Embracing Dreams

Part 38

Naruto was preparing for war. He honestly thought he was going to learn something in the next few days that would make a difference. Sasuke was just interested in keeping him busy. Experimenting with the clones kept him distracted. It also forced him to use his energy deliberately. It didn't matter if a female copy was anatomically correct inside because it would never be dissected and compared to a real one. That wasn't the point. By trying to make one as accurate as possible, he used his energy to focus on minute details. His usage was careful, deliberate, with no waste involved. If he could get used to doing that, there was no reason he couldn't apply the same logic to healing and shielding.

He didn't argue that the experiment itself was inappropriate. Parading a naked woman around in front of Kakashi was absolutely wrong. He agreed with that. But it had been working, better than any of his attempts to make Naruto control his energy usage. Kakashi was responsible for that. He forced a person to think around corners instead of attacking head on. Naruto was a bull. Given enough time he probably could ram down walls with that thick skull of his. That was exactly what would get him killed. Iruka could restrict and shelter him as much as he wanted. Sasuke would do his part to make sure Naruto had no involvement with Itachi. But Naruto's stubborn inclination to attack things head on would still be there afterward and it was the afterward that concerned him. He was just begging to be stabbed in the back. As he was now, he'd use everything to heal the first blow and have nothing left for the second one. His offensive strength made him too confident to understand just how defenseless he really was.

Sasuke explained some of that to Iruka. He didn't have to go into detail because Iruka was all for Naruto learning to protect himself. Iruka was alarmed to learn that Kyuubi was put into a deep sleep after healing serious injuries. Partly because that meant Naruto had gotten enough serious injuries to know what healing them did to his fox. Sasuke definitely didn't go into detail about that.

For his part, Iruka read between the lines. He didn't want Naruto involved. Sasuke didn't want Naruto involved. Neither of them could change the way Naruto was and it was Naruto's very nature to get involved. All that was left was to minimize the damage. Naruto's obsessiveness would be useful. Despite breaking up the experiment, Iruka knew those 'copy' things would keep him occupied for days. If he could help Naruto with his healing, then Naruto would want to fight to test it out and he now had a disposable army of copies to fight with. It sounded like the perfect solution. So what was the problem?

"Kyuubi," said Sasuke. "He won't be distracted that easily. The lessons would keep Naruto occupied, but not him. His is the red. I doubt he could be taught to control the orange. Everything about him is exaggerated and offensive."

Iruka doubted he was just imagining the double meaning to those words. He suddenly wondered how Naruto's fox factored into the two boys' relationship. "Have you had problems with him?"

"He doesn't care," Sasuke said flatly. "He isn't interested in healing or shielding. He's only interested in the clones because he can use the red offensively in them."

That wasn't what he'd meant, but on second thought, he didn't really want to know. How many times had Naruto referred to his fox as a pervert? No, Iruka decided, he really didn't need any details.

"Give him to Kakashi."

"What?" Iruka blurted. He was never letting Kakashi near Naruto again. "Why would I-"

"Kakashi will infuriate him," said Sasuke. "Brute force is useless with Kakashi. The fox will exhaust himself trying anyway, or he'll be forced to experiment with that red. It's at least as versatile as the orange if he'd just learn to control it. Either way, it'll keep him occupied."

"And worn out," Iruka said, catching on. "Are you hoping to have him completely worn out when your brother arrives?"

"No. Naruto fought Kakashi while you were gone. His energy was almost completely exhausted. The fox slept it off, but Naruto was still active. Exhausting Kyuubi would just leave Naruto defenseless. He'd still try to interfere. It wouldn't make any difference. I'm going to have to restrain him either way. The point is to keep them occupied with strengthening themselves. Naruto does strange things. I don't want him planning something unexpected." Like focusing all of their attention on an attack to pop the bubble from the inside.

"Doing the unexpected is what Naruto excels at," Iruka sighed. "You know, we could always find out what day your brother's coming and just drug Naruto's breakfast so he sleeps right through it."

Sasuke gaped.

"A couple pills mixed in with his orange juice...he'd never even notice." Sasuke looked shocked and even outraged. Was drugging him really any worse than locking him inside some shield? Iruka sighed again. "I'm joking. Drugs have no effect on Naruto. He neutralizes them the same way he heals. Even cold medicine doesn't work on him, though oddly enough he still catches colds." He shrugged. "We could still find out what day your brother's coming here."

"How?"

"Kakashi didn't tell you? About the three futures?"

"Oh," Sasuke snorted. "That."

"There's one of them downstairs right now. It would only take a minute to ask."

"I don't want to hear it." It was bad enough knowing he was coming without knowing the exact day. He'd never be able to wait for him. And if he took off early, Naruto would follow, making all of the distraction attempts a waste.

"It wouldn't be accurate, anyway. Too many wild cards." Iruka smirked when Sasuke rolled his eyes at the term. "Have you heard anything about this group before?"

"The phone call I got the other day," Sasuke admitted. "Just that they're new, interested in Itachi, and at least one nasty individual has 'plans' for them that I wouldn't want any part of. I doubt they'll be around for long."

Exactly what Kakashi had predicted. While Iruka didn't particularly like the outspoken boy he'd let into his house, he didn't want to imagine him hurt. He couldn't be much older than Naruto.

Sasuke stood. "I'll send Naruto up."

Iruka's eyes widened. "You want me to teach him now? It's almost lunch time and-"

"I'll make something."

"I don't want that cult-boy alone with the others," Iruka protested, half rising from his chair. Who knew what Sai had already said or done to them.

"Kakashi can keep an eye on him." Sasuke waited for more objections. There were none, though Iruka did frown at him.

Sasuke was rather managing, Iruka realized. Accustomed to getting his way? He wondered if that annoyed Naruto as much as it did him. "I'll get Naruto," Iruka said firmly. "We'll do this outside." Sasuke started for the door. "I'll assign someone to help you with lunch. Just to be fair."

Sasuke stopped, stiffening. "That's not necessary."

"I insist," Iruka smiled. Petty as it was, he did like getting the last word in.

.-.

Lee sat in on the lesson. Iruka hadn't been sure about inviting him at first. Naruto didn't learn well with people his own age. He became too self-conscious, second guessing himself constantly, or so driven to prove he understood right off the bat that he didn't give himself a chance to actually understand anything. It was one of the reasons he had so much trouble with school. He learned better with one on one or self-study. But this was a good chance to smooth over any remaining awkwardness from the picnic debacle. If Lee also picked up something that might help him with his own energy, well, all the better.

Naruto didn't mind having Lee there at all. He still felt awkward about the whole 'flashing girl breasts at Iruka' thing. And Lee had been awfully quiet since that fight. Even Ino was worried about him. He'd been sitting in the livingroom all day, just staring out the window. As far as Naruto was concerned, a quiet Lee was a troubled Lee. Better to get him involved. If it also kept him from being alone with Iruka, well, all the better.

"I'll be focusing on Naruto," Iruka told Lee. "If you have a question, or want to jump in, feel free." Lee gave a sharp nod. His body language had him focused and eagerly interested, but his silence was a little unnerving. Well, he'd give him another day or two and then if he was still troubled, they'd have another talk.

Iruka had placed a blanket in the shade at the edge of the trees. Naruto was sitting across from him with his back to the house. He was so nervous he wasn't even fidgeting. Iruka reached back to pluck up some grass and then threw it at him. "This isn't a test. Relax."

"It might as well be," Naruto muttered, wiping his pants off.

"Why didn't you heal yourself after the picnic?" asked Iruka.

Naruto glanced at Lee and shrugged. "It wouldn't have been fair. Kiba and Akamaru came apart, and Sasuke's eyes were black, so I figured talents were out."

"But you heal without trying, automatically," said Iruka. "How did you keep that from happening?"

"I just held it back." His hand curled and pushed toward his stomach. "Pushed it back, locked up inside so it couldn't leak out. That would have been cheating."

"It wasn't difficult?"

"Not really. I've done it with Sasuke. If his eyes aren't red, then he's not using his talents, so I don't either."

"You don't question how you do it," said Iruka. "You know you can, so you do. Instinctively."

"Well, yeah. That's the problem. I do stuff on instinct and then I'm not sure how I did it, so I can't do it again when I want to."

"Most mutant talents work on instinct. Your body knows how, even if your mind doesn't. Think of it like breathing. You can control your breathing if you concentrate, focus, but the moment you get distracted your body takes over because it can, because it needs to. Your energy works on the same principle. If you're diving under water, you take a deep breath so you don't run out and black out. When you're using a difficult talent, your energy concentrates so you'll have enough to do it without blacking out. The more you swim, the more your body gets used to taking deeper breaths until you don't have to think about it anymore. It's the same with energy. The more you use talents that require a lot of energy, the more your body gets used to compressing it in large amounts. When you go from swimming to sitting, your heart keeps racing. Your body needs time to adjust. But it does adjust, on its own, without any help from you."

"But I want to help it," Naruto frowned. "Right? Isn't that the point?"

"Your heart won't stop racing just because you hold your breath and tell it to stop. You have to work with it, slow deep breaths. The point," said Iruka, "is to work with it. It knows how it works, better than you ever will. If your body uses too much energy to heal, that's because the energy is there to waste. The injury is a threat, better to waste energy eliminating that threat quickly and completely than to let it remain. That's your instinct. It's not wrong in itself. It's what keeps mutants from dying the moment their talents emerge."

"But instinct is what I'm supposed to be getting away from!"

"According to Sasuke?" asked Iruka. "You're not like him." Hadn't Sasuke told him? Naruto knew about his brother, so he must have told him something. "He wasn't born a mutant. His instincts are learned responses. Using energy is something he's trained himself to do. Think of it this way, if you suddenly found yourself with an extra leg, your body wouldn't know what to do with it. If it has any instinctive reaction at all, it would be to view the new addition as a threat, a tumor, something that doesn't belong. Any use of that limb would require conscious effort. After a while, your body will get used to it and develop new instincts, conditioned responses, to deal with it. You don't have that. Your body knows your energy, it knows how to use it the same as your heart pumps blood. It's just another part of your body. All you have to do is teach it moderation. Once it gets used to using smaller amounts of energy to maintain the same level of safety - remember, wounds are threats, pain is the body saying it's in danger - then you'll start using less instinctively."

Naruto wasn't getting it. Either that, or he just wasn't seeing how this applied to his immediate problem. He worked better with visuals. Iruka curled a finger, directing him to sit closer. "Now hold your arm out. Good. Where is your energy right now? You're not holding it back and you're not using it for anything, so where is it resting?"

"I can't see it," Naruto frowned. "That's the problem. Sasuke could-"

"No," Iruka said sharply. "It doesn't matter what he sees. This is about you, what you see. Think about it, close your eyes if you need to. You're a mutant. You have a lot of energy. It's around you all the time. What does it look like? Is it a blurry haze like heat wafting off you? Does it ripple like water or lash up like fire? What color is it?"

"It's orange."

"Because Sasuke says it's orange?"

"Because I like orange," Naruto said stubbornly. "It burns like Kyuubi's does, but not as sharp. It's more...simmering than flaming."

Iruka lifted a hand to hover over Naruto's arm. "Where is it now? You're not using it now, it's resting over you like a simmering blanket of orange. How high is it? Am I touching it?"

"Yeah. It's about here," and he lifted his hand right above Iruka's.

"About two inches, then?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Is that small?"

Iruka had to fight not to smile at him. "I don't think it is, especially in a resting state. Mine's less than an inch," he confided. "And copper."

"Copper?"

"That's how I've always imagined it, copper with glints of black." Kakashi could call it blue all he liked. To Iruka, it would always be a burnt metallic shade. He curled his fingers, dragging his hand through the air about two inches above Naruto's arm. "Here's yours. Resting, waiting for you to use it. Say I could catch hold of it, snag it, and pull it off you." He used his hands to demonstrate. "Curl it all up like a ball of yarn. How big would the ball be?" He moved his hands apart. "A basketball?"

"Much bigger."

Iruka grinned. "That's pretty big. Now say you wanted to direct energy to your arm. This big ball of condensed energy flattened out and wrapped all over your arm. It would be like a plate of orange armor."

"That's what he does!" Naruto said excitedly. "Kyuubi hit him full on and it was like punching concrete. I got one of the clones to do it once. They've got less energy, more like...half an inch. So..."

Iruka prompted him, "A ball of their energy would be...?"

Naruto moved his hands together slowly. "Cantaloup."

"So that's how much you need to shield. A little more for a leg since it's longer, less for a foot or a knee."

"Yeah."

"That's still a lot of energy, though. If you had a little scrape on your arm you wouldn't put a cantaloup-sized dose of medicine on it. Especially if the medicine stings."

"It burns when I use a lot of it," said Naruto. "When I fought Kakashi that time, I sent a bunch of energy to my legs, like shielding I guess, only my leg muscles were sore and the energy healed them as it moved along. It burned."

"A little medicine goes a long way. Too much can hurt more than it helps. Let's say you have a cut that goes from here," he touched the knuckle above Naruto's pinky and traced a line to the bone of his wrist, "to here. I have a ball of medicine I'm going to put on it. I want to cover it completely, but I don't want it dripping all over your hand. How big a ball would I need?"

"Grape!"

"So that's all the energy you'd use. Take a scoop from where you don't need it and drop it on the cut. Once it's there, instinct takes over. It's on the injury, so it heals the injury. As it gets used to using less, but healing just as well, it'll begin to do that on its own. Get used to watching what it does, visualizing all that extra energy dripping off your hand and pooling on the ground. What a waste. Scold it for being so wasteful." Naruto laughed, and he grinned back. "A little scolding can go a long way. You'll have to mop up some spills. Maybe imagine a way to catch what drips off, or make the tunnel so bumpy it can't stream out as much as it wants to. It's rushing through you like the blood in your veins." He curled a hand over Naruto's arm. "Put a tourniquet on to cut it off. Then ease up so just a little gets out, just what you need. Be gentle but firm. It wants what's best for you just like you do. You're not fighting with it, you're guiding it. Visualize it as something solid, something you can see and measure and move. Give it its own personality if that helps. The pesky muscle that's so used to doing its own thing that you have to keep badgering it until it finally accepts that you are in charge, and your way really is the better way."

"Is that what you do?"

Iruka smiled. "Mine is very stubborn. I have to go against my instinct every time I heal. Instinct says to use enough to heal the wound. But I can only use a certain amount before it stops healing and starts transferring instead. My head knows this, but my instinct can't understand. I have to be forceful when I apply a tourniquet to cut it off. It feels wrong to stop when a serious injury is still there. But it's necessary. I imagine it's not that different from what you do when you lock yours inside. Did it feel wrong not to heal yourself after that fight?"

"Yeah, but mostly because of Kyuubi. He's all instinct, especially when it comes to healing. It really bothers him when I hold back like that. He really didn't like me being healed by you, either." He frowned suddenly. "You know, if you really wanted to punish me you should have made me stay like that for a while. Like, no healing for two hours, or something."

"I don't like seeing you injured any more than Kyuubi does," Iruka shook his head. "You know my stance on corporal punishments."

"Switches and belts are for people with no imagination or self control," Naruto mimicked, grinning. "Doesn't stop you from yelling till that vein in your temple pops out."

"Nobody's perfect," Iruka scoffed. "Back to the topic. From what I understand, your healing is a function of your energy, attuned to you and your needs, to help you keep safe from threats, injuries. How did that work when you healed Sasuke's arm?" Naruto looked away, fidgeting suddenly. "When I heal myself, I treat my own injury the same way I do injuries on others. If the wound is too severe for me to heal, my energy just loops until I settle it down. Your healing is meant for you, as natural to you as your blood. I don't see how that could heal someone who isn't you."

Naruto grimaced. "It's, uh..." He rocked back, shifting uncomfortably. "Kyuubi says that's a really good analogy. Like a blood transfusion."

"A blood transfusion only works if the blood types are compatible," Iruka said slowly. "Otherwise the new blood isn't incorporated. You're back to the body turning on an extra limb as if it were an enemy, a tumor."

"That was a good analogy, too," Naruto mumbled. "Um...it's kinda...well, it doesn't work right," he finally admitted, hanging his head. "When we healed his arm, we sort of forced our energy into the break so it would heal from the inside like it does in us. But...Sasuke's energy was already there and it's not, well, compatible, I guess." He looked up through his hair, not lifting his head. "We sort of burnt the energy off his arm and forced ours in there so it was left like some kind of tumor."

Iruka was appalled. "Naruto!"

Naruto straightened up with a jolt, his eyes wide. "It was a big mess, mostly Kyuubi experimenting and me not thinking it through, but we already settled all that, so we're okay now. It won't happen again, and Sasuke's shielding more now that he knows how strong we are, so it's not like he'd get another break. I think it hurts me more than it does him when he shields. He's really good at that. And it's not a problem with open wounds, since we can just leave a little energy on him and it just seeps right into the scratch or bi-" Naruto shut his mouth with an audible click.

Bite. He'd been about to say bite. Iruka couldn't believe it. They'd clearly been sparring with talents. As strong as Naruto was and as fast as Sasuke was, how could biting even be a possibility? Surely they had better ways to hurt each other. What kind of twisted relationship did they have?

"If the energy isn't compatible, what happens to the infected limb?" asked Lee.

Naruto could have hugged him. He grinned gratefully instead. "Sasuke said the orange hovers without mixing. I figure it's like dead skin. Eventually it'll just...slough off and then new skin - energy - will grow up to take its place."

"Interesting." Lee looked at Iruka. "That isn't what happens when you heal?"

"No," Iruka sighed. "I don't leave my energy behind. Unless the person's energy reacts badly to any foreign contact," like Shikamaru's, "there's no issue of compatibility." He looked at Naruto, who was determinedly avoiding his gaze. The less he knew the better. He kept telling himself that. It wasn't working very well. "I think that's enough for now. Let's see how lunch is coming." And whether Sakura had fared better working with Sasuke than the boys had.

.-.

Iruka didn't get a chance to monitor Sai at all as the afternoon progressed. He took Kiba and Akamaru to the vet first. The dog was given his shots and a general checkup, and pronounced the best behaved animal the man had ever seen, if a little undernourished. The man tried to sell them a grossly overpriced bag of dogfood that wouldn't have fed Pakkun for a week, and did con him into paying thirty dollars for a one-month dose of flee and tick drops. He went on for so long about how nothing store bought would ever work and how anything used would simply poison the animal that Iruka bought it mostly to shut him up. He had no intention of coming back every month no matter what the vet said. The man also tried to talk Kiba into getting Akamaru neutered. That hadn't gone over very well. Akamaru got just as angry as Kiba did when his manhood was threatened.

Then he took Neji to pick up his things from storage. Hinata had brought everything with her when she was adopted by Kurenai, and had Neji's belongings stored away. Ostensibly because Kurenai's attic was tiny, but mostly so Neji could retrieve them without making direct contact. They would see each other eventually, of course. The town was too small and they'd be going to the same school. Not to mention how welcome Hinata was at the house. But that was eventually, not today. Neji didn't waste time getting what he wanted. The rest would be left for Kurenai to sort through, mostly furniture and a few boxes marked antiques. She'd probably keep the latter in case one of the kids decided they wanted them a few years down the line.

Once they got back, there was the unpacking, taking what wouldn't fit in the shared room up to the attic. By the time he had a moment free to worry about Sai, a smugly smiling Ino informed him that he'd been sent to his room by Kakashi and hadn't come out all day. Iruka was speechless. So that was why he hadn't seen him at lunch. While he disliked the boy on principle because of who'd sent him, and personally because of his apparent attitude problem, he wasn't going to have him starving on his watch. Or being mistreated at all, for that matter. He left Ino working on dinner, with Lee once more playing errand boy, and went upstairs. That was another thing he disliked, having Sai in Sakura's room put him much too close to Naruto.

When Sai opened the door, Iruka's eyes were drawn to the desk. There was a computer on the desk. Not a laptop, but an actual computer complete with a satellite internet receiver and other parts Iruka didn't recognize. A second smaller desk stood to the side with a scanner and printer combo, and on a shelf below that was a fax machine. What the hell did he need a fax machine for? Sai hadn't brought anything but a duffel bag. "Where did all of that come from?"

"I create things from sketches. I can also store things in sketch format, but the slightest smudge would cause damage when I attempted to extract it later. I only do it with inanimate objects. I could duplicate the organic machine of a living creature, but it would have no more personality than a plant. I don't do that. How can I help you?"

"Um." Iruka blinked. "I heard Kakashi sent you to your room?"

"He suggested I take some time to reflect," Sai nodded. "This is my first field assignment as a recorder. I usually accompany a control team. I've never dealt with wild cards before. I find you very disturbing."

His expression and tone were so casual, Iruka was taken completely off guard. "Me?"

"I've never met someone I couldn't draw. Tiedoll did warn me that he couldn't draw you, but I didn't believe I'd have the same difficulty. This is rather like having a statue speak to me. I don't understand."

Neither did Iruka. The boy certainly didn't seem disturbed. "I only have a minor healing talent-"

Sai shook his head. "That's not the issue. I've met mutants at all levels and recognized them immediately. To me, you're not a mutant. You're not even alive. If I drew and extracted a sketch of you, it wouldn't even function as an organic machine. It would be a shell."

"Well. Um. I don't know what to tell you."

"Exactly," Sai nodded. "To investigate you, I'll have to find out what the others see when they look at you. That will involve talking to them."

Iruka sighed. "You're not forbidden from talking to them. I just don't want you influencing their choices by telling them of future events that may or may not happen. And I don't want you inviting any of them to join your group."

"You flatter yourself by thinking I would. Hyuuga is the only one we could use right now. I knew he would refuse when I suggested it."

"Then why did you?"

"Because we could use someone with his talent," said Sai. "And because I'm a great fan of his. Only a few wild cards have had full control of their talents the first time they used them. He's a rare exception. I find that fascinating."

He didn't sound or look fascinated, or interested at all, for that matter. Maybe he couldn't help it. "Why did they send you?" Surely they could have found someone better able to interact with others.

"I'm the only one with recording talents who's had direct contact with Uchiha."

"Sasuke's brother? You've actually met him?"

Sai grinned suddenly. "He threatened to kill me."

And that made him genuinely happy. Iruka gave up. He wasn't going to understand this kid unless he studied him at length. He didn't want to. Just talking to him for a few minutes made his head hurt. "Dinner should be done soon if you're hungry," he said. Then he left. Sai didn't waste any time shutting the door.

Everyone showed up for dinner. Naruto attempted to engage Neji, asking if he'd settled in okay, if he wanted to look around town tomorrow, along with Shikamaru if he were interested since he hadn't gotten out much either, just harmless small talk. Neji mostly answered with shrugs, but Naruto wasn't the sort to let that discourage him. He shifted the topic to food and suddenly almost everyone was talking at once. It had been sunny for days, no sign of rain. There was a charcoal grill out back and plenty of beef in the freezer. Kiba and Ino immediately began arguing over who could cook meat better. Shikamaru made a quiet comment about possibly building a fire in the dirt patch out there. Naruto somehow heard him over the others and pounced, prompting Sakura to give a mournful sigh about marshmallows.

The discussion carried into the cleanup, most of them still arguing as they brought their dishes and anything else they could grab into the kitchen with them. Not at all organized, but Iruka much preferred this sort of group effort over individual chores. He especially liked that Neji and Sasuke automatically followed the others, carrying their dishes in despite the fact they weren't participating in the talk itself. Then he realized he'd been left at the table with Kakashi and Sai, both of whom were staring at him. He rose quickly and began gathering up the leftovers the kids had missed.

"What do you see in him?" Sai asked Kakashi.

Iruka didn't look up, but he did notice that Sai used a differential tone with Kakashi. He felt a rush of annoyance. It was his house. He should at least garner as much respect from the kid as Kakashi did.

"With the sharingan, you mean?" Kakashi looked over at Iruka. It was taking him an awfully long time to stack those dishes. He smirked and shook his head at the boy. "I thought your group knew everything about me. Shouldn't you know this, too?"

"Not where he's concerned. Now that we have a name, the research division is working on a back trail. That doesn't help identifying what he is."

Iruka sighed, giving up any pretense of ignoring them. He frowned at Kakashi. "He thinks I have brain damage or something that prevents him from reading me the way he does others. So he wants to know what the rest of you get from me that he can't see."

Kakashi quirked an eyebrow at Sai. "Can you read mutants with mental blocks?"

"I'm not telepathic," said Sai. "What I get is insight into the type of mutant I'm looking at, one talent or a variety, the degree of control or lack thereof. I get even more information by drawing them. Blocks make mutants harder to draw, but not impossible. Aspects are blurred or completely fogged out, usually the eyes. Lee has a huge block. His eyes would be entirely in shadow, but I could still draw him. With Umino, there's nothing. I don't even see a flicker of life within."

"He finds me very disturbing," Iruka informed Kakashi, with a wry smile.

"How strange," drawled Kakashi. "I see you as clearly as anyone."

"With the sharingan or without it?" asked Sai.

"That's a telling question," Kakashi informed him. "Is it possible your group has no idea how the sharingan works? That the reason you guys have so much trouble understanding the radical shifts Itachi causes is because you can't figure out what his main talent actually does?" Sai's expression was absolutely blank. Kakashi laughed. "Sorry, kid. You're not going to get answers from me. I might use this eye for a few things, but I'm definitely no expert. If you really want to know, you should be talking to Sasuke. Except you can't. Right?"

Iruka flashed a confused look between them. "What? Why not? He's-"

"Anything I might say directly could be considered interference," Sai stated. "I'm here to monitor Uchiha's influence on the uninvolved people living in this house and to learn as much as possible about the resident wild cards. The little Uchiha is outside my jurisdiction."

"That could be tough when you're eating at the same table as him," Kakashi smirked.

Sai shook his head. "As long as I don't instigate anything, it's not an issue. Tiedoll's team has already established contact and learned as much as they can from him at this point. They'll be leaving before Uchiha arrives." He smiled. "I have to stay."

"Sasuke's brother threatened to kill him," Iruka told Kakashi. He looked at Sai. "Do you think he'd attack you just for talking to Sasuke?" How would he even know?

"Not necessarily. To date, we haven't been able to predict anything Uchiha does except where he is concerned. The little Uchiha has been his pet project since he made him as a mutant. He is fiercely protective and possessive of him." Sai shifted his attention to Kakashi. "As an INTJ, he focused on the little Uchiha to the exclusion of all else. When you took him from Japan, Uchiha's attention shifted. He's on the move now, looking at the bigger picture, no longer content to pull strings from behind. We thought he was coming to take back his pet project, because that's the only thing that can keeps him occupied for any period of time. No matter what else he's involved in, he still comes back to that. No, there's doubt in the Order over whether his coming here has anything to do with the little Uchiha at all. He may be after one of you wild cards," and he looked sharply at Iruka. "If that's the case, the rules change. He threatened to kill me if I ever used my talents on the little Uchiha. If he attempts to take a wild card from here, then I'll interfere directly. There's something about my talents in particular that he thinks could adversely affect his pet project. As much time and effort as Uchiha has devoted to the project, he'll drop everything if his work is threatened."

"Is there a particular reason you won't refer to Sasuke by his name?" Kakashi drawled. "A conscious effort to dehumanize him, maybe?"

Sai blinked in surprise. "He's the smaller of the only two Uchiha's left. I did consider Uchiha-chan, but was advised against it. Most refer to him as the little Uchiha to avoid confusion. We only use first names when we have no last name to go by. Using one's first name implies familiarity, and people are easily offended by that."

"If Sasuke hears you calling him 'the little Uchiha', he'll be easily offended. I guarantee it. Call him Sasuke."

"Very well," Sai agreed. "Though I don't intend to address him at all unless I'm forced to in order to redirect Uchiha's attention."

"Do you really believe he might not be coming here because of Sasuke?" asked Iruka.

"No. I'm sure his reasons have everything to do with the - with Sasuke. We had no warning of the wild cards here. Uchiha wouldn't have known, either. I see no reason for him to focus on this part of the world except that Sasuke is attempting to stay here. The others drawn here believe the same. Tiedoll's discovery of two wild cards here has many in the Order worried. I don't agree. Naruto-" He stopped and frowned at Iruka. "What's his last name?"

"Stick with Naruto."

"Very well. Tiedoll drew an alarming sketch of Naruto. While I do feel an unusually large number of talents in him, his inherent lack of control makes him of no interest. Uchiha has been very consistent in that regard. He's only interested in mastered talents. He also focuses exclusively on adults. Even when he identified me as a possible threat, he didn't kill me outright because I'm not an adult yet. We believe Sasuke is responsible for that. Uchiha has no morals of his own, but he is strongly invested in keeping Sasuke sane and alive. Involving bystanders or forcing him to kill people he considers too young would compromise his morals, possibly even push him toward suicide. Uchiha is well aware of that. He seems to have modified his own behavior to fit those standards. Naruto may be of interest to him years in the future, but not now. I'm convinced of that. Others in the Order aren't convinced."

Kakashi sent a sly look at Iruka. "You're an adult."

"I'm sure he could find a better healer than me," Iruka scoffed.

"Exactly," nodded Sai. "There's no reason for him to be interested in either of you. As for healers, he has only allowed one to work for him. The fact that they're enemies doesn't seem to matter. Should anything happen to Sasuke, Uchiha will send for him and he'll come without hesitation. Their relationship has us baffled, but it's remained that way from the very beginning. Unless that healer were to die, I doubt Uchiha would even consider replacing him. Is your healing talent very strong? Unique in some way?"

"I can only heal minor injuries."

Sai stared at him for a long moment and then frowned at Kakashi. "You won't tell me anything you see in him?"

"I don't see anything that would interest Itachi," said Kakashi. "Other than that? Nope, I'm not saying anything." He smiled. "What I see is none of your business."

Sai rose and turned back to Iruka. "Will you consider it interference if I spoke to Lee about someone he knows? The Director faxed me some information he believes will make him very happy. It's nothing that would influence his choices, simply information on one Maito Gai's recent activities."

"Guy?" Iruka demanded. "His 'mentor in all things'?"

Sai blinked, leaning back from him. "The Director referred to him as a father figure. I'm not versed in either of their particular cases. The man has only been active in isolate rural areas. He was recently adopted into a very primitive tribe. It's meaningless information. The Director just thought he'd like to know. If you consider that interference, I won't-"

"Not at all," Iruka said quickly. His grin bordered on predatory. "I'd like to hear this as well. I'm very interested in that man's current location. And I'm sure Lee will be delighted."

"Planning to send him an angry letter?" asked Kakashi.

"It wouldn't reach him where he is now," said Sai. "The Order could see it delivered at a later date if you like, in appreciation of your cooperation."

That offer was much better than bribing him with money. Iruka doubted a lecture would have the same impact in written form, but Lee would probably love a chance to make contact. "I'll consider it. Let's get Lee now." He smiled at Kakashi. "Be a dear and take that stuff into the kitchen, would you? Thanks."

Staring at the half cleaned table, Kakashi wondered if Iruka was really that clueless. Too distracted to think clearly? Or maybe it was all a front? Time would tell, he supposed. So much to think about. The shadow of that drug kept Iruka all but invisible to Sai and his 'Order' friends. Only a talent like the sharingan could see through it. His sharingan thrived off Iruka's energy, the benefits of which would be double for someone with two of the eyes. Really, it couldn't have been more obvious. Iruka had gotten so comfortable with him sharing his bed and flirting with him that a single day without flirting made him think he'd given up. The fact that he was making him drop his guard for a surprise ambush couldn't have been more obvious. Really, the man was ridiculously obtuse.

Reminding himself to ask about that 'INTJ' thing, he set about clearing the table. Reduced to kitchen boy, was he? Treated just like one of the kids. His plan had worked so well he almost felt sorry for the man. Except he didn't. Iruka would thank him later. Assuming he wasn't too breathless to speak at all.

.-.
TBC