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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
- 79
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- 81
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, Bree, satterb, Destiny, sadie237 and Procrastination_is_key for reviewing after chapter 79 was posted. Readers’ feedback, support and comments mean a great deal to me.
Feedback keeps me writing.

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Part 9: Family
80: interviews 17-25

Naruto [part 4]
“You have to get up, teme. Now.”
“Five more minutes,” Sasuke pleaded.
“You’ve had three lots of five minutes. You either shouldn’t have stayed up so late and drunk so much or you shouldn’t have scheduled interviews for this morning.”
“I am busy this afternoon,” Sasuke explained.
“I know that, teme. You have to get up. Count of ten until I pick you up and dump you in the shower. Ten, nine, eight...”
Sasuke rolled out of bed, staggered into the head and locked himself in.
A few minutes later Naruto was hammering on the door. “No going to sleep in there, teme.”

Gai
He must have been insane to schedule an interview with Gai for first thing in the morning.
“Coffee, Gai-san?”
“No thank you, Sasuke-sama,” Gai replied with his overloud voice. “I do not drink coffee. Iruka-san says it pollutes the body.”
Sasuke’s body felt like a few pollutants would not make much difference. He had resorted to a wake-up shot and now every stimulus scraped across his senses like sandpaper. “Tea?” he queried.
“Tea would be most welcome, Sasuke-sama. Although it contains both caffeine and tannins, it is a source of anti-oxidants.”
Sasuke did not care; it was going to hard enough to care about what Gai said during the interview. Maybe Naruto had been right; postponing would have been better than not giving people the attention they deserved.
He was still struggling when he reached his final question. “Have you any concerns that you would like to share with me at this time, Gai-san?”
“Yes, Sasuke-sama,” Gai replied, which was unexpected.
“Please feel free to continue, Gai-san.”
“I require some advice on an affair of the heart.”
Sasuke blinked. Gai was in love? As far as he knew, that had never happened. Gai visited courtesans, preferably nice ones who treated him well. “I shall do my best, Gai-san.”
“I have affections for a female member of the crew...”
Sasuke hoped it was not Ino or Sakura; not only were they interested in each other but Sasuke could not imagine either of them ever putting up with Gai’s idiosyncrasies.
“...but she may still harbour affection for another.”
Now it was getting intriguing. “I promise you that I shall be very discreet, Gai-san.”
“It is Tenten-san.”
Tenten? That could work. “The relationship between Tenten-san and Asuma-san has been over for some time, Gai-san. I believe she may be unattached.”
“I do not see what she could see in me after being in a relationship with Asuma-san,” Gai admitted.
He looked sad, which Sasuke discovered he hated to see. “You are an upstanding, reliable, loyal and valued member of Uchiha,” he insisted. He cast about for something to say that was positive but not too encouraging; he did not know how Tenten would react to Gai’s advances. “Tenten-san is better than that, Gai-san. She will see Asuma as Asuma and you as you.”
Gai cheered up. “Tenten-san is a wonderful woman.”
“Exactly,” Sasuke reinforced. “Maybe you should try to do something together.” He remembered the project he and Tenten had discussed. “I expect that you are aware that Tenten-san is interested in handheld weapons...”

Shizune
By the time he reached the last five minutes, Sasuke realised that he was going to know as little about Shizune at the end of the interview as he had at the beginning.
It upset him. He remembered how much Shizune had put into Naruto’s care and recovery when his spine had been damaged. She deserved better from him.
“Shizune-san, I know that Uchiha can offer you more. Please help me discover what it is.”
“I am very content, Sasuke-sama. It is an honour and a pleasure to be a member of Uchiha.”
“Shizune-san, I order you to tell me what you aspire to do.”
She looked shocked and he wondered if he had pushed too hard. Then she smiled. “I would like to lead on the educational aspects of medical care. I believe that Rin-san’s strengths lie in research and in treatment.”
He smiled in return. Rin was awful at teaching and they both knew it. “I shall investigate possibilities, Shizune-san. Thank you.”

Rin
Even after all these standards, Rin still looked at him with the same mixture of suspicion and hope. He decided to play the baby card early.
“Aiko-chan is delightful. You must be very proud of her.”
Rin scowled at him, which was not the reaction for which he had been hoping. “I did not expect her cognitive development to be so advanced. Haru picked up that her cognitive skills are far ahead of her motor skills.”
“Haru?” Sasuke queried.
“Haru. It took him only a few minutes,” Rin told him.
Sasuke tried to come up with a way of saying that Aiko was probably like Haru without actually saying it; Rin had always disliked Haru. “Naruto and I did not realise how advanced Haru was,” he reminded her. “It took Shikamaru to see it.”
“We think that her poor behaviour may be because she is frustrated,” Rin admitted.
Sasuke thought back; Haru had got Kazuki to fetch and carry for him.
“I have researched the issue and we are going to start using baby sign language with her. It will allow her to communicate even though she is too young to form words.”
“That is an excellent idea, Rin-san. Maybe it will also be useful for other, less exceptional babies.”
The word exceptional made the desired impression when ‘delightful’ had not. Rin smiled and, for a moment, looked disconcertingly pretty.
“She does appear to have high cognitive potential,” she admitted. Then the smile was gone and she was frowning again. “For my parents, conforming to behavioural standards was more important than fulfilling potential. I do not wish that to happen to Aiko.”
Sasuke smiled. “I do not think that is very likely, Rin-san. New Uchiha is all about fulfilling potential.”

Dan
It was only after Rin had gone that Sasuke realised that he had not mentioned Shizune. Maybe he could explore the subject with Dan.
Conversing with Dan was easy. Sasuke was soon onto his last question. “Have you any concerns that you would like to share with me, Dan-san?”
Dan smiled. “I am happier than I have been at any time in my life. Do you have any concerns, Sasuke-sama?”
After discussing Shizune’s request, Dan recommended that Sasuke leave the matter in his hands. Apparently Rin would be more enthusiastic if she considered the idea her own.
“It is a good idea, so Rin is bound to have it,” he explained. “It is a matter of providing seeds, so the idea germinates and grows.”
Sasuke was fascinated. “Do you do this often, Dan-san?”
“Occasionally, Sasuke-sama,” he admitted. “There is no harm in it. If the seed does not find a nourishing environment it does not grow.”

Ran
Sasuke tried not to dwell on what Ran and Haru might be doing in Ran’s room every evening and every night, particularly since Ran was an empath and might be able to pick up his hostility.
“Iruka-san is pleased with your progress, Ran-kun. Although your knife-fighting still needs improving, I understand that the lessons are having the desired effect.”
Ran did not respond. He merely sat there and looked attentive. Sasuke decided to try a question. “Last time we talked you were interested in becoming a medico. Is that still the case?”
“I am less sure of that now, Sasuke-sama,” Ran replied.
Sasuke decided to try looking as if he expected more.
“There are many aspects of being a medico for which I have little aptitude,” Ran admitted. “I don’t find the technical side interesting. I am not fascinated with how the body works. I like contributing to a team and I like looking after people. I am good at defusing tension. I have discussed it with Ir-chan and I am going to do more duties in the playroom.”
That would be useful; Ran was as good with children as Ranmaru had been.
“I am also going to study psychology as a subject. Haku-san has agreed to set up a discussion group to help me because I struggle to make progress if I am studying alone.”
Sasuke was struck how different Ran was from his children. Maybe it was because he had spent so much of his childhood isolated. “How do you see your future in Uchiha, Ran-kun?”
“How honest do you wish me to be, Sasuke-sama?”
Sasuke assumed that was Ran’s way of warning him. “As honest as you are comfortable being,” he replied.
“I think my main role will be to support Haru. Any other role will be secondary. I will be his anchor and he will be my safe place.”

Keizo
Sasuke only asked one question. “What is it that you like doing when you go to Izumo-san’s shop?”
After that he just enjoyed Keizo enthusing about making stuff. The few times he paused, an encouraging nod or utterance was enough to get him going again.
Then they got onto engines; apparently engines were less fun but more intriguing that ships.
Sasuke looked at his young man, his son, who was so like Naruto yet so different from him. Then he remembered that Keizo had been Orochimaru’s first choice and shuddered.
Keizo interrupted what he had been saying. “Papa?” he queried.
“Sorry, Keizo-kun. It was a bad thought that was nothing to do with anything you said. Tell me more about engines.”

Kazuki
Kazuki perched on the edge of the chair. His fur was too bristly and his ears were slightly dipped, although he kept trying to push them forward.
“This isn’t a telling off, Kazuki-kun,” Sasuke assured him.
“Yes, Papa.” His ears went back. “Should I be calling you Sasuke-sama? I mean, this isn’t Papa-time.”
“Papa will do fine.” He cast about for what might be wrong. “I enjoyed my talk with Ryuka-kun. I feel that I know her a bit better now.”
His fur settled. “She grows on you.”.
“Yes, she does,” Sasuke agreed.

Haru [part 1]
Haru’s pants were two finger's breadths too short; he was definitely into a growth spurt.
“Iruka-sensei tells me that Shika-san had asked for all your available time. Are you working on something interesting?”
Haru’s reaction was fascinating. He tensed slightly, paled and then flushed. When he answered he spoke too quickly. Sasuke recognised the signs; he had been up to something.
“Shi-chan wants to reduce the number of things that only he can do. We are looking at each of them and working out how other people could do them.”
“Is it interesting?” Sasuke asked.
“Not really,” Haru admitted. “There are only four outcomes. Either we change the procedure so anyone can do it, or I write a programme so anyone can do it, or we accept that only Shi-chan or I can do it, or it’s one of the things that only Shi-chan can do. I’m going to review those later. So far we have examined two hundred and thirty eight procedures. Shi-chan won’t tell me how many are on the list but I think there are thousands.”
“Surely some of them are more urgent than others,” Sasuke suggested.
“Shi-chan is really keen to get through them all. Ran says he’s probably been making the list since I was a baby, so he’s been waiting a long time, and that it’s a really good thing to do because it will take some of the pressure off him and spread it across more of the crew.”
It would appear that Ran gave good advice; Sasuke wondered if that was part of him being Haru’s ‘anchor’. “So you do not want me to have a word with him about going more slowly?”
“No thank you, Papa.”
Sasuke knew that working with Shikamaru on standardising procedures was not what Haru was hiding. He employed his best stern Papa stare. “Is there anything else you should be telling me Haru?” It was a question that had proved productive in the past. Usually Haru’s gaze went distant as he considered various small misdeeds.
This time he flushed deep red and could not hold Sasuke’s gaze.
“Haru?” he demanded.
Haru’s lips were pushed together to make a tight, thin line. Sasuke could feel his irritation building, as it always did when Haru decided to be stubborn. He opened his mouth to order Haru to comply, only to shut it again. Haru did not look as he did when he was being stubborn. He was upset.
He decided to try a different tack. “Does Ran know?”
Haru gave the tiniest shake of his head.
“Did you promise Shikamaru that you would not tell?”
Haru did not reply but his eyes said it all.
Sasuke’s irritation became annoyance. He got up, went to the intercom and activated it. “This is Sasuke. I want Shikamaru in my office now.”
He turned back to see Haru using a pocket interface. “I am pinging him,” he explained quickly. “If he’s in one of the simulators he won’t hear the intercom.”
The intercom clicked. “This is Shikamaru. I am on my way, Sasuke-sama.”
His eyes went back to Haru. Shikamaru was senior crew, Haru was only a trainee. As tempting as it was to interrogate the two of them together, it would not be right.
“We will suspend your interview for now, Haru-kun.”
“Papa?”
“We will continue later.” He stood up, giving Haru no option other than to follow his example. He gestured towards the door.
Haru hesitated and then obeyed. “Yes, Papa.”

Shikamaru
It was almost five minutes before the door announcer sounded. Sasuke had paced back and forth for the first two, told himself to calm down and then sat down at his desk. Disengaging from the simulator, dressing and walking down the corridor could easily take that long.
Sasuke opened the door. Shikamaru shambled in, looking even more disconnected than usual. “You wanted to speak to me, Sasuke-sama?”
Sasuke did not ask him to sit. “I understand from Haru that you asked him to keep something secret from me.”
“Not specifically from you,” Shikamaru replied, still sounding like his mind was a million parsecs away. “From everyone.”
“Shikamaru!”
Shikamaru jumped and Sasuke knew he had frightened him. It had worked, however; Sasuke finally had his attention.
“We have talked about this. It is bad enough that you keep secrets from me without you encouraging Haru to do the same. Worse, whatever it is, Haru is not comfortable with it.”
Shikamaru flushed slightly. “I know.”
Sasuke wanted to go around the desk, get hold of Shikaaru and shake him. Instead he made himself stay in his chair. “Out with it. Now.”
“I’ve been researching extending canine-human hybrids’ lifespans.”
It was like a blow to the gut. Sasuke had made his peace with the decision to ignore Orochimaru’s offer. It hurt to have Shikamaru dig it up again.
“You never said I couldn’t,” Shikamaru pointed out.
“Do not try that,” Sasuke warned. “You know I would have said no if you had asked. Worse, you involved Haru. Raising his hopes. Persuading him to go against Naruto’s wishes. No wonder he was upset. By the Lady, Shika, how could you?”
“I couldn’t bear it,” Shikamaru whispered.
Sasuke was incensed. “You think the rest of us find it easy?”
“No,” Shikamaru admitted. “But I need to know there is nothing that can be done. That’s what I thought before Orochimaru opened his mouth. If it’s what I think after Haru and I have finished, then I can live with that.”
Sasuke silently cursed Orochimaru; even killing him had not ended his influence. “But why involve Haru?”
“I can’t find anything but it doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to find. Haru can find stuff I can’t, like when he created the route finder.”
Sasuke sighed. “Shika, the route finder was different. We knew there was a pattern because you could follow it even though you could not describe it.”
“That’s what Haru says,” Shikamaru admitted.
“So he does not believe you will find anything?”
“Nothing Na-chan would consider doing,” Shikamaru admitted. “We have a deal. He will do his best to find connections I have missed for a maximum of one div. After that, I have one div to find out if those connections lead anywhere. Once the two divs are up I admit there is nothing and I promise to stop looking.”
Sasuke felt his anger draining away. Haru had dealt with it better than he would have done. “How far are you into this process?”
“About forty percent. He’s tried everything he can think of but he’s going to continue thinking about it for another nine days. He’s given me a list of previously undetected connections. So far I have whittled them down to seventeen.”
“And what would come next?” Sasuke asked.
“If any look hopeful, I plan to show them to Kotohime. If she thinks any of them could lead to a viable treatment, we would talk to Rin. If she thought any of them were a runner, she would talk to you.”
Other than involving Haru, it was a reasonable plan. “There is no point me stopping you now,” Sasuke admitted. “However, I expect you to keep your promise to Haru that you will stop at the end of the two divs.

Haru [part 2]
Sasuke decided to seek Haru out rather than summoning him and was rewarded by his dumbfounded expression as the door to his laboratory slid open revealing Sasuke standing on the threshold.
“Papa!”
“Can I come in?”
“Of course.”
Sasuke looked about while Haru got him a chair to sit on. The room was filled with Haru-stuff, which was distinctly different to Shikamaru-stuff. There was a bushy plant in a pot, presumably a present from Inryoku to replace the one lost when the Oak was destroyed. Sasuke peered at it, only for it to shrink away from him and curl each of its fronds into a tight ball.
“It hates you too,” Haru declared, sounding remarkably happy about it.
Sasuke responded with a slight scowl.
“I thought I was the only person it hated,” he explained.
“It would appear not,” Sasuke confirmed, sitting in the chair that Haru had placed for him. “Shikamaru-san and I have had a chat. He has told me what the two of you have been doing.”
Haru flushed and looked guilty.
“I am not pleased about the way it started but, given that you are already involved and your involvement in the project is almost half over, you have my permission to continue.”
“But not tell To-chan,” Haru checked.
Sasuke imagined. “No, you are not to tell your oto-san. If you and Shikamaru find something, which I doubt, I shall think about how to present it to him.”
“Thank you, Papa.”
“On balance, you coped well with Shikamaru. I know what he can be like when he starts on something. However, it was still wrong. Whenever Shikamaru starts talking about keeping secrets it will be wrong.”
“I understand, Papa.”
Sasuke knew that fell short of agreement but decided that it would do for now. “I am glad you do. Now, your and Shikamaru’s punishment is to come to the triplets’ play this afternoon.”
“But Papa!”
“No buts. I expect to see you there and I expect you to bring Shika-san.”

Naruto [part 5]
“There is a good turnout,” Naruto observed.
Sasuke agreed. For once Takara and Teruko had been as keen as Tsuneo to drum up an audience. Teruko had come up with the idea of proper invitations, written neatly on cards ‘like Papa does’.
It had worked. As well as the usual collection of parents and siblings, Ino and Sakura were there, along with Anko and Shino. Sasuke could see Neji, Iruka, Kakashi and Choza in one row and Inari, Tayuya and Konohamaru in another. Interestingly, Sumaru was sitting with Ino and Sakura.
Hamaki, Terai and Fu walked in. “Naomi is in it?” he asked, surprised. Naomi was usually too shy to perform.
“Everyone is in it,” Naruto confirmed.
Kisame, Itachi and Haku arrived next, followed by Haru and Shikamaru. Haru sat next to Hoshi and Shikamaru next to Neji.
“Good,” Naruto observed.
Sasuke decided not to mention that he had ordered Shikamaru to be there.
“Oh!” Naruto exclaimed softly.
Sasuke followed Naruto’s gaze. Nagato’s family had just come in: Konan, Hana and the Zetsus. With them was Asuma. He was obviously escorting Konan.
So that was what Konan had meant when she had said that she was looking forward to becoming more integrated into the crew. “When did that happen?” Sasuke whispered.
“No idea,” Naruto admitted. The lights dimmed. “It’s starting.”
Sasuke settled down for the usual marathon, ready to be suitably appreciative at the appropriate moments.
To his surprise, it was well paced; someone must have persuaded Tsuneo that longer was not necessarily better. Everyone had been given a chance to do what they did best, which was nice.
Tsuneo managed to die twice yet still be alive at the end.
It was a triumph.
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