Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Leader	By : mannahpierce Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male > Naruto/Sasuke Views: 2163 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: This story has some of Masashi Kishimoto's characters from Naruto in a universe of my own devising. I do not own Naruto. I do not make any money from these writings.

Chapter List
- 15
- 16
- 17
My gratitude to my beta and muse, Small Fox. This story grew from a plot idea he gave me.
Also thanks to lonelylulaby, Dawn, GreenEyedCat, disembodiedvoiceofthedying, SidonieStarr, angelj232000, sadie237, cynaga, Kyle, liby318 and melissen for reviewing after chapter 15 was posted. Readers’ feedback, support and comments mean a great deal to me. Feedback keeps me writing.

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Part 2: Preparations
16: Confirmation

Shikamaru sat with his back against the tree.
It was early morning. Visiting the park had always been a late morning or afternoon activity but he was trying to avoid Izuna. Up to now Izuna had never left his apartment before midmorning.
He was not here to think about Izuna. On the contrary, he was here to forget him.

His life was going well. He could think about Klenn without being engulfed by sadness. Haru was much more a part of his everyday life. Sumiko was becoming more considerate and less demanding. There was the excitement of being part of the team developing the systems along the three Uchiha routes while, in the background, he was settling up organisations to do the same throughout the volume of known space.
He should be happy. He felt he could be if it wasn’t for Izuna.
There he was thinking about him again: those deep, dark eyes; that rich voice with its unexpected edge; the inescapable knowledge that this man was capable of loving someone like him.
He bumped the back of his head against the tree trunk. He must not think about it. It would wreck everything.

Only there was this little voice saying it wouldn’t. Neji would be reasonable about it. They would work out how to manage the transition and politely give their rings back. He would try out a relationship with Izuna. If it didn’t work, Neji would take him back.
Or he wouldn’t. Or their friendship would be destroyed. He remembered Neji’s main argument against them becoming lovers; they had to work with each other every day for the rest of their lives.
Did he love Neji? Had he ever loved Neji? What was love? Did anything that fell short of what Sasuke and Na-chan shared actually count?
He knew he couldn’t have what they had. It required the bond; an unshakable foundation that only death could break.
But, maybe, he could have more than he had.

Something, someone, moving caught his attention. He started to stand up. Thoughts flew around his head: please don’t be Izuna, please don’t be Izuna; he’s going to kiss me soon and I might kiss back; do I like him or just the idea of him?
Each thought engendered more until his mind was a seething, chaotic mess.
A flash of gold, too high to be a kit’s fur; it was Na-chan. Even the thought of his best friend’s company calmed him.
Naruto was beside him before he had decided to call him.
“It’s late for your run,” Shikamaru observed.
Naruto twitched his whiskers. “It’s early for you to be in the park.” A hand settled on his shoulder. “No, I came looking for you, Shi-chan. To talk.”
“About?” Shikamaru asked.
Na-chan just looked at him with those amazing blue eyes.

They lay side by side looking up through the leaves. Shikamaru gave voice to some of his thoughts. He knew what he was saying was disjointed and jumbled but he hoped Na-chan could make some sense of it.
“Why do you think Izuna is interested in you?” Naruto asked when he had finished.
It was not the question Shikamaru expected. Maybe Izuna was not interested. Maybe he had imagined it.
“Describe his behaviour, Shi-chan. Please,” Na-chan urged.
He tried to be objective. “It’s his voice and the way he looks at me.” He thought back to the times they had met. “He stands really close.” He knew he sounded pathetic.
“He does not do these things when you are together with other people,” Naruto observed.
Shikamaru shrivelled inside. Na-chan did not believe him. “He turns up here and when I change the time I come here he does too,” he complained. Only perhaps that was not true. Perhaps they both went to the park a lot and that meant they often met. “I don’t know what I think, Na-chan,” he admitted.
“Yes you do,” Naruto disagreed. “You think he is hitting on you and it is worrying you because you find him attractive.”
Put simply, that was it.
“I am worried,” Naruto continued, “because if he is hitting on you he only does it when the two of you are alone.”
Shikamaru sighed; it must be all in his head.
“That would mean he is choosing not to do it in front of others,” Naruto pointed out.
It was a completely new thought. It was sneaky. Izuna Uchiha was not meant to be sneaky.
“I shall observe you with him,” Naruto declared.
Shikamaru sat up. “Na-chan! You can’t.”
“I can,” Naruto replied, staying where he was and putting his hands behind his head. “He will be completely unaware of my presence.” The blue eyes turned towards him. “Alternatively, we could talk about it to Iruka-sensei,” he suggested.
The suggestion filled Shikamaru with horror; Iruka would have him and Neji in counselling before the day was out. “All right,” he agreed.

They agreed that Shikamaru would return to the park later that morning; the same time he had last met Izuna. Unknown to Izuna, Naruto would also be there. They would try again each morning until Naruto had a chance to observe them together.

They walked back to the household together before separating; each going to his own office.
Neji was not there; Shikamaru guessed he was next door with Sasuke. He thought about getting on with his own work but he knew he would not be able to concentrate.
Instead he decided to see if Haru was in his laboratory.
He was. Kazuki was with him. They were working on a task Gai had given Kazuki; understanding In-san’s plant-based security systems.
His scepticism must have shown in his expression.
“Not completely understand,” Haru clarified. “To-chan does not completely understand how the weapons in his gun turret work but he knows enough to use them safely and maintain them. We are working towards that level of understanding.”
“I would start with the safety aspect,” Shikamaru recommended. “A thorough understanding of the triggers that change it from a passive network of detectors into a lethal weapon.” He was still convinced that they should have settled for the version with the attack mode disabled, but Itachi and Kakashi had overruled him.
They began sketching out what they understood, which had even more gaps that he had anticipated.

When they paused for a break they decided to go to the kitchen. Haru and Kazuki had juice and cookies while he had coffee.
“It needs a more reliable safety catch,” Kazuki observed. “And an emergency off switch.”
Shikamaru smiled at him. Kazuki was like Na-chan; he would do just fine.
Then the alarm on his wrist chronometer sounded, reminding him to go to the park.

He did not spot Na-chan, which was as expected. He walked about, visiting each tree in turn. Half of him didn’t want Izuna to turn up, because he didn’t want to deal with him, while the other half wanted to get it over with.
He patted that tree’s trunk and moved to the next one, only to stop when he realised that something was out of place.
Izuna was sitting with his back to it; Shikamaru was a step away from tripping over his legs.
“Shikamaru-san,” Izuna acknowledged.
He felt himself flushing. “Izuna-sama,” he replied. “I did not see you there. I apologise.”
Izuna stood up, which left him standing so close that Shikamaru could have reached out and touched him.
“I should have spoken out sooner, but I thought you must have noticed me,” Izuna explained.
“I’m not very observant when I am thinking,” Shikamaru admitted.
Izuna smiled at him. “Which is all the time.”
Shikamaru was transfixed; some compartment of his mind commented that the Uchihas he knew only smiled like that for a lover or a child. “Which is all the time,” he echoed.
“You like the trees,” Izuna observed.
“I like the trees,” he agreed. The same part of his mind was telling him to stop parroting and move away.
Izuna half shut his eyes and took a deep breath. As he did so his chin came up, exposing the long, pale curve of his neck. “It smells wonderful,” he murmured. Then the eyes were back; dark, deep and direct. “And I love the sound of the leaves rustling in the breeze.”
Shikamaru knew he should turn away; he did not need the insistent little voice in his head telling him. Unfortunately, his body did not seem to be getting the message.
There was a rustle nearby and a voice. “Izuna-sama, Shi-chan.”
It was Naruto, looking as if he just happened to be walking by.
Izuna stepped away. “Naruto-san.”
“Na-chan,” Shikamaru acknowledged.
“I was hoping to have a word with you about Sumiko-chan,” Naruto said to Shikamaru. “But I can see you are busy.”
Izuna’s smile looked forced. “Not at all. I was merely complimenting Shikamaru-san on the design of the park. I shall leave you to your discussion.” He gave the slightest of nods to each of them. “Shikamaru-san, Naruto-san.”
Shikamaru noticed that Naruto’s bow was no deeper than Izuna’s, unlike his own.

Naruto waited far longer than Shikamaru would have thought necessary; another advantage of super-sensitive hearing.
“Yes, he is hitting on you and, yes, you find him attractive,” Na-chan told him bluntly.
In a way it was a relief. At least it was not all in his imagination.
Naruto’s whiskers twitched. “He didn’t smell right. That’s why I came closer, so I could check.”
“And?” Shikamaru prompted.
“I know what purebreds smell like when they desire someone. You can’t be a hybrid member of this crew and not know that.”
Shikamaru mind was filled with possibilities; if it wasn’t desire, what was it?
“He wants you,” Naruto told him. “You excite him. Like prey excites a predator.” Frank blue eyes studied him. “I do not think he is right for you, Shi-chan.”
He swallowed. Why did he find him Izuna attractive? Suddenly there was a question he needed answering. “Did Klenn desire me or did he smell like Izuna?”
Naruto paused before answering. “Klennethon Darrent desired you, as you did him.”
“Good,” Shikamaru admitted. “I was scared for a moment that I had some deep seated urge to be prey.”

Long arms pulled him close for a hug. Shikamaru relaxed into it. It felt good.
“How is it between you and Neji?” Naruto asked.
Shikamaru tensed and would have pulled away but Naruto held him close, reinforcing the question with a tiny growl.
“I don’t know,” Shikamaru replied, feeling stubborn; if he wanted to be interrogated, he would go to Iruka.
“Shi-chan,” Naruto scolded.
“He never initiates anything,” Shikamaru admitted.
“Did he ever?” Na-chan asked.
It was a good question. “Maybe not often.”
“I could speak with him,” Naruto offered.
“No!” Shikamaru ordered.
“You could talk to Haku about it.”
He might do that. Or he could speak to Neji.
Naruto finally released him. “We will leave soon to survey the new systems,” he pointed out. “Izuna will be staying here. Maybe this would be a good time to refresh your relationship with Neji. You used to work very hard to make it work between you.”
Shikamaru accepted the criticism. Expecting Neji to make the running was unrealistic; it wasn’t in his nature.
“Could you arrange a sleepover for Su-chan?” he asked.
Naruto smiled. “Good start. I will have the girls and ask Haku to have the boys.”

.

Madara was annoyed. He had been so close to getting Shikamaru to step over a boundary. Instead the fox hybrid had appeared and ruined it.
He took a few deep breaths to calm himself. It was a minor setback.
He ran through the plan as he walked back to his apartment. A copy of the schematic showing the new systems was on its way to Orochimaru; it included enough information to identify the systems and the holes that linked the route. He had also send word that Konan and her child were alive and with Uchiha; that should provide Orochimaru with enough leverage to force cooperation from Pein.
He needed one more crucial piece of information; the route of the ship that Sasuke would be on. Once he had that, Orochimaru would be able to properly prepare.

Madara himself would move onto the finesse. His next objective was that Sasuke and his children would be on the Oak but Shikamaru, with or without Neji, would not.
His preferred tactic of getting Shikamaru to fall for him and ask to stay would have to be abandoned. Shikamaru was too skittish and his relationship with Neji was too embedded.
If only they had not been raising a child together.
He would turn his attention back to that later. Sasuke and his children were dear to Shikamaru, particularly Haru. He had already lost many people who were close to him; news of their deaths should shatter him.
Then Madara could assemble the pieces to make what he needed.

He would apply his full attention to his second plan; the media.
He had committed to giving a nice, safe, controlled interview before Sasuke left. Shikamaru and Neji had taken control of the process, as they did for Sasuke. If the interview was postponed, they would stay. He needed to get Sasuke to leave without them rather than delaying the Oak’s departure.

He was using the fact that Sasuke wanted the survey completed and the gates installed as soon as possible, preferably before outsiders realised that Uchiha was developing three such lucrative routes. Karin, in her guise as an investigative journalist, was publishing a series of reports about the drop in gate availability. She had already suggested that there had been a mass purchase of gates and the next logical step would be to investigate recent transfers of planetary deeds.
With each report Karin published the need to complete the survey became more urgent. Sasuke was planning to use both the Oak and the Maple. There was a suggestion that ships without Mulligan drives would be deposited in each of the systems with planets to collect more data and then picked by the Oak or the Maple on the way home.
Most of the crew would be away from Tarrasade. It was ideal.

He turned the last corner, only to encounter Sasuke walking towards him; away from his apartment.
“Sasuke-sama, can I help you?” he asked.
Sasuke bowed. “Izuna-sama. I had some time. I thought that I would visit. Perhaps another day?”
It was too good an opportunity to miss. Madara schooled his features to display disappointment. “You do not even have time for one cup of tea?” he asked.

He was soon settled in his chair while Sasuke made tea for them.
“I wanted to speak with you about the next few divisions,” Sasuke admitted. “Are you certain you do not wish to accompany us on the survey?”
“Quite sure,” Madara assured him. “It feels good to be home and I require time to think about what the future may hold for me.”
Sasuke brought the tray to the small table and sat in the other chair. “Haku and Itachi will be accompanying us,” he warned.
That was a relief; both Haku and Itachi were sworn to Sasuke rather than Uchiha. “I believe I shall be able to cope, Sasuke-sama. It will encourage me to seek out other companionship among the crew. Who will be staying?”
“Kiba is staying; with six babies due to be decanted going really isn’t an option. He’ll split his time between the new facility and the household.”
Madara was careful to say nothing. He was not meant to know where the new babies came from. Sasuke had only told him that they were orphans for whom Uchiha had responsibility.
“I have persuaded Choza that we can manage without him, so he can remain with Kiba. Konan has decided to stay this time. That means Hana will be available and Haku will brief her about your needs. Asuma will be in command, so Tenten will be staying. Konohamaru, Kamatari and Moegi will be here.”
Moegi was the one being fucked by a Scavenger; merely being reminded of it made him nauseous.
"Rin has decided that Moegi can provide medical cover,” Sasuke continued. “Nothing else has been decided yet but it is likely that the Zetsus and Tatsuji will stay.”
He took a deep breath and Madara waited.
“I have decided that Sumaru should stay,” Sasuke announced. “He will be your bodyguard should you require one.”
Madara had made a point of seeing the youngster in action, interested to see why first Pein and then Orochimaru had decided that an army of symbiote-carriers was so desirable. It had been more than impressive. “I am honoured, Sasuke-sama, but I am sure that is not necessary.”
Sasuke raised a hand. “It is decided. We will not be visiting any occupied systems and I have Naruto to protect me.”
Madara sipped his tea to disguise his smirk; the fox hybrid would not be able to protect Sasuke from what Orochimaru had planned.
It was time to press for the information he required. “The system at the end, the one with the six planets. Am I correct in remembering that there were two planets with standard ecologies?” More importantly it had only had one navigable hole.
“Yes,” Sasuke replied. “I am looking forward to seeing it.”
Madara had to be sure. “I had thought, with the Oak being so much slower, you would have been surveying one of the shorter routes,” he observed.
“The Maple is going to do both the shorter routes,” Sasuke confirmed. “It’s the best use of resources.”

They talked further but Madara was uninterested. All that mattered was that Sasuke did not associate the end of the conversation with telling him where the Oak would be.
As soon as Sasuke was gone, Madara wrote the message and encoded it. Then he sprung the panel in the wall, reached in and slid up the sleeve that covered the false column.
Inside was the shuttle that would carry his message. Even after all the intervening centuries he was proud of the design. Using a clockwork mechanism meant that there was no electromagnetic activity to detect.
He unclipped the winder from the inside of the tube and primed the spring. Then he loaded his message into the shuttle and pressed the release. His message was on its way to Level 6.
Sleeve down and panel closed, he poured himself a celebratory cup of sake.

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