Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Leaf in the Desert ❯ Chapter 16

Chapter 16

 

“This isn't good, Kohaku.”

 

The orange-haired nin sighed. “I know. We don't have time to do much more than quick basic healing and pray that they survive the trip back.”

 

“Why can we not stop to heal them?” Aikou sounded extremely anxious.

 

“The Iwa elite guard is on our tail,” Kisho replied. He pushed off from a large tree branch, Haru wrapped in bandages and draped unconscious on Kisho's back. “The sooner we're in the Country of Fire, the better.”

 

“I've sent half a dozen clones ahead of us to let the nearest village on our side of the border know that we're on our way and we have wounded. They should be able to get a hawk to my mother- and if I know her, she'll be there before we will.”

 

Aikou looked saddened for a few moments. “Kisho…”

 

“Hmmm?”

 

She dropped back from the others so they would not overhear. “How are… my mother and brother faring?”

 

Kisho turned his head to look at his younger cousin. “They were well when I saw them last. Aunt Safaia is a strong woman. Why?”

 

“She is not grieving… over my father's death?”

 

The puppet master let out a snort of surprise. “Death? Uncle Gaara is still alive, cousin. He has handed over the title to your brother here, but he lives.”

 

Aikou's ice blue eyes went as wide as they could go. Her heart began to beat loudly. “Father… lives? He is alive?”

 

“Heh. Can't kill off a Kage that easily, little princess.” He winked at her. “Same goes for your brother. Stubborn as a mule and smells twice as bad. But he's the Sixth Kazekage now, so we need to do everything we can get him back home alive.”

 

“Right.”

 

Father is alive… My father is alive!

 

------------------------

 

The small village on the edge of the Fire Country was well-prepared for them when their rescue team arrived. The village elder came to greet them as soon as they entered the village.

 

“We have sent word to the Hokage, requesting medical squads as soon as possible,” he informed Kohaku as Kin gently took her unconscious twin from Kohaku's back. “We have bedding and food prepared for you- please follow me.”

 

Kohaku murmured his thanks, his eyes scanning the road behind them for Iwa shinobi.

 

“Kisho and I will set up alarms,” Shourai announced as he stood next to Kohaku. “Knowing your mother, she'll have at least two squads sent as soon as that hawk lands.”

 

Kohaku turned his gaze to the Uchiha heir. “Is my mother…? How is she doing?”

 

“Sakura?” Shourai chuckled. “She's ready to knock down some walls and go after Kanaye herself, but I'd say that's pretty normal for her.” His grey-brown eyes met blue. “And your father's alive, dobe.”

 

“Those wolves ripped them apart, Shou.”

 

“Do you really think that that would keep those two down? Your father won't die unless he's dragged, kicking and screaming, and even then I don't think he'd give up.” His smirk vanished. “Gaara was pretty messed up, though. He handed over his title to Haru before we left on the mission.”

 

Kohaku looked over at the building where Gin and Haru had been carried by some of the villagers. “So Haru's the Kazekage now?”

 

“You got it.”

 

“Lucky bastard.”

 

Shourai raised an eyebrow. “The man had three kunai sticking out of his back and hasn't regained consciousness in two days. I'd hardly call that lucky.”

 

Kohaku gave his friend Naruto's trademark grin. “Haru and I are just like our fathers, Shou. We're not so easy to kill either.”

 

-----------------------------

 

“KOHAKU UZUMAKI, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!”

 

The orange-haired man in question went into panic-mode. “Mom?! What the hell did I do now?”

 

Sakura ran up and glomped the poor kid in a hug so tight he had to fight for air. “You went and scared the hell out of me, that's what!” She sniffled into his hair, ignoring the fact that he was partially bent over at a rather uncomfortable angle so she could huggle him. “When we got the message for medical teams, I thought you were hurt!”

 

“If's Haruf, momf,” came the muffled reply. “Anf Ginf. Fhey're in fhat houf over fhere.”

 

Sakura released her son, dusting off her hands as if nothing motherly had happened. “All right then. Let's get to work.” She started shouting instructions to the multitude of med-nins she had brought along.

 

“Your mother scares me,” Aikou murmured from behind Kohaku's back.

 

He coughed, trying to get air into his deprived lungs. “She scares me too.”

 

“Still alive, Uzumaki?”

 

Kohaku turned to see Sasuke arrive, Neji and Kankuro right behind him. “Apparently so.”

 

Kankuro groaned. “Now I owe Chouji twenty bucks. Thanks a lot, kid.”

 

“Oi! I'm sorry if I didn't die just so you could win your bet!”

 

“Nice work, Shourai,” Sasuke told his son. “No doubt this dobe would've been roadkill if you hadn't gone along to help.”

 

“Of course, Father.”

 

Naruto's son was seething. “Teme…”

 

“Oi, Uzumaki. Where do you want your luggage?”

 

Kohaku looked at Kisho, who was carrying the sand cocoon. His entire face lit up and his expression turned into a smirk.

 

“I brought you a souvenir, Sasuke-sensei,” Kohaku purred. He nodded at Aikou, who released part of her sand coffin to reveal the Iwa captain encased therein.

 

Sasuke scowled. “I already have a woman.”

 

“And she's enough trouble as it is, right?” Kankuro chortled, Kisho joining in merrily.

 

Kohaku walked over to their captive. “I think this one might be of extreme interest to you.” He untied the Iwa forehead protector from around her eyes and stepped back. “You might want to activate your eyes, sensei.”

 

Neji had long since gone off to check on his daughters and Kisho privately warned his father not to look in the captain's eyes. Aikou averted her gaze, keeping her sand ready should it be necessary to blind the captain again.

 

The woman opened her eyes and blinked several times, attempting to get used to the bright sunlight shining down on them. She looked around and assessed the situation. “Fools,” she murmured, her voice like cold death. “You should never have uncovered my eyes.”

 

Sasuke and Shourai both activated their Sharingan, reaching for their kunai as they watched her. She stared in shock, the first real trace of emotion to cross her face since Kohaku and Aikou had first seen her.

 

“You…”

 

Sasuke's gaze narrowed as he looked over this young woman. Jet black hair, matching ebony eyes, icy demeanor… “Who are you?”

 

Her face shifted to a scowl and her eyes turned red. Sasuke took a step back, visibly stunned. The kunai in his hand fell to the ground, forgotten. Shourai looked back and forth between his father and the captive, utterly confused as to why she had the Sharingan too.

 

“My name is Yuushuu Myougi. I am the Taichou of Kanaye's personal guard. And the only reason I'm telling you this is because I am your daughter and I mean to kill you.”

 

“DAUGHTER?!”

 

Shourai looked like he was about to pass out. Sasuke simply looked baffled.

 

“And how, pray tell, am I your father?” He sized her up with his Sharingan gaze. “You must be in your early twenties, right?”

 

“So?”

 

“So I would have had to be in my early twenties if I had sired you. During which time, I was occupied with avenging my clan, not with coupling with random women.” He indicated the boy by his side. “This is my son- and since I have only been faithful to his mother, there is no way you can be my child.”

 

She snarled at him and struggled against her sand cocoon. “Damn you, I know you're my father! You are Itachi Uchiha, right? You ended up in a small village not too far from Iwa when you were injured and my mother took care of you. Then you took advantage of her and left, not caring what happened to her after that! Did you know she died in childbirth? Did you? Do you even care?”

 

Yuushuu paused in her furious tirade, glaring murderous intent at Sasuke, who merely returned her gaze silently.

 

“Of course not. What kind of man takes advantage of a woman and then abandons her?” She spat at Sasuke's foot. “Konoha scum.”

 

Sasuke crouched down in front of her, red eyes locked on red. “I am not Itachi Uchiha,” he informed her.

 

She scowled. “You look like me,” she pointed out. “You have the Sharingan. How many Uchihas are there left who possess it?”

 

“Just two,” Sasuke answered. “Myself and my son.” He nodded at her. “And you, of course.”

 

“Then you are Itachi Uchiha!”

 

“No, mei. I am his younger brother, Sasuke. That would make me your uncle.”

 

----------------------

 

Kankuro scratched his head as he entered the house where his nephew was being healed. “Crazy Uchiha family,” he muttered. “Can't keep track of their kids… Popping up all over the freaking world…”

 

Haru was lying face down on a table, four medic-nins surrounding him as they attempted to heal him. “How is he?”

 

Ino wiped her brow. “We should've sent a more skilled medic with them,” she said. “They tried to do their best, but they've never dealt with injuries this bad in training. And with Gin one of the ones injured, and she being the best in her class…”

 

He held up a hand to stop her. “Safaia sent me to tell you to heal him as best you can for now. Just make sure that he is travel-worthy.”

 

Ino's eyebrows went up. “She wants to go back to Suna? With Gaara and Haru injured like this?”

 

He shrugged. “She has no choice. Once she got word that everyone made it out of Iwa safely, for the most part, she took a personal guard for Gaara, herself, and Sora and headed back to Suna. She said Kanaye will be furious… and will probably use his army to attack both Suna and Konoha.”

 

She nodded. “Wise woman.”

 

“I am to take my nephew back to Suna as soon as possible. Can you keep me posted on his condition?”

 

“Of course. If everything continues as it has been, he should be able to travel by sundown tomorrow, if you make sure he doesn't walk.”

 

“I brought Sanshouuo just for that purpose. Haru can ride inside safely while we head back.”

 

------------------

 

Neji fought against the urge to grab his daughter and hold her in his arms, to plead and beg with her not to die, to wake up and tell him she would be okay. His white eyes had dark circles under them, proof of his sleepless nights since his twin daughters had gone on their mission.

 

Kin slipped her small hand into her father's larger one. “Daddy?”

 

He looked down at his other daughter, his face grim. “What is it, Kin?”

 

She gazed at him for a moment, then shook her head. “Never mind. I just wanted to make sure you were still with us.”

 

“Neji?”

 

His head snapped up and he met Sakura's eyes. “…How is she?”

 

“She was hurt… more than we first thought,” she murmured. “The laceration on her arm will heal, with time and care, but some of the nerves were cut. She may not be able to throw and hit like she could before.”

 

Neji let out a breath he hadn't been aware he had been holding. “And the head injury?”

 

“She is still unconscious. And she might be… for a long time. The blow she sustained was quite severe.”

 

“But she's still alive? She'll live?”

 

“Yes. She's alive. You can go in to see her now. If she hears your voice, she may wake up, but I cannot guarantee anything.”

 

“Thank you, Sakura. For all you've done.”

 

“I only wish I could have done more.”

 

.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.

 

A/N:

 

Yuushuu Myougi: approximately, “Perfect Kill/ Killing Perfection”

 

Mei: Niece

 

Sanshouuo: Salamander- One of Kankuro's puppets (rebuilt after Sasori destroyed it waaaaaaaay back when)