Disguised Curses

Sorry it's taken so long. I got caught up in the Losers fandom, (stories of which are posted at my LJ acct, link on my author page) and i have been doing some RL projects. I have my first by-line! ok, it's small, and it's just the paper-thing our writing group is printing off, but hey, it's a start!!

 

not much on the lines for warnings for this chapter. This chapter is shorter, only about 1700 words. Next chapter will most likely be a direct scene continuance, if my brain stays nice to me, and prorably around the same length. after that i'm cracking down on getting this fic finished, so i may not have as much of the little stuff going on. I love this story, but it doesn't seem to get a lot of love and i am getting to the point i want this 3 year old story wrapped up.

 

 

 

 

Chapter 30

 

 

 

Naruto came back from his fourth date with Hinata a few weeks later to a scene of utter chaos. The training room, with its chakra-reinforced walls, targets, and tatami mats, was being successfully and deliberately demolished. There was a level of rage in Sasuke’s troubled, red eyes that Naruto hadn’t seen for quite a while, and while there was no obvious trigger, it was apparent that the raven had been trying to blow off some steam. The walls were darkened with char marks and the floor and ceiling had odd blistered spider-web patches that were from lightning chakra. As he watched, Sasuke’s fist, crackling with blue arcs, pummeled into a standing dummy that shattered. The raven knelt there, the chakra flickering around his body for a minute before fading away.

“Sasuke?” Naruto’s kept his voice soft and low as he approached the shaking teen. The raven didn’t respond, but as Naruto drew closer he could see wet trails sliding down the pale skin. They were tinted pink. “Hey, your eyes are bleeding again.” He knelt next to his friend, slowly sliding his hand under Sasuke’s chin and lifting his face. Bloody tears leaked from Sasuke’s eyes, and this close Naruto could see far more than the anger. He knew that pain from looking into the mirror far too often.

“We were wrong.”

Naruto dabbed at the bloody lines, drying away the trace of tears. He stayed silent for once, waiting for the words to come. He wouldn’t have to wait long; Sasuke was already shaking in his grip. “Everyone was wrong. They all lied to us! They all lied to ME!!” The tears trickled faster, clear now, and Naruto kept a grounding hand on Sasuke’s shoulder. “My clan was getting tired of shit going on, there’s journals, Naruto! They wanted nothing more than the clan back on missions, more than just the police force. And they were murdered for it.” Hands gripped tight to Naruto’s arms, but he didn’t flinch. “My family was murdered!! Not because Itachi lost control, but because he was ordered to do it! He left a letter sealed and hidden, under the floorboards, under his bed, explaining everything! He was ordered to, Naruto!! Just another mission!!!”

“Are you certain? Beyond any doubt certain that was what happened?” This was bad news, dangerous news. It would shatter much and prove how pointless Sasuke’s younger years had been. He watched the cold fury creeping back into Sasuke’s eyes. “Take your evidence to Tsunade. Now. She can check the sealed files.”

“I killed my brother over a fucking sham.” The words were whispered, but had lost none of the contained violence. “I want this finished. Do you understand?? I will have to live with his death, but if it was a complete set-up from hell I want this resolved! I want whoever decided my family deserved this to pay!”

Naruto let go of his trembling friend, watching as Sasuke stood and paced around the room. He understood Sasuke’s rage, even though he couldn’t empathize. But Sasuke’s anger was burning through the happy feelings he had lingering from being with Hinata. And under those happy feelings, lurked his own anger, his own rage. Naruto swallowed down the thoughts of potential disasters and tried to orient Sasuke again. “Get that stuff together. We can take it to Tsunade.”

Sasuke nodded, a brief jerk of his head before he was out of the room and dashing to another part of the compound. Naruto  exhaled, releasing the tension threatening to grow within him. He didn’t feel good about this, but it had to be done. He refused to allow Sasuke to tear himself up about it anymore.

 

~~

 

Sasuke had simmered down to a ticking pot of condensed anger by the time he and Naruto reached Tsunade’s door. Naruto had made him walk, as an effort to calm and collect himself. That, and Naruto was a little nervous. Tsunade had been a bit of a terror since Naruto and Hinata’s first date. Her sake stash had gone missing overnight and Sakura and Shizune had managed to keep her off the liquor. It had taken quite the toll on the woman; she’d been doing much better in her paperwork and other trivial details as Hokage, but she was a right menace with people that angered her.

Sasuke had personally bet that it was Naruto’s fault for her missing liquor in the first place, but he could only back that up by Naruto avoiding her presence as much as possible since the little Incident. To him, it was admittance if he ever saw it.

A sharp command had them walking through the door, Naruto closing it and leaning back against the door. It was unspoken backup and protection, something that didn’t go missed by Tsunade. She gave them both a raised eyebrow and an expectant look, eyes still dark with bitterness over her withdrawals. Sasuke merely hefted the scroll onto her desk. He knew she could see the rage in him, there was no point in hiding it. At least it wasn’t a couple hours ago- he’d felt like doing nothing but setting the whole world ablaze in black damning flames. He’d actually had to call back a flicker of Amaterasu, bring it back and into himself.

He idly wondered if his eyes were ringed bloodshot around the black.

“What is this??” Tsunade wasn’t about to touch it. The last time Sasuke had unleashed a large scroll in this room it had held Orochimaru’s severed head. While this time it probably isn’t so grotesque, the look in his face tells her more than she wants to know. There was trouble brewing, bad trouble.

Uchiha trouble.

“I am here to petition for an active investigation into the Uchiha massacre.”

“I don’t know what you’re pulling, young man, but that case is nearly a decade old. I will not-” His hands slammed into her desk, causing her to stop and sit back down into her chair. She gave him her best ice glare.

“I have proof that Itachi Uchiha was ordered to kill the entire clan.”

 Shock and fury flew across Tsunade’s face before she shut it down, eyes narrowing as her face went impassive. “Show me.”

He smeared blood across the first seal, the scroll opening with a soft hiss, before summoning out stacks of books, journals, and scrolls. There will little bits of brightly colored paper sticking out at spots, page corners folded, obvious means of marking certain passages for attention. “Most of the journals are crap, and boring. But everything relevant is marked. But that isn’t the only thing.” He pulled out a very simple envelope from under his shirt. He offered it, hesitantly, to Tsunade, who pulled out the single sheet of paper.

 

 

-  Sasuke -

 

Before I say anything else, please read this. I have no doubt that whenever you find this letter you will still hate me for what I’m about to do. But you must focus and listen. Tomorrow the clan will be gone, dead save for you. Two nights ago our Hokage, Sandaime, issued me an order that I could not refuse. I am a ninja first, Sasuke, Uchiha second. Facts were laid out and I was given direct orders to annihilate the threat our clan was posing against the current stable ruling of the Hokage and the council. There have been accusations that our clan was planning a coup d’état. I have neither the time nor resources to search for the truth, Sasuke. I cannot believe our clan would try a takeover, but I know there are some who want more than just the Police Corps. Seek the truth. Watch to see if they rebuild the police base. Listen to what they tell you of me, of the clan. Ask why I am forced to do this instead of there being a proper trial. Demand to see the proof that the Hokage claims to exist, but refuses to show.

Tomorrow the clan will be gone and you will hate me for this disaster. Be strong. Uncover the truth and the taint on our name. Don’t forget to truly live, little brother.

 

 

 

Tsunade slid the letter back into the envelope and wordlessly handed it back, sliding deeper into her chair and looking quite a bit her real age. “What do you want me to do?”

“In all the private entries I’ve found, there hasn’t been one hint about anything that says takeover. Appeals, requests, yes, but nothing so extreme as a coup d’état. If Sandaime was presented with such evidence, I want it compared. I want the truth. I need to know.” He stared at the letter in his hands again. “I need to know,” he said again, quietly.

Tsunade studied the pile of writing for several minutes, ticking off the amount of work that had already been saved, the amount she’d have to do, the effort of launching a proper investigation into a near decade-old incident.

“If I promise to look into this and start the process to uncover everything, can you swear to keep yourself out of this? You’ve done plenty, and I don’t need you hounding me to hurry up. Let me do my job, through the right methods, and I will get an answer for you. However, given how long it has been, it will likely be several months before I can offer any certain conclusion.” She stood up and once again looked at the mess, then the boys. “If Itachi is pulling a final trick, you will deal with your clan’s fallout. If this was a political trick and your brother merely a tool, then I will see what I can do about restitution. I can’t promise anything else.”

“It will be enough, Hokage-sama. Thank you.” Sasuke bowed and slid past the door Naruto opened for him. Tsunade looked up to see Naruto’s gleaming eyes.

“If this was power-play, baa-chan, I want to see the fucker that caused this brought to justice.” His grin was pointy, dreadful. “Even if that means death.”

The door slammed behind him, and Tsunade shoved the chills down her spine away. She could really use a cup of sake for sanity’s sake.

_____

 

Thanks to Cynaga and Djargo for reviews. they make me dance and giggle!!!