𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐈𝐑𝐄 | sasuke uchiha

Starcrossed

"I'm glad to hear that you've recovered well, Tera. However... this war is far from over."

A couple of days later, Sasuke and I sat before Tsunade and Gaara, awaiting the news she had in store for us. For the time being, Kannon and Naruto were looking after Ayumi and Shisui, leaving us to receive the news in peace.

"I know," I sighed, looking down at my knees. "But- Tsunade-sama, do you really need Sasuke to go back to Konoha? That's dangerous, especially since it's common knowledge the chances of him leaving alive are slim!"

Beside me, Sasuke remained silent as he stared at his feet, simply taking in Tsunade's words at his own leisure.

"Counting Sasuke out already, huh?" asked the Hokage, frowning and crossing her arms as she leaned back in her seat. "I know you two have already been through a lot, but I am not planning on fighting my war based on the whims of two starcrossed lovers. To make sure he doesn't make a fool of me and my leadership, I have to prove to my forces that Sasuke really and truly is someone we can call an ally. It wasn't easy for me to accept him to begin with, but now I have to make sure something is done to make sure that no rifts are caused within our ranks because of this. Surely you two understand."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," I murmured under my breath, already knowing it was a lost cause. One way or another, Sasuke was going to have to face the music eventually- the music being, his own father. Knowing the type of man Fugaku was, I knew that he wouldn't take lightly to his son abandoning his clan.

"Sasuke, we plan on imparting the chakra in you, Naruto, and the Kazekage all on Friday," stated Tsunade. "We will give you each a couple of days to adjust, and we head out on Monday. As of Monday, all our forces will be leaving Suna. And I don't plan on returning. Now that we've regrouped and gotten all of this nonsense out of the way, the plan is to close in on the Uchiha by taking over all the little camps they have set up on our way towards Konoha. Thanks to your knowledge, we now know exactly where and how the Uchiha camps are operating, and even though our finds aren't pleasant... what matters is that we can stop it."

"Konoha isn't important."

The three of us turned to look at Sasuke in surprise, wondering what he meant.

"All the clan's operations start in the compound. That's where our main forces are based, and where they're all dispatched from. Once an operation is running smoothly, it gets moved to a new base somewhere else. Right now, the first batch of Kirei na Kodomo projects are proving to be a success, so plans are being made to have it moved to a specialised camp elsewhere to free up space at the compound for more soldiers."

My heart sunk at the mention of the project, and I thought wistfully about the several other women who were still there, being subject to the Uchiha's horrendous agenda.

"So, is it wise for us to advance towards Konoha?" asked Tsunade, leaning over the table in interest.

"If you want an empty victory, then by all means, do so. But if you really want to deal with the root of the problem... the compound is the place to go."

As silence befell the room, Gaara looked towards Tsunade imploringly.

"Ah, Tsunade-sama. Actually, I wanted to talk about the chakra," he said delicately, causing her to raise an eyebrow in suspicion.

"What of it?"

"It would be much more beneficial for you to seal the third scroll in one of your own," he began. "That way, there is more chance of you defeating the Uchiha once and for all."

"As much as I would like that myself, Gaara, your council won't have it," sighed Tsunade, pinching the bridge of her nose. "They already think we've freeloaded off your village for far too long. This little piece of chakra barely suffices as a peace offering as it is, do you think they'd really allow us to walk out of here with it, especially after we've all come to the agreement that you would take a portion for yourself and your village?"