Iteration
folder
Naruto › Yaoi - Male/Male › Naruto/Sasuke
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
119
Views:
2,678
Reviews:
1203
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Naruto › Yaoi - Male/Male › Naruto/Sasuke
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
119
Views:
2,678
Reviews:
1203
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
This story has some of Masashi Kishimoto's characters from Naruto in a universe of my own devising. I do not own Naruto. I do not make any money from these writings.
Target
‘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’. There is also a one-shot ‘Silver Leaf Tales: Tying the knot’.
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.
Thank you to those readers who have written a review and particular thanks to gingitsune, unneeded, sadie237, meow-ku, lonelylulaby, Daydreamer, richon, v and disembodiedvoiceofthedying who reviewed chapter 39.
Apologies if the characters have grown differently in their new environment.
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.
Warning – this is a very short chapter. ( It came out that way. It feels finished.)
Chapter forty: Target
Three walls of the room were covered with information. Zetsu stared at it from his flytrap chair.
The Wizard, Shikamaru, probably kept all his information in his head. He would not need something as prosaic as a wall.
His eyes drifted to the left. That wall bore all the information about Shikamaru himself. It included the names of those known to be close to him, the few purchases he had made in his own name and movements, as much as they were known, over the last twenty-four standards.
He bought data crystals. He had parents, a little sister and a son who was not legally his.
There was also a list of his known identities; the seven thousand one hundred and eighty-two the Sunagakure had tracked down and the four hundred and sixteen Zetsu had found. Beside each was a neat number denoting a database entry.
On the right wall was everything they knew about Uchiha. Far right at the bottom was old Uchiha. Far right top was the HDL. Central was Sasuke Uchiha. To the right were Uchiha’s accomplishments over the last four standards, since Sasuke Uchiha had assumed leadership and proved to be everything Uchiha had fallen short of since Izuna Uchiha and the Voice in His Ear.
Sasuke Uchiha had a typed genius; Shikamaru. He also had his talisman; the Bara hybrid known as Naruto. He had the Hyuga who was not a Hyuga; Neji.
Hyuga could be bought. The hybrid was irrelevant. Typed geniuses were so rare they were beyond precious. The sane typed geniuses within the last century could be counted on Zetsu’s fingers.
Shikamaru was a type-seven; a fully functional and sane type-seven.
The central wall was dedicated to their plan to capture Shikamaru. It was distressingly blank. There was one small cluster dedicated to boarding their ship, another to kidnapping his parents and sister and a third to raiding the Uchiha compound on Tarrasade.
None of those options were promising. Zetsu had argued all three back and forth in his head. Their chances of success were remote.
Familiar footsteps; it was Pein approaching. Zetsu stood and stepped away from his chair. When Pein entered he bowed and offered him the seat. It was not an offer Zetsu made to anyone else, not even Konan.
Pein bowed slightly to acknowledge that he understood but stood in the centre of the room instead. Zetsu stood beside him and tried not to think how haggard and thin Pein appeared.
“Have you integrated the information Orochimaru sent?” Pein asked.
Zetsu nodded.
“Even though Sasuke Uchiha himself went into battle, the target was kept safe at all times, presumably with the children,” light Zetsu observed.
“Uchiha will not be tempted into offering him up,” dark Zetsu added. “Either we break their security with a full-frontal assault or we find a point of weakness. The chances of a full-frontal assault being successful are extremely low.”
Pein’s eyes were fixed on the central wall. “Look into the possibilities his birth family offer,” he ordered. His eyes strayed to the right. “Is that new?” he asked.
“Yes,” Zetsu admitted. “We think we understand some of their communications advantage. Deduction suggests that the target can hack communication relays.” He watched Pein stiffen. Hacking the light speed communication relays had been considered impossible. “They also are establishing networks of tiny gates. Each has its own relay.”
Pein almost smiled. “So simple. How elegant.” He turned to Zetsu. “We must have him, Zetsu-san. Future ideas must be ours, not Uchiha’s. The longer he is at Sasuke Uchiha’s side, the more powerful Uchiha will become.” His expression hardened. “Perhaps we will have to settle for neither of us having him; it would be better than the current situation.”
Zetsu was appalled; a sane type-seven genius was one of humanity’s greatest treasures. He tried not to show it. “There are other avenues to explore, Pein-sama,” light Zetsu suggested.
“True,” Pein admitted. “Are you sure that interrogating his birth parents is not worth it? They have been inside Uchiha.”
“It would confirm that the target was Shikamaru,” dark Zetsu warned. “Uchiha would be even more vigilant.”
Pein sighed. “Then there is only one option that might yield the information we require. I would have liked to have delayed longer before realising our asset, but we need to exploit what small advantage we have.”
Normally Zetsu would have suggested it was too soon. They risked the spy knowing little or nothing of use. However, Pein had never before suggested killing the target. “I will finalise a plan, Pein-sama,” he promised.
“Good,” Pein confirmed. He began walking from the room but turned and tossed a small object towards Zetsu. Both light and dark Zetsu extended a hand to catch it and light Zetsu succeeded.
Zetsu turned the object in his left hand. It was a spacer’s medallion. On one side was an image that Zetsu assumed was meant to be of Sasuke Uchiha. On the other was an image of the fox-human hybrid. It was obviously him; it had blond hair, bright blue eyes and whiskers.
“Hana found it in the market and bought it to show Konan,” Pein explained. “Out here. This far into the Fringe. Without a gated hole in the system. Four standards, Zetsu. It is only four standards since he gave that first interview.” His eyes went back to the right hand wall. “He is on his way to being the most influential leader of his generation and he does not even want it.”
Both Zetsus remained prudently silent. Pein wanted it. He wanted it very much. He wanted to create a new order across known space; to impose his version of peace.
He wanted it so much that no sacrifice was too great; the reality of which each member of the Akatsuki was acutely aware.
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.
Thank you to those readers who have written a review and particular thanks to gingitsune, unneeded, sadie237, meow-ku, lonelylulaby, Daydreamer, richon, v and disembodiedvoiceofthedying who reviewed chapter 39.
Apologies if the characters have grown differently in their new environment.
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.
Warning – this is a very short chapter. ( It came out that way. It feels finished.)
Chapter forty: Target
Three walls of the room were covered with information. Zetsu stared at it from his flytrap chair.
The Wizard, Shikamaru, probably kept all his information in his head. He would not need something as prosaic as a wall.
His eyes drifted to the left. That wall bore all the information about Shikamaru himself. It included the names of those known to be close to him, the few purchases he had made in his own name and movements, as much as they were known, over the last twenty-four standards.
He bought data crystals. He had parents, a little sister and a son who was not legally his.
There was also a list of his known identities; the seven thousand one hundred and eighty-two the Sunagakure had tracked down and the four hundred and sixteen Zetsu had found. Beside each was a neat number denoting a database entry.
On the right wall was everything they knew about Uchiha. Far right at the bottom was old Uchiha. Far right top was the HDL. Central was Sasuke Uchiha. To the right were Uchiha’s accomplishments over the last four standards, since Sasuke Uchiha had assumed leadership and proved to be everything Uchiha had fallen short of since Izuna Uchiha and the Voice in His Ear.
Sasuke Uchiha had a typed genius; Shikamaru. He also had his talisman; the Bara hybrid known as Naruto. He had the Hyuga who was not a Hyuga; Neji.
Hyuga could be bought. The hybrid was irrelevant. Typed geniuses were so rare they were beyond precious. The sane typed geniuses within the last century could be counted on Zetsu’s fingers.
Shikamaru was a type-seven; a fully functional and sane type-seven.
The central wall was dedicated to their plan to capture Shikamaru. It was distressingly blank. There was one small cluster dedicated to boarding their ship, another to kidnapping his parents and sister and a third to raiding the Uchiha compound on Tarrasade.
None of those options were promising. Zetsu had argued all three back and forth in his head. Their chances of success were remote.
Familiar footsteps; it was Pein approaching. Zetsu stood and stepped away from his chair. When Pein entered he bowed and offered him the seat. It was not an offer Zetsu made to anyone else, not even Konan.
Pein bowed slightly to acknowledge that he understood but stood in the centre of the room instead. Zetsu stood beside him and tried not to think how haggard and thin Pein appeared.
“Have you integrated the information Orochimaru sent?” Pein asked.
Zetsu nodded.
“Even though Sasuke Uchiha himself went into battle, the target was kept safe at all times, presumably with the children,” light Zetsu observed.
“Uchiha will not be tempted into offering him up,” dark Zetsu added. “Either we break their security with a full-frontal assault or we find a point of weakness. The chances of a full-frontal assault being successful are extremely low.”
Pein’s eyes were fixed on the central wall. “Look into the possibilities his birth family offer,” he ordered. His eyes strayed to the right. “Is that new?” he asked.
“Yes,” Zetsu admitted. “We think we understand some of their communications advantage. Deduction suggests that the target can hack communication relays.” He watched Pein stiffen. Hacking the light speed communication relays had been considered impossible. “They also are establishing networks of tiny gates. Each has its own relay.”
Pein almost smiled. “So simple. How elegant.” He turned to Zetsu. “We must have him, Zetsu-san. Future ideas must be ours, not Uchiha’s. The longer he is at Sasuke Uchiha’s side, the more powerful Uchiha will become.” His expression hardened. “Perhaps we will have to settle for neither of us having him; it would be better than the current situation.”
Zetsu was appalled; a sane type-seven genius was one of humanity’s greatest treasures. He tried not to show it. “There are other avenues to explore, Pein-sama,” light Zetsu suggested.
“True,” Pein admitted. “Are you sure that interrogating his birth parents is not worth it? They have been inside Uchiha.”
“It would confirm that the target was Shikamaru,” dark Zetsu warned. “Uchiha would be even more vigilant.”
Pein sighed. “Then there is only one option that might yield the information we require. I would have liked to have delayed longer before realising our asset, but we need to exploit what small advantage we have.”
Normally Zetsu would have suggested it was too soon. They risked the spy knowing little or nothing of use. However, Pein had never before suggested killing the target. “I will finalise a plan, Pein-sama,” he promised.
“Good,” Pein confirmed. He began walking from the room but turned and tossed a small object towards Zetsu. Both light and dark Zetsu extended a hand to catch it and light Zetsu succeeded.
Zetsu turned the object in his left hand. It was a spacer’s medallion. On one side was an image that Zetsu assumed was meant to be of Sasuke Uchiha. On the other was an image of the fox-human hybrid. It was obviously him; it had blond hair, bright blue eyes and whiskers.
“Hana found it in the market and bought it to show Konan,” Pein explained. “Out here. This far into the Fringe. Without a gated hole in the system. Four standards, Zetsu. It is only four standards since he gave that first interview.” His eyes went back to the right hand wall. “He is on his way to being the most influential leader of his generation and he does not even want it.”
Both Zetsus remained prudently silent. Pein wanted it. He wanted it very much. He wanted to create a new order across known space; to impose his version of peace.
He wanted it so much that no sacrifice was too great; the reality of which each member of the Akatsuki was acutely aware.