Black as Blood

VI.

Sasuke stood before the Hokage and the Council of Elders with no allies, no weapons, no friends. Their eyes glittered with distrust and hatred, but Tsunade only smiled at him when he glanced at her, offering a bit of peace of mind. The Council was silent, staring hard at the boy before them, the boy who was a traitor, and who had left the village to pursue power, even offering up his body to their enemy. Sasuke’s mind was blank, and Shiro was no help either. The ookami pointed out things he could say, but Sasuke’s mouth wouldn’t work. His heart thumped in a steady rhythm, and he could almost hear the hearts of those around him.

“Uchiha Sasuke,” Homura began, fingers steepled before his mouth in a serious pose. “You are here today to answer for past crimes. We as the Council reserve the right to have you executed should we deign you are a threat to our village. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.” Sasuke replied, eye centered on the old man who was speaking for the Council.

“Very good,” Homura sat back in his chair, watching the boy. Sasuke was strong-willed, he knew, especially from the reports Ibiki and the Hokage had brought him. In his short time here, Sasuke had done nothing to warrant any sort of punishment beyond what had already been decided by the Godaime. The other members of the council were silent, and Homura looked toward Koharu, the old woman nodding.

“Answer us truthfully, please.” Homura told the boy. “Why have you returned?”

“Because this place is safe.”

Homura looked toward Koharu again, and the woman nodded.

“And if we decide to have you executed, what will you do? Will you run?”

“Why?” Sasuke asked. “Where would I run to? What village, what town, would harbour a fugitive?”

Homura nodded, knowing the boy had a point. He had also learned of Sasuke’s determination to see this through from those statements, though from the murmurs coming from beside him, he wasn’t sure if the other council members had garnered the same thing.

“It is true you are the last of your clan.” Someone to Homura’s left asked. Homura groaned inwardly, watching the Uchiha boy tense. It was this subject he had wanted to approach last, once he had gotten the boy relaxed enough to answer questions without thought. “If we ordered you to take a wife, to procreate, you would do it?”

“Never.”

Homura and Koharu looked at each other in near shock from the venom in that word. They looked back to Sasuke, surprised to see the youth staring at the ground, hands clenched into fists.

“I would never take a wife to satisfy this council. I would not subject that poor girl to that kind of torture, nor my children. If I take a wife, it’s because I will love her. I will NOT continue the Uchiha line just because a bunch of old farts want that power back!”

Koharu made a choking sound, as if she was trying to hold in laughter. The other members looked shocked and scandalized. Homura shook his head. He knew who held that kind of power over this child’s heart.

“Then we will have a woman prepared for you by this evening,”

Koharu slammed her hand on the table, glaring at the speaker. “We will NOT. This child will make his own decision about marriage and children. We will not make it for him! However, Sasuke,” Her eyes turned on the boy, meeting that hardened gaze with steady precision. “You will follow our rules.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“You will join ANBU. You would do well there, and it will put many minds at ease. You will also stay with Uzumaki-kun, and you will go nowhere without him or another jounin. You are not to leave Konoha without express permission from the Council and the Hokage, unless it pertains to a mission. Therefore, in that case, you will be accompanied by no less than three teammates. You will do as you are told by your squad leader, and those who hold authority over you. We will not restrict your socialization, but you will meet with either Homura or I at the end of every month so we can gauge your progress. Do you agree?”

“Yes, Koharu-san.” Sasuke said after a moment, having apparently mulled things over in the time she was speaking.

“You may go then,” she replied. “Your ANBU squad leader will come by later to begin your training. I wish you luck, Uchiha-kun.”

Sasuke bowed and left the office, followed by the Hokage. Koharu looked over at Homura and smiled a little bit as the other council members erupted into outraged cries over her decisions.

“He wants to be here.” She told her old teammate.

“He’s already chosen his path,” Homura replied. “He has decided where he belongs.”

“Even if…?”

“You did say the council wouldn’t force a marriage on him.”

“Still, to that youth…”

“We could stop worrying.” Homura said as he rose, escorting his friend out of the office and toward home.
---
Sasuke stood in front of the mirror in Naruto’s room, dressed in that familiar black and white outfit of the ANBU. His mask sat on the nightstand, that of a wolf. He shook his head at the irony, and tied his hair back into its customary ponytail. He picked up the mask, and stared at it for a while. One eye was missing, painted over by red. He finally tied it into place and looked at himself in the mirror again, starting just a little bit at his reflection. It was almost like Itachi was there, standing before him, staring back at him in the mirror. He reached for Kusunagi and paused, remembering that the sword was no longer strapped to his back. He relaxed, closing his eye to remove the mask, and whirled, throwing the covering at the presence standing in the doorway.

Naruto caught the mask before it could break his nose, staring at Sasuke. The black fabric had formed itself to his body, leaving nothing to the imagination, and yet it was making Naruto wonder what was beneath that fabric. He mentally kicked himself, and glowered at the other boy. Sasuke just watched him as he’d always watched him, finally moving to take the mask back, holding it in his hands. Naruto put his hands on his hips and sighed.

“If you’re ready, we’ll go.”

“So you’re in my squad.” It wasn’t a question, and Naruto nodded.

“Yeah. Me, Kaka-sensei, and Neji. You’re really not supposed to know who we are, but Tsunade-baa-chan said no secrets from you.”

Sasuke made a noise and put the mask back on, then shoved out of the room when he was finished as Naruto moved to get changed himself. Naruto left the room a few minutes later, grabbing his partner’s wrist and dragging him from the apartment, toward a clearing where another ANBU stood, silvery hair peeking out from behind a red and white mask. Sasuke recognized Kakashi, and stood perfectly still once Naruto released him to converse with the silver haired man. He only moved over once their stances relaxed, though he still stood a good five feet away.

“We just have to wait for Thrush, and we’ll get started.” Kakashi said, patting Sasuke’s shoulder. Sasuke made a sound and looked toward the sky. This was going to be a long training session, especially since aggressions could be taken out on him.

~‘Thrush’? That’s the best name they could come up with for that sullen kid?~ Shiro asked his host, and Sasuke smirked behind his mask.

~I shudder to think of what Naruto has been called.~

~Fox.~

Sasuke snickered as quietly as he could, but Kakashi seemed to hear him anyway, moving a little closer, invading personal space. Sasuke lurched back a little bit, staring at the older man nearly suspiciously.

“We need to think of a name for you, don’t we?”

“Why don’t we just call me Wolf?” Sasuke asked in a monotone, and this time it was Kakashi who laughed.

“I was thinking that. But I think we’ll call you Puppy.”

“Puppy.”

“Just for now. Until you earn your place here. You’re going to be worked to the bone, Puppy. We’re not pulling any punches.”

“Wouldn’t dare expect you too.” Sasuke said softly, tensing as he sensed a presence approaching them, quickly coming up from behind. Neji landed beside Sasuke without warning, and Sasuke had to force himself not to react, not to lash out. Neji moved past him to stand beside Naruto, head tilted as he gazed at Sasuke.

“What’s his name?”

“It’s Puppy,” Naruto said, clapping his hand to Neji’s shoulder. “Kaka-sensei gave him that.”

Kakashi’s hand met Naruto’s skull with terrifying force, sending the boy to the ground clutching his skull. Naruto was cursing, crouching behind Neji and glaring at their squad leader. Shiro moved restlessly behind his seal in Sasuke’s mind at that action, and Sasuke hushed the ookami, though the spirit growled and snarled at the mistreatment of Kyuubi.

“How many times have we been over this? You aren’t allowed to use our real names.”

“I got it. I got it, believe it.” Naruto said, rubbing the knot on his skull as he rose, sighing. “Sorry, Falcon.”

~What’s with the bird motif?~ Shiro asked, and Sasuke gave an imperceptible shrug.

~Perhaps all the other names were taken.~

~I doubt there are that many ANBU.~

Sasuke shrugged again, and turned to look at Neji and Naruto, not quite staring. Naruto’s hands were on his hips, leaning forward just a bit to whisper into the Hyuuga’s ear. Sasuke tilted his head to listen, and felt Kakashi come up beside him on his blind side.

“Okay, kids. Let’s get started. Thrush, Hound, I want you two to show Puppy here what he’ll be learning. Don’t kill each other, and don’t break any bones.”

“But Kakashi,” Naruto said with a grin behind his mask, “Breaking bones is fun. And if you break bones, you gain the advantage.”

“No bone breaking. Thrush, don’t use the Byakugan either, and you, Hound, no extra chakra.” Kakashi’s voice was joyful, playful, but deadly serious. Neji only nodded, and Naruto groaned, stepping out into the field.

“He’s gotten smarter,” Sasuke whispered to Kakashi, the older man tilting his head as he crossed his arms over his white-armoured chest.

“He’s grown up,” Kakashi replied, watching Naruto lunge at Neji only to feint to the left, landing a series of brutal kicks to the other boy’s ribcage, the last kick blocked by a quick punch to the ankle, sending the blonde spinning to the ground. Naruto didn’t stay on his knees for long, rolling backwards beneath Neji’s roundhouse aimed at his head, on his feet and tackling the other boy down in the most crude of methods. Naruto’s fist shot up into the air in victory, turning to look at Kakashi and Sasuke, to announce his achievement. Neji’s hand smacked into the face of the blonde’s mask and shoved him to the ground, the back of his skull slamming into the ground.

“…Kakashi…”

“Yes, Sasuke?”

“I take back what I said about Naruto being smarter.”

Kakashi made a sound, and face-palmed.