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When Kakashi spotted the mop of unruly blonde hair, he thought he was mistaken. But the Sharingan was no liar, and a second look proved to be sure. Sasuke and Sakura almost ran into his back when he stopped.
"What the hell was that for?" Sasuke complained.
"That's Naruto down there, on the road." He replied, pointing.
"Oh gods." Sakura gasped. "It is."
"What are we waiting for. Let's go drag that idiot back to the village."
"Oh no." Kakashi shook his head. "I doubt we could make him do anything he doesn't want to."
Sasuke scowled. "Why the hell not?"
He stared back, unimpressed. "You have the Sharingan. You tell me."
As soon as Sasuke looked over with red-lit eyes, he recoiled.
"What? What is it?" Sakura asked, nervous.
"The Kyuubi." Sasuke hissed. "It's so close to the surface."
"It's not close - they've fused." He pointed out.
"Whatever. We're still going to go talk to him, right?"
"We'll try, but he's too big an opponent for us. If he gets aggressive, we leave. Understood?"
"Yes, sensei." They both parrot back.
Naruto was standing in the middle of one of the main trade roads, hands on his hips and staring up at the trees as they swayed in the wind. He had grown into a stunning young man - tall and packed with ropey muscle, sunshine locks hanging in a messy, shaggy cut around his face. His clothes were ragged but clean: three-quarter-length orange pants tattered about the hem; beige kunai pouches hung from the back of his pants; dusty and worn-in ankle-high black sandals; and repaired mesh armour that only covered his torso. In the middle of his belly lay the Eight Trigrams seal in stark black. About his neck lay a rough leather cord holding onto pale green sea glass.
"Hey guys." Naruto greeted casually, as though eight years of his absence hadn't elapsed. "What brings you out this way?"
"A missive from Suna, asking for help." Kakashi answered.
"Those Akatsuki guys, right? Deidara and Sasori?"
"How did you-?" Sakura cut herself off as, from the trees, a redheaded woman emerged.
"We killed them off already, so no need to worry. You guys remember Gaara, right?"
The woman in front of them hadn't grown much, being shorter than Sakura. Her own slightly messy hair was waist-length and free-floating behind her. She was wearing a maroon dress, slightly darker than her hair, that fastened in the front but had no shoulders and was belted closed. The billowy sleeves were instead attached at the armpit and likely originally went down to her wrist. She also wore black boot-sandals. Like Naruto, her clothes looked like they had seen better days. The lower halves of the sleeves were missing, the remaining fabric fraying and tattered. The right side of the skirt looked as if it had been torn off, leaving one of her pale legs almost entirely exposed - not that she seemed to care. Her gourd hung from her back, laced onto a stiff-boned grey corset that was, contrarily, in pristine condition. From around her neck hung a leather chord with a small sapphire geode laced into it.
"Yeah, we do." Sasuke replied. "Have you guys been together since you left?"
"Sure have!" Naruto leaned over and kissed Gaara's temple. "It's been a great time, to be honest. We've seen so much in our time travelling - it's been really great."
"Didn't being labelled as rogue nin make that more difficult?" Sakura asked, concern lacing her voice.
Gaara's ice-cold gaze turned on the other kunoichi. "They are incapable of stopping us."
"Isn't she great?" Naruto beamed. "Nothing gets in her way!"
"Yeah, that totally didn't sound completely deranged." Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"Sasuke!" Sakura hissed.
Gaara's impenetrable stare shifted onto the Uchiha. "You are less impressive than your brother."
That startled Sasuke. "You've seen Itachi?"
"Oh yeah. The Akatsuki sent him after us, but he seemed pretty chill so we let him live." Naruto shrugged. "Shame about that Kisame guy though. I would have liked to let him stay with Itachi too."
Gaara hummed. "He made his choice."
"Yeah. Oh well."
"Is Itachi still with the Akatsuki?" Kakashi probed.
"Nah. I was able to help him sort out that lung thing he had goin' on and then he went to a Warring-Era Uchiha hideout. We stop by to see him sometimes, but I think he's letting Pain think he's dead."
"Pain?"
"The leader of the Akatsuki." Gaara rumbled.
"And who we're waiting on, actually." Naruto grinned again, looking so much like Kushina it hurt Kakashi's soul. "We've killed off everyone else, so him and Konan will be next."
"How did you get into this beef with the Akatsuki in the first place? As far as I knew, they're mercenaries."
"Nope. Doomsday cult." Naruto shook his head. "'Tachi told us. Wanna steal the bijuu to summon some tree to make the world a perfect place with no harm or sadness."
"Naïve." Gaara muttered.
"But taking the bijuu kills the jinchuuriki." Naruto gestured between himself and Gaara. "So obviously we had to defend ourselves. Most efficient way is to kill them off first."
"Hence Deidara and Sasori." Kakashi finished.
Gaara finally cracked a smile, but it was anything other than pleasant. "No, for them, I wanted to taste the iron in the Red Sand."
Naruto chuckled. "Sasori was from Suna, originally. Killed the Third Kazekage and everything! And oh boy, did Shukaku not like that one bit."
Gaara shook her head gently. "No, he did not."
"Shukaku?" Sasuke cocked his head.
"Her bijuu." Naruto pointed to the seal on his belly. "He's the One-Tail and Suna doesn't really have sealing techniques, so he's always been close to the surface. I had to let Kurama out, but since then, we've become good friends!" Naruto snapped his fingers and pointed at Kakashi. "Speaking of, I do not forgive you for not telling me my father was the Fourth Hokage."
Kakashi blinked. "I don't know how you found out, but I don't blame you. The Third ordered all shinobi and citizens of Konoha never to discuss it."
"I get that. But as his student and my sensei, you should have told me. Not forgiven."
"I wouldn't be so shameless as to ask for your forgiveness." Kakashi admitted.
Naruto grinned brightly. "This is why I like you so much, Kakashi. And why I'm not going to kill you for it."
Kakashi blinked, surprised at the blunt admission. "Thank you?"
Sasuke, on the other hand, bristled. "What the hell kind of thing is that to say?!"
"The truth?" Naruto draped his arm around Gaara's shoulders, leaning into her. "That decision cost me a lot. I already took it up with the Third, so that meant Kakashi was the only person left that mattered.
Sakura's eyes went wide. "When they disappeared-"
"Oh, they didn't." Naruto's grin remained beautiful and pleasant, even as Gaara's own slipped more into unsettling. "But I doubt the ANBU even knew where to begin piecing the bodies back together inside their homes. They were more like bloody pastes when I got done with them."
Sakura's voice got small. "You came back to the village? When?"
"I dunno. Right before Lady Tsunade got appointed." Naruto turned his attention to Kakashi. "Let her and Jiraiya know they're on my shitlist too. They were supposed to be my godparents and they let me rot by myself."
"Do you plan on killing this Hokage too?" Kakashi asked.
"Depends on what she has to say for herself, or if she's even sober enough for my words to make sense."
"Don't you think that's a little overboard?" Sasuke crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow.
"Rich comin' from you, Mr. My-Only-Desire-Is-Revenge." Naruto rolled his eyes. "The people who were supposed to take care of you didn't abandon you for booze and whores - they're just dead."
Sasuke flinched and inside, Kakashi cringed. Sakura edged in front of him, frowning. "That's not fair, Naruto, and you know it."
"I'll take your criticism when you have dead parents." He shot back, unimpressed.
Sakura recoiled and Kakashi flinched.
"And Gaara? Do you take the criticism of the Kazekage's daughter?" Sasuke rebutted.
"My mother died giving birth to me and my father attempted to assassinate me six times." Black crept in from the edges of her eyes. "He made did this to me and he tried to kill me for it."
"This is getting off-track." Kakashi intervened.
"And what was the track, son of the White Fang?"
"Children are not their parents, for better and for worse." He corrected, not unkindly.
"And which side do we fall on?" She challenged.
"I don't know." He replied honestly. "But I'd appreciate being given the chance to find out."
Naruto sniffed and lifted his head, looking back at the trees. After a moment, he sighed. "That jackass. He sent mercenaries again."
Gaara bristled, an impressively deep snarl coming from within her. Naruto snorted in amusement, but his breath steamed even in the warm Konoha summer air.
"We can finish this later." Naruto said, standing square again. "You guys can go hide back in the trees - this won't be long."
"We should fight together." Sasuke insisted.
"No." Naruto shut him down. "You'll only get in the way and wind up an intentional casualty."
"Unintentional-?" Sasuke went to speak, but Kakashi grabbed his arm and dragged him off.
"I told you," Kakashi muttered lowly once they were back in the treeline, "they're out of our ability class."
"Yours, maybe." Sasuke snarked, but didn't move to disobey.
"If they're not exaggerating about killing off the Akatsuki, then that means they're even more dangerous than they've been given credit for."
"How so?" Sakura asked.
"Hoshigaki Kisame was known as the Tail-less Tailed Beast with naturally high chakra. His sword, Samehada, also consumed and fed chakra to its wielder. His raw strength was why he waa paired with Itachi. More than that, they may also be responsible for the death of Kakuzu, Hidan's partner."
Sakura's eyes widened. "The one who killed Asuma?"
"Yes. If it wasn't for Sasuke's Amaterasu, Kakuzu would have killed the rest of us." Kakashi nodded.
"So if they could bury the likes of Kakuzu and Kisame, make Itachi back down ..." Sasuke's lips pursed in a troubled frown.
"Every jinchuuriki who's died so far as been alone, even in villages with more than one like Kumo." Kakashi continued. "Two jinchuuriki with complementary abilities like Naruto and Gaara - or Bee and Yugito, had they worked together - are likely to be extremely lethal."
Rustling cut off their conversation as some rogue shinobi landed on the road from the trees. To their dismay, Naruto was nowhere to be seen, only Gaara standing ominously, a bright splash of red against the beige, compacted soil. What was new was the single, large tail swaying back and forth. It gave the illusion of fluffiness despite being made of sand. Instead of fur, the tail had scales that covered the entire length, each veined with intricate purple designs.
"Look." Sasuke whispered, pointing to her feet.
The purple veining was less prominent, but still visible travelling up her exposed leg. More concerning, however, was the steady creep of sand out from under her that the mercenaries didn't seem to notice.
"You're coming with us, Jinchuuriki." One of them, likely the leader, announced.
"No." She replied flatly, arms crossed and eyes closed. The tail, however, flicked in irritation.
"We've been paid good money to bring you in."
"More than the village's sum?"
"Twice as much." The leader smirked triumphantly.
"Doubtful." She puffed, bored.
"You're coming with us willingly or in your back. And even with that tail, I'm sure you'd be equally as pretty looking up at me."
The sand around their feet encased their ankles and crushed, making the ten mercenaries on the ground cry out in agony. Sakura winced in sympathy.
"Always with the threats." Gaara's eyes opened, black engulfing all but her now-sandy iris, which enclosed a black cross in the centre and a purple dot in each quadrant. She sauntered forward, the veining jumping in saturation and travelling down her arms, where her fingertips extended into long grey claws. She tipped the leader's head back, grinning down at him with a mouth full of overlarge fangs. "You empty men all want to see me cry, but I want to hear you scream."
Behind them, the sand slowly consumed the man's comrades, taking the time to slowly, resentfully, snap each bone. Many of them began wailing when she got to their hips, cracking their pelvises in half.
"It's beautiful." Gaara purred, saliva dripping from her teeth. "It's too bad you die so easily. I would have liked to hear more."
From nearby trees, the remaining mercenaries tried to throw down lines to pull their comrades from the sand, or chucked down kunai with explosive tags to distract Gaara. She batted them away with her tail, undeterred. Once the reinforcements had revealed themselves, however, a blur of yellow-orange flashed through the trees and the remaining men were left blindsided and gurgling, the blood from their sliced necks soaking their tunics.
Beside Team Kakashi, ivory-white claws abruptly sunk into the bark and Naruto - eyes slitted red, hair bleeding orange at the ends, whisker-marks starker on his face, and nine fluffy tails twirling pleased behind him - appeared at their side. He, too, grinned at them with a mouth full of slightly-too-large canine teeth.
"Isn't she a work of art?" Naruto laughed, bright and joyous. "It takes all my will just to keep my hands off her sometimes, y'know?"
Luckily Naruto didn't wait for a response, dropping down onto the sand. He wandered over casually, inspecting the dying men like fruit at a market. Some of them whimpered as the bodies of their dead comrades fell out of the trees, making uncomfortably wet sounds as they landed.
"Most of you guys aren't even Jounin." He complained loudly, almost childish in his disdain.
"He and Gaara aren't even Chuunin." Sasuke retorted out of habit, hissing when Kakashi sharply elbowed him. To Kakashi's dismay, however, Naruto heard him and turned enough to grin menacingly.
"By rights, yeah. But Sasuke, we're so much more than that." Without breaking eye contact, Naruto sunk his claws through a man's armour and ripped upwards, spilling his guts over the sand.
"He was mine!" Gaara snarled, snapping her teeth at him.
"I know, baby. I'm sorry." He walked over to her, Sasuke forgotten, and rubbed his cheek against hers. "Forgive me?"
"Just this once." She rumbled back, then gazed at the remaining men. She huffed. "They're pathetic anyway. Nothing in them worth breaking."
"Yeah, I thought so too." He replied as Gaara's sand encased them and crushed their heads, then flung their crumpled bodies into the surrounding woodland. They splattered like meat amongst the underbrush.
To their surprise, Naruto pulled Gaara in for a fanged kiss, stroking down her back and making her moan when he reached the base of her tail.
"You look so beautiful, my mate." Naruto crooned, licking up her neck. "So powerful ... and you lay down for me."
"I like your games." She purred back. "I like your speed and your claws."
"You like my bite, too." He teased.
"And you like mine." She grinned back.
"Yeah, I do." He breathed, giddy. "Especially on my neck, 'ttebayo."
"I always want yours on my thighs." She hummed back, raking her claws through his hair. "Sneaky Fox."
"Tricky Tanuki." He nuzzled her again. "But we have company and I don't wanna share."
"Mmm." Her eyes flickered up to them, still black and beige. "Very well."
The sands receded, neatly returning to her gourd.
"You can come back down now." Naruto called.
"I dunno if I want to." Sasuke muttered.
Naruto laughed. "If I wanted you dead, I'd just kill you."
Kakashi landed across from them. Sakura and Sasuke shared a look, but followed after him.
"So," Naruto said brightly, "where were we?"
"Do the, uh ... Can you put your tails away?" Sakura asked.
"Hmm? Oh yeah." Naruto ran a hand through the fur of one tail. "I guess. Usually we leave the ears and tail out when we're on the move. Makes Kurama and Shukaku feel more present."
"Whatever way is most comfortable to you." Kakashi interjected.
"You said you wanted to learn about us." Gaara's gaze was back to green, even if the cross and dots remained in the iris. "Begin."
"To start, I suppose, I'd like to know what you've been up to since the Chuunin Exams."
"Murder, mostly." Naruto replied with a one-shouldered shrug and letting his body sag off to one side. "Sometimes assassination contracts, sometimes ballsy assholes, a lot of time people looking to cash our bounties. We stumbled across Octopops in our second year and he was the one who taught us how to bond with our bijuu. I also met my mom!"
"Octopops?" Kakashi asked, confused.
"The Eight Tails in Kumo, Killer Bee." Gaara clarified.
"We were with him for almost a year before the Raikage got super mad we were on Turtle Island." Naruto rolled his eyes. "Like it was our fault Yugito died and not his own shit-ass shinobi, but whatever. After that, travelling, mostly."
"With what money?"
"The dead are plentiful and their pockets far from empty." Gaara replied. "Kakuzu was also quite wealthy and we lived off his savings for quite some time."
"I see. And now?"
"Eh, hunting Akatsuki in between visits to Uzushio." Naruto said. "If that bastard would just come out and fight me, we'd be there right now."
"Isn't Uzushio a ruin? What are you doing all the way out there?" Sasuke pried.
"Besides the aforementioned 'out there' being well away from all the people hunting us, I'd say the same reason you still live in the Uchiha estate - that's where your family was."
"You just said your dad was Lord Fourth." Sasuke crossed his arms.
"Yeah, and my mom was from Uzushio, brought to Konoha to be its jinchuuriki when Granny Mito got old. Seeing as Konoha's used Uzumaki blood to carry their burdens for three generations, I think it's only fair I bring the beast back to its real home." Naruto sneered in reply. "Gaara's garden there is really nice, too."
"How do you maintain a garden on the run?"
"You kill the people who would trample it." Gaara snapped, then turned back to Kakashi. "Your queries are asinine."
Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sasuke, shut up."
The Uchiha scowled, but remained silent.
He carried on with a heavy sigh. "Most of this is because you were my student, and I have kept an ear out, hoping to hear about you. I didn't want you to get hurt or killed out there. But I admit I also want to take this opportunity to tell you that Lady Tsunade would welcome you back to the village if you returned."
"Would she accept Gaara too?"
"I could not say for certain. I would imagine she would if you insisted fiercely enough."
"I won't leave Gaara behind, not even for you, sensei." Naruto's countenance softened. "I do miss it sometimes. Especially you - you never treated me like a monster, even seemed to like me. But the rest of the village? It can burn. I'm not some kid desperate for for any scrap of attention. I'm already loved by Gaara and Kurama - it was with their help that I found out about my family, accepted myself and kept going. I already have my own village with Gaara - I don't need Konoha."
"I understand." He sighed. "I'm not here to try and force anything on you or make decisions for you. I just don't want to see you hurt."
"I already was hurt, sensei." Naruto's frown was melancholy. "Konoha hurt me, really badly. At least out here, I know why."
He shoved his hands in his pockets, looking down. "I understand that too."
"I know." Naruto said softly. "But hey, if you ever decide to go rogue, hit me up."
"And how would I do that? I have no way to find you."
"Don't worry, I'll know." Naruto's smile returned. "Besides, I'm my father's son through and through - I've got soft spots for dangerous redheaded women and sad Hatake men!"
Kakashi blinked. "Now that's something I had not thought about. I'm not sure if I ever wanted to know how intimate my father and sensei's friendship was."
Naruto laughed. "Nah, you're safe. They just bonded over being war machines. Dad just really liked you both and was already in love with Mom." He turned to Gaara. "Sorry I was later to the party than he was."
"Naruto." She gently chastized, looking soft and almost kind for the first time. She stroked his whiskers with the back of her fingers. "You fell in love with me at first sight just like your father. You have nothing to apologize for."
"And you're not Rasa." He leaned into her touch. "I love you."
"And I you." She replied quietly.
Sakura was warmed by the sight, but Sasuke remained unmoved. "Coming back to the village is smarter, dobe. You can bargain with Tsunade for Gaara if you want, but you'll keep being hunted out here."
Gaara's expression snapped back to cold and distant. "Let them come. I won't let anyone take him from me."
"You may not get that choice." Sasuke insisted. "Without other comrades-"
"Comrades? Comrades?" She stalked forward, sudden fury radiating off her. "The same ones who did not feed, clothe, or bathe an orphan toddler? Who threatened and beat him, or let him be threatened and beaten? The ones who would not take a boy home once he had been found, knocked unconscious? The ones who called him monster, drunkenly yelled slurs and threats at his door, made him tremble in fear on his own birthday - all without even telling him why? Those people? You expect any of them to shield him now when they wouldn't then?"
"We would!" Sakura jumped in. "We would protect him."
"You and Sasuke don't even like me." Naruto replied. "You weren't quiet about it."
"I know we were harsh, but we were also children."
"That doesn't make it excusable, Sakura. I was a child too."
"As an adult, I know that-"
"You should have known as a kid too. That's what I'm trying to say." He shook his head with a sigh. "I never bullied anyone and I didn't have anyone to teach me right from wrong. You knew better and did it anyway. You took out your feelings on me because I was an easy target and no one would say anything. You knew it was wrong then, you're only willing to admit it now."
"I-" She raised her hand, then lowered in in shame. "Yes. Yes, you're right. We treated you like dirt."
"Because you thought I was. Because that's what everyone kept saying I was. No doubt they say it's what I am right now." He cocked his head. "But they're also afraid of me now, just like you are. Except this time, they're right to be."
"And just what does that mean?" Sasuke barked, irritated.
Naruto's tails lashed back and forth, the plush orange fur kicking up dust where it swept the road. Matching ears popped out from his hair, and Gaara's own tanuki ears manifested from her head. "It means I'm an S-Rank run-on-sight missing nin for a reason. The only things I have in this world are Gaara, Kurama, and my life. I guard them jealously."
"I'll kill anyone who comes after us, for any reason." Gaara snarled. "Including you, Uchiha."
"It's okay, Gaara, he can't hurt me." He stroked down her hair, pulling her back toward him. "It really is that simple, guys. I was unwanted, so I left. It's Konoha's job to grovel, not mine. If Granny wants our power, she'll have to work for it. And a little bit extra, because she owes me for all the time I spent alone while she was at the bottom of a bottle."
"I had hoped this would go better." Kakashi sighed. "But this will have to do. I don't want anyone to say anything they can't take back or don't mean, so we'll leave this conversation as is."
"Probably wise." Gaara rumbled.
"Either way, try not to be such a stranger, Naruto. It's good to see you alive and robust." He clapped the younger man on the shoulder. "It's been good to see you too, Gaara. I'm glad you two are doing so well with each other."
"Thanks, Kakashi-sensei."
"Thank you."
"Oh, before we go," Kakashi smiled at Gaara, "congratulations."
She frowned. "For what?"
"Maybe ask Shukaku in a quiet moment. He'll know." Kakashi waved lazily. "Sorry to leave like this, but we do have a mission to attend to. See you around."
"I'll make sure to get lost on the path of life." Naruto chuckled. "We're sure to run into each other then!"
He saulted them and jumped back into the trees, taking off at a fast pace until he was sure both jinchuuriki were far behind them.
"Why did you congratulate Gaara?" Sakura asked.
"I can smell it - she's pregnant."
Sasuke almost missed a branch. "What?!"
"Oh gods." Sakura gasped. "What does that mean for their child?"
"I don't know." Kakashi kept his eyes forward. "We may see them sooner rather than later."
Six months later saw Kakashi and Tsunade nearly scared to death as a blonde man climbed in through the window of the Hokage's office.
"Naruto?" Kakashi squawked, aghast.
"Yeah, hi sensei." He turned to Tsunade. "Time to pay up, Granny. Get Sakura and Shizune and come to the Fourth's Training Caves immediately." He turned back to Kakashi. "Get Sasuke. You'll be standing guard."
"For what?" Tsunade managed, still stunned.
"If you don't do this for me, I'll kill you, Tsunade." Naruto replied, voice dark, calm, and assured. "You owe me." Then the shadow clone dispersed.
"What the actual fuck is happening?!" Tsunade sputtered.
"Gaara was pregnant when we encountered them last." Kakashi explained. "He must be really scared for her."
Tsunade went pale. "The least that little brat could have done was open with that! SHIZUNE!"
The aide came rushing in. "Lady Tsunade?! What is it?!"
"Get Sakura and gather the materials necessary for a birth and possible C-section. Go fast and tell no one else." She spun on Kakashi. "Get Sasuke and meet at the Caves. We are not letting them down again."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama." He bowed and teleported away.
| | |
Kakashi and Sasuke arrived first, finding two clones waiting at the entrance. One of them lead them into the building and to the innermost chamber before dispersing.
On a table, Gaara lay propped up on pillows, soaked in sweat and pale as a ghost. Her tail was out and her tanuki ears were plastered to her head. On her far side stood Naruto, holding one of her hands as his other, lit with orange chakra, laid on her belly.
"She's been in labour since last night." He explained tersely. "I'm fairly certain we weren't followed, but you're going to make sure. If something happens to her, you'll pay for it in blood."
Sasuke, himself pale and a little scared, only swallowed and nodded. They retreated to the door, both Sharingans active and spinning softly with nerves.
Thankfully, the women showed up not too long afterwards and Tsunade was all business.
"How long has she been in labour?"
"Fourteen hours. Contractions are getting closer together, but slowly." He replied.
"Has she been able to eat or drink?"
"Not for the last day or so."
"Shizune, IVs of saline and nutrient fluids. Sakura, take her pulse and blood pressure. And sugar, for good measure."
Naruto bumped his nose against Gaara's. "Tanuki, I know you're in pain and you're scared. But I'm here, and I'll make sure nothing happens to you."
Gaara stared up at him, panting in pain and terrified. "Fox ..."
"I know, I know. It's a lot to ask. But to help you, I need you to drop the sand."
"I can't- I can't-"
Naruto's eyes lit up red. "Shukaku, help her control it."
The ears and tail melted off her, along with another layer of sand from all over her body that no one else had noticed.
"That's it. So good, Tanuki." He nuzzled their noses together. "Thank you for trusting me. Let Shukaku control your chakra for you and focus on your body, okay? Can you do that for me?"
She nodded shakily. His eyes returned to blue and he kept eye contact as Shizune inserted the IVs. Sakura pricked her middle finger on the same arm, taking a sugar reading.
"3.5." She called out.
"Not great, but better than I hoped." Tsunade settled herself between Gaara's legs. "Gaara, can you hear me?"
Gaara flinched through another contraction, but nodded.
"Please open your legs for me so I can see how dialated you are." With Naruto's help, she spread her legs. "I'm going to touch you now and it's going to feel kind of cold and uncomfortable."
Gaara laughed breathlessly. "As though it could be worse than my own body's doing."
"Fair." Tsunade acknowledged. "Hold her still, Naruto."
After a few minutes, Tsunade resurfaced. "You were right - she's dialating very slowly. I don't see any problems so far, but she's in for a long labour unless we use drugs to quicken the process. The other option is surgery."
"Gaara?" Naruto prompted.
"I'm so tired. This is so much pain." Gaara whined. "I don't know. I don't know what to do."
Naruto gazed down at her, his own tails whipping in fear and indecision. With a deep breath, he set his shoulders and looked down at Tsunade. "Do the surgery while Shukaku can still control it. If she passes out, the sand'll be erratic."
"Understood." Tsunade nodded. "Suit up, ladies, and make it quick."
| | |
Neither Kakashi nor Sasuke had ever been present for birth before. Kakashi's clan was dwindling well before he was born and Sasuke's had been killed off while he was still a child. Even as shinobi who had seen their fair share of blood and guts on battlefields, it hadn't been anything like this.
"Local anesthetic doesn't last long on us - the bijuu cycle the toxins out too fast." Naruto had explained as they got set up. "Use a high amount and administer it often."
The women were incredibly efficient. Within ten minutes of Tsunade making the initial incision, the baby was being cleaned by Shizune and Sakura was helping to heal the incision. The placenta sat in a steel bowl off to the side.
"Sasuke."
Sasuke snapped from his daze, turning to Naruto. "Uh, yeah?"
He nodded at the placenta bowl. "Take that outside and incinerate it."
"Huh? Why?"
"This is the kid of who Jinchuuriki. I have no idea what data or DNA might be in that. I want it destroyed before anyone can find out."
"I'm not sure I can get it to ashes in a short period of time."
"Use the Amaterasu, then."
"How do you-?" Sasuke shook his head. "Nevermind. I try not to use the Mangekyo unless I really have to. I only have so many uses before it seals and I go blind."
Naruto closed his eyes and breathed out heavily through his nose. "If you do this, I'll tell you where Itachi is."
"You-" Sasuke's voice got small. "You know where Itachi is?"
"Yes. Do this for me, and I'll tell you."
Sasuke took a shaky breath, then took the bowl and left.
"Do you actually know?" Kakashi asked.
He shot the older man a look. "I don't make promises I can't keep."
Kakashi raised his hands. "I never said you didn't."
"There." Tsunade stepped back and Sakura pulled Gaara's dress back down. "You're all back together kid."
"Thank you." Gaara murmured in reply.
"Were you planning on breast-feeding, Gaara?" Shizune asked gently.
"I would like to try."
"Okay." Shizune came closer, helping Gaara open her top and reveal a breast. With Naruto's assistance, they got the babe into proper position and watched, awestruck, as it latched. "Congratulations - you have a beautiful baby girl."
"Look at her, Naruto." Gaara breathed, stroking the babe's face. "She's beautiful."
"What's her name gonna be?" Tsunade asked, coming to stand at Naruto's side.
"Kushina." Gaara replied.
"Gaara-"
"That was the deal, Fox. Red, your mother; blonde, mine."
"And a boy, Minato." Naruto smiled back. "I hope she has your eyes."
"She already has my hair - she should have your eyes."
Tsunade clapped him on the shoulder. "You've done well for yourself, brat."
"No one else was gonna do it for me." He replied, leaning down to kiss little Kushina's head.
"That's true." Tsunade said. "Next time, just give me a little more of a heads up."
"Next time?" He glanced at her, skeptical.
"As if this will be your last brat." Tsunade huffed, faux-annoyed. "Besides, I still owe you, don't I?"
"I won't return to the village."
"I know. I'm not asking you to. Just let me know next time, yeah?"
"Okay, yeah."
For four years, all was well. Sasuke left to be with Itachi after their eye surgeries, but they weren't far away and Sasuke still came by often. Naruto and Gaara had another baby girl, little Karura, and had established a home in the ruins of Uzushio which Tsunade neatly kept away from prying eyes. Naruto had even been by the village to talk to Tsunade and Kakashi just for fun (and to show Kushina his home village). It was going good for pretty much everybody.
Until Danzou decided to interfere.
One day, the ground began to rumble. Over the course of hours, it grew and grew and grew until the whole village was rattling.
Then the Kyuubi burst out of the ground, right through the main road. It crawled out, heedless of what it crushed, with something in one massive paw. Whatever it had, it slapped it onto the roof of the Hokage Tower. To everyone's surprise, the beast then spoke.
"Bring me Homura and Koharu." It snarled.
Inside the Tower, Tsunade spun on the Councillors, incensed. "What the fuck did you do?!"
"We must be evacuated." Koharu said.
"For the good of the village." Homura concurred.
"Not a chance." Tsunade slammed her hands on the desk. "Tell me what you did!"
"We cannot, we-"
They froze and Tsunade turned around, finding the Kyuubi's giant red eye honed in in them.
"Go to the roof." Tsunade ordered.
"We need to-"
"Get them onto the goddamn roof before it brings this whole building down." Tsunade barked. ANBU appeared and dragged the elders off. The Kyuubi grinned and raised its head. No longer under its direct scrutiny, Tsunade deflated and took a moment to rekindle her nerves. Then she, too, went up to the roof.
The two Councillors were put before the beast and it assessed them, hot breathwashing over the whole platform.
"Today you die, weaklings." It sneered, tails swishing through the air in a wave of fur.
"We have done nothing to deserve this!" Homura insisted.
"You took my child." It hissed. "You and Danzou."
The smear Kyuubi had left on the roof suddenly made sense.
"That price is death." It laid two giant claws at waist height. "Walk forward."
"We would impale ourselves." Koharu objected.
"That's right. Redeem what honour you can. Her mother will be less lenient than I am." When they hesitated, Kyuubi laughed. "Time's up."
From behind her, Gaara appeared carrying Kushina. The Jinchuuriki placed the girl in the Hokage's arms, then stalked toward the Councillors. The sand frothed around her like it, too, was enraged - a caged dog waiting to be released. In cowardice, they tried to throw themselves onto Kyuubi's claws, but found themselves stopped halfway by sand encasing them.
"You will die in agony." Gaara snarled. "This will not be forgiven even in death."
Sand poured into their open mouths, and when they tried to close them, forced its way in through their noses. They scrabbled at their faces, clawing at their own throats and thrashing, tearing their innards where they remained speared on Kyuubi's claws.
"You should be grateful my children have calmed my temper." She hissed, wrenching them both back by their hair.
Kyuubi, above, laughed. "Mercy indeed. This village has a Foundation rotting underneath it, with these ingrates at its source."
Sand crept into the gaping wounds, peeling back the skin and fat layers to spill out the organs beneath. Gaara sneered. "I will drown you on land and with earth. I will take everything, right from your living flesh."
Kyuubi pulled back his massive hand, then reared back and fired off a Tailed Beast Bomb at the mountainside, blasting off Hiruzen's face. "That bastard does not deserve commemoration, let alone honours. He allowed you to grow so bold, so corrupt and filthy."
The Councillors began to choke and heave, still clawing at their own necks. Gaara gnashed her teeth, getting more furious by the moment, and slammed their heads together. With her own raw strength and some assistance from the sand, she continued until both were caved in, gorey messes, snarling and yelling like a feral animal. When she was done, she wiped her hands off in their hair, recalled her unsoiled sand, and collected her daughter from Tsunade's arms.
"Do not lay graves, tombstones or monuments. I'll obliterate your graveyards if you do." Gaara warned.
"Filth." Kyuubi hissed through its teeth. Tsunade froze as it turned its imposing stare on her. "This village has seen the extent of his mercy today. One more trespass against us and it will no longer be his choice. I will leave Konoha a crater."
She nodded sharply. "I understand, Kyuubi, Gaara."
"I have no doubt you do." Gaara said, expression cold and closed. "Woe to your village if they chose poorly."
"I have no intention of either of us ever finding out what it would look like."
Kyuubi smirked darkly. "I will offer you a final word of advice in the face of your wisdom: cleanse your ranks and trust few with your counsel."
"I understand." She bowed to the beast. "I will take it to heart."
The bijuu snorted, huffed, then looked away in feigned disinterest. "Come, Ichibi. I am done being in this wretched place."
"I'm checking over the child!" Gaara snapped in a voice not her own. "I swear all you do is bitch."
Kyuubi bristled. "We did not linger on your prison, I've no desire to loiter in mine. Check her as we go."
"Fine, fine!" Gaara looked at her with Ichibi's eyes. "He will level this place, but if our kits come under threat again, I will spend my time hunting you."
A spike of icy fear shot up her spine. "I understand, Ichibi."
"Good." It snorted, then Gaara turned away. Sand gathered under her feet and she floated up to the Kyuubi, landing in its shoulder and cooing at Kushina. From a small patch of sand on the side of Kyuubi's neck, the jinchuuriki produced her other daughter.
Kyuubi, in turn, huffed contentedly, leaning into the other jinchuuriki's touch, then stood. The movement of its massive head and tails kicked up gales as it turned, each step rocking the ground. It carelessly crushed houses and businesses as it left, but left remarkably little damage for how pissed off both bijuu were. With any luck, there would also only be a few casualties to deal with.
Tsunade watched the Kyuubi disappear over the curve of the horizon, its tails swirling casually around each other. Once it was gone, she breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
"Lady Tsunade?" Shizune laid a shaking hand on her shoulder. The woman was clearly terrified. For a moment, Tsunade wasn't even sure what to do.
Like the saving grace he was, Kakashi teleported onto the roof. "Orders, Lady Hokage?"
She swallowed, focused on Kakashi's visible, dark eye, and steeled herself. "Get shinobi onto search and rescue immediately, and prep the hospital staff for a surge. After that-"
No one saw Naruto or Gaara for years following the Danzou Incident. Reports were that buildings had risen in the ruins of Uzushio, but nothing specific - no one was allowed to inspect much closer. Kumo was not so wise and the bodies of twenty-five operatives were dumped at the door of the Raikage's palace, mostly in unidentifiable pieces. When Kumo retaliated, all fifty shinobi were returned in a gorey pile and neatly arrayed hitai-ate, garnished with the heads of three senior ANBU in the Raikage's personal guard. Kumo did not try a third time, nor could Ai meet Tsunade's knowing eye the next time they met. He would be unlikely to ignore her warnings given 'on good authority' in the future.
Indeed, the next time Kakashi saw them, Kushina was newly sixteen and Karura was twelve.
From across a street in a small non-shinobi village near the easternmost border between Konoha and Suna, Kakashi raised an easy hand up the air. "Yo."
"Oh, hey sensei." Naruto smiled at him as though greeting a neighbour and not someone he'd not seen for over a decade. But then, that was also how their initial meeting post-Chuunin exams had gone.
"You look well." Better than well, Naruto looked good - healthy and happy as could be. His clothes weren't new, but weren't ragged - straight orange pants with a black zip-up vest bordered with matching orange piping. His musculature was prominent, but not over-emphasized, and his hair was grown down to his shoulders in a shaggy mop of sunshine.
"Thanks! Apparently I look just like my dad." Naruto then rolled his eyes. "But if I look like Dad, boy does Kushina look like Mom. We named her right for sure."
"I'm glad to hear that. We need more kunoichi like Kushina in the world "
A redheaded teenager flew out from around a building and into Naruto's back, yelling, "Damn right! I'm a treasure!" Said girl was then roughly yanked back by a web of sand.
"Ku, if Mom sees you yelling in public, she'll flip her lid." A young light blonde girl - presumably Karura - chastized.
Kushina pouted dramatically, crossing her arms. "Who's the older sister here?"
Kakashi couldn't help but laugh. "You really are a spitting image of your grandmother."
"Oh yeah." Kushina jerked a thumb at him. "Who the hell is that?"
"Hatake Kakashi. He was my sensei back in Konoha."
Kushina's eyes narrowed. "Oh. A Konoha ninja, eh?"
Karura elbowed her older sister hard, then bowed. "Nice to meet you, Hatake-san."
"Maa, simply Kakashi is fine." He waved it off.
"Sounds like something a Konoha spy would do." Kushina narrowes her eyes. This time, Karura stepped on her foot. "Ow! Fucking stop it you brat!"
Naruto pulled Kushina into a headlock. "Leave Kakashi alone. You can't go attacking ninja just because you don't like where they're from."
Kushina looked for a second like she might bite her father, but eventually rolled her eyes with a dramatic sigh and hung limply from his hold. "Fine."
"Y'know, I've seen that exact look on Sasuke." Kakashi mused.
Naruto snorted. "I don't doubt that. Kushina would absolutely bite me too if Gaara wouldn't get mad."
"Mad about what?"
All three of them jumped at Gaara's appearance. Kushina hurriedly waved her arms. "Nothing! Nothing at all is happening, Mom!"
Gaara managed to raise a non-existent eyebrow. Instead of addressing that mess, she turned her attention to Kakashi. "Good to see you. What brings you out this way?"
"Tsunade intends to retire and make me Hokage. As a bribe, I've been set loose for a few months to do as I please before she chains me to the desk and makes her escape."
"Have you no say in this?"
"Maa, it's not really something you turn down." He shrugged. "Besides - I finally get to spin in the chair."
"You will do as you deem fit, I suppose." She gestured to his hitai-ate. You should remove that. These villagers are very protective of us and will refuse to serve you. You would find it hard to enjoy your final days of freedom if you could not eat."
"Fair point." He took it off. He never needed to be told not to piss of Gaara. "Not that I'm complaining or accusing, only curious - why would they refuse a Leaf shinobi? We're still in the Land of Fire."
"It was Konoha that kidnapped Kushina." Gaara answered, deceptively mild.
"Another fair point." He winced.
"Eh, you weren't in any of that." Naruto threw an arm around his shoulders. "C'mon, you can stay with us."
"That's not necessary. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable or to intrude."
"You're not - I'm inviting you." Naruto smiled, but there was no deception that he could sense.
"If you're sure."
Gaara turned her gaze on her daughters. "We will be very well behaved for our guest, one of your father's few remaining friends."
Kushina deflated. "Yeah, okay."
Her eyes narrowed. "Pardon?"
"AHH! Euagh, I mean yes! Yes Mom!"
Karura nodded much more serenely. "Of course, Mom."
"Thank you." She looked back at Kakashi. "We're just finishing up buying things for dinner. Care to wander with us?"
"Lead on."
| | |
Kakashi found that Naruto and Gaara's little family was bizarrely ... normal. Other than being flown on a bed of sand to reach the island Uzushio was on, they acted very much like regular shinobi. Surprisingly, Naruto made dinner which was something other than cup ramen (a very tasty chunk of braized pork over rice and steamed buns), and Kushina and Karura dutifully cleaned the dishes afterward. Gaara did her rounds of the house, checking on her plants. Once that was done, Gaara and Naruto disappeared into the woodlands for an hour.
"I think they have sex out there." Kushina said, taking notice of his curiosity. "Or commune with the bijuu. Them stuff."
"Ah."
"You're so crass." Karura tutted.
"What?! How do you think you happened?"
Karura levelled her sister with a truly unimpressed look. "Likely in a bed, since you would have been a sleeping toddler. When you were conceived, they didn't even live anywhere permanently. So if anyone was made in the woods, it was you."
"I was not!"
"You probably were." He chirped, entertained by the unravelling chaos. "I should know - I was the one who let Gaara know she was pregnant, after all."
"Aww, that's so gross!" Kushina wrinkled her nose.
"Oh? How did you know?" Karura asked, intrigued.
"Hatake have very sensitive noses, and mine is strong even for my clan." He smiled at her. "Not unlike a dog, I could smell the pheromones."
"HA! Like a dog!" Kushina crowed, but was promptly ignored by them.
"That's fascinating." Karura leaned forward on the table. "I've always been interested in clans' hereditary traits, especially with us being mixed the way we are."
"For your case specifically, sand control as kekkei genkai appears to be recessive. Gaara's siblings do not have it, and neither did her mother. Uzumaki are notorious for high chakra pools, however. I'm not certain if chakra type is hereditary amongst them, but the wind release Naruto has is inherited from his father, not his mother."
"Interesting. I'll have to factor that in."
"Great. Now she's on a spiral about nerd shit." Kushina rolled her eyes as she stood. "I'm going to make tea."
"At least offer Kakashi some!" Karura called.
"No!" Kushina yelled back from the kitchen.
Karura rolled her eyes, but Kakashi was only warmed by the interaction.
| | |
He plopped down next to Naruto on the back steps. "You have a lovely family."
"Yeah, I really do." Naruto grinned.
"I'm happy for you, Naruto. I really am."
"Thanks, sensei." The younger man side-eyed him. "You don't want to be Hokage, do you?"
"No." He admitted. "The only person I might have taken the hat for, to make sure I passed it onto them, isn't in the village anymore."
Naruto burst out laughing. "Me? You can't be serious."
"Why not?" He turned a lazy eye onto his former student. "You would make a great leader. You already have."
"You don't have to butter me up." Naruto laughed again, more nervous this time.
"I'm not trying to bring you back to the village, don't worry. I just wanted you to know that your parents would be very proud of the man you've become."
Naruto pinned him with a heavy stare. "You can stay with us, Kakashi."
He turned his own gaze to the stars. "Who knows? I just might."