Naruto Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ A Strange New World ❯ The Prophecy Revealed ( Chapter 22 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

The Prophecy Revealed?

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

It felt like months since Sasuke got the prophecy. He felt like burning the thing, if he needed another copy it was quite likely that his brother would know what it was off by heart, however that meant relying in his brother, the same brother that was currently in he same cell as Orochimaru and Kurama. He gave an exasperated growl as he returned to the problem at hand. How in the world was he supposed to get the Mangekyo Sharingan if he couldn't even work out the bloody clue?


Only when there are three sons of an only son able to access the ultimate power shall their destinies unfold. When a life is forced to be taken, when a life is taken forcefully and when a life is freely given shall the kaleidoscope be freed from the blood-seal. Only when the perceived dead lives, the perceived betrayer returns and the perceived child grows, shall the eyes of destiny look upon the three and the wheel of fate shall begin to turn.


He heard a knock on the door and Hiei entered the room with some sandwiches and tea. "Sasuke, you still need to eat." The apparition said crossly. "What good will a Mangekyo using Uchiha be if he is too exhausted to punch himself out of a wet paper bag?" Hiei glared at Sasuke until he picked up a sandwich, grumbling that the apparition wasn't his mother. "I heard that." He picked up the scroll that Sasuke was trying to decipher. "This what you're working on?" Hiei asked Sasuke nodded. "Really, it isn't that difficult." Hiei said, setting the scroll back down. "Confusing, but not difficult."

"So what is the solution then, smart-ass?" Sasuke snapped. "I have been working on this for ages. Wait a minute, you can read it?"

"Clearly." Hiei said, giving Sasuke a funny look. "I wouldn't have worked it out otherwise." He sat beside Sasuke and pulled out a scroll. "I can't believe that you can't work this out for yourself." He started explaining what he believed the scroll meant.


"Please, Hokage-sama!" Sasuke shouted. "I need to do this!" Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "I wouldn't ask if it wasn't necessary. This is the only way that I could get Naruto back, and I will do this if it means turning against the village. Naruto means more to me than Konoha ever will." The pair glared at each other. Both cared for the kitsune vessel, but wanted to get him back in two totally different ways.

"Why does it have to be Orochimaru?" She asked.

"Because he won't be missed by many if it doesn't work." Sasuke said. "There are precious few couples that I can think of that would be able to do what I want, and they can. In fact the only other couples that could work are Yusuke and Hiei and Kakashi and Iruka." Sasuke said. "I would hate to kill those that is close to me like they are."

"The 'no' is still a 'no', Sasuke." Tsunade said. "Go home and get some sleep. Maybe your idiotic scheme will work its way out of your system."


Sasuke ran all the way to the detention cells. He had no intention of doing what Tsunade asked. Before he burst into the cell he activated the Sharingan eyes. He threw four kunai, two pinning Fukuro to the wall, and two pinning Kurama, leaving Orochimaru free. Sasuke removed a fifth kunai as he approached Orochimaru. "I could kill you right here, and Tsunade-sama said that she wouldn't care." Sasuke said, watching Kurama out of the corner of his eye, seeing the kitsune frustrated was almost enough. "Nobody would miss you if I sliced your throat here and now."

Kurama whimpered at the pain, the kunai had cut into muscle, making it painful to move, but if he didn't? He ripped out the kunai causing him the problems and ran between Orochimaru and Sasuke. "You're wrong. There is a person that would miss him." Kurama said, chancing a look at Orochimaru. "I would. There is no chance that I will let you kill him. You're going to have to kill me first." Sasuke took a deep breath. That was what he had been waiting for.


FLASHBACK

"Look, Sasuke, this is what I see." Hiei said as he felt Sasuke's full attention placed on him. "It mentions three different people and three different situations." Hiei said as he opened a new scroll, writing Sasuke, Itachi and Fukuro down. "You have three different situations." Once more he wrote the three down, but to one side. "And you have three identifiers." Again they were written down, this time below the names. "From here we know for certain that it is you and your brothers, and we also know the identification factors that names you as such."

"Why have you put them to one side?" Sasuke asked pointing to the factors of the Mangekyo Sharingan. "They have been decided already."

"They were the only factors that could have been chosen." Hiei said. "Either of the three of you could have been any of these. Even now, this isn't totally decided, this allows movement."

"But..."

Hiei rolled the scroll out further and wrote the three scenarios that led to the other pair getting the Mangekyo Sharingan. "Let us start with Fukuro, and what you have said about him." Hiei said. "He was 'forced' to kill the Hyuuga he was travelling with, correct?" Sasuke nodded. "He wasn't." Hiei held up his hand to stop Sasuke's outburst. "He could have let her live. Had he have done so, I believe that he would have still received the Mangekyo Sharingan."

"You can't be serious!" Sasuke shouted. "What makes you say that?"

"I shall explain all later." Hiei said, finding it surprising that his patience had lasted that long. "On to the middle brother, Itachi." Again he wrote down the name. "Now we know he killed another member of your clan to get his." Sasuke nodded. "He held his life in his hands, but he chose to take it away."

"Let me guess, had he spared Shisui, he would still have got the Mangekyo Sharingan?" Sasuke snorted, and Hiei gave a nod. "Great."

"Onto yourself, Sasuke." Hiei said once Sasuke had quietened down. "How many ways can you see in there to get the Mangekyo Sharingan?"

"Two." Sasuke said. "A life forced to be taken, and a life that is forcibly taken and a life freely given." Hiei chuckled.

"Watch, Sasuke." Hiei said as he wrote the sentence down. When a life is forced to be taken, when a life is taken forcefully and when a life is freely given shall the kaleidoscope be freed from the blood-seal. He smiled at Sasuke. "I do not know much about writing, but I believe that it could be seen as this." Once more he wrote down the sentence and just as Sasuke was about to tell him that there was no difference, Hiei smirked and put a small line on the sheet. When a life is forced to be taken, when a life is taken forcefully, when a life is freely given shall the kaleidoscope be freed from the blood-seal. "Do you see it now, Sasuke?" Sasuke nodded, too stunned to speak. Hiei had seen what he had missed. There were three situations.

"But shouldn't all Uchihas have managed to get the Mangekyo Sharingan if it was that easy?" Sasuke asked. "Ninjas have to kill to survive the whole time, eventually they would have got it."

Hiei shook his head. "Not necessarily." He said. "From what I learned from you, the Sharingan needs to be put under some pressure to evolve. Why don't you tell me how your Sharingan changed?”

"It appeared first when Naruto and myself were trapped inside a dome of ice. He was injured, unconscious, and I had to protect him." Hiei nodded. "That was when the Sharingan made an appearance." Hiei nodded. "The next time it changed was when I faced Orochimaru, again Naruto was injured and I had to protect the three of us." Again Hiei nodded. "And you really don't want to know what happened the third time." Thinking about Orochimaru made his skin crawl.

"Each time your Sharingan changed, it was because your life was in danger, not because you were protecting others, Sasuke." Hiei said. "From what we can see here," He pointed at the sheet, "is every time the Sharingan changed into the Mangekyo Sharingan, it involved high emotional strain on the user's part, while the normal Sharingan involved physical strain. You want Naruto back, don't you?"

"Of course I do." Sasuke snapped. "You know that."

"Then you are already under quite a lot of emotional strain." Hiei said. "You just need a little more to push you over the edge, and to have the Sharingan activated at the time. Just be careful when you do so."


END OF FLASHBACK


Kurama and Sasuke stared at each other. "You would willingly give your life for his?" Sasuke asked. He could feel a slight change in the Sharingan, the vision becoming even clearer.

"Without a second's hesitation." Kurama said, when Sasuke raised the blade to his throat." He knew that Orochimaru would protest otherwise, but he held strong. "I would protect him as you would Naruto." The point of the kunai pressed against the pale skin, partly drawing out a whimper as a small rivulet of blood slipped away from the wound. Still the kitsune refused to move.

Sasuke could see Orochimaru move behind Kurama, and knew why. At the first sign of him going in for the kill, Orochimaru would move Kurama away, or failing that, have the kunai strike into a less vital area, like a shoulder. There was only one way to find out. He thrust forward, and partly as expected, Orochimaru got Kurama out of the way of the killing blow, taking the kunai in his left shoulder with a hiss of pain. Sasuke ran the kunai over the ribs. One... two... three... four... five... six. He left the kunai in that position. "So one so cold as you does, indeed, have a heart."

Kurama whimpered as he touched his neck, knowing that it could have been his death had Orochimaru not pushed him out the way. Suddenly a cold fear crept over his body; what happened to Orochimaru? He could see Sasuke holding the kunai to Orochimaru's chest. He didn't need a second look to know where it would go. "Orochimaru..." The rest was cut off by Fukuro's hand.

"Don't interfere, my baby brother is finally growing up." Fukuro said, eyes glued on Sasuke. "It is about time too."

Orochimaru looked at Sasuke, before his eyes moved to Kurama, the agony in the green depths. "Shuichi, you said before that life was full of regrets." Orochimaru said. "I think that I finally know what you mean, and I am sorry that I am bound to end up as another one in your, already heavy, heart." A single tear threatened to fall, but was quickly blinked back. "You opened my mind and my heart. If only you were here sooner, then perhaps, things could have been different." Orochimaru's hand moved to Sasuke's, ignoring Sasuke's warnings, and twisted the Uchiha's wrist slightly, so the kunai would slip easier between his ribs. His eyes closed, not wanting the last think he saw to be Kurama's tear-filled eyes. "Sasuke-san, please make it quick." Orochimaru said as both his hands went behind his back. There was a flash of pain and Orochimaru dropped to the floor. The bloodstained kunai was thrown away from the Shinobi and it became imbedded in the wall next to the door.

Kurama lashed out with all his might against Fukuro, forcing the eldest Uchiha to release him, and ran over to Orochimaru. Kurama could see a lot of blood, but he could tell the moment that he looked at Orochimaru, that he was alive, and his heart was working fine." Orochimaru-sama!" Kurama cried, hugging him tightly, feeling Orochimaru return the hug. He looked at Sasuke, whom had his eyes closed. "Thank you, Sasuke." Kurama said to the youngest Uchiha. "Thank you for letting him live."

Fukuro stared in disbelief. "Does your boyfriend mean so little to you, that you wouldn't kill for him?" Fukuro shouted. "You probably lost your only change to get him back right then!" He wanted to go over to his brother and shake some sense into him, but he was stopped in his tracks when Sasuke spoke.

"My boyfriend means more to me than everything in the world, but I want to go to him with my head held high, not with that snake's blood on my hands." Sasuke said. "Killing him would have been pointless." He turned to face Fukuro, and his eyes snapped open to reveal the Mangekyo Sharingan. "He gave me his life, it didn't mean that I had to take it." He looked at Kurama as he helped Orochimaru to the bed. "I remembered something that Iruka-sensei told Naruto, 'When a person dies...he disappears. Along with his past, current lifestyle, and his future. Many people die in missions and in wars. They die easily and in surprisingly simple ways. Those who die have goals and dreams... but everyone has something as important as those. Parents, siblings, friends, lovers... people who are important to you. They trust and help each other. The bond between the people important to you ever since birth.... And the string that binds them becomes thicker and stronger as time goes by. It's beyond reason. Those bound to you by that string will do that. Because of their importance'." He watched as Kurama licked the wound clean. "Shuichi." Sasuke said, getting the kitsune's attention before throwing a pot of salve at him. "Tsunade made it to heal Yusuke just after she became Hokage. It stings wounds, but it works wonders." Kurama caught the salve and smiled his thanks. "Take care of him." Sasuke said, then he left.

Kurama looked at the salve, before testing it on his own wounds first. He almost discarded it, when it left him wincing as though fire had been cauterising the wound. "Use it, Shuichi-kun." Orochimaru said, seeing the look in his eyes. "It can't be any worse than some of the stuff that I have been through in the past, not to mention the longer that the wounds are open, the more likely they are to become infected. If you don't want the responsibility, give the stuff here." Kurama glared at Orochimaru before straddling his hips. "I guess you have decided to 'torture' me."

"Masochist." Kurama said as he applied the salve to the wounds, feeling Orochimaru's right hand hold his hip, not tightly, just enough to prevent Kurama from changing his mind. Both forgot all about Fukuro, and even forgot that they were in a cell. That was, until they heard a cough from the door. Both looked over, unwilling to break eye contact. "Kakashi, what are you doing here?" Kurama asked before Orochimaru grabbed the errant salve-smearing hand and brought it back to the wound. "Masochistic snake."

"I guess that Sasuke was already here." Kakashi said as he looked around the cell. "Mind filling me in?"

"Sasuke entered, attacked Fukuro and myself with kunai. I managed to free myself and stop his attack on Orochimaru-sama, but he turned on me instead." Kurama said quickly, barely stopping for breath. "Orochimaru saved me, but got injured in the process." He motioned to the wounds that he was tending. "However that was when things changed, literally in Sasuke's case. His Sharingan changed when he wounded Orochimaru, he then gave me this salve to tend his wounds with. It is definitely a healing salve, I made sure to try it on myself first. The only problem with it is that it stings worse than salt water."

"Hence the 'masochistic snake' comment?" Kakashi asked as he walked around the room, removing the kunai from the walls, before approaching Kurama and Orochimaru. "Let me see." he said, waiting patiently, before he realised that Kurama wasn't moving. "Fox, move your ass." Kakashi snapped, using the same tone and words that Hiei had used when making Kurama do what he wanted, and Kurama responded the same way as he would have done, had it been Hiei. Kakashi moved closer, inspecting the wound. "I never thought that I would end up healing you of all people. Kakashi said as he checked the wound. "It will leave quite a scar, I'm afraid."

"You mean that I'll scar for a while." Orochimaru said in return. "I never have scars for long. I never have, and I doubt that I ever will." He closed his eyes. "Please, Kakashi-kun, do what you will, but let Shuichi watch. He has shown an interest in learning emergency healing." Kakashi nodded.

"I really shouldn't, considering that you are prisoners of the village, but he was a member of Iruka's team, and Iruka would kill me if he found out that I didn't do so." Kakashi motioned for Kurama to get closer. "You will have to memorise this the first time that you see it." Kakashi said. "I will probably never get another chance to show you this." Kurama watched as Kakashi prepared the technique to heal Orochimaru, not knowing that Kakashi wouldn't be performing the healing. "Do you think that you have it?" Kakashi asked. Kurama nodded. "Very well, time for you to prove it." Kurama stared at him. "Come on, it is best to learn from a situation such as this." He said. "Go ahead, if you can't I'll tell you what you've done wrong." Kurama's eyes went wide. "Plus, I am sure that Orochimaru trusts you more than he does me."

Kurama took Kakashi's place at Orochimaru's side. "I'll try my best, Orochimaru-sama." Kurama said with a smile as he concentrated on bringing his chakra into his hands and focused it on the wound. Slowly he could see a difference occur as the flesh and skin healed.

Eventually the wound totally closed, leaving Kurama exhausted. "You used more chakra than was necessary." Kakashi said as Orochimaru pulled Kurama on top of him. "Healing is about chakra control, but you surprised me that you could heal the wound at all. Your stubborn determination allowed you to break the first chakra gate to release the control of your chakra. With practice you'll be able to heal without having to use the gates." He could see the small, satisfied, smile on the kitsune's lips, and Kakashi was reminded of another that sacrificed his life to save an utterly evil man.

"Kakashi-sensei, he is different." Kurama said as though reading Kakashi's mind. "I know that he is. There is no way to prove it, of course, but he acts different, and there are some things that you cannot hide, or keep hiding. To predict an opponent's move, you need to be excellent at detecting differences in body language. I could spot a falsity from half a mile away." Orochimaru kissed the top of Kurama's head as the red-head's eyes closed. "Orochimaru-sama is no more evil than you are."

Both Kakashi and Orochimaru stared at the sleeping red-head before their gazes met. Kakashi raised his eyebrow. "Did I hear him right?" Kakashi asked. "Have you turned over a new leaf at the snap of his fingers?" Orochimaru's eyes narrowed.

"You caught me fare and square. Don't push your luck too far, Sharingan Kakashi, it may run out when you need it most." Orochimaru said, feeling Shuichi snuggle into him. "You dare mention this to anyone, and just see what happens." He heard Kakashi laugh as he left. 'Damn it, I bet he's going straight to Tsunade.' Orochimaru thought., moving Kurama slightly to make it more comfortable on himself. 'If it gets to Jiraiya, I'll never hear the end of it.' He looked at Kurama, the look in his eyes softening. "He is worth it though." Orochimaru said to the silent room. "To have him near, it is worth anything."


Tsunade started laughing. "Are you sure, Kakashi-san?" She asked drying her eyes. "Oh, boy I need to tell Jiraiya." She then became serious once more. "But he is okay." Kakashi nodded. "That is a relief, I was sure that Sasuke would kill him. He sounded like he was."

"I think that he would have, had Minamino Shuichi not been there." Kakashi said. "Orochimaru has a lot to pay him back for. His heart is little payment." He frowned at the tea that was placed before him. "It is quite possible that they would rejoin Konoha once more too. Work on Shuichi and Orochimaru, I suspect, will follow." Tsunade looked thoughtful.

"It would be good to have the third Sannin around." She said. "Not to mention a plant user like my... like the First Hokage. Especially in times such as these." She rested her chin on her hands. "We have heard that Akatsuki is getting restless. Not to mention that Itachi doesn't seem to have rejoined them. He is dangerous with them, but I can't help but feel that something is brewing. Something bigger than anything that Konoha has experienced before is going to happen, and happen soon." She sipped the tea. "Maybe I should start working on Minamino Shuichi now, before we are in desperate need, if whatever I feel is going to happen, happens. Thank you for your report, Kakashi-kun, you may go now." Kakashi left in a puff of smoke. "The question is, what is the best way to get Shuichi to return?" She asked the empty room. "Maybe I should reintroduce him to his friends, yes, that sounds like a plan."


The next day Tsunade made her way to the detention cells and had the door to Orochimaru and Kurama's cell opened. When the two cellmates saw her, she smiled slightly, seeing exactly what Kakashi meant by close. The look that she got from Kurama was one of warning, not like she needed it. Orochimaru, simply, wasn't her type. "What ever is the matter?" She asked, smirking at the pair. Orochimaru was too... dark. Shuichi was too young, not that age bothered the other members that were on the same team as she was. In fact, neither of the men were too picky on what sex their partners were, well not until recently. Jiraiya spent all his time at the women’s' baths, while Orochimaru surrounded himself with boys. No, she had her eye on a certain guy that had ended up with his face between her breasts. The guy named Koenma.

"I am surprised to see you here, Tsunade." Orochimaru said as he wrapped his arms around Kurama. "What can we do for you?"

"I heard that you aren't exactly a menace to Konoha any more." Tsunade said, watching as Kurama lay his head on Orochimaru's shoulder. "Kakashi mentioned that you and Shuichi could be trusted in Konoha without being held here. Is that true?" The look in Orochimaru's eyes was priceless. "I would like you to rejoin Konoha if you would." She said. "There is no need to keep running when you will be accepted back in your own home. Where you have friends." That was directed straight at Kurama, and Orochimaru knew it. He knew how much Kurama had missed his friends. He knew that they were always in the back of his mind. Tsunade had just reawakened the desire he had to see them again. "As for you, Orochimaru, no matter what you have chosen, you were always part of our team. Even when you turned against Konoha, you were still one of the Legendary Sannin from Konoha. Please consider that before making up your mind, hmm?" She gave Orochimaru a wink. "You may have turned against Konoha once, but there is nobody I would rather have at my side than both of my old team mates." With that she turned around and walked out of the cell. "Well, are you coming or not?" She asked, looking over her shoulder as the pair followed her out.

The moment that they exited the detention area, Kurama heard Yusuke screaming his name and he and Hiei ran over to him. He gave Orochimaru a quick look, and saw a, barely perceivable, nod. "You'll never guess what!" Yusuke said as they stopped, just far enough away that Kurama could still see Orochimaru, but be surrounded by, what Yusuke saw, as his nearest and dearest. "Koenma has gone ad got himself trapped here too!" The look on Kurama's face was priceless.

"You're serious?" He asked, looking at Hiei, who nodded. Kurama laughed. "I never thought that he would be foolish enough to follow us."

"I was worried about you, if you must know." Koenma said as he appeared beside Kurama. "Just because you're not human, doesn't stop me from becoming... missing your interruptions." Kurama laughed. "Not to mention, I couldn't find a better suited Reikai Tantei team in the whole of Ningenkai."

"Which means that he was too lazy to look." Hiei said, getting a glare from Koenma, even though it was the truth. "Anyway I didn't think that foxes liked snakes."

"Well this fox likes that snake." Kurama said, blushing.

"Kurama, that's just... just don't go there!" Yusuke said trying to forget the not-so-indirect remark. "You do realise just how... wrong that actually sounds." Kurama glanced over at Orochimaru again, and saw the snake staring right back. The heat in the look made Kurama give a slight moan. It wasn't as though things even went far between them... then again it depended on what you meant by 'far'. He wasn't about to tell his friends what, exactly, transpired in the cell. No that was something that he had to think upon, he had promised to tell Orochimaru what he wanted, didn't he? "Oi, Yusuke to Kurama." Yusuke said, rapping Kurama on the head. "Fox-boy, come back to us, will ya."

The sensation of his head being banged brought Kurama back to his senses. "Oh, sorry, Yusuke." Kurama said with a laugh. "I must have dozed off there. I exhausted myself last night." The look on Yusuke's face was priceless. It showed just how far in the gutter it was. "Sasuke paid us a visit yesterday and wounded Orochimaru-sama badly, I had to heal him. What did you think I meant, Yusuke?" He heard some nervous laughing from the Toushin. "That was what I thought. Your perverted mind has become even more so." He said with a laugh. "Hiei, can't you keep his ass sore enough to keep his mind out of the gutter?"

"Hey, who said that Hiei was on top?" Yusuke snapped. "I mean he has all the characteristics of the perfect..."

"Hiei is much more dominant than you are. In fact if we had a dominance contest, I have no doubt that he would come first." Kurama said. "Then you would, Yusuke. Kuwabara and myself would be joint last... of course that's not including Youko. If he was active, not even Hiei's ass would be safe."

'Too right it wouldn't.' Youko said in agreement. 'With the Toushin or not, if I wanted him, I'd have him.' Kurama could see Yusuke moving that little bit between him and Hiei. 'Maybe you should reassure them that you are only after the snake-man. If anything it would give me a laugh to see the Toushin's face look horrified. It isn't as though it's a lie either, is it?'

"It isn't as though Youko is going to get another chance to get his hands on Hiei." Kurama said. "Not unless Hiei wants a threesome. Even then, I don't like sharing... there is no chance that I'll be sharing my sexy snake with anyone!" He paused a moment, taking in the horrified looks of Hiei and Yusuke, and the questioning one of Koenma. "I didn't say that last bit out loud did I?" When Hiei nodded, his face went as red as Hiei's eyes. "I really have to stop doing that." He squeaked.


"Orochimaru? Oi, Orochimaru!" Tsunade shouted in Orochimaru's ear. He looked at her.

"There is no need to shout." He said, turning his attention back to Kurama. "I'm distracted, not deaf, Tsunade." Suddenly Orochimaru noticed that Kurama mentioned Youko, and his attention was firmly on the youth, increasing his hearing so that he could tap in on what Kurama was saying. 'So I'm his sexy snake, am I?' Orochimaru thought, as a grin spread over his face. 'That is good to know for future reference.' Tsunade saw the grin and sighed, wondering what had passed through Orochimaru's mind to do that. Suddenly Tsunade remembered that she had something of Koenma's and approached the boys.

"Koenma, while I remember, I believe this is yours." Tsunade said, swinging a pacifier on her finger. "I guessed that this was yours. I found it lodged in my clothing when I went for a shower." She handed the pacifier back to him. "I thought that you would have grown out something like that by now." She said.

"Well we all used to call him pacifier junkie when we were sure that he wasn't watching." Yusuke said. "He never took that thing out until about two and a half years ago." Koenma glared at Yusuke. "Aww, come on, don't give me that look." Yusuke said. "Or does your diaper need changed?"

Yusuke expected Koenma to get angry, but he saw a slight smile cross Tsunade’s lips. “Oh, that reminds me.” She said. “The crèche is needing some help with the babies. I think I’ll put your name forward for that. It will give you some good experience.” The smug look that Yusuke had supported, disappeared in an instant. “Oh, Shuichi, please come with me.” She said as she led him back to Orochimaru. “I need to sort out a place for Orochimaru and yourself. I take it that sharing a house with Orochimaru is acceptable?” Kurama only nodded, speechless. This woman was giving him his dream. “I am glad.” She said with a smile. “I think Orochimaru will be thrilled that you would be willing to share a home with him.” Her tone made Kurama wonder exactly how much she knew. Did she have a hidden camera in their cell?

Orochimaru saw Kurama approach him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Now that he had an insight into Kurama’s inner thoughts, he was, once more, warming to thoughts of having Kurama writhing below him, fingers entwined and passion-filled emeralds meeting his gold. He really had to stop thinking about that; if he didn’t then he was sure that it would become all too obvious. “Tsunade-sama said that she could get us a house together if we wanted.” Kurama said, cheeks a little pinker than normal. “I’d be quite happy to share a house if that was what you wanted.” His face went redder when he heard Orochimaru whisper ‘That would be perfect’ in his ear.


Sasuke leaped through the trees, Kakashi following him. He had known that Kakashi had been trailing him for quite some time but he didn’t care, not now. He was following a gut feeling, a feeling that would bring him to Itachi, to his Naruto. He had found out that those of the Uchiha Clan that held the Mangekyo Sharingan had an unbreakable bond, and he was zeroing in on his brother, knowing that Fukuro was already there, ahead of him. “Kakashi, if you follow me for much longer, I’ll have to kill you.” Sasuke said, looking directly at Kakashi’s hiding place. “I will get Naruto back. You cannot hope to take on Itachi with an inferior version of the Sharingan. However he has been waiting for me to get the Mangekyo Sharingan, as you know. You have seen this so-called prophecy yourself.” He then continued on his way without his silent companion.

He arrived at his target a few minutes later, and entered the cave, each step leading him closer to his two brothers. Then he saw a light and he was in a large cavern. “It took you longer than I expected.” Itachi said from where he sat, Naruto lying on his stomach in front of him. “Problems?”

“Yes.” Sasuke said as he approached Naruto, noticing that Itachi wasn’t stopping him. He brushed a hand against Naruto’s cheek. “Are you okay, Naruto?” He asked the Kyubi host. “He didn’t harm you in any way did he?” He removed the gag so Naruto could answer.

“No, I’m fine, although he warned me that if I ever harmed you, that my ass was his.” Naruto shivered at that thought. “He and Kisame were very accommodating.” He remembered the middle Uchiha’s conversation with the shark-like man before they left. He remembered how Kisame wasn’t very happy about Itachi letting him go, but the Uchiha said that it was for the greater good. There had been a strange look in his eyes then, a look of certainty that Naruto had only seen once before. The same look that was in Sasuke’s eyes when he talked about his ambition to kill this very same brother that was before him just after they were taken on by Kakashi almost three years ago.

“I think that I shall take what I have come for.” Sasuke said as he untied Naruto, helping him to his feet. “Stay away from him, Itachi. He is mine.”

Itachi watched as the two Konoha ninjas started to exit the cavern. “Sasuke.” He said, the sound of his voice reverberating through the chamber. “It seems the perceived child has finally grown... Little brother, recognize that this is only the beginning. From now on, there are no more games. You're in the real world now and as such don't expect me to look after you anymore.” Sasuke raised his hand as though in reply to his brother’s speech, silently wondering what Itachi had meant by it.

Fukuro waited until Sasuke and Naruto were far enough away, before deactivating the Mangekyo Sharingan. “I don’t think you have to worry, brother.” Fukuro said, his eyes moving to Itachi. “Our little one achieved the Mangekyo Sharingan without sacrificing a single life, even though he wanted to.” His eyes closed as he remembered the events. “I do not think that Orochimaru will ever be the same again.”

Itachi’s eyes snapped to Fukuro’s in shock. “Really? He seems full of surprises, doesn’t he? First he stopped your genocidal rampage, now he gains the 'ultimate power' without a death... You are losing your touch, Fukuro. However Orochimaru was the last person that I expected him to go for. How long has he been in Konoha? Why did Sasuke even think on him?”

“He was there before I took the Kyubi host.” Fukuro said. “With a delightful addition too. I believe that the hatchibi no orochi has a certain gobi no kitsune for company. I believe that his name is Minamino Shuichi, or Kurama.” He saw Itachi’s interest grow. “Couple that with the Ichibi no Shukaku…”

“Stop.” Itachi said. “As long as Sasuke is in Konoha, I shall leave there well alone. The leader shall not learn of this.” He said. “That was part of my word to Naruto, and I do not go back on my word.” He stood up and walked to the exit. “Coming, Fukuro, unless you really want another spell in the detention cells in Konoha.” The eldest Uchiha was soon following his younger brother out. “I really could use your help…”