Death is the only way to freedom

Chapter 23: Work

Sasuke entered the orphanage with a rather foul mood. Sex with Naruto this morning had been hot and he loved his Dobe more than anything… but the thought that Naruto was going to learn how to become a responsible and honorable Hokage while he had to look after little brats’ wasn´t that appealing to him.

He wasn´t angry with Naruto as it wasn´t his fault… but he still wished that he could do a job with more… meaningfulness, respect and purpose than to teach little snot nosed kids about the basics of being a shinobi.

What could he possibly gain from this other than to have his suspension shortened by six months? And to be allowed to take the Chunin exam then?

“Ah Uchiha-san… welcome.” A young woman greeted him with a small bow. “I´m Emi and I´m the current leader of this orphanage. Come, I´ll show you around… and introduce you to the children.” She said with a smile.

The Uchiha nodded but rolled his eyes as soon as she turned her beck on him. ´It´s only for six months… how bad can it be… it´s only kids right.`

~ # ~

“Morning Baa-chan,” the blonde grinned as he entered Tsunade´s office. “… Is everything alright with you? You look way to pale.”

“It´s nothing gaki… and try to show a bit of respect or you won´t make it through a single week as Kage,” the busty woman told him.

“Hai hai, Hokage-sama.” The blonde said with a teasing smile while he bowed deeper than necessary towards his sensei. “So where do we start?”

~ # ~

Sasuke was glaring at the little boy in front of him. The boy had been following him around for the last hour and it annoyed the Uchiha to no end.

“Why does he follow me from the distance?” he asked Emi as the children were occupied with their lunch. The little brats´ weren’t that bad and he actually… enjoyed teaching them the basics moves of Taijutsu.

“Who?” The purple-haired Emi asked as she sat down at the same table as the Uchiha.

“That boy with the fox plushie?”

“… Oh you mean Sora-kun. I don´t know. He usually keeps to himself all the time and he doesn´t speak… he hasn´t ever since we found him.”

“But you still know his name.” Sasuke said dryly as he opened the bento that Naruto had made for him. He was surprised to find that Naruto had made the bento just the way he liked it.

There was a compartment with neatly pressed rice with a little Kitsune made of a radish on the top. Separated from this was three small rooms; one with tuna, one with boiled eggs cut in halves and the last one were filled with the cute little spicy tomatoes he liked so much.

´I wonder how he know what I like… we haven’t been together a week yet and still it seems like he knows most of my habits and preferences already… damn I love that Dobe.`

“… Actually… It was Hokage-sama who named him as the ANBU found the boy in a village near the border. Everyone except this boy had been killed… Tsunade-sama named him Sora as he kept staring at the sky all the time… as if he feared something might attack him from above. That´s all I know… why? is it bothering you?” She asked.

“… No, I can handle it…” He told her. There was something about that boy that made him curious… maybe because he looked so familiar somehow… or maybe it was because of the orange fox plushie that never left the brat’s embrace… not even when he ate.

“Why isn´t he at the academy?” the Uchiha asked.

“It´s because he don´t speak. He always keeps to himself and never plays with anyone. I have never seen him react as strongly towards anyone as he does towards you, Uchiha-san.”

~ # ~

Naruto let out a loud yawn. Tsunade had talked about the different forms, other paperwork and regulations that he had to be able to manage as the leader of the Leaf, for two hours straight.

“Are you listening to me brat?” Tsunade growled as she saw the bored look on his face.

“Of course I am, Baa-chan… I know that each form has a number and a kanji letter for the level of difficulty and payment. You told me twice already… what is the matter with you… are you not feeling well?” He asked in a soft tone. She really had been repeating herself and Naruto hadn´t said anything at first… but now at the third repetition it was getting too annoying.

“I have?” She asked surprisingly. “Maybe I´m just tired…”

He gave her a questionable look and was met by a hesitant glare from her golden eyes.

“Are you sure that you´re just tired?” Naruto asked with concern. ”Maybe Sakura-chan should take a lo-”

“I´m fine, gaki… why don´t we go down to the academy and meet your new team instead?”

~ # ~

Sasuke growled inwardly as the young boy continued to follow him all day. It was annoying and yet it pleased the Uchiha to have the kid trail him.

´He wants something from me… as if he senses that we have something in common. I won´t try to force him to speak by using girly methods and I´m not gonna use the name that Tsunade gave him. I guess it´s not always a bad idea to ignore people after all.`

~ # ~

“… Alright. One of them is from the orphanage where Sasuke works, ne?” Naruto asked as he walked next to the wide chested Hokage.

“Two of them actually as they are twins. Your team will be a three man team as usual. Two boys and a girl. The girl Kaori Chou uses pheromones in battle. She accidentally used it on one of the male teachers at the academy… and was able to control his actions for a whole day, so be careful.”

“… Alright, is there and antidote against it?” Naruto asked.

“No yet, but I have Sakura working on a solution.” The Hokage told him. “The boys Isamu (Bravery) and Minoru (Truth) are twins and live at the orphanage. We don´t know a lot about them other than their element is water and that they can intertwine their chakra and create some very impressive jutsu even though they´re only twelve.”

“Sound like a real challenge to me.” He said. “Say, shouldn´t I meet them alone?”

“… Yeah, I just wanted to make sure that you got there and then I´ll stop by at Jiraiya´s place.”

“… I thought he left to find some medical herbs at the country of snow this morning.” Naruto said.

“Oh yeah, right… I guess I just wanted to water his plants.” She told him.

“Ero-senin doesn´t have any plants… no real ones because he´s hardly ever home, remember... Baa-chan… please tell me what´s wrong with you.”

“Naruto… I´m… it´s just a headache…” She couldn´t bring herself to tell him that she was dying as she knew that he… just like Jiraiya would run off to search for a cure that didn´t exist. She had used the ´Souzou Saisei (Creation Rebirth) ´ to much as she had transferred her own life energy to Naruto as Team Kakashi had brought him and the Uchiha back from the battle against Itachi.

No one else than Shizune and Jiraiya knew of this… and this was how it was going to stay as long as possible… though she wouldn´t be able to hide it much longer as her mind and health was getting worse every day.

“Maybe you should go home and take a nap or something. You´re not thirty anymore,” he said with deep concern while ducking as he was sure that she would hit him for that comment… but she never did.

“I know,” she said tiredly. “Go and meet your team. You´ll be team five and I want you to do the bell test with them before I´ll give you any missions.”

“Hai, Baa-chan…” He mumbled as she turned on her heel to get some rest.

´Something is off… she´s hiding something from me, but what could be so bad that she wouldn´t tell me? Did she have a fight with Ero-senin or is she sick or something?`

~ # ~

After the orphans had lunch they were send out to play in the garden. Emi watched the children while the Uchiha leaned against the brick wall, observing Sora who was sitting in a tree all by himself; staring at Sasuke.

´What´s up with this kid anyway?` The Uchiha thought as he suddenly felt the urge to try something. He formed the seals, disappeared only to reappear on the branch next to Sora who didn´t seem at least surprised by this.

The boy turned his head and looked up at the Uchiha with dark eyes. The boy didn´t move a muscle yet Sasuke thought he saw a hint of recognition in the boys nearly black eyes as Sasuke sat down on the wide branch and leaned his back against the trunk.

´Do I remind him of someone or is it just because I don´t suffocate him with questions like that Emi girl?` Sasuke thought as he watched the other children play ninja beneath the three he was sitting in.

The boy looked at the older man with a questionable glare, which Sasuke choose to ignore. If the boy wanted to ask him something he should pull it together and just ask instead of this silent treatment Sora was giving anyone.

The boy reminded Sasuke of himself somehow; silent, emotionally hurt from the loss of beloved relatives and proud… too proud to ask for help and to damn afraid to let other people in out of fear of losing them again… but Sasuke knew that you missed out on the really good stuff too… just like he almost lost Naruto because he wasn´t honest with himself.

He wondered what would have happen to him if Naruto´s soul would have been consumed by Kyuubi… would he have had the guts to kill the one he loved… or would he had frozen and allowed the demon to kill him for real if Itachi hadn´t stepped in between?

“You know Naruto… don´t you?”

The boy looked at him and nodded while hugging the orange fox plushie tightly against his chest.

“He saved you… didn´t he?” Sasuke asked as if it was a matter of fact. The boy nodded his head in response.

“He does that all the time… saving people. He saved me too, you know. Him and me… we grew up alone as we, just like you lost our families in tragic ways… solitude isn´t the solution to the pain you feel after losing those you used to love… he made me realize that… maybe you should cut the ´I can´t speak` act and tell someone what happened.”

~ # ~

Naruto swallowed hard as he approached the classroom where his team was waiting for him. He wondered if they had waited long for his arrival and if they were just like team seven had been as they had been as they met Kakashi for the first time in this very room.

“… Well hello Naruto.”

“Iruka-sensei,” the blonde turned around with a wide grin on his face. “How´s the wedding plans coming along?”

“Just fine. We´re still working on stetting a date though.” The brunette chuckled happily. “Will you go to Chouji and Ino´s wedding next month?”

“Yup, it´s on the fifteenth right?”

“Yes. ´Kashi plans to steal some ideas for our own wedding as he has never attended to a wedding before. He told me that he was looking forward to be together with people who has come together to celebrate a happy event rather than the usual sad ones.”

“…?” Naruto looked at his surrogate father with a puzzled look. “Oh you mean funerals. Yeah I guess all of us have attended to more funerals than weddings ne?”

“But that will hopefully change as there will be quite a few weddings this year.” Iruka said with a smile. He had noticed the change in Naruto mood. He had instantly gone from a nervously happy state to a sad one. ´All of us have lost loved ones… but thankfully we´re still capable to love and cherish.`

“So what are you doing here Naruto?”

“Baa-chan gave me my own genin team… I´m here to meet them.” The blonde told him.

“You mean the children in classroom 2-1? They are still being briefed, but they should be done about… Now.” Iruka said as the door to the classroom opened and the teacher exited the room. The young woman bowed politely at the two men before she continued down the hallway.

“Guess that the rumor is spreading fast eh?” Naruto said more to himself than to Iruka.

“Well you did get a lot of credit for bringing Sasuke-kun back, Sakura-chan has been talking a lot to Ino-chan lately and then there was the party at your new home … so yes, everyone knows that you are about to fulfill your dream.”

“… And everyone is o-k with it?” Naruto asked as he peeked into the classroom where fourteen youngsters where taking a break while celebrating that they had passed the first exam and had achieved the desired title ´ Ninja`.

“It appears so. Well, I don´t want to keep you away from you team anymore. The other sensei are about to arrive… you should enter with them.” Iruka said. He gave the tall blonde a brief hug before he excused himself.

“Oi Naruto.” Kiba said as he walked up to the blonde shinobi. He, Shino, Shikamaru and Temari walked up to him.

“Are you all here to lead a team?” Naruto asked with curiosity.

“Nope, not me,” the blonde woman from Suna said. “Jiraiya asked me to train you in the art of wind jutsu, Naruto-kun. I´ll be your sparing partner while the old pervert is gone.”

~ # ~

“… T-Takahiro(A/N: Takahiro means prosperous, noble, valuable XD).” Sasuke turned his attention to the boy who was finally speaking.

“Takahiro?” The Uchiha asked.

“Takahiro,” the boy said again, this time with more confidence while pointing at himself.

“Nice to meet you Takahiro-kun.” The Uchiha said as if it wasn´t that big a deal that a boy who hadn´t talked in two years told him his name. ´So Tsunade got your name all wrong, Takahiro… figures,` Sasuke thought with a hint of satisfaction. He couldn´t wait to rub it in her face that he was able to make the kid talk in less than a day… and accomplish what she couldn´t in two years.

“… You a-and N-Naruto-sama are… friends?” The child stuttered. It was hard to voice his thoughts after years of total silence.

“Hn.”

“… W-What does that mean?” Takahiro asked.

“It means a lot of things, but in this situation it means yes.” Sasuke told the boy.

“…”

“He just moved in with me.”

“Why?” The young boy asked.

“Because I have a big house, and-”

“You l-love him?” Takahiro asked hesitantly. The young boy was afraid that the cool raven-haired Uchiha who reminded him of his deseeded older brother, would hit him or end up hating him as others had did as he had tried to tell them about their innermost secret feelings.

Ever since that time, he had decided not to speak as losing his entire family was bad enough… Takahiro knew that he would not be able to make it on his own if the people in this orphanage would kick him out and leave him all alone.

“… Yes I do,” the Uchiha answered. “How did you know?”

“… I c-can feel… what others feel and I see… I-I see things that are hidden… hidden in the heart.”

“Really?” The Uchiha asked. He had never heard of a jutsu or bloodline similar to it before… but just because you haven’t heard about something, it doesn´t mean that it doesn´t exist.

“I always could… my family too. The bad guys killed everyone because my father told the leader that his dreams were an illusion… that he would never rule the world.”

“Where does the Dobe fit in?” Sasuke asked.

“… D- Dobe?” The boy looked at the raven with a puzzled expression on his face.

“… It´s my nickname for Naruto… as well as Usuratonkachi.” Sasuke said with a smirk.

“Why do you call him that if you love him?” the ten year old boy asked with wide eyes.

“He calls me Teme, bastard or prick so why shouldn´t I call him names too? Besides that, he used to be a dead last… Does it bother you that I love your idol?”

“No, why should I be? Love is love… I kinda feel happy too whenever I think of Naruto-sama.”

“Say…what did happen to you Takahiro?”

TBC