Chapter Two
She felt a shiver of Deja vu dance along her spine as she hoisted her travel pack onto her shoulder. Jiraiya had taken to the entire thing like a fish to water, but Tsunade hadn’t had the same ease in her chest.
The old omega had already given Shizune the temporary position of playing babysitter for Konoha while Tsunade and Jiraiya were away. Of course, the council of elders didn’t have the slightest idea of what she and Jiraiya were setting out to do, but that didn’t really matter very much in her opinion.
They were under the impression that she was going on a diplomatic errand to the Sand Village, after having received a letter detailing a meet up between the hokage and kazekage. It was a blatant lie, but a quick and easy one that wouldn’t be scrutinized too heavily.
Danzo had kicked up a fuss, as usual, demanding to know why she wasn’t taking an entourage and what the meeting was supposedly about. Jiraiya hadn’t even bothered to hide his snicker when Tsunade had pulled rank and told the paranoid old fool that she was the hokage and couldn’t divulge private information to ‘just anyone’.
She’d need to send Kakashi or Yamato to the sand village to explain the situation to Gaara, on the off chance that Danzo stuck his nose where it didn’t belong for the millionth time and sent his own operatives to the village to spy on her. Maybe she’d even have Kakashi use the transformation technique to transform himself into her for a few well-placed sightings of the hokage in Suna.
“M’lady? It’s time.” Shizune knocked quietly on the door, signaling that Tsunade’s musings needed to come to a close.
She looked around her living quarters one last time before she reached up to push her bangs out of her face. Her hands had tied the knot of her old headband before she’d even made the conscious thought to put the dusty thing on. The familiarity of the weight wrapped around her skull did little to soothe her nerves.
It had been a long time since she’d gone on a mission, and even longer since she’d gone on a mission with Jiraiya.
For Naruto, though, she’d put aside her hesitance and put a brave face on. For once and for all, they needed to put an end to Orochimaru’s heinous ways. They’d waited long enough.
When she’d exited her hokage’s quarters, she was met with Shizune’s shy face and Jiraiya’s yawns.
“Really? Yawning already? Shouldn’t you be used to this by now?” The blonde woman teased.
Jiraiya didn’t miss a beat before replying, “How much do I want to bet that your bag is filled with booze?”
Shizune made a sound, misreading the jabs as actual snark instead of the two teammates being, well, themselves, “You both need to get along! You don’t want your journey spoiled by-”
Jiraiya waved her off good naturedly, “We were just messing around, Shizune. Really, you gotta relax, okay? All that stress isn’t good for you, you know.”
Tsunade rolled her eyes as the trio began their walk to the village gates, “And what would you know about that? You’ve never cared about a thing in your life, you old fool.”
Jiraiya gasped and flailed his hand to his heart dramatically, catching the attention of a few jonin that were meandering about the hallways of the Hokage building, “Tsunade! You wound me! How could such a pretty face spew such ugly words!?!?”
She didn’t even bother putting any real strength behind the punch she’d aimed for his shoulder.
“Don’t hit each other!” Shizune cried, wringing her hands fretfully, “You can’t bicker all the way there like this!”
Old habits died hard, what could Tsunade say? The fiery spark of being childhood teammates would never truly be lost on the pair.
The three had just made it to the gates when a shout stopped the two sanin from saying their goodbyes to the brunette.
“Wait!” a familiar blonde shouted again. Tsunade was glad that it was early enough that Naruto racing towards them at full speed wouldn’t cause much of a disturbance. It was just the four of them and whatever chunin were currently on watch duty, but they would likely just assume that he was asking to go because he wanted to see his friend Gaara. Nothing out of the ordinary.
The three watched as the young alpha barely stopped himself from falling over in his haste to catch up to them. Tsunade craned her neck upwards to share a meaningful look with Jiraiya but remained otherwise quiet.
“Lady Tsunade what do we do!?” Shizune squeaked.
The blonde woman pinched the bridge of her nose, “Well, I suppose it’s too late for us to pretend to replace ourselves with logs with a substitution jutsu.”
Jiraiya snorted despite himself, “Pft, yeah but that idea isn't half bad. Maybe we can salvage it.”
Before she could respond with another quip, Naruto was already upon them.
“Please, take me with you!” The seventeen year old cried. His eyes were wide and desperate as they accompanied the tan fist clutched onto the fabric of his jacket just over where his heart would be. “I have to go with you!”
Tsunade opened her mouth to speak, to remind him of why it had to be this way, but Jiraiya put a firm, gentle hand on her shoulder and stepped forward to speak to his student instead. He looked heartbroken in a way that Naruto had never deserved, but Tsunade couldn’t chance Naruto being out of the village with the Akatsuki on the move and his jinchuriki abilities going haywire. It was for his own safety just as much as Sasuke’s, even if it pained her to watch her metaphorical grandson plead with her in this way.
“Naruto,” Jiraiya guided Naruto’s fist away from his chest slowly, “Do you trust us?”
The blonde boy inhaled shakily with his red rimmed eyes and nodded his head.
“Then you have to trust that we’re making the best call that we can make with this one.”
Naruto looked pensive, like he wasn’t quite sure whether or not he fully agreed, but Jiraiya had always had a way with Naruto agreeable that not even Kakashi or Iruka could quite figure out.
“Naruto,” Tsunade spoke up, “The truth is that we need you here. You want to be hokage eventually, right? That’s why I want you to work closely with Shizune while I’m gone. Once Sasuke and the child are safe within the village, you will have your hands full and might not get an opportunity like this for quite some time.”
He seemed to think about it while his fists clenched of their own accord. Naruto shifted his gaze to the ground and bowed his head in seriousness. Even the birds that frequented the surrounding treetops stopped their morning songs in favor of listening for whatever he was about to say.
“I don’t like this. If Orochimaru has him, then my face should be the first one he sees.”
“If Orochimaru spots you, then he’ll go after you as a cheap shot. We’ve been over this kid, it’s too risky with the Kyuubi-”
“But it’s not too risky when it’s my mate and child caught in the line of fire?!-” Naruto boomed, head snapping up to glare at his sensei with a tinge of red to his irises.
“Naruto-be quiet!” Shizune gasped, nervously eyeing their surroundings for anyone who might have heard.
Tsunade clenched her eyes shut and boomed, “Enough! Both of you!”
Both master and student froze like startled rabbits in the woods. Even Shizune, who should have been used to the old omega’s yelling by now, seemed to tremble ever so slightly before quickly rightening her posture.
How Shizune and Anko had gotten together would forever be a complete mystery to Tsunade. Shizune was so shy and sweet and Anko…wasn’t.
“Stop making a scene! Naruto, as your hokage I’m ordering you to go home and stay here. Jiraiya, you and I will be having a talk about de-escalation. We should be on the road right now, not here squabbling and haggling over decisions that have already been made. The sooner we get this over with, the better.” She snapped, losing any sense of early morning calm she might have felt as the sun’s rays began to peak at her from behind the dewy clouds in the sky.
Shizune put a gentle hand on Naruto’s shoulder once she noticed his heated pout. Jiraiya, the blonde noticed, had an eerily similar scolded look on his face.
‘Those two’, she thought, letting her frustration trail off as she sighed.
“Now that some common sense has wormed its way into your ears again, Naruto-” She addressed, searching his eyes for a moment before continuing, “-have faith and shadow Shizune. Everything will be fine.”
Once he nodded and bowed his head, knowing he’d lost the battle of his last efforts of going on this mission, she directed her attention to Jiraiya. “We’re eleven minutes behind schedule. We are leaving. Now.”
Tsunade had never given Jiraiya room to argue before, and she was not about to start now.
The duo left after they said their goodbyes and were welcomed by the dirt of the forest path beneath their sandals, and the constant buzz of the bees that took their fill of pollen from the wildflowers that grew just past the village gates. It was, all together, a rather tranquil atmosphere, though Tsunade couldn’t ignore the gut feeling that something was not quite right.
~~~
Everything was right in the world. Or at least, that was what Sasuke tried to gaslight himself into believing as he trudged forward.
The journey to the next destination had been beyond frustrating. His body was screaming at him to rest and the newborn huddled close to his chest cried every hour or so. His lungs, while small and weak, generated a long, powerful cry that almost hurt his ears. He’d been in so many fights with immensely destructive abilities thrown at him, but his own child was the thing that exhausted him the most.
Sasuke decided to ignore the irony in favor of gently rocking the small boy and adjusting his shirt sleeve to shield the infant’s face from the harrowing sun. He didn’t want to give the child more reason to shatter his ear drums. Definitely took after Naruto in that regard.
He was beautiful, though, and Sasuke found himself gazing down at the fussy infant instead of the road ahead of him. The whisker marks that adorned each of his chubby, pale cheeks caused a pang in the omega’s chest whenever he focused on them. The tiny, unfocused blue eyes held so much innocence in them, so much life. It both amazed and angered the omega.
He’d held the same look in his eyes once, before it was ripped from him just like everything else. Sooner or later, the same expression would fade from his child’s eyes, and sky blue would turn into blood red. It was the curse, the never-ending life of misery those with their eyes would have to bear. Of feeling so deeply that they would be tormented with it- a cruel curse indeed.
Dampness on his hand brought him from his thoughts. A trail of spit had found its way across the hand he’d offered the boy to entertain himself with, and his son looked almost proud of the slobbery mess. Tiny, barely there eyebrows quirked up in interest, daring Sasuke to wipe away his disgusting masterpiece.
He was the perfect, startling mix of both the Uchiha and Uzumaki and it gave rise to a new goal, this one settled on the future.
After he took down Itachi.
Hours later, Sasuke stopped to let himself rest. Pushing his body past its limits only three days after giving birth and a week after killing Orochimaru would be unwise- especially since he was currently the only person who could look after his son.
Sasuke stroked one of the whiskered cheeks to soothe the uncomfortable baby. Even though his son was sleeping, the warmth of the sun’s rays would be irritating for him. Babies were sensitive to the elements, so he’d been told.
Anxiousness clouded his chest, wrapping fear and loss around his neck like a scarf. What would this child’s life be like? What would his life be like after facing Itachi?
Konoha would be the most reasonable answer. He was the last definite sharingan user and will have killed two of the village’s biggest enemies by the time he’d reached the village. It wasn’t like they’d jail him, given the circumstances. Plus, no matter how he liked to deny it, something deep and weighted inside of him longed to be where Naruto was.
But, as he held his child, his and Naruto’s child, his mouth felt like ash. The villagers of Konoha would surely mistreat the innocent child, they had done it to less important children, and even more important ones too. Why wouldn’t they?
His son was a link between the nine tails jinchuriki and the last Uchiha that also happened to be the missing nin who’d killed one of their biggest enemies and sided with the man that had killed the third hokage. They would never trust him again, even if he tried to pledge himself to Konoha once more.
Besides, the council and the ninja of the leaf may have forgotten the rising hatred for the Uchiha clan after the massacre, but the villagers hadn’t. Gossip still rang from dark corners of the marketplace when he’d still gone regularly.
Whispers of how they despised him being an omega because that meant he’d surely succeed in his wish to revive his strict, policing clan had taunted him in the early days of his new found presentation status.
He hated the leaf and everything it enabled. He hated that Naruto felt the need to gain their approval. He hated what the village heads had planned to do to the both of them.
He hated that he wasn’t sure Naruto would choose their child over the village, if needed to. Sasuke would. Sasuke already had.
The omega sighed and looked to the sky. Naruto didn’t even know that the baby had been born.
Was he looking for Sasuke at this very moment? Had he tried to go back to Orochimaru’s hideout immediately and found an empty laboratory instead? What if- what if he hadn’t?
Before he could fall down that mental rabbit hole again, the baby woke up. A small, piercing cry sounded in the air a few preciously sluggish seconds later, and those big, electric blue eyes filled with fat tears as he fussed.
The baby was just as loud as his father, that was for sure.
A skilled, pale hand patted the screaming infant’s bottom to check for a sullied diaper but deemed it clean.
Hunger, then?
Sasuke shifted the bundle to one arm and unzipped his oversized shirt. That shirt was his most prized possession at the moment. To any rational person he faced, it would just look like a really bad fashion choice inspired by Orochimaru. To him, it was an easy disguise for having been pregnant, and then needing an efficient way to let his child latch to his chest while on the go.
When the lonesome pair were walking through a particularly rougher town, Sasuke would shift the sling to be on the inside of his shirt and hold the baby there, so that passersby wouldn’t see the pup and try to engage with the omega. Only one person had been stupid enough to do so on their journey so far, and the man had come out of the skirmish a few teeth lighter and with only half of his hands. Sasuke and the pup had been unquestionably unscathed.
Sasuke had only needed to hide the baby in his shirt twice since that incident, though. The glare and menacing sword were usually enough to ward off any offenders from the uninviting omega.
Ms. Namura had been wrong to worry. Sasuke could handle everything just fine on his own.
The child latched onto Sasuke’s nipple and suckled feverishly. It was an odd sensation, and the omega had a theory that if he hadn’t had such a high pain tolerance, he would be irritable with the sting of a sore chest and a monumentally hungry child. It was a small positive, in his less than ideal situation, but he would take the good things where they came.
Being on the road, so soon after being drained by a stressful birth and his fight with Orochimaru, was hell to put it lightly. Perhaps Ms. Namura had been right in that regard.
The sun didn’t help things much, any potential shade the Uchiha could muster up went to the baby. He’d drunk little and eaten even less as the journey continued. It would have been unwise to go on a shopping spree at whatever market areas he could find for edible essentials because it would’ve left a potential trail of witnesses for Itachi or his spies to follow.
The baby sucked harshly, and the omega didn’t bother to hide his wince. He hated the way breastfeeding made his body feel. So weak, so foreign.
But the weight in his arms felt right and if he kept telling himself 'just a little further' with every step, it would eventually be true.
After the child in his arms decided he was no longer hungry, Sasuke offered him another finger to amuse himself with. With a silent huff, the omega rose from where he sat on a large boulder and continued on.
The hideout wouldn’t be much farther, at most it would take a few more hours, but his son’s fidgeting and his own exhaustion would make the minutes stretch by at an unfairly slow pace.
The baby had taken to gnawing gummily on the offered finger, bright blue eyes gazing up innocently at him as he slobbered over his mother’s hand. Sasuke made a mental note to try and find a small toy for the baby to amuse himself with if he came across another town on his journey once he’d picked up Suigetsu.
What kind of toy would even be beneficial for a newborn? A stuffed animal would be hard for such short, chubby arms to hold onto, and a rattle would be a noisy distraction that could get them into some serious trouble if used at the wrong time. The small stuffed fox he’d purchased months ago was too colorful and would attract attention that they didn’t need.
Sasuke sighed and shielded his eyes from the traitorously bright sunlight with his free hand.
He shifted the newborn to lay against his chest, making sure to place his head next to where Sasuke’s scent gland was located to provide the baby with a sense of comfort.
Quietly, the omega wondered if his mother had ever done the same for him.
~~~
Ino passed him the shovel before he’d even realized that it was out of his reach.
Naruto had been coerced by Sakura into gardening with Ino to try and distract himself from the fact that Tsunade had banned him from going on the third, and hopefully final, Sasuke retrieval mission.
It wasn’t turning out to be much of a help, though, because Ino kept trying to fill the silence with talking about other people’s problems. She’d told him about Shikamaru’s weird break up with Temari and about how Choji’s parents were trying to push him into dating.
They were Naruto’s friends, sure, but compared to his own problems of trying to save Sasuke and their pup from Orochimaru, they were irritatingly small. Shikamaru wasn’t haunted by Sasuke’s unconscious body falling to the ground and Orochimaru swooping down and stealing him away.
Still, though, the soil beneath his hands felt like a much needed refresher from the usual harsh textures that one would associate with shinobi lifestyles. The alpha could tell that it had been freshly tilled not long ago from the soft pliability of the dirt. It was perfect for planting seeds.
Maybe by the time the tulips began to sprout, Naruto would be holding Sasuke and their baby in his arms, regaling them about all the cool plants he’d seen on his journeys with Pervy Sage.
“-And then, Tenten tried to convince Neji to run away with her, but Neji told her that he couldn’t take her seriously because she had a concussion, but- and get this!- Tenten didn’t have a concussion at all! She was being serious-” Ino’s gossip faded in and out of his ears as Naruto breathed in.
He plopped a seed down into the hole he’d scooped out and covered it lovingly before moving on to a spot of dirt a few inches beside it. He repeated the process, appreciating the breeze cooling some of the sweat that had begun to bead against his temple.
“-So? What do you think?” Ino asked, pausing dramatically to get his attention again.
Naruto blinked at her and swiped the back of his wrist across his forehead. The days were getting hotter, and the sun was beating down on them particularly harshly this afternoon. He was definitely going to shower and get rid of the sticky feeling on his skin after he and Ino were done gardening for the day.
“What do I think about what?” He asked dumbly.
She tsked and shook her head teasingly at him. Her big blue eyes caught in the sunlight, reminding him of the flowers that had started to grow near the edge of the training fields. “About my idea for a gift for Kurenai-sensei’s baby shower!”
He stilled as his heart thudded in his chest. Tsunade had told him to play it safe and to not go out and buy any baby items for fear that the wrong people in the village would find out about it. His anbu babysitters were still following him around everywhere too, even more of them now that she and Pervy Sage were out of the village. He knew they’d report back to Shizune if they caught him stocking up on baby stuff for when they brought Sasuke and their pup back to the village.
But, if he offered to go with Ino and shop for ‘Kurenai’, well, that wouldn’t be suspicious, would it? He knew her alright enough for it not to be weird. He’d gone on a few missions with her before and besides, she was a friend of his sensei’s.
Plastering on his brightest smile, Naruto set his plan into motion, “You know, I’m not sure. Do you want to tag along with me when I go pick her out a gift too? Two brains are better than one.”
What he really meant was, he kinda had no idea what babies really needed outside of diapers and toys and needed Ino’s expertise.
She thought about it for a second, taking a moment to pause in the conversation to adjust the way Naruto was placing the seeds into the soil, before she nodded her head in agreement. “You know, that’s actually a good idea, Naruto!”
A bird chirped in the distance, and almost immediately after, Ino’s common sense caught up to her.
“Wait a second, why are you getting her a gift? She’s not your sensei-”
“Yeah but she’s my sensei’s friend. And besides, she’s Kiba’s sensei and you know how close me and Kiba are-”
She interrupted him with a thoughtful look, “Didn’t you attack him one time over Sasuke?”
“In my defense, Kiba was trying to steal Sasuke from Team Seven for his own team.”
Naruto had bitten his kneecap extra passionately that day too.
Ino blinked at him like he’d grown a third arm, “I promise you, from the bottom of my heart, Kiba was not trying to steal Sasuke for Team Eight.”
The alpha huffed and stopped what he was doing to argue his case, “Then how do you explain the fact that I found him talking to Sasuke and trying to bribe him with Inuzuka puppies!?!”
It was nice being able to talk about Sasuke with someone who had cared about the wayward omega in a positive way. There weren’t many people he could reminisce about memories with Sasuke without a shroud of weighted gloom taking over the conversation anymore.
The blonde omega snorted and dusted some stray specks of dirt from her overly purple skirt, “You know, Sasuke does like animals. Maybe he’d just been playing with the puppies and was just putting up with Kiba.”
That… actually was a good point. Why hadn’t he thought of that back then? The alpha voiced that last thought out loud, making Ino snort.
“Because back then you had exactly two brain cells. One for ramen and one for Sasuke. That didn’t really leave time for much independent thought.” she teased.
“Hey! It wasn’t like that at all!” he cried, flinging some dirt at her like he’d thrown that frog at her that one time at the lake.
She fell into a fit of giggles and avoided the airborne dirt like a pro, “You know, now that I think about it, not very much has changed!”
~~~
Kakashi had been thinking a lot lately. He’d thought about old missions he’d taken while still in the anbu. He’d thought about how his ninja hounds were due for a visit with the Inuzuka clan’s veterinarian. But, the most prevalent thought that plagued his mind was that it had only been a week, but he was already sick of being a pack ‘alpha’.
Apparently, it was just too shocking to those who knew of the chronically alone man. His neighbor in the apartment across from him had knocked on his door just as he’d finally been able to lull himself into a sleepy state at 5 a.m. to surprise him with a congratulatory tamagoyaki dish upon hearing the news.
“Kakashi Hatake….” the receptionist at the hokage tower had spoken with such disbelief that she’d looked like she was going to faint, “You’ve finally settled down, huh?”
Kakashi didn’t even know her name, and that somehow irritated him even further. If they weren’t close enough for Kakashi to deem her own name important enough to remember, why in the world would her thoughts on his private life mean anything to him?!
Somehow, though, his friend’s reactions to the news were even more grating though.
“Aw, ol’ softie! I didn’t know you were becoming so sentimental in your old age!” Anko had shouted, slapping him on the back good naturedly before jokingly sneaking her hand up to yank down his mask. The joke was on her though, because Kakashi was smart enough to double mask when he knew Anko was going to be around.
Kurenai had at least been less annoying. “Congratulations, Kakashi. I’m very happy for you.” She’d smiled gently. Her dominant hand had resided on her growing midsection, and it had taken everything within the secret omega’s willpower to look away from the maternal sight and not bring up memories of a future that had never come to fruition.
Currently, Kakashi’s annoyance was directed at the emotionless smile that was plastered on Sai’s face. The omega had just finished brushing his teeth and getting ready for the day when he’d opened his bathroom door to exit and found Sai just sitting on his windowsill.
It was eerie how the experienced shinobi hadn’t noticed any signs of Sai entering his apartment. In fact, it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
“Good morning, Pack Alpha.” Sai had greeted, not even glancing up from the book he was reading.
Upon closer inspection, Kakashi had found that the title of the book was ‘A Guide to the Dynamics and Complexities of Pack Ponds’. Upon even closer inspection, he was able to deduce that the book had been published over one hundred years ago.
Well, that explained the very antiquated greeting.
“Sai,” Kakashi had shaken his head in dismay, “That book is from a century ago. Its information is not going to be relevant to you.”.
He’d figured that a direct approach was better than muddling his point down with useless formalities like saying ‘good morning’ back to the younger shinobi.
“That is useful advice. Thank you.” Sai responded, closing the book and sitting it down beside where he sat, still perched on Kakashi’s windowsill.
The two stared at each other for a good five minutes before Kakashi gave up and went about his morning routine. Sai sat there all the while, watching him like a sociopathic cat.
Kakashi took his time changing his clothes after he made a point of shutting his bedroom door very loudly. Slothily is how he’d describe the motions he’d made while fastening his green vest onto himself.
“Do you need something?” He asked, finally reaching his breaking point of irritation when he’d reappeared into the living area to find Sai still there, staring blankly ahead. He didn’t want to think about the fact that in all of the minutes it had taken him to change clothes, Sai probably hadn’t moved or even blinked.
In fact, now that he thought about it, Kakashi wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Sai blink.
The revelation was…disheartening.
“No.” Was Sai’s cool headed reply. He continued to stare.
Kakashi’s uncovered eye twitched.
~~~
The hideout was as dank and cold as he’d left it a year ago. It was less populated, most of its inhabitants either underlings that took their chance to flee once rumors had spread of Orochimaru’s death or experiments that were unable to do so. If he were to free up one of his hands and touch the cavernous stone walls, he was almost sure that they would be as cold as ice.
To make up for the shift in temperatures, Sasuke held his baby tighter to his chest, hoping that the proximity would allow for his body heat to keep the sleeping infant warm. It wasn’t often that Sasuke wished he were someone else, but he’d have been a fool to not trade places with someone whose body ran much warmer than his did naturally.
Orochimaru had once made the joke that Sasuke was more similar to snakes than he was, due to the literal cold blood that ran through their veins. Only Kabuto had laughed.
When the unlit passageways got too dark for him to see naturally, the omega decided to fall back on muscle memory, though he was much more cautious traipsing through the hideout than he used to be. He had no idea if anyone besides that oaf Suigetsu was left here, and he didn’t want to be caught by surprise. Especially since he had no idea of knowing if they would be friendly.
Judging by the jealous and hateful looks he’d received in the past by the inmates or lab rats, Sasuke didn’t think any face he would encounter there would be kind enough to go about their way without trying to pick a fight with him. Everyone always wanted a chance to see if they could best the mighty last Uchiha. No one that had ever tried had succeeded.
Well, no one other than Naru-
A small clang had Sasuke snapping his neck in the direction it had come from instantly. He halted his body entirely as he waited to assess the situation, with one hand surging up to cup the back of his son’s fragile head to protect him if anything were to go awry, and the other immediately unsheathing his sword.
With bated breath, the omega stood eerily still, waiting to see if anything would happen. If he weren’t still so drained from his fight with Orochimaru and the birth, Sasuke wouldn’t have had to be nearly as cautious as he was being.
After a few minutes passed, he decided that it was okay to continue forward. His heart was beating ferociously in his chest, but he knew it wasn’t fear for his own safety. No, it was the protective urge to kill anything that came near him and his baby instantly. The enormity of that feeling scared Sasuke a little bit. He’d never been one to even consider murdering anyone other than Itachi. He’d seen far too much death at his young age to ever want to contribute to more of it.
Traveling down the winding passageway to the level that Suigetsu was kept on sent a chill down his spine. Too many bad memories echoed in these halls, and he was glad that his son was too small, too asleep to ever lay eyes upon them.
Eventually, although at a much more calculated pace, Sasuke located the room in which Suigetsu still resided. He knew he was in there, as there was no way to escape that test tube without the special release jutsu that only he and Orochimaru had been privy to learning. As inhumane as the glass cage was, the omega was relieved that he hadn’t put his son in potential harms’ way for nothing.
The light glow of light coming from inside the room lit up the hallway just enough for Sasuke to be able to readjust himself to come across as the perfect, calm and collected Uchiha that Suigetsu had been familiar with. He also made sure to tuck the sleeping infant closer to his chest so that his large, flowy shirt would make it hard for the alpha to recognize the small outline of a baby strapped to Sasuke’s chest.
He somewhat trusted Suigetsu, sure, but he would never be too careful where his son was concerned.
With a pinched expression, Sasuke opened the door and entered the dank, lonesome lab.
A thin layer of dust had already begun to settle on the ground, even though word spreading of Orochimaru’s demise had only just started to spread. His theory of the other ‘pet’ project’s upkeep being neglected when Orochimaru was away had finally been proven correct. The bastard.
“I knew you’d come.” Suigetsu’s voice drawled from the tank, although he was in his liquid form, so Sasuke wouldn’t see him.
The omega took his time waltzing closer to the tank, just to slightly irritate the older man. He didn’t take time to rethink his bratty behavior, it was just the kind of relationship that he and Suigetsu had.
Sasuke didn’t waste any time performing the release jutsu. One second the glass enclosure was there, and the next, a small waterfall of water was pouring from the tube’s contents- and Suigetsu along with it.
“Free at last.” the alpha sighed as he began to materialize out of the newly drained water.
Sasuke kept his back to him, shielding him away from the baby.
“Get dressed.” the omega commanded, “You’re the first, now come with me.”
His hand was just near his sword, just in case things went south. He didn’t think they would, though. Suigetsu was indebted to him for setting him free. The alpha may have had a pretty violent track record in the past, but Sasuke also knew him to somewhat live by a code. It was the way of most of the shinobi that hailed from the village hidden in the mist.
“What do you mean ‘the first’?”
Sasuke cursed himself as the baby began to shift. If he woke up now-
Sasuke really, really, really needed him to not wake up right now.
Keeping his voice carefully calm, he responded “I’m setting up a team. I’m getting Jugo of the northern hideout, and Karin of the southern hideout.”
“You sure about that?” the alpha drawled slow and deliberately as he began to materialize out of the water. Water droplets shimmered and morphed into murky streams of flesh as Suigetsu morphed back into his human form.
The baby began to wiggle, stealing the omega’s focus. Sasuke wanted to scream at the universe as he recognized the beginnings of a crying fit starting to unfold. His son was starting to hate being ignored for very long, too spoiled from being Sasuke’s only traveling companion.
“What’s wrong?” Sasuke replied to Suigetsu as he ever so slightly eased his son’s ear against his chest, right over where Sasuke’s heart was beating proudly. The infant loved listening to Sasuke’s heartbeat, so it was a fifty-fifty shot that it would be enough to calm him down.
“Ah, nothing..” Suigetsu trailed off mischievously, “It’s just that I can barely stand those two. We wouldn’t get along,” the alpha stretched, causing Sasuke to shift his eyes away from him in annoyance, as he was still very much naked. “But, you know, that’s just my two cents.”.
With his attention split between quieting his baby and dealing with Suigetsu, Sasuke wasn’t able to respond. It didn’t matter, though, because Suigetsu continued to speak anyway.
“Choosing me, I can understand, but those two? I dunno, it’s making me wonder about you, Sasuke.” Suigetsu teased.
Not in the mood for being teased after the draining week he’d had, Sasuke snapped, “Do you ever shut up? Get dressed, we’re leaving.”
The omega turned away- careful to not let Suigetsu see the bundle huddled against his chest- and began to walk towards the room’s exit. The alpha began to laugh, causing the hairs on the back of Sasuke’s neck to stand up. His sword was just within reach, if need be.
“Ordering me around like some kind of bigshot, huh?” Was all he heard before a small whooshing sound, followed by water droplets hitting the ground echoing within the room.
Suigetsu had gone into his water form.
Sasuke braced himself, ignoring the hammering in his chest as he shifted one of his arms to cover the baby, and his other hand reached for the hilt of his sword. He wasn’t able to even get a word out before there was a presence at his back, and two fingers hovering just a hair away from his temple.
“I think it’s time we clarified our relationship, Sasuke, ‘kay?” Suigetsu hummed with an air of danger.
Sasuke slid his eyes over to glare at Suigetsu’s fingers that were poking his temple. Suigetsu hadn’t seen the baby yet. Good.
“You were the one who chose to rescue me. You made that decision on your own. I never said anything about following you if you came back for me. Just because you defeated Orochimaru doesn’t make you better than me. Everybody wanted to kill him.” The alpha monologued.
It was true, everyone had wanted to kill Orochimaru. Sasuke had simply been given more opportunities to do so than the others.
The air was ripe with tension, and Suigetsu was one wrong breath away from Sasuke stabbing him. They had a stare off, with Sasuke’s head ever so slightly tilted to catch the purple eyes of the older man, caught in a battle of wills and for a long moment, there was nothing.
Then, right as Suigetsu was moving away and laughing, “Gotcha! I was only messing with you!”, the baby squalled, not happy about the lack of attention from his omegan parent.
Damn it. Curse it all to hell, this was not how he’d wanted to reveal his child!
“Uh-what the hell!” Suigetsu exclaimed as he peered over Sasuke’s shoulder to get a good look at the, now pleased with himself, infant.
Sasuke stayed quiet.
“Is-that's a- Sasuke did you steal a baby?!”
Sasuke rolled his eyes. In an attempt to keep his cool persona intact, he simply shrugged and continued walking towards the door.
“Wait- Sasuke! You didn’t kidnap a baby- right?!” Suigetsu called after him.
His son jammed his chubby little fist in his mouth, unsurprisingly looking nearly exactly like his alpha parent in the process. From what he’d remembered, the Uchiha babies in the compound hadn’t drooled nearly as much. It had to be Naruto’s genetics.
Sasuke smirked down at his little one. His original plan, to bribe Suigetsu with Zabuza’s sword, was in shambles. But, perhaps, the intrigue of Sasuke Uchiha showing up with a baby in tow would be enough to get Suigetsu to go along with joining his team.
Sure enough, the alpha’s hurried footsteps were right behind him as he began to walk away.
Maybe having his baby with him on this quest wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
~~~
“Okay, I’ll go make sure these new mission reports go through the record keeping office- do you mind going ahead and looking for the next set of files? Lady Tsunade’s instructions say the files should be B-10 through C-19.” Shizune asked him from the doorway.
Naruto had woken up before the sun had even made its presence known in the sky in order to help Shizune go through the to-do list that Tsunade had left for them, and despite the early hours, Shizune had been wide awake and, dare he say it, chipper since he’d arrived.
Naruto himself was feeling sluggish and half asleep, even after a full, hearty breakfast of two ramen cups. His eyelids were constantly drooping closed and he yawned more than he was able to actually offer the brown eyed omega any real verbal responses.
All in all, Naruto was exhausted, and it didn’t help that he had plans to go baby shopping with Ino after he’d finished up helping Shizune with the paperwork.
A bitter part of him couldn’t help but whisper that Tsunade had forced him to stay in the village just so that she had more people to do the frustrating parts of being hokage for her- like the desk duties.
“Sure, I’ll try not to get ink all over these.” He chuckled bashfully, scratching the back of his neck out of habit.
Earlier, he’d accidentally broken a pen and it had bled out all over the stack of papers he’d been in charge of cataloging. Shizune had freaked out and her pet pig had run around the room oinking furiously. In the midst of the chaos, Naruto had somehow managed to make it even worse, even though he still wasn’t quite sure how he’d managed.
That was why, when Naruto waved at Shizune as she left the room, his hands were coated in a dried, inky blue black. How he was going to explain this to Ino, he wasn’t sure.
“Okay, shadow clone jutsu!” He yawned as he performed the hand sign.
It took only a moment before six copies of himself had poofed into existence, all in equal states of exhaustion as well. Some had appeared with their jackets on backwards or their hair flat against their heads. One clone that had been summoned still had his eyes closed and was snoring.
“Alright! Get to work pulling the files Shizune needs!” the alpha ordered, pointing passionately to the sea of filing cabinets. He had to assume leadership of the clones early on, otherwise they all started arguing over who got to be the boss later on.
The clone that had still appeared to be sleeping startled awake and hurried to disperse with the other clones. “Aw, come on! I was having a good dream!” the clone cried out poutily.
The real Naruto huffed in mild amusement- he knew exactly what dream the clone had been having, because Naruto had been dreaming it only a few hours prior. It would be a lie to say it wasn’t a recurring dream, but it was one that he would never grow tired of.
The dream was always the same. Him, standing on the hokage tower’s balcony with the hokage hat on, addressing all of Konoha’s citizens with Sasuke by his side. Crowds and speeches weren’t Sasuke’s thing, and dream Sasuke was no different. The omega always had a grimace on his face in the dreams, but he also stood comfortable and pleased, like he was proud of Naruto.
Of course, lately, there had been a new addition to the dream. A little pup, just barely tall enough to reach Naruto’s knees, firmly clutching onto Naruto’s hokage robe and looking around wildly, not quite sure what was going on, but enjoying the excitement anyway.
In the dreams, Naruto was never quite able to make out any discerning features on the child’s face, but he always woke up with a small gut feeling that the kid looked like Sasuke regardless. Maybe it was more of a hope than any divine intuition, but sue him, okay? Sasuke was beautiful dammit!
“Hey! How come you get to just stand around?!” One of the clones addressed the original haughtily.
The real Naruto rolled his eyes. “Because I have more important things to do!”
“Oh yeah? Like what?!” another one hollered.
“Like-like-” Naruto trailed off, not quite sure what lie he should tell so that he could do what he’d initially planned to do and sneak off to catch up on sleep.
It wasn’t like he wouldn’t be getting the experience Tsunade wanted him to get- once he dispersed the clones, he’d get all of their memories. So, in a way, he was thinking super efficiently like a hokage would.
“See? He was gonna sneak off and go sleep somewhere!” one of the smarter clones called out, angrily thumping a stack of files against the desk in betrayal.
That very true accusation was how Naruto found himself with many of his own fist shaped bruises all over his body precisely twelve minutes later. Once again, he’d been bested by his own clones and their insanity.
The clone that had incited the uprising had taken charge and put the real Naruto to work as soon as the group had gotten tired of beating their mutiny into the alpha. His bruised skin stung with a dull ache as he bent down to pick up a file he’d accidentally dropped when one of the clones bumped into him.
He snatched it off of the floor and was about to stand from his crouched position when a bright white shape from the corner of his eye caught his attention. He bent further down and leaned closer to see what it was.
It was a paper that had clearly belonged to a file at some point, but judging by the layer of dust on it, had fallen and been pushed under the cabinet quite some time ago. Naruto blinked and grabbed it so that he could skim it and see where he needed to place it to be back in it’s rightful spot, but stopped in his tracks when he came across an absolute gold mine.
Detailed on the front and back of the paper, exemplified by the title, ‘The Yellow Flash’, were the teachings of the fourth hokage’s famous jutsus. Flying Raijin and the Flying Thunder God jutsus were explained in detail across the wide expanse of paper. If Naruto took this paper and taught himself these techniques- he’d be powerful enough to keep Sasuke and their baby safe from Itachi.
If Naruto could keep them safe, then Sasuke would stay in the village after Tsunade and Pervy Sage brought him back!
The alpha hurried to shove the paper in his pocket and disperse his clones. When Shizune arrived moments later, he bid her goodbye under the guise that he’d gotten all of the filing work done early.
In reality, he needed to get the hell out of there and start practicing. The paper had been long forgotten, so it wasn’t like he was stealing a jutsu scroll and teaching himself forbidden techniques. He’d already done that and no one was mad at him, so surely this would be okay too, right?
~~~
It didn’t take Suigetsu more than exactly one hour to figure out that the little tike was Sasuke’s biological kid. There was just no denying that tuft of unruly black hair and disturbingly pale complexion.
“Have you put any sunscreen on her?” He asked his partner, who’d been acting like he was too cool for school the entire time they were on the road. Seriously, Sasuke hadn’t even so much as smiled down at the baby for as long as they’d been walking. Did the guy even have feelings?!
“He. doesn’t need any.” Sasuke corrected thinly.
Okay. He. So the baby was a boy. Oops.
It wasn’t like Suigetsu had been around very many babies, okay? How was he supposed to be able to tell the genders apart when they were all pretty much just chubby little bald people who couldn’t walk yet?
“Uh- he’s looking kinda red, Sasuke…” The alpha trailed off, gesturing to the baby’s reddened cheeks.
Sasuke did not take too kindly to Suigetsu’s attempt at help. The omega shifted the baby’s blanket to provide shade for the infant’s face, not even looking down at the little guy once- not even when he started gurgling and clumsily reaching up at Sasuke.
“Uh…I think he wants your attention-”
This was too weird. Way too weird. Sasuke Uchiha, Mr. dead-inside-extraordinaire had a baby? How?! Man, that poor kid was gonna grow up with issues.
“I know how to take care of my child.” Sasuke dictated pointedly, cutting Suigetsu off before the shark toothed alpha could awkwardly stammer on some more.
Silence fell upon them, minus the small coos their third travelmate would let out. In all honesty, the kid was pretty cute. Still, the question of who his other parent was nagged at Suigetsu.
Besides Orochimaru and Kabuto, Sasuke didn’t socialize with very many people. Himself and Karin, most likely. But Suigetsu definitely knew that he wasn’t the father, and Karin was an omega. Two omegas of opposing genders could potentially make a baby, but the likelihood was considerably low. Although with how obsessed Karin was with Sasuke, she probably would have found a way to make it happen.
Still, Suigetsu had a feeling that Sasuke wouldn’t stoop that low, which left the only other reasonable candidate to be Kabuto, seeing as Orochimaru had turned himself into a freakshow ‘beta’.
But-Kabuto? No, surely not-
A thought dawned on him as the trio continued their journey, one that made his stomach churn and fingers clench. If Orochimaru was as obsessed with the Uchiha bloodline as he was- and Kabuto was an alpha…Sasuke was an omega who’d been under their wings for the past couple years- he had to have had plenty heats during that time.
Kabuto hated Sasuke- everyone in every hideout across the entire country knew that. There’s no way he would have voluntarily done that, but if Orochimaru had ordered it- then Suigetsu had a very easy time believing that Kabuto would have taken advantage of the situation.
That would also have explained in part why Sasuke had killed Orochimaru, despite having been treated the most favorably by the madman.
The sky was turning purple and the sun was fading by the time Suigetsu worked up the nerve to finally ask and put his suspicions to rest. Suigetsu sighed and looked over at Sasuke, who was still as stoic as ever. Man, he hoped Sasuke wasn’t gonna kill him for asking. Almost as a protective reflex, Suigetsu shifted just a tiny bit further away from the sullen omega to avoid any close range attacks like a punch to the arm or a slap to the face.
“Hey, Sasuke…Kabuto isn’t the other-”
Sasuke cut him off. Again.
“No.”
Relief flooded Suigetsu’s heart like a valley during a thunderstorm.
“Then who-”
“No one you’d know.”
Suigetsu snuck a look over in Sasuke’s direction, this time discreetly, only to see the omega pet the chubby cheek of his sleeping baby softly. The look on his face was neutral, as usual, but there was a touch of affection in those dark eyes of his, that maybe, just maybe, clued Suigetsu in on the fact that whoever the kid’s other parent was, Sasuke had cared for them in some way.
He tried scrutinizing the baby’s face for any possible details that weren’t very obviously inherited traits from Sasuke, but was only able to point out the startling blue eyes and the little lines on the baby’s cheeks.
His partner was an omega, having just escaped and killed his captor, who harbored far too many secrets that Suigetsu was honestly comfortable with. But when the silent man continued to gaze down at the infant, swaddled in an old and clearly worn out orange jacket, the future swordsman saw love flicker in those subtle, barely there gestures.
Maybe it was because his mind was being blown at the fact that he was seeing Sasuke, feared yet applauded student of Orochimaru, in a new light, or maybe it was because at heart, Suigetsu was a lazy bastard, but he yawned and suggested that they stop early for the evening.
Sasuke had tried to argue and say that they needed to keep going so that they could get Zabuza’s sword and be done with it, but Suigetsu had managed to talk him down by doing what he did best: whining about being tired.
They began to set up camp- which wasn’t very elaborate, but it was livable and way better than the glass case that Orochimaru had kept him in for years. Suigetsu had been the one to find the location as he’d always had a knack for finding comfortable areas to relax in. There were a few trees that would cover them from the main road but also provide a cloak of darkness to keep the bright light of the sunset from blinding them.
Sasuke tossed the alpha a water thermos without even a word, and it was only by sheer luck that Suigetsu had managed to catch it. He didn’t even bother remarking anything sarcastic to his companion, it would have just fallen on stubborn ears. Instead, he made himself busy by uncapping the thermos and sipping the beverage Sasuke had so cordially provided him with.
The baby woke up in a bad mood just as Suigetsu had leaned back against a nearby tree trunk to relax. Both of the shinobi’s attention snapped to the hollering baby, and the alpha noticed Sasuke tensing up.
Was he stressed out for some reason? Why would the guy be all tense and uncomfortable over his baby crying? Wasn’t that normal?
The Uchiha unzipped his shirt right as it dawned on Suigetsu that yeah, the kid was probably hungry and that yeah, Sasuke was an omega. He tried not to stare like a chicken with its head cut off, but found himself frozen in horror as he witnessed something that was truly a crime against nature: Sasuke Uchiha was breastfeeding.
“Not. A. Word.” Sasuke spit as he rubbed the baby’s back in a slow circle.
He seemed like such a well practiced parent when it came to the small things, but the big things? Like a couple hours earlier when Suigetsu had gotten to watch Sasuke fumble with changing the kid’s diaper? He seemed to be trampling through those like a baby deer walking for the first time.
Just how old was the little guy?
“Uh, how old is he?” Suigetsu changed the subject and looked away with a gulp.
“Two weeks.” Sasuke mumbled as he adjusted the baby still latched to his chest.
“Two weeks?!” Suigetsu exclaimed, startling the birds out of the tree he was resting on and causing them to fly away in a hurry. The flurry of movement was enough to cause the baby to unlatch from his mother’s chest and squall wildly, trying to mimic the startled creatures.
He knew Sasuke was crazy and self destructive if something like personal health got in the way of achieving whatever goal he had in mind, but to be on the road for so long, getting into who knows what kind of trouble along the way before freeing Suigetsu, only to have given birth not even a month prior?! That was insane! Sasuke was insane! This whole idea was insane!
The omegas in his village weren’t out of the house after giving birth for at least three months. How was Sasuke not sick or in pain? How was he even moving?
“I’m dreaming, right? This is all just a really weird side effect of Orochimaru’s latest experiment on me right?” Suigetsu wondered aloud as his hands rubbed at his eyes.
Sasuke glared at him. “Everything is fine.”
Everything was not fine! How was a postpartum omega with a baby on his hip supposed to help him get Zabuza’s sword?!
“If you have a problem, speak now. I can’t say I’ll grant you the opportunity later on.” The Uchiha’s monotonous tone sent a shiver down the alpha’s back.
It didn’t match up with the gentle sight of an omega caring for his baby. The sword hilt peaking over Sasuke’s shoulder glinted as shiny as the newborn’s hair. The juxtaposition was not lost on Suigetsu.
Who in their right mind would have knocked this guy up?
“Say I do have a problem, what then?” Suigetsu thought out loud. Of course, he was on board with the idea, so long as he got the executioner’s blade, but even he had to test the waters to see where Sasuke’s head was at.
“Then I leave you here and go assemble the others.” Sasuke’s blank stare was starting to get to him.
How had a guy that scary made such a cute kid!??!
“Well,” Suigetsu hummed, like he wasn’t just a tiny bit hurt that Sasuke was so indifferent to him given all their history together, “Guess it’s a good thing I’m in this for the long haul, then.”
If Sasuke was surprised at all, he didn’t show it. But that didn’t matter when Suigetsu had some experience seeing through Sasuke’s tough guy persona. The sharp toothed alpha could tell that Sasuke, at least in some small way, was relieved. He wouldn’t say glad, though, because Sasuke had never struck him as the kind of guy who would ever be willingly happy about very many things.
“Since you like staring so much, you get to be first watch.” Sasuke muttered once the baby had decided that he was full and ready to nap in his mother’s lap.
Suigetsu hadn’t even meant to- honestly. It was just such a strange scenario he’d found himself in. Sasuke with a baby. He’d been transfixed with the insanity of it all.
Maybe that was why, when Suigetsu opened his mouth to speak, the words that tumbled out were what they were. “Whoever the alpha is, you should think about getting mated. If something happens to that scent bond of yours, it’ll hurt the kid. Pups need their parent’s scents, otherwise they turn out all weird and warped like that annoying Karin.”
And with that, Suigetsu left to go pee in the bushes.
~~~
The crisp air of the morning coated the atmosphere of the Hyuuga compound like a strict, but airy coat of armor. Neji inhaled softly as he watched the droves of Hyuuga gather around the center of their compound to watch the spectacle that would soon take place.
Today was the unfortunate day that Hinata’s abilities would be put to the test, and her fate would be decided by the clan heads based on her performance. Bitterness from long ago had settled itself on his shoulders that he hadn’t quite felt since the original chunin exams. His curse seal felt weightier than usual from where it was carefully hidden under his shinobi headband.
It had been a long time since the flesh of his forehead had felt the rays of the sun.
“Neji!” the pale eyed alpha’s head swiveled to the left to see a few of their friends making their way over to him. It had been Rock Lee that had called out to him, waving enthusiastically despite the rigid aura of the Hyuuga who grimaced at the loud disturbance.
Sakura and Ino were on either side of the rambunctious alpha. His arm was around Sakura’s waist as they walked, the sight of which did not go unnoticed by the Hyuuga members who were watching the outsiders closely. Alpha-alpha pairings were frowned upon heavily by the clan, so it was less than shocking that their reactions would be so prudish.
However, Sakura held her head high even though Neji could see that she’d picked up on the surrounding hostility, and Rock Lee continued his merry chaos, unable to read the room.
Ino seemed out of place within the borders of the compound. Her hair and outfit were bright and vivid against the neutral colors of traditional Hyuuga garb. The purple of her skirt stood out against the browns and crisp tans like a lone flower that had blossomed too close to winter and as a result, would meet a harsh and cold demise.
“Rock Lee, cut it out, you’re disturbing the others!” Neji caught Ino’s heatless chiding even from the distance the trio were still at.
Hinata had asked everyone not to come, but it would appear as though their friends refused to not come to show their support.
Once the others had made it to where Neji was rooted in place, Rock Lee clapped him on the back. “What a fine day for a match, my friend! Our youthful Hinata shall prevail under clear skies and amid comfortable temperatures!”
Neji blinked at him. “Must you be so chipper this early in the morning?”
Sakura made a noise of agreement before she shifted and subtly removed her boyfriend’s hand from her waist- the Hyuuga’s stares seemed to be getting to her, “You should have seen him when we woke up. He literally cartwheeled out of bed.”
Neji could empathize with her. He’d often shared sleeping quarters with the exuberant alpha on their longer, more expansive missions. The thick browed alpha was a living, breathing alarm clock.
Rock Lee beamed, as if knowing Neji’s train of thought, “Indeed! There is nothing like waking up with some cardio!”
Ino cringed and Neji couldn’t blame her.
Whatever Sakura was about to say was cut off by the arrival of more of their friends. Shino, Tenten, Choji, and Kiba huddled together as they made their way through the countless Hyuuga that had come to watch the match. Their formation was reminiscent of the way squads moved through unknown but hostile territory on missions. Shino and Tenten led the way with the ‘muscle’, Kiba and Choji, closing the rear.
Choji, Neji noticed, did not have a single snack in his hand. How odd. And Tenten, who the dark haired alpha had fondly recalled to usually be fiddling with a kunai between her fingers, instead held her hands clasped together in front of her.
His friends were nervous and felt out of place standing among his clan members, yet they were all unified as Hidden Leaf Village citizens. The frown that marred Neji’s typically neutral face was miniscule only to those that did not know him.
“Neji?” Tenten asked with a quizzical look that seemed to zero in on his souring mood with perhaps too much ease.
The alpha did not meet her gaze, and instead bowed his head down in a formal greeting to the group, “I am glad Lady Hinata has so many friends that would attend to support her.”
Tenten moved to stand closely at his side, despite the other surrounding Hyuuga watching her with thinly veiled mistrust. Even though Tenten and Rock Lee had occasionally been invited to the Hyuuga compound before, they were still seen as nothing more than mild irritants to the isolationist culture of the clan. She waited until the others began to speak quietly among themselves and carefully whispered, “We’re here to support you too.”
He didn’t have time to mutter out his appreciation, because right as he opened his mouth, Ino was sushing everyone, “Shhh! It’s starting, guys!”
They all turned their attention to the doors that both Hanabi and Hinata were being led out of. Neji saw his uncle standing firmly in the center of where his cousins would duel, and a few of the clan head’s advisors grouped off to the side.
“That’s Hinata’s dad?!” Sakura remarked, surprised, “He looks so serious!”.
“Yeah, tell me about it.” Kiba bit out snarkily. He crossed his arms and glared at Neji’s uncle.
A Hyuuga woman beside the group of friends, who Neji vaguely recalled to be one of the older maids that had since retired from serving the main branch family, whipped her head to the side to glare at them, “Shh!”. Her glare could have leveled a small, but mighty village.
Neji frowned, but still bowed his head to her in apology. Tenten, Ino, and Choji did the same- Tenten because she knew enough about the Hyuuga customs by now, and Choji and Ino because as the heirs to their respective clans, they knew enough about general formalities among all of Konoha’s clans.
Hiashi waited until the girls were standing on either side of him to address them both. The man spoke quietly enough that only his daughters would hear his words before they were scattered and lost along the currents of wind that plagued the atmosphere. Neji was not curious to know what was being said, as he already had an inkling.
His uncle was a stern, but fair man. If Hinata won, then in his eyes, she was a worthy successor. If Hanabi won, the same went for her. Only, the clan head didn’t know that Neji, Hanabi, Shino and Kiba had a secret ploy for Hanabi to throw the match. If Hinata won before Hanabi decided to hinder her own talents, then that would be an admirable outcome. But, Neji hated to admit, though the two sisters were admirably trained and talented all on their own, Hanabi was the one who possessed the better fighting instinct.
Hinata’s gentle nature showed in the way her eyes softened with slight concern whenever she dealt a finishing blow to her opponent as well as in the way she avoided physical contact unless absolutely necessary. Neji had seen it himself during their own practice sessions.
Hiashi cleared his throat and addressed the observers, “I believe everyone here is already aware, but for those who are not, I will reiterate. Hinata Hyuuga is the first born of the main branch family’s head household, but presented as a lowly omega. Hanabi, the second born, has presented as an alpha.”
The crowd cheered- at least, what could be considered a cheer for a group of Hyuuga- for the line about Hanabi’s status. Beside him, Choji struggled to hold Ino back from doing something insane like going to interrupt Hiashi in order to rant about how omegas were not lesser than in comparison to alphas.
“Ino cut it out!” Choji whispered desperately when she elbowed him in the side to free herself.
Rock Lee chose that moment to clench his fist passionately and exclaim, “Though I personally prefer the company of alphas, even I can see the great worth and importance that omegas carry!”
Sakura clamped her hand over her boyfriend’s mouth so fast that she didn’t see one of Shino’s bugs in time and accidentally swatted it in the process. “Hehe, sorry about him-”
“That was a Scarlet Lily Beetle-” Shino began, but the retired maid Hyuuga from earlier interrupted him with another stern shushing.
Neji pretended to not know them, and was quietly very thankful that at least Tenten and surprisingly Kiba were managing to not make a scene. The latter was surprising though. Usually, the brash and animalistic alpha had a hard time not causing a mess in public, much like the rest of his clan.
But no, he seemed to be laser focused on Hinata instead.
Neji moved his observations back to the main attraction, only to catch eyes with his uncle. The chunin couldn’t help but feel a small amount of bitterness, even still. The Hyuuga’s main family was causing a rift between siblings once again. What might his father have felt about this if he were still alive?
Neji would never get the chance to know.
Hiashi exhaled sharply through his nose and clenched his eyes shut for a moment before continuing as if the interruption had never happened to begin with, “To decide fairly who shall take the place as the Hyuuga clan’s rightful heir, Hinata and Hanabi partake in a duel. Should Hanabi win, she will be named as my heir, and Hinata will be demoted to the branch family. Should Hinata win, she will be allowed to keep her place among the main household, and Hanabi, because of her alpha status, will become her elder sister’s advisor and remain among the main branch.”
The bystanders remained quiet, ultimately adding to the rising tension in the air.
“Begin!” Hiashi commanded, and instantly, Hinata and Hanabi surged away from their spots on either side of their father and put distance between themselves.
If anyone blinked, they would have missed the nearly invisible tightening of Hanabi’s eyes before the younger girl lunged forward to strike at the chakra point located in Hinata’s left shoulder. Like the seasoned shinobi she was, Hinata dodged it with ease and landed a hit of her own, though it was not enough to stop Hanabi.
The two went at it, attacking and counter attacking, blocking and evading, and not a single person in the crowd could have seen an opening that would allow a change in the match’s course. They truly did seem to be evenly matched.
“Come on Hinata!” Kiba growled lowly under his breath.
No one was blind enough to ignore how deeply the Inuzuka cared for Hinata, except maybe Hinata herself. At first, Neji had been opposed to Kiba’s feelings, but after truly seeing him with her, he’d decided that Kiba was one of the people who had always believed in her the most, in the most unwavering of ways possible.
No matter the outcome, Neji knew that Kiba would fight tooth and nail to make sure that Hinata was happy.
In front of them, Hanabi managed to land a devastating blow to Hinata’s stomach, but, to the complete surprise of everyone, even to Neji himself, Hinata used Hanabi’s arm as leverage to flip overhead and behind her to jab her fingers into Hanabi’s side. Hanabi tried to turn around, but Hinata was faster, and swept her leg underneath Hanabi’s, causing the younger girl to lose her footing.
“Those moves- those aren’t Hyuuga-” Neji couldn’t help but say in amazement.
“That-I know that move! That’s Sasuke’s fighting style!” Sakura exclaimed in complete shock. Her big green eyes watched the scene unfold hungrily, as if even just a hint of her long lost teammate was enough to brighten her mood for weeks on end.
That’s right. Sasuke Uchiha had taken Hinata under his wing back when they were genin for a few months. Neji had forgotten all about it until that very moment.
Hinata landed one more blow, and Hanabi was down for the count.
Everyone stood in stunned silence while Hinata helped Hanabi to stand again, both girls breathing heavily as the adrenaline continued to course through their nervous systems.
In the end, Hanabi hadn’t even had the chance to throw the fight and let Hinata win. Hinata had won all on her own. What an incredible turn of events.
Hiashi walked forward to take Hinata’s hand in his and raise it up in the air for all to see. “Hinata Hyuuga is the winner! Let it be known that she will be the heir to the clan!”
A few claps sounded here and there, but most of the congratulatory noise came from Neji and their friends. Rock Lee’s joyous shouts ricocheted off of the surrounding buildings and echoed through the air. Tenten and Ino hugged each other and jumped up and down gleefully. Even Shino had a smile on his face, but Kiba was quiet and stern.
He knew what Hinata winning meant for his feelings for her. The two would not be allowed to be together even if Hinata did return his feelings. Neji felt for him, as the girl whom the prodigy loved was standing right beside him, but due to her status as an alpha, the clan would not permit the two to court.
“If I may-” Hinata called out over the crowd. It was odd to hear her soft and relaxing voice so domineering, but seemed to suit her just the same, “It should be put to rest here and now that there is only one true heir to this clan. The bravest, most cunning and formidable fighter this clan has seen…”
Neji smiled, happy his cousin was gloating at her victory after what the clan had put her through for months.
“- and that person is Neji Hyuuga!”
Neji choked on his spit.