Iteration

‘Iteration’ is part of the space saga that began with ‘In the cold of space you find the heat of suns’ and continues in ‘Tales in Tarrasade’.

This is posted in the Naruto/Sasuke section because it is part of a Naru/Sasu/Naru space saga. However, it does feature many other pairings (and a few threesomes). Apologies to those who are expecting Naruto/Sasuke or Sasuke/Naruto every chapter.

Apologies if the characters have grown differently in their new environment.

Thanks to Small Fox for being my beta. For this story he has also been my muse, suggesting a number of the ideas that have evolved to create this arc. He was especially helpful with this chapter, which was a mess before he helped me out with it.

Thank you to those who have left a review, particularly meow-ku, v, Prism0467, the horseman of death, sadie237 and disembodiedvoiceofthedying who left a review for chapter 33. Reviews help me keep writing.

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Chapter thirty-four: Team

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Kotohime had told the clever one, Shikamaru, that Uchiha needed to hurry. The purebred residents now knew that they could not get through the gates to the upper levels because the Kaiju would not let them. Soon they would begin striking out at any available target: the doors that separated them from Kotohime and her people; the local hybrids; the three members of Uchiha trapped among them.

She had asked him what he thought would happen if a rumour started that Uchiha was here to rescue the hybrids but was intending to leave the purebreds to die.

He had responded by talking the consequences through with his colleague, Neji, and modifying his plan to include crowd management measures.

He had also told Inari, Tayuya and Shizune to wait in the airlocks that Uchiha intended to utilise, which was a clever solution that appealed greatly to Kotohime.

She suspected that Shikamaru was not boring; the only other people that Kotohime had met that were not boring were Orochimaru, her father and Han.


She remembered overhearing her father talking about Han; she must have been about ten. Han was one of a batch of hybrids that had been produced to work as miners in the asteroid belt. The mining company could not make use of them until they were adolescents, so they were being raised by Fuma.

“I had never thought that a hybrid could be too functional,” her father had said to one of her uncles, Kotohime could not remember which one. “Han is everything the miners want; he will be huge, immensely strong and he will be able to do the work of ten purebreds. He can even use echolocation. How many standards have we been working on getting that to work? But he is clever, too clever. I am considering a lobotomy.”

Kotohime had been horrified. Her mother was always saying she was too clever for her own good. Would her parents consider giving her a lobotomy?

“I would not advise it,” her uncle had answered. “Chances are that you will lose his coordination or there will be some other side effect. Tell the company one of them has turned out smarter than usual and that they should consider using him as a foreman. It would mean they wouldn’t have to pay a purebred all those danger bonuses. They will be delighted.”

And they had been, at least until Han had turned the miners into the core of his Kaiju.


Kotohime had been intrigued. She had sought out the boy they called Han. He had towered over her; almost twice the size of a purebred child of the same age. His size had not bothered Kotohime, who had already worked out that it was what went on in your mind that mattered rather than your physical size or strength. She had soon found out that a lot went on in Han’s mind; far more than even her father suspected.

It had taken them only one short meeting to decide how to communicate secretly; Han had been the only functional hybrid who could hear ultrasonic frequencies. Kotohime had built herself a frequency converter and then, once it was working, she had miniaturised it.

The two children had discovered that they had much in common. They each had been different on the outside than the inside. On the outside Kotohime had played the koto for her mother and had been academically clever for her father. Inside she had yearned to behave as she wished and go to the wild places her mind suggested. Han, particularly after Kotohime had told him about the lobotomy, had played the part of the perfect functional hybrid who happened to be smarter than average. Only Kotohime knew how imaginative he was; the breathtaking heights and depths of his daydreams.

She wished she could not see how that boy had become this man. Unfortunately it was too easy: standards of gruelling, mundane labour with no reward other than food and a place to sleep; being considered less than human; watching his fellow hybrids die about him.

Was he insane or just angry?

Did he remember that boy as clearly as she did?

How could she stop him destroying everything rather than yielding control to Uchiha?

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Han had viewed Sasuke Uchiha’s broadcast and had heard Kurotsuchi’s response over the public address system. He had wanted to scream with frustration but instead he had destroyed a chair, systematically bending and twisting each leg until it snapped.

The situation had been under control. Kurotsuchi had tried opening one of the gates. The Kaiju guarding it had been assaulted from the upper side by station security and the lower by purebreds trying to get out. They had dealt easily with both. Han had been pleased. He had intended to issue his demands for the purebreds’ release at station’s dawn.

Now, instead, he had to decide what to do about Uchiha. If he took his people off the gates, station security would open them and the purebreds would escape. He had more bombs, but he had shied away from using explosives in the lower levels. A hybrid killed by Kurotsuchi was a martyr; one killed by the Kaiju only served to confuse his followers.

He could damage the doors at each of the gates, permanently closing them. That would liberate his people to be used against Uchiha. It would prevent the purebreds from escaping. It would not stop him issuing his ultimatum once he had dealt with Uchiha.

It was the best of his available options. He prepared the coded messages and summoned runners.

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Naruto was glad that Iruka-sensei had persuaded Sasuke to flush the stims from his system and sleep, even if he was having so much trouble waking up again; they would need to be rested and alert when they boarded the station.

Naruto could sleep anywhere and anytime. He always woke just before his alarm. He was either awake or asleep and the transition between the two was quick and painless; he had already showered and had breakfast.

Sasuke liked to sleep ‘night’ and be awake ‘days’, so waking him in the middle of ship’s night was a challenge. He also hated getting out of bed.

He was falling back asleep, Naruto could tell. He tried kissing him again. Sasuke woke up enough to kiss back.

“Teme, you need to get up,” he told him. “There are only twenty minutes before the start of the briefing. You need to shower and to eat.”

“Another five minutes,” Sasuke muttered.

Any more delay and Sasuke would skip breakfast. Naruto was not having that. “That is what you said ten minutes ago and then ten minutes before that.” He decided he would need to take action. He stripped back the covers and picked him up, ignoring the distraction of Sasuke’s naked body. “Shower,” he instructed.

“Dobe!” Sasuke complained, wriggling in an effort to get away. Realising it was hopeless he scowled. “I need the head before the shower.”

Naruto dumped him in front of the head and then supervised him showering and dressing. When Sasuke reached for his earpiece Naruto was there first, confiscating it.

“Breakfast,” he ordered.

Sasuke stuck his tongue out at him. “Yes, Naruto-sensei,” he replied.


Ten minutes later they were on their way to the meeting room for the briefing. Naruto handed Sasuke his earpiece and then listened to Sasuke’s side of his conversation with Shikamaru over their private channel.

“Shikamaru is patching you in,” Sasuke told him after a few minutes.

“Na-chan?” Shikamaru’s voice came through his earpiece. He sounded tired. Naruto doubted that even Iruka-sensei had managed to make him sleep. Naruto dreaded to think how many stims he had taken.

“I am here, Shi-chan,” he confirmed.

“There have been developments. Han has destroyed the door-opening mechanisms; the gates to the upper levels are sealed.”

Naruto sighed. He struggled to understand what Han expected to achieve. Kurotsuchi did not care about her people, even the purebred ones, she only cared about power. If she cared she wouldn’t have switched off the pumps. As for Han’s methods, they horrified him. Naruto had grown up in a space station. You did not use explosives. You did not damage the infrastructure when that was all that existed between you and vacuum.

“That means he and the Kaiju fighters do not have to stay at the gates,” Shikamaru added.

Naruto almost stopped walking. Their plan was all about keeping the residents calm and establishing an air purification system. It did not involve fighting an undetermined number of hybrids who were likely to have his and Kisame’s abilities, even if they did not have their training.

“If he stops us all the hybrids will die alongside the purebreds,” he complained.

“Or Kurotsuchi will back down and switch on the pumps,” Shikamaru reminded him. “He will have won.”

Naruto felt like yelling “Won what?” but there was no point. Why did the two of them want to lead, if all they were doing was leading their people towards death?

“Kotohime and Denka suggest we think what we are willing to offer Han,” Shikamaru told him.

Naruto looked at Sasuke, whose scowl could not be deeper. He obviously hated the idea of negotiating with terrorists. Naruto considered. It all depended why Han had used the bombs. If he had thought Kurotsuchi was about to purge the Warren of hybrids, Naruto could almost understand. If he had done it to stop the evacuation, because without the hybrids he had no power, then they could not trust him.

“They knew him as a boy,” Shikamaru added. “He’s a Fuma hybrid. He was raised by Fuma until he was old enough to work in the mines. They wonder if he will talk with you if you go in there as the patron of the HDL rather than as Uchiha. They suggest you bring some hybrids with you who are not sworn to Uchiha. I wondered about Gaara and maybe some of the evacuees. Denka could also be included.”

Last time Naruto had seen Gaara he had been keeping vigil at Lee’s tank. Naruto glanced towards Sasuke.

“You had better find out what state he is in,” Sasuke suggested. “If he is up to it, bring him to the briefing.”

Naruto loped off at speed towards the infirmary. Three-quarters of the way there he met Dan, who was on his way to the briefing.

“I am looking for Gaara-san,” he explained.

“We put a cot in the room where Lee’s tank is,” Dan told him.


Naruto had been intending to creep away if Gaara was asleep but his friend’s turquoise eyes were looking at him.

“How is Lee-san?” he asked.

“He will be fine now that the lost blood has been replaced,” Gaara told him. “He could be woken, but Rin-san says he will recover more quickly in the tank.” He studied Naruto for a few seconds. “You wish to ask me something?”

Naruto quickly explained the current situation in the Warren.

“Please do not feel you have to come,” he concluded. “You are still not well yourself and you have Lee to think of.”

Gaara considered. “I am much better than I was. However, I do not wish to be a liability.” His eyes went to the tank. “It will be odd to go anywhere without Lee. Kiba is still with the children?”

“Kiba is still with the children on the Sakura,” Naruto confirmed.


He thought about the problem as he ran to the meeting room. He understood Gaara’s reluctance to go into the station with neither Lee nor Kiba to stabilise him. He began thinking about the hybrids he had met the day before when he had toured the dormitories. None of them stood out. Ibiki or Suzume might have noticed someone. Maybe Denka could give him a list of names. He felt bad about asking for volunteers; the evacuees should not have to return to the danger from which they had just fled.

At the briefing it was clear that the plan had evolved while he and Sasuke had been sleeping. There was more about how they should behave and what they should say to the residents; Naruto recognised Neji’s input. The technical detail had also been clarified; Izumo had worked out how to use the pumps in the station airlocks to circulate the air through the ships’ purification units. This would allow them to keep the inner doors of the station airlocks closed.

Naruto could see that keeping the airlock doors shut was a good idea. The ships would be more secure and less of a target; attention would remain focused on the air scrubbers they were taking onto the station. However the plan did have a weakness.

“The airlock pumps are probably old and they are only designed for intermittent use,” Izumo had warned. “Once a pump gives out there are two options, move the ship to another airlock or open the inner door of the airlock.”


After twenty minutes, Sasuke brought the briefing to its conclusion.

“There will be four parts to the operation,” he summarised. “There is the air purification, which will be led by Izumo-san. There is the management of the residents, which will be led by me. The attempted negotiation with Han and the Kaiju will be led by Naruto. Finally, there is security and combat, which will be led by Itachi. Hopefully we will not require the combat.

“Shino-san will be collecting up-to-date information about the situation in the lower levels using flyers as well as providing our usual radio communications. Kakashi-san will be in overall command. He, Shika-san and Neji-san will be coordinating the operation from the Sakura.” He consulted the ship’s chronometer. “Twenty minutes until the main boarding party ships out,” he warned. “Good luck and safe journeys.”

He then turned to Naruto. “We can give you an extra ten minutes to put your team together; the Dart will transport you and them.” He frowned. “I expect you to wear full armour, dobe, negotiation or no negotiation. You may end up in combat.”

Naruto’s whiskers twitched. So far his team consisted of one, him. Then there was Denka, that made two.

“Na-chan,” Shikamaru’s voice sounded from his earpiece. “I have been in contact with Sakura-san who is still in radio contact with Shibito. He’s given us five names. Denka gave me six others but three of them were the same. Trouble is, they could be on one of the freighters, or on the Oak, or still on the station. Kamatari and Sickler are checking the dormitories on the Oak. Hopefully some of them are there. They have instructions to bring them to your office.”

That reminded Naruto that he had not checked the feral groups. He managed to intercept Kisame in the corridor.

“Excuse me, Kisame-san, but who is with the feral groups? Is Isaribi-kun alone with them?”

Kisame smiled. “Haku brought the Dart in. He is with them. He and I spoke with the group leaders before I came to the briefing. There will be no problems.”

Naruto decided not to ask for more detail. “Thank you, Kisame-san. Please excuse me, there is much to do.”


He had just finished suiting up and had run to his office when Kamatari and Sicker arrived with two male hybrids, one very large and one rather small.

“Naruto-san, these are Nerugui-san and Kintoki-san,” Kamatari told him, gesturing first at the smaller, who looked a little like Kamatari, Sickler and the minkies, and then to the larger, who could have been mistaken for a very large purebred with shaggy hair if it had not been for his eyes, which showed no whites. “They are willing to accompany you to the station.”

“We want to,” Nerugui insisted.

Kintoki nodded.

“I want to come too,” Sickler declared. “I have lived in the Warren for most of my life. Han knows who I am. He tried to recruit me.”

Naruto was about to say no when Nerugui spoke.

“Sickler is a very high functioning hybrid. He has a profession, which is rare among the hybrids in the Warren. He is a good person to include.”

To Naruto Sickler was a youngster who had already put himself in danger too often. He sighed. He had no right to tell Sickler what to do. “Very well,” he agreed. He bowed to the three of them. “I thank you for your assistance.”

His team was now five.


They talked as they walked to the docking bay. Nerugui was another mustelid-human hybrid, like the minkies and Sickler, but ferret rather than mink or weasel. Kintoki was bear-human. Both were old enough to have lived in the Warren during better times when high functioning hybrids could earn their way out of servitude and live independently. That had ended when permits were introduced; any hybrid without an owner had become an illegal resident.

The very last person Naruto expected to be waiting for them in the docking bay was Lee. He was there at Gaara’s side.

“I roused him,” Gaara said simply.

“I am not at my peak,” Lee admitted, “but I am more than functional. My blood has been replenished. The nanobots have accelerated the mending of the cuts and my cracked ribs. Gaara-san did the right thing. I very much wish to support your hopeful endeavour to seek a peaceful resolution.”

Naruto could not stop himself asking. “What did Rin-san say?”

“She was vocal in her disagreement,” Gaara admitted. “I chose not to listen. She had already said that it was safe to rouse Lee-san from the tank.”

Naruto smiled. His team was now six plus Lee and, even better, one of those six was Gaara.


The first phase of the operation went smoothly. The Silver Leaf, the Lancet, the Spear and the Snow Willow were simultaneously attached to airlocks, with the more manoeuvrable Dart close behind despite the ten minute delay.

Naruto’s team disembarked from the Dart. He wrinkled his nose. The air already smelt bad; rank and stale. Down the corridor he could see the main group, led by Sasuke, boarding the station from the Silver Leaf. With them were four autonomous air scrubbers on hover platforms. Sasuke and the others were as surprised as Naruto had been to see Lee.

He introduced Nerugui and Kintoki to Sasuke and watched Nerugui and Kintoki’s reactions, their surprise and pleasure that such a high status purebred was being polite and respectful towards them. Naruto hoped that Sasuke’s good manners would have a similar effect on the other residents.

Konohamaru left with Kisame; they were going to build a temporary air lock so that Kotohime and Denka could leave the haven they had established without endangering the people sheltering within. His earpiece clicked.

“Neji here. Sasuke-sama, you and Naruto-san will start attracting crowds soon,” he warned them. “You need to move to a better location.”

Sasuke addressed the small crowd that had already gathered in the corridor.

“My name is Sasuke Uchiha. We are here to install a temporary air purification system. The equipment on this hover platform is an air scrubber; it and the others are already working. Is there a local leader with whom we should be liaising? Is there anyone who has already experienced breathing difficulties and requires medical assistance?”

Naruto noticed that Sasuke was careful not to draw attention to the ships, even though it was the ships’ air purification systems that would do most of the work. Ships implied escape and they did not want to fight off residents trying to board them.

Sasuke pushed on, even though no one had responded to his initial announcement.

“We have been told that there is a place called Market Cross. We were hoping to set up there. Can anyone show us the way?” he asked.

Neji had told them that asking for assistance would be better than taking over. Naruto hoped he was correct.

An older woman pushed her way through the gathering crowd. She studied first Sasuke’s face and then Naruto’s.

“I can show you the way,” she told them. She sniffed the air. “Those air scrubbers are already working.”

There were murmurs of agreement among the crowd and the people to the right of the airlock began walking away, signalling that they should walk in that direction.


Market Cross was a large communal space at the junction between two main corridors. Naruto flinched when he saw it. It was, as Itachi had complained, undefendable. Neji had argued that they were not there to fight. If they behaved as if they expected to fight then they would end up doing so. Shikamaru had run simulations and presented the results to Sasuke, who had decided to go with Neji’s approach.

Naruto had to make an effort to steady himself. The situation was too uncertain and Sasuke was too exposed. It made it difficult to concentrate on his two roles. He was to be at Sasuke’s side; a reminder that purebred and hybrid could live in harmony. He was also there to represent the HDL and to grasp any opportunity to negotiate with Han.

He spotted Inari and Tayuya arriving with Gai, who had boarded from the Lancet, and then Shizune with Dan, who had arrived on the Spear. There were smiles all around; it was always stressful to have crewmates isolated and under threat. Dan and Shizune immediately began setting up a medical assistance point and, within minutes, were treating residents with breathing difficulties.

The air scrubbers were placed at the mouths of the four corridors and the hover platforms deactivated so they could not be easily moved. It would be better to have them spread throughout the lower levels but Itachi did not want to defend four separate locations and they needed attention to stay focused on Market Cross rather than the ships. Shino was unpacking and launching flyers to monitor the four approaches.

Kisame and Konohamaru arrived with Kotohime and Denka. Denka came directly over. He greeted Nerugui and Kintoki. Naruto introduced him to Sickler, Gaara and Lee.

Denka bowed. “Your reputation goes before you, Gaara-san,” he admitted.

“That was my previous life,” Gaara answered. “Now I work on behalf of the HDL at the sanctuary on Kaze V.”

“That reminds me,” Denka said and brought some twists of blue ribbon out of his pocket. “My sister Hina made us these.” He handed one to Naruto. “She even made some of them stick on, because she realised a pin would not penetrate your suit, Naruto-san.”

Naruto stuck the ribbon next to the Uchiha crest on his suit. It was a good idea. “Please thank Hina-san for me, Denka-san. I do not know if you have heard, but we now have six groups of the feral children safe on the Oak.”

Denka smiled. “Shikamaru-san told us. Tonton is delighted.” He turned to Sickler. “I understand we have you to thank for that, Sickler-san.”

Sickler flushed. “I wanted to help,” he replied.


Naruto decided that the conversation between Denka, Nerugui and Kintoki was interesting but not immediately relevant. He turned his attention back to the surroundings. More and more people, purebred and hybrid, were arriving. Several of them were having breathing difficulties; Dan was supervising the construction of large oxygen tents, each of which could accommodate many patients.

Kotohime came over to him. “Han will know by now,” she told him. “He has runners all over the lower levels.”

“You think he will come here?” Naruto queried.

“Yes,” she confirmed.

Naruto imagined them fighting the Kaiju and shuddered. “Any suggestions about what I should say to him?” he asked.

“Concentrate on the work of the HDL,” she told him. “Tell him that you are offering the Warren’s hybrids a future away from oppression where they can determine their own paths. Ask him to let them go to freedom.”

Naruto nodded. He would have no problem talking about that. Gaara was there to represent the sanctuary. It was whether Han would listen.

His attention was caught by Sasuke looking at him. He was looking surprisingly smug given that talking reassuringly to strangers about their small concerns was definitely a skill rather than a pleasure. Naruto smiled at him. Sasuke’s gaze slipped away. Naruto knew that behaviour; Sasuke was like that when he was going to surprise Naruto with a present.

That was puzzling. He looked about. Gai and Kunugi were missing. What was Sasuke, and probably Shi-chan, up to?

Then Gai and Kunugi were back and coming through the growing crowd was a familiar topknot of red fur. Naruto’s heart jumped. He craned his neck. Yes, next to the redhead was a blond one. He activated his microphone.

“Shi-chan, how did you do it?” he asked. “They were so far away.”

Shikamaru voice held his smile, even over the radio. “I asked one of Sakura-san’s colleagues to bring them. She has a Dart-fast ship.”

Naruto wondered if that meant Sakura-san and her colleague worked for Klennethon Darrent. That would make sense if their ships had improvers. He could imagine Klennethon Darrent agreeing to lend them to Shi-chan.

Then they were there; Roshi and Yugito, the leaders of the HDL. Naruto hugged each of them in turn. They exchanged less physical greetings with Gaara. He introduced them to Denka, Nerugui, Kintoki and Sickler.

His team was now eight and it was a strong team.


Roshi found two tables. Yugito unpacked a small bag that, surprisingly, expanded into two tall banners of HDL blue decorated with some of the images that had become associated with the HDL including, embarrassingly, one of Naruto.

They sat behind the tables. Slowly hybrids came out from the crowd and began speaking with them. They recorded the details of what the hybrid told them about themselves and what they would like to do in the future. At the end of the interview, each hybrid was given a HDL blue disc with a unique identifier. There was soon a queue.

Then Shino’s voice sounded in his earpiece.

“Shino here. They are coming down the corridor we designated as corridor 4. At speed and armed.”

Naruto looked over. People were fleeing from the mouth of corridor 4. Luckily the marketplace was not yet full, so there was room for them to scatter. Some were leaving by the other three corridors but most were fanned out behind where he and Sasuke were standing. He noticed that the crowd was dividing into two. The larger fraction was all purebreds. The smaller was purebreds and hybrids mixed together. Roshi and Yugito did not move from their positions at the HDL stand, although the queue had vanished.

His earpiece clicked. “Sasuke here. Stations everyone. Orientated towards corridor 4.”

The elite fighters took up their positions in a semicircle centred on Sasuke and facing the approaching threat. Sumaru was closer and to Sasuke’s right. Naruto was five paces in front of Sasuke with Dan front and left of him and Gai front and right of him. Shizune, assisted by Inari and Tayuya, continued dispensing treatment. Shino and Konohamaru were monitoring the flyers.

Their laser guns stayed in their holsters. Their swords and knives stayed in their scabbards. This was Neji’s plan. If they drew weapons there would be no possibility of negotiation.


Naruto had to strain to hear them. They ran almost silently. Then, inhumanly quickly, they were at the entrance.

Han was huge. He made Kisame look the size of an ordinary man. He wore red armour that Naruto suspected he would be unable to lift, never mind fight in. He came to a halt only three paces from the semicircle of elite fighters, directly opposite Naruto.

“Who are you, foxboy, that you should come to my home and tell my people what they should do?” he roared.

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