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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
- 77
- 78
- 79
Thank you to my beta and muse, Small Fox. This story grew from a plot idea he gave me.
Also thanks to eunmook, blugirlami21, melissen and LovelyBirdCherry for reviewing after chapter 77 was posted. Readers’ feedback, support and comments mean a great deal to me.
Feedback keeps me writing. Reviews encourage and inspire.

Leader
Part 8: Clan
78: Stepping up

Haru had fallen asleep on Ran’s bed again. This time it had been after the midmeal and he did not wake up until the afternoon was half over.
It was becoming a habit. He knew that walking the station and the reception for the allied crews had been exhausting but that had been five days ago.
There was a note for Ran saying that he had set an alarm to wake Haru before he was on duty in the kitchen. Haru deactivated it before smoothing his hair, pulling down his top and going to check what was happening.

Iruka-sensei was in the kitchen, working at the table. As soon as Haru appeared, Iruka-sensei stopped what he was doing and beckoned him over.
“Sit down, Haru-kun,” he instructed.
Haru was meant to be helping Choza-san. He glanced across as he took the seat next to Iruka-sensei. Choza-san seemed fine. He had Shou and Tsuneo helping him. The two of them were standing on a low bench so that they were tall enough to chop vegetables at the counter.
“I have arranged for you to have a medical tomorrow morning with Rin-san,” Iruka-sensei began.
He opened his mouth to argue but read Iruka-sensei’s expression and did not.
“Experience suggests that it is merely a growth spurt but Rin-san may need to adjust your nanobots or give you supplements. Seeing a medico will stop your oto-san worrying about you.”
A growth spurt was a nice thought. By the time he had stopped thinking about it, Iruka-sensei had changed topics.
“Shika-san has asked for all your duty time for the next two divs.”
Haru was surprised; Shi-chan had not mentioned that he was going to do that.
“Of course that is not possible,” Iruka-sensei continued, “but I have cut down your other commitments to a minimum.” He slid a tablet across the table to Haru.

Haru scanned his new schedule. He had the normal number of watches, the minimum number of general duties, training and his knife-fighting lessons with Iruka-sensei. Otherwise he was with Shi-chan.
He realised that Iruka-sensei was waiting for an answer. “Thank you, Iruka-sensei, this looks awesome.”
“Good. Now Choza-san, Tsu-chan, Shou-chan and I can cope here. I want you to go and check in with Shika-san.”

He started by trying Shi-chan’s office, the one that he shared with Neji-san. No one answered the door announcer; he did not even get a recorded message from Neji-san. Haru decided to resort to Sai.
Sai’s response was immediate. “Haru.”
“I am looking for Shi-chan,” Haru explained.
There was the slightest pause. “I shall tell him that you wish to see him.”

He was opening the door to his laboratory when Shi-chan replied saying that he was on his way. Haru went inside and activated his system. He half expected Sai to appear but he didn’t; perhaps he was with Su-chan.
Shi-chan walked in a few minutes later.
“Iruka-sensei had sorted me out a new schedule,” Haru began. “Shall I send you a copy so you know when I am working with you?”
“He had already shown me the times,” Shi-chan admitted. He hesitated and then continued. “I told him that I wanted to familiarise you with the Uchiha systems but I also want you to help me with a project.” Shi-chan looked about as if anxious someone might overhear. “I don’t want you to tell anyone about it. You’ll understand why when I tell you what it is.”
Haru nodded. He would tell Papa if Papa asked. In his experience, Papa rarely knew what questions to ask.
“Orochimaru suggested that it was possible to extend canine-human hybrids’ life-spans. It would only be by a fraction but, if there was even a possibility it is true, I intended to research it.”

Haru’s throat closed. He could not answer. None of them ever talked about To-chan and Kiba-san dying, or the kits and Ryuu only living until they were forty standards.
“Haru?” Shi-chan asked. “You understand why we can’t ignore this?”
He forced himself to speak. “To-chan says it’s how you live, not how long you do it.”
Shi-chan’s gaze went distant. “I know. I tried to leave it alone but I can’t.” Then he was back and his eyes were the way they got when he wasn’t thinking about how other people saw him. “I have to know what options we can offer them. If there is nothing that can be done, I need to know I have explored every possibility. I thought I had. Kotohime said I had, but then Orochimaru says that he knows how to extend Na-chan’s life by three standards and the kits’ by a decade.”
Haru did not know about that, but he had a good idea of how Orochimaru’s mind worked. “He was probably lying. Or it would be something gross like going into stasis and using mindprints, like he did. Or worse.” He was having problems thinking of worse but he was sure that Orochimaru was capable of it.
Shi-chan’s eyes changed. It was like a door closing. He turned away. “You are probably right.”

Haru felt as if he was being pulled in two directions. On one side there was his To-chan, who did not want people obsessing about extending his life, and on the other there was Shi-chan, who would obsess about it whether Haru helped him or not.
“It can’t hurt to look,” Haru admitted. “But when Sai and I decide we’ve looked everywhere you have to agree to stop.”

Shi-chan reached across him for one of the interfaces and called up the top layer of a database. Haru’s eyes went to the descriptors. There was a huge mass of data from an amazing number of sources.
“I can’t see any new connections,” Shi-chan admitted. “I would like you to try your more systematic approach. I confess I have already got Sai to chop up the data. He’s labelled the bits with my tags and one set of his tags.”
Haru watched the database flatten and expand. He thought about complaining about Shi-chan telling Sai first but he didn’t. What Orochimaru had said had really got into Shi-chan’s head and Haru knew what that felt like. “Do you want me to start working on it now?”
“Maybe. Do you need Sai? I think he’s with Su-chan. There is some other stuff I want to talk to you about.”

‘Other stuff’ turned out to be everything Shi-chan did for Uchiha that no one else did. Within minutes, Haru’s head was spinning.
“We need to go slower,” he admitted.
Shi-chan stopped in the middle of calling up yet another procedure.
“I am still thinking about the first one you showed me,” Haru told him.
“You are?” Shi-chan looked defeated.
“I have to translate it,” Haru explained. “You forget that you think in a completely different way to anyone else. Let’s go back to the first one.”

Once they had talked about it for a few minutes, Haru could see how to make it into a task that anyone could do using conventional computer programmes. He restructured it, labelled it ‘intelligence analysis’ and filed it appropriately.
“The more I do, the quicker it will be,” he assured Shi-chan.
Shi-chan thought for a moment and then nodded. “This is good. Let’s do the next one.”
Haru considered asking how long the list of procedures was, but decided against it; there were some things he was better off not knowing. They were starting on number thirteen when the alarm in Shi-chan’s wrist chronometer sounded, warning them that it was time to go to the evemeal.
At least only one of those they had tackled so far was incomprehensible to Haru. After a few minutes of Shi-chan’s mounting agitation, Haru had insisted that they put it aside. Two others would require him to write dedicated computer programmes before other people could understand them but Haru could not see that being a problem.

After the evemeal, he escaped into Ran’s room. Iruka-sensei hadn’t included any evening sessions on his schedule, but Shi-chan was so keen that they should make progress that Haru thought he might suggest one.
“I don’t know what has got into him,” Haru complained once he had explained what he had been doing. At least he could talk to Ran about restructuring the procedures. It felt wrong not to tell him about looking for a way to extend canine hybrids’ lifespans, but Haru had promised.
“He’s been waiting fourteen standards for you to become an adult,” Ran reminded him. “He probably started that list the first time you solved one of those puzzles he gave you.”
It was nice to think of himself as an adult and Ran was probably right about how long Shi-chan had been waiting.
“You will be able to take some of the responsibility off his shoulders,” Ran reminded him. “And I’m glad that you are able to redesign some of the tasks so they can be done by other crew members. That means the burden will not pass from him to you.”
“There’s probably some stuff that will still need either him or me,” Haru replied. “Just like there are some things that only he can do.”
“And things that only you can do,” Ran added.

Haru decided he had talked enough about work. He leaned in and gave Ran a gentle kiss on the lips.
“Like this,” he suggested.
Ran made a show of considering. “Maybe there are other people who could do that.”
It was part joke, part test; Haru was determined not to be jealous of other people who didn’t even exist. He took Ran’s hand, turned it over and kissed the underside of his wrist. “What about this?”
Ran shivered; Haru knew that the underside of his wrists were super-sensitive. “Maybe not that,” he agreed.

He put the flat of his hand against Ran’s chest and pushed. Ran consented to move until he was lying on the bed. Haru followed and they ended up with Ran on his back and Haru draped over him.
It was one of Haru’s favourite positions. His fingers would seek out or create bare patches of Ran’s skin to stroke or tickle. If Ran responded positively, Haru would begin shifting and wriggling so that they would rub against each other. Once they both had stiffies, they would either do something they had done before, maybe stroke each other until they squirted, or try something new.
Haru was already addicted to them climaxing together because Ran felt Haru’s orgasm as well as his own and that was incredible.

Today wasn’t one of those days, Haru could tell. Ran’s response was behind his instead of in front, even though Haru was doing the stroking and tickling. That meant he was reacting to Haru’s pleasure rather than feeling it first hand, which wasn’t bad but wasn’t exactly good either.
Haru dialled it back to gentle caresses and no wriggling. If Ran decided he wanted more, he would take the initiative.
He didn’t. He just held Haru close.

Haru relaxed. As soon as he did so, he yawned. Within a minute he was dozing.
“You should go shower and change,” Ran reminded him.
“Going to shower in the morning,” Haru murmured. “Got a medical.”
Ran pushed him gently from the bed. “Clean your teeth, use the head, put on a pair of sleep pants.”
Haru tried to burrow back. “Later.”
“Now, Haru.” Ran insisted, backing up his words with a shove.

It was the same the next morning; Haru could tell Ran was getting fed up with having to nag him. He rolled out of bed and into the head. When he came out, Ran was already in the shower.
Haru pulled on the top he had been wearing the day before, gathered up the rest of his clothes and headed out, hoping he would make it next door without having to have a conversation.
It was just his luck that people were all over the shared area. He tried sneaking but it was hopeless.
“Good night, Ha-chan?” Kuuya asked loudly, attracting everyone’s attention.
Haru felt his face flame as he blushed. He sped up, only for Five to appear beside him.
“I believe you dropped these, Haru-kun,” he said in his sexiest voice. In his hand were Haru’s underpants.
Haru knew they were only teasing him but he still wanted to shrivel away to nothingness. He tried reaching for the underpants without dropping anything else, decided it was hopeless and started reorganising what he was carrying.

Then the underpants were whipped out of Five’s grasp and Five gave quickly-muffled yowl of pain as a fist struck his upper arm.
“Behave yourself,” Yuki ordered. He turned on the others. “Don’t you have places to be?”
They all were suddenly busy. Yuki folded up the underpants and added them to the pile in Haru’s arms.
“Thanks, Yu-chan,” Haru acknowledged.
Yuki gave a Haku-esque sniff. “This is a crew room, not some gymnasium changing room,” he announced, which was definitely for the benefit of others rather than directed at Haru.

Showered and lightly fed, he made his way down to the infirmary for his medical. It was the first time he had been to one on his own; To-chan had always come with him.
Rin-san scanned, tested, prodded and probed. As usual, she did not tell him anything and, as always, he didn’t ask her any questions because he knew she wouldn’t answer them.
Once she had finished she refused to give him the results without Iruka-sensei being present, because Haru was a trainee and trainees were the queen’s responsibility.

Haru had to wait twenty-three minutes because Iruka-sensei was busy. When he arrived, it was obvious that he was not amused, particularly when Rin-san confirmed that there was nothing wrong with Haru other than the growth spurt everyone was expecting.
Iruka-sensei said nothing; senior crew members did not disagree with each other in front of trainees.

It turned out that she had already treated him. His nanobots had been adjusted and some of the hyposprays had been supplements.
Iruka-sensei told him to go about his duties and reminded him of their knife-fighting lesson that afternoon. As Haru left he heard Iruka-sensei asking Rin-san if they could talk in her office.
If Haru were betting on the winner, his choice of front-runner would be Iruka-sensei.

On his schedule it was time set aside to work with Shi-chan but Shi-chan was in a meeting so he and Sai started working on finding possible connections or correlations in the database.
It turned out that there were hundreds of thousands; the problem was knowing which were relevant and which were not. Haru decided to start with the assumption that if someone else had seen it, Shi-chan would have too. Once all known connections and correlations had been eliminated they were down to a couple of hundred. Then Haru prioritised any that linked to anything in Orochimaru’s records, which left eighty-five.
It was a good start. He decided to go find Ran and walk with him to the midday meal.

Ran was in the playroom, helping look after Aiko. From what Haru could see, Aiko received far more than a normal baby’s share of attention. He wondered if she needed it or if everyone was overcompensating for her being Orochimaru’s daughter.
Then he remembered speaking to Rin-san, assuring her that he would help raise her, and felt bad.

He settled down to watch for a while. Aiko would play with her toy for a bit but soon tire of it and start elaborating the game by including Ran. Haru could see her experimenting; at one point she bit Ran just to see his reaction.
He decided to risk joining them on the floor. “She’s bored by the toy,” he told Ran. “She’s playing with you; you are more interesting.”
“She picked out that toy to play with,” Ran objected.
“Well maybe last time she played with it, the person who was with her did something interesting,” Haru suggested. He got up. “Hang on, I’ll be back.”

The boxes of puzzles were where they had always been, arranged in increasing difficulty and marked with age ranges in Kiba-san’s neat print.
Haru started with a box that was marked two to three standards.
“Haru, she’s only six divs,” Ran objected as he rejoined them on the rug with the box beside him. “She won’t be able to line up the pieces properly and connect them.”

Haru hadn’t thought of that but he decided to persist. He assembled once of the puzzles in front of her and then took it apart again. She watched.
He was convinced she was interested; there was something about the quality of her watching. He spread the pieces out on and waited.
Sure enough, she pointed at the piece he had started with. He picked it up. Then she pointed at the next piece.
Haru could see Ran’s surprise out of the corner of his eye.

“Next time you should see if she can do one that she hasn’t seen being put together and taken apart,” Haru suggested once they had returned Aiko to Kiba-san and were on their way to the kitchen. “Or pick one that we have multiple copies of and make part completed versions and see if she can work it out from that. Or whether she can sequence the partly completed models.”
“She was more interested in the puzzle than biting me,” Ran conceded. “That’s her latest thing; biting.”
“The way that different people react is interesting,” Haru replied without knowing where the answer came from. “Maybe that was one of the problems with Orochimaru. When he was a baby the only interesting things around him were the people, so he started manipulating them and seeing what happened.”
“Good luck surviving if you ever say that to Rin-san,” Ran warned.
Haru scowled at him. “Well it makes sense, especially if no one actually loved him so he learned to love them back. It shouldn’t be a problem with Aiko because lots of people love her.”
Ran stopped. As they were holding hands that meant Haru stopped too. Next thing he knew he was pulled into a hug and Ran was kissing him.
“You, Haru Uchiha,” Ran whispered once the kiss was finished, “can still surprise me.” He smiled. “I have something to show you.”

Haru was happy to be led through their crew room and into Ran’s room. He stopped, stunned. There was a door in the wall; it would lead to Haru’s room.
“You said you didn’t want one,” he pointed out when he had recovered.
Ran shrugged. “You haven’t slept in your own room since we got here. If we have a door it can be open or it can be closed. A wall can only be closed.”
Haru knew it wasn’t as simple as that. A closed door was not like a wall; a decision had been made to close a door. What had made Ran change his mind?
Then the pieces fell into place. “Yuki told you what happened this morning.”
“And Hoshi, and Ayame, and even Kazuki thought it was worth mentioning,” Ran admitted. “I would like the door to remain closed; a door rather than an opening.”
“Default position closed,” Haru confirmed. “Thank you,” he added.
Ran pulled him close for another kiss. “You are welcome, Haru Uchiha.”
- 77
- 78
- 79
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