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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
- 70
- 71
- 72
Thank you to my beta and muse, Small Fox. This story grew from a plot idea he gave me.
Also thanks to SunaoTsuji, melissen, satterb, SidonieStarr and sadie237 for reviewing after chapter 70 was posted.
Readers’ feedback, support and comments mean a great deal to me. Feedback keeps me writing.

Leader
Part 7: Vendetta
71: Temptation

Sasuke could not stay at his desk. He made tea he did not want to drink. He looked through the triplet’s latest offerings and rearranged the shelves bearing the gifts they had given him. He went through the cards he had written over the last few days, condensed his notes and disposed of the originals.
His eyes kept going to the portrait that Konohamaru had taken. Naruto and his seven hybrid sons; how could he ignore the titbit that Orochimaru had held out to him?

Knowing he would regret it, he replayed the clip.
“I can even tell you how to extend the lifespan of your beloved and your hybrid sons.”
Orochimaru had known exactly what to say; precisely how to snare him.
It was probably a lie.
Probably.

His feet were carrying him along the corridor before he had realised he had made a decision. Naruto would be in the shared area, as he was most evenings; available should any of the big litter be in need of some advice or company.
He was in the kitchen holding Aiko. Dan was sitting slumped in one of the chairs.
“I could not soothe her,” he explained. “Rin is desperate for some rest and I promised that I would manage it somehow.”
Sasuke leaned over. The baby was fast asleep. “You did.”
“Naruto-san did,” Dan pointed out.
“His magic touch,” Sasuke explained.
“Twelve babies’ worth of experience,” Naruto reminded them. He smiled at Sasuke. “I’ll help Dan-san put Aiko-chan to bed and be straight back.”

Sasuke watched him walk away. What if it was not a lie?

He was soon back.
“It isn’t like Kakashi to contact you in the evening,” he observed. “Not unless it is urgent.”
“Orochimaru has caught on,” Sasuke replied. “It looks like the whole scheme has been a waste of time and effort. Kakashi is annoyed. You know how he felt about it. I imagine he is giving Shika a hard time. I thought I would shuttle over there and talk with them face-to-face.”
“Tomorrow,” Naruto checked.
Sasuke had been intending to go immediately but such urgency would make Naruto suspicious. “Tomorrow,” he confirmed.
“Good. We can see the triplets before we go.”
This was the tricky bit. “I want you to stay here, dobe.”
Naruto frowned.
“They have Pein’s ship in one of the Elm’s docking bays. I don’t want you anywhere near that man.”
“That’s irrational, teme.”
“I know, but it is how I feel.”
“You’ll be back before ship’s night?” Naruto checked.
“That’s the plan,” Sasuke confirmed.
“Two of Hamaki, Terai and Fu pilot the shuttle.”
“All three if that is what you want.”
“No, one of them should stay here. Naomi is missing Haku and Mai. Kakashi-san will stand in as bodyguard if you are to be in a room with an outsider?”
For a split moment, Sasuke thought that Naruto had guessed what he was going to do. “Outsider?”
“Sasori,” Naruto clarified.
“Of course. Maybe you could pick me out a set of tags.”

Kakashi was in the docking bay to meet the shuttle. He greeted Terai and Fu, giving them a look that told them to be elsewhere.
“Sasuke-sama,” he acknowledged once they were out of earshot.
“Kakashi-sensei,” Sasuke replied, choosing the honorific that released Kakashi to speak freely.
“The man has no honour. He will say anything to prolong his life.”
“He will also do anything,” Sasuke pointed out. “Look at the difference Kotohime’s expertise has made. He knows even more than she does.”
“Dealing with him will be like wading through shit,” Kakashi warned.
Sasuke nodded. “It will be up to me to make sure none of it sticks. Has he said anything more?”
“No, he refuses to speak to anyone other than you.”
“Are we ready?”
“We can be. Don’t you want to talk things through with Shikamaru and Neji first?”
Sasuke imagined two pairs of eyes, one dark and one pale, studying him. “No.”

They had set up the larger of the receiving rooms in the secure suite. All the furniture had been removed other than one chair, which he had positioned to give the impression of a ruler or perhaps a judge. Sasuke settled into it. Kakashi took up the traditional position of a bodyguard.
“Neji-san, Shika-san,” Sasuke checked.
The reply came through his earpiece. “This is Neji. The sound and vision check has been completed.”
For a moment Sasuke wondered if Shikamaru would reply. Was he even there?
“This is Shikamaru. Ready.”
“Please bring the prisoner in.”

Tatsuji entered and took up his position at the side of the room. Then Terai and Fu brought him in. He was handcuffed, shackled and chained.
“This is Neji. I recommend you allow him to stand, Sasuke-sama.”
Sasuke moved two fingers of his left hand, telling Terai and Fu not to force the prisoner onto his knees.
Terai placed his foot on the chain, removing any slack.

Sasuke experienced a moment’s satisfaction at Orochimaru’s obvious disappointment on seeing Kakashi standing as bodyguard rather than Naruto.
“You will never be in a room with him,” he promised.
“Sasuke-sama,” Neji warned via his earpiece.
Orochimaru smiled. “Is that so?”
Despite the restraints, despite his position as supplicant, Orochimaru had established the upper hand. He had demanded Sasuke’s attendance. His mere presence had goaded Sasuke into speaking.
Sasuke leaned back in his chair, determined to remain calm. “Speak your piece.”
“I can prolong the life of your beloved and your sons.”
Maybe it was the truth; Neji did not suggest he was lying. “Why should I believe you?”
Orochimaru shrugged. “You have Chief Medico Rin. You have access to Kotohime Fuma. You have a typed-seven genius. You will have no problem judging if what I recommend is valid.”
“And what do you want in return?”
“My life and Kabuto’s life.”

It was unexpected that he would ask for Kabuto’s life as well as his own. Sasuke moved his index finger, asking for comment.
“This is Shikamaru. They do fuck a lot. It’s possible Orochimaru cares for him.”
“This is Neji. It is unlikely to be that straightforward but it does appear to be an interdependent relationship.”
“Just your lives?”
“To ask for more seemed overambitious. Of course, you could put us to work. We could devote the balance of our lives to prolonging the lives of hybrids so that they are in keeping with their human heritage. You could not have a more expert resource at your disposal.” Orochimaru gave the smallest of smiles. “Also, I know that I can trust you. You are a man of honour; a good man. Once you have given your word you will not break it and if you grant us our lives we will be treated well. The worst that will happen is that we will be placed in stasis.”
“What if my people judge your offering to be inadequate or the treatment you recommend too risky?”
“They will not. I will be candid with you. What I know at this time is not a cure. It will give your beloved another three to five standards. It will give your sons, because of their youth, up to another decade.”
Another three standards with Naruto; his sons living to fifty rather than forty.
“Your word that you will spare our lives,” Orochimaru pushed.
Sasuke did not need Kakashi to move slightly or Neji’s sharp intake of breath to know that giving an answer so quickly was foolish.
“I shall consider your proposal,” he admitted. “Take him away.”

He sat deep in thought after they had gone. Three standards with Naruto; ten more for each of his hybrid sons. It was almost impossible to think past that.
“Sasuke-sama?” Kakashi queried.
Sasuke looked up and realised that Kakashi had moved to a position where he could make eye contact.
“We will understand if this is a decision you choose to take alone.”
In other words, it was not a decision he should take lightly or without discussion to explore the consequences. “No, we should talk it through.”
“This is Neji. I will set up the small meeting room. Do you want me to invite Iruka-san on your behalf?”
Iruka would insist that he discussed it with Naruto. “Not for this first discussion, Neji-san.”

Neji brought coffee and tea. He poured a coffee for Shikamaru and Kakashi.
“Which would you prefer, Sasuke-sama?”
Sasuke wanted coffee but the others knew that he only drank it when he was stressed. He almost said tea but realised that to do so would not convince any of them. “Coffee please, Neji-san.”
“He never called you Uchiha-sama,” Shikamaru stated before Neji had finished pouring himself some tea.
Sasuke looked up from his coffee and saw that Shikamaru was in full analytical mode. There was no sign of the everyday Shika: his coffee was untouched; his body rigid; his dark eyes unshuttered portals to another world.
“It is an obvious button to push, like saying you are good and a man of honour. He didn’t.”
“Shika...” Neji began but was stopped by Kakashi’s hand on his arm.
“And why did he only ask for his life? Why was being put into stasis not a problem for him? Why would that be enough?”
Sasuke gut twisted.
“It’s because it is enough,” Shikamaru continued. He wants to live long enough for Izuna to take over. He knows that Izuna will let him live. They’ve already got an agreement. He gets Keizo and unlimited access to the Bara hybrid stem cells. It was his price for getting rid of you and he still wants it.”
“Shikamaru-san...” Kakashi warned, because Sasuke had not done so.
Shikamaru cut him off. “No. We’re past that point. I don’t care that he’s a purebred Uchiha and I am meant to show him respect. This was the last piece. He and Orochimaru were working together between Izuna coming out of stasis and the declaration of the vendetta.”
“You are sure?” Sasuke queried. He was imagining generation after generation of baby Narutos being raised to be bonded to men like Orochimaru. Suddenly it was about more than an extra three standards with Naruto, or even an additional decade for his sons.
“I am sure,” Shikamaru confirmed.

There was silence. Shikamaru did not relax or reach for his coffee; Sasuke imagined his thoughts racing between parts of his mind that he usually kept separate.
Kakashi spoke first. “This puts us at an advantage.”
Sasuke could not see how.
“Both of them are busy planning for a future where Izuna Uchiha is clan leader. We know that this future will not exist.”
It was true; if Izuna regained the clan leadership it would be for less than a minute within the Killing Square before Kuuya or one of the other kits killed him.
“You could risk giving Orochimaru what he requested,” Neji suggested. “Being put into stasis rather than killing him in return for information.”

For the first time, Sasuke allowed himself to imagine what Naruto would say. To Naruto there would be no alternative; Orochimaru needed to die for what he had done and to prevent the damage he might do in the future.
“Shikamaru-san?” Kakashi asked.
“We need to look beyond making Kuuya heir,” Shikamaru replied. “Izuna will declare himself clan leader. Not killing Orochimaru and Kabuto, not having a sharp and decisive end to the vendetta, will make you look weak. It will give Izuna ammunition to use against you. Not killing them unbalances the power struggle and tilts it in his favour rather than yours.” Tears welled in his eyes and began running down his cheeks.
Sasuke understood why; with every word he spoke, prolonging Naruto’s life became less probable.
“We could torture the information out of him,” Kakashi proposed.
Shikamaru’s head turned and Sasuke found himself caught by those eyes; the terrifying depth of the typed-seven genius and the tears of their closest friend. They were pleading, but for what?
All he could do was to be true to himself.
“No. That is not the new Uchiha.”

The expression in Shikamaru’s eyes changed to gratitude. Sasuke was relieved. Having Shikamaru agree with him helped.
“Ask Tatsuji, Terai and Fu to bring the prisoner to the meeting room.”
“Now?” Kakashi queried. “Sasuke-sama, there is no rush.”
“Now please, Kakashi-san.”

They went through the same steps as they had before. This time Orochimaru looked smug. There was a slight smirk on his lips. He was certain he had won.
He had not.
Sasuke looked him directly in the eyes. “My answer is no. You will die in the Killing Square and nothing you do or say will stop it.”

Orochimaru’s eyes widened and his jaw hung loose. His skin, even his lips, paled to grey.
“Take him away and stick him in a pod,” Sasuke ordered.
He began struggling as soon as Terai and Fu lay hands on him. “I can offer more,” he insisted.
Sasuke ignored him.
“I can tell you how to destroy Izuna Uchiha,” Orochimaru yelled as he was dragged through the doorway.
“Sasuke-sama?” Neji queried via his earpiece.
No, the decision was absolute; new Uchiha did not negotiate with men like Orochimaru.

That done, Sasuke was determined to bring the whole episode to a close; the sooner the better. Orochimaru and Kabuto would be podded and stored in Skyburrow. The Elm would take Sasori back to his ship and return Pein’s to Garner Parrad.
“I shall see to it, Sasuke-sama,” Kakashi told him.
“I have business with Sasori,” Shikamaru insisted.
Sasuke studied him. He looked terrible; devoid of colour and suffering the after-effects of taking down the partitions that usually segregated his thoughts. There would be a day’s delay if they waited for him to recover and sending him with the Elm was not an option; he needed to be home with Naruto and Sumiko and Haru.
“Could you see him now?”
Neji stiffened.
“Maybe with a very mild painkiller?” Sasuke suggested. “Something that would ward off the headache. Then you and Neji could come back to Skyburrow with me while Kakashi-san sorts out who will make the deliveries we need to make.”
“Just give me what you need to give Sasori,” Kakashi suggested.
“No,” Shikamaru insisted.

So they set up a third meeting in the secure suite, although this time Shikamaru and Neji were in the room and the elite fighters would be escorting a guest rather than a prisoner.
“You do not have to be here, Sasuke-sama,” Shikamaru pointed out for the third time.
Sasuke chose not to acknowledge that Shikamaru did not want him there. “I wish to be present, Shika-san,” he replied.

Sasori bowed. “Uchiha-sama, I am honoured.”
Sasuke decided on a small nod of acknowledgement. Any more seemed excessive given that Sasori was a duplicitous, amoral murderer. Shikamaru did take a liking to some of the most inappropriate people.
“I wanted to thank you for trying, Sasori-san,” Shikamaru began.
“I did not do it as a favour, Shikamaru-san,” Sasori reminded him.
“I know that,” Shikamaru replied, taking a small object from his pocket. “This is a data crystal sliver. Do you have an appropriate reader?”
Sasori nodded.
“There is a clinic. They are expecting to hear from you. All the details are in the sliver. I have arranged for any bills to be paid. It is up to you and Ranmaru-san if you decide to go forward with it.”
There was sadness in the brown eyes. “The truth is that it is I shall have to make the decision alone, Shikamaru-san.” He offered a brief wistful smile. “We are happy in our small way. If we do this, maybe we will lose even that.” He looked at Sasuke. “Some decisions are hard. It is difficult to know what is best, even without considering whether it is right.”
Sasuke found himself compelled to reply. “That is true. I wish you and Ranmaru-san the best with whichever path you choose.”

They did not say much on the shuttle. The painkiller was wearing off; Shikamaru was leaning against Neji’s shoulder with his eyes closed.
Sasuke was glad that he had insisted that they come home with him.

Naruto was in the shuttle bay. Sasuke made eye contact and then hung back. Naruto read the message and focused on Shikamaru, gathering him into a hug.
“Shi-chan.”
“I’m not doing so well,” Shikamaru admitted. “It didn’t work out the way it was meant to. I’m sorry, Na-chan.”
Sasuke saw the puzzled look in Naruto’s eyes. His heart beat a little faster. Shikamaru might say something about Orochimaru’s offer; it was going to be hard to own up but it would be even worse if Naruto found out from someone else.
“Worry about all that later,” Naruto replied. “Neji’s going to look after you. Sasuke and I’ll make sure Su-chan doesn’t bother you.” He looked to Neji, who nodded.

Sasuke was surprised that Naruto was willing to trust Neji; he still had not forgiven him for choosing Hinata over Shikamaru.
“He needs to clear his mind so he can put the partitions back,” Naruto explained once Shikamaru and Neji had left. “The best way of doing that is for him to climax. That’s Neji’s job, not mine.”
“What did he do when Neji was with Hinata?” Sasuke asked without thinking. He held up a hand before Naruto could answer. “Forget I asked. It is none of my business.” He took a deep breath. “We need to talk.”
“About Shi-chan?”
“No,” Sasuke admitted.

They went to their room via the playroom, where Sasuke spoke to Sumiko and Naruto to Kiba. Sumiko seemed to accept that Shikamaru had a headache and would probably not see her until tomorrow morning.
Finally they sat opposite each other, cross-legged, on their bed.
“The reason I gave you for going to the Elm was true but not complete,” Sasuke began. He forced himself to look into Naruto’s eyes. There was no point drawing it out. “Orochimaru had said that he could prolong your and the kits’ and Ryuu’s lives.”
Naruto’s mouth tightened and his eyes narrowed; he was angry. “Sasuke...”
“I know. But I had to at least hear what he had to say.”
“No you didn’t. He has to die. There isn’t another option.”
“That is what I told him,” Sasuke admitted. “He was rather shocked.”
Naruto’s eyes widened. “Good,” he stated. He scowled. “You shouldn’t have spoken with him and you shouldn’t have lied to me.”
“I didn’t...” Sasuke began before registering the warning in Naruto’s eyes. “I am sorry. I just love you and the children so much.”
Naruto’s expression softened. “I know you do. I forgive you. You did the right thing in the end and I am proud of you.”
“Thank you.” It did make what he had done a little easier. He fell back on the vows they had exchanged so long ago. “You are the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Naruto smiled slightly. “You are the centre of my world.”
“Dobe.”
“Teme.”
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