Chapter 9
The initiation of the thrall is a difficult and dangerous process for both the Jinchuuriki performing the claiming and the subordinate being subjected to the energy transfer. Perhaps the best way to describe the manner in which a Jinchuuriki claims its mates is to say that the creature forces a kind of reciprocal resonance in the chakra of the recipient. The Jinchuuriki drives its own energy through the meridians of its mate, forcing the human's more fragile chakra to cleave to the foreign vibrations or succumb completely. For this reason, many ninja die in the process of claiming and the chakra of those who survive is permanently altered, allowing the alpha to influence its subordinate's actions. Whether or not a thrall can be achieved in the absence of sexual intercourse has been hotly debated, especially considering the apparent claiming the Jinchuuriki Yuki Ookami achieved over the Suna warlord in the last battle of the age of fire. Writers describing the battle insist that Yuki Ookami never even touched his opponent, much less intimately, but overwhelmed his chakra from afar. One detail that rarely receives due consideration in this example is that the Suna warlord, whose full name has never even been accurately recorded, was driven completely insane by the process and committed suicide mere hours later. As for the Jinchuuriki, Yuki Ookami never mated again for the entirety of his lifetime and lost full use of his right hand following the other man's death. Thus, I submit that the sexual association with the act of claiming is largely irrelevant considering the more significant impact that the process has upon both the alpha and subordinate engaged in the thrall. Regardless of how the connection is achieved, the claiming changes all those involved, permanently.
-Koumyuo Sanzo, Lives and Habits of Far Eastern Demons
Neji breathed deeply and began the form again, correcting the tiny inaccuracies of his posture and stance, making every movement perfect, intentional. His muscles strained in the stance, quivering with fatigue, but Neji banished the discomfort from his mind. The Hyuuga ninja embraced the pain and let it flow through him, away from him, leaving only emptiness behind. The kata was something to do, a way to combat the ever present boredom, but Neji needed the focus that the exercise brought. Remaining distant and isolated, objective, was proving to be ever more difficult. Every night, Naruto sent either Sasuke or Sai to bully him into joining them for dinner and every night Neji found himself wishing the meal had lasted just a little longer. Neji wanted to laugh at Naruto's stories and Sasuke's sarcasm, he wanted to smile and comment on Sai's artwork or compliment Sakura's cooking, but he always ate as quickly as possible and returned to his room. The tradition had become a new and subtle form of torture, an open door that his chains prevented him from ever using. Naruto wanted him to join them, to be a part of them, but to do so meant abandoning the task his clan had set for him. Hiashi had told him to please as best he could, but his leader had never considered the possibility that by doing so Neji might be pleased in return…that he might lose his objectivity completely. Neji sighed and moved through the form again.
"Wanna come do that with me in the dojo?" Naruto's unmistakable voice said from the doorway.
"I am content here. Thank you." Neji said softly, continuing the kata and hoping that the blond would leave.
"There isn't enough room in here to do it properly. The dojo is much nicer, Sasuke designed it himself and if it wasn't perfect he probably would have burned it down and started over by now…" Naruto pushed, smiling charmingly.
"I want to be alone, if I may." Neji replied, the brilliant fiery blue of Naruto's eyes drawing his gaze even as he tried to look away.
"Sakura says you enjoy her company and she isn't feeling good enough today for her usual visit. I'm plenty of fun, really!" Naruto said.
"I mean no disrespect to you. I prefer to be alone." Neji said, hoping that the jinchuuriki hadn't been offended.
"I know, you've said that before, but it's just that you were never quite this solitary in the academy so…" Naruto said, gesturing vaguely and looking away.
"So…" Neji asked, pausing in his forms and moving to face the blond demon vessel fully.
"So…It must be me." Naruto whispered, his expression suddenly somber and dark with some old hurt.
"That's not it." Neji said, feeling his guts twist as a bitter smile curved across Naruto's mouth.
"It's okay. Lots of people don't like me." He said, shrugging a little.
Seeing that expression on Naruto's face was awful and strange and totally at odds with the person Naruto was supposed to be. They had never been close enough to talk so intimately and to see the private scars that Naruto still carried was shocking in a way Neji had never experienced before. The blond was always so fiercely optimistic, so sunny and almost unstoppably cheerful in a way that was just as powerful as the most potent rage. The bitter ghost of a smile on the Naruto's lips seemed unnatural, yet Neji had the strong impression that it was one he had practiced often. Now that they were adults, it was sometimes difficult to remember that the powerful jinchuuriki had once been a filthy, hated orphan that people threw stones at in the street. Neji suddenly felt dirty, guilty by mere association.
"I…I do like you. That isn't why…why I have kept apart." Neji said softly, finally looking away.
"It's fine, don't worry…" Naruto said, smiling stiffly and turning to leave.
"Naruto! Wait!" Neji shouted, darting out to catch the jicnhuuriki's hand.
It happened so quickly, the action already over before he had even managed to think about what such a gesture might mean. Naruto's eyes were large and startled, locked onto Neji's face like blue mirrors as the Hyuuga panicked and tried to think of something to say. Neji swallowed hard and attempted not to think about the fact that his fingers were wrapped firmly around the blond's wrist, that they were touching. Naruto opened his mouth and closed it again, but made no move to pull away.
"That…that really isn't why. It really isn't." Neji said firmly in the same voice he would use with a student.
"Then what is it?" Naruto hissed, blue eyes still haunted and hurt.
"I can't tell you." Neji whispered shakily, biting his lip.
"Why the hell not?" Naruto snapped.
Neji did not answer him, he could never have said the words anyway even if they were freezing him to death just behind his teeth. The words would have made him a traitor and the truth was not a luxury he possessed. Instead, before he could think about how unbelievably wrong all of this was, Neji jerked a hand behind Naruto's neck and smashed their mouths together. Naruto grunted, stepping backward and dragging Neji with him. The kiss, if anything so desperate and awkward could even be called that, was hot and uncomfortable. Naruto drew his lips back from his teeth in a startled snarl and Neji had to use his greater height to force the jinchuuriki's mouth back against his own. Naruto was strong and resistant, the pulse in the blond's captured wrist pounding fast and hard with panic, but Neji did not let go. The blond's mouth was powerful, accustomed to gaining submission, and Naruto grappled with him awkwardly. In another situation the demon vessel could have easily pushed him away, but Neji used his leverage to full advantage and Naruto was left quivering in silent shock. There was a kind of snarling, snapping, grating of teeth and biting of tongues before Neji managed to find the wits he had lost and let go. He gasped, bringing a shaky hand up to press gingerly at the small cut Naruto's teeth had left on his lips.
The jinchuuriki had plastered himself against the wall, wide-eyed and feral, breathing hard. His teeth were long and sharp and the pupils of his blue eyes narrow slits as the fox surfaced in face of the perceived attack. Naruto swallowed once and managed to bring his breathing under control, though Neji could still feel the other man's pulse jumping under his fingers. Neji had never loved a man before and had been fully resigned to the fact that he was probably completely heterosexual, despite what Hiashi might want. He had been ready, prepared, to receive Naruto's ardor if he gave it, never dreaming he might actually want that kind of connection. Yet there was something exciting about the blond's mouth and body and the way he smelled…Things with Naruto inevitably became complicated and here they were, shocked silent and still cringing from a bloody first kiss that he had initiated. Neji was not even sure what it was that he wanted, other than to keep his secrets and not break the blond vessel's heart, but he had not succeeded on either front. Naruto was blushing profusely and in another situation the effect might have been beautiful, but Neji's heart was beating too fast and too hard to grant him the objectivity needed to appreciate it.
"I…I don't understand." Naruto whispered.
"I…I'm sorry, I just had to show you…it isn't you." Neji replied lamely, breathing hard.
"It is very dangerous to be that way with me, Neji." Naruto said quietly, wiping his lips and regaining a small measure of his composure.
The jinchuuriki's tone brought out something sharp and competitive in Neji's nature, something only Anko had been able to touch before. The implication in Naruto's voice was that the Hyuuga was not strong enough to handle him, that he was too fragile to weather whatever it was Naruto would do. The worst part of it was that, even with the gentle and somewhat frightened way that he gave the warning, the implication carried far too much weight. Naruto was one of very few people who had actually beaten the Hyuuga genius at anything. Neji was not stupid, he knew that people died in attempted couplings with the demon vessels and that the claiming was difficult and painful, but the Hyuuga had never met his match in anything. Even Anko, a woman as proud and powerful as any demon, eventually succumbed to the force of Neji's will. Of course, the fact that he had driven her to near madness and been summarily ejected from her life was only a tiny ringing siren of reason in his mind. He hated, above all things, to lose.
"Why is that?" Neji asked softly, tipping his head in challenge.
The gesture was not lost on Naruto, who stiffened again and narrowed his eyes into thin blue slits. For a moment they remained that way, surveying one another across a distance that was less than a breath and could have been a mile. Naruto eyed Neji's hand still wrapped around his wrist and for once Neji did not have trouble believing that he was not really human. The jinchuuriki's blue eyes moved, slow and purposeful, even as the rest of his flesh remained totally still. A tiny thrill of fear flashed through Neji's heart, but it was not enough to stop him.
"Why don't you want me to touch you…to kiss you?" Neji whispered, tightening his hand on Naruto's wrist to make his point.
"I like you too much." The blond said, smiling in a way that showed all his teeth.
"I want you to like me." Neji whispered, his voice becoming rough and a bit sultry.
"Don't tease…it really isn't a good idea." Naruto growled, his fangs grown long and very sharp.
"Why? It's bound to happen sooner or later, or don't you like me enough to fuck me?" Neji mocked.
Naruto's eyes widened at the words and he blushed brightly. Neji enjoyed his discomfort for the victory it was and tried to ignore the terrible feeling in his gut. The situation felt bad, felt like a mistake, but he was too far into the challenge now to stop.
"I don't think you have any idea about what you're saying. There's a lot more to it than just a casual screw, Neji! It's for life! Believe it!" Naruto snarled.
"Regardless, that is why I'm here." Neji purred, bringing Naruto's captive hand to his mouth with a forceful jerk.
"Neji…" Naruto warned.
The Hyuuga ignored him, letting his tongue play over the twitching tendons of Naruto's captive wrist. The jinchuuriki gasped and moved to pull his hand away, but Neji held him fast. The blond was not using all of his strength, he was still holding back, and the truth of it set Neji's temper ablaze. He wanted to be taken seriously, to be respected, to win this little challenge of wills as he had every other before. He sucked Naruto's thumb into his mouth, snaking his tongue up and over the sharp claw, gratified to hear the blond's breath hitch again.
"For a genius, you are being amazingly stupid." Sasuke's icy, sardonic voice cut through the air between them like a knife.
"S…Sasuke!" Naruto gasped, looking both embarrassed and mildly relieved.
"I got tired of waiting for you in the dojo, dobe." Sasuke groused, moving to stand just behind his alpha and glare furious crimson into Neji's eyes.
Sai, as usual in his newfound position as Sasuke's shadow, emerged from the hallway as well. The artist rested his hand over Neji's on Naruto's wrist, as Sasuke watched him like a snake does its prey. Caught between them, Naruto growled under his breath and tried to bring himself back under control. The three of them seemed to act in harmony and Neji was reminded again that Naruto had basically become part of Sasuke's very spirit, that they were one being… Suddenly the idea of pushing Naruto to claim him sexually seemed far more intimate and terrifying than it had a moment ago.
"Remove your hand. Now." Sai ordered, his voice cold.
There was no room for discussion in Sai's tone and Neji had no delusions about the fact that the artist would just as soon snap his wrist then ask again. He released Naruto from his grip, expecting the jinchuuriki to pull his hand away, but instead Naruto moved forward. The blond's eyes were almost purple, the slit pupils blown wide with anger or passion or some other feeling Neji could not discern. Moving fast with confidence that he had not displayed when faced with the situation alone, Naruto gripped Neji's chin and tipped the Hyuuga's gaze away from Sasuke to meet his own.
"Do not do this again. It isn't a game." Naruto hissed angrily before turning on his heel and marching out of the room.
Neji watched him leave, feeling an odd mixture of shame and disappointment. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him and watched Naruto leave with his calculating sharingan eyes before meeting Neji's gaze again. Sasuke's face was a mask, but Neji could still tell that he was intrigued as well as angry. Sai, of course, had no expression at all as he waited by Sasuke's side.
"Why did you stop me? Isn't it what you wanted, to have me under the thrall?" Neji asked softly.
"While I wouldn't really mind if Naruto lost control and fucked your arrogant ass through the floor boards, I'd never hear the end of it if he accidentally killed you." Sasuke replied, scowling.
"As if you care." Neji spat.
"I don't, not about you, but I'm not ready to spend the rest of my life trying to convince Naruto that he's still a good person after he wakes up six inches deep in your bloody corpse." Sasuke snarled nastily.
"Six inches…?" Sai murmured.
Sasuke shrugged, "He's bigger when he's hard."
"Oh." Sai replied, satisfied.
"I'm not weak, I won't die! You had no right to interfere!" Neji hissed.
"I don't really understand what your problem is, but sex with Naruto is not about winning. It's about surviving and then belonging to him…forever. Think about that next time you feel the urge to be an intractable idiot. Let's go, Sai, I want to spar before dinner." Sasuke snapped, striding out into the hall without so much as a hint of hesitation.
Sai waited a moment before turning to Neji, his flat eyes darker with some unfathomable almost-feeling. The artist moved towards him with the grace of a hunting panther, body relaxed and yet alert, ready to fight. Neji tensed and prepared to fight.
"Naruto does not like to hurt people. You should love him for this." Sai said, his eyes hard.
"Sai!" Sasuke shouted from the hallway.
The artist left, relocking the seals on the door as he went, and Neji was left alone to contemplate what he had almost done.
OoOoOoO
Kiba let his hand rest on the tiny child's head, but the fever had not abated and the boy would not survive another night this way. He was so little, one of the smallest children of four years old that he had ever seen, barely bigger than a good sized puppy. Living in the Hyuuga stronghold had been foreign and uncomfortable, but Kiba still felt it was his duty to serve his new family as best he could and that meant not letting little boys die in the night if there was any way around it. The medicine he had given Toki earlier was not working and it was the strongest that he knew of for a fever. Kiba cursed softly under his breath and clenched his hand into a tight fist. Hinata loved Toki, she loved all the children, and he knew she was unhappy that they had not yet conceived one of their own. His death would sadden her in a way that even he could barely imagine, not to mention the wreckage left of the boy's family.
All of this would only remind Hinata of her own longing to begin a family and the pressure of it was already keeping Kiba awake at night. He had tried to remind her that they were not even officially married yet and that babies came at their own pace, but Hinata worried anyway. She wanted a child to love and to cuddle, but Kiba was not naïve enough to think that baby cuteness was all there was to it. His woman wanted an heir so that Hiashi would never have any right to dissolve their marriage, so that they could stay together. Kiba bathed the boy's face with ice water, but the action was beginning to feel useless…he was beginning to feel useless.
Hinata spoke in soft, reassuring tones to the Toki's mother in the doorway as Kiba tried to find the words to tell her that the child would likely be gone by morning. He growled, frustrated, and Akamaru whined softly at his feet. The room was stifling and the scent of sickness and sorrow was heavy in the air. The little boy had fallen ill, just as the servant girl had, but Kiba was at a loss for how the infection was still managing to spread through the Hyuuga household. He had checked all the food and all the linens and still death managed to find its way into the compound. There was something purposeful in this insidious infection, even if he did not have all the information necessary to understand what it was his instincts were trying to convey. The Hyuuga clan ruled Konoha and surely they had enemies, but Kiba could not fathom why a defenseless child might be targeted. True, Toki was a Hyuuga, but he was so in the same way that Akamaru was an Inuzuka and probably with even less status. Toki and his parents were both members of the Branch house and so little better than servants to the few, elite members of the Main house. Even though he was barely four years old, the green curse mark had already been drawn on the boy's forehead, branding him for a life of submission. The whole tradition was sick, but Kiba had no right to complain since this was the family he had chosen to enter. If he married Hinata it would end up being his tradition too and when she carved the spell into the faces of other children he would have no choice but to bite he tongue and watch.
How he missed the simple, direct lifestyle of the Inuzuka clan and the way his family based status on accomplishments instead of pre-ordained birth rank. True, his sister would one day rule for his family, but Granny reserved the right to reject her claim if someone more able came to the forefront. Blood was powerful to the dog lords, but ability trumped everything. Granny would be here soon and they would talk and perhaps she would know a way to save the boy's life. The Inuzuka secrets were all passed down from mother to daughter and so there could be much that Kiba had never been told. Still, Granny would not like the idea of using ancient Inuzuka knowledge to save the life of a Hyuuga and the woman was nothing if not stubborn. Kiba stood from his position beside the child's cot and gestured for Akamaru to follow him.
"Kiba-sama! Please! Can you save him?" The boy's mother whispered urgently, her strange white eyes sunken with terror and fatigue.
"I can't, he is very sick and I'm not a healer." Kiba whispered, feeling his heart ache as tears spilled down the woman's cheeks again.
"But you know her, the surgeon, the one who save Neji! Perhaps she can…"
"Hiashi will never allow it and Toki might be beyond even Sakura's skills. I've never seen a fever act so quickly or burn so hot. Even if I called for her now, Sakura might not be able to save him either." Kiba explained sadly.
"Toki has been weak ever since he was a baby, there is no way of knowing if anyone has the power to save him now." Hinata said softly, placing a reassuring hand on the woman's arm.
"T…T…Thank you both for at least coming…for staying with him…" Toki's mother broke down sobbing, her shoulders heaving.
It hurt to watch her, to watch her thank them for doing nothing just because the elite had come to offer what nothing they could. It hurt to know that even if Toki survived, no matter how talented or determined the boy might be, he would be doomed to a life of servitude. The Gods knew that there had never been anyone possessed of more native talent than Neji Hyuuga and even he had finally succumbed to the curse of Hyuuga traditionalism. Kiba was still sorry for his part in Neji's fall, but as he learned more about the Hyuuga clan he came to understand that it was only a matter of time. His friend might have stayed in ANBU a while longer and perhaps even been allowed to lead the organization, but to his family Neji would always be a servant and nothing more. Even now, Neji was playing concubine to Naruto when the man should be leading armies and forging alliances…it was so unfair.
"Eh…there is still a chance." Kiba whispered, meeting Hinata's probing stare over the woman's shoulder.
"How?" Hinata asked.
"My matriarch comes tonight to discuss the last details of my marriage to your Hime. She is old and very wise and she might know something that I can do. At least, I will ask." Kiba promised.
"You…you would do that? For us?" The woman asked, eyes wide with surprise.
"Of course." Kiba whispered, blushing hard as Toki's mother threw herself at his feet.
"Please! Kagura! There is no need for this!" Hinata said, dropping into a crouch to try to urge the woman off of her knees.
"Thank you! Thank you! He is my life!" The woman, Kagura, wailed.
Kiba looked away and prayed that Granny knew something, some ancient medicine or procedure, anything that might be used to save the boy. He was tired of feeling useless and if he had to be one of the few leaders of Hinata's strange family, it would not be simply because he had fallen in love with a princess instead of a serf. Blood was powerful, but ability was everything.
OoOoOoO
The dojo was unnervingly silent as they moved through the forms together, trying to achieve martial synchrony…and failing. Usually Sasuke wanted silence when he practiced, but today the quiet was too absolute, too tense. It was wearing on his nerves and the fact that the three of them had been totally unable to find a consistent rhythm in their movements was doing nothing to soothe his temper. Sasuke fought the urge to clench his teeth as they began the kata over again, moving from rest into the first position, their timing scattered and choppy. The problem was that Naruto always moved too soon and Sai too late, leaving Sasuke caught trying to find a balance between the two. Naruto punctuated his movements with an irate jerk, while Sai flowed from one pose to another without any pause at all, completely oblivious to the fact that doing so set him at odds with the other ninja. There was no balance between them, no harmony, and the effect was awkward.
"This isn't working." Sasuke snapped, stopping in the middle of the form with an aggravated hiss.
"Maybe we should just spar." Naruto grumbled, crossing his arms.
"I don't want to spar with you if you can't even focus on a simple kata and Sai refuses to spar at all." Sasuke huffed.
"I'm sorry. Let's try again and maybe it will smooth out." Naruto sighed moodily.
"Neji has upset you." Sai stated blankly.
"I'm fine." Naruto argued, looking away.
"Well, you aren't acting fine." Sasuke grumbled.
"Why don't we do some target drills?" Sai suggested, his fake smile turning Sasuke's stomach.
"Yeah, let's try that." Naruto agreed.
Sasuke rolled his eyes, but helped them gather up the boxes of projectile weapons and move the targets into position anyway. At least with kunai, he could focus on his own body without having to rely on the others for synchrony. The weapons flew easily and accurately and soon Sasuke was pinning one kunai into the handle wrappings of the last, all stuck firmly in the perfect center of the target. Sai practiced throwing the weapons at angles, bouncing them off other surfaces in order to redirect towards his true target. The technique was tricky and Sasuke was grudgingly impressed by his skill, even though he himself had long ago abandoned advanced practice of the projectiles in favor of the sword. Sai was excellent with kunai and decent with his tanto, but Sasuke was one of the best swordsmen in the country. He wondered vaguely if perfection of one discipline was superior to generalized excellence of many and was freshly annoyed by Sai's refusal to spar with anyone. Sai caught his eye and flicked a shuriken into the very center of Sasuke's target with as much smugness as the artist ever showed.
Shocked, but far from uninterested, Sasuke proceeded to snap a kunai into the air and knock one of the Sai's previous strikes out of his target with a loud clang. Sai grinned and warmed to the game. They flung a shower of projectiles into one another's targets, moving quickly and responding to each attack until Sasuke's muscles were practically screaming and Sai was panting hard. In many ways, poaching one another's targets was a lot like sparring, but without the threat of Sai reverting to his training. Though he was not concerned about Sai ever being able to really hurt him, Sasuke had no interest in fighting a life or death match with the artist and so a bit of distance was satisfactory for both of them. As for Naruto, his accuracy was impressive, but not nearly as much as the force with which he threw the weapons. Where Sasuke had tried to pin one kunai into another, Naruto hammered his previous strikes into the target like nails into a board. The jinchuuriki had driven one of the blades fully through the wood of the target and was working on another when the target finally gave with a sharp crack and fell into splintered pieces.
"Dammit!" Naruto swore angrily, marching over to the target as if it had personally offended him.
"It's okay, I'm tired now anyway." Sasuke said, rubbing his sore shoulder.
"Yes. It is enough." Sai agreed.
"I guess you're right." Naruto sighed, jerking his kunai out of the wood with an angry crack.
Sasuke traded a look with Sai and decided that he had tolerated more than enough passive aggressive bullshit from people for one day. Ignoring the artist's faintly worried look, Sasuke marched over to where Naruto still fought to remove his weapons from the target and flicked the blond sharply on the forehead.
"Ow! What the fuck!" Naruto hissed.
"Talk. Now." Sasuke ordered, pushing his hands into his sleeves.
"There isn't anything to talk about, Teme!" Naruto snarled.
"You are angry. Why?" Sai asked, moving to stand on Naruto's other side.
"Look, I just, I'm not feeling well and…" The blond trailed off as Sasuke's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"You aren't hurt and you haven't been sick in almost a decade." Sai noted, looking dubious.
"Regardless of how you feel, it's got something to do with Neji and I want to know what. Now!" Sasuke growled.
"Look, it really isn't important…" Naruto hedged, eyes locked firmly on his feet.
"Dobe, you are seriously pissing me off…" Sasuke hissed.
"I said it's nothing." Naruto pouted.
"He scared you." Sai announced, his tone firm with certitude.
Sasuke turned to look at the artist, but the man's posture was just as sure as his voice had been. Naruto swallowed hard, pressing his lips into a hard line, and the raven knew without any doubt that Sai had been right. He would have been unlikely to come to the same conclusion, but Sasuke had to admit that the notion did make an odd kind of sense. Naruto was not used to being afraid and generally reacted badly to the feeling. Sasuke had long ago decided that, in spite of any good sense or survival instinct the blond might have possessed, the jinchuuriki was not really afraid of anything. Even as a child Naruto had been brutally fearless in a way few nin ever achieved. The blond seemed unaffected by heights and was almost immune to torture, he thought fire was funny and merely found plagues vaguely gross. When he really thought about it, the only thing Naruto had actually admitted to being afraid of was ghosts, which was totally ridiculous. Sighing, Sasuke moved closer to the blond and let his hand rest firmly on his alpha's shoulder, slightly surprised when Naruto flinched a bit at the touch.
"You aren't seriously going to tell me that you are afraid of Neji, are you idiot?" Sasuke asked incredulously.
"Of course not!" Naruto snarled.
"Well, you were afraid. Maybe it was something he did." Sai suggested, moving to kneel beside them.
"I'm not afraid dammit!" Naruto hissed.
"You beat that arrogant ass into the ground when we were still children, how did he manage to scare you now?" Sasuke asked hotly, ignoring the blond's protestations.
"He just…got very close." Naruto mumbled.
Sasuke's eyes widened as another of the many puzzle pieces that was Naruto Uzumaki fell into place. Deciding that the matter deserved more than a passing thought, Sasuke sat as well, pulling Naruto roughly to the ground with him. The jinchuuriki landed on his knees with a soft grunt, but made no attempt to stand again, apparently ready to listen if nothing else. The sentiment did not necessarily make any sense, at least not if you were human, but Naruto was not really human at all. He knew the Jinchuuriki had been afraid when he changed the dynamic of their love play, even though his alpha had tried carefully not to show it. Sasuke had not spent a great deal of time thinking about it before, but Naruto had never actually been in a relationship in which he had not been the one in control. Neji had pushed him, cornered him and initiated physical contact in a way that was not only confident, but fully aggressive. Sasuke had always taken Naruto's rather dominant personality for granted and had not been shocked in the least when the Jinchuuriki had shamelessly ravished him. Yet, he had never thought about how such a trait might work in reverse…
"You're totally dominant, aren't you?" Sasuke asked softly, eyes widening slightly as understanding dawned on him.
"What?" Naruto asked, looking totally confused.
"I thought he was supposed to be dominant?" Sai asked, cocking his head.
"He is…it's just, well, something my sensei said…" Sasuke mused, shrugging.
"As if your sensei ever said anything useful…" Naruto grumbled, rolling his eyes.
"At least my sensei wasn't the most notorious pervert in the entire country!" Sasuke countered angrily.
"At least I didn't have to KILL my sensei to keep him from stealing my body! Talk about perverts!" Naruto snapped.
"At least mine took the art seriously!"
"Yeah as long as it suited HIM!"
"Well, what did he say?" Sai asked tonelessly, derailing the argument with smoothness Sasuke was certain he had learned from Sakura.
"He said that most people like to think of themselves as dominant, sexually dominant, but that it really isn't true." Sasuke explained.
"Of course not." Naruto sniped sarcastically.
"He said that the behavior was conditional and that people could be either way, given the right situation. The discussion was in regards to seducing a target to acquire information, because even the best nin can't be submissive with a weak partner…the behavior just won't seem natural." Sasuke continued, ignoring him.
"And this has to do with anything…how?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow dubiously.
"Stop interrupting and I'll tell you!" Sasuke snapped.
"Fine." Naruto conceded, rolling his eyes.
"So no one is really supposed to be dominant or submissive all the time but, for whatever reason, you are. You aren't EVER submissive, dobe, not even a little. You could be screwing the strongest ninja on the planet and it wouldn't make a damn bit of difference." Sasuke said.
"Yeah, so?" Naruto huffed.
"So, I think it scares you when people try to be dominant with you. You just can't adapt to that kind of behavior." Sasuke finished haughtily.
"Hey!" Naruto shouted indignantly.
"I suppose it does make sense." Sai agreed.
"It does NOT! If any of this is true, how come my own master never said anything? It's not like he wouldn't know!" Naruto argued.
"All of this is only useful to someone training for reconnaissance missions dealing with seduction, which you simply can't do. No Jinchuuriki could. He might have planned to tell you later, when you matured completely, but still…Even Master Jiraiya wouldn't be stupid enough to train you for seduction, you just don't have the temperament." Sasuke shrugged.
"Oh, and you do?" Naruto sniped.
"Clearly."
"It's not a bad thing. Like Sasuke said, most people want to be dominant all the time." Sai offered.
"That's probably why Neji freaked you out. Most people would just sort of be a bit submissive in that situation, many would actually enjoy it, but you can't. To you, it's just an attack and one that you don't know how to defend against." Sasuke continued, a bit more gently.
"It did sort of feel like an attack and I could have just fought him, I guess, but…" Naruto trailed off, sighing.
"But…?" Sai urged.
"If I did that, well, he might have been hurt and I don't want that…" Naruto said softly.
"Che, whatever. Next time he decides to be an idiot you should hurt him." Sasuke snarled.
"He already hates me though…" Naruto whispered, hiding his eyes in his hair and looking even more dejected.
"He doesn't hate you. He likes you." Sai said.
"How would you know?" Sasuke asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Sakura tells me." Sai said, shrugging.
"Sakura isn't always right, you know…" Naruto grumbled.
"No, just most of the time." Sai replied.
"Even I can't argue with that." Naruto said, smiling a little.
The artist moved just a fraction, resting his body weight against Naruto's side and leaning his head against the Jinchuuriki's shoulder. Naruto rumbled a little in appreciation of the gesture and the sound crawled up Sasuke's spine like a dart made of magma. Sai shivered a bit at the sound and moved closer, gently stroking the blond's chest. They touched for a while, careful and a little awkward, Naruto stroking Sai's cheek fondly. Sasuke watched for them for a long moment, noting the trepidation in Naruto's smile and movements, how his body language seemed more doting than romantic. He could tell that the Jinchuuriki was still uncomfortable, both hungry for intimacy and frightened of pushing his subordinates away. Sasuke found the sentiment stupid. People were what they were and Naruto was a confident and powerful lover, Neji Hyuuga and his stupid power play would never change the simple truth of his alpha's personality. Naruto had never hesitated before, either in matters of sex or anything else. In many ways the blond was like a force of nature, kindred to the elemental demon bound to his soul, and watching him waver seemed so unnatural. Sasuke hated to see it, the doubt, the subtle fear…such emotions had no place in his alpha.
The idea of inviting intimacy was still new and to do so with Sai newer still, but Sasuke was tired of feeling so unbalanced. Following Sai's lead, the raven haired ninja leaned into his alpha's back, enjoying the hard strength of Naruto's shoulders. The Jinchuuriki's eyes widened with surprise, but he leaned against Sasuke's body gratefully, sighing a little as the tension slowly eased from his back and shoulders. The blond rumbled again, the sound low and thick like warm honey or melted chocolate. The scintillating purr vibrated through the blond's body, bringing a deep and needed heat to Sasuke's belly and driving away everything except the hypnotic rhythm of Naruto's breathing. Sasuke closed his eyes, allowing himself to relax a little into the blond's familiar warmth, grateful for the moment of quiet contact. Sai nuzzled Naruto's arm, hungry as ever for touch, for affection. Though several days had passed and the ink nin had become a fixture in the household, Sasuke was still tentative about any kind of romantic interaction between them. He had kissed Sai, but at the time the action had seemed more about Naruto, more about Naruto's blood smeared in a tempting crimson stain across Sai's pale mouth. Sasuke shivered.
Sai was watching him intently from around Naruto's broad shoulder, his slate black eyes still and observant. Sasuke met the other ninja's look, and saw his own slightly bemused expression reflected in Sai's face. The artist had a strange habit of subconsciously copying the expressions of others when he wasn't using that horrible plastic smile as a mask. Finally relaxed and aroused by their nearness, Naruto sighed deeply and buried his nose in the heavy softness of Sai's black hair. Sai gasped, eyes growing wide with arousal and surprise. He really should have been jealous, Sasuke reflected as he watched Naruto pull Sai hotly against his body, but watching his alpha hold the artist was far more stirring than anything else. Sasuke knew what it felt like to be held that way, to feel the iron clasp of Naruto's arms and surrender to his molten kisses. Watching Sai melt into Naruto's embrace only served to stimulate his own memory, making the raven's breath come fast and hot. He had been jealous of Sai only as long as he had managed to avoid getting to know him and now that they were here together, exploring eroticism neither man had ever experienced, the emotion seemed so distant. The eager innocence that Sai portrayed any time he was touched was both endearing and titillating in equal measure and even Sasuke had learned to appreciate the man's graceful beauty. There was something in the arch of Sai's body that reminded him of a fine sword, hard and flexible at once, cultured and primal too. Naruto gently closed his jaws over the pulse in Sai's neck and a rosy blush spread over the ink nin's face as he moaned softly in the sensuous cage of the jinchuuriki's arms. Sasuke wet his lips and swallowed hard, his body already responding to the sounds and the closeness and the sheer sensuality of the situation.
Naruto kissed and held Sai often, but always carefully, never pushing too far or too quickly. No one could predict how Sai might react to any given situation and caution was not unwarranted, but Sasuke knew that it could not last much longer. Naruto was too passionate, too possessive to hold back forever and Sai wanted the unequivocal inclusion that such a claiming would bring. Sai reached for him, stroking the line of Sasuke's jaw with his talented fingers, leaving a trail of succulent heat behind. There was nothing threatening in the touch, no challenge present as there was in Naruto's embraces, yet it was…sweet. The raven closed his eyes, trying to decipher his own emotions. He hated, more than anything else, to be confused and yet there was nothing simple about his mates or Sai and the complexity of the feeling was daunting. Sasuke had been pulled apart once before by his brother and by his honor and by the sheer force of the raw hatred cultivated in his own heart. Even after years of peace and grudging affection, love was still foreign and overwhelming. Once he had treated love like an enemy and happiness like a dream, living only for vengeance. He had tried to burn all emotion from his mind, purge the feeling away like an illness, but the effort only yielded more pain. Naruto and Sakura had found him there in the darkness and pulled him from the depths of what could only be described as madness, but Sasuke had never experienced the kind of love that Sai offered him. Sai's love was not the passionate, savage, inexorable surge of pure salvation that Naruto's had been or the undeniable, constant, terrifying power with which Sakura had always loved him. The feeling was softer, more fragile, quiet and yet no less vast. Like him, the ink nin had been pulled apart and rescued in some way by his mates, but the nature of Sai's deliverance was slower, gradual, like a gentle river slowly grinding away a mountain. Like the first tender spark of life in a damp fire, Sai's love began as a tiny, fragile flicker and grew until the warmth of it permeated everything.
Sasuke could feel the warmth now and every time Sai looked at him or touched him or followed his steps through the house. Though new, Sasuke realized that he was drawn to the feeling, that he wanted to bask in it and be stirred. Naruto's love had been a command and Sakura's almost certitude, but Sai offered the emotion as one would incense in a shrine, with no expectation in the act at all. Sasuke found himself wanting to accept the offering. He wanted to touch and take and understand what made the artist so damn hypnotic. Sai's fingers were delicate against his skin, moving too quickly, nervous. Decision made, Sasuke caught the man's wrist and brought the fluttering hand to his lips like a captured butterfly. He paused, studying the artist's reaction, waiting to see if he would pull away. Sai cocked his head uncertainly, but then relaxed, letting his cheek rest against Naruto's shoulder.
There was affection in the subtle slide of Sai's fingers, the same fingers that had painted him and by doing so had learned to know him. Sasuke let the powerful fingers slide into his mouth, setting his teeth against the delicate joints and the enjoying the tantalizing tremor that shook the captive flesh. Yes, there was something intoxicating in that artist's easy submission and it was not weakness. Naruto tipped Sai's mouth against his own, kissing the ink nin passionately even as Sasuke stroked his own tongue over the roughened pads of the man's fingers. Sai moaned softly against Naruto's lips. The sound lit Sasuke's blood on fire, sending streaming geysers of heat through his veins to fill the sensitive flesh between his legs. Tentatively, Sasuke reached around Naruto's waist to stroke the slender curve of the artist's waist. The muscle quivered against his fingers and Sasuke felt another bolt of arousal rush hot and insistent through his spine. Naruto shifted his body a little and suddenly Sasuke was being pulled against the jinchuuriki's chest, a set of powerful clawed fingers tight in his hair. Sasuke fought him a little, peeved at being manhandled in front of Sai, but Naruto's hand was inescapable and the artist was caught just as surely as he was. The blond's sensuous rumble rolled across the exposed flesh of Sasuke's throat as Naruto shifted his clever teeth from Sai's pulse to his own. Sasuke cried out, shutting his eyes tightly as the smooth arch of the jinchuuriki's fangs caressed his heated skin. Sai's knee was against his own, straddling the blond's thigh even as Naruto pressed the hardened ridge of Sasuke's arousal against his pelvis. Helpless to resist him and trapped in the muscular grip of Naruto's legs, Sasuke undulated against his alpha. Naruto gasped, the sound needy and filled with approval.
Satisfied with his submission, Naruto ran his hand lower, stroking the curve of Sasuke's buttock, cupping the muscle and kneading maddeningly. The touch was electric and Sasuke moaned and moved against his alpha again, dimly aware the Sai was also moving with them, held just as he was in Naruto's arms. Naruto kissed him, the power and confidence of his mouth making Sasuke moan again as the raven wound his arms around Naruto's neck and returned the kiss with ardor. Sai mouthed awkward, trembling kisses along the edge of the jinchuuriki's jaw, laying his left hand tentatively against Sasuke's shoulder. After giving his ass one last appreciative squeeze, Naruto moved his hand boldly over Sasuke's erection, running his thumb in firm strokes over the seam of the raven's hakama pants. Sasuke moaned and opened his eyes in time to see Sai grit his teeth as Naruto's other hand stroked his chest, finding the tender nipples through the fitted fabric of the ink nin's shirt. The blond tugged and pulled and in what felt like a matter of moments, Sai's shirt had been tossed onto the floor and Sasuke's kimono was pooled in sultry folds around his hips. Naruto looked at them for a moment, his pupils wide, aroused slits in the burning azure of his eyes. Sasuke met his eyes and shivered.
He kissed them, plunging his tongue deeply into Sai's willing mouth and plundering Sasuke's lips with just enough aggression to leave the raven gasping. They moved, it was inevitable, the tempo set too appealing, too magnetic, to resist. Even as shameless as it was, Sasuke ground his body against Naruto, pressing hard against him. The sharp sparks of ecstasy as Sai's thigh rubbed against his own lost in the typhoon of pleasure that action brought. At last, the unattainable rhythm that had been so markedly lacking in their training was achieved and the men moved with perfect synchrony, thrusting against each other wantonly. Naruto, Sasuke realized dimly, was their metronome and without him harmony was impossible. Confident now, the blond held them tightly, bending his hips to meet them. Sai muffled a shocked cry into Naruto's collar as the jinchuuriki moved to cup the firm flesh between the artist's legs, still running teasing teeth over the column of Sasuke's neck. There was danger in this, in the razor caress of the shallow pulse leaping just beneath his skin and in the inescapable steel of Naruto's hands, and it was this that Neji could not understand. The succulent peril that was loving Naruto, the feeling of struggle and shattering control along with the pleasure, a sensation too different for the Hyuuga to comprehend. Sasuke snarled a little, the sound needy and a bit breathless.
Naruto responded to him, as he always did, stroking his shoulders and thumbing the raven's sensitive nipples until the flesh was firm and flushed. The jinchuuriki bent Sasuke back, taking advantage of the other ninja's flexibility, holding his hips tight to his own. Sasuke moved and stretched, gasping as his alpha bit gently into the muscular rise of his left pectoral muscle. Naruto clamped his teeth around the captured flesh and pulled in the most shockingly erotic way possible. Sasuke hissed, both at the roughness of Naruto's mouth and the tingling sensation that the action brought, bending until his shoulders met the padded tatami of the dojo floor. Sai was there with him, tangled up in Naruto and breathing hard, lying in an artful disarray of paper white skin and silken hair only a breath away. The jinchuuriki's hands were against his cheek, the touch firm and insistent, and when Sasuke's lips met Sai's there was no pretense left. In Sai's awkward, delicious, powerful mouth Sasuke could taste the warmth he had felt in the other man's touch all along and reveled in it. This kiss had nothing to do with Naruto, even though the jinchuuriki's claws were still against his jaw, but about the tender and exotic vulnerability that Sai brought to everything. If Naruto's love was like a fire, Sai's was a kind of nectar, sweet and impossible to resist. Pride forgotten, Sasuke could only savor the taste and come undone in their arms.
OoOoOoO
Sai was shaking, he could not help it, even though he was not cold or afraid. His body trembled, muscles shaking, breath coming fast, as if he had been running for many days without sleep, but he did not feel tired. Sai had never been a very good runner, at least not as far as moving with speed was concerned, and he had often felt shaky, close to collapse, when he was a child. It was a bad feeling, often followed by pain, and for a moment he worried that Sasuke might think he was weak. Sasuke hated weakness, but the raven was shaking too and moving so deliciously that for a moment Sai forgot about everything except the scent of his skin and the feel of Naruto's calloused hand on his jaw. They lay on the floor of the dojo, breathing hard and shaking together and so Sai decided that the phenomenon must be normal. More importantly, even if the quivering shook the very marrow from his bones, Sai did not want to stop.
Naruto was making his body feel hot and tender and very good, touching places that no one had ever touched before and doing things with his mouth and teeth. Teeth were erotic, Sai decided, and even more so when they were long and sharp and clicking maddeningly against his own. Naruto released his mouth and moved him against Sasuke, a hand on each of them, guiding them together. Sai did not resist the jinchuuriki, he could not understand how anyone ever did, but bolt of fear moved through the artist at the act all the same. What if Sasuke didn't want to? What if it just made the ever volatile raven angry? Before the thought could turn hard and frozen in his belly, Sasuke was already melting it with his lips, kissing Sai with the same ardor with which the dark haired ninja did everything. Sai moaned against Sasuke's powerful lips, opening his mouth as the raven surged in, stroking and nipping him as if he wanted to crawl inside and be one. The artist moaned, unable to contain the feeling, running his hands over the porcelain perfection of Sasuke's naked chest. The raven's nipples were lovely, pink and sensitive looking, and Sai liked the way that Sasuke snarled when he held them between his fingers. Naruto touched him there too, moving his tongue maddeningly over Sai's nipples, lingering over the areola in slow, wet licks that spread heat all the way through the rest of the artist's body. Sasuke bit his mouth and there was pain, but the moist sensuality of the other ninja's tongue soothed the sting away even before Sai could really feel it. They kissed and breathed and moved together and Sai could feel something building in his body, a kind of pressure. Naruto touched the hard flesh of his arousal again and the artist felt the air leave his lungs in a harsh rush. He dug his fingers hard into Sasuke's jaw and into Naruto's thigh as the pleasure thundered through his body, leaving his vision too bright. The others were hard too, he could feel the firm column of Naruto's penis against his knee and Sasuke's hardened body against his hip and even through their clothing the sensation excited him.
In Root, another person's body had been something of only passing cognitive interest, but now the thought of how Sasuke might look, naked and aroused, was nearly enough to send Sai over the edge. There was an edge, he knew, he could feel it every time Naruto stroked his erection and every time Sasuke thrust against his hip. The pressure was building, low and hot, concentrated like a ball of burning accelerant. Though the artist had no idea what might be on the other side of the precipice, he was helpless to stop the feeling. Naruto was above him, around him, and Sai knew instantly that it was the blond's hands pulling the tight fabric of his pants down and away. Sasuke's hands would have been rougher, more impatient, and only Naruto could manage to do something as mundane as undress someone and still manage to touch every inch. The jinchuuriki undid the ties on Sasuke's pants with his teeth, running his tongue hungrily over the angular ridge of the raven's elegant hip bone. Sai watched, unable to tear his eyes away, the blood loud and surging in his ears. There was a shuffling of limbs and fabric and Sasuke cursing softly against his lips and then both of them were naked within the cage of Naruto's arms. The blond moved a little to place a knee in between each of their legs and then he was against them, grinding hard, the fabric of his pants rough against Sai's virgin skin. He bit his lip, feeling a surprising thrill of wetness as his flesh responded to the sensation. It was wet, he was wet and he had never been that way before. The artist whimpered a little and Sasuke nuzzled his neck affectionately, the raven's hands gentle in a way that his words never were. Sai had never been aroused enough to generate pre-cum before and he was a little afraid, but Naruto purred against the shell of his ear and the sound made him feel so good that he forgot to care.
The jinchuuriki bent to the dripping tip of Sasuke's penis, rumbling his satisfaction as he lapped at the moisture there with long, slow strokes of his velvety tongue. The pressure was so hard now, almost pain, and Sai grunted as his testicles tightened. Sasuke's face was flushed and unguarded as he cried out, winding his bruising fingers into Naruto's golden hair. For a moment Sasuke's hands and lips were alone on the artist's flesh and then the jinchuuriki was against them again, hot and skilled and naked as well. Sai should have been afraid or ashamed, but all he could feel was the sweet, terrible, all-consuming wanting that Sasuke's pale beauty and Naruto's golden sensuality stirred in him. He wanted, so much and so hard, that the feeling turned into a desperate sound and Sai practically screamed as Sasuke's palm found his slickened erection and rubbed. The raven kissed him, running his lips over the artist's jaw and clavicle, biting hard at the junction of his neck and shoulder. Naruto moved lower and their hands were everywhere, setting his skin ablaze, making whatever it was building in his body build even faster.
Sasuke settled up against his back, rocking in a maddening rhythm against him, the slickness of the raven's own erection making the movement smooth and stimulating. Sai cried out again, letting his head fall back to rest against the hard rise of Sasuke's shoulder. Naruto mouthed his was down Sai belly, letting his tongue play against the quivering muscles of the ink nin's torso, blue eyes burning as he looked up into the artist's face. For a mad instant Sai wanted to tell him to stop, that it was too much. The feeling was a roaring, ecstatic, pressure inside him and with it came a kind of cracking as something old and broken and brittle inside his soul tried to stand against the weight and began to crumble. The cold brittle thing, it was important, but Sai could not remember why and then Naruto's mouth was against him. The blond sucked him, drawing his stiffened shaft into the inferno of his mouth and Sai felt his mind give way to the molten heat as he lost all control. Naruto licked him, each stroke of his powerful tongue pulling the artist closer and closer…Sasuke and Naruto moved in unison, their bodies in harmony together and the feeling was so much…far too much… Sai gasped as the pressure broke and his body exploded, pumping something hot and shocking into Naruto's mouth. The brittle thing wanted to shatter and the feeling was so intense, terrifying and wonderful at once, like a storm in his soul. Unperturbed the blond lapped at him and drank the explosion, humming and loving him and Sai could not breathe, the air seemed too hot. He would break, the old, frozen thing inside would shatter and tear him apart and then…and then…
"Sai?" Sasuke asked, his voice sounding softer than it ever had before.
Naruto had ceased his maddening drinking and was looking at him with startled blue eyes suddenly filled with fear. Sai could feel the world shaking and discovered that it was only his own body, still held tight in Sasuke's arms, wracked deeply with sobbing.
"Sai…are you crying?" Naruto whispered, nuzzling his cheek gently with his nose.
"I…am I what?" Sai managed.
"Did it hurt? Are you alright?" Sasuke asked, the barest edge of panic in his voice.
"Shhhh…it's okay. You're okay…" Naruto was saying, holding him close.
Sai brought a shaking hand to his face and felt his heart nearly stop as the fingers came away wet. The tears dripped down his chin and soaked his gloves as he held one hand hard against his eyes to stop the flood. His eyes burned and the feeling…it was still so strong, stronger than anything he had ever felt before. Sai sobbed and tried to relax as Naruto licked away the first tears he could remember shedding as Sasuke quietly worried at his back.
OoOoOoO
"I did not come here to talk to you about sick children, Kiba. I need to know if you are able to live here, with these people, and not end up completely crazy." Granny snapped.
"I WILL go crazy if there is nothing I can do here except sit and heel and be Hinata's pet, Granny!" Kiba hissed.
Granny sighed in the low lamplight and looked away, her ancient face creased into a deep scowl. Kiba leaned back, watching her carefully, and sipping his tea. They sat in one of the many well-guarded meeting rooms of the Hyuuga compound, the small windows allowing only the barest illumination from the setting sun. The crisp, green tatami of the floor was chilly and uncomfortable and Kiba could not help wish for the thick pelts of his own home in the Inuzuka estate. The Hyuugas loved clean lines and Spartan decoration, which made every room both formal and empty, while the Inuzuka's preferred to cover their floors with furs and their walls with heavy silk tapestries. The Inuzukas felt that a room that was too clean invited bad luck and so made a habit of leaving comfy pillows and well rumpled chairs in every space they occupied. Here, the only comfort permissible was in the blankets of a bed that had to be hidden by day and in the arms of Kiba's beloved woman. He sighed and wondered, not for the first time, if he could live as a Hyuuga and not go insane. As far as he could tell, most of them were halfway there anyway. Kiba was a foreigner here and while the silent perfection of the manicured gardens and the empty rooms had become less surprising, he still longed for the familiar culture of his own clan.
"There are few fevers that come so quickly and claim only one victim. The child is sickly, true, but even a weak pup will thrive given the chance. I think this illness may be no illness at all." Granny whispered, her fingernails clicking angrily against the knotted wood of her staff.
"No illness…?" Kiba asked, confused.
"No…poison." Granny whispered, so low that even Akamaru had to raise his ears to hear her.
"Poison? Why poison a helpless child, he isn't even a member of the main house? What could an assassin hope to achieve?" Kiba asked, matching his grandmother's volume.
"What makes you say it was an assassin?" Granny asked, her eyes growing narrow and crafty.
"Well…if it was poison, how else would such a thing happen?" Kiba asked, annoyed with his grandmother's mysteries.
"How would an assassin poison a small boy who has never even left the gates of his family's home? And as you say, why? I believe that the child might have fallen prey to intrigue from within, the Hyuugas are not above such things." Granny spat quietly.
"But…poison a member of their own family?" Kiba gasped, feeling sick.
"He is a member of the branch house. To Hiashi he is expendable and such things have happened before. Hiashi sacrificed his own brother, a twin, for no other reason than to appease a foreign power grown too bold." Granny snarled.
"Why would they do such a thing?" Kiba asked, snarling as well.
"A distraction perhaps, or even an experiment…who can say with these people." Granny huffed, disgusted.
"I have…detected strange smells as well." Kiba admitted.
"Hmmm, have these smells been close, in your things or food?" Granny asked, her sharp teeth glinting angrily in the lamp's flickering light.
"Yes, nothing strong, but always close." Kiba nodded.
"So the boy might not have even been the intended target or they poisoned him in an effort to find something that will affect you. You are an Inuzuka and there is no poison made that we cannot defeat given enough time. Likely you have frustrated their assassins for many weeks, boy. Well done." Granny said, and her smile was both victorious and filled with venom.
"Help him Granny. They are my people now too." Kiba whispered, bowing low and whining high and desperate in his throat. Granny nodded once, sharply.
"I will give you an antidote. It is the best I have, though we may already be too late. If it is possible, I will both save the boy and know for certain that poison is being used. Live, my grandson, stay strong and you will prevail. Hiashi can't live forever and even now he plays at provoking Uzumaki…"
"Naruto? Why?" Kiba hissed, shocked.
"Because he is a proud old fool and he hates anything that he cannot understand. I will send the antidote immediately. If the child lives send Akamaru with the news. If he lives you must be especially cautious, Kiba…" Granny cautioned.
"I will be." Kiba promised.
"Protect yourself and your woman. Hiashi will find his own end soon enough." Granny snarled, showing her teeth.