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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
- 75
- 76
- 77
Thank you to my beta and muse, Small Fox. This story grew from a plot idea he gave me.
Also thanks to SyilxPrincess, satterb, SunaoTsuji, eunmook, Moonmoore and melissen for reviewing after chapter 75 was posted.
The recent reviews and other feedback has really helped me. Thank you!

Author’s note: This was the chapter that would not come – this is version five. Things only started moving again when I decided to write what I wanted to write and stop worrying about pushing the plot. For those of you who think we are near the end the answer is not quite. I always imagined that this story would stretch to one hundred chapters and I still think it will.

Leader
Part 8: Clan
76: Guests

Sasuke had not expected Ino to request an audience. However, there was no question that, as an elite fighter’s child given over to Uchiha’s care, she had a right to do so.
It was not difficult to arrange as she was staying within the compound. He had offered both her and Sakura a safe place to stay in one of the secure guest apartments located outside the household.
Ino had accepted while Sakura had not.

Sakura going back to her own apartment had reinforced his opinion that Shikamaru had overreacted. Sasuke was still angry with him for misleading Neji and deliberately placing himself in a potentially dangerous situation.
Even Naruto was cross with him for scaring them.
Shikamaru had been uncharacteristically non-argumentative. He had accepted all the criticism and even apologised for frightening them. However, it had not escaped Sasuke’s notice that he had not promised that he would behave differently in the future.

It had been three days since they walked the station. There had been no announcement from Izuna and they had no easy way of knowing what he was doing. The media said he was living in Prime and, when Shikamaru checked, there was an apartment registered in his name.
Sasuke had asked Haku to pack up all his personal belongings, including some of the furniture he particularly liked, and have it delivered.

They had settled quickly and smoothly into the household. Sasuke had been concentrating on the allied crews. The reception had gone well, as had various private meetings with the captains.
He had fitted in the meeting with Ino as soon as he could, which was once the majority of allied crews had either jumped out of the system or were on their way to a gate.

They were using the small secure meeting room. Kakashi had insisted that they keep in mind that an ex-Sister could always be a Sister working undercover. Naruto was with him. Fu, who had escorted her through the corridor of scanners and into the room, was on the other side of the door.
No one was watching or listening remotely. Despite Kakashi’s concerns, Sasuke did not think that appropriate.

Ino was very smartly dressed and, even though Sasuke was male-only, he could appreciate that she was good-looking.
Maybe it was because he had a weakness for blond hair and blue eyes.
“Ino-san,” he greeted her, gesturing that she should take a seat.
“It is very good of you to agree to see me, Uchiha-sama. You also, Naruto-san.”
“You will always have Uchiha’s ear, Ino-san,” he replied. “Would you like some refreshments?”
“No thank you, Uchiha-sama.” She sat a little straighter. “I am here to intercede with you on Shikamaru-san’s behalf.”

It was not an approach he had anticipated. He indicated that she should proceed.
“I understand that he took a large risk in coming to Izuna-sama’s offices. He did not have an escort and, given your reaction, I doubt that he had asked permission or even told anyone about what he had intended to do.”
She paused and Sasuke confirmed her deductions with the smallest of nods.
“You should know, Uchiha-sama, that Sakura-san would have definitely kept the rendezvous with Izuna-sama if it had not been for his intervention. I was making no progress in persuading her not to do so until he arrived. The best I had managed was to introduce a short delay.”
Sasuke was still not convinced that the potential danger to Sakura had justified the risk.

Ino was frowning slightly, as if she had realised that she had not convinced him.
“At the time,” she continued. “I merely thought keeping the rendezvous was unwise. Shikamaru-san turning up in person changed that. I have thought deeply since and I believe that Sakura-san has been spying on Izuna-sama, that Shikamaru-san knew this and that he believed that a recent development meant that Izuna-sama was likely to become aware of it.
“If that is the case, then Sakura-san was in acute danger. If Izuna-sama realised she was a spy there is little doubt in my mind that he would kill her.”

It was difficult to know how to react. Sasuke did not want to confirm that Sakura was a spy. He was also interested in Ino’s opinion of Izuna so he raised an eyebrow, hoping she would continue.
“Izuna-sama has a large but surprisingly delicate ego,” Ino informed him. “He is fond of Sakura. I think he believes that she is in love with him. To discover that she is only paying him close attention because she was spying on him would be a blow and Izuna-sama would retaliate. Also, killing a spy is not outside the spacer code.”
It was true; spying was considered dishonourable.
“I am surprised that Uchiha would consider employing spies,” Ino hinted.
“Uchiha does not,” Sasuke assured her. “However, we do not distinguish between information obtained through clandestine means, including spying, and information obtained more openly. This means that Uchiha is not in a position to condemn spies or spying.” He decided to ask his own question. “What makes you think that Sakura-san has been spying on Izuna-sama?”

Ino studied him for a moment before replying.
“I do not think that a woman who is as intelligent and as skilled as Sakura-san, with her education and experience, would stay as Izuna-sama’s personal assistant unless she had an ulterior motive. The job was too menial and while Izuna-sama’s expectations of a woman’s appearance, obedience, and knowledge of etiquette are high, in all other areas they are depressingly low.”
“You stayed, Ino-san,” Sasuke reminded her.
“I had little choice, Uchiha-sama. Most people are too terrified of the Sisterhood to consider employing someone raised by them. The pay was good and the job did not require me to break my personal code.”
Sasuke had to ask. “May I enquire about the parameters of that code?”
“The Sisterhood does not kill people who do not deserve to die. This is not necessarily true of other organisations or employers.”

That was blunt. Sasuke looked across and caught Naruto’s eye. His whiskers were up and his eyes were sparkling. He liked her.
Sasuke liked her too. “I understand that you have already been to an evemeal in the household, Ino-san.”
“Yes, Uchiha-sama. Sumaru-san invited me. It was most enjoyable.”
“Are you available to join us this evening, Ino-san? I must warn you, almost everyone will be there, so it will not be formal and is likely to be noisy.”
“That would be lovely, Uchiha-sama. May I be rather forward?”
“Feel free, Ino-san.”
“May I bring Sakura-san with me?”
Sasuke recalled his meeting the pink-haired woman in the Warren and the teasing he had received afterwards. However, that had been eleven standards ago; he resolved to be fair and give her the benefit of the doubt. “Please convey my invitation to her, Ino-san.”

Shikamaru was hiding.

He had been prepared for Sasuke to tell him off for going alone to Izuna’s offices. He had not expected Naruto to be cross, or Neji to be angry, or Sumiko to cry, or Iruka’s reproachful looks, or Kakashi to threaten to beat him senseless if he ever did something so stupid again.

Then there was the rest of it.

The household was still arranged as it had been before Neji had been kidnapped. They shared an office and Neji’s bedroom was linked to his.
Sumiko had locked the connecting door on Shikamaru’s side and purged their rooms of Neji’s things, piling them into a basket and dumping them in the shared area outside Neji’s door.
Haku had been outraged, which mystified Shikamaru as it was exactly the type of gesture he could imagine Haku making. He wanted to sit down with Shikamaru and discuss Sumiko’s behaviour.
That had been added to Shikamaru’s list of things he was trying to avoid.

Then there was Neji. Shikamaru lying to him and scaring him so badly had used up the last of Neji’s patience. He admitted that he did not want Shikamaru in his room and made the reasonable request that they fuck in Shikamaru’s, as they always had. He had pointed out that Shikamaru could lock the door between his bedroom and the sitting room he shared with Sumiko.
Su-chan retaliated by reminding him of the promise he had made her; Neji would not be allowed back into their rooms.
It was a dispute that they both expected him to resolve.

It hadn’t been too bad the days after Uchiha had walked. They had been busy. There had been the reception for the allied crews, followed by two days of meetings.
Only now all the crews had jumped out of the system or were on their way to a gate. He had run out of excuses for avoiding people.

So he was hiding in one of Haru’s simulators, the one he used when he, Haru and Sai were working together. Haru’s laboratory wasn’t big enough for two simulators, not if Haru wanted space to do anything, so they had put it in a nearby storage cupboard and hardwired it into Haru’s network.
If located, he would say that he had a backlog of communications, which he did, and that working in the simulator was quicker, which it was.

He started by catching up with his Tennyos. There was a communication from each of them. He opened Tennyo Three’s first, expecting a response to Chaaruzu-san’s orders, which he had sent as soon as he had returned to the household from Uchiha headquarters.
She confirmed that she had sent Izuna a letter explaining that she could no longer work for him. She had not, however, followed the second part of his instructions. She had not left Tarrasade as Sakura with the intention of returning using a new persona.
Instead she was resigning.

To his surprise it upset him. It wasn’t like Tennyos hadn’t resigned before; his original Tennyo Two had moved on, as had her replacement.
Maybe it was because he had not seen it coming; he had realised that Tennyo Two was falling in love and that Tennyo Five missed being part of a crew. Or perhaps it was because he had met Sakura in person twice, when none of the others had ever been closer than a real-time communication link.

He sighed and began going through the necessary steps: arranging the payments for her pension and medical care; providing impressive, if completely contrived, references; changing codes and security protocols. He left her the ability to change her appearance; ex-operatives often had people they wished to avoid.
He would have to trust her not to reveal the complex of interconnected apartments across Levels 1, 5 and 4; there was only one of those and he had no intention of giving it up.
Once he had finished, he sent her a message from Chaaruzu-san including all the details she would need, wishing her all the best and strongly recommending that she did not use the Sakura persona when walking around the corridors of Tarrasade.

Then he opened the report from Tennyo One, hoping it did not contain any surprises. It did not. He had just finished reading it when there was a familiar voice.
“Shika-san?”
“Yes, Sai-kun?”
“Sumiko-chan is looking for you. To be more precise many people are looking for you but Iruka-san has asked Sumiko to find you. She said she could and now that she cannot she is becoming anxious. I would prefer not to tell her that you are in the storage cupboard.”
It was closest Sai came to a threat. Shikamaru knew that, if pushed, Sai would give away his hiding place rather than have Su-chan upset.
“On my way, Sai-kun,” he confirmed.

He intercepted Sumiko in a corridor and they walked together back to their crew room so that Su-chan could take credit for finding him.
Iruka immediately appeared. “Shika-kun, a word. Su-chan, your Nii-san will be with you soon.”
Sumiko reluctantly went into their sitting room and shut the door. Shikamaru braced himself.
“Do you need an extra room?” Iruka asked.
It took a moment for what Iruka meant to sink in. “A fucking room?” he checked.
Iruka smiled. “If you want to call it that.”
“Is there a spare?”
“More than one. The youngsters are all going to the next crew room along, even Ran and Haru have decided they would prefer to have rooms there.”
“Thank you, Iruka-sensei.”
“You are welcome, Shika-kun. Now go and get ready for the evening meal. We have guests.”

He was still wondering about the unexpected guests as he entered.
“Nii-san?” It was Su-chan, coming out of her room.
He pulled himself together.
“Haku-san brought some clothes for you; I put them in your room.”
He cringed. He knew what was coming next.
“Your room is very messy. You have to tidy it up yourself now that Neji-san does not do it for you. I already do this room and the small kitchen and my room and my bathroom. I am not going to do your room and your bathroom.”
He did not point out that they were his room and his bathroom. He had standards of trying that argument on his Ma; he knew it didn’t work.
“I could tell Iruka-san that I am worried about you,” she threatened.
He flinched. “I’ll do it,” he told her.
“You don’t have time now,” she informed him. “You have to have a shower and get dressed in the clothes Haku-san brought. There are guests for the evening meal and Iruka-san wants you to help entertain them beforehand.”

Having limited time meant that he had to use the blowers to dry his hair, which left it ridiculously fluffy. He dragged it back from his face and secured it with the usual silver ring.
It looked like a pompom. He sighed, put back in his earrings, slid his ring onto his duty finger and pulled on the clothes Haku had left for him.
They felt tight, like his uniform. He much preferred his usual clothes.

Sumiko looked him up and down. “Not bad,” she observed. She pointed to a low stool. “Sit down.”
He did what he was told and watched her walk into his bedroom. He could hear her tutting as she went through to the bathroom.
She returned with a pot of some hair product that Neji had given him. She opened it, smeared a little on her fingers and ran them through the ends of his hair.
“There,” she announced. “Go look.”
He went to the mirror Neji had hung near the door so that he and Sumiko could check their appearance before entering the shared area. To his relief the fluffy pompom looked more like his usual hair.
“Do you find women sexually attractive?” Sumiko asked.
He turned around and looked at her. Where had that come from?
“I am with Neji,” he countered.
She sniffed. “I thought you and Neji-san were friends helping each other out.”
Shikamaru wasn’t sure that ‘friends helping each other out’ was a suitable concept for a girl of ten; their Ma would have been horrified.
“I mean, Haku-san and Iruka-san are making sure you look good for the guests and the guests are female.”
Shikamaru looked back at the mirror in alarm.
“You should be going. Iruka-san will be cross if you are late,” Sumiko reminded him. “We can talk about it later.”

She pushed him out the door.

The first things he saw in the shared area were a shapely pair of silk-clad legs. His eyes travelled up to blue eyes and long blond hair.
“Shikamaru-san,” Ino acknowledged.
He managed a sketchy bow. “Ino-san.”
“I have a few things to see to,” Iruka was saying. “Shika-san will be happy to entertain you, Ino-san”
Ino indicated the empty expanse of couch next to her. “That will be lovely.”

He sat down. What were Iruka and Haku up to? Why did they think he liked Ino? He had only met her once.
Then he remembered who had also been at that meeting: Naruto.

Ino was smiling at him. It wasn’t a ‘please like me’ smile or even an ‘I am trying to be socially acceptable smile’. It was more like the smile on Sumiko’s face when she had a present to unwrap.
“You are looking very nice this evening, Shikamaru-san,” she told him.
Shikamaru felt himself flush. “Thank you,” he acknowledged. “You too,” he added, trying not to stare at her legs or indeed at any other part of her body, which left him looking at her face.

His gaze was locked by a pair of predatory blue eyes.

Luckily people soon started arriving; introducing them gave him something to do and meant she had to look elsewhere than into his eyes.
When Neji came in Shikamaru jumped to his feet without thinking. Ino stood too, which made it worse.
“Neji, Ino-san. Ino-san, this is Neji.”
“Ino-san,” Neji acknowledged politely.
“Neji-san,” she replied coolly.

Shikamaru realised that he had expected Neji to slip an arm around his waist, or make some other gesture of ownership. Not having him do so left Shikamaru feeling insecure.

Then Naruto and Sasuke walked in escorting Sakura and the tension dissipated. Sakura asked about Sumaru and next thing she and Ino were being escorted to Sumaru’s crew room by Sasuke.
Naruto watched them leave and then laughed.
Neji’s lips quirked in his version of a smile.
“What is it?” Shikamaru asked.
“Ino and Sakura,” Naruto answered.
He didn’t understand. “Ino and Sakura what?”
“It would appear that Ino-san and Sakura-san are a couple,” Neji clarified.
“Or at least that they fuck,” Naruto suggested.
“No, they are a couple,” Neji insisted. “Otherwise Ino-san would not be angling to get both of them onto the crew.”

Shikamaru studied them during the meal. Without Naruto’s nose or Neji’s ability to read behaviour, he would have had no idea that they were more than friends.
It made him feel considerably better about Tennyo Three’s resignation.

They stayed for exactly the right amount of time after the meal. As soon as they left, everyone was talking about them. There was no doubt that they had made a favourable impression.
Discussion was still lively when Shikamaru left the kitchen to check that Sumiko was going to bed.
“I wish I had pink hair like Sakura-san or blond hair like Ino-san,” Sumiko said as she finished brushing her hair.
Shikamaru was reminded of Neji’s response the last time hair colour had come up. “Pink clashes with lots of colours, Su-chan, and if you are blond you can’t wear yellow.”
“Your hair is lots of different colours, Sumiko-chan,” Sai pointed out, making his voice appear to come from the Sai avatar in its holographic bed on the other side of the room. “I think it is perfect.”
Sumiko smiled at him and climbed into bed. “Story please, Nii-san.”

One of the best things about having Sai living with them was that Su-chan no longer insisted he stay in the sitting room until she was asleep. He went out into the shared area, intending to slip away to continue working in the simulator.
He had reckoned without Naruto.
“Shi-chan.”
He sat down on the couch beside his friend. “Na-chan,” he acknowledged.
They sat in companionable silence for a few moments before Naruto spoke.
“Perhaps they will consider a threesome,”
Shikamaru thumped him on the upper arm. “I am not interested in Ino. Yes, she has amazing legs but it doesn’t mean anything. Non-bonded people find other people attractive all the time.”
Naruto twitched his whiskers. “That is true,” he acknowledged. “Even Sasuke finds some men attractive.”
“You told Haku and Iruka,” Shikamaru complained.
“I did not. I merely suggested that having guests to the evening meal was an opportunity for them to get you into some new clothes. They jumped at it.”
Shikamaru could believe that of Haku but he was less convinced about Iruka. “Na-chan, I am with Neji. I already have Su-chan making things difficult. I don’t need you joining in.”

Naruto did not reply. Instead Shikamaru could see him scanning the line of doors; Sumiko’s room, their shared sitting room, his room, Neji’s room and then the empty room that Iruka had offered him.
“Ask Iruka-sensei to give the room to Neji rather than you,” Naruto suggested.
It was a brilliant idea. Shikamaru hugged him.
“You could probably catch Iruka-sensei now,” Naruto added.

Iruka was still at the kitchen table, along with most of the older crew, who were still discussing Ino and Sakura. One look was enough to attract his attention. They met up at one of the counters under the guise of making fresh coffee.
“You sure?” Iruka checked once Shikamaru had made his request.
“Absolutely,” Shikamaru assured him.
“Very well. Now Shika-kun, I want you to sit at the table and socialise.”
Shikamaru looked around. Naruto had sat down next to Dan. There was an unoccupied space next to Inryoku and Enerugi.
He carried the tray to the table, sat down and poured Inryoku a cup before passing the flask along the table; Enerugi was drinking whisky and playing footsie with Tatsuji.
Iruka had sat down next to Neji.

Shikamaru drank two cups of coffee followed by two shots of whisky. It left him with a pleasant buzz.
He felt Neji’s hand on his shoulder, looked up and smiled. Neji smiled back, gave his shoulder a squeeze and walked away. Shikamaru knew that was Neji for ‘I am fine if you stay here but also would not mind if you followed me’. Shikamaru decided to follow.
“Iruka-san insisted that I have a second room,” Neji informed him.
Shikamaru hoped that the caffeine and alcohol would make his acting more convincing. “Did he? That’s great.”

Neji frowned slightly. Shikamaru could see him deciding to let it go. He stopped at the door of his room.
“Would you like a one-off opportunity to muck up my room?”
Shikamaru stared at him.
“I’m going to move next door tomorrow,” Neji admitted. “Then the shared room will be between us.” He opened the door and Shikamaru looked through to the pristine order beyond. The thought of introducing some chaos was as tempting as a fuck.
What was even better was that he was going to get both.
- 75
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