Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Warmth of a Cold Touch	By : ChocolateRedVelvet Category: Naruto > Threesomes/Moresomes Views: 4563 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 9
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and make no profit from it

Chapter List
- 15
- 16
- 17
Koharu clasped both hands around the steaming cup to warm her hands and lifted it to her lips. She took a deep sip, indulging in the tea. It burned her tongue slightly but she wasn’t angry. The pain woke her up. The hour was too early but there was no helping it. At this time even the most diligent of ninja were just a little less diligent. Even the sun hadn’t started to rise.

She’d been waiting for half an hour, but patience was a virtue she had in spades.

Finally, she felt the shift in the atmosphere that told her she wasn’t alone. Then the release of chakra and her genjutsu fell away to reveal her to the man she was waiting for.

Orochimaru looked nothing like he should have. There was no deathly white skin, or purple and green lined eyes, even his long limbs appeared shortened. It was no genjutsu. She was the village’s foremost genjutsu mistress and the only one more capable than her had Uchiha blood and was a traitor to his nation and village. Itachi would have not helped Orochimaru out if the Sannin was on fire.

She shook away the thoughts. Danger lied there. There was so telling what dangerous and horrific thing Orochimaru had done to appear as he did. She got right to the point. “We have a problem. Sasuke Uchiha is not entering the exams and no amount of verbal pressure is capable of changing his mind.”

“Haruno and Uzumaki are entering and he is not?” he asked, surprised and confused. She understood. Grandstanding was in the Uchiha clan’s blood.

“Haruno is the only one entering.”

“Hmm,” he murmured and then chuckled. Koharu clenched her hands around her cup to keep from shuddering. The sound of Orochimaru’s amusement was horrific. “Seems Minato’s blood is stronger. Might have to keep an eye on the brat.”

“Do not touch the brat. He belongs to me.” The words burst out of her before she could quell her emotions. The stress of the chunin exams and planning the event had pushed her to the edge but it was no excuse. She needed to be calmer, more centered. Another outburst at a worse time would mean the end to all her plans.

He dropped his gaze down to her. He stared at her for a moment before a sinister smile blossomed across his wide mouth. “Some wounds never heal, right? Seems I’m not the only one carrying around a family grudge.”

“Watch yourself, snake. I associate with you because we have a similar goal, not because I like you.”

His smile widened, stretching unnaturally across his ivory face. “The feeling is mutual old hag.”

She lowered her cup. It clanged hard against the wooden table as she pushed her chair out and stood. “I have done my part. I warned you that your Uchiha would not be there.”

“And I’m thankful for that. Don’t worry. Everything will go as planned. I never said I had to convince him to accept the seal while he was still in Leaf. It can be just as easily accomplished in Sound.” Then he turned and strode away. Three steps away he disappeared.

Koharu released her charka and watched as the secondary genjutsu faded away. She really hated that snake.

The sky was pink. It was a little past dawn and the summer sun peeked through the darkness lightening the sky. Kakashi stood in the middle of Team 7’s meeting spot. He held a large china mug filled with coffee. It was his preferred drink. He’d drink water over tea if he were forced to choose.
He drank slowly, savoring the flavor of his drink. He didn’t need it to stay away. His body was too controlled for that. He could sleep and wake by thought alone. The ability was required for his field.
He sipped the last of his drink as Sasuke walked down the street to reach their training ground. The brunet slowed the closer he got until he was practically crawling as he took steps across the grass to reach Kakashi. “Morning, Sasuke-kun.”
“Hn.”
Kakashi smiled. “Good morning, Sasuke-kun,” he tried again.
The brunet glared at him and then turned his head to the side. There was a blush across his high cheekbones. “Good morning, Kakashi-sensei,” he answered.
Though he wasn’t looking at his team leader his voice was clear. He didn’t mutter. Kakashi kept the surprise he felt off his face. Sasuke always muttered or grunted his replies. It seemed changes were already happening. Interesting. He wondered what happened to coax little Sasuke to actually use full words.
“Have you eaten breakfast, my adorable student?”
Sasuke sent him a thousand degree glare before dropping his gaze and shaking his head. Note to self: use ‘adorable’ as often as possible when speaking about and to Sasuke.
Kakashi nodded and placed his cup in his pocket. There was a seal there that made the pocket much larger inside then it appeared. He absolutely adored seals, almost as much as sex. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been getting any of the latter lately. Children were so time consuming.
He slapped his hands together and then rubbed them against one another. “Great. I suppose it’s a good thing I ordered so much food, huh?”
Sasuke tilted his head in confusion, but didn’t say anything. Kakashi expected as much.
“Follow me, cute student.” Kakashi strode forward and walked past Sasuke. He saw the little brunet roll his eyes at his antics and it made him smile. It was nice to see the boy had more facial expressions than ‘angry’ and ‘irritated’.
They walked through the waking village in silence. Kakashi stopped in front of a restaurant. The proprietor was just opening the shutters. White haired and stoop shouldered, he turned slowly to peer at the two shinobi. His dark eyes were grey and his fingers were gnarled from rheumatism and old age, but there was a spry light in his eyes. “Little Kakashi?”
Sasuke’s turned in surprise. “Little Kakashi?” he muttered at the same time that Kakashi nodded his head. “Yup, it’s me old man.”
Sanosuke was older than the Third and it showed. “Your order is ready.” He turned to Sasuke and looked the brunet up and down. He chuckled and it was a dry harsh sound but it made something lighten in Kakashi’s chest. “Need another set of hands to carry it? It seems those missions are not as taxing as I believe if you need this one to help you.”
Kakashi laughed. “Actually this lovely child is one of my students, Sasuke.”
His gaze swung back to Sasuke. “Uchiha?”
Sasuke’s face closed down. “Yes,” he answered curtly. Interesting. Before today, the boy would have taken any chance he could to boast about his last name and heritage. He wondered what happened to change that. Very interesting.
It seemed Kakashi needed to do a little investigating. More tasks to put on the mental list. And then check off. He loved checking them off. It was its own little reward.
“Come and get your order.” NAME turned and shuffled into the restaurant. The order was laid out on the table. There were steamed rice, miso soup, baked fish, and pickled vegetables by the dozens. More than enough food to feed an army.
Or a herd of grubby fingered little children.
Kakashi whipped out a scroll and sealed some of the food for easy travel and than grabbed one of the remaining trays. Sasuke took the other. “Follow me, Sasuke.” He knew the boy would follow him no matter where he went, probably into the bowels of hell if he thought it would gain him strength and knowledge. Kakashi gave the order to break up the silence. It wasn’t like Sasuke was going to initiate conversation.
They were halfway to their destination when he spoke again. “I’m proud of you, Sasuke-kun.”
The boy jerked to a stop. “What?” he asked dumbly, his voice light, his tone utterly confused. Another emotion. Awesome. If he kept this up, Sasuke would run the full gamut before the end of the day.
He glanced over his shoulder and caught the teen’s widened gaze. “I’m proud of you, Sasuke Uchiha. I know deciding not to enter the chunin exams wasn’t an easy decision. I’m proud of you for coming to that decision, following through and then sticking with it. I know others have tried to talk you out of it. For these reasons I am very proud of you.”
Sasuke dropped his head. The long strands of his ebony banks covered his eyes. A heavy flush swept across his cheeks and down his neck. Even his ears were red. Beautiful. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome, Sasuke-kun.”
He turned forward and continued walking, though he moved slowly. He knew the child would need some time to really digest what he said. Smart as Sasuke was, he was still a very fragile child.
They continued on in silence but Kakashi could feel the weight of Sasuke’s thoughts in the air.
Finally, they reached their destination. The teen looked up at the sign at the door of the building. “I thought we were going to be training?” he asked, confusion clear in his voice.
Kakashi looked at the orphanage. “Not all strength is physical, Sasuke-kun.”
A look of consideration fell upon his face. Then he jerked his head down in acceptance. A weight Kakashi didn’t know he was beneath lifted off his shoulders. It seemed Sasuke wasn’t as far gone as he secretly feared.
“Every Friday I buy the children breakfast. Well, the times I’m actually in the village on Friday,” he corrected. “They have so little.”
The teen swallowed thickly. “Right.”
Kakashi hefted the tray onto one flat palm and knocked with his free hand. An old woman opened the door seconds later. She was younger than Sanosuke but not by much. She smiled brightly at the sight of Kakashi. “Kakashi-san, you spoil these children.”
He shrugged. “Someone needs to,” he said with a small smile. This was their routine. She could complain about his generosity and he would shrug it off.
She sighed and stepped aside. He knew where he was going. He’d been there a thousand times before or so it seemed. He started visiting the orphanage when Naruto was placed there. Then he was forced to wear a Sharingan locked genjustsu so no one tied him to a blond blue-eyed baby that looked similar to his teacher.
The children called out for him the moment they spotted the duo. Himiko clucked her teeth in mock disapprove behind them. The kids ran toward Kakashi only to stop halfway there. They looked up at Sasuke in surprise and confusion. Kakashi understood why. They rarely received visitors and never someone so young. One that was their age mate. In fact a number of the children in the orphanage were older than Sasuke.
“Oh, I see now. You prefer the younger, darker ninja,” he drawled. There was no hiding his profession. His looks alone would give him away. The added benefit of standing as poster adult for the pros of entering the military wasn’t to be ignored though. Since Kakashi started visiting the place an increased number of children decided to enter the ninja corps. First, it allowed them to be emancipated earlier. Civilians became adults at eighteen while ninja did when they graduated the academy, regardless of age. Few accomplished the task before they were ten, but even at the normal age of twelve, that was six years of added freedom. Secondly, ninja earned money. Orphans received a living stipend on top of the funds earned from their missions, including the dreaded D class ones.
“I beg to disagree. Cutie here is a little too young for my tastes. I prefer my men with laugh lines and scars.”
The voice belonged to a tall, bright red haired and brown eyed teen girl. Her warm gaze swept Kaksashi lithe figure up and down. She was leaning against one side of the doorway leading into one of the halls. Kakashi knew from experience that particular one lead to the babies and toddlers wing.
Kakashi smiled. Yoko was one of the older orphans who still lived in the building. Most orphaned ninja took the first chance they received to leave the orphanage and the bad memories behind. Tenten and Lee from Gai’s teen did. Yoko chose to remain in the orphanage.

He understood why. While she could gain a greater sense of independence from living alone, Yoko would have missed the children she’d come to accept as her family. Secondly, what most orphans didn’t realize was the living stipend was given without regard to your actual living expenses. It wasn’t provided based on the assumption that the children would leave the orphanage. Yoko stayed and received the stipend and mission payments. She simply saved what she could in the hope that she would be able to afford a house that was large enough to hold some of the children she held closest to her heart.

“You flatter me, Yoko-chan.”

She scrunched her nose up at the “chan” part, but didn’t say anything. Her gaze trailed over to Sasuke. Kakashi’s followed. The brunet was looking at her in utter surprise. When most people thought of kids in an orphanage, they pictured very young children, especially those who were shinobi raised. It appeared Sasuke was most people.

“Sasuke this is Yoko. Yoko this is Sasuke, my student.”

Hips swinging Yoko walked across the room. Kakashi couldn’t help the grin that spread across his mouth when saw his adorable student’s eyes riveted to her hips. This he didn’t anticipate but he’d take the bonus any day. He just wanted the boy to meet someone who lost more than him and didn’t see him as The Uchiha. Naruto lost everything the night he was born, even his father’s last name, but his perky blond didn’t know that and he still saw Sasuke as The Last Uchiha. Yoko was painfully level headed. She hadn’t even blinked at his name when he first introduced himself. Kakashi thought it was because she was young and didn’t know who he was. It wasn’t until years later that he discovered the girl was a prodigy who had memorized all the information she could get on every ninja worth knowing in Leaf.

She knew him all too well, however, Yoko was wise enough to see him as an exceptional ninja but still human.

She held out her hand. “Pleasure to meet you, Sasuke. Welcome to our humble abode.”

Sasuke hefted his tray to one hand, accepted her hand and shook it. The expression on his face was clear. He no longer showed shock at her appearance or budding attraction. In fact the look in his eyes spoke of consideration though Kakashi knew he was the only one to notice. Few could read an Uchiha’s face or eyes. “Nice to meet you, Yoko,” he replied. He glanced at the tray. “Want to help me pass these out?”

Yoko smiled brightly. “Sure.”

Kakashi rocked on his heels and grinned widely. He loved it when a plan came together.

“Oy! Kakashi-san, are you going to feed us or are you going to keep torturing us with the smell of breakfast!” one of the preteens yelled. Kakashi smiled and strode forward with his own tray.

“Kimimaro?” Naruto wasn’t sure the white haired man he saw was the same one he met earlier in the week so he tentatively called out to him. He was sure he was wrong because the man didn’t turn immediately. Then slowly, as though unsure a reply was required, Kimimaro turned and glanced around him. When he spotted Naruto, he froze for a moment and then gave the blond an awkward smile. Naruto waved to him and started to walk over.
He was about a dozen feet away when he realized that Kimimaro was standing with another person. That was also the moment he noticed there was a table of weaponry before him.
“Participating in the Friday Market?” Naruto asked as he strode up to the table, even though the answer was self-evident. He needed something to start the conversation. He suddenly realized he had nothing worthwhile to say to the older teen. Naruto had simply been too excited to see him to keep his mouth shut.
“Yes. Some of the weapons were meant to surplus this week’s sales. It seems this shop did not make its usual profits.”
Thanking the gods for the opening, Naruto replied, “Aww! That sucks, but it’s another good reason you came to Leaf. You’re so smart, I’m sure you’ll sell loads of their stuff.”
“Are you interested in seeing some of our items?”
The voice belonged to the second man, the one Naruto had been rudely ignoring. He felt a little embarrassed and apologized. “Uh? I won’t lie. I wasn’t really looking for weapons,” he admitted as he rubbed his left hand through the spikes at the back of his head.
“Ok, that’s fine. Right. Let me introduce myself. Master Uzumaki, welcome to Nekkere’s Market table. My name is Hakkai Nekkere, the owner’s son and I am the general store manager. We only have a few wares here. The more unique items are available in store. I know you were not looking for weapons but now that you’re here it might benefit you to look around. A man in your field can never have too many blades,” the other man, a tall, swarthy brunet said with a bow.
Naruto dipped his head in acknowledge of the bow and warning. He made a mental note to check out the shop. The name wasn’t familiar so it wasn’t one of the many places that banned Naruto’s patronage. It also wasn’t one of the few shinobi owned shops he bought from.
He got an idea. “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Nekkere. May I beg Kimimaro’s assistance in finding a gift for my vassal?” He didn’t intent to buy Haku anything but walking around the market was inspiring, for lack of a better word. Haku did so much for him and Naruto wanted to show his appreciation. Words were great, but actions were worth so much more.
A gift, no matter how little, would be appreciated.
Haku was a very feminine boy. Naruto blushed brightly when he thought of just how feminine the other ninja was. Haku even wore lace boy short undergarments. Naruto discovered this astounding fact when he did the last round of laundry. He spent most of the remainder of the day daydreaming about Haku in those shorts and nothing else.
Seemed Kakashi wasn’t the only pervert on Team 7.
Naruto caught the shop owner elbowing Kimimaro but pretended he hadn’t. “I would love to be of assistance,” Kimimaro replied. His voice was stoic. Emotionless.
Naruto frowned. He didn’t want the teen’s help if he didn’t want to give it. Too many “suffered” his presence in the past. He didn’t want it to happen ever again. “Uh, that’s okay. I’m sure I can find something on my own. No need to take you away from your other customers.” There were other customers, or at least people checking out their wares with what looked like the intention to eventually purchase something.
Kimimaro stared at Naruto with wide eyes. Then almost before Naruto could take in the look he dropped his gaze and turned his head to the side. There was a slight pinkness to his cheeks Naruto hadn’t noticed before. It wasn’t bright enough to call a blush.
He looked flushed. Just a little too heated.
Naruto feared Kimimaro wasn’t accustomed to Fire Country’s warm weather. Maybe he should wear lighter clothing? Something with shorter sleeves might help.
Kimmimaro came from behind the table to stand a few short steps away from Naruto. “I would love to help you find a gift for Master Haku, Master Uzumaki.” His face was back to its normal unblemished ivory color. Naruto was a little disappointed. He just didn’t understand why.

He flashed Kimimaro a smile. It was nice to know he really did want to help Naruto out.

“What type of weapon does Master Haku normally use?”

Well, Haku favored his senbon, but he didn’t want to tell Kimimaro that. Plus, he didn’t just want to get him more needles. He had plenty of those. He wanted to get the brunette something different. “Small. Discrete. Easily hidden items.”

“We have an array of senbon?” Kimimaro gestured to a variety of the needles.

Naruto folded his arms across his chest and shook his head. “Nah, something else. Looking for something unique.”

“Most of the shops best and most unusual items are in the store itself, but,” he walked forward and stopped in front of a pair of long, red gloves. They were pretty. Feminine. “This was made for a female ninja, but…” Kimimaro coughed and picked up one sleeve. “It is a wrist launcher. There are two layers. Between the two is a seal for the senbon or kunai. The maximum occupancy is based on total mass so it holds more of the former than the latter. This is the only pair my master made. He did not believe there would be a market for it. I disagree.”

Naruto picked it up and looked it over. He didn’t know much about fashion and not nearly enough about weapons, but it appeared well made. He decided to take a chance and buy it. “How much?”

$7,900 Ryo and not a note less,” the storeowner asked.

Naruto murmured his understanding, placed the gloves on the table and kept looking. He only wanted to endure one haggling session. Then Naruto spotted something that truly caught his interest. Even from where he stood he could tell the blade was deadly sharp. He walked over to it.

“Oh, that is a very special piece. Another original item. Only one of it’s kind. It’s a white blade make from the exoskeleton of a giant scorpion and sharpened to a fine point. The handle is made of diamond wood, a type of tree found in the summons world.”

Naruto stared at the tanto. “Interesting,” he said after a moment. “Mind?”

Kimimaro shook his head and gestured him forward. Naruto picked up the blade. He was pleasantly surprised by its lightweight. It was sharp, balanced, easy to handle and gorgeous. In other words, it was perfect for Haku. “How much?”

The number the proprietor threw out was ten times the figure for the wrist launcher. He swallowed thickly. He had the money but he’d never purchased anything so expensive before. Well, besides his land. The amount for his clan land made sense to him. Land was something that could stay in his family for generations and it was limited, no matter how the big the world was. Still, this weapon could save Haku’s life one day. Ninja lived and died by the blade. “How much for both?”

The brunet considered Naruto for a moment. “I’ll throw the wrist launcher in for free.”

After a terse haggling session, Naruto walked away with the wrist launcher gloves and blade for a third of the tanto’s original price. The two pieces had to be placed to the side because Naruto didn’t have that much money on him. He did put down a deposit and would have a certified check made out to the shop later in the day. He couldn’t wait until Haku saw his gifts. He knew the feminine brunet would be surprised.

He just hoped he would also be pleased.

“The blade will serve you well, Master Uzumaki. I promise.”

Naruto lifted his head to look back at Kimimaro. He grinned at him. “Thanks, Kimimaro for all your help, but, uh, the tanto isn’t for me. It’s for Haku.”

Kimimaro stared at him. He frowned and parted his lips to say something, closed them, and then finally, “You bought the most expensive blade the shop sells for your vassal?”

“Whoo!” Naruto exclaimed. “That was the most expensive blade? Uh, that’s some luck,” he chuckled. “Why wouldn’t I? Haku’s worth like a hundred of those things. Plus, I think he’ll be awesome with it, more unstoppable than he already is.”

Kimimaro didn’t reply for several seconds. Naruto waited nervously and wondered if he was going to say or do something. The boy was so stoic he could outdo Shino. “You are a very usual master, Master Uzumaki.”

“Hey, I told you to call me, Naruto,” he retorted automatically.

“As you desire, Naruto.”

Naruto sighed. “Now, I need to get what I really came for.”

“You made this purchase on a whim?”

Naruto shuffled, feeling a little foolish and awkward. “No, not really. Its just Haku gave me a list of things we’re missing in the house and well, I wanted to go shopping.” He shrugged. “I also wanted to get Haku something that was not so militaristic, you know. To show I know he’s not just my vassal. The gloves and blade don’t really say that.”

“You intend to buy Master Haku more items?”

“Well, at least one more thing,” he admitted reluctantly. He was afraid Kimimaro was going to yell at him for spending so much money. He seemed like the prudent type, but Haku really was worth it. He was his best friend, and teacher, and his boyfriend. He blushed.

“Would you like some help?” Kimimaro asked, almost desperately.

“Totally.” Naruto then remembered that Kimimaro was supposed to be manning the table with the shopkeeper. “Uh, what about the table?”

“I’m sure I can convince Hakkai to let me follow and aid you. You are, after all, now his most important customer.”

Naruto chuckled at that. Imagine him being anyone’s most important patron. What a trip! “Okay. See if you can get him to let you. Maybe we could do our meeting now. See, that’s reason enough to let you go. Bring a list or something, if you’ve got one, about your basic wares.”

Kimimaro nodded and hastily walked over to his boss. They had a short, heated conversation. Naruto’s shoulders slumped figuring the other guy wasn’t going to let Kimimaro go. Then the dark haired store tender blanched and nodded his head rather shakily. Kimimaro turned and strode over to him, a self-satisfied smugness in every step.

Naruto did not want to know what they talked about. He was just happy to have the help.

Kimimaro help up a scroll. “I conducted an inventory of what Nekkere had in stock and also have a list of what my master can produce,” he said when he reached Naruto.

“Great. Come on. This is only my third time coming here. Didn’t really know about it before, but they’ve got some awesome stuff here and I’ve got a long list of things Haku wants me to pick up.” Naruto rubbed his hands together in anticipation. He used to hate shopping but once Haku taught him the trick of haggling, he found the whole experience to be exhilarating. It was sanctioned arguing and he was honest enough to admit he liked being argumentative and bullheaded. Plus, he always felt like he won something when he walked away from a table with his purchase, even if it wasn’t his intended price.

Naruto immediately noticed something that caught his attention. It was a potter’s table. He knew from one look at the pieces that the crafter wasn’t native to Leaf. They were nothing like anything he’d seen here. They were bright in tones of red, orange, and yellow. One color bleed into the other and they seemed to be in a downward spiral. It reminded him vividly of the swirl on his clothing. “Let’s check thought out,” he told Kimimaro as he headed to the table.

The white-haired civilian followed quietly. “I thought you were looking for weaponry.”

“Nah. We’re about to start renovating my place. I bought a whole apartment building, five stories and I want it to become the main site for Clan Uzumaki with houses around it. Right now, it’s a dump so Haku asked me to pick out certain pieces that we can use now and others that will inspire an idea of what our place should look like.” He pointed to one of the bowls. It was in shades of blue, green, and purple. There were burst of white along it. It looked like a changing snapshot of a dark, churning sea. Perfect for Clan Uzumaki.

“It’s lovely.”

“Great! I think so too. I totally think those colors would look awesome in a large family kitchen.”

“Family?” Kimimaro croaked.

Naruto shot him a look. “You okay?” The civilian nodded. “Yeah, Haku’s family, you know. Plus, all the people in my clan are going to be family. I want someplace large enough for most, no all of us to eat together.” He’d eaten too many meals alone and now that he had someone and expected to get more family members whenever he and Haku decided to have kids, well he wanted them all together.

“Sounds beautiful.”

Naruto nodded his head in agreement thinking about it. He would have all kinds of kids of all ages around him. His family. “Master Potter, may I ask about these pieces?” He fully intended to haggle the crafter down, but he didn’t care what the price was, he would have those plates. His family deserved nothing less.

Naruto was out making their household purchases. Haku wasn’t worried. Naruto loved shopping and, had quickly become a better haggler than Haku once the brunette explained the process to him. The blond might not know as much about products but he could read people better than Haku could. He blamed certain Leaf civilians for that skill.
Their teachings were coming to bite them in the ass, especially since Naruto didn’t mind letting other buyers know when a seller was lying and how to tell.
Haku was just glad the blond was going to be out of the house for a few hours. Now that his team wasn’t meeting he spent a lot of time at home. Sometimes he just needed to be alone.
He was currently in the basement of their building. It was his makeshift laboratory/ clinic until the actual clinic was done. Right now they pulled all their effect away from the clinic in order to finish the dojo as quickly as possible.
The darkly lit room would have to do until the center was completed. He needed to practice the skills he learned under his new master and experiment and he didn’t have the time to wait.
He stared at the tiny container on top of the counter. It was no bigger than a currency coin yet it held so much power and promise. He walked across the room and opened the cabinet. Inside was the other piece of the puzzle. He disarmed the security and medical locks, and grabbed a pair of tweezers. He used it to pick up two strands of bone-white hair. He didn’t dare take any more.
He only had a few strands of the precious hair left. The other experiments were failures. He was hoped this time would be different. He now had skin and blood to go with the hair. He was so close to deciphering the answer to his question.

He could feel it in his bones.

Sasuke stared at the papers he found in the rubble of his family home. Gaara helped him tear down his clan homes, and he didn’t regret his actions, but after the houses were gone and broken walls were all he saw, he realized he wanted Uchiha artifacts to give to his children, grandchildren, and descendants. He didn’t want to leave them nothing but stories and empty land.
Piece by piece he went through the rubble that once was houses. He didn’t start with the home he was raised in. He didn’t have the stomach or spine for that. He started with at the end of the street and made his way down until he finally reached his former house. The things he found awed and invigorated him. Some of them even confused the shit out of him and embarrassed him. It was surprised just how many Uchiha had sexual toys. Then there were the items that horrified him. The papers.
Plans of betrayal that seemed to be in bold print.
They were too hard to ignore especially since he kept running across them in house after house after house. They weren’t in all the houses. Thank the gods for little miracles, but they seemed to be in one of every three houses. Considering his parents lived near the end of a very long stretch of road, he found a lot of houses that wereguilty of treasonous acts.
Worst yet his house was one of those that reeked of betrayal even when broken and un-standing.

Sasuke placed his hands in his hair, closed his eyes and cried. This was the legacy he was trying so hard to uphold. The honor he steadfastly clung to like a raft in a shipwrecking sea. Was this truly what it meant to be an Uchiha?

Iruka rolled his neck and shoulders, trying to ease the stiffness in his muscles. It worked a little but not nearly enough. He released a deep groan of disappointment. His shoulders and neck were going to be sore during tomorrow’s training session. He just knew it!
He was training with Hayate. The man was known as a sword master but he was also a general weapons specialist. No matter the item if it was dangerous and made to kill, injure, or maim, Hayate could handle it. Iruka was learning under him in the hopes that he would become just as versatile and half as talented when it came to weapons.
Wasn’t that something? He never thought he would get this far in his career. Hoped and prayed, yes, but actually, honestly expected to reach chunin status, let alone be training with some of Leaf’s most talented ninja in order to prepare for the jounin exams? No. An emphatic no. When he was the troublemaking prankster academy student who just wanted someone to look at him and actually see him rather than just another kid left alone by the Nine-Tails assault, he wasn’t sure he would ever be able to pass academy’s exam and when that happened he resigned himself to being a genin for life, or at most ascending to chunin. He never expected to get farther.
This reasoning was probably why he didn’t get any farther in the military corps. Confidence was needed to succeed and Iruka greatly lacked it. Thankfully, his fiancé, and wasn’t that something, had more than enough confidence in Iruka’s abilities for the both of them.
“Let me help you out there.”
Iruka spun around in surprise. Gemna stood in the middle of their living room. He lifted one dark eyebrow in question. “Sorry.” Iruka released a wry chuckle. “I, uh, forgot you didn’t have a mission today.”
“Ah.” Gemna’s lips, wrapped around his trademark senbon, lifted up in a smirk. “I think I should feel offended that you forgot me. I don’t know if I want to be fasted to a man who already is capable of forgetting me.” He stepped toward Iruka with eyes that shined brighter and brighter with mischief with every step.
Iruka’s belly tightened. He knew that look. While Iruka had a long, and honestly continuing, career as a prankster, Gemna was more than enough to give him a run for him money. But Gemna’s pranks weren’t the kind Iruka could laugh about in public. Gemna’s jokes were sexy and devious and always left him gasping for breath, trying to figure out if he should laugh or come. Hard.
Like the time he ended up walking through cloth melting acid and into a rope shield that held him open for Gemna’s most wicked games.
“Relax, Iruka.” Long, thick fingers dug into the muscles of Iruka’s shoulders, kneading the flesh, and sent flashes of pain through his nerves. Iruka groaned deeply as those talented fingers pressed against his muscles, working out the tightness and knots, they found.
“Gods, that feels good,” he moaned.
The sound of Gemna’s satisfied chuckled reached him as through a haze. His hands felt so good Iruka closed his eyes and sunk into the pleasure. He couldn’t bother to pay attention to anything.
He wasn’t sure how long he basked in Gemna’s touch. Time seemed transient. Awareness came back to him when Gemna’s hands, callused from senbon and blade work, moved across the naked skin of his back. Iruka sucked in a deep breath from surprise and arousal. It should have shocked him just how quickly Gemna’s touch ignited his desires, but he was used to it, had somehow become accepting of the occurrence. He couldn’t say he was adjusted to it. The flash of pleasure, of erotic heat so strong it felt bone deep was not something he could ever become accustomed to feeling.
His palms wide, his fingers long, Gemna’s hands moved up Iruka’s back, sliding his long sleeve up his form as they went. Gemna’s were larger than his. Iruka loved those hands. So deeply. He adored the strength of his touch and the tenderness in his caresses. He loved those hands that were so very capable of leaving him crying tears of pleasure as sobs wracked his chest and his nerves sung with satisfaction.
He lifted his hands and allowed Gemna to strip him.
“Iruka?”
“Hmm.” He tried to open his eyes, but the fan of his short lashes seemed so heavy. He was too taxed to succeed. Iruka shifted his head to the side, hoping the movement would convey his attention, as his eyes were still closed.
“I think we start the first process of the seal.”
“Seal?” Iruka moaned. Gemna found the knot in the right middle of his back and pressed hard against it. “Oh gods, yes.”
“Genesis II.”
The Genesis II process gave a male the ability to create and carry a child to term. Iruka didn’t understand the mechanics, no body but the specialist did as the process was a Leaf secret. He and Gemna talked about it and decided that Iruka would be the carrier for all of the children, at least in the immediate future. Iruka’s job was location secure and wasn’t nearly as physically taxing. Gemna believed that being a teacher was a thousand times more mentally taxing than being a jounin assassin, but Iruka disagreed. Still, there was little arguing that Iruka was in the best position to carry their children.
Then there was the little matter of the fact that he desperately wanted to do it.
The blame might be placed upon his job, but the truth was children always fascinated Iruka. He loved them. The way they looked at the world was awe inspiring and often left him bemused, confused, and astounded. Infants and toddlers left him feeling even more. He longed for the chance to feel a child growing inside him.
“Married first?” he mumbled.
It was old fashioned and maybe more than a little civilian in nature, as ninja didn’t worry about being marriage when children were contemplated, but Iruka wanted to be bound before he went the through the process of creating children with Gemna.
He figured it wasn’t too much to ask.
Gemna’s hands left his back. Iruka shivered as the jounin stepped away from him. He could feel the air move and the lack of body heat and presence behind him. He opened his eyes in surprise, hoping and praying he didn’t push Gemna too far. The man asked him to marry him but he might have wanted a long engagement.
The first thing his gaze landed on was dark grey cotton. He lifted his eyes, taking in the long length of Gemna’s powerful legs, the flat tightness of his belly, the sculpted plans of his chest and shoulders, and the matching short sleeve shirt he wore over them, up and over his neck and the rapidly beating pulse there and furthermore until he reached Gemna’s gaze.
His fiancé grabbed him around the waist and lifted him into his arms. Iruka wrapped his legs around his waist and placed his head on his shoulder. The act was instinctive, born from countless experiences.
“You want to be married first?”
“Yes.” He thought about lying and backpedaling his answer but decided against it. He was worth it.
“How soon is too soon?”

Iruka lifted his head. “Huh?”

Naruto practically ran home after his shopping expenditure and up the stairs until he reached the third floor. He went into C4 and hid Haku’s gifts in the unused apartment. He made his way back up the stairs and to their top floor apartment. The dojo was done and the clinic was more than halfway finished. It was time to start thinking about redoing their current living space. They knocked down a few walls and opened the space so the whole top floor was one large suite, but the whole thing was a very large mess. Since they broke down walls and mashed the apartments together there were a number of living rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms all together without any rhyme or reason.
They needed a plan. By the end of the night, or more likely, by the end of the week, they would have a plan.
He toed off his shinobi sandals and placed them at the beginning of the hall. “Haku, I got dinner,” he called as he walked through the main hallway. The top floor didn’t have an entrance door. The stairs just poured into the top floor. They might have to fix this.
“Hmm?” Haku questioned as he stepped out from behind one of the load bearing walls. He wore a dark green dress and pale yellow tights. A towel was in his hands and he was rubbing it on his long hair. He clearly just came from the showers.
“Where you in the clinic?” Naruto asked. A few days ago, Haku started making some medical pastes and creams from the herbs and stuff he found on their land. He often got dirty making them and needed a second shower.
Naruto walked to their favored kitchen area and placed the takeout food on the counter.
“The lab actually.”
Naruto paused in undoing the plastic and glanced over his shoulder at the brunet. “Lab? We have a lab?”
Haku chuckled. “Yes. I hope you don’t mind. I placed a few items in the basement. It’s not really a laboratory. I’m just using it until the clinic is done. That will have a laboratory for experimentation.”
“Oh. Cool. What were you doing in the lab?”
Haku sent him a side-glance. “Finalizing our plans.”
His words were an answer but they weren’t exactly clear. He and Haku had a thousands plans them hoped to accomplish, many of them before the year was out. The look told him it was one of Haku’s more immediate and secretive plans. “The one you’re working on with Danzo?” he cautiously asked.
“Yes.”
“Hmm, okay. Good” Naruto liked Danzo. He greatly appreciated what the male Elders, especially Homura did for him. He knew they changed his life. Danzo, Homura, and Haku were the three people who stood up for him and (at the very least) seemed interested in his success. That being admitted, it didn’t stop Naruto for worrying about the Elders and their actions. Danzo and Homura were legendary warriors who survived two Shinobi Wars and countless missions. One didn’t get to be that successful in their field without a lot of luck and even more skill and cunning. It was the last element that worried him.
Naruto was willing to admit his faults, once he discovered them, and he wasn’t a sly person. Haku was, but he was afraid Haku’s youth and inexperience would be greatly disadvantaged by the two elders and whatever they were planning would blow up in Haku’s face and leave the Uzumaki clan holding the flaming bag.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, Haku. It’s just, well, I worry about you, you know?”
The brunet flushed. “I do.” He kissed Naruto lightly, pulling away before the blond could make it more. Deeper.
Haku walked around him. Close enough that Naruto could smell his cologne, a scent that walked the fine line between masculine and feminine like its owner. He turned and glanced at the brunet’s hips before lifting his gaze and watching the way his lithe frame moved as he walked. Everything about Haku was attractive, especially the way he moved.
The older teen grabbed the bag of food he brought and placed on top of the table “What did you get us?”
“Barbecue.”
“Really? I’ve never had any. At least none from an actual restaurant. Open flame food doesn’t count.”
“Yeah.” Considering how Zabuza and Haku traveled he probably had a lot of that and it didn’t count. He was happy to be the one giving Haku his first taste of the real thing because the truth was camping food or living off the land didn’t compare to a meal worked on by a barbecue cook.
Haku pulled out the food, grabbed some dishes and split the meal between them. “Come on. Let’s eat.”
They were halfway through their meal when Naruto broke the companionable silence. “So, what do you want to do tonight?”
Haku grabbed a cloth napkin, never paper, and delicately cleaned the sides of his mouth. “We could work on the estate.”
The look on his face said he didn’t want to do that. Naruto understood a little of what he was feeling. Every night they thought through their goals and planned their actions. Then they did their best to follow through on what they decided. It was the main reason they were so successful on the few plans they acted on. It might take forever for everything to bear fruit but they were planting seeds each and every day.
Naruto wanted to make the apartment building into a large, estate home. It would take a lot of work and time. They already made some strides on changing a few things. Most of their time was dedicated to the dojo and clinic but they did change the entrance way to the building, putting their distinctive touches in the front that made it clear the building was a home and belonged to the Uzumaki clan. They had plans for the first two floors, but not the rest. “I’m not really in the mood to do that. What about the businesses? We haven’t really touched those.”
Haku smiled and nodded his head. “True. We haven’t, barely touched it really.” They hadn’t done more than figure out what each business did and where they were located. They cleaned up a few of the more clearly illegal ones by sending anonymous missions to Leaf. Anonymous missions were a godsend and were just as the title implied. A client could request for and pay for a mission without identifying themselves. The difference was they had to pay a little more (a 10% surcharge for secrecy) and upfront in a silent cashiers check.
Anonymous missions were fairly commonplace in the Elemental Nations. Not everyone wanted their name connected to a theft or death and the villages couldn’t care less as long as they were paid.
“I was thinking we should look over the companies Gato left us.” It took Naruto some time to accept that he and Haku both owned a shitload of companies and money but he was now able to say us in regard to their ownership without stuttering.
Haku nodded. “We haven’t really touched those, at least not beyond the weapons manufacturing companies.” And that was because they needed to know that information in order to decide just what tools they could provide the orphans in their scholarship/stipend scheme. It took a couple of days and many long hours but everything was planned out.
Uzumaki clan with assistance from the shadows would convert the whorehouse on South Senju Road into an apartment complex. The basement and first level of the building would be shops and restaurants. Most of the companies would be Uzumaki owned. Naruto wanted to bring some of the better-run international companies into Leaf and also provide the slummers with a visible occupation. They intended with the help of the Elders to gain visiting papers for the shadows. Eventually their employees would apply for naturalization under the civilian rules and become citizens of Leaf. The second through twelfth floors would have studio to three bedroom apartments. The larger suites were for a family of orphans or when the kids were older and a group of friends chose to live together.
All of the renters would be given a discount for all Uzumaki owned business, whether they were in Leaf or not. One of the complex’s shops was going to be a full service grocery store. It would provide sharp discounts for the orphans. The children would also get vouchers for basic equipment, tools and clothing made by Uzumaki companies. Furthermore all dojo lessons would be free and the clinic would provide access without requiring anything but a minimal payment to cover cost of services.
The clan would cover almost all of the expenses an orphan would have to pay for out of pocket and in return Leaf would gain a steady supply of hopefully superior ninja and the Uzumaki’s would gain alliances all over the military infrastructure.
Haku and Naruto were doing this for the betterment of the children and Leaf but there was no denying the side bonus to their clan. They planned to stamp the Uzumaki name over everything done and make it clear just who were their benefactors.
“Be right back,” Naruto threw over his shoulder as he walked out the room and then apartment. He went to one of the larger apartments, a four bedroom though it was missing some walls. Though they hadn’t really started planning what to do to the upper building floors, Haku and Naruto agreed that they would need an office; a large one and this apartment was designated as their temporary one. So far it held what few scrolls Naruto had and all of the paperwork Haku stole from Gato before he killed the odious man.
He cut his hand and placed it on the door to unseal the suite and entered. They were very particular about security. Naruto was a clan head, the human vessel of the strongest tailed demon, and the town pariah, though the last part was becoming less of an issue. People were so fickle. Just the other day a girl, a former Sasuke fan girl to be exact, asked him to have lunch with her. Weird!
He grabbed the file with basic information on all the businesses and flipped through. A list of companies caught his attention. He was surprised he didn’t notice it initially when they went through. He then sought out the individual files and took them.
“Haku,” he called as he entered their apartment. “Did you know we own a company that owns a lot of orphanages?”
Haku shook his head. “No. How did I miss that? Wait. Gato owned a non-profit with orphanage subsidiaries?”
Naruto nodded. He knew what Haku was thinking. He felt the same way. Gato was a scumbag of the highest level. What he did to Wave was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to just how evil he could be.
Haku grimaced. “Let’s get the reading over with as soon as possible. Then we can clean up whatever mess these places are.”
A quarter hour later, Naruto was sure he was going to have nightmares. Gato was lucky he was dead. These orphanages supplied children for all the worst empires. Sweatshops, whorehouses, and companies and individuals wanting slaves, trained and untrained. Two of the orphanages were in Leaf itself and another half a dozen much larger sites were in Fire Country.
“I want to handle these myself.”
“Ourselves,” Haku corrected him.
“Yeah.” There was no way Haku was letting him tackle this by himself and he wouldn’t want to. Haku was his partner in all things.
They needed more information. Haku did a very good job banging it into his head that every ninja must know all that there was to know about their target before they started their mission. Looking back at what happened with Team 7’s Wave mission he knew the brunet was right. He didn’t know how Leaf could have or even if they would have researched the guardian mission considering how low it was rated, but it seemed foolhardy in retrospect to trust that the client would tell the truth about what they needed and what was wrong.
He pulled out of the disks inside the parchment file. There were two. One red and one green. The red told the true story. Naruto glanced at Haku to see the brunet was already walking across the room. He grabbed their laptop, and wasn’t that an interesting purchase, and brought it to Naruto. “Thanks.” He powered up the computer and slid the disk into it. He quickly went through the files until he found the two for the Leaf orphanages. He pulled them up and sent them to their wireless printer, another interesting purchase.
Technology, unless they were talking weapon’s warfare, was civilian territory. Very few ninja used them. It simply wasn’t required for their fields. They used scrolls, parchments, and message birds because technology wasn’t prevalent among most of the populous, and most importantly left traces. Nothing was every really erased on a computer. The hard drive always left backups and residuals. So another could find anything on a computer. No matter how hard you hide it, someone will be able to crack the code and find your secrets. If you burn a scroll it’s gone forever.
He put aside the computer while Haku went to grab the papers. They each took one orphanage.
Ten minutes later Naruto put aside his papers. “I don’t think we can wait on this.”
“I agree.”
“So, I was thinking we should do this tomorrow.”
Haku blinked up at him in surprise. “Tomorrow? Isn’t that too soon? We have no plan.”
“Yeah, its cutting it close but I know we can do this. I think it would be easier tomorrow. I mean everyone will be distracted by the exams. Security will be targeted toward outsiders really, both protecting them and preventing them from harming citizens.”
A pensive look filled Haku’s face. “True. Especially since not everyone entering will be an allied nation.”
“Right. Here’s what I was thinking.” Naruto grabbed some of blank sheets of paper from the printer and a few pages from the orphanage printout. He sketched out a plan and explained his thought process to Haku. The brunet sat back and stared at him in surprise when he finished.
“Are you sure about this?”

Naruto swallowed thickly. He knew what Haku was talking about. Death. His plan had a high chance of killing the matrons. Very high, like 99% if it went well. He’d never taken a life before and was worried, but he knew this called for it. Plus, he didn’t think he could live with himself if he allowed these people to keep living. They were abusing children, going so far as to sell babies to slave traders without any care. No, they lost all right to live and if Naruto needed to spill their blood so no more children ended up in their care, he would.

AN1: Thanks for reviewing and putting up with my late posts. The good news is I’ve written all of the “Graduation Year” storyline. This is everything up until Naruto goes or doesn’t go training with Jirayai. The bad news is it’s very rough and long. It is currently topping 140,000 words and I know there are scenes to be cleaned up and added. I plan to tackle that this month, July 2012. The bad news for you guys, awesome for me, is I will be traveling most of the month. So excited! So I’m posting Chapters Fifteen and Sixteen to make up for it.
AN2: I will be moving my fiction over to AFF for now and eventually to AO3 “Archive of Our Own”. I’m one of those lucky people who had a fic deleted. It was my super short story, something like 3,000 words, called Evans Bloodline Cut or something or other. Apparently I cursed in the description. I’m not mad it was deleted. I am a little, very little, disappointed I wasn’t notified and given the chance to correct my mistake but I respect the administrators’ decision. That said I believe it would be prudent for me to move elsewhere. I write explicit, grown up stuff so it makes sense to leave and go somewhere I can be comfortable. Follow me if you want. I am at AFF under the same penname.
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Warmth of a Cold Touch