Be glad, because there's no need to kill you yet. I've invested too much time and effort into you."
Danzo stood opposite the prison cell, thoughtfully examining the young man sprawled on the floor. The boy couldn't find the strength to raise his head and return his gaze. Over the few hours Sai had spent in the cell, a small pool of blood had formed on his nose, trapping his cheek in it.
Several months after Shimura declared a hunt for the younger Uchiha, the search had reached a dead end. Silence. Nothing. The letters he received every few days from the captains contained no information, no locations, no requests for backup. Danzo had no choice but to intervene, and he began searching for the source of the problem right under his own nose.
— You have nothing to tell me?
Sai cleared his throat. Blood pooled in the corner of his mouth and trickled down onto the stone floor, over the brown stains left by his predecessor.
"No, Danzo-sama," he replied with a quiet croak. "Nothing at all."
"Then you'll be understanding about sitting here for a while," the man folded his hands behind his back. "If you're not the traitor, your absence from your post won't change anything. Am I right?"
"Yes, Danzo-sama."
- Then I advise you to pray that this will be the case.
Throwing a disappointed glance at Sai, he walked down the corridor until he came to a stop at a thick iron door. It opened slightly after a short knock, and the alpha continued on, ignoring the angry glances from behind the bars that burned a hole in his back. These people were nothing more than dirt under their fingernails. Rusted screws that Konoha could easily do without.
"Danzo-sama," the Root shinobi bowed when the man finally appeared outside.
"Good news?" he asked as he passed by.
- No. None.
- Then leave me.
Bowing again, the shinobi vanished into thin air. The man walked on alone, a solitary figure on the night streets of the sleeping village.
How much effort Danzo put into maintaining this peaceful night silence.
Luck had been running out on his side lately. Three months had passed... three! And not only had they not found the damned Uchiha, but they'd also lost the damned jinchūriki. Danzō wasn't sure whether the brat had fled of his own free will or had someone helped him. Suspicion immediately fell on Sai, but at the same time, his subordinate had been the first to report the Uzumaki's disappearance en route to a mission in Suna. Danzō immediately sent out bird messages to the captains, and only now was he beginning to suspect that all this time his letters hadn't reached their intended recipients at all. The majority of Root—eleven squads of three men each—had marched into the Land of Water and vanished.
Putting the jinchūriki on the wanted list was pointless. No one would believe that Konoha's hero had suddenly decided to abandon it, so Danzō had to pretend it was the case. That Uzumaki had once again gone off in search of his beloved, and that he, Shimura, had allowed him to do so. Really? There was no catastrophe here. Even if the jinchūriki found the Uchiha first, Danzō could swear he would drag him back to Konoha.
This simply means the omega will live a little longer than expected. Uzumaki will bring Uchiha home, and then he might die quietly in his sleep or something like that. No one is immune to sudden death. Ultimately, their pup will remain in the care of the village, one way or another.
Arriving at the headquarters building, Danzo leisurely climbed the steps to the top floor and headed for the Hokage's office. In truth, he preferred his old office in the Military Center, but sitting in such a gloomy place was no longer befitting of the Alpha's status. It wasn't that he demanded the golden throne—the role of Hokage wasn't meant to feed his vanity. Danzo's entire life had been driven by the simple idea of making Konoha stronger.
That's why he headed to his workplace in the middle of the night—to correct the numerous mistakes of the previous Hokage. Empty-headed, spineless weaklings who had led the village to ruin.
Having unlocked the door with his key, the man pushed it open and suddenly froze. It took him a split second to compose himself.
- It's so typical of you to show up uninvited.
— Close the door, Danzo-san. No nonsense.
The alpha's healthy hand slowly reached for the handle, and the door closed with a quiet click - not even a movement of air.
Did Itachi think he'd be afraid of him? But the Uchiha was currently in an unenviable position – he'd infiltrated a heavily armed village, forced his way into the Hokage's office, and now sat languidly in a wide chair with his cloak casually draped over his shoulders. Did Itachi truly believe he'd be in control if he crossed his arms like that? Danzo saw the gesture as a sign of protection. Itachi's desire to be impressive sometimes overrode common sense.
Undeterred, the man leisurely walked over to a table in the corner where a small teapot sat. After pouring himself some hot oolong tea, he pulled a chair up to the Hokage's desk and sat down opposite Itachi. Admittedly, it was extremely unpleasant to find himself a guest in his own office.
Settling more comfortably, Danzo took a small sip. Itachi watched his movements closely—how he supported the cup with his palm, then slowly placed it on the table, and only then returned his gaze. Shimura hadn't seen the Uchiha's face in many years, but even so, he could tell: Itachi looked much worse than he had back then. Pale skin on a haggard face stretched his high cheekbones to the point of cracking. Dark hollows appeared under his eyes, and his lips were dry, even to the eye. A pitiful shadow of his former self.
And yet, strength still shone through from beneath that battered shell. It was evident in the languid manner with which the Uchiha sat before the alpha, in his imperturbable, fearless gaze.
Danzo enjoyed his tea in silence for another minute. Itachi didn't rush him.
"So," the man spoke up first. "Why are you here?"
What nonsense. He already knew why.
Itachi parted his thin lips.
"You broke your promise," he said calmly. "I thought you were a man of honor."
- This is true.
"Then I don't understand why I see Sasuke's face on every lamppost. I remember saying it loud and clear: don't touch. my. little. brother.
To his credit, Itachi knew how to speak with a straight face, yet still convey a lurking threat. But Shimura wasn't one to be startled by the mere sight of a bright red Sharingan. He leaned back in his chair, relaxed.
"I made a promise, and I kept it. Sasuke grew up in prosperity, with a roof over his head, and friends by his side. Happy and carefree. But whose fault is it that the boy didn't appreciate such happiness?" He finished the rest of his tea and cast Itachi a hard look. "Konoha raised him as its own, but Sasuke stabbed it in the back. I think he got that urge from his father."
"Be careful with your language, Danzo-san," Itachi remarked. "I'm not fourteen anymore."
"And I will no longer obediently look into your mouth, agreeing with every word," the man read in his intonation and chuckled.
- Yes, you've grown older. And, I hope, wiser.
"I hope so," Itachi repeated quietly, and a cold glint in his eyes made the room feel several degrees cooler. "Danzo-san, you're trying to evade this, but the fact remains: you didn't keep your end of the bargain."
The man shifted in his chair, realizing they'd been sitting alone for too long. Where the hell was the security? He hadn't encountered a single shinobi on his way here. The building was deathly quiet.
Not good. But not so bad that we should start panicking.
"So you've come to beat an apology out of me?" Danzo asked matter-of-factly, raising an eyebrow. "To kill me?"
Itachi paused briefly.
"I came to suggest you fix everything. Cross Sasuke off the bingo book and leave him alone."
Alpha sighed wearily, briefly closing his eyes. Long ago, he'd thought Itachi sincerely shared his political views, otherwise they would never have come to an agreement. But now, after leaving Konoha, the young man had wandered who knows where for a decade, and now sat before him, completely detached from reality.
"Get your hands off Sasuke," Danzo repeated, rubbing the crease between his brows. "And, I assume, off his child."
The ice in Itachi's gaze cracked, and his pupil sank beneath it, disappearing deeper into the abyss. "A surprisingly sensual reaction," the man thought. "For a man like Itachi."
"Of course you know about the child," he nodded contentedly, convinced of his guess. "You couldn't have not known. If it were just about Sasuke, you wouldn't have come here."
Uchiha did not deny it.
"This child has done nothing wrong," he said coldly, frowning slightly. "Let Sasuke raise him in peace and safety. Is that too much of a demand for you?"
Danzo was silent for a couple of seconds, studying the boy's face. Didn't he understand? Itachi had always been smart, how could he not understand?
"Sasuke probably had a girl," he said suddenly, causing the Uchiha to frown even more. "Like most omega males. Do you know why this happens?" Danzo answered before Itachi could even open his mouth. "The world needs more women, because they are the ones who produce alphas. All omegas—both male and female—are part of a complex natural mechanism that maintains the balance of the human population. We were supposed to protect them, but tell me, Itachi, what are omegas doing these days?"
Itachi remained silent, unsure where this was all heading. Even so, Danzo felt the need to tell him everything from the beginning—the only way to grasp the full meaning.
"Sasuke could have chosen a happy, carefree life, married an alpha from a powerful clan like the Hyuga, and brought the village as many strong children as possible. But no," he said, throwing up his hands in frustration. "Your father turned Sasuke away from such happiness and dragged him to the Shinobi Academy to sit there like a black sheep among the alphas. Why do you think he did that?"
"Sasuke wanted to go to the Academy himself. He always looked up to me, and that's why he was so determined to become a shinobi..."
For just a moment, a glimmer of sadness flashed in his gaze – either nostalgia for the old days, or regret for something.
"But if Fugaku himself hadn't wanted it, Sasuke would have spent the rest of his life cooking and scrubbing floors in your house," Danzo shook his head. "No, his father brought him to the Academy. He wanted the Uchiha to have as many fighters as possible, and he wasn't shy about harnessing even the omegas to this dirty work. That's precisely why you killed him. To prevent a rebellion. And yet, like fathers, like sons, like sons, the apple tree is rotten from the inside... after all, your Sasuke grew up just like Fugaku."
Not a muscle moved on Itachi's face. Danzo could only praise him for his composure.
"Back to the original question: what did we do wrong? Instead of protecting the omegas, we allowed them to become shinobi, dragging them into wars where we lost most of them. We spared Sasuke's life because we hoped he would embrace the true path of an omega. However, he grew up, ran away from the village, and now has fathered a pup with the same tainted blood as his father."
"She was barely born, but you already see her as a threat," Itachi noted dryly.
He still sat with his arms crossed over his chest, but the man could see his fingers clenching the fabric of his cloak—his knuckles white. Danzo briefly considered that this was becoming dangerous, but he didn't remain silent. Eventually, Itachi had to understand the truth of the matter.
"With a father like your brother? I'll be surprised if she doesn't grow up to be a threat to the world," Shimura said, allowing a hint of sympathy to show. "But you're right—this child hasn't done anything wrong yet. The poor thing has a chance to grow up to be a good person if she's raised in a village."
It was difficult to notice with the naked eye, but Danzo's keen eye could see Itachi's lips twitching in a bitter smile.
"You're saying she'll be better off in Konoha?" he asked, not believing a word she'd heard. "The village that took her father away from her?"
"Despite what you may think, Itachi, Konoha has always cared for its people. If we bring back the youngest Uchiha, I promise she will be treasured. She won't be dragged into wars or sent on dangerous missions; her safety will be guaranteed. She will have a home and a loving husband. And what happened to Sasuke will never, ever happen to her."
"You already promised me Sasuke's safety a long time ago," Itachi shook his head. "And here we are now."
"The boy chose this path himself. He betrayed his homeland, severed all ties, and went to train with one of the most dangerous scoundrels in the shinobi world. And maybe I'm deaf, but you never mentioned that it was you who pushed him to escape."
Itachi's teeth gritted. His stone-like fortitude began to show its first crack.
"Sasuke shouldn't have done that," he said quietly but firmly. "He went looking for power in the wrong place. Besides, Danzo-san, I'm surprised you're describing Orochimaru as a dangerous villain, when in fact you've maintained contact with him for many years."
Shimura suddenly felt his shoulders begin to tense. For a moment, the office became too quiet, and he desperately wished for a squad of shinobi to burst in and stab Itachi to death. His wish was met with the same deathly silence. Dozens of questions swirled in his head.
"You are well informed," he noted, exhaling through his nose.
Denial and justification are for the weak. Danzo acknowledged what he had done and knew his reasons for it. He had no reason to be ashamed.
"I visited Orochimaru's laboratory in the northern Land of Fire," Itachi explained slowly, suddenly rising from his chair. "The largest of all his hideouts. It was supposed to be sealed by the Third, but when I arrived, I discovered traces of the seal, overlapping each other, as if it had been torn off and reapplied many, many times. You know? As if someone had been visiting this place regularly."
Danzo's fingers gripped the chair's armrests tightly as Itachi slowly walked past him. He watched, glancing sideways, as the Uchiha reached a table in the corner and poured oolong tea into a clean cup, its aromatic steam rising from it.
"When it comes to progress, military might and science must go hand in hand," Shimura muttered, tapping his finger on the varnished wood. "I only want the best for Konoha. Don't you?"
"The best? To those people who want to kill my little brother? Who want to kidnap my niece and keep her in a golden cage for the rest of her life? Danzo-san, I thought you had enough sense not to anger me."
Despite the well-heated office, a shiver ran down the man's spine. Danzo quickly pulled himself together. He'd lived too many years facing self-assured brazen figures like Itachi. Arrogance—that was something the Uchiha always had in unpleasant excess. It was as if they were born with this overwhelming sense of superiority.
"Note that I'm trying to make this as bloody as possible," he said, a little irritated. "If it were up to me, I'd finish off both Sasuke and his daughter at once. Enemies must be nipped in the bud, not given the chance to develop into a formidable opponent... and yet, as a politician, I understand that your niece will be more useful alive than dead. Or rather, her children. The next generation of Uchiha..."
The cup clinked as Itachi placed it on the table.
"You're digging yourself deeper and deeper, Danzo-san," he said quietly, his icy breath scorching the gray back of his head.
Uchiha circled around him, sat back down in the chair, and took a slow sip of his hot drink. For some reason, the way he was lording it over his office unsettled the alpha more than their awkward conversation.
"What will you do? Kill me?" he asked, sighing. "Be realistic. Killing me will ruin Sasuke's reputation. Some already think you're in cahoots with him. Two renegade brothers, one worse than the other."
"What about your reputation, Danzo-san? Many have sacrificed themselves for the village, but collaborating with the one who killed the beloved Third..." A wicked glint flashed in his black eyes.
The man's head fell back wearily as he massaged the crease across his nose. "What a son of a bitch. You're such a pain," a simple thought occurred to him. "I should have killed you as soon as you'd done your job. Tossed you in the same pile with your dead brother—and that's it."
- I doubt anyone will believe you.
Itachi's hand dove into the inside pocket of his cloak, and a stack of letters plopped down on the table. Danzo stared at it for a few seconds, and then understanding dawned on him. Something in his chest stirred unpleasantly.
"I should have burned them," he thought wearily. "But there was so much valuable knowledge there…"
"Mysterious letters discussing highly controversial topics. The results of human experiments..." Itachi declared lazily, watching his reaction. "They contain a small amount of Orochimaru's chakra. As for his handwriting, I think those in the know will be able to find a match. I'm also certain that sensor-nin will detect traces of your chakra on the letters, Danzo-san, since opening each one requires the use of a technique. What if the rest of the letters are found somewhere?"
They had to be found. Danzo sent shinobi to Orochimaru's island to destroy evidence and seize all the research—the vile snake preferred to keep his aces under wraps to remain in demand. But no letters or scientific data were found there. Most likely, the younger Uchiha...
Danzo pursed his lips.
"Are you blackmailing me?" he chuckled. "You want to exchange silence for your brother's safety?"
"Oh, no, I'm not that cunning," Itachi's lips twitched into a grim smile. "Especially since something like that wouldn't work on you."
- Then why are you telling me all this?
— I just wanted to reassure you: even after your death, the truth will come out one way or another.
The icy black gaze pierced him to the bone, and Danzo realized he was no longer comfortable being alone with Itachi. He exhaled slowly through his nose. He needed to pull himself together. Yes, there was a problem—but it was still manageable.
A wave of the hand and the stack of letters burst into a bright flame.
The firelight played across Itachi's face, making him look even more menacing. Tiny flames flickered in his bottomless eyes—the Uchiha looked like death itself. Death, however, was something Danzo had never feared.
"Who am I to play fair?" he said, throwing up his hands.
Itachi watched as the paper darkened and shriveled.
"It's a shame I didn't realize that about you right away," he sighed regretfully. "But then, I'm not averse to dirty tricks myself. Don't think you've destroyed the original. I would never have placed it under your nose."
The burning remains of the letters scattered across the room like black feathers.
Danzo jumped up. A huge black raven sat on the back of the Hokage's chair. And no one else.
"Are Homura and Koharu already dead?" he asked into the void.
"You are my priority, Danzo-san," Itachi's voice whispered from behind.
The man looked back. The Uchiha was standing practically right next to him, looking down slightly, and… well, it was true, he was furious. A black flame blazed in his eyes, burning right through Danzo's face. Shimura pulled a weapon from his coat.
"You won't leave Konoha alive," he warned casually.
Itachi didn't look particularly upset.
"I don't have much time left anyway. It's a shame I only opened my eyes now, at the very end of my life," he sighed. "Sasuke will be angry that I beat him to it in killing you... but someday he'll understand," hatred flashed in his eyes at that moment, "that my revenge is much more personal."
They moved at the same time.
—
Sasuke thought: maybe he imagined it.
Maybe this is a stupid prank by Kakashi and Sakura.
Anything other than the obvious - someone was persistently pounding on the front door.
Jumping up from the couch, he and Naruto exchanged a startled glance. Natsume was crying sleepily, her pitiful cries mingling with the rhythmic, incessant pounding, assaulting his eardrums. "Everything will change," Sasuke suddenly thought with perfect clarity, his hands growing cold. "From now on, everything will be different."
And there was nothing good at all in this thought.
"Sit here," Naruto said and ran out into the corridor.
The omega scooped up his sobbing daughter and hugged her, pacing back and forth excitedly. He approached the window, knowing full well it didn't have openings. Sasuke glanced at Naruto's bag and, rummaging through it, pulled out a camp knife. Natsume whined loudly in the omega's ear, and he thought with horror of how easily she would reveal their presence in this house. Just like when he was fleeing from a chase in the forest.
"Shh, shh…" Sasuke hissed, searching for the discarded pacifier in the folds of the blanket. "Scared, huh? It's okay, I'm right here…"
Finding a pacifier, he shoved it into her screaming mouth, and Natsume reluctantly smacked her lips, grimacing as if someone was trying to feed her a lemon. Her black eyes fluttered resentfully, their lashes matted together. Large tears froze on her striped cheeks, tearing at the omega's heart. Laying his daughter's head on his shoulder, he pressed her tiny nose to his neck, allowing her to breathe in his scent to her heart's content. Her indignant sniffles raised goosebumps on her skin.
"Okay..." Sasuke nodded, stroking her warm back with sweaty palms. "Everything will be fine, your dad will protect us."
The thought of Naruto calmed the omega a little. He knew the alpha would keep his word—he'd lay down his life to keep the enemy out of this room. Sasuke had no doubt about it. Reaching for the crumpled blanket, he draped it over Natsume and hugged her tighter—in case they had to flee into the winter cold.
The little girl was quiet, snoring hotly into her dad's neck, and he took advantage of this moment to prick up his ears and listen to what was happening in the hallway.
"There were a few more of you than I thought," said a rough, unfamiliar voice with a chuckle.
"You won't even set foot in this house," Naruto replied, and the hair on the back of the omega's neck stood on end at how low his voice had become, laced with threat.
— Really? Why is that? Maybe this is your house?
"But not yours either," the alpha snapped.
"Ah," the stranger suddenly became cheerful. "So Itachi-san didn't tell you."
Itachi.
Sasuke shuddered. The mere sound of that name sent shivers through him. Holding Natsume, he pressed his forehead against the wooden wall and squeezed his eyes shut. He knew. He knew, he knew, he knew . He knew that sooner or later the darkness would return to him—even darker than before. It had just returned somehow too suddenly… though perhaps the right moment had never existed.
The unfamiliar voice was joined by another one – louder and… familiar?
- So, is Sasuke here or not?
Omega's eyes widened, then he frowned in disbelief. What the…
"You won't see him," Kakashi responded gloomily.
— But why? We came to talk to him specifically.
In a matter of seconds, Sasuke's alarm gave way to profound bewilderment. Had he misheard? Of all the people who could have been standing on the other side of that door… where did he come from? How ridiculous!
The confusion became so intense that it overwhelmed the fear. Omega adjusted his daughter, wrapped in a blanket over her head, in his arms, quietly kicked the door, and stepped out into the hallway. From the front, the warm light of portable lamps diffused across the walls, casting blurred shadows. Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi stood close together, staring intently toward the door.
The alpha was the first to notice him. And, having noticed, he was confused.
- Sasuke... You better not...
"It's okay," the omega reassured him, stepping into the dim light and directing his gaze towards the doorway.
The first thing that caught his attention, like a powerful magnet, was the brute. He was so tall that he had to bow his head slightly to avoid hitting his forehead on the doorframe. His bluish skin took on a swampy hue in the lamplight. His round, shark-like eyes met the omega's, and the stranger smiled with razor-sharp teeth. This was an alpha, and Sasuke resisted the urge to wince—a strong, oily scent hung in the hallway, clinging to his skin like a thin film.
Creepy. He involuntarily hugged Natsume tighter—as if sensing the tension, she went quiet, barely perceptible snoring into the crook of his neck. It was hard to look away from this brute, but Sasuke did it anyway, and when he saw who the second shinobi was… he wanted to roll his eyes.
"Suigetsu," he said with a sigh, feeling the tension finally subside.
"Oh, here's Sasuke," the white-haired youth smiled the same shark-like grin as his companion. "I've actually missed you. You haven't visited us at all!"
"Sasuke," Kakashi called tensely. "Do you know him?"
"He's from the Eastern Hideout. Orochimaru pitted us against each other when we lived there for a while. He wanted to see who was stronger," Sasuke shrugged, as if to say it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. "He's harmless. He's never beaten me."
"Because you cheated, right?" Suigetsu raised an eyebrow.
- Hn.
Being in heat isn't cheating. It wasn't his, Sasuke's, fault that it happened during their training. The omega was used to ignoring it, but Suigetsu's heat scent apparently really interfered with his concentration. Whatever the case, Sasuke had no connection with this alpha other than a month of training together in the Eastern Hideout. However, that month was enough to convince the omega of Suigetsu's harmlessness. He's an idiot, a little nasty, but that's probably all.
- In general, we know each other.
"The second is Kisame," the sensei explained. "Your brother's partner during the Akatsuki."
"You remember me, Kakashi-san," the big man smiled a little wider. "I'm flattered. You have a good memory, unlike your bushy-browed friend."
"What are they talking about?" Sasuke thought nervously, looking from one to the other. If this man (or was he even a man?) was ex-Akatsuki... if he was Itachi's partner , he'd have to be careful.
Natsume squealed loudly, kicking the omega somewhere in the ribs, and began to tug at the collar of his shirt.
Both alphas' eyes slid toward her—apparently they didn't immediately recognize the child because of the shapeless blanket draped over her. Sasuke took a cautious step back, and Kakashi and Naruto's hands instinctively shot up, blocking his path.
But the alphas were in no hurry to act. Kisame stared silently at the small hands fiddling with the fabric on Sasuke's chest. Digesting what he saw was a difficult task. Suigetsu, on the other hand, got his bearings very quickly.
"Holy shit!" he gasped, pointing his finger at Natsume and looking at her like she was a ghost. "Sasuke, is this yours?!"
The Omega chuckled contemptuously. He'd had trouble explaining his child to even Naruto, so he had no idea how to explain it to the other curious people. Although... Did Sasuke owe anyone an explanation? Not at all. He had a daughter now, period. And to hell with anyone pestering him with tactless questions.
"Very interesting," Kisame's reaction was much more restrained, his predatory smile instantly turning awkward. "Itachi-san said the situation was sensitive, but now I think that's putting it mildly..."
Sasuke pursed his lips. His brother's name cut through his chest like a whip.
"Have you seen Itachi?" Naruto asked, stealthily taking short steps to shield the omega from view. "Did he send you?"
Right now, Sasuke didn't mind being hidden behind the alpha at all. This wasn't the time to play up his pride, and the spot behind Naruto felt like the safest place in the world.
"Oh, yes, he asked me for a friendly favor. Right before he headed to Konoha."
The four of them exchanged confused glances. Sasuke's heart pounded excitedly in his throat. He pressed his cheek to Natsume's blonde head, inhaling the pleasant bouquet of scents, a mingling of his and Naruto's. The little girl meowed something, continuing to tug at his shirt. The longer they stood there, the more active she became, squirming in her father's arms and grunting.
"Itachi's in Konoha now?" Naruto frowned. "What's he doing there?"
"You probably don't know yet," Kisame chuckled. "News reaches these parts last. Which is doubly ironic, considering the forest itself borders the Land of Fire."
Omega swallowed. He didn't know what the man was getting at, but he suspected that...
— Itachi-san killed the deputy hokage.
If Sasuke had been able to look at himself from the outside, he would have seen that he had turned purple. Blood rushed to his head, and his cheeks burned like a slap: know your place, Sasuke . It was a blow below the belt, a knife in the back. It was… it was… simply unthinkable!
"Why is he doing this to me?" the omega thought bitterly, looking down at the floor.
"He killed Danzo? Seriously?!" Naruto picked his jaw up from the floor and looked happily at Sasuke, but he didn't see any glee in his eyes, after which he became embarrassed. "But... why didn't Itachi come here himself? Why did he send you?"
Rolling his eyes, Suigetsu leaned his shoulder against the doorframe, boredly watching Natsume stir in her blanket. The conversation about Itachi and Danzo apparently held no interest for him.
"I suppose Itachi-san knew his actions were a one-way ticket," Kisame shrugged. "I heard the fight was good. The Hokage's house burned so well that night, the plume of smoke visible even from the forest."
"What's wrong with him now?" Sasuke asked dryly. "Is he dead?"
"Don't let him even dare," he could hear the blood boiling in his temples. "To stir up trouble and then disappear without taking responsibility. Don't give me a chance..."
"No, Itachi-san is still alive," Kisame scratched his chin. "He was pretty battered in that battle, so Konoha took him prisoner. Although, I think the death penalty is just a matter of time. Sad. He was a good man."
Sasuke stared ahead silently, feeling himself gradually sinking deeper and deeper. Even the feeling of Natsume's warmth, tickling his ear, couldn't stop the omega from slowly drifting away from reality. Naruto, Kakashi, Sakura... the walls surrounding them—all of it was getting further and further away, gradually dissolving into darkness.
"Before coming to Konoha, Itachi-san visited one more place. He didn't say which one, but he brought back this," Kisame pulled a nondescript scroll from his hip pouch. "I don't know what's in there. Itachi-san said Sasuke-kun would figure out what to do with it."
Kakashi took a step, taking the scroll in his place. Sasuke breathed slowly, staring at one spot. His lungs were melting. It felt like any moment now and he would inevitably burst into flames and burn to a pile of embers.
"Oh, it smells delicious here…" Suigetsu sniffed the smell of dinner coming from the kitchen, but didn't dare step outside the threshold.
"I guess they won't let us in the house," Kisame realized, glancing at Natsume. "That's a shame. It's become much more comfortable here since the last time I was here."
Handing the scroll to Sakura, the sensei looked back at the man in surprise. His one visible eye narrowed suspiciously.
— This house – how many other people know about it?
"Only you, Suigetsu... well, and Itachi-san. Actually, he learned about it from me, because this is my late great-grandmother's house," he replied flippantly, enjoying the shinobi's long faces. "But make yourself at home."
"You were less polite last time," Kakashi recalled.
"There weren't any babies around last time," he looked at Natsume again, causing Naruto's back to stiffen. "Don't worry, Naruto-kun, I don't pick fights with babies. A bit... how should I put it? Out of my league."
Suigetsu chuckled nastily. Kisame continued.
"I'm not helping you, I'm helping Itachi-san. If he cares about Sasuke-kun, then there's obviously no point in touching him."
Sasuke heard them talking about him, but he didn't pay attention. He thought he was going to puke. He was going to burst. He wanted... he wanted... to wring someone's neck. Only Natsume, wriggling in his arms like a snake, was the one holding him back from any rash actions.
At that moment, Natsume twisted in her father's arms, and he had to scoop her up under her belly. The blanket slipped, her curious black eyes lingered on the new faces, and the baby let out a surprised squeak, not forgetting to aggressively suck on her pacifier.
"At least now it's crystal clear to me who the other father is," Suigetsu grinned slyly, glancing at the scowling Naruto. "You're kidding... It's a girl?" the omega nodded. "Hard... how did this happen?"
"Do you want all the details?" Uzumaki grinned.
- Uh, no, I think I'll manage...
Natsume glanced at Suigetsu and Kisame, smiled uncertainly, then fell into deep thought, as if deciding something to herself... and, grimacing, burst into tears, as if one of them had mortally offended her. The pacifier slammed onto the dirty floor, and the hallway filled with a child's screams. Suigetsu winced and cleared his ears. Accustomed to Natsu's screams, Sasuke merely hugged her tighter, allowing her to squeal into his shoulder, and stroked the baby's back.
"You're scaring her," Naruto muttered, folding his arms across his chest and looking at Kisame. "You've already relayed Itachi's words, so there's nothing more for you to do here."
"It's sad to hear I don't belong in my own house," Kisami said, not too offended. "Anyway, we were just about to leave. Good luck, Sasuke-kun."
The farewell was chilly. Omega watched their figures recede down the bush-lined path, then squeezed his eyes shut. He really was about to be torn apart. Into a million bloody pieces. If he didn't do something…
"Naruto," he called, handing his daughter over to the alpha. "Keep an eye on her for a little while."
"What are you planning to do?" he asked suspiciously, obediently pressing Natsu to his heart.
"I'll take them to the well. I need to talk to this big guy, okay?" The boy wanted to say something, but the omega beat him to it. "Naruto, trust me: I need to."
Jumping out into the cold, he ran in the footsteps of the two alphas, catching up with them before they descended into the well. Hearing footsteps behind him, they stopped, casting surprised glances at the omega. He clenched his fists. Perhaps if he opened his mouth, a shower of sparks would burst forth... Sasuke felt himself burning from within.
"Why did Itachi do this?" he blurted out, casting a demanding glance at Kisame.
The alpha's eyebrows rose slightly. Suigetsu rolled his eyes, folded his arms behind his head, and trudged on lazily. Kisame remained silent, and the omega took a determined step forward. He was tall, but even so, he had to tilt his head back to look the man in the eye. The heavy scent pressed the omega into the wet snow, but he stood firm on his feet.
"Why?" he asked, his voice begging for some kind of answer. "Why would he do all this? Save me once, then twice… kill Danzo. I don't understand. Didn't he really say… anything?"
A smile… or smirk, spread across the man's face. With teeth like those, anything would look like an evil grin.
"I didn't ask him. I thought the answer was obvious."
— "Obvious"?
- You are his brother, Sasuke-kun.
Omega was so stunned that he blinked like an idiot for a few seconds. What a jerk. Was he kidding me? Flames danced in his mouth, tickling the walls of his throat.
"So what?" he narrowed his eyes. "What the hell does that even mean?"
"I don't know," Kisame continued to grin. "I thought it meant something. Didn't it?"
" He's not my brother ," Sasuke muttered, and something inside him gave a treacherous lurch at those words, because God knows... deep down in his soul, a not-quite-buried love for Itachi still trembled. "Fuck it, I don't care. Did he say anything else?"
He wanted to know more. The smallest bits of information that would help him form a complete picture of Itachi. All this time, his older brother had been leading the omega by the nose like a wayward child, toying with his emotions as he pleased. As if Sasuke weren't even human, just a pet for whom he could decide how he would live and die. Sasuke hated it. He wanted to unravel Itachi. To lift the veil of mystery from his cartoonishly dramatic silhouette.
"Itachi-san said he'll die soon. He has a disease here," Kisame pointed a bluish finger at his temple. "Which will soon overcome him. So if Konoha doesn't execute him, the disease will."
Sasuke's lungs had expelled all the oxygen, but they couldn't take it back. He swallowed hard. No, no, no. It couldn't be. This was a lie. Another manipulation. This was it, from beginning to end, everything, everything, everything…
"He lied..." Sasuke whispered, his voice a muffled echo in the water. "He pulled the wool over your eyes so you'd dance to his tune."
Because bastards like Itachi never die like that.
"I don't think that's a lie. Itachi-san smelled sickly," Kisame shook his head and sighed. "Ah, he really did become too kind towards the end of his life. Playing the hero for someone who doesn't even consider him a brother? If I were him, I'd find other entertainment."
Before the omega could answer, he said goodbye.
- Well, now I really have to go.
Sasuke didn't wait for him to leave. Turning around without a word, he set off back at a brisk pace, his shoes sinking into the soft, melting snow. Passing the house, he plunged deeper into the forest, heading for the opposite shore of the island. His hot breath escaped from the grinding of his teeth. He was at the limit of his patience, and it was about to snap in three, two, one…
Itachi's face appeared before his eyes as a dark blur, and Sasuke thought: burn . The entire world beyond the island must burn and scream in pain.
As soon as he reached the lake, his hands formed seals of their own accord, and a gigantic fireball streaked across the water, boiling its surface in seconds. The trees burst into flames, almost immediately crumbling into embers and ash. For a brief moment, the entire area was illuminated by a bright, fiery light, and the omega's face was bathed in scorching air.
But that wasn't enough—Itachi's face still obscured his vision. Swinging his sword, Sasuke struck with all his might at the miraculously intact fir tree trunk, listening with delight to the crunch of splinters beneath his knuckles.
His lungs burned from using the technique. Hot sweat trickled down his temples as Sasuke destroyed everything within his reach. It was as if all the energy he'd been pent up for months had been released in a deafening explosion.
Finally, exhausted, the omega sat down on the scorched ground. Surrounded by smoking coals and stumps, he buried his face in his knees.
"I thought the answer was obvious. You're his brother, Sasuke-kun."
Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut. The fact that he shared blood with Itachi hadn't stopped him from ruining his entire life. And now the omega couldn't see any sense in the fact that this same man had suddenly rushed to defend him. Was this just another part of some brilliant plan? To make Sasuke believe in him again, only to crush that faith to dust?
In the end, the situation was such that bullying his younger brother simply gave Itachi a strange, perverted pleasure.
- Sasuke?
The omega flinched at the sound of Kakashi's voice. Receiving no response, the man stepped closer and slowly placed his hand on the boy's hunched back. Kakashi immediately shrugged, shaking the other man's hand off.
"The fire almost reached the house. I understand you might be very upset, but... oh," Sasuke raised his head, and the alpha let out a shocked breath. " You're furious."
He probably expected the omega to cry or something. However, crying was the last thing Sasuke wanted right now. What he really wanted was something completely different – Itachi's blood and everything burning.
"He shouldn't have killed Danzo," Sasuke said hoarsely. "It should have been me."
Kakashi fell silent, confused, and suddenly the words flowed out of the omega like a river:
"Why does Itachi do this? First he plays the villain, then the hero. He acts like a big brother, threatens to kill, and then saves me. Instead of leaving me alone, he keeps poking his nose into my life time after time, even though I didn't ask for it... Why?" He chuckled hysterically. "Don't answer that, I already know: he's just a bastard who enjoys trampling on my emotions. He gets off on playing god with me."
He fell silent, staring at the sparkling coals and breathing heavily. Sensei sat down on a charred stump next to the omega, keeping a respectful distance.
— Think of it as Itachi saving you from having to get your hands dirty.
"I wanted to get my hands dirty!" Sasuke barked, glaring furiously at the alpha. "This is my revenge! I was ready! If you don't remember, my hands are already bloody up to the elbows—what difference does it make if I get them even more dirty?!"
"These hands will raise Natsume. You must take care of them, Sasuke. Both them and your soul."
The Omega bit his lip. He didn't want to believe Itachi had actually helped them. Perhaps his older brother simply wanted to anger him one last time—to devour his soul and die without leaving a single answer. If only Sasuke could get to Itachi, if only he could see, if only he could squeeze even a little truth from his filthy, lying mouth…
"What was in that scroll?" he asked, remembering the conversation in the hallway.
"Letters," Kakashi spread his hands. "Lots and lots of letters. Notes, annotations. But the information is still insufficient. They were obviously written for Danzo, but whose handwriting is a mystery. I'd wager it was Orochimaru, but we have no proof."
Sasuke closed his eyes wearily. He would have been so happy to say that he didn't understand anything either. He would have gathered up those letters and tossed the whole stack into the fireplace. They would have burned so beautifully…
"I think I know where to find the second part of the letters," he muttered and fell silent.
Would this really help shed light on Konoha's secrets? There were still elders in the village—would it be possible to expose them? Why should he even bother trying to clear his name in front of a bunch of idiots? Why did an omega care so much about what Konoha thought of him?
"This is your homeland," Naruto's accusing voice sighed in Sasuke's head, making him feel ashamed. He wanted to trust the alpha, really. But it seemed his homeland had betrayed him time and time again—in the form of Itachi, in the form of Danzo, in the form of those shinobi who had snatched Natsume from her father's arms.
"You know what I think?" Kakashi suddenly realized. "Konoha could have killed Itachi outright, but they chose to capture him and make it widely known. I suspect they're trying to lure you out this way."
Sasuke's teeth gritted again.
- I know.
- Then what will you do?
The Omega shook his head, feeling like it was about to split. Itachi… as much as he hated his brother, he still wanted to see him. To talk, to ask… to give him as much pain as Itachi had given him, only multiplied tenfold.
"Just recently, I was thinking about giving up everything," he frowned, looking at the lake and the path of melted ice. "Go somewhere in the wilderness to the south, to a small, nameless village where they haven't even heard of me, or even of the Uchiha. I thought... maybe it would be easier that way." After a brief pause, the omega sighed sadly. "But if I do that... Naruto will be upset, right?"
Sensei ran his hand through his shock of platinum hair, puzzled.
"He'll be upset," he didn't deny. "But maybe sooner or later he'll accept your choice."
If Naruto had accepted Sasuke's choice so easily, he wouldn't have gone searching for him in another country. So stupid. The Omega had rejected him a hundred times, and the Alpha didn't care. Sasuke wanted to protest, but he couldn't. If not for Naruto's stubbornness, he would have been consumed by boundless loneliness.
"...but I still won't do that, will I?" he said questioningly, as if he weren't sure of himself. "Otherwise it would look like I've run away."
"You gave up too quickly, Sasuke," an imaginary Naruto scolded him, and the omega winced. His pride wouldn't allow him to give in. To run away with his tail between his legs. No, Sasuke always told himself he was above that.
— Sometimes it's good to run away.
He looked up at Kakashi in surprise.
— Is this what you recommend doing?
Perhaps he was remembering those distant times when he'd called Hatake "sensei"—back then, the alpha had been Sasuke's undisputed authority. Or perhaps the omega was speaking in desperation. He wanted someone to help him make the right choice. Because when Sasuke made his own choices, he'd been missing the mark too often lately.
"Since when do you listen to my advice?" the man chuckled. "The last time I remember, you scolded me for even trying to get a word in edgewise."
"That was inappropriate," Sasuke snapped. "And too personal. We're talking about something bigger now. Naruto said we need to take back Konoha, and I want to do it with him, but..."
- But?
"Natsume's still so tiny," the omega's voice tinged with weakness. "I worry about her safety even here, on this deserted island... and there are too many threats in Konoha. I don't know how to protect her from everything that will happen there. I'm afraid I won't be able to..."
Kakashi scratched his chin thoughtfully through his mask.
"Honestly, I don't think Natsume's health is in any danger," he said, surprising Sasuke. "The village wants to raise her, so it's in their best interests to make sure not a hair falls on Natsu's head. But the one they're most desperate to kill is you."
"Maybe they don't want to harm her health, but they still see her as a weapon. Naruto told me about his friend who fell into Danzo's clutches as a child... and I don't want her to grow up like that!"
He only had to think about how they would touch Natsume... how they would tell her all sorts of nasty things about Sasuke, defame her family name so that she would be ashamed to be called Uchiha... the omega was ready to turn into a fire-breathing dragon!
"Danzo is gone," the man reminded him, holding out his hands in a placating gesture. "He left behind the remaining Root members and elders."
"Are these elders our friends?" Sasuke chuckled incredulously.
"They were always more cautious than Danzo, but I could never tell exactly what was on their minds. They're just old men, anyway. Even Naruto commands more respect from people than those two."
Sasuke stared at his soot-stained palms in confusion, clenching and unclenching his fists. What should he do? He truly wanted to fight; fighting was in his blood. But since he had a daughter, and her well-being was at stake, among other things... Although, even if he ran away, Konoha would hardly forget about them. Sasuke sighed wearily.
— Are you saying there's any point in trying?
Kakashi's eyes smiled.
"There's always point in trying," he said encouragingly, standing up. "Let's go back."
Omega followed him, dejected. They walked silently toward the house, skirting charred stumps—the wood still smoldering in some places. The rage that had flared within him at the mention of Itachi erupted in a fireball, and now Sasuke felt his feet touch the ground again. The brief conversation with Kakashi had somehow calmed him down.
Sasuke went into the kitchen first to wet his hoarse throat and wipe his hands. Sakura sat at the table, piled high with letters, carefully reading one of them.
"What do you think?" the omega asked quietly, pouring water from the teapot into a mug.
"This is... simply incredible," the girl breathed, not taking her eyes off the text. "The things discussed here... a true breakthrough in medicine! I've never seen anything like it before. But I dread to think at what cost these discoveries were made..."
"Don't get me wrong, you'll sleep better," Sasuke advised, remembering the piles of mangled bodies Kabuto had burned after his failed experiments. He listened to the sounds in the living room. "Did you put Natsume to bed?"
"Um... no, I don't think so," the beta was so engrossed in her reading that she didn't even notice the omega wiping the ash off her face and neck. "Naruto tried, but she can't sleep without you."
Sasuke remembered how he had casually shoved his daughter into Naruto's arms before running out after Kisame, and he immediately felt so ashamed... quickly wiping his dirty hands with a towel, he hurried into the large room.
Naruto sat on a mattress spread out on the floor, his purse jingling painfully over the baby's head. She always loved watching this ridiculous, jingling thing, but now Natsume only whined discontentedly, her nose twisting around the rattle. It was one of those times when she was already sleepy, but couldn't fall asleep because she was crying. And she cried because she couldn't sleep.
Turning his head at the sound of the door creaking, the alpha looked Sasuke over from head to toe. The omega's clothes smelled faintly of burning, and judging by the flaring of his nostrils, Uzumaki couldn't help but notice it. But fortunately, he didn't ask any unnecessary questions.
"Does it feel better?" was all he asked.
"Yes," the omega sat down next to him and nodded at Natsu. "Can't sleep?"
"I bet that shark asshole will be giving her nightmares now," Naruto snorted, handing the baby over to her dad.
"I spent an hour putting her to bed, and they came and woke her up," Sasuke complained, untangling his shoulder and chest from under the fabric of his shirt. "Bastards."
They were silent for a few minutes, listening to the silence and Natsume's soft smacking. Her breasts acted like a switch, instantly shutting off her screaming and tantrums. He didn't want to resort to this trump card so often, but the omega was too tired to waste another hour of this already restless night on putting his daughter to bed. Very soon, the baby's eyes closed, her fingers relaxed, and a synchronized sigh of relief escaped both the omega and the alpha.
"Have you decided what you're going to do?" Naruto whispered, moving closer. "You know what I mean. I wish I could give you more time..."
"…but we don't have it," Sasuke finished for him, feeling the weight of the blond head on his shoulder.
"I can't make you come back," the alpha's warm breath caressed the curve of her pale neck. "But I can't leave you here alone either. I can't stand this distance anymore."
Sasuke understood. Over time, the bond had grown so strong that at times it felt like he and Naruto were tied by a short leash. The thought of being apart now seemed utterly absurd to the omega. Even if he overcame this attraction, even if he let Naruto go to Konoha, or even if he ran away himself… would he ever be happy?
Sasuke wanted to fight. To stand side by side with his alpha. In the old days, an omega would have been the first to declare war on the entire village. But now they had Natsume, and he could no longer be reckless. Now, whenever he decided to do anything, he had to think of his daughter first.
"If I return there with you," he began quietly, "you will guarantee safety for Na…"
"One hundred percent," the alpha answered, not even letting him finish.
- If necessary, will you die for her?
- Yes.
Sasuke pursed his lips. These were easy questions, really. He didn't even think Naruto would hesitate in answering them. But now the omega had to go even further—to test the waters.
"If someone told you to kill either me or Natsume, who would you choose?"
Naruto jerked his head up, rising from Sasuke's shoulder, and looked at him incredulously. He stared at the omega for a moment, his lips moving silently. His blue eyes began to gleam suspiciously. Sasuke knew what he was doing… knew how the alpha felt. If Naruto had asked him that question, he would have hit him harder.
"That's a cruel question, Sasuke," the alpha exhaled hoarsely.
"I know," his hand dropped to Natsume's head and stroked the back of her fair hair. "That's why it's so important to me that you answer it."
Naruto ran his hand over his neck, licking his lips nervously. Sasuke had asked a question that had no right answer.
- I will kill whoever puts me in front of such a choice.
- You can't answer like that.
- Then I'll kill myself!
The omega's heart sank.
- Same here.
Alpha bit the inside of his cheek.
"Come on, Sasuke..." he tried to smile. "That'll never happen."
"It doesn't matter whether it happens or not. I just need to know the answer," Sasuke tried to explain. "Please, Naruto. Me or Natsume?"
Naruto shook his head, running his hand over his face, then looked at Natsu. She was snoring softly, smacking her lips even in her sleep. Her pale eyelashes fluttered. The omega's graceful fingers gently stroked her golden hair. The Alpha glanced at his omega and daughter, admiring them as if they were paintings in a museum.
"You," he finally said, as if every word burned his tongue. "If it comes to that, I'll kill you, Sasuke."
...and, strangely enough, an unprecedented calm immediately settled over the omega's soul, and his heart filled with love so much that it began to burst at the seams. Reaching out, he gently stroked the alpha's cheek, tracing the beloved stripes with his finger. Naruto nuzzled into his palm like a frightened puppy, and Sasuke smiled faintly.
"Good…" he murmured, leaning down and kissing him softly. "Good boy."
"Okay?" Naruto whispered into the kiss. "Is that the right answer, in your opinion?"
"That's the perfect answer," the omega purred, trailing kisses across her bronze skin, overcome with sudden tenderness. "Let's go back to Konoha... and try to take it back."