. The ones I knew were damn good people."

Shikamaru nodded, letting his eyes fall downcast. "Have you ever heard about someone named Shisui? I couldn't find anything-."

"Oh, no," Raido cut off quickly, looking a bit awkward. "He uh, yeah. I knew the guy. He died before this clusterfuck, heard he drowned but…" Raido barked a dry scornful laugh, "I ran with him a few times and that bastard knew how to swim."

Shikamaru knew that whoever this Shisui was, he was a talented nin. The list of jutsu itself was breathtaking, if the person was capable of even half of them, he would have been a monster to fight.

"It's a damn shame…" Raido muttered sourly, bowing his head slightly. "They wouldn't let us in for his actual funeral thing, Uchiha burn bodies. I was at his service, with some teammates."

Shikamaru stored that fact away. Raido was accomplished, serving under Lord Fourth before the man's untimely death long ago. He was capable of moving at absurd speeds, but he spoke with a sort of reverence for the unknown man. "He was able to keep up with you?"

Raido laughed a bit at the thought, running one hand down his face. "Fuck, no no. He...Shisui was fast, an absolute fucker. He was insane, a beast with the body-flicker. I may be fast but that little bastard was damn sneaky."

Shikamaru lifted his eyebrows. "You trained together?"

"Ah, sometimes," Raido confessed awkwardly. "We had a similar training ground, so he popped up often."

Raido was a personal guard to the Hokage and operated on a special units team normally. His training ground wasn't something a genin could wander into- it would be high level, restricted. Something only those of equal skill could access. Only a handful of those existed.

Shikamaru asked in a dry voice, "ANBU?"

"Sorry kid, I don't know anything about ANBU," Raido deadpanned flatly, "what's ANBU?"

Shikamaru smiled thinly, that was enough to confirm what he knew. He hadn't heard about any Uchiha in ANBU, the force tended to...be exclusive. Parallel to the Uchiha Police force, from what the history books explained. Incorporating an Uchiha into ANBU would...destabilize a lot of things unless there were other balances in check.

A flicker of leaves announced Genma's arrival, depositing his own collection of goods on the table. It was beginning to stack, the second layer of memories.

"You two chatty-chunins?" Genma asked, gnawing on a Senbon lazily.

Raido snorted, "you wish. Just...reminiscing."

Genma lifted one eyebrow, hidden under the bandanna covering his hair. "Really?"

"Talking about some old teammates," Shikamaru elaborated dryly, "Shisui Uchiha."

Genma shifted the Senbon in his mouth, looking a little surprised. "No shit? That kid was the best. He knocked you on your ass more than anyone, Raido."

Raido blew a raspberry, Genma snickered a tad. "But really, Shisui was insane. I loved that kid, god he must have been...maybe your age. Really talented- one of the first prodigies really."

Shikamaru hadn't even heard about him before. He leaned one hip against the stone, looking thoroughly interested. "You don't say."

Genma nodded. He said, "he was...really talented. Handpicked, really humble and kind. Used to wipe the floor during training then spend twice as long helping bandage you up. Had a few Kunai tricks he'd use to scare the new jounin. Once he went up against Hatake and we had to drag the two apart, he was wicked with a tanto…"

Shikamaru contemplated it and the strangeness of this unknown man. He was...admired even, yet somehow died before the massacre. Nin dying on missions was common, but Shisui had been talented. Kakashi Hatake was legendary, Shikamaru knew this and anyone capable of enduring combat with him wouldn't fall on a mission that easily.

"I never heard of a Uchiha on standard teams," Shikamaru said slowly, "I thought they were in the police force."

"I mean, yeah," Genma said, "they went to the academy with us, tended to be good students- at least the ones from ninja households. I was in class with that one, Obito, and then there was Itachi-."

Genma's mouth closed quickly, teeth clicking on the metal Senbon. Raido grimaced also, drawing quiet.

'Itachi, eh?' Shikamaru thought, recognizing the name from Shisui's letter. "I've never heard of him."

"Yeah, you wouldn't," Genma said darkly, "you don't have a bingo book yet-."

Raido jerked his elbow into Genma's side, giving a pointed look.

Shikamaru felt the puzzle pieces slowly slotting into place. At first, it suggested one series of linked events that now looked implausible. Shikamaru felt like he had stumbled into something much larger and much more bothersome than he had predicted.

"Nah, they said they'll have one for me at the end of this," Shikamaru deflected calmly, "anything interesting in it?"

"Well, it's always fun seeing if you're in it," Raido suggested strained, "Kiri is the best for stupid descriptors."

Shikamaru hummed, forcing a casual tone into his voice. "So, if all the Uchiha are dead, why would one of them still be in it?"

Genma chewed on his Senbon, Raido scuffed his shoe on the ground, fingers curling into a fist.

"I mean…" Shikamaru said, recognizing the tension, "I can just wait and read it up myself."

Shikamaru waited, let the bait dangle. People were inherently predictable, they followed a rather normal set of instincts and desires that, if prompted, could cause the release of information. It wasn't their fault, it was human nature.

Genma chewed on his Senbon, expression blank but clearly the information bothered him. Human nature dictated that bad news was best delivered from an ally, not from a public source.

"Okay, look," Genma said, leaning in slightly and lowering his voice. Raido looked away, reaching out to stroke a gently carved neck of a wooden horse on the table.

Genma chewed on the needle, composing his words. "Itachi Uchiha...is the most recent prodigy. One of the youngest to graduate flew through the ranks. At ten he was a chunin after competing alone, by eleven he was already in ANBU."

Shikamaru offered a dry bored, "whoa, impressive."

Genma took the lack of enthusiasm clearly as a good sign. The man chewed on the Senbon, thinking carefully. "I mean, nothing's really...the kid was young. Humble, reckless beyond belief."

Genma struggled with words, so Raido filled the gap with detached disinterest. "The kid was phenomenal. I never heard him brag once, he was...ridiculous. He would ask you politely to learn, or how you did something."

"It was a shock with how most recruits are," Genma muttered sourly. "Courteous piece of shit."

"Anyways," Raido sighed tiredly, "he was a real weird one. Introverted, quiet. Would watch you instead of talking, more a support role even though he hit harder than damn Gai and had better aim than this moron."

"Oi," Genma huffed bitterly. "The little shit was smart, could have gone the intelligence route easily. Reasoned out situations without any bias, better than some veterans. Shisui said the kid was just quiet, but I think he hated the whole fighting thing."

"A pacifist?" Shikamaru asked, blinking in surprise. "I thought…"

"Yeah, Uchiha are mean bastards most times," Genma agreed readily, "you think Anko is bad? You should have seen Shisui when he got real mad. This kid was...I don't know."

Shikamaru was beginning to draw lines between several dangerous thoughts. Shisui Uchiha, apparently a very capable ANBU nin, hid files in the wall away from his clansmen. One of which was a will, with written directions specific to Itachi Uchiha.

"Shisui knew Itachi?" Shikamaru asked, already knowing according to the picture the two were close.

"Inseparable when schedules lined up," Genma confirmed. "Shisui was a ball of sunshine, a bit of a prankster and a tease. Itachi was an awkward kid who followed him like a brother, although Shisui was an orphan."

Shisui and Itachi were practically family, so close Shisui went out of his way to hide his picture and final message. Shisui had died early, and Itachi was still alive.

"What happened to Shisui? You said he died before the incident."

Raido's face crumpled, he looked away and refused to speak. Genma bit his Senbon so hard, his enamel clicked. Finally, the man said in a dark bitter voice, "Shisui drowned. Bastard knew how to swim, but he drowned. In the fucking Naka River."

"In Konoha?" Shikamaru said, feeling at a loss. How does an accomplished nin drown inside Konoha? The chakra spike alone would summon any sensors nearby, it would be nearly impossible to die unnoticed.

"Rumor with the Uchiha," Genma gritted through clenched teeth, "that it wasn't suicide."

'Which would prevent the chakra spike,' Shikamaru rationalized. 'Kill Shisui, dump his body in the river. Forge a suicide.'

Genma's fist curled tightly, turning his knuckles white. "Suicide notes aren't hard to write if you've got a fucking Sharingan, I heard."

'An Uchiha murdered him?' Shikamaru pondered.

And then the thoughts clicked together in a crude outline, a rough sketch that was not a portrait of something inspiring. "Itachi Uchiha, eh?"

"Bastard," Genma responded, looking ready to break something. "Absolute bastard."

'If consensus within a clan implied a member had murdered another,' Shikamaru thought, 'Clan law would dictate punishment. If such information was known to those outside the clan, how had Itachi not been arrested?'

Itachi Uchiha was still alive, clearly not within Konoha given the anger around his name. He had escaped then, perhaps a traitor or a missing-nin, but why would the Uchiha clan decide not to hunt down a defector? Clan law almost mandated it-.

'Unless there were no more Uchiha to chase him down,' Shikamaru realized coldly.

Genma huffed, shaking his head in withheld anger. "Smart just like your dad, aren't you?"

'Sasuke Uchiha survived because someone let him live,' Shikamaru thought. 'Shisui Uchiha was best friends with Itachi Uchiha, rumored to have murdered him and forged a suicide note. Shisui left a note referring to him working with Itachi- had they planned it then?'

"God," Raido said, shaking his head forlornly. "A sick thing, all of this. Can't imagine the poor kid, hiring us to do this after all those damn years."

"Fuck Itachi," Genma cursed, "bastard couldn't just kill his-."

"We should get back to work," Raido said abruptly, standing and leaving the clearing without another word. Genma scowled, muttering angrily before his body flickered away. Shikamaru stood alone near the table of flowers and objects with too many thoughts.

"His...what?" Shikamaru said out loud, already knowing the answer. The picture had Sasuke in it, clearly too young for the academy and still practically an infant around the smiling shoulders of Itachi.

'His brother,' Shikamaru settled on wearily. If the topic hadn't been such a dark one that clans avoided mentioning, Shikamaru may have once known them. Sasuke was now the clan heir, the leader of the Uchihas. Shikamaru's dad mentioned how the seat remained empty since the disaster. Itachi Uchiha must have murdered his entire clan, except for his brother.

But why?

Ino and Asuma returned, carrying a wooden box. They nodded a greeting, opening the lid to deposit a careful arrangement of new objects. Ino squeezed a small dragon plushie between her arms, bowing her head quietly before placing it between two flowers.

The flowers still settled wrong, something foreboding about their meaning.

"You doing alright?" Asuma asked him, resting one heavy hand on Shikamaru's shoulder. "You have a look like something's bothering you."

"I'm thinking," Shikamaru said, "about...this."

Asuma grimaced with a heavy expression. "We were given instructions at noon to light this table."

"What?" Ino gaped, looking alarmed, "we're supposed to- burn all of this?"

"Funeral rights are different for each religion," Asuma reminded her gently, "it makes sense, all Uchiha are proficient with the Katon."

'Then why are we the ones doing this?' Shikamaru wondered, 'if Sasuke already visited Shisui's house. The funeral rights of people he never knew wouldn't be as painful.'

"I'm going to check a few more houses," Shikamaru said, knowing that noon wasn't so far away. There was more to this than it appeared, and Shikamaru found himself deeply invested.

"Okay," Ino said, smiling weakly. Shikamaru nodded, walking out of sight before focusing and flashing hand signs. His shadows stretched through the ground, running along the rainwater trails that fed into each house. The dust choked the shadows, filling them with cobwebs and dust balls. The more stirred trails suggested activity, with a zone three streets over with no dust he could feel.

"There you are," Shikamaru muttered, releasing his jutsu. It drained his chakra slightly, leaving him with a prickling headache. He walked through the small alleyways, now deserted and filled with upturned barrels filled with fly larva.

A bird watched him curiously, staying on guard over its nest. By the size of it, the bird had nested in the same home yearly. It stole a lantern, knocking out the fire wick and using its covered lid for a guard for its young.

Shikamaru noticed the stone shrines along the path that looked dirty and old. Covered in bird feces or a white remnant that had the texture of candle wax. The shrine nearest Sasuke's house had been cleaned, freshly polished and stained with something black.

Sasuke wasn't inside. The front door opened without any squeaking. The floor smelled of freshly washed sap, the walls looked washed. Shikamaru touched the doorframe, feeling the coat of beeswax. Sasuke didn't seem like one to care meticulously over hygiene and cleanliness.

Shikamaru walked through the entryway, peering around for any sign of seals or perimeter traps. Sasuke's kitchen was suited for a family, the cupboards and chopstick collection stocked for more than three.

'This is odd,' Shikamaru reasoned, investigating the top of the cabinets for any hint of dust. All surfaces had been polished, protected, placed in a state of absolute cleanliness. Shikamaru checked the office, pausing at the state of it. His head prickled under the buzzing of chakra wards. Shikamaru didn't need to know this information, it wasn't clan secrets he was curious about.

The master bedroom was cleaned, arranged neat and tidy. Beautiful furniture hand-carved with wooden dragons. The room smelled of incense, a burning floral wisp with no true source. Shikamaru closed his eyes, exhaling through the discomfort. He closed the door quietly, pressing his forehead against the wood.

'A few more,' Shikamaru thought tiredly, finally finding Sasuke's room.

It was still in use, a few small bits of clothing scattered around. A sock under the bed, a pair of wrappings just shy of the wastebasket. It didn't match the careful cleaning of the rest of the home, it looked... dishevelled?

Shikamaru pulled open some drawers, looking for anything abnormal. New clothes, weapons, an occasional jacket with a tear that had yet to be mended. Sasuke's wardrobe held formal clan wear in size of someone much smaller. Some of the clothing was absent from its hanger.

Shikamaru could have dismissed it as Sasuke needing to do laundry- but how would he find time to clean so obsessively and not tend to his own uniform? He had made his bed, turned a photograph face down near his window.

Shikamaru left the boy's bedroom, opening the final door which was his true target in this expedition. Itachi Uchiha's room looked empty and barren, lacking objects that felt normal in the room of any normal person. People liked pictures, details on their walls. They put personality in their choices, their belongings. All Uchiha, without fail, had cherished a token of memory.

Investigating the closet gave Shikamaru the impression that it had been ransacked. Clothing was taken from hangers in the middle instead of the end. Trousers left aside, but bandages and spare equipment removed from its spot. Dust unsettled, strangely gathered where an object had been but was now taken.

'Sasuke recently searched this room,' Shikamaru realized, noticing how simple civilian clothing remained behind. 'Itachi had a high rank. All combat equipment is gone, something that would ask questions if he bought it in public.'

"This isn't right," Shikamaru muttered, trailing his fingers over the rumpled bed covers. There were too many questions, why had Sasuke recently searched for stronger equipment? Was his team going on a mission soon?

'No, he wouldn't want us to clean the district without his supervision,' Shikamaru argued. Sasuke was acting illogically, doing something- something strange. 'Why would he do this?'

Shikamaru returned to the stone table, burning brightly with hot orange fire. Asuma and Genma oversaw it, grimacing as precious memories burned in a raging flame.

Ino was near Choji, waiting for his arrival. Choji looked miserable, Ino had recovered somewhat.

"There you are," Choji smiled halfheartedly, "we wanted to wait but…"

"It's fine," Shikamaru said, looking into the fire. It burned hotly, bits of metal glowing like miniature constellations. "Are we supposed to say anything?"

"We weren't told to," Asuma said with a helpless sort of look. "I know the Uchiha worship the sun and fire, but I'm not sure what they do in particular."

'If they worship the sun, then noon would be the best time for Sasuke to show. But he isn't here,' Shikamaru thought grimly, hands curling into fists. "Have you seen Sasuke?"

Asuma shook his head. "The mission desk said that his team was heading off for a mission-."

"What? No, they aren't," Ino interrupted, looking perplexed. "I just saw Forehead. She said they had this week off."

'If the mission desk said that, then it was stated in the initial reports, submitted yesterday,' Shikamaru calculated. 'The flowers were here before we showed up. Why would they mean apologies, if Sasuke hadn't been regretful enough to be here?'

"That's strange," Asuma agreed, looking a tad surprised. "I was told to not expect the Uchiha here for a while."

'Why would Sasuke clean and apologize, let strangers perform clan burial rights and-.'

Shikamaru jolted, looking at Asuma intently, "Asuma, where does their sensei live?"

Genma looked startled by the question, asking a rhetorical question: "Kakashi? Uh, just past the Civ's marketplace, overlooking the Gekio Market. If he's out training the kid, he won't be home."

Shikamaru asked seriously, "can you take me there?"

Asuma and his teammates noticed something off but didn't argue. It wouldn't be the first time one of Shikamaru's hunches turned out to lead to something important. Genma looked a tad wary but nodded.

"Hai, you ever flash?" Genma asked, clamping one hand on Shikamaru's shoulders. "Don't breathe for a second, or you'll get the air sucked out of your lungs."

Shikamaru grimaced and forced his body to remain relaxed. Genma's chakra felt sharp and aggressive, a bramble with thorns that prickled across Shikamaru's senses.

"Alright kid," Genma said, thumping his back with one heavy hand. "Go around the corner, first stairs on the left. His room is like, fourth down? Apartment with the seals that try to murder you, well, more than most."

Shikamaru found it funny in a twisted way that he immediately understood. "You have a body flicker that ends up in front of a bar?"

Genma looked suspiciously guilty, shushing Shikamaru along.

It turned out that Shikamaru didn't need to try and locate the Jonin's apartment, because he caught sight of orange halfway up the stairwell. With one arm raised, Shikamaru called out an urgent greeting.

"Eh?" Naruto asked, looking down the stairs. He beamed broadly, returning an enthusiastic wave, "Shikamaru! What're ya doin way over here, dattebayo?"

"I need to talk with your sensei," Shikamaru said, something conveying the urgency. Naruto's expression shifted, his smile turning serious. He nodded, running up the stairs with Shikamaru close behind.

Naruto banged on one door marked with a plethora of dangerous seals. Naruto kept pounding, shouting through the wall: "Kakashi-Sensei! Kakashi-Sensei! Wake up! Stop reading that stupid book!"

There was something wrong, presumably wrong enough that Genma had followed behind or overheard the shouting.

"Oi!" Genma asked, looking up from the road with a frown, "what, scarecrow won't answer?"

"You know him?" Naruto shouted back, waving both arms boldly. "He isn't letting me in! And I promised not to eat all his ramen!"

Genma chewed on his Senbon, sighing and ascending the stairway. He wrapped his knuckles on the door quickly, waiting with his arms crossed. The door didn't open, making Genma frown.

"He's maybe in there," Genma said, tapping the door with his fingertips silently. "I don't sense his mission tag, you sure he isn't out training the kid?"

"What kid?" Naruto asked obliviously. "Sasuke-Kun? He just got out of the hospital, he isn't allowed to be training!"

"Hospital?" Shikamaru mirrored, feeling alarmed at that. "What happened?"

Naruto scowled, face darkening quickly. "We were...on a mission and ran into his...Teme's brother and-."

"Wait hold up," Genma said, lifting one hand in alarm, "you're telling me you ran into Itachi?"

"Yeah, you know him?" Naruto asked, "he was a jerk!"

Genma swore quietly, banging his hand against the door loudly. "Oi! Kaka-shit! Open up! You better not be hiding your guts falling out!"

Shikamaru needed to think. "You're saying that you just ran into Itachi Uchiha?"

"Eh? Yeah, we got back on Monday. Teme was in the hospital and left Tuesday. Sensei said we can take a mission again next week-."

'The room had been raided after they met, either today or yesterday,' Shikamaru thought frantically. 'Sasuke designated strangers to perform funeral rites left an apology and took his brother's things-.'

"Open the door," Shikamaru said calmly. Genma looked at him, recognizing something on the Nara's face. With a grimace, Genma plucked out his Senbon, charged it with chakra, and rammed it right into the door. It arced with electricity, drawing straight to the needle like a lightning rod. Burn marks littered the wood surface like frost, reeking of melting varnish.

"Oi! Don't try and kill me!" Genma shouted through the door, bashing into it with a chakra enhanced kick. The door burst into another array of sparks, electricity so powerful the Senbon began to melt.

The door swung open slowly, thoroughly ruined and smoking like burned pork. Genma waved his hand, trying to look through the cloud. "Oi! Kakashi!"

"Sensei!" Naruto shouted, rushing into the room. Shikamaru stayed back, stretching out with his senses for anything abnormal. "Hey! Mister! Kakashi isn't waking up!"

Genma cursed again, slipping through the apartment with obvious familiarity. He cursed louder, selecting a few choice words before grunting pointedly. The acrid fumes of short-circuited seals were making Naruto choke, floundering on the horrific stink.

Genma returned, carrying a limp body over his shoulder. He deposited Kakashi soundly on the floor of the hallway, coughing into his fist.

"Sensei!" Naruto shouted, nearly leaping onto the unconscious man. Genma used one of his legs to soundly slide Naruto away like an over-enthusiastic dog.

"Calm down," Genma said. His voice had a slight rasp to it, fingers twitching in a tiny tremor of electricity exposure. "Looks like a genjutsu, normally this termite bounces back fine. Shit, I can't think of anything that can knock him down so soundly except Anko in a drinking contest and a six-day mission."

Genma surged his chakra, trying to wake the man externally. The first attempt did nothing, surprising Genma beyond words. "Damn, haven't seen something like this since fuckin' Kurenai challenging Shi-."

Shikamaru felt the final puzzle piece click. A pang of emptiness, of cursed awareness. He closed his eyes and said in a quiet voice, "Naruto. Sasuke attacked him."

"Eh?" Naruto asked, spinning around in shock, "no way! Sasuke would never do that!"

Genma paused, then tried a chakra surge in a different way. Kakashi stirred; he jolted awake with a feral low noise which Genma countered by punching the man soundly.

"Stop it," Genma ordered, looking ready to punch him again. "Sharingan?"

"Yeah," Kakashi croaked out, hands lifting to his forehead with a groan, "he...Sasuke-."

"What? Teme did that?" Naruto gaped, looking conflicted, "but…"

"He left the village," Shikamaru concluded, feeling dread grow. "He packed up, took everything from Itachi Uchiha's room."

"No way, he hates him," Genma countered, "there's no way in hell that kid would try anything but tear his throat out."

Naruto opened his mouth to argue, then paused. "...I mean…"

Kakashi cursed quietly, struggling to stand. Genma grabbed one of his hands, throwing it over his shoulder. Genma said firmly, "It doesn't matter what happened. Kid attacked his sensei, that has consequences-."

"He wasn't acting right," Kakashi said hoarsely, closing both eyes. "It was a subtle manipulation of some kind."

"A false mind?" Genma asked, looking a tad horrified at the thought, "no way. Even Kurenai can't pull that off well, Shisui refused to do it."

"We met Itachi near Tazunuka Quarters," Kakashi reported tiredly, "there was a chance."

"Shit," Genma said, catching Kakashi as the man struggled again, " shit. Okay, kid I- I've got to take him to a hospital-."

"Go," Shikamaru said flatly, "I'm Chunin, I can lead emergency runs."

Genma huffed but nodded slightly, "Any idea where he may have gone?"

"Mentioned West," Kakashi said hoarsely, "...river."

Shikamaru nodded sharply, "Black River. He couldn't have gone more than ten hours."

"His chakra's settled more like six," Genma said shortly, "get a head-start, I'll send some trackers after you once I let the Hokage know."

"Don't worry Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruto said sternly, "we'll drag that moron back!"

They ran, sprinting through the forest as quickly as they could without burning through chakra.

Shikamaru tried to strategize everything he knew about the Uchiha, but there was painfully only a little amount.

Naruto ran like he was possessed, determination oozing off of him tangibly. He didn't pause once, only talking if Shikamaru asked him a question.

The power of surprise was impressive, but enough to take down the famous Copy-Cat Nin?

Naruto had a grim look, and after hours of running when the nearby Black River glittered on the horizon, the orange clothed boy paused on a tree branch.

"...Shikamaru, you trust me right?" Naruto asked him, looking a bit worried.

'Troublesome,' Shikamaru thought, exhausted from the hard running. He had been cleaning all day, unable to rest even now. "Depends, on a test? No."

Naruto didn't smile. He looked out over the water with a grim expression, knuckles tight. "You...can't go fighting Sasuke-Kun."

"What?" Shikamaru balked, "I can't just stand aside. No offence Naruto, but you aren't exactly the most tactical ninja."

Naruto's expression didn't change. "Shikamaru, you don't get it. Sasuke is... different. It doesn't matter if he hurts me! I can take it!"

Shikamaru shook his head, refusing to accept that. "I can immobilize him-."

Naruto turned and faced him. Something deep glittered in Naruto's eyes, a deep urgency that made Shikamaru consider the boy's words. "Shikamaru, please. I...I don't want you to be hurt."

Shikamaru's mouth turned dry. "I can't let you run in like an idiot-."

"Sasuke isn't...the same," Naruto tried to stress, fisting his hands in his hair. "I mean it! He...after he got hurt- after the Chunin exams...he's different, ya' gotta believe me! It isn't safe!"

"Then he'll hurt you!"

"I can take it!" Naruto shouted, eyes wet and mouth jittering, "just... trust me, I...there's nothing Sasuke-Kun can do to me that I can't come back from!"

Shikamaru doubted that, but the power of Naruto's determined words could move mountains.

'You were right,' Sasuke thought tiredly. The water wobbled slightly, its surface changing with its gentle current.

Amaterasu said quietly, He will chase you to the end of the world to bring you home.

Sprinting across the water, Naruto Uzumaki screamed, "Sasuke!"

'And now I have to make sure he can't,' Sasuke thought.

Amaterasu said, now, the true mission begins.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, stopping a distance behind him. "Why...why did you do this!"

Amaterasu guided him through a hazy tired memory that didn't belong to him."Whatever happens to me, why does that matter to you?"

Naruto panted for breath, nearly vibrating from the intensity of the exchange.

Sasuke said void of any emotion: "I'm done wasting my time with you. I'm done with Konoha. Go home."

Naruto's eyes widened. He stepped backward once.

"No…" Naruto growled, "I refuse to accept that! I'll knock whatever stupidity is in your thick skull and drag you back!"

Sasuke said, "no."

Naruto took one step forward, and Sasuke threw a Kunai so quickly, a thin line of blood split the skin of the other boy's face. Naruto froze, eyes wide in shock as slowly, he bled.

Sasuke turned to face him directly, face expressionless. "I refuse to go back."

Naruto breathed heavily. He whispered brokenly, "Sasuke...what happened to you?"

Naruto hadn't noticed how much his friend had changed. All the tiny things, compiling together into the picture now.

Sasuke once wore the same uniform every day, all the way back in the academy. A dark navy wide neck shirt with white trousers. Open sandals and a deep-set scowl.

Naruto noticed at once when Sasuke showed up in the different jacket, an ashy black with such a wide neck it nearly slid from his shoulders. He noticed the tight clinging mesh that hugs his throat and had no sleeves from their mission together. He knew the stitched section, burned away in a perfect circle where the red-eye watched him from Sasuke's neck. So much had changed, but Naruto hadn't realized it at the moment.

Now, standing on the dark waters, he noticed the smaller things. The long trousers that reminded Naruto of Kakashi-Senpai's, with pockets in all the same spots. The thicker sandals with metallic fasteners near his heel. The kunai ring and shuriken pouch, bandages wrapped around his exposed forearms.

He hadn't realized how much he missed Sasuke's glare and constant sulk. He couldn't remember the last time Sasuke didn't have a blank expression.

"Sasuke…" Naruto said, "come home! Please! We can work through whatever is-."

"No," Sasuke said, and grabbed his forehead protector. "You want to drag me back? Take this then."

Sasuke drew a kunai, carved it through the marking of his loyalty, and threw it to Naruto's feet. Naruto's stomach dropped, words abandoned him.

Sasuke said, "if you try to stop me, I'll kill you."

So this is what it is, Amaterasu said in a lilting whisper, this is the price of kindness.

Naruto grit his teeth and shouted. Sasuke threw a punch hard enough to break bones.

Naruto crumpled around it, not anticipating such a blow. The boy curled around the hit, the vibrations of broken ribs rattling as he rolled across the watery surface, beginning to sink below the River's crest.

"You're nothing to me," Sasuke lied flatly. Face cold and emotionless, he said: "you're not worth my time."

Naruto struggled to his knees, hands curving around his stomach. "How...how can you say that! We're friends!"

Sasuke lied: "We were never friends."

There were no motivators stronger than hate and heartbreak. Sasuke knew that the power of the Mangekyo woke after such pain, and to awake something to inspire Naruto to surpass his limits required something equal if not more.

Sasuke walked forward, feeling nausea twist with every step. He said monotonously, "you're barely worth being a target. You're so useless, it's pathetic you ever thought of me as your rival."

Naruto shouted, choking on blood as Sasuke punched him, relentlessly. Into the water, fracturing hairline marks against his cheekbone.

"Sas-uke," Naruto said, eyes wet and breaking, "you...we all care about you."

Sasuke lied, "I never did."

Amaterasu's comfort faded after a moment of the relentless beatdown. Its normal warmth did nothing to abate the despondent chill. There was a price to everything, meaning to every gift. Sasuke wondered how Naruto could ever forgive him for this, then wondered if he deserved such a thing.

Naruto screamed, vibrating with a level of righteous fury that left Sasuke trembling in its presence. Amaterasu surged, a balm to such a horrible sensation. The Kyuubi.

'I...I can't win against this thing!'

Amaterasu rumbled a low noise of utmost concentration. It moved with the sound of feathers and scales, like the weight of Aoda nestled below Sasuke's jaw. You will endure.

Sasuke felt Naruto's overpowered fist slam against his cheek and rattle the root of his molar. He endured. He felt a tree snap against the chakra reinforced muscles of his back when Naruto hurled him across the river. He endured. He heard the feral scream of a corrupted wave of orange chakra pierce the sky like talons.

("If you wish to stop me, then hate me. Detest me."

"Sasuke! Shut up!"

"Run, and keep running. And maybe I won't kill you.")

Sasuke lit the world in red and refused to submit to the likes of even a tailed beast. He didn't care if the nine-tailed fox wanted to tear out his entrails. Sasuke had a mission, and he would be damned if dobe stopped him.

Naruto took each hit like it never connected. He let his bones break and then heal. He let each Shuriken bury in his skin before tearing them free with impossible claws. He snarled with slit orange eyes and glistening fangs and shrieked a distorted scream, "Sa-su-ke!"

In a different life, Amaterasu said quietly, this fight was driven out of desperation. It was not in the name of something greater. It was suffering for the childish dream for power.

It felt so different now, compared to the first moments when Amaterasu first spoke. Sasuke once dreamed of strength, one day reaching his goal and finally avenging and achieving his life's ambition.

In heart, Sasuke didn't care. He had seen the end of the world and the pain of it; the dreams of avenging the dead felt hollow. It had lost its spark, it's fire that burned so brightly for all of Sasuke's life.

You once asked me for the truth, and I said you were not ready, Amaterasu said. Do you understand?

Sasuke did because there were more important things in the world than revenge and hate, and Sasuke felt so tired to allow his life to be robbed.

Amaterasu was not happy, instead, the beast was sad. The two-faced the monstrous entity the Kyuubi's anger had produced, and Sasuke struggled to find equal hate to match it.

I think I understand it now, Amaterasu confessed as its eye replaced Sasuke's and draconian wings of fire turned Chidori a bottomless black. He truly was a kind child.

And Sasuke collided with Naruto's Rasengan, and knew somehow, the boy would keep chasing him.

( Forever and always, Amaterasu promised him. He never breaks his word. )

One week.

Sasuke finds himself trailing upwards along the Western trails of the Black River. It's body parted at a significant junction, splitting Westward or Northward towards River Country or the Hidden Rain.

Crossing the junction would take an hour on foot, focusing chakra and walking silently on its surface. Sasuke had walked further before, but in the presence of Fire Country civilians, such actions would be a siren to his abilities.

The ferry crossing was no more than a large wooden raft, secured by braided rope as broad as Sasuke's hips. The farming villagers loaded cattle and livestock onto the main surface of the raft, locking them into metal hooks to ensure they didn't jump into the steady current.

Sasuke asked if they'd lift him across the waters. The livestock owners looked at his clothing, seeming hesitant with such a position.

Sasuke lay a subtle genjutsu over them, disguising his face and body, removing their memory of meeting him and planting the acceptance that he had been there from the start.

Three weeks.

"Are you sure you know how to ride a horse?" the man asked, frowning at Sasuke with a light layer of concern. "You seem a bit young to be off on your own.

Sasuke took the reins provided, ignoring the hot exhale of the large animal near his side. "I'm fine."

"If you're sure…" the man said slowly, "where exactly are you going?"

North, away from the mouth of the Northern bay of the Black River. Further, to the highest border of Konohagakure then West across the heavy border that marked the Land of Earth.

"Around," Sasuke said simply, guiding the horse as he left the man with his coins.

'Do you know how to care for a horse?' Sasuke wondered dryly, the foreign animal chuffing loud above his head.

Amaterasu said with a small dash of amusement, I will show you.

'Like you've shown me things before?' Sasuke said scathingly. The dragon fell silent.

Sasuke's body ached with a weariness that did not belong to him. The idea of purchasing and caring for a large slow animal was not something out of curiosity. At this point, when throughout the day random injuries developed and bled fresh over his skin, a horse was required to keep steady progress when his ankle broke spontaneously and healed within hours.

It's training, Amaterasu told him, filling his skull with visions of what could have happened. The burning agony of learning to walk on a liquid to avoid submersion in acid. The bright sharp zing of Senbon lodged through his arm and to his throat. The steady ache of torn muscles and ligaments, the pathetic rattle of a slipped rib from its casing.

"It's a pain," Sasuke corrected sourly, clambering clumsily onto the large saddle. The animal ignored him completely, trained to carry a weight much heavier than a single boy. Being able to place his bag on the horse's back removed an aching sore from strained shoulder muscles.

They're from Kenjutsu, Amaterasu told him as if Sasuke truly cared what source his pain originated from. You are unaccustomed to wielding a sword.

"I still am," Sasuke said bitterly, trying to get the stupid animal to walk instead of eating wildflowers. If Sasuke couldn't walk due to a torturous regime of training and experiments, then he would find something to walk in his stead.

Five weeks.

"The monster is furious," Aoda crooned, seeming very smug with his stealthy maneuver. "Manda rages and laughs at such confusion."

Sasuke held the legendary sword in his hand, it fit better than any blade had before and felt lighter than most decorative weapons. "Thank you, Aoda."

The snake was large, as broad as a small tree now and clearly growing at an exponential rate. The horse, named Fish-Cake in honor of being a complete moron, watched Aoda with dark curious eyes.

Aoda's dark blue scales were the size of fingernails. "Anything for you, Lord Sasuke."

The snake had become a fair companion, curious, and loyal to a fault. Not the brightest thing, but a wretched gossip that enjoyed explaining the new chaos Sasuke imparted to the famous snake Sannin.

"He sent spies to Konohagakure," Aoda told him enthusiastically, "four humans cursed with a different form. They snuck inside the walls I heard, only two survived!"

"The Sound Four," Sasuke repeated dully. They had come to find him, to lure him away with promises of curse marks and power. "They were important pieces to him, I imagine he was quite upset?"

"Furious!" Aoda assured, "wanted to break inside and see the failure himself! Adita, kin of mine, says the toad-human visited the walls. The fox-child as well."

Sasuke let his eyes slip to the underbrush, scanning for animals or curious mice looking for rice balls. Aoda would appreciate a snack. "Thank you, Aoda."

"Of course, Lord Sasuke," Aoda promised him. His body burned in smoke as he vanished from the human world. Kusanagi stayed firm on Sasuke's back, it's sheath strapped in its rightful place.

Two months

Fish-Cake was a loyal dumb animal. The sort of animal that wouldn't stop walking when Sasuke explicitly told it to. For example, when two bandits were holding knives aloft and demanding he stop or they attack him. And Fish-Cake refused to comprehend the concept of "stop".

This horse, Amaterasu said dryly after Sasuke finished looting the unconscious bandits for money, truly takes after its name.

Three months.

Aoda's body was a substantial weight. The snake had slipped into its growth spurt, shedding frequently in solid pieces or rice paper fragments when the humidity fell.

Fish-Cake huffed softly, ears flicking back and forth to swish away hungry flies. Sasuke's muscles throbbed with a deep-set ache that accompanied phantom training. The surreal experience still left him flinching, waking from dreams of horrible antinomies.

Aoda was a gentle creature, simple and enthusiastic with an energetic curiosity of the living world. He explained that he rarely left the den of Ryuchi Cave; the ground warmed gently through the geothermal currents of magma and metal gave rise to heat that powered all of the nations. Aoda basked in the eternal twilight of Ryuchi cave, revering the sunlight that punctured through oasis hollows facing the sky.

The snake now was too large to comfortably lounge across Sasuke's shoulders, and Fish-Cake was still too fickle to trust Aoda once it saw him. The first time Fish-Cake noted Aoda curled across his saddle, the horse jolted with a bounding gait, not quite a jump. Sasuke hadn't yet figured how to secure the leather saddle tight enough' the horse's sudden movements tilted him sideways and no amount of chakra could keep him, his gear, and Aoda affixed in place.

When Fish-Cake clambered up a gentle embankment, the saddle slid backward and Sasuke found himself near sitting on the animal's rear. Amaterasu burned with humor, offering visions of additional equipment but no name for what it was.

Aoda slithered along the ground, maneuvering around stumps and broken logs to keep pace with the sturdy walking animal.

"It is different here," Aoda stated, flickering his long dark tongue into the air as Sasuke broke off a nearby twig from an overhanging branch. "It smells of clay and rock."

Sasuke peeled bits of bark fashioning it into a rough spear. He said offhand, "we're further North."

Aoda said something else, diverting off the beaten path in pursuit of a startled animal. Born out of childish curiosity, Aoda was a snake rivaling the size of a small dog and a length of four. He hissed a terrifying noise, chattering nonsensically about rabbit fur.

Fish-Cake snorted, pausing its walk to investigate a tuft of long grass and yellow flowers. Sasuke's body pulsed with a deep ache. He threw the sharpened twig, piercing two pestering flies buzzing near the horse's face.

Ame was West, just beyond the sharp mountain ridges that defined the continental ridge which bore constant storm clouds. Sasuke could feel the humidity, ambient, and lingering with the tentative buzz of electricity and ozone.

You can not traverse the mountain pass, Amaterasu told him. The creature had been growing stronger, louder and more synchronized with each morning Sasuke woke with memories of a different life. The saddle will slip under such a climb.

"I know," Sasuke said dryly. Aoda had grown used to his summoner speaking to no obvious recipient. The snake, somewhere, crashed through brambles enthusiastically. "You've told me before."

Amaterasu was amused, watching with a level of fondness as Aoda returned with mud around his scales. Fish-Cake made a noise of displeasure, stepping in place with a dainty march. He refused to walk further, not at the sight of such a large animal.

"One day," Aoda promised the horse happily, "I will be large enough to eat you."

Sasuke rubbed his eyes tiredly, joints protesting at the movement. "Don't eat the horse."

"It's so stupid," Aoda complained, flicking his tongue. "One day, Lord Sasuke, I will be large enough to carry you through forests."

It would be a significant improvement. Fish-Cake smelled horrible and tended to eat flowers along the steady march. He drank an obscene amount and gnawed often on Sasuke's hair. "Grow faster then."

Aoda snickered without opening his mouth, he said in good humor, "I do grow, Lord Sasuke! I will grow larger than most of my kin, thanks to you."

Sasuke nudged Fish-Cake along. The animal took a wide berth around Aoda tentatively. "Tch."

"I will," Aoda said, "we are bound by blood, and your chakra sires me. Do all humans taste like you?"

Sasuke hadn't known the contract influenced Aoda in any way. "I don't know, maybe."

Aoda slithered along, staying out of Fish-Cake's sight. "You taste of smoke and ash. Like roots of dead forests, burned to coals above the ground. You taste of brimstone, and the shock of the sky after lightning."

Sasuke closed his eyes, feeling the sun on his skin. "Don't eat too much. You'll get too fat to carry."

Aoda laughed and appeared on the trail ahead. Fish-Cake, once more, refused to walk near him.

Four months

The village of Jusho rested gently in a humid climate just East of the mountain ridges that separated the Land of Fire from the Land of Grass- Kusagakure. The mountain ridges were bisected by gentle rivers, carving deep ravines, and lush near-tropics on the other side.

The Eastern side, on the border of the Land of Fire, gave way to cleared farmland cultivated in the mineral-rich soil from eroding rock. The livestock population flourished within reason, but one man told Sasuke it was nothing compared to the careful ranches made in the Land of Grass, or the unique domestication of animals in Tanigakure- the Land of Waterfalls.

"The Land of Earth is too steep for a horse if that's where you're heading," the man warned, a weathered man with thick skin that looked older than most Shinobi Sasuke knew. "It's a long way through Grass, are you sure you're able to do it alone?"

'I've come all the way from Konoha,' Sasuke wanted to argue bitterly. Konoha wasn't particularly far- there were well-marked roads and a near-constant caravan of produce and foods traveling to the capital. A competent nin could make the trek to the border outposts within a week if they channelled chakra properly. There had been ample time for Konoha to send agents after Sasuke, but the obvious route after reaching the Black River was to follow it West into the Land of Rivers. Instead, he ventured North along the civilian routes and sporadic farming villages, adopting the disguise of a lonely traveler.

Black hair was not uncommon in the Land of Fire, there were countless remnants of the Warring States Era. Blood had diluted generations ago, but still, black hair stayed dominant throughout the land.

The farmer in Jusho frowned, looking at Sasuke with a skeptic's eye. The air felt like it would soon rain, spilling over the nearby rock crests.

He said, "you can't be older than a boy still. I can't leave you traveling all on your own."

Fish-Cake snorted and began to investigate a small wooden square filled with decorative flowers. Sasuke gave up trying to convince his horse to not eat constantly, at least it wouldn't die this way. "I've been on my own already, I'm fine."

The farmer shook his head sternly. "You're younger than my second son! That horse's tack isn't fit for climbing, and its feet are overgrown!"

Sasuke had no idea how to broach the topic of somehow trimming a horse's foot. "Can you point me to someone who can do that for me?"

The man huffed in disbelief. "You're really going into Grass? Do you have a weapon? There are bandits along the trail!"

Sasuke assured the man that yes, he had a weapon. Yes, he could fend for himself. Along the path, he had swindled enough coin from arrogant bandits, too inexperienced to have ever met a genjutsu before. Aoda took significant pleasure in stealing bits from Orochimaru's hideout, lingering when he and his kin were summoned in a swarm to intimidate whatever poor fool found the audience with the man. The Sannin apparently ignored the snakes that lingered about; they remedied any shrew difficulties and served a reminder to any hostages or experiments. Aoda took glee in exploring new locations now that his size served a larger gullet. The last time the bond pulsed in a reverse summoning, Aoda coughed out a scroll containing pathology drawings of a furred animal. Sasuke had no use for it, but Aoda assured him it 'looked important'.

"I just want supplies," Sasuke tried to convey to the man. He was tired, his bones hurting in a way that suggested an imminent growth spurt. "Food, new clothing."

"And a haircut," the man suggested quickly. Sasuke resisted the urge to scowl. His hair wasn't that bad. He brushed it when able, but his hair always did grow quickly. All Uchiha had fast-growing hair, he couldn't help the fact it now brushed his shoulders.

The man sighed, resigning himself to Sasuke's wishes. "I grow sainfoin, and we had a good harvest. I have plenty remaining for your horse. I can point out the way to some neighbors that can offer you what you're asking. Can you read?"

'I'm surrounded, my illiterate morons,' Sasuke thought tiredly, pretending he too, was an illiterate moron. The man didn't seem surprised by the lie, instead, he drew a crude map on the ground with rough symbols for destinations.

"Tomorrow I'm heading to where we trade our harvests and load our excess onto caravans," the man offered kindly. "It would be no hassle to show you and your horse the way. There you can get what you need, I know a caravan that has made the walk to the ninja village in Grass. He's heading into the Land of Fire, but he could maybe offer you advice."

Sasuke accepted, resisting the urge to lay a genjutsu and ignore the awkward mumblings of a simple farmer. The man took his horse by its reins, looking displeased at the lack of rope. "What is this one's name?"

Sasuke cursed everything he knew and confessed flatly, "Fish-Cake."

"Mm, Naruto, eh?" he laughed, patting Fish-Cake on his neck. "A good horse, a bit dim…"

Sasuke didn't argue with that.

The man, named Tenko, set Sasuke in his barn. There were two horses inside already, made of something much larger and much stronger than Fish-Cake. Each of the man's horses was the size of an Inuzuka ninken- the kind to carry passengers and still manage a run.

Tenko told him that his horses worked to plow his field and sow it after the harvest. Sasuke didn't trust either of them. If they were just as dumb as Fish-Cake, anything with a foot as large as Sasuke's face was lethal.

The following morning, Tenko offered him a loaf of bread that tasted both denser and healthier than the manufactured loaves of Konoha. Sasuke mounted Fish-Cake and followed behind a stocky wagon loaded with long bundles of sainfoin. Fish-Cake snuck closer, trying to eat the bright tops of the grass. It was hopeless to try and tell the dumb animal no.

Jusho village center was filled with carts and wagons pulled by similar dumb animals. A few dogs barks, running around after children who held a single chicken aloft. The animal looked equally baffled, flapping its wings feebly.

Tenko pointed out a man on the eve of a wooden stall made of chopped redwood. "There's the farrier. He checks all horses before the caravan leaves."

Sasuke met the farrier, who took one look at Fish-Cake and complemented Sasuke on somehow managing to keep a horse well-fed, although worn down.

"He's very stupid," Sasuke assured the man flatly, watching bored as each of Fish-Cake's hooves were cut with a hooked knife. Apparently the dumb animal had a crack in one edge of the wall, sneaking deeper into the core of the foot.

"You can't keep walking with this one," the farrier told him, patting Fish-Cake's rear. "It's a good animal, but it needs rest or it'll get a pocket and go lame."

'Thank you for being a dumb animal,' Sasuke thought. Fish-Cake reached out with his fat lips and tried to eat Sasuke's hair.

"I have other horses if you're in a rush," the farrier offered, "a courier, or a messenger…?"

"I'm heading to Grass."

The farrier took one look at Fish-Cake and said flatly, "not on this dumb thing you aren't."

Sasuke had expected as much. After meeting the large animals in Tenko's barn, Sasuke learned that his own horse was simply not bred for the sort of long-endurance trek. Fish-Cake wasn't massive, he was actually fairly slim and short, suitable for the flat boring walk. If the horse tried the rocky trails to Grass, the animal would likely buckle under the strain or break an ankle from the descent.

"I have something maybe," the farrier said, waving and calling out for one of the caravans. "I'd argue that I can't promise anything good, but...well...your horse is trying to eat a painted flower, so I don't think you're used to a smart thing."

Sasuke looked. Fish-Cake smacked his lips angrily at a painted flower.

The farrier offered a swap- Fish-Cake would be removed from Sasuke's hair and given to the caravan owner in exchange for a large animal that...wasn't quite a horse.

" This," the farrier introduced with a hearty pat. The animal, as large as one of the workhorses with strange ears and a weird silver-grey body, "is an ass."

It's an animal, Amaterasu clarified. Sasuke looked at the tall thing with thinly hidden cynicism. "Can it climb the mountains?"

"He sure can," the farrier promised him. "He'll help better than your ramen snack of a horse would. This mean bastard would bite any bandits you find. I'd bet you my best knife he could take on a ninja !"

The ass looked at Sasuke with its disproportionately long ears and upright dishevelled hair. It didn't seem that different…

"He'll carry better than a horse too," the farrier promised, "won't argue with extra weight. Mountain mules are bred for tough conditions. We don't name them, just the region they're from."

Sasuke accepted the rope attached to the equine equivalent of a muzzle. "Where is this one from then?"

The farrier grabbed a larger knife with clear intentions of investigating the hooves. "Eh, farmland country? Hatake I guess if you want to name it."

The animal opened its mouth and made the single most ridiculous noise Sasuke had ever heard. The farrier laughed and assured, "oh yes, this is a fine bastard here."

Oh yes, Amaterasu said, nearly writhing in delight at Sasuke's dry humor.

"His name is Bakashi," Sasuke deadpanned flatly. The farrier laughed, nodding along.

"I get it," the man chuckled, "Bakashi, like a foolish scarecrow, eh? Well, who knows. Maybe he will scare some for you. Or just eat one."

"Perfect," Sasuke said. "I'll take him."

Four months and one week.

"Go on," Sasuke urged, nudging his heel into the animal's side. It brayed angrily, smacking it's long ears around like weapons. Sasuke still felt like a stranger on such a massive creature's back, but the thing did carry supplies without too much of a fuss.

At first it snapped at him, threatening to bite his leg. The new saddle and equipment, leather lines called tack came together in an elaborate meshwork of hooks and ropes. Sasuke used his Sharingan to remember the configuration, practicing connecting each bit as Bakashi ate stolen grain on the edge of a farmer's field.

Bakashi wasn't afraid of Aoda. The animal had the fury of the kyuubi between it's ridiculous ears and looked ready to attack the giant snake with herbivore teeth and four hooves. Sasuke put it under a genjutsu, trying to get the damn creature to comprehend that snakes were not for stomping.

Miraculously, after the first experience with a genjutsu, Bakashi ignored Aoda entirely. Aoda was not one to question a not-horse in his face, and instead indulged the privilege of riding its rear and flank curiously.

Bakashi climbed the first steps of Grass' Eastern mountains.

Sasuke left the Land of Fire behind him.