Budding Limbs

The weather lately had been nothing short of perfect, so when Orochimaru had suggested going shopping in the nearest town, Sasuke and Kabuto hadn’t had reason to refuse the invitation. Orochimaru had said that he’d needed to pick up more supplies for his…specimens, and Sasuke had decided that it would be the perfect opportunity to sneak away and look for baby things.

The grass was greener than it had been the last time Sasuke had left the shadows of the hideout, and the trees had fresh leaves. Even the sky seemed to be a more youthful shade of blue.

What a pity that the pleasant scenery was ruined with Kabuto’s annoying presence.

The alpha in question breathed far too loudly for Sasuke’s comfort. His temper had already been a short fuse, but since becoming pregnant, it had shrunk to an almost microscopic degree. When Kabuto wasn’t breathing too loudly, he was standing too closely. When he wasn’t standing too close, he was speaking too loudly- or too quietly.

Suffice to say, Sasuke hated Kabuto. He hated him like it was a hobby. He hated him like he was getting paid to do it. Even his stupid glasses kept causing a glare in the sunlight- and while he couldn’t prove it, Sasuke just knew that Kabuto was blinding him on purpose.

“Why, Sasuke, you seem to be a bit prickly today- sleep on the wrong side of the bed?” The rat bastard mocked.

Orochimaru was a good few paces ahead of them, which was the only reason why Sasuke let himself bare his teeth in warning, “Shut up, no one wants to hear you talk.”

Kabuto sighed dramatically, “Is your cycle nearing? Is that why you’re acting so bitchy?”

Sasuke was about to just say to hell with it and burn the man with a fireball jutsu, but Orochimaru cut into their little argument.

“Kabuto, where are your manners? Apologize to Sasuke!”

Kabuto instantly looked like a kicked puppy, and while Sasuke prided himself on being an animal lover, if Kabuto were ever transformed into a canine, he wouldn’t hesitate to kick him. Maybe twice even, if he felt like it.

“...I apologize for openly telling the truth, Sasuke.” Kabuto stubbornly muttered lowly.

Lately, when the two apprentices got into arguments like this, Orochimaru had been siding with Sasuke. After the alpha had broken the unspoken rule of respect and attacked Sasuke’s scent bond, Orochimaru had been much quicker to reprimand Kabuto- even when Sasuke had been the one to start something.

It was an odd change of pace, but Sasuke was nothing if not adaptive.

Of course, with Sasuke’s suspicions that Kabuto had a crush on Orochimaru, it made sense that the alpha would begin to try and please the sanin by adhering to his commands. Still, it was disturbing to think about the fact that anyone could genuinely like Orochimaru- even someone as terrible as Kabuto. Orochimaru literally licked and bit people- with no provocation.

…Well, also there was the mass murder, torture, and experimentation too.

That was another reason why he had to be careful now. If he slipped up, and lost focus for even a second on maintaining the genjutsu, and the pregnancy was discovered, then he had no doubt in his mind that Orochimaru would use the pup for his own twisted curiosities.

The omega shivered as images of Orochimaru’s past “hobbies” floated around in his mind.

“Cold, Sasuke?” The sanin asked. He’d been in a good mood for the last few days, and with that good mood, had come something Sasuke hated with a passion: small talk.

In fact, he was. Lately his body temperature had been fluctuating annoyingly. Sometimes he was too warm, others two cold- even though the general atmosphere he was in was a moderate, neutral climate. It was hell, and the irrational part of him wanted to hunt down Naruto just to yell at him and demand the alpha fix what he caused. The other, more reasonable part of him refused to let himself reach out to the blonde, for both of their own protections. Orochimaru had mentioned off-handedly that the akatsuki were on the move again, restless and plotting. It wasn’t safe to go off and meet Naruto, even if he sincerely wanted to.

“Hn.” he responded. It was best to not lie directly- as Orochimaru was exceptionally good at spotting lies when it came to information regarding someone’s body.

Around an hour later, they arrived at their destination. To keep their identities relatively hidden, they’d all worn hooded cloaks. It was a standard travelers outfit, and suited their needs just fine.

Plus, a secret bonus that Orochimaru and Kabuto were unaware of, the cloak’s bulky and untapered design allowed the omega to relax and not worry about his changing figure being noticed by others they encountered along their short journey. He hadn’t realized how much it had been weighing on him that other people might have been able to tell, but it felt like the earth had been lifted from his shoulders.

Stress, something that he was beyond familiar with, had become one of the many banes of his existence. Lately he’d been tossing and turning in bed, both uncomfortable and laden with the feeling that something was missing.

Of course, he knew what that something was. It was no secret that pregnant omegas preferred to nest, but Sasuke was in the unique position of not having that option. He’d been trained out of making them, and outside of heats when his instincts were at their highest, he couldn’t stand them. Nests were messy and disorderly, nothing a shinobi of his caliber should bother himself with.

It was only one hour later that they reached their destination. The town was large, with taverns and stores lining multiple streets. Inns were teeming with people-other travelers wearing similar cloaks to what he, Orochimaru, and Kabuto were wearing. Elderly women were tugging along children- probably their grandchildren, as they perused the stalls that were selling produce items.

Orochimaru turned to his two disciples. “This is where I leave you. I will return once I am finished.”. The sanin began to walk away, both confidently and slyly, like he was eager to go terrorize the merchants that were selling what he needed. In all probabilities, he probably was.

Kabuto, stupid Kabuto, embarrassingly rushed to reply, “Wait!-don’t you need someone to come with you? To help you make your selections?”

Clearly, the idiot hoped Orochimaru would make his own ‘selection’ and choose Kabuto- for more than just the spot of most prized pupil. The omega chuckled at the unspoken implication of his thought. Kabuto really did have a disgusting little crush on Orochimaru. And Orochimaru was none the wiser.

The sanin tapped his chin, his calculating eyes dancing with an unreadable expression all the while. “Hm, eager to learn about the medical supplies I stock, Kabuto? Very well, I suppose it would be necessary for you to know.”

Orochimaru turned on his heel swiftly and began to saunter off, not leaving any room for discussion. If Kabuto were remotely normal, Sasuke thought he would have swooned. Disgusting.

Sasuke snorted and muttered, “Ass kisser.” behind Kabuto’s back as the alpha began to walk away to join Orochimaru’s side hastily, as though every precious second not by the ‘beta’’s side was torture.

Kabuto, not one to ignore a challenge, turned his head and grit out, “Better than being one.”

Sasuke took the implied insult easily. Unlike Kabuto, he was not quickly affronted, and he prided himself on having thick skin.

Sasuke smirked, “It’s embarrassing that you really think that.”.

Kabuto looked like he was going to retort, but orochimaru turned a corner, and the white haired alpha had to catch up. Finally alone, Sasuke looked around the marketplace.

He had his sealing scroll in his pocket and a decent amount of money to purchase things with. He often took on a few odd jobs along the way on missions Orochimaru sent him on to earn and save up money. Originally, it had been to put away for safekeeping for when he began his journey to defeat Itachi, but now his plans had changed, and he needed to prepare for the presence of a different Uchiha in a few months.

Four months had already gone by, and in a few month’s time, Sasuke would have a living, breathing little human to take care of. He had five months left to kill Orochimaru and dispose of Kabuto. Preferably, three months.

He hoped to have those last two months to get his other affairs in order and to either return to Konoha, or hunker down with Ms. Namura. That all would depend on how long it took to dispose of his mentor and the sanin’s lackey, as well as how…up to traveling he was by then.

Already, his ankles were beginning to swell after missions and days filled with extensive walking, and he was only slightly showing!

The omega lowered his hood even further down his face before he scanned the crowd. No one seemed to be paying him any mind, and when he searched for nearby chakra signatures, he could tell that Orochimaru and Kabuto were already on the opposite side of the town.

Left to his own devices, determination set firmly in his gut. With a town as busy and popular as this, there surely had to be at least one store where he could find baby things to purchase. He just needed to find it.

As the omega walked down the crowded street, eyeing the many storefronts for any hints of what he was looking for, he came to the realization that he had no idea what he was looking for.

What did babies typically need? Obviously, he was aware of the necessities like diapers, but surely, there had to be more to managing the tiny things than just keeping their bottoms clothed and clean?

Clothes! A baby needed clothes! But what kind of clothes?

Sasuke needed to steer clear of anything flashy or too specific, as if plans went awry, he would need their identities to be as concealed as possible. Rough fabrics would probably be out of the question too. So, he needed something soft and neutral colored.

He made a mental note to keep his eyes open for anything that would fit that description, and continued to brainstorm.

What did he know about babies? They cried, and slept, and ate, and crapped themselves. Did babies need toys? Books? When did children learn how to read?

Panic began to set in as he realized just how insane this was. Why did he think he could get pregnant at sixteen, have a baby at seventeen (his birthday was approaching faster than he’d care to admit), kill the most dangerous legendary sanin while pregnant with said baby, and still exist as a missing nin and enemy of the leaf village long enough to kill his brother all while unmated but still scent bonded to an alpha that was technically, on paper, his enemy.

Sasuke cringed at the spurt of self awareness. He really needed to find a way to get a hold of Naruto. Even if things had ended so terribly between them when he’d left the village and the heat had managed to only add to the layers of garbage fire that had become of their relationship, he knew Naruto would at the very least keep the baby safe and out of anyone else’s grasp.

He was lucky that he was so good at hiding his scent, because otherwise the distinct scent of a distressed omega would make the passerby on the pathway turn their attention onto him, and Sasuke really did not need to cause a scene.

The sound of a baby crying had his eyes darting around the area, instinctively concerned in a way that before discovering his…predicament… he wouldn’t have been. His focus landed on a man who was cooing at what seemed to be a one year old in his arms as they exited a- A BABY STORE!

In a rush to distract himself with shopping for impossibly small socks and blankets from his quickly darkening thoughts, he crossed the dirt road and hastily- but not too hastily so as not to blend in with the other people perusing the market area- made his way to the shop.

It was a standard looking building from the outside, though the display window had pastel balloons and yellow ducks painted on it. The dead giveaway for what merchandise the shop sold was the elaborate crib shown off in the left window. It was painted white and the corners had intricate figures carved into it like bunnies and sheep. Soft creatures for a soft little human.

Sasuke found himself anxious as he opened the door and entered the establishment. What if he didn’t find what he was looking for? Or even worse, what if he did and everything became real?

It was one thing to think about something this monumental, it was another entirely to actually be buying things for the inevitable arrival of a creature that would solely rely on Sasuke for, well, everything.

There were shelves that lined the walls with various items that Sasuke had no idea the names of. Soft, fluffy looking fabrics were arranged on a long table to the left of the entryway, and on the adjacent table were different types of practical things such as bottles and things Sasuke couldn’t quite place.

The three other people on the sales floor were the woman, who he presumed ran the shop based on her being stationed behind the cash register, and a pregnant woman and her friend. Going off of their two scents, the women were both alphas. It was a mild surprise, as while it was still entirely possible for female alphas to get pregnant, it was relatively rare.

Mentally, he wished the woman well as he began to peruse some of the shelves in the corner, away from the other people in the shop. He didn’t have much time to allow himself to be picky about things matching or looking ‘cute’, this needed to be as fast as possible. Still, he spent a long moment deciding between the different woven textures of the diaper selection.

One fabric felt soft to the touch, but felt equally flimsy. The other, a slightly rougher but much sturdier cloth, only came in certain sizes. What would be an appropriate size to purchase? How long did it take children’s bottoms to outgrow their diaper size?

Sasuke really was severely underprepared.

Instead of doing the wise thing, such as asking for help, the too-proud teen just grabbed some of the smallest two sizes of the more quality fabric and turned his attention to the other merchandise. Toys. Did infants even need toys? They couldn’t hold themselves up until much later, so why would they need toys that they could barely maneuver? Unless, of course, a toy would be beneficial for motor skill development.

Sasuke peered at the brightly colored rattles and vetoed buying one immediately. He needed a life of stealth and quiet, and a baby with a rattle would throw a wrench in that very, very quickly. However, there were several stuffed animals displayed next to the rattles. A deep blue bird with buttons for eyes caught his attention, but was quickly overshadowed by the omega noticing the pale orange stuffed fox behind it.

If he bought the fox, wouldn’t that be a little too ironic, even for him? Then again, it would be a nice subtle nod to the other half of the baby’s lineage. Maybe even one day, when the child was older, Naruto could use it to bond with the ba-no! It was too corny- Sasuke couldn’t.

But the longer he looked at the offensively cute little fox toy, he couldn’t help but picture a small little being snuggled up to it, little arms wrapped around its fuzzy exterior.

A minute passed, and the inanimate fox ended up winning the staring contest Sasuke had been having with it when the omega sighed in resignation, forcing a hesitant hand out to snatch the toy off of the shelf quickly before he changed his mind.

He had diapers, he had a toy, what else had been on his list?

Sasuke tiptoed around the little shop as he thought about it. Blankets, he’d definitely need some smaller, thinner blankets. Clothes too. What kind of clothing would a baby need if they were traveling and needed to be prepared for any sort of weather? Long sleeves seemed smart, but what if the kid overheated? Sunblock! Sasuke needed to buy infant-friendly sunblock!

The Uchiha were a pale people, and the Sun was no friend to their complexions when outside for uncertain lengths of time. Sasuke did not want to chance a newborn having a sunburn. He may have been totally and completely in the dark about what to do with a baby, but even he wasn’t that unknowledgeable.

“Can I help you with anything, dear?” A woman’s cheery voice cut through his thoughts.

He turned to see the red haired woman from behind the cash register standing far too close for his own comfort. He opened his mouth to tell her a very sharp ‘no’, but she interrupted him.

“May I ask what you’re looking for?” the woman hummed.

Sasuke wanted to tape her mouth shut, but, alas, he was too civil to give into his more… unique urges. Like, for example, setting the building on fire because the woman wouldn’t mind her own business. That would probably be an overreaction.

Lately, he hadn’t been very fond of strangers. Their unfiltered scents made him feel hostile and uncertain- an evolutionary trait that expecting omegas had developed for self preservation. Logically, it was a good thing, but Sasuke hated it nonetheless. He didn’t like his designation affecting his behavior. It felt…cheap, somehow.

He glanced down at the stuffed fox that his hands had found a delight in touching. Maybe he would need her help after all.

“I’m looking for.. supplies.” he forced himself to say with great difficulty. Besides Ms. Namura, this would be the only other person he had opened up to about his…condition so far. It felt wrong to simply acknowledge it out loud, especially in such a public space.

She looked at him quizzically, and Sasuke had to refrain from rolling his eyes in frustration. He gestured to his stomach that was still hidden perfectly by the bulky cloak he’d been wearing.

“Oh! You’re pregnant! How exciting!” she smiled brightly as she clapped her hands together. Her smile was blinding and voice too enthusiastic. Sasuke bit back a hiss at her extreme reaction, completely unused to such a casual acknowledgement of his condition.

“...yes.” he muttered, not wanting to seem too ‘off’ and therefore be suspicious to the room’s inhabitants. Suspicion led to curiosity, and right now, both of those were two of his greatest enemies.

She looked down at the things in Sasuke’s hands, “I see you’ve already found the diapers, do you need help with anything else?”

Sasuke desperately wanted to tell her no, that he was fine shopping on his own, but even he didn’t have that level of audacity. He couldn’t waste his opportunity to gather the necessary items unsupervised by being proud.

“Yes..” he coughed awkwardly as she continued to smile encouragingly up at him, “I need uh, everything.”

“Everything?!”

“... uh, clothes?”

“Oh, I can steer you in the right direction. What kind of baby clothes are you looking for?”

“There are different types?”

She looked at him quizzically, and Sasuke felt like an idiot. Why did he think this was a good idea? She probably thought he was insane.

“Is your alpha nearby? Maybe he would also like to pick things out.” The attendant asked offhandedly as the two walked over to where the baby clothes were located.

Sasuke stiffened as a deep sense of pained dread settled in his stomach. She’d unknowingly brought up the very topic that had plagued him for longer than he’d ever care to admit.

“He’s…traveling.” Sasuke responded with some difficulty. In all honesty, it was true. Naruto was traveling, or he was when the two had last crossed paths at least.

She tucked a few loose strands of her bright hair behind her ear and nodded politely, “Ah, I see. How long has he been traveling for?”

Sasuke hated small talk with a burning passion. “Four months.”

The conversation ended momentarily as they began to rifle through the small outfits on display. Pastel pinks and greens and purples were littered everywhere, some outfits were as small as the length of his hands, some were as large as the length of his forearms.

She held up a onesie with stripes on it, but Sasuke shook his head ‘no’. He needed basic, solid colored clothing. If he was going to be traveling with a baby, he needed something that wouldn’t be distracting and eye catching.

“I’m looking for smaller outfits, solid colors only.” he mentioned before turning back to the task at hand. The sales woman gave him an odd look, but shrugged and began to sort through the baby clothes, separating the fabrics into two separate piles. One with solid colors, one with patterned material.

“And how far along are you?”

“...Four months.”. Internally, he cringed at how awful the situation sounded out loud. He’d just told her that the other parent had been ‘away’ for four months, and now by admitting how far into the pregnancy he was, it sounded- well, awful. By no means, did it sound any better in his thoughts, but shame and embarrassment didn’t usually set in like it was right now.

“Oh! You’ll surprise him with the news when he gets back, right? That’s so romantic!” she gushed as she folded the baby outfit that Sasuke hadn’t been fond of and placed it back where it had been.

Romantic wasn’t the word Sasuke would use to describe the situation. Far from it, actually. Though, when he finally managed to get the news to Naruto, it definitely would be a surprise. Still, not at all romantic.

He didn’t acknowledge what she’d said, and instead steered the painful conversation to the baby outfits, “What would be an appropriate size for a newborn?”

She hummed and glanced over at what Sasuke had in his hands, which was a standard design with a crisp, white color. “Hmm, for a newborn, I would recommend something around this size,” she held up a small looking outfit that was around the length of Sasuke’s hand, “-although really it’s nearly impossible to tell what size would work until the baby is actually born.”

He hummed, thinking it over. It made sense that he wouldn’t be able to know for certain what would fit the infant until it had arrived into the world, but Sasuke was a planner. He liked thinking ahead, and he desperately needed to try and exert some form of control over this situation, even if it was something as small as simply buying the appropriate clothing sizes.

“I’ll take the first two sizes in this.” He decided, tilting his head towards the garment in question.

The attendant nodded politely and helped him dig for the next size up. Once it was located, she handed it to him with a smile.

He now had two outfits, a toy, and diapers. Blankets, he could figure out on his own. Besides, the more he wasted time going at her snail’s pace, the more likely that Orochimaru and Kabuto would finish up and go looking for him. He thanked her for her help and she went back to the cash register to check out the other couple in the shop.

He needed to hurry. The omega quickly perused the blanket section, wrinkling his nose at some of the woven fabrics, until he found the softest, sturdiest, most perfect set of blankets known to man. Maybe it was a tiny glimmer of his nesting habits coming to light, maybe it was just parental instinct, but Sasuke could have sworn that he heard euphoric bells chiming when he first touched the innocent fabric.

His decision to purchase the set was made before he’d even realized he’d made one.

“This will be all.” the Uchiha murmured as he placed the items on the counter for the woman to ring up his purchase. Once she read him out the total, he gave her the appropriate amount with a blink. Apparently, baby related things were expensive. He’d need to do more odd jobs while on his missions to make up for the small dent in his savings.

“Here you go! I hope you get to see your alpha soon and tell him the great news!” she cheered as she slid his new belongings back to him from across the counter.

He inclined his head in gratitude, too shaken with a sad, anxious longing at the reminder, and shifted the items over to the side. Next, Sasuke pulled out an empty sealing scroll and performed the necessary hand signs to place the things within it. It was a special one, one he’d learned from Orochimaru’s personal library, that would only allow the sealer to unseal the scroll.

It was perfect for Sasuke in this predicament. The last thing he needed was for Orochimaru or Kabuto to find a stash of baby blankets and diapers in his room the next time they snooped in it. Already, he feared he would have to strengthen the genjutsu as it was.

Sasuke exited the store with not a moment to spare, because in the near distance, he sensed the familiar chakras of Orochimaru and his four-eyed lapdog. They must have finished their business already.

Not wanting them to search for him, he instead headed in their direction, making sure to look bored and annoyed. It was his trademark look, after all.

He spotted them in no time, even with their abilities to lurk and blend in with their surroundings. Kabuto looked smug, and Sasuke wished the situation called for him walking up to the alpha and smacking the look off of his face.

Orochimaru looked spooked, an interesting contrast to Kabuto’s own demeanor. Sasuke followed the sanin’s line of sight and saw that Orochimaru was looking at a group of young omegas teasing each other and playing with their hair.

Instantly, Sasuke understood why Orochimaru looked freaked out. When he’d first joined up with the snake, Sasuke had simply assumed that Orochimaru had hated every dynamic. But, as time went on, and Sasuke had matured and been able to pick up on even more of the man’s nuances, the Uchiha had figured out that Orochimaru didn’t hate alphas and omegas at all. He was scared of them.

That was why he’d gone nearly insane over perfecting his ‘betas’ and had continually offered the dynamic removal surgery to Sasuke too. He was worried that Sasuke would face a similar fate to the one Orochimaru had before he’d left the leaf village.

Sasuke still didn’t know what to make of this, but then again, he didn’t really even have to think about the theory at all. At the end of the day, it was all null and void information. A means to an end.

The omega quietly joined his sensei, glad that neither of the two missing nin questioned him on how he’d spent his time.

“This way, I wish to show the two of you something near the ramen stall.” Orochimaru directed, taking the lead once the two were back out onto the bustling street.

Ramen.

That sounded- To Sasuke’s abject horror, his taste buds and stomach united to agree on such a cursed decision that Sasuke’s nightmares couldn’t even prepare him for: Sasuke wanted ramen.

Oh, he was so going to smack Naruto when he saw him next.

~~~

Gaara allowed his sand to lightly compact itself into a ball before flinging it at the unsuspecting blonde. It sailed through the air cleanly, as expected, and made contact in the dead center of the alpha’s back. It was no surprise to himself, as the omega was a natural with his precise aim.

Naruto, however, squawked in shock and twisted around to figure out where the attack had come from. They’d been training for a few hours now, and Gaara had suddenly gotten the idea to take a break by instigating a revered and beloved game that the sand village children played called ‘Sand ball fight’.

Naruto’s eyes locked on him, and then shifted to see a second ball of sand in Gaara’s hand, waiting to sail through the air once more and land gracefully against his target.

“Oh, it’s on!” The blonde grinned mischievously. He wasted no time in summoning shadow clones to help him make a supply chain of sand ball ammunition.

Gaara used his sand shield to defend against the sea of projectiles that were thrown his way, all the while quietly digging a hole in the ground that would exit the earth just behind where Naruto was standing to sneak attack him.

“You can’t hide forever Gaara- Ow! Wait a minute, that’s not fair! You didn’t even throw the sand ball yourself, your sand did it!” Naruto yelled after a beat of silence.

The kazekage took his friend’s distraction as a chance to disperse the sand wall and throw
another sand ball right in the center of his chest.

“I believe it’s fair now, no?” The omega smirked, allowing an ounce of childish teasing to his tone for once.

Naruto stood there, stunned for a moment, before he was laughing. Their game of sand ball turned into a friendly game of tag, and for once, Gaara was just a teenager having fun with his best friend. He wasn’t a jinchuriki, or a kazekage. He was a person, spending his free time how he wished.

“Gotcha!” Naruto shouted happily as he lunged at Gaara, causing them both to collapse against the war, sand in a mess of tangled, gangly limbs.

They were both laughing, Naruto with his booming and excitable fit of cackles, and Gaara with his quiet, bemused chuckles. The air was light around them, fun and happy. Then, within a moment, the scent of warm clay began to permeate the air, and the atmosphere began to feel charged with something embarrassing.

No matter how he’d wished he could pretend that he was just a boy playing games with his friend, he could no longer deny that he was the kazekage of the sand village. A jinchuriki. And, impossibly the worst of the list, an omega.

Naruto reeled back, stunned and confused as his nose crinkled, “Are you-”

Gaara was going into heat. The plan was a go.

~~~

He yawned as he woke up. The clock on the wall led him to believe that it was still night time, well before it would be time to wake up and begin training with Orochimaru again.

Sasuke shivered, even though he had a blanket wrapped firmly around himself. Remnants of his dream were still fresh in his mind, and his heart ached to fall back asleep and see the dream again. It was blissful, soothing and enchanting all at once. The dream had been far from Sasuke’s current reality, and he missed it dearly, even if it had never truly existed to begin with.

He dreamed a lot these days. He dreamed of tan hands on a distended stomach, and the familiar scents of oranges, meadows, cinnamon, and lavender. He dreamed of the friends he’d unwillingly, but willingly, made. Of Ino running her mouth and Hinata’s calming presence right behind her while Choji laughed at something Ino had said.

He can’t let himself miss them, the people who used to be his friends and his Naruto, but he also can’t quite say he doesn’t feel the pang in his chest when he wakes up every morning only to realize that it was all a dream. His friends weren’t there, his teammates weren’t there, and his alp-Naruto wasn’t there. It was just him and the tiny chakra signature, just barely getting by with Sasuke’s subtle genjutsu and convenient yet meticulously planned fabrications to feed Orochimaru and Kabuto when the need arose.

Often, he dreamed of Kakashi sitting in a tree, reading his books and pretending not to be monitoring his students while Sakura and Naruto got into another squabble. Those dreams always held a sense of longing in them, and Sasuke always had to wake up and reassure himself that he’d made the right choice. He’d done this to avenge his clan, but to also protect his most precious people from the only other living Uchiha’s villany.

But, most often and equally as heartbreaking, he dreamed of Naruto. Sometimes it would just be the sound of the other’s voice, his laugh, and the way he always finished his sentences with either a “believe it!” or a “Ya know?” attached.

Other times, the dreams would be more tumultuous, more gut wrenching. Naruto lying dead at the feet of Itachi, Naruto looking back at him with scorn and hatred in his eyes, Naruto…Naruto not wanting the baby. Those were the bad dreams, the ones that would have Sasuke in a foul mood for the rest of the day.

The dream he’d just experienced was nothing like those, however. It was soft and sweet- two things Sasuke was a stranger to. They’d been in Naruto’s apartment, only it looked much cleaner than Sasuke ever remembered it being. The cozy atmosphere that had wrapped around him like a blanket had felt so real, so palpable. There’d been a small weight against his chest, the baby, with dark, wild hair. Naruto was there, smiling like an idiot as he waved a stuffed toy frog in front of the baby. Sasuke hadn’t seen the infant’s face in the dream, he never did, but he felt like he had all the same. The dream had felt peaceful and safe, two emotions Sasuke almost couldn’t recognize.

Maybe that was what had brought tears to his eyes when he’d woken up. The feeling of being whole, cruelly ripped from him as he was forced into the world of reality once more.

In moments like this, Sasuke allowed himself to think about his family. What would his parents be doing now, if they were alive? His mother probably would have been helping his cousin, a girl whose name he’d forgotten as time went on, learn how to sew. From what he could vaguely remember, she was terrible at it, and her twin brother was always wearing shirts with holes in them because he refused to let her try and fix them for fear of causing even more damage.

His father would be at the Konoha police station, having just gotten back from patrolling the streets. He’d be frowning, as always, but he wouldn’t be upset- just tired.

Sasuke turned on his side, shifting around to try and get comfortable with his protruding stomach being just big enough now to be cumbersome. He shivered, but didn’t move to grab another blanket from his wardrobe. The hideout was cold at night, he’d say it was freezing if he were the type to exaggerate, but right then, he didn’t want to break the spell of calm that came with the shelter of night.

He wondered how his parents would have felt about the scent bond with Naruto. Angry, obviously. The Uchiha clan had been similar to the Hyuuga clan, as much as Sasuke hated to admit it, in the way that the Uchiha did not favor outsiders joining the clan and mucking up the bloodline.

Considering the fact that he couldn’t recall a single omega Uchiha genin, out of the countless Uchiha that joined the shinobi ranks, it was also entirely possible that if his family were still alive, he wouldn’t have been a genin at all. He never would have gotten the friends that he had, like Ino, Choji, Shino, and Hinata, and most importantly, he never would have met Naruto. Never gotten close with him, never saved his life on their first mission with the bridge builder. Never presented because of the stress of thinking Naruto might die, never awakened his sharingan because of it.

So much of his life was connected to the Uzumaki, like fate had for some reason decided to tie their lives together so closely that without one, the other couldn’t possibly exist. Almost… Almost like they were-

Soulmates.

But, that couldn’t be, could it? Soulmates were beyond rare- they were nearly fictional! He wouldn’t have even believed they existed if it weren’t for Shisui having had a soulmate. Sasuke had never gotten to meet the person, though, because the massacre happened only months afterward.

It would explain all of the accidents, the coincidences…

It would explain how the scent bond had formed so easily and hadn’t broken over time, even as strained as it was. It would explain how their paths kept crossing, the synced up mating cycles despite not being mated. It would explain how Sasuke had fallen pregnant after one shared heat, despite the fact that it was an incredibly rare feat to pull off for such a young male omega.

White hot panic set in. Having a soulmate was…it was a big commitment. It meant having an extension of oneself at all times, and the universe pulling the pair together, no matter the consequences.

Sasuke’s shaky fingers reached up, out of the comfort of his warm blankets, to hover just over his eye. He’d awakened his mangekyo by simply leaving Naruto behind, but Itachi had said he’d needed to murder his best friend to awaken his.

How had he not put the pieces together yet? Had Naruto and that was why he still chased after him? The thought made him nauseous, and he didn’t know why. Nerves, probably, but also likely because of the baby. Whoever had written that book he’d stolen from a library had been a liar when they said that the nausea was supposed to be over by now.

Four months. He’d been pregnant for four months, and Naruto didn’t know. His soulmate didn’t know.

Suddenly wide awake with a newfound purpose, he threw the blankets off of himself and uncurled from where he’d been laying. A man on a mission, he marched to his desk and pulled out a sheet of parchment. He’d put it off for long enough.

Tonight, even if it killed him, he was going to write the letter to Naruto and send it off with one of his summons.

The Uchiha tapped his pen to the paper, daunted by the blank sheet. How should he go about it? Explaining the entire story would be filled with too much specific information.

…Probably also explaining how he found out would be a bad idea as well. Naruto had always had a protective streak and he was almost glad he wouldn’t be around when Naruto found out that Sasuke had found out on a mission and had, quite literally, had the realization beaten into him.

‘Dear Naruto’... he wrote in neat letters. Sasuke stared at it for a second, and then scratched it out. That sounded too wishy washy. Sasuke was an Uchiha, a respectable ninja. He didn’t need to write like he was a love sick preteen.

He got out another sheet of parchment and amended his earlier words by simply starting with ‘Naruto,’. It was direct, to the point, and not innately emotional.

Staring at the name in bold ink sent goose bumps trailing up his arms. He was doing this, Sasuke was really doing this. With a deep breath, he steeled himself and continued.

~~~

The pleasant hum of insect wings put Shino in a good mood as his squad continued traveling along the underbrush.

Lady Tsunade had, thankfully, lifted the temporary ban on Hinata’s participation in shinobi affairs once Kurenai’d had a private meeting with the hokage to plead the Hyuuga’s case. Apparently, Hinata’s father had gotten the hokage to agree to putting Hinata on leave by citing Hinata’s attempt at running away as being “mentally unfit”.

Shino, upon hearing the news from a very agitated Kurenai, had decided that yes, he would indeed hold a grudge against the Hyuuga clan head. Shino was not known to let go of hus grudges lightly, and so he figured that the best way he could act on his revenge for his friend and teammate would be to ensure that Hinata lived a long life of happiness of her own choosing.

Perhaps, he was also a bit scared for his friend as well. After Neji had woken him up and told him that Hinata had been missing three weeks ago, the Aburame had felt a sense of dread in the same corner of his heart that the guilt of Sasuke running away resided.

Shino was not one to lie, so he would not say that he worried Hinata would do exactly what Sasuke had, but there was a similarity between the two. Both were omegas of legendary clans, each with the impossible burden of said clan’s future on their shoulders. Sasuke had never suffered from the traditionalism of the Uchiha, as they were all dead by the time he’d presented.

But Hinata? She’d lived under the constrictions of the Hyuuga due to her dynamic for far longer than she’d even been presented. As soon as her personality as a shy and kind child had been cemented, she’d been suspected to be a future omega before she could even spell her own name.

She was bound to snap at any moment, and Shino was deeply concerned for his friend’s future. She was often too kind, too generous. In a heartbeat, she would choose whatever option would make everyone else happy, even to her own detriment.

“Shino?” His sensei touched his elbow as she came to walk beside him.

“Yes, Kurenai sensei?”

“Are you alright?” She asked. Up close, he could tell that she was pumping out some of her calming, cherry scented pheromones, but why?

“I’m fine. Why? Because I am enjoying the presence of the Leaf-cutter bees.” he informed her.

She blinked at him, “Leaf-cutter bees?”

The alpha pushed his sunglasses back into place and smiled faintly. “Yes. Leaf-cutter bees. They differ from other types of bee due to their tactics of collecting pollen on their abdomens, rather than their hind legs. They gained their name because of the females of the species and their penchant for making nests after mating that are lined with leaves. They obtain these leaves by-”

Kurenai held up her hand to silence him, “I-Thank you Shino, for the explanation. Maybe you would like to go help Hinata entertain our escort on our journey? Kiba looks like he could…use a break.”

The two shinobi turned to look behind them. The mission that they were on, a simple but important political figure of one of the neutral nations needed an escort on his way to another village, was proving to be quite boring.

The escorted man in question, an alpha who seemed to be only around five years older than the three chunin, had found great interest in Hinata, much to Kiba’s frustration. Why? Because the escort was flirting very poorly with her, even though she did not seem to be picking up on it.

The Aburame suddenly understood why Kurenai was using her scent to calm everyone down. It wasn’t because of Shino, it was because of Kiba.

“Yes, sensei.” Shino agreed.

Kiba grumbled as he walked past Shino to trade places, and Shino could hear the other alpha cursing their escort’s very existence. Shino, a fan of respecting omegas, sympathized with him.

“-do you do in your free time, little lady?” their grease ball of an escort asked her once Shino was within ear shot. Earlier, he’d made some excuse about his leg hurting and had taken to a slower pace, causing Hinata to join him out of concern for his health.

“Uhm, well,” Hinata’s habit of fidgeting with her fingers started up again as she thought, “I like to train and knit.”

Their escort perked up in interest, and Shino rolled his eyes prematurely, knowing the guy was going to find a way to pervert her hobbies.

“Oh yeah?” the slimy moron grinned, “I think I know something I could help you train for.”

Hinata didn’t get the chance to ask what it was because Shino found himself cutting her off.

“Did you know that the Mantophasmatodea is more commonly known as ‘the Gladiator bug’ ? It is called this because of its brash and predatory behavior, despite their lack of wings. They are also nocturnal, opting to hunt for their prey at night.” Shino explained with a threatening tone.

Hinata, just like every other time Shino mentioned insects, gazed at him with polite intrigue. Their escort, however, had caught on to the subtle threat and looked a little squeamish.

The alpha could feel his insects thrumming around his body as he stared the older man down, and although he knew that he could not reasonably inflict harm upon their client, there were no rules in the Shinobi hand book that prevented insects from inflicting natural damages.

Shino had checked.

“Alright you three!” their sensei called back to them, “It’s going to get dark soon, lets set up camp!”

Akamaru yipped for joy, and Kiba looked ready to murder someone. His heightened senses included hearing, and he had obviously heard what their escort had been implying with Hinata.

It was a good thing that Gladiator bugs were nocturnal, because Shino had just so happened to bring some along for their mission. He put his hands in his pockets, pleased with himself for being able to get back at their escort for Kiba and Hinata, even if no one would know it was his doing.

~~~

“I still think this is risky.” Naruto sighed as they waited around for Gaara’s plan to be set in motion.

They were on day two of Gaara’s heat and were currently concealing themselves in a secret room in the kazekage tower awaiting her brother’s assailants to try and attempt to kidnap him. Kankuro had been the one to narrow down what day the rebel faction was going to strike, and so the three, along with Gaara, made sure to stay alert and ready.

When Temari had caught wind of the fact that her little brother had gone into heat while out at the training fields, she’d been ready to cause hell. But, after learning that only Naruto had been around at the time, she felt a tiny bit better. Not quite happy with the scenario, as he was technically an unmated alpha, even while he was scent bonded, but not quite as insistent on carving out the eyeballs of anyone who had seen her little brother in such a sensitive position without his express permission.

“We’ve gone over it a hundred times, it’ll work out. Besides, if there’s an issue that arises, there’s the three of us that can handle it.” Kankuro responded from where he was sitting perched in the window sill.

Kankuro only perched on window sills when he was worried about something.

“Gaara can handle himself. There was a time when those who stood before him quite literally pissed themselves on a good day.” She offered up with a smile.

The clock on the wall ticked by, minutes turned into hours, until they heard a commotion from down the hall. Their enemies had gone straight to Gaara’s room without even checking the other areas of the home, just like Temari had said they would. The amateurs.

“I hate this.” Naruto mumbled. He looked strained, like he was fighting his inner demons. Which, now that Temari thought about it and how she’d often witnessed the same look on Gaara’s face, maybe he was.

“Shh!” Kankuro whispered. They needed to be undetected and watch from afar. As soon as Gaara was out of the house and onto the street, Kankuro would use his strategically placed puppets to corral the sand villagers that were out and about to the area to witness the total ass kicking Gaara was about to give the insurrectionists.

Then, once his opponents were beaten, Naruto would use his shadow clones to drag the dirtbags away to the holding cells fifty-six feet below the ground, where the sand village kept prisoners awaiting trial. Temari would step in to dissuade the crowd, while Kankuro would subtly help Gaara back into their home.

Then, Temari and Kankuro together would handle the fall out while Gaara spent the rest of his heat holed up in his room. The council would likely be appalled at the crass display Gaara would have committed, but none of the sand siblings could have cared even if they tried.

Gossiping villagers would take care of the real heavy lifting. The sand village had always run on the idea of strength. Kazekages needed to be the strongest of them all if they were to be trusted with leading the village. Gaara would have proved himself to have achieved a nearly mythical feat, not that Gaara should have had to prove himself at all to begin with.

Temari loved her village, or well, respected it at the very least, but she’d be a liar if she said that the dynamic-ist way the culture ran could see Gaara being a truly strong leader unless he proved to not be ‘riddled with an omegan nature’. That was why their plan would work so well.

He’d be showing that he was capable, even at his most vulnerable, and would earn the respect of those low-level thinking idiots, as well as finally cracking down in a very public, and very deterring way on his political opponents.

A loud thud and crash had all of their heads snapping towards the direction that the sound came from. Gaara was out of his room, it would seem, and no matter how much it killed them to know that, the three alphas needed to keep their instincts in check if the plan was going to be pulled off.

Easier said than done when it was her little brother being used as live bait, but she trusted him. Knew what he was capable of. He could handle himself, and if something were to go wrong, she’d be there like she always was.

A quick glance across the room that they were holed up in- the secret room that had been added to the home during the second kazekage’s reign that was missing from every existing blueprint of the building- told her that Kankuro was having a similar inner debate with himself that she was. His knuckles were white against the window frame and the lines of his usually symmetrical face paint were creased at his eyebrow line, showcasing his worry.

She heard the front door, three levels below them, slam open and closed, bringing an anxious stillness to the home.

“Alright, we’re in the next phase of the plan. Everyone know what they’re supposed to do?” She asked, taking the persona of a seasoned shinobi on what was simply another mission. In a sense, she was.

Both of the other alphas nodded before shifting to leave the room through the window. Kankuro would find the highest point in the sand village and manipulate his puppet’s chakra strings from there. Naruto would be with her on stand by, stalking along the rooftops until the time was right to make themselves known after the kidnapping had been thwarted.

Once outside, a thick wall of omega in heat assaulted her senses along with the heart gripping tinge of rageful pheromones. She and Naruto exchanged a glance, but neither looked down to see what was going on, not yet. They needed to cover themselves in shadows to remain undetected. As the only two currently in the village with bright blonde hair, they stuck out like sore thumbs.

“Uhf,” Naruto wheezed as they leapt onto a rooftop along the main street. He hadn’t landed correctly, probably too distracted with the sounds of Gaara’s struggle below to pay attention. She didn’t blame him. If it weren’t for her muscle memory of leaping across these same rooftops for nearly two decades now, she might have had the same issue.

After they planted themselves, they were able to watch what was happening on the street below. The scent of distressed and heat ridden omega had drawn a crowd, while others had been drawn in by blocked roads or curiosity alone.

Normally, when the sounds of a decently sized fight were heard, citizens knew to vacate the area, but thanks to Kankuro’s chakra strings, they’d been herded like cattle back around to the scene of the crime.

Gasps from the crowd were heard, some in shock after recognizing that Gaara, their new kazekage was the omega in heat, others in judgment. Rowdy onlookers were cheering Gaara’s assailants on and Temari made sure to memorize each and every one of their faces. Traitors, she’d make sure they were labeled at a later time.

A ear curdling scream snatched her attention away towards the real entertainment. Gaara was breathing heavily and looked almost green in the harsh sunlight of the desert, but the scream hadn’t belonged to him. No, it had come from the alpha that Gaara’s sand had encapsulated in a similar way that the omega’s death coffin jutsu worked, only the sand wouldn’t kill the man.

As soon as Gaara had settled on his personal journey to become the opposite of a blood crazed demon boy, he’d altered his most notorious jutsu to instead induce such a fear in his opponents with the pitch black of the sand coffin that their hearts would seize and they’d pass out, only to wake up days later from a short coma.

The man her brother was fighting now would share that very repercussion.

While Gaara was busy fending off two others with his sand, a female alpha snuck up behind him. Or well, she thought she’d snuck up behind him. Gaara was aware of everything that touched the sand, and that included the ordinary desert sand within close range.

He let her think she had the upper hand though, let her jab a well aimed kick to his back- right where he would be feeling a deep bout of heat related cramps. Temari wanted to grab her fan and cut her down where she stood for such a dirty trick, and from the vengeful sounds Naruto was making beside her, she gathered that he’d seen the cheap shot too.

Gaara took the hit with not even so much as a huff of pain, even when Temari knew by the way his left eye crinkled ever so slightly that he had been truly hurt. He wheeled around and used one of the taijutsu techniques Temari had taught him to jab at her neck with his elbow, while he used his other hand to grab the back of her head to slam her down to the ground.

From there, the sand would take care of everything else.

The villagers that were gathered around to witness the altercation were simultaneously amazed and horrified at the terrifyingly easy time Gaara was having in defeating a group of twenty healthy alphas, some of whom Temari recognized from their own shinobi ranks.

Her eyes zeroed in on a little boy who she knew to be recently presented because the sand village kept documentation of everyone’s dynamic so that the Suna government knew who to draft should there ever be another war, who was wide eyed in hope. An omega, she recalled seeing the word scrawled next to a photograph of him in harsh, damning lettering.

Gaara had proven to be a tactful kazekage, rearranging their shinobi system to produce better equipped and more skilled ninja than ever before. He’d proven to be strong, time and time again like what he was doing right now. He’d proven to be brave, and kind.

But, most of all, he’d managed to give the omegas of the village hope. And that was a more powerful thing than any jutsu or doctrine could ever wish to be.

The last alpha fell to his knees with muted terror and confusion. “Please- don’t-” Temari heard him call out to Gaara for mercy.

This would be it. Gaara’s career’s defining moment for all of the villagers to see at once.

The blonde girl watched as her youngest brother didn’t even so much as blink while his sand dove to encase the last rebel alpha at nothing more than his will alone. The alpha screamed, but no one moved to help him, not even those who clearly did not like Gaara’s leadership in the crowd.

Silence.

The onlookers were still as the alpha’s now unconscious body thudded against the ground. Gaara stood over him, over the rest of his defeated attackers, in triumph. Even though his breaths seemed shallow and frequent, he stood firmly with determination oozing from every pore of his body.

“I am Gaara of the Sand. I am the Kazekage of the sand village. Any slight against me is a slight against the Village Hidden in the Sand. Any attack on me is an attack on the village. As such these assailants you have witnessed here today are now legally considered traitors of the village and will be held to their criminal charges to the fullest extent of the law.” Gaara’s firm, gravelly voice carried on the wind like he was born for the role of leadership. Maybe, just maybe, he was.

HIs fists were clenched at his sides, and from an outside perspective, it would appear as though just a physical example of righteous anger, but Temari knew her little brother’s tells like the back of her hand. He was in pain, and the longer he stood out here, stared at like a godly freak show and among the harsh, dizzying scents of an entire village’s worth of people, the pain would only increase.

She turned to signal to Naruto that their end of the plan was needed, so they swiftly leapt down from the rooftop to complete their tasks. Behind her, she could hear Naruto summon a few clones to round up the unconscious criminals to take them to the medical ward, where they would be chained to their hospital beds while receiving treatment. That had been Gaara’s idea.

Temari thought it was much too kind compared to what they deserved.

“Alright! Show’s over.” Temari yelled at the unmoving crowd. Faces that she recognized as well as some that she did not know were still staring at Gaara in disbelief, so much so that her order had fallen on deaf ears.

The fan strapped to her back was calling to her to use it, to startle them out of their dazes. But, the rational and less aggressive side of her knew that would be a rash and poor decision that would only come to reflect poorly on Gaara’s public image.

So, instead, she yelled again, only this time, she threw a few kunai at the ground near where the villager’s feet who were standing in front. Startled yelps yanked a few of them back to reality, so she shouted again.

“How dare you disrespect your kazekage in this way! Show your respect and then be on your way!”

Instantly, the sea of people were bowed in a sign of absolute respect and submission- something that hadn’t even occurred on his coronation day. Alphas who normally grumbled at having to even so much as bow to stronger, older alphas now swiftly heeded her demand with little thought.

Good. Gaara’s plan had worked. In time, all would be right again in Suna, and her brother could begin a more peaceful tenure under his reign.

Kankuro wove himself to the front of the scene and shared a look with her- a single nod of acknowledgement that spoke volumes. She gestured towards the now dwindling crowd with her chin, and he tilted his head in Gaara’s direction.

Knowing Kankuro would ensure Gaara made it back inside their home swiftly and would begin to care for him, Temari began to corral villagers away. The sooner the area was cleared, the sooner she could march into Suna’s governmental building and demand a protection detail to watch over the kazekage’s home, while she dealt with the legal aspects of what had just gone down. Criminal trials would need to be arranged, paperwork would need to be submitted to the right people.

With a glance spared at her home, she swallowed down the lump in her throat at knowing that it had taken her village, her home, seeing her brother at his most vulnerable and doing the impossible for the average omega to shed him even an ounce of respect.

Maybe Shikamaru had been right. Maybe Konoha was a better place for omegas than Suna.

If only things had been different, maybe Gaara could have been happy in the leaf village, and found a friend in Naruto because of their shared status as jinchuriki. Kankuro wouldn’t have felt the pressures to present as an alpha to please their father, who wanted the perfect heir in the form of a male alpha.

And Temari would have never felt the stigma of preferring the company of alphas to omegas.

Things were changing in Suna. Today had proved as much. Innovation and enlightenment had won out over conservative ideology and tradition. It would not be an easy journey towards their future of societal shifting, but thinking back to the hope she’d seen in that little boy’s face in the crowd, Temari knew in her bones that it all would be worth it.

~~~
Sakura had felt for a while now that Rock Lee was going to ask her on a date in the near future. She just hadn’t expected it to be so…soon, or as confusing as it was.

“Repeat that for me again, please?” the pink haired alpha asked sweetly, hoping that she’d simply misheard him.

Rock Lee, who was leaned up against the doorway to her home with his hair swept away from his face, only shrugged. “You and me. Tonight at eight.” He crossed his arms and looked away from her.

Was he mad at her for some reason? That couldn’t be, because who asked someone out on a date if they were mad at that person?

“Uh…okay..” She looked away awkwardly before clearing her throat, “and this is a date?”

She cringed internally at how embarrassing she felt having to ask for clarification. He must have thought she was the lamest girl ever.

He shrugged again, and responded with the same neutral tone, “I guess.”

He guessed? HE GUESSED?!

“Sorry, I’m busy tonight. And tomorrow night. And every other night this week.” she lied before slamming the door in his face.

Why was he being so cold to her, especially after such an intimate conversation they’d had earlier in the month where they’d bared their souls to one another and confessed their feelings?

What had changed?

It was that very question that had stuck in her mind, even hours earlier as she was walking back home from another shift at the hospital. Her hands ached from the strain of utilizing the precise chakra points within them for hours on end, but it was a rewarding sort of ache.

It was nowhere near the ache in her heart over the confusing and hurtful encounter with Rock Lee from that morning.

Approaching footsteps had her making room on the street by moving to one side, but the very last person that she wanted to see’s voice made her stop momentarily in her tracks.

“Sakura, there is something that I believe I should tell you.” was all he said as his feet synchronized in step with hers. She spared a glance at him, and saw that he was still in his dark, drab and fashionable outfit from earlier. Admittedly, he did look cool. But he didn’t look like him, and she hated it.

She took a breath as his words sunk in.

This was it. This was when he told her that he was no longer interested and that earlier had just been him trying to force it for her sake. An anxious bubble of hurt welled in the pit of her stomach at the idea of Rock Lee’s feelings having potentially been so fleeting while hers only increased tenfold with each passing day.

“Just spit it out already.” she steeled herself, preparing for the worst.

Rock Lee floundered, “Tenten said that I should try to act cool and impress you-”

That… hadn’t been what she was expecting at all.

Relief flooded through her, and then shame for the same reason. Here she was happy that Rock Lee hadn’t lost feelings for her and was simply insecure with himself and was going off of shaky advice.

Sakura shook her head in dismay before she turned to grab ahold of his calloused hand, “Lee, I like you for you. If that means going on dates with you dressed up like a human highlighter, so be it, because that’s what you like. I’d rather you be happy with yourself than be miserable while trying to make me happy.” she told him honestly.

It was the truth. She’d come to like his eccentricities, and while the twelve year old version of herself liked bad boys, Sakura had been burned too deeply by the Sasuke situation to ever even think of going down that road again. Rock Lee may not be the most conventional person, but he was himself unabashedly, and Sakura loved every bit of it. (within reason, of course.)

“I-” he cut himself off as he hesitated to meet her soft gaze, “Are you sure? I know that I am not the most handsome man in the village, nor am I the most..normal. I could see how you may end up frustrated or embarrassed of me.” he was sitting stock still- an unnatural phenomenon where the older alpha was concerned.

Sympathy oozed around her heart as her frame lost some of its tension, leaving behind nothing more than a worried girl who was in love with an ostracized boy. The story sounded embarrassingly familiar, but now wasn’t the time for her to contemplate the ironies of her life.

“Honestly you could say the same about me.” She chuckled ruefully.

Rock Lee was quick to come to her defense, starting to say that she could never frustrate him nor embarrass him, but she interrupted him with a purpose, “Do you know what sets you apart from everyone else?”

He nodded, “My appearance and my lack of chakra.” came the dutiful reply.

She shook her head in dismay, “No- it’s your enthusiasm, your eccentricness. Everything that culminates together to make you-well, you. You do stand out, that’s certainly true, but don’t you think I do too? I’ve got a giant forehead and bright pink hair. I’m not exactly the most conventional looking person either, you know. I’ve met so many people who wish they could be even half the man you are, Lee. Please don’t think you should ever change yourself to fit to other’s standards- mine or anyone’s.”

Tears collected in his large eyes, and his normally upturned lips were shaped into a pitiful looking frown. She reached up to comb her fingertips through his spiked up hair, somewhat touched in an odd way that he’d gone to such lengths to try and please her. Rightfully horrified by the same bit of knowledge. As her hand moved, so did the inky hair, causing it to fall down into the usual style of a bowl cut.

“That’s better,” she chuckled softly, gently, “You look like my Rock Lee now.”

“Your- You mean that I did not blow it?” He asked sincerely.

No, she wanted to say, you never had.

Instead of answering his question, she clasped his hands in hers and squared her shoulders wit tender determination, “Rock Lee, wonderful, exuberant, youthful Lee, will you go on a date with me?” She asked, heartfelt love shining in her eyes as she gazed at the boy she’d come to consider hers.

The smile that broke out on his face was wide and expressive and oh, so perfect. His ‘yes’ died in his throat when she leaned forward to kiss that delightful smile off of his face. In the woods, surrounded by trees and singing birds, away from the hustle and bustle of a village that expected too much and too little, Sakura found her comfort place in the arms of her fellow shinobi and friend. In Sakura, Rock Lee found hope for a future he’d never thought he’d be lucky enough to have, and was granted the chance to see himself through the eyes of someone who loved him.

How lucky, young love was, to have struck them both. It was a luck so few managed to achieve, and even fewer managed to hold on to.

~~~

Tsunade yawned as she pushed her chair away from her desk. It had taken her half a day, but she’d managed to go over all of the trading agreements between Konoha and various locations around the land of fire.

The new kazekage, Gaara, had sent a message asking to negotiate an emergency trade after a few of Suna’s food supply had been destroyed. Of course, the document had been vague on the ‘why’ part, but instead of questioning it, Tsunade was glad for the lack of reading she had to do.

That was what she’d been in the middle of responding to when one of Jiraiya’s messenger toads startled the living daylights out of her.

“Ah!” the green thing screeched at the same time Tsunade let out a rather undignified cry of shock after it hopped onto her desk out of nowhere.

“Haven’t I told that moron to stop sending me toads out of the blue!” she snapped, shielding her face with her bangs to hide the rather embarrassed flush to her cheeks.

“Sorry, Tsunade m’am, but Jiraiya said it was urgent!” the toad saluted her as he hopped closer to the omega to allow her to untie the scroll from his back.

“You frogs..” she trailed off under her breath.

“I’m no frog! I’m a respectable toad!”

“Yeah? Well, you’re a respectable pain in my neck right now!” she fired back, used to bantering with the messenger toads after literal decades of Jiraiya’s correspondence.

The room fell quiet once she began to actually read the contents of the scroll.

It started as they always did with a ‘Hey Princess’. She’d hated that nickname when they were younger, but as the years had passed, she’d come to rely on the stupid thing for a comforting sense of normalcy in her never ending world of chaos.

She’d never let him catch wind of that, though.

‘I believe Naruto’s journey with me is coming to an end. He’s proven himself to be a strong shinobi, no longer that little runt we used to know.’ the letter began.

She smiled to herself. While in the grand scheme of things, three years was nothing where time was concerned, it had felt dramatically slow the last few years without Naruto to really get the village stirring. Tsunade had missed him, and had quietly wished that she’d been able to see him grow.

Life was never kind that way, though. She never got to witness her close ones grow up.

At least she’d gotten the chance to become a mentor once more since Jiraiya and Naruto had set off on their journey. Sakura was a bright girl with an even brighter mind. She took like a fish to water to Tsunade’s no nonsense and strict style of teaching without so much as a blink.

She reminded the hokage of Shizune, although the pink haired girl was proving to have even better chakra control than her original student. Tsunade knew Sakura was going to go on to do great things.

It had shocked her, she’d have to admit, that an alpha- especially a young one- had wanted to learn medical jutusu at first, and she knew Sakura’s parents hadn’t been very enthused about it, but Tsunade knew that in order for social change to occur, boundaries needed to be pushed.

Sakura’s chosen specialized field of training was definitely boundary pushing to say the least.

Curiously, she continued to read the letter.

‘On a more serious note, word has it that the Akatsuki are starting to make their moves. They’re going after the tailed beasts, and I believe what we’ve feared happening is quickly approaching. That is why I’m bringing Naruto back to the village. I’ll discuss the more private details when we arrive.’

That was how the letter ended. No goodbye, no well wishes. Jiraiya must have really been stressed if he’d forgotten his usual ending of ‘take care and don’t gamble Konoha away in a poker match til I get back’.

These Akatsuki were becoming quite the nuisance. The omega’s pale brows furrowed together and she closed her eyes to think.

What would her grandfather do in these uncertain times?

~~~

Being back among the trees after his lengthy stay in Suna felt like magic.

It wasn’t like he didn’t like Suna necessarily, the sunsets were prettier than they ever were in the leaf village, but he was definitely not going to miss the sandy winds, or the dry, barren landscape. Naruto had missed the liveliness of the foresty terrain.

“There it is, kid.” Master Jiraiya cheered beside him, pointing the blonde’s line of sight in the direction of the familiar Konoha gates.

“We’re already here?! I can’t believe it!” Naruto shouted, running ahead. He’d loved traveling, he’d learned and seen so many new things, but he equally loved the village. It was where Granny Tsunade was, Kakashi sensei and Sakura, lazy old Shikamaru, and little Konohamaru were. It was home.

“I’m back everyone!” He shouted and stuck a pose once he was within the village walls. The few villagers that were there to witness his grand return looked at him like he’d grown a second head, but he figured it was just because they were jealous of his super cool entrance.

“Jiraiya-sensei! Come onnnnn, you’re so slow!” he craned his neck to yell at the alpha behind him.

The sage just shook his head, and gestured for him to go on by himself, “You go ahead, I’ve got a meeting with Tsunade-paperwork.”

The blonde grimaced. Paperwork was the bane of his existence, so he was glad that his sensei wasn’t making him go along too. He’d gotten enough of his fair share of paperwork in Suna, thank you very much.

He waved goodbye to his companion and diverged from the main pathway of the village. He wanted to take a detour to see what all he’d missed. Plus, he’d lost the key to his apartment, so he needed to go badger Iruka sensei into letting him stay for the night. The locksmith didn’t like him very much, probably because of all the pranks he’d played when he was younger, so in the morning, he’d need to see if someone would go with him to see about getting a new key.

He shoved his hands in his pockets as he strolled along. Occasionally, he stopped to watch a bee on a flower, or to hear the birds chirping in the distance. To put it simply, he was just glad to be home.

In fact, he was so glad that he got distracted and accidentally bumped into someone on the trail.

“Heh, sorry about tha-Konohamaru?!” The alpha exclaimed in surprise.

The boy in question stared up at him in disbelief for a second, but pulled away haughtily when Naruto tried to give him a hug.

“NO-I don’t want any hugs. I’m-I’m mad at you!” The preteen crossed his arms and stomped his foot as his face scrunched up into a pout.

“Aw, come on, I just got back to the village and you’re already mad at me?!” Naruto whined, dropping his travel pack to the ground so that he could lean down to Konohamaru’s level more comfortably.

He didn’t miss the slight tremor in the boy’s shoulders, nor the way his face was conveniently tucked into the blue scarf he wore. He’d grown into it more since the last time Naruto had seen him, but it was still gigantic on the youngest Sarutobi.

“You…You left.” Konohamaru refused to look at him.

The sniffles followed as soon as the words had left his mouth, and Naruto watched dumbfounded as Konohamaru wiped his runny nose on his scarf. Once again, Naruto was confronted with the fact that Konohamaru had begun to grow up when the alpha released some pheromones that were supposed to calm the pup down, but it didn’t work nearly as well as it had when Konohamaru was younger.

“Hey,” Naruto placed his hand on one of Konohamaru’s scrawny shoulders, and with a soft tone replied, “I didn’t leave leave…I..uh.. I had a really cool and top secret mission I had to go on with Pervy Sage, you know?”

It wasn’t totally a lie. Only about… two thirds of it was.

Konohamaru finally looked up at him with big eyes. “Really?” he asked hopefully.

Naruto beamed and gave him a thumbs up as he scratched the back of his neck, “Yup! I had to go and get stronger so that I could be able to bring Sasuke back to the village!”

Konohamaru instantly snapped up at the mention of Sasuke and pushed the alpha away from him.

“Well then what are you doing here for? Go get Sasuke!”

“Aw, gimme a break, I just got back and-”

“Uh huh, sure sounds like you’re just being lazy to me.” Konohamaru taunted.

“LAZY? I’ll show you lazy you little-oh heyyyy, Sakura- long time no see.” Naruto tried to play off the fact that he was about to punt the kid into the lake nearby when he noticed Sakura approaching.

“Naruto? You’re back?” She exclaimed, rushing up to give him a hug.

He got a good look at her, and noticed the key differences in her appearance. She was taller, more confident in her strides. Her hair was as short as it was when he’d left, and still as bubble gum pink as ever. She looked…tired.

“Boy am I glad to see you.” he smiled, “How’s everyone been?”

Konohamaru kicked his shin, upset that he wasn’t getting any attention.

“Ow! You little-”

Konohamaru stuck his tongue out at him and dodged Naruto’s playful smack.

“Everyone’s doing fine. How about we go try and see if we can run into anyone and catch up? You can tell us what you’ve been up to.” Sakura suggested while the other alpha rubbed his shin.

Naruto took a moment to take a deep inhale and close his eyes. He could smell the tree leaves and the earthy, fertile soil from the ground below. Konohamaru’s vague and innocent pup scent was in there too, along with Sakura’s strong tinge of cinnamon. He’d missed this. He’d missed it a lot.

“Yeah, Sakura, that sounds great!” he beamed.

Things may have changed, but as he looked at his teammate and mussed up Konohamaru’s hair, he could also see that some things had remained the same. It was a comforting notion, one that embraced the blonde like an old friend as he followed Sakura’s lead, heading deeper into the village.

~~~

“What are you doing?” Kabuto’s annoying voice echoed among the thick tree trunks.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, glad his back was to the alpha so that he couldn’t see the nervous look on his face as he tied the letter to his summons’ leg. Garuda was in his smaller form after Sasuke explained his need for secrecy, though the bird spirit did take a bit of persuasion in the form of a handful of treats.

Kabuto shouldn’t have known where he was. Sasuke had constantly been on the lookout for someone tailing him into the sea of rock formations a mile or so from the hideout. He needed to play his cards very carefully. Because, unlike Orochimaru and everyone else, Sasuke did not enamor Kabuto, and the alpha used that fact to his advantage every second of the day.

“Karin, I’m sending her a letter.” He replied.

His scent bond surged, but he ignored it, knowing by now that it was caused by Naruto’s side of the bond and not his own. Sasuke wouldn’t worry about what it meant or what had caused it, because from where he was, there was nothing he could do.

Instead, he put his full focus on Kabuto’s intrusion and began to think of ways to backtrack should it become necessary to do so. The genjutsu he’d been keeping up had the omega in a near constant state of having a migraine, so it took more energy than he’d care to admit to remain neutral as the alpha stepped closer.

Sasuke had begun to hate it when alphas came near him. It caused his instincts to rage as his space was invaded.

“Oh? I didn’t know you two were friends.”

Sasuke’s mood began to plummet. “We aren’t.”

“Then why send a letter, a secret one at that, given the location?” Kabuto smirked, clearly thinking he had the upper hand in the situation. He didn’t, Sasuke’s sharingan had made sure of that.

“I wish to know about her chakra sensing abilities. Going to the source instead of to Orochimaru is more efficient.” He stated coolly, knowing he was getting too good at lying through his teeth.

Perhaps he’d gotten too good at living a double life. It was necessary, obviously, but that didn’t mean that the omega wasn’t any less stressed because of the necessity.

“Hm, I see.” Kabuto murmured, not moving from his spot as he eyed the omega suspiciously.

Had there been an issue with the genjutsu? Did he need to re-do it? He’d been sure to not give neither Kabuto or Orochimaru any clues that might lead to them figuring out that they were under Sasuke’s sharingan inflicted genjutsu.

“Well? Aren’t you going to send it?” Kabuto asked after a long moment had passed.

The alpha’s tone of voice has Sasuke’s metaphorical hackles raised, but he could have just as easily been imagining things.

“Obviously.” he bit back, annoyed.

Sasuke turned his attention back to his summons and nodded at the bird, glad he’d already instructed him before Kabuto had shown up. Garuda was to take the letter to Naruto in the sand village.

It had been a daunting feeling that settled in his bones as he watched the bird fly away, but no more so daunting than walking back to the hideout through the trees alone with Kabuto.

~~~

Getting away from those idiots that called themselves the Akatsuki had been depressingly simple. Obito’s fake identity, Tobi, was seemingly unloved by the members, and therefore, willfully invisible when necessary. Just as it had been planned.

The cool sensation of activating his kamui felt almost pleasant as he materialized just beyond the underbrush looking over Konoha’s shinobi cemetery. He’d been busy lately and hadn’t had the time to spy on a certain old teammate of his.

Obito scratched at his scarred shoulder as he waited for the Hatake to arrive to complete his daily ritual of talking to headstones and cleaning the graves of the comrades he’d lost.

The comrades whose deaths he’d caused.

Anger surged in the alpha’s chest, heart swirling with an inky black hatred for the reminder of Kakashi’s devastating failures. He’d left Rin in Kakashi’s hands, and she’d died not long after presenting, he’d come to discover. Kakashi had blood on his hands, and the knowledge that it tormented Kakashi made Obito feel a fraction of peace.

Soon, it wouldn’t matter. This cursed world would be gone, and in its place there would be one of peace and happiness, where the way of the shinobi did not exist, and children were not orphaned by war. War itself would be only an idea, a fictional thought hastily scribbled down by a writer’s pen.

Like clockwork, Kakashi appeared with fresh flowers in tow and a small brush to clean the dust and dirt from the memorial stones. Obito grinned viciously, bitterly pleased with Kakashi’s self appointed penance.

Activating his kamui to go unnoticed, Obito got closer to hear what the jonin had to say on this particular morning. At first, Obito had been shocked that Kakashi would occasionally reveal important details while talking to the memorial stones, as he’d always been a boring stickler for the rules. But it had come in handy on more than one occasion, like when Kakashi had revealed that Kushina was pregnant, or that the new nine tails jinchuriki was off traveling alone with Master Jiraiya of the legendary sanin.

Very useful, those details had been. Very useful indeed.

He watched as Kakashi gingerly arranged the flowers- daffodils- over Rin’s marker, replacing the slightly wilted ones that had previously decorated the grave. Rin always had liked flowers.

“I won’t be able to come here tomorrow, I’m afraid.” Kakashi started off, crouching down and lowering his face mask to be heard more clearly, even though to his knowledge, there was no one around to hear him.

Another mission, perhaps.

“-I’m performing the bell test for Sakura and Naruto again, now that he’s back.”

Ahh, so the jinchuriki was back within Konoha’s protective borders. How interesting.

“I’ve missed him. Rin, you should see him now, he looks almost identical to Minato sensei. You and Obito would have been so fond of him.”

Obito watched as Kakashi shifted to now address Obito’s memorial stone.

“I’m going to do better by him, Obito, like I should have for you. He’s growing up, has grown up so much already, but he’s still such a knucklehead. I worry about him, especially with Sasuke still being gone. Their bond is strong, stronger than mine and Shisui’s was I fear.”

Obito didn’t know what Kakashi was talking about at the mention of Shisui, whatever it was, it had to have happened after his ‘death’. However, his interest was sparked at the mention of a deep bond between Sasuke and Naruto.

Perhaps, with time, Sasuke could be persuaded into joining the Akatsuki, and they could use whatever bond was between the jinchuriki and Uchiha to their advantage. Naruto being under Konoha’s care wouldn’t mean anything if the Akatsuki could manipulate him into seeking them out because of Sasuke.

Pleased with his newfound knowledge, Obito decided to check up on the Uchiha brat. The alpha closed his eyes as he Kamuied to Orochimaru’s current location. Where the sanin was located, Sasuke would be close by.

The sky was filled with clouds when he arrived at his destination. Time meant nothing to him because of his jutsu, so he had to be sure that he landed in empty spaces to make sure he didn’t cause any unwanted disruptions. Collecting intel was much more tedious when he had to kill an entire room full of people because he’d landed in a meeting room instead of the next door over.

The alpha looked to the sky to get a better sense of what direction he should travel in, only to spot the peculiar sight of a bird flying in his general direction with a scroll attached to its leg.

Judging by the direction it had come from, and from the knowledge that nothing was in the area except for one of Orochimaru’s hideouts, Obito took an educated guess and assumed that it had been correspondence from one of the hideout’s inhabitants.

His interests had been piqued, and so he performed the required hand signs to perform a wind based jutsu that would knock the bird out of the sky. Next, he materialized to where the summons had fallen and used his sharingan to trap the thing in a genjutsu. Whereas in reality, Obito would have stolen the scroll, the bird would now be under the impression that the scroll had been delivered to the proper recipient.

If the summons was Orochimaru’s, then the bird likely was also supposed to report any interference back to its master. Obito’s genjutsu would hide his involvement in the pesky little thing’s mind.

Once he was finished covering his tracks, he wasted no time in releasing the scroll from it’s bindings to the bird’s leg, and unrolled it, throwing caution to the wind as curiosity set in. Perhaps there would be information within the paper’s depths that Obito could use, or even better, exploit.

He paused at the neat, almost impersonal handwriting. He gave even greater pause when his lone eye discovered the words that would change the course of his plans in the most delicious of ways.

“Now, that changes things.” the alpha said aloud to himself, grimly pleased with his newfound knowledge after his small moment of shock had worn off. Not being one to like evidence left behind, he made sure to destroy the letter after he’d read it.

Sasuke Uchiha was pregnant and none other than the nine tailed fox’s jinchuriki was the father.

Obito quickly abandoned his original plan of eavesdropping around the hideout in favor of heading back to the Akatsuki’s lair. He had work to do. Plans needed to be rearranged, protections needed to be put in place. Deals needed to be made to secure the newly formed idea he had forming in his head.

This changed everything.