Black as Blood

IX

“What do you mean you failed? I trained you better than that!”

“Forgive me.” Desperate, whispered. “I won’t fail you again.”

A pause. Deadly silence. “See that you don’t. He must die.”

“I’ll make sure of it,” Relief.

“If you fail again,” Threatening, malicious. “It will be in your best interest to kill yourself.”

A swallow. “I understand.”

----

Naruto jerked awake, sitting bolt upright in bed, blankets pooling around his waist. It took him a moment to remember where he was, that he was safe in his own room, in his own bed, quite alone.

Alone?

Shit.

Sasuke.

Naruto turned, looking for the brunette who should have been sleeping on the floor in the vacant pile of blankets and pillows that were neatly folded against the dresser. Naruto flung the blankets off himself and got up, fear taking hold of his heart. He slammed out of his bedroom and down the hall, electric blue eyes going wide as an unusual sight greeted him. The fear reluctantly released its hold on his heart as he gazed at Sasuke, the brunette staring at him like he’d just returned from the dead. Which, Naruto surmised when he offered an embarrassed smile to Iruka, he probably looked like he’d risen from the grave. He glared at Sasuke for two minutes before turning on his heel and going back to his room to get dressed, emerging back into the kitchen to smack the brunette across the shoulders. Sasuke gave a soft growl at the abuse, though he didn’t retaliate. Iruka only gave a laugh.

“Iruka-sensei,” Naruto said in a falsetto, ignoring the way Sasuke added way too much sugar to his ramen, thus ruining the meal for Naruto. He glared at Sasuke, who glared back, and they stayed that way for a few more moments before Iruka cleared his throat.

“Naruto, please. You two were getting along so well,”

“He snores, did you know that?” Sasuke asked over his milk, watching with satisfaction as Naruto spluttered.

“Yeah, well, you… you… you’re stupid!”

“What are you two? Four?” Iruka asked, head tilting. Naruto and Sasuke glared his way for a moment, and Iruka tried to hide his smile. The scene was too familiar, something that could have been yesterday, when the boys were only twelve. Sasuke finally averted his gaze and poked at his breakfast, as though he’d lost his appetite. Apparently so, for he pushed his bowl of “uncontaminated” ramen toward Naruto and settled for drinking his milk. Naruto downed the bowl, both in fact, despite the sugar, and sat back in the chair, looking at their former teacher.

“What brings you by, Iruka-sensei?” Naruto asked if only to lessen the silence that was pressing down on the three.

“Well, I thought you two would like to join me on a field trip today. Not too far, just into the woods to the river.” Iruka replied, sensing Sasuke tense up at the mention of leaving the village, even at a distance that was sure to bring help running at the slightest problem.

“Just you and us and those brats you call students?” Naruto said with a grin, head tilted a bit. Iruka laughed and nodded.

“Us and my students.”

“And I’m sure Kakashi won’t be too far behind.” Sasuke said with a sigh, cupping his chin in his hand as he stared past the older brunette and the blonde, out the sliding glass door in the den to the outside. Iruka made a noise that wasn’t quite consenting or pleased, and Sasuke’s lips twitched a bit in an aborted smile. Naruto grinned and stood up abruptly, nearly knocking his chair over. He managed to catch it before it clattered to the floor, grinning at the two other men in his kitchen.

“We’ll meet you in front of the school, Iruka-sensei.”

Iruka smiled. “Very well then. Sasuke, thank you for breakfast.”

“Mm.”

After Iruka had seen himself out, Naruto holding the door open for him, of course, because that’s the polite thing to do and he really didn’t want to catch the sharp side of Kakashi’s kunai, the blonde returned to his guest and watched him for a few moments, letting the silence fall around them like a particularly fluffy blanket.

“You’re not violating the rules, you know.” Naruto said after a moment. “I’m with you, Iruka’s with you, and knowing Kakashi, he won’t be far behind.”

“It’s not the rules I’m worried about,” Sasuke replied, closing his one eye against the visage of the blonde, turning his head away to pillow it on his arms. “It’s the reactions the parents are going to have.”

“The kids.”

“The kids.”

“Well, what’s the worst they can do? Surely Iruka’s gotten permission from Tsunade, so it isn’t like they can go after you with that.” Naruto moved closer to Sasuke, studying the lines that made up that lithe body, watching the tension drain from the brunette. “And it’s not like you’re actually going to talk with the kids. They’ll probably be too afraid to even get near you.”

“Yeah, still.”

“Still nothing. Come on Sasuke. I know you wanna go outside, and this time, there’s no rules.” Naruto paused, grinning. “We can run.”

Sasuke turned to face him then, confusion and wariness in that single black orb, watching the blonde’s face for some kind of ploy, for some kind of trick. Seeing none, the brunette finally relaxed, nodding his assent. Naruto moved forward then, grabbing the smaller man up from the seat, an action he’d regret in retrospect for Sasuke’s fist found his gut, and moved to outfit them both for an outing. Naruto paused as he put on his hitai-ate, watching Sasuke watch him in the mirror. Sasuke stood in the doorway of the bedroom, dressed in dark colours that hid that wonderful body that denied the optical fact that Sasuke could kill a man, or woman, with just his hands. He had no weapons on his person, for he didn’t need them. And Naruto would have the arsenal anyway. But it wasn’t the clothes Naruto found himself watching; rather he was watching the brunette’s face, watching that dark eye locate and hold his gaze in the mirror, finally slipping up to look at the hitai-ate that rested on Naruto’s forehead. The blonde moved then, kneeling by a drawer and rifling through junk until he brought out a black lacquered box, holding it almost reverently as he brought it over to the brunette.

“It probably sounds stupid, since you’ll be getting a new one eventually, but,” Naruto paused, taking a breath as he handed the box to his companion, watching the brunette gingerly open the box. “I kept it. Exactly the way you left it.”

“You hoped I’d return.” Sasuke whispered as he pulled out his old hitai-ate, the metal scarred across the symbol of Konoha, a missing-nin’s hitai-ate. He held the band for a few moments before he moved, tying the hitai-ate around his neck, like a collar. Naruto only canted his head and watched Sasuke touch the scarred metal.

“Yeah. When I was sixteen. Four years kinda ruins hope, but, here you are.”

“Here I am.” Sasuke conceded, looking at Naruto with his head tilted. Naruto wondered then, what would happen if he leaned forward, just a little bit, just far enough to press his lips against Sasuke’s, to feel those lips under his own. Would Sasuke tense? Would he gasp, thus allowing Naruto entry into his mouth? Would he beat the living shit out of Naruto? He found himself leaning forward but Sasuke retreated, leaving Naruto feeling like an idiot.

“We have to go,” Sasuke said after a moment of trying to hide his own blush. “We’ll be late.”

“Yeah. Sometimes I forget how much of a temper Iruka-sensei can have.”

“Nnh.”

The walk from the apartment was silent, as most of those who lived around them had jobs to go to, children to take to school, laundry to clean, books to read, et cetera, et cetera. Those they did meet on the street glared Sasuke’s way, and once or twice a stone was thrown, but Sasuke merely avoided the rock, continuing on his way beside Naruto. The stones became less and less the closer they got to the school, Naruto waving as he spotted Iruka trying to line up his students for an adventure. The kids already looked like they were ready for a swim, holding backpacks in their little hands. They stared up at Sasuke like he was a demon from the stories their parents told them before bed, some even shying behind their friends when he looked their way. His head canted, and he looked toward Iruka, who looked happy the two had shown up.

“As soon as we get their backpacks on, we can go,” Iruka announced. “We waste too much time and we won’t get to swim!”

There was a chorus of groans from the children, even one from Naruto, which earned giggles from the kids who seemed to know him. He started a count – One! Two! Three! – and the kids swung those packs up, Iruka and Naruto securing those packs to the kids. Sasuke certainly felt the odd one out, standing off to the side and watching. The children didn’t seem to be more than eight or nine at the most, and they were being allowed out of the village on a field trip. When he was that age, he wasn’t even allowed near the gate. Things certainly had changed in the teaching world, he surmised. He and Naruto took up the rear of the train as Iruka led the procession of twenty-four children toward the gate. Sasuke watched as Iruka was stopped, he figured in regard to himself, but the wait wasn’t long and they were let through with minimal trouble. Sasuke only sighed, stuffed his hands in his pockets and watched the backs of twenty-four little heads. Shiro gave a soft growl and made a snide comment about a particular kid or three and finally shut up to nap, leaving Sasuke alone in his head.

He caught himself daydreaming when he felt the tugging on his pants, looking down at the little girl who stared up at him with no fear, her fingers curled in his pantleg. He canted his head at her, moving to crouch before her.

“…Michiko has to pee, Sasuke-san.”

Sasuke stared at the little girl, Michiko, and sighed. He looked toward Naruto, who stood watching him, and waved his hand. A nod, and Naruto relayed the information to Iruka. Apparently, now, it was potty break. The boys broke up into a group followed by the girls, and Sasuke led the females into a spot where they could do their business. He kept his back turned, borrowing Shiro’s senses, and wondered why in the hell they didn’t bring a kunoichi with them. When he returned, Iruka smiled gratefully at him as the kids picked up their packs again, continuing their trek. They made it to the river with plenty of time left to swim, and let the kids have at it. Sasuke sat down in the shade, back against a tree trunk, watching the children attempt to drown each other in the crystal waters that came to hip height on them.

“Thank you, Sasuke.” Iruka said after a moment, coming over to the brunette as Naruto had gone to fling children into the deeper waters.

“You should have a kunoichi,” Sasuke replied, but nodded in return. Iruka looked sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

“I did. She reneged, and I couldn’t find anyone else who’d-“

“Who’d come on a field trip if I went?”

Iruka made a sound, agreeing but not liking it, turning to watch the kids cavort in the waters and on the shore. A shout, and the teacher was running to break up a miniscule battle between two boys over who was king of the rock. Sasuke only shook his head and settled further back into the shade. He glanced up then at the little girl from before, Michiko, and the three others who stood around her. Michiko knelt beside him then, the other three following suit.

“Sasuke-san, these are Michiko’s friends.” The girl told him as though it was of great importance. As though he actually cared. “This is Touma, Maki, and Yasunori.”

The boys and girl nodded, moving closer to Sasuke as if he cared for their presence. Sasuke only watched the group of four, head tilting as he studied them. Michiko seemed to be the leader of the group, the strong-willed-never-say-die one. Her second in command was probably Yasunori, the boy’s eyes keen enough to catch any detail. He was followed by Maki, the girl looking hard-willed and stubborn. The last was Touma, a slight boy with the look of being a prankster, a troublemaker, but his eyes held an intelligence that was belied by that mousey look of his. Sasuke let his eye drift over the four children, aware they closed in ever closer around him.

“Sasuke-san?” Michiko asked when the older man closed his eye, just listening to the kids. He only canted his head, asking her to continue in a way she seemed to understand.

“Sasuke-san, my mom says you’re a bad man,” Touma whispered, flinching when Sasuke looked at him, head tilted.

“Do you think I’m a bad man?” Sasuke replied, watching the boy with a mild look.

Touma shook his head furiously, whether to satisfy Sasuke or to pretend that the look of fear in his eyes never existed. Either way, Sasuke couldn’t bring himself to care how the children viewed him or not; it was the parents he would have to deal with if their little angels ended up being dismembered by enemy nin. Sasuke frowned at that train of thought.

“What do you think of me then?” Sasuke asked after a moment. The children glanced at one another, as if holding some psychic debate over their joined answers, the children finally sitting down on the ground in a semi-circle around Sasuke, pretzel-style.

“We think you’re misunderstood, Sasuke-san.” Michiko replied. Sasuke stared at the girl for a moment, before he finally got up the nerve to laugh.

“Misunderstood? There have been better terms used.” Sasuke replied. “But misunderstood works.”

“The adults say you’re an evil man,” Yasunori said. “Iruka-sensei says that you made your choice for bad reasons, but you aren’t a bad man.”

“So he’s taught you about me?”

“In passing. Some of the other students brought it up because their parents were talking about you,” Maki whispered, folding and refolding her kimono’s obi. “The adults don’t like you.”

“I don’t care if the adults like me or not,” Sasuke replied evenly. “It’s not their job to make judgments now is it?”

“No!” Touma said with a grin. “Making judgments belongs to the Hokage.”

“Exactly.”

“So if the Hokage likes you, then you’re okay,” Yasunori said. Sasuke nodded, sat forward, cross-legged just like the four students before him. It had occurred to him they had settled in to hear a story, and he would deliver to their little hearts’ contents. It had always irked him that children were shielded so in their society, only to meet their deaths at thirteen or fourteen because of naivety.

“If that’s what you wish to believe. Even the Hokage can’t contend with the beliefs of the people. She can only keep them from making decisions that will hurt others.” Sasuke replied. “You four aren’t here because you think I’m cool for defying the rules. Tell me what you want.”

The children began to speak at once then, asking about his time with Orochimaru, his brother, the scar, anything their little minds could comprehend, each trying to be heard over the other. Eventually, Sasuke had to hold up his hand to command silence, the children beaming as they leaned forward, eager for the story.

“First off, I’m going to tell you Orochimaru isn’t a bad man. He’s idealistic, ruthless, and he’s willing to do anything to get what he wants. In our eyes, that makes him evil, but he isn’t. In his own mind, what he’s doing isn’t evil, but more of personal gain. He offered me power, power to kill my brother, and I took it. You know when your parents say not to follow the strangers who offer you candy? Listen to them. They know what they’re saying.” Sasuke paused, letting the words sink in to the children’s brains, smirking to himself as he figured he was corrupting the youth. The Council certainly would have a field day with that.

“Second,” Sasuke continued, “Itachi did what he did for his own reasons. And no, I’m not going to tell you what they were. You wanna know, you ask him yourself, if you survive. I’m not telling you about this either,” – ‘this’ was indicated with a finger to the scar across his eye – “because you don’t need to know. Yasunori, put the kunai away before I break your wrist.”

The boy in question stilled, the kunai going lax in his hands, his eyes wide even before Sasuke turned that bloody red Sharingan on him. The child shivered under that gaze, giving a whimper when that bloody red faded back to black, leaving the children staring in awe.

“I’m not even going to ask who put you up to trying to pull off this assassination, if it was that, but the next time you draw a weapon on me, on any ninja, be prepared to face the consequences.”

“H-how did you know?” Michiko said a little fearfully, the four now in a huddle before the older man, who had risen to his feet, now towering above the children.

“Air pressure,” Sasuke replied succinctly.

“Air pressure?” The children chorused, now earnestly interested.

Sasuke gave a short nod. “A skilled ninja has at least six senses. The first are sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. The sixth is sort of like a second sense, an ability to know if someone is behind you without seeing them. This sense is pressure. There are slight changes in the atmosphere that you can feel if you concentrate. To feel them without concentrating takes great practice.”

“So if we practice, we can become as great as Naruto-san and you?” Touma asked, staring up at Sasuke in awe.

“Sure.” Sasuke replied. “Now do me a favour, okay? I want you four to stand up, slowly, and I want you to go over to Iruka-sensei. Tell him that you need to go home, right away, okay?”

“But why?”

“Don’t ask questions,” Sasuke snapped. “A ninja does what he’s told.”

The children only nodded, turned, and jogged toward the man that was their teacher. The movement was almost to fast for Sasuke to catch, but Shiro’s reflexes allowed him to leap out of the way of the exploding dart and roll to a crouch in front of Iruka and his students. Naruto was beside him in an instant, the two scanning the trees.

“Not Kakashi,” Sasuke growled to Naruto’s half-joked question. He turned to Iruka, gave the man a look, and received a nod in return. It was a miracle that Iruka managed to gather up the panicking children and their gear, the group running for the cover of the trees. Naruto settled beside Sasuke as they watched the treetops, Sasuke listening to Iruka organizing the children to make their escape.

“They’re after me,” Sasuke whispered to Naruto. The blonde gave him a reprimanding look, as if trying to call him a martyr. Sasuke only glared back. “Shut up. Look, take Iruka and the kids as far as you can into safe territory. Use that stupid birdcall we learned during training. If Kakashi’s around, he’ll hear it and come running. Once Iruka and the kids are safe, double back on my trail. I can stay alive longer by myself against enemies like this.”

“I said I wouldn’t leave you.” Naruto growled in return, though he moved to help Iruka anyway.

“Your first priority is the children.” Sasuke replied. “They’re after me. I can lead them away, but I need you to get them away. We don’t need a hostage situation to add to our current crisis.”

“Sasuke’s right Naruto.” Iruka said in a whisper. “I can’t get them back on my own.”

Naruto looked torn for a moment, but finally he turned to Sasuke, determination in his eyes. “If you die, I’ll bring you back and kill you myself.”

“I won’t die.” Sasuke promised before he slipped off into the shadows, moving to double around the group, waiting for Naruto to take the lead before moving. He couldn’t see his enemies, but he could feel them. He was unarmed, but then, he didn’t need a weapon to kill a man. He let Shiro come forward, and felt the changes in his own body. Sasuke halted the transformation to release something else, something much more dangerous when used in tandem with Shiro. The curse mark spread from its perch on his shoulder, sprawling over his skin in a much more controlled design than the before. It no longer owned him. He owned it. He flexed the claws that were his hands, and looked into the woods, seeing flashes of colour against a white and black backdrop.

The hunt was on.