"... What?"
Sayuri, exhausted as she was, didn't have much energy to swing her sword, or perform jutsu, or do... anything, really. With what energy she did have, she scowled.
The Hokage sighed. "I know you heard me. I don't need to repeat myself."
"No..." she whispered.
"This is the truth. I am sorry for hiding it from you, when that was your entire goal all along. I thought that it would be devastating to you."
She slumped against a tree, and, at that moment, only one question came to mind.
"Why? Why would they do this?"
Hiruzen sighed. "It stems from the very beginning of Konoha's founding. The decision to make Hashirama the Hokage instead of Madara may have separated him from his clan, but the Uchiha clan eventually began to side with him. They were dissatisfied, that they were one of the founding clans, and yet they'd been disrespected, always pushed away in favour of the Senju."
"And... who knew?"
"Of the living, only my former teammates. Of the Uchiha Clan... I have good reason to believe that only you and Sasuke were the ones unaware of the plan. The children were to be killed, for they were going to storm the academies and take the students hostage, with help from a few adults. The risk of them growing vengeful and catching the clan heirs to kill was also too great a risk."
Tsunade stood, silent, before bounding off back to Konoha, unshed tears beginning to form.
"So... I didn't know... because..."
"Fugaku would not involve his dearest twins in his treachery. He could not afford that luxury with his elder son, one of the most talented Uchiha, recognised within the village as an inspiration. He was a double agent, to report falsehoods to me, and leak useful information to the clan.
Of course, he chose to pick the village over his kin. Whether that was an objectively moral decision, or not, depends on what your beliefs are."
Naruto frowned. "Danzo? What was he doing?"
"I kept him under close surveillance during this time period. He did not interfere much. From what I could gather, Danzo did kill Shisui. I didn't condone it, but I understand why he did it. He's always been... the more proactive one." Naruto turned to face Hiruzen so quickly, Sayuri thought that he'd snapped his neck.
"After this, he approached Itachi, and gave him the ultimatum. Kill the clan, and he could spare Izumi, you, and Sasuke, provided that Izumi also flee."
Naruto frowned. "But, if that's true, why's she dead? Why did you force her to leave, too?"
Hiruzen nodded. "We don't know what happened there either. Either there was a fight, or she surprised him, or shenanigans were at play, but the fact is that she died that night. As for the other question, it was to give Itachi an incentive, and to avoid another target. Having her entire family killed and being unable to ever see her lover outside the battlefield could cause her to become a great danger to us."
Sayuri held her head in her hands, and Naruto wrapped an arm around her. "Again, I'm sorry. I did not want it to end this way, but this was simply the way the events played out. In another time, in another place, perhaps reconciliation would be possible. Unfortunately, that was not possible here."
Sayuri clenched her fist, and shut her eyes.
"... Did you ever care about me? How much have you kept from me?"
Hiruzen paused, and shook his head. "I treated you as I did any other ninja who had your track record. That was my vow, to regard all citizens of Konoha equally, and with care."
"I... I really want to believe that this is a lie. That there was someone, orchestrating the events, to absolve you of blame. But the decision came down to you. You could've stopped it, or, at least, punished Danzo. You are just as much to blame as Itachi or Danzo are."
Hiruzen nodded. "That I am." His eyes hardened, and his posture straightened. "However, I did not tell you this just so I could get scolded by some teens. I wanted to tell you this truth because you two are becoming very prominent figures in this world very quickly. If you cannot discern who is your friend and who is your foe, you will die very, very quickly." He turned to her. "Do not believe me just because I said it. You must find your own way to anything you seek. Good night."
He disappeared in a moment.
Naruto looked at her. She could see it, the way his eyes and facial muscles twitched in guilt.
Her heart sank.
"Please," she nearly whimpered. "Please don't tell me you've been hiding something, too."
"I didn't know about the village's involvement," he said.
He was telling the truth.
"But the one thing that I do know is that Itachi asked me to protect you and Sasuke. That night, after you two passed out."
Sayuri began to tear up.
"He removed your curse mark for you. He was completely willing to trade information with me and showed no hostility.
I don't know if Hiruzen is lying or not. But all this makes a whole lot more sense than him just snapping."
The truth finally set in, and she cried into Naruto.
Her brother, her beloved older brother, had been ordered to kill his entire family over who had the right to rule. Over a simple conflict of interests. He had lost everything on that day. His family, his culture, his lover, everything connected to his childhood.
She couldn't even imagine that loss. He got picked up by the Akatsuki, renounced his former village, the land of a bygone era, and did everything it took to protect her and Sasuke, no matter how dirty his hands got.
Naruto said nothing, and only hugged her tighter.
It was probably better that way.
"Should we tell Sasuke?"
She nodded, not wanting to talk.
Sasuke, can you hear me?
---
Fucking bootlicker, Sasuke said. Still, there was a fondness, some measure of relief.
I thought you'd be pissed, Naruto said.
Oh, I am, it's just, that's more of the Itachi I knew. He's still predictable.
So, are you going to give up on killing Itachi, or?
What kind of question is that? Sasuke scoffed. Of course I'm still going to kill him. He's not someone who went mad with power, he's a man who deepthroats the boot so hard it comes out his ass. And that pisses me off more.
Good to see you're resolute as ever.
Sayuri wiped the last of her tears away.
Are you going to back out, Sayuri?
Hell no.
Oh, yeah, Naruto. When I see you again, we're gonna fight. You couldn't tell me that sooner?
I didn't know for sure! Don't blame me for this!
Sasuke shook his head. I'll see you in a day or two. Enjoy the rest of the Rinne Festival together for me, 'kay?
What do you mean, "together"? Sasuke?
There was no response.
"Look, I... I don't think I could've handled that without you. Thank you."
"...I only did what anyone else should've done," Naruto said.
"Don't be like that," she replied. "You know that you're better than most people."
Naruto smiled and extended his hand. "Let's go see the rest of the festival."
Sayuri grinned back and let him drag her along.
---
Fireworks bloomed in the sky. Sparks scattered from handheld rods, dazzling children. The two walked down the street, enjoying a few skewers.
They passed a crowd, where Chiaki was leading a full rendition of summons fighting alongside the Sage to bring the Ten-tails down in front.
They watched the closing act, of the Sage 'sealing' the Ten-tails inside himself.
The ten-tails suit disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and the actors all sagged before bowing to a standing ovation.
The curtains fell, and the brunette bound over to them, still holding her gear. "Sayuri! Why didn't you come sooner?
"I wanted to, but I had to do something else. I'm sorry..."
Chiaki pouted. "Fine, I get it. Busy work, huh?" She nodded to herself. "Okay! In exchange, you should make me a bird!"
Sayuri made a seal, and breathed out a small songbird, which chirped and landed on Chiaki's shoulder. It pecked her finger playfully, before darting off and igniting into flames.
She laughed merrily and hugged Sayuri.
"Alright, have fun on your date, both of you!"
"Wh- no! What are you talking about?"
Chiaki giggled and ran off.
Hinata walked towards them.
"Hello." Hinata's byakugan flashed for a moment before fading away. "Sorry. I was checking for something."
"Hinata, what is going on?" Naruto frowned. "You can trust us, right?"
"It's not safe to talk." Her byakugan activated again, and she grimaced. She turned to Sayuri. "Eye contact."
Can you please tell me what's happening now?
I'm being followed. A puppet. I'm not sure who owns it, but I know that they don't want me safe.
How long?
At least a month. Father was telling me about it, how they kept finding these autonomous puppets running entirely on their own. I've never seen anything like them.
The three started walking, and Sayuri was relaying the information to Naruto as quickly as possible.
They have cameras installed in them. Incredibly compact and innocuous. We've tried reverse-engineering them, but we can't do it. They're too advanced.
I didn't even know that compact cameras were possible. Sayuri clicked her tongue. But if it is just a camera puppet, where's the puppeteer? And why is this so dangerous for you?
That's the problem. There is no puppeteer.
"What?" She coughed and muttered an apology.
How? I... who could do that? And they aren't nearby either, right?
Hinata nodded, before flicking a blast of chakra into a window.
People screamed as glass shattered, raining down on the road alongside the remains of a puppet.
"This is only the third one we've caught. Most of the time, they're too quick."
"Who do you think would do this? Lightning? Earth?"
"I'd bet all of the clan's assets on Lightning being responsible."
"... you think that's the best guess? Or could bias also be part of it?"
"It's the most reasonable guess. Nobody else has this kind of capability." She kneeled, grabbing the limp remains. "I need to bring this back. Enjoy the rest of the festival."
The two waved as she turned away and ran.
"Is there anything else you'd want to see?" Naruto asked.
"The main show's about to start," she said, looking at a flyer. "Any ideas on where to sit?"
Naruto smiled. "I know a spot... Do you want to race to it?"
"Cheater," Sayuri said, smiling. "Lead the way."
A small platform, attached to a trunk, sprouted beneath him.
The tree launched the platform like a child throwing stones across a river, sending Naruto flying into the mountain.
Hey, wait up! I can't follow you like this!
Okay. Now you can!
Her entire body was encased with air before she was propelled through the air at ridiculous force, straight above the cliffside.
She slid across the grass, and Naruto stepped in front of her.
Sayuri laughed again, lightly swatting his arm. "You are so lucky that it was me! What do you think would happen if it was anyone else?"
Naruto laid down on the grass. "Yeah, but it's you! You wouldn't die from something like that, would you?"
She sat down next to him as the fireworks began to flare again, cutting through the moonlight. "It's a really clear night," she murmured.
It was a perfect opportunity, as she turned to face him, basking in the unconscious light that he radiated upon everything, like a star.
She wasn't sure when she started wanting this. Maybe it was when she saw him on death's door, and the thought that she could possibly never see him again. Maybe it was when she saw him come back from his training, more mature, more determined than ever. Maybe it was when he was cradling her half-dead body in Waves. Maybe it was when she saw him in the Academy, all those years ago.
All that she knew was that she was never, ever going to let him leave her life.
"I... think that I love you, Naruto."
His eyes widened, but his face melted back into a smile. "I love you, too."
Sayuri sat up, wrapping her arms around Naruto's neck and bumping his forehead softly. She inhaled, smelling the earth and pine.
He pulled her in at the waist, and their lips met. She closed her eyes in bliss, meeting him halfway.
Naruto let out a soft, contented sigh against her lips, and he dared to venture a little further from the new boundaries.
It seemed that he wanted this just as much as she did, as he attacked her lips without stopping for a breath. They kissed again, and again, and again, each time just as pleasant as the previous.
She could feel him, the way his heart sped up, the slight roughness of his breath on her lips, the suppleness of his skin and softness of his hair. She could feel his hands tracing her body, gently following her curves.
She moaned and dragged a hand across his chest, mapping out the faint muscles where she could.
She never wanted to forget any of this.
She pulled back and burned this view into her memory forever, sharingan spinning.
Naruto's smile widened, and he kissed her again in perfect sync with the fireworks.
—
"It seems that both Sasori and Deidara are both dead," Kabuto said, letting a few snakes slither around him.
Orochimaru looked up from a scroll. "Oh? Who got them?"
"It looks like the fox caught them. And, I've got some information about him." Kabuto shooed some of the snakes away.
Orochimaru unfurled another section of the scroll, rolling his eyes. "Does it have anything to do with my research?"
Kabuto grinned. "Oh, trust me. You're going to love this. It seems that our little fox has learned how to shackle itself."
Orochimaru snapped to attention. "You don't mean that... Did he really?"
Kabuto grinned. "He did. Konoha has Wood Release in its ranks again."
Orochimaru was a genetic genius. Transplants, organ synthesis, modification, toxins, all were disciplines that he'd pushed as far as he could, to the point where he was begrudgingly considered one of the foremost experts in the world.
It's what got him kicked out of Konoha. Along with the torture, and the blatant psychopathy, but that was only a bonus.
But one thing which Orochimaru had never been able to fix was the First Hokage's cells. The immense healing, chakra boost, and wood release were all huge boons to any ninja who came across that sort of power, but there was a fatal flaw.
The cells had degenerated to the point where the lifeforce which he'd resuscitated them with went rampant. Constant, uncontrollable divisions. Cancer, the world called it. This was great for him, since it meant that the limited supply of cells he scavenged had become infinite, but transplanting it was a much bigger problem. Some people were able to keep this under check, but most people simply died after a few agonising weeks, their bodies overtaxed as they could not sustain the tumours.
That was a genuine issue with most of his creations. The Curse Mark, the Awakening pill, the body modification surgeries... he needed to get back to fixing them some time.
Despite the legends of the Uchiha having the capacity to awaken the Rinnegan, he dared not attempt to inject Sasuke with the cells for this reason. It would hardly be prudent to have his backup die from a preventable cause.
But, if Naruto, someone who didn't have that issue also awakened Wood Release, then that was huge for him.
Oh, he'd have to modify the body so it could live forever, but he was already dealing with that for every prospective body- Sasuke's was due in the next month- and the rewards would be worth it. Oh, they'd be worth every morsel of effort required.
"Say, you had that intel meeting with Sasori soon, didn't you?"
"I did. And they're sure to intercept it." Kabuto stood up. "You want me to get his DNA then? It'll be hard for me to sneak up on him."
"Don't worry about it, I'll be there to help in the extraction."
Sasuke walked in. "Orochimaru. Spar with me."
He smiled at Kabuto. "Remember your role."
----
Hi.
It's the end of April! I think that I've got around 30 or so more chapters left to write, and then we are done!
It's been so exciting to watch my story evolve, and I really can't wait to see how the story ends. Thanks to everyone who has interacted with my work in any way, I'm so grateful.
Feed my ego! Vote and comment!