Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Regret Not A Thing ❯ Ch 15: The Art of Persuasion ( Chapter 15 )

Regret Not A Thing

By Mizerable

 

 

 

Ch. 15: The Art of Persuasion

 

 

Anko said nothing when the three snuck back in during the wee hours of the morning. If she had anything worth saying, that would have meant she was surprised by this outcome. She let them settle into Sasuke's room as she went about making breakfast; it had been a long time since she had to cook for four.

 

“So how are we gonna do this?” Naruto laid the big question out on the table.

 

Getting to Water Country, which was technically enemy territory, would be difficult in and of itself. Finding a credible excuse for heading there without Konoha learning of their true mission was the real challenge.

 

“For starters,” Sasuke's voice was soft, weighed down with thought, “it'll look suspicious if you go from hating me to trying to save me. The village will know you're up to something. You can't let on that you've had a change of heart.”

 

“So we've gotta make everyone think we haven't forgiven you, huh?” Naruto sighed, leaning back against the wall.

 

“Basically,” he replied flatly, “But that's not the hard part here. Traveling to Water Country to meet someone you've never met without being able to contact her beforehand is you real problem. Since I obviously can't leave Konoha…”

 

And I probably wouldn't survive the journey there.

 

“I've got just as much luck getting outta here as you do,” Naruto spoke bitterly, “They don't let me go anywhere without a ton of supervision `cause they're all paranoid the Akatsuki's gonna pop up.”

 

Sasuke kept his peace. There was only so much he was willing to give away about what he knew. And he knew Yakushi would say nothing on the subject, should they manage to find her. All they needed to know about her was that she was a medic. Nothing more.

 

“That leaves me, then,” Sakura stated, “But I'm still going to need a credible excuse to explain my absence to the village.”

 

“But it's way too dangerous to go there alone, Sakura-chan!”

 

“I'm not defenseless, you know,” Sakura gave Naruto a cold sidelong glance.

 

“He's right. You shouldn't make this trip alone,” Sasuke added, still keeping his eyes lowered from her, and missed the look of betrayal cross her face, “It will draw attention. So now we need to decide who we can trust to go with you.”

 

Sakura visibly flinched, wondering how much more she could take. It seemed each moment she spent with Sasuke was an endless cycle of him ripping the bandage off her wounded heart, only to repair it a breath later. How did she ever bear this constant hurt and healing when she was younger?

 

“How about Gaara? I know he'd keep our secret,” Naruto offered. Surely if Gaara had bothered to ensure Naruto reconciled with Sasuke, he'd help now.

 

Sasuke made no mention of how it was no better an idea to send Gaara than to send Naruto. The Akatsuki were, in fact, on the move. It was bad enough they were looking to silence him, sending a jinchuuriki out would be catastrophic.

 

“That won't work,” Sasuke kept his poker face, “He may be an ally, but he's still a Sand shinobi. It'll raise too many questions if Sakura leaves on an `inter-village' mission.”

 

The three agreed on that. It required a lot of explaining to get that kind of mission approved, as they usually implied it was either a rather dangerous one or that time was a major factor. While both were true in this case, they couldn't afford to let the village know that.

 

“Don't bother asking Hinata, either,” Sasuke continued, “She would do it, but everyone knows she's involved with my treatment. They'll know something's up.”

 

Sakura suddenly perked up, as if she found a small bit of hope in their impossible situation.

 

“Neji-san. He would do it.”

 

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her certainty. He didn't know Neji particularly well, though he was aware he'd been involved in the “rescue mission” four years ago. He also knew Neji had sustained serious injuries from that doomed mission. Why would he want to help now?

 

“What makes you so sure?” Sasuke asked warily.

 

“I don't know about this, either,” Naruto treaded carefully for fear of Sakura's temper, “Neji was pretty pissed at us the last time we saw him.”

 

Naruto conveniently left out that they'd been harassing Hinata to tell them where Sasuke was. He didn't want Sasuke to know how cruel, how desperate, they'd been just to find him. Naruto didn't want to admit to himself how awful he'd been, and how many apologies he owed.

 

“I don't think he'd do it for us. Or for Sasuke-kun. But he knows it's what Hinata would want and that's all the reason he needs,” Sakura explained, “On top of that, Neji-san is Anbu. It wouldn't seem out of the ordinary for him to specifically request me for a mission to Water Country. My ice genjutsu is a perfect way to confuse and distract an enemy in that climate.”

 

So now they reached an agreement that Neji would be the right person to seek for the job. They paused from discussion when Anko shuffled in with breakfast. She laughed at how tense and silent the three became while she was in the room. “Fear not,” she told them, “As far as anyone's concerned, I didn't hear anything, I didn't see anything, I don't know anything.”

 

Well, there was another name to add to their circle of confidantes.

 

“Now here's our next dilemma,” Sakura pressed on, “The Anbu always travel at least in pairs. We need to find a second person.”

 

The trio traded glances with one another, trying to think of another Anbu member they could trust.

 

“Well…” Naruto was awkward, hesitant, “There is one person I can think off…”

 

“What would it take to convince him, though?” Sakura was thinking of the same person, though was no more confident on the matter.

 

“Who did you have in mind?” Sasuke was slow to ask, somewhat uncomfortable that he wasn't on the same page as the rest of his team. How was he to know who was involved with the Anbu nowadays?

 

Naruto and Sakura exchanged nervous looks. The answer probably wasn't going to go over well.

 

* * *

 

All grand schemes begin with that first step. Sakura showed up at her squad's training ground, shoulders tense. Hinata was looking pointedly at the ground and likely watching Sakura's every move. Even behind his sunglasses, Sakura could feel Shino's intense glare. Word certainly made its rounds in this town. Kurenai seemed to be making a decisive effort not to mention the unspoken hostility among her team. This wasn't a problem to be solved with a lecture. This was bigger than all of them. Funny that it all stemmed from one (severely misguided) boy.

 

Akamaru obliviously romped through a pile of leaves.

 

With the day's training session drawing to a close, Hinata attempted to make a hasty exit.

 

“I need to talk to you,” Sakura announced, a stony expression set in place.

 

Shino stepped forward, but Hinata waved him off with a weak smile. It left the two girls standing face to face in the clearing.

 

“I doubt there's any information I could tell you about Sasuke-kun that you don't already know by now,” the sharp words bit deeply into Hinata's tongue.

 

“No, probably not,” Sakura crossed the distance. Hinata unconsciously adopted a defensive stance. Sakura took a tight hold of Hinata's arm, schooling her face into a fierce expression. She leaned in close, nearly cheek to cheek, and kept her voice low by Hinata's ear. “But I think I know how to help him.”

 

Hinata kept her features blank. Despite the shock seizing her body. They were appearances to keep.

 

“What do you need?” she whispered in her meek tone.

 

“Can Neji-san find an excuse to travel to Water Country?”

 

Hinata stared forward, making herself seem nervous, and still watched Sakura. She felt a bizarre sense of curiosity and deep-seated dread.

 

“…What's waiting in Mist territory?”

 

“Answers.”

 

“Who do you want him to partner with?”

 

Sakura sighed heavily. This trepidation was no longer part of the act.

 

“I think there's only one choice. Don't you?”

 

Hinata nodded faintly, now understanding the root of Sakura's unease.

 

“I'll ask Neji-nii-sama to persuade him.”

 

Sakura didn't relent in her hold. Instead she looped her arm through Hinata's, pressing her hand firmly against her shoulder. It appeared threatening and charming all at once.

 

“You were wrong, the other day,” were her terse words.

 

Hinata's shoulders sagged, getting the sense this wasn't part of the act. The Sakura of these recent days was rigid with her emotions and kept a chip on her shoulder. It was only natural she would be stringent in doling out her forgiveness.

 

“We are both Konoha shinobi,” Sakura stated emphatically, “We fight and bleed for this village. You and me, we're bound by our oath to protect this land. You will always be my fellow teammate.”

 

Hinata gave a small nod, somehow not feeling soothed by her words. It was hard to be cheered by the words of the notorious Ice Queen. Even though she was making as much of an apology as her pride would allow. Even though she showed enough of her buried heart to join in the effort to save Sasuke.

 

“Yes. Of course we are,” Hinata smiled weakly. She feigned hostility to keep the discussion about Sasuke under the radar. It wasn't any harder to fake happiness.

 

“And I hope…” Sakura trailed off, dropped her gaze, “I hope someday, if you're ever able to forgive me, you'll think fondly enough to consider me a friend.”

 

Hinata knew this feeling, knew it instinctively. It wasn't so long ago that she listened to Sasuke make his awkward attempts at apologizing. His endearing and guilt-ridden offer of condolences. She found that well again, filling up with confidence.

 

“Then we are already friends.”

 

* * *

 

Shikamaru was living in a perpetual state of déjà vu.

 

Here he was, hunched over his desk with his spectacles balancing precariously on the tip of his nose. The dim glow of his lamp was the only other light aside from the minimal service lights. Empty coffee cups and scattered files. He lost track of the hour, even the day. There was work to be done.

 

There were things to avoid.

 

And it was a damn hard thing to escape. It seemed to be the only topic anyone in this entire fucking town deemed worth to discuss. Uchiha Sasuke was back. What a troublesome pain in the ass situation to put up with. There weren't enough pills in this world to make him numb enough to the knowledge.

 

He resolutely kept away from Ino since he heard the news. Though he did ponder how she was handling everything. Did her bed seem colder without him in it? Or maybe she already resumed her pursuit to find a place in Sasuke's bed. Whatever. It didn't matter. She wasn't really his girlfriend, right? There was nothing he could do to make her stay. There was nothing that would make her want to stay. It was only matter of time before he lost her, just as he had lost Chou—

 

Shikamaru had run into Temari on the street the other day. (Why was she still in town?) He could read it on her face plain as a cloudless sky. She was going to ask his thoughts on the whole Uchiha situation. And he couldn't stand to lose his cool in front of her yet again. He kept his face neutral and walked past her as if he hadn't even noticed her, even when their shoulders brushed together. He didn't break stride to turn back. He never saw her watching his back until she could no longer see him in the distance.

 

“You're forming a rather detrimental routine.”

 

“I'm a creature of habit,” Shikamaru replied blandly, turning his seat to face Neji, “Were you ordered here to send me home?”

 

Neji gave a derisive snort at that.

 

“Hardly,” he answered dryly, “I'm here to deliver orders to you.”

 

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow in response, leaning back in his chair with his arms resting behind his head.

 

“What's the job?”

 

“Hokage-sama wants you to hold a detailed inquisition with Uchiha Sasuke regarding the fall of the Sound.”

 

“You've got to be shitting me.”

 

“What kind of person do you take me for?” Neji turned rapidly cold, “Uchiha has yet to provide any information thus far. And seeing how you were in charge of the investigation, I hardly see how this should come as a surprise to you.”

 

Touché.

 

“…I'll head over first thing in the morning.”

 

Neji gave a curt nod before departing. Shikamaru needn't know Tsunade had no part in this plan. He may still be bitter and plagued by that failed mission of four years ago, but he was still a human being. Neji hadn't gone to see the Uchiha personally. Hinata's word and her emotional outpouring over his illness was enough to earn Neji's pledge. Surely seeing Sasuke in his pitiful state would provide enough persuasion to convince Shikamaru to venture to Water Country.

 

As soon as Shikamaru was certain he was completely out of Neji's visual range, his hand jerked the desk drawer nearly to the point of violence. The lid of the pill bottle flew off and he poured a handful into his palm. He made no effort to even count them. He just downed them all and waited for the ache to stop.

 

* * *

 

An order was an order. Shikamaru stood before the home of Mitarashi Anko; the sky was gray and full. He wasn't shocked to see Neji waiting there for him.

 

Didn't think I'd show, did you?

I didn't think I would, either.

 

Neither spoke a word to each other. Shikamaru reminded himself that he wasn't a coward, that he wasn't the sort of man who would seek revenge like the person he was about to see. This was just business. Just another mission. A ninja does not let emotions get involved.

 

When the door opened, he felt a heaviness settle in the pit of his stomach. Anko's hair was a veritable rat's nest, her skin sweat-slicked and flushed with fever. Her whole being seemed to tremble. She was not having one of her “good “ days.

 

“Heh. What brings you Anbu boys `round here?” her voice sounded so tired.

 

Shikamaru found the whole image unbearable.

 

“Hokage-sama's orders,” he answered grimly, “We're to conduct a full investigation with Uchiha Sasuke regarding the fall of the Sound.”

 

“Today…Today's no good. He's in no condition to handle any visitors. Maybe you could come back tomorrow? He might be a little better by then.”

 

Those few words seem to exhaust her completely.

 

Shikamaru didn't care one way or the other for the reason. If it meant postponing the inevitable, he was satisfied with that.

 

“I'm afraid we don't have the time to spare,” Neji spoke plainly, giving Anko a pointed look. A knowing look.

 

Anko understood his intent, keeping her expression blank. Scheme aside, they really were running out of time.

 

“Well, come on in then. But don't say I didn't warn you.”

 

Shikamaru made the effort to keep the scowl off his face. What difference did a day really make? How sick could Uchiha really be if he wasn't in the hospital?

 

They made their way inside, politely keeping their attention away from Anko's labored gait. When they arrived at a particular door, she motioned for them to wait outside. Even so, they could still her Anko's soft voice. What an odd thought, for her to be so quiet.

 

“I'm sorry. They have to do this today. It can't wait.”

 

There was a horrible brittle cough that broke through. Shikamaru felt his heart sink further. Why did he have to be the one to conduct this investigation?

 

“You can go in now,” Anko opened the door and prudently made her exit.

 

The pair made their way into the dim room and did their best to maintain detached expressions. That same sickly stench seemed to permeate the air. Sasuke was barely conscious, his eye half-lidded and glassy. He was too consumed with fever, shivering with cold sweats, body spasms. He took no notice of his latest guests.

 

“Do you know why we're here, Uchiha?” Neji was unreadable as always.

 

Sasuke turned his head against the pillow, squinting to bring the view into focus. Here was Neji just as Sakura promised. As the white shape before his eyes transformed into the other Anbu in the room, he tried not to seem particularly surprised. The others had asked Shikamaru? Judging from the intense look on his face, it would probably be best to keep the answers vague.

 

“I can venture a guess,” he rasped.

 

“Look, we're not interested in being here any more than you are in having us. So let's keep this as brief as possible,” Shikamaru managed to keep his tone cold, “We really need all the info surrounding the collapse of the Sound Village.”

 

“I believe I already made my report to the Hokage,” he answered stiffly. Of all the things, why did he have to ask about that?

 

“You did,” Shikamaru kept the image of Chouji lying cold and skinny fresh in his mind. It made looking at Sasuke easier. “But I'm calling your bluff.”

 

“What would I gain from lying?” sick as he was, Sasuke still managed an impressive sneer.

 

“Hell if I know,” Shikamaru scoffed, his mind trying to calculate all the different possibilities, “But it doesn't change the fact that you are.”

 

Sasuke turned away. Long gone was the laid back, lazy ol' Shikamaru. This guy was hardened and was not going to be easily persuaded. There was probably no point in even trying to convince him.

 

“What does it matter? The Sound's gone. There's nothing left to gain from talking about it.”

 

He couldn't say anything more. He couldn't admit that the Akatsuki had attacked the Sound. It would push Konoha to take aggressive action, which would only serve to put Naruto at greater risk. The village had no idea what the Akatsuki were like.

 

“Fine,” Shikamaru ground his teeth, “Then why don't you talk about what you were up to in the Sound. I think you left that part out of your chat with the Hokage.”

 

“I can't see how that's any of your business,” Sasuke managed to keep his temper from flaring. He wouldn't share that information even if it saved his life.

 

And that was the end of Shikamaru's small bit of patience. He grabbed Sasuke by the front of his shirt and hauled him into a sitting position.

 

“Not my business?!” Shikamaru shook him.

 

“Cool it—“ Neji made to intervene.

 

Shikamaru ignored him completely. He remembered there was a time he'd kept a vigil by Neji's bedside as he lay in a coma. He remembered Kankurou standing almost bewildered (as much as one of the Sand trio ever got) in a hospital hallway. He'd carried back Kiba, a person he barely knew, in hopes of saving him. All he got for it was blood on his hands. He remembered Chouji and the tree and the arrow beckoning him to follow. Now he was finally face to face with the root of it all.

 

“I've got every right to know what Chouji and Kiba had to die for!”

 

But Sasuke wasn't listening anymore. He only heard the blood rushing in his ears and felt adrenaline pulse in his veins. It was complete instinct that caused him to twist Shikamaru's arm and shove him away.

 

“Keep your fucking hands off me!” he snarled, backing himself against the wall. Wild as he looked, all the posturing in the world couldn't mask that sort of fear.

 

Shikamaru once again found himself cursing his brilliant mind. Each small mannerism was another piece of the puzzle, one he didn't want to solve. He could make a fairly educated guess as to some of the things Sasuke was involved in while with Orochimaru. And he felt sick for understanding what Sasuke's reaction today probably meant.

 

Now he knew the biggest reason he hadn't wanted to come here. He didn't want to end up feeling sorry for a guy like this. Sasuke went to Orochimaru of his own volition. It was his own damn fault for having to suffer while he was there. For lying in a bed half-blind with a crippled arm. Shikamaru forced the image of Anko shuffling about with her sickness from his mind.

 

She'd been a student of Orochimaru, as well, he recalled. He once again cursed his brain for forcing him to recognize his hypocrisy.

 

Sasuke had grown calmer, withdrawing in on himself as he slouched against the wall. He kept his head bowed and his hair covered his face like a shield. His breath came in rattling gasps.

 

“I'm going to die soon, you know,” Sasuke murmured, “Just let it be.”

 

“I can't just let it go,” Shikamaru admitted, no matter how much he hadn't intended to say so aloud.

 

“You've still got a life to lead and people to protect,” another hacking cough, “So either live or wind up like me. It's your choice.”

 

“We're done here,” Shikamaru made a hasty exit. Neji offered a single nod before following suit.

 

* * *

 

It wasn't until they were outside and several paces down the road when Shikamaru just ran out of steam.

 

“That wasn't like you,” Neji commented flatly.

 

“What the hell did you expect?” Shikamaru muttered, “You can't tell me you weren't affected seeing him.”

 

“Yes, I was affected. But it only solidified my resolve.”

 

That got his attention. No matter how you looked at it, Sasuke was good as dead. Coming out here was pointless. And Shikamaru didn't need reminding from the likes of Uchiha Sasuke that his death wasn't going to really change anything. Chouji and Kiba were gone forever.

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“Our mission isn't over yet,” Neji said flatly, “We haven't rescued Sasuke.”

 

Those words cut right to the marrow. Sasuke was back, but clearly nowhere near saved. But what was the point in trying to save a traitor?

 

“We all suffered after what happened four years ago,” Neji continued, more subdued now, “But I have no intention of having the injuries I endured or the lives that were lost be for nothing.”

 

“You're going to try and save him,” Shikamaru blurted out. He was too stunned to even know if he was angry.

 

“Do you think me a fool for it?”

 

Well, it was hard to ever think of Neji as a fool. Not after he let go of the bitterness over his family.

 

“But there's no cure. If Hokage-sama can't do anything for him, then we'll be of even less help.”

 

Neji stepped closer, his vision monitoring the surroundings acutely.

 

“There is a woman in Water Country who might think otherwise.”

 

The two stared hard at one another. Shikamaru could hear the question floating in the air. He could remember being a kid thinking he could have saved one of Konoha's own. And two other comrades died for that belief.

 

“…When do we leave?”

 

* * *

 

Ino leaned against the counter at the flower shop, balancing her chin against the palm of her hand. She glanced out the window at the dreary sky and could do nothing but sigh.

 

“Looks like rain today.”

 

* * *

 

She stood in the doorway, not even bothering to hide her surprise.

 

“I didn't think you'd come here again,” she spoke softly, “It's not safe, you know.”

 

“When has it ever been?” he spoke in good humor, “And I'm sure you know why I'm here.”

 

“I haven't seen them in a long time. There's nothing I can really do now.”

 

“Silly as always, my dear sister. You know quite well they won't stay away forever, either. That's why I brought you something.”

 

She opened her arms to take the bundle from him.

 

“What…?”

 

“Don't worry so much. They'll know what to do when the time comes. `Til then…”

 

He gave a casual wave and faded into the night. It would be a long time before she saw anyone again.

 

 

 

To be continued…