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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
- 96
- 97
- 98
Thank you to my beta and muse, Small Fox. This story grew from a plot idea he gave me.
Also thanks to eunmook, melissen, Sade, SunaoTsuji and Bree for reviewing after chapter 96 was posted. Readers’ feedback, support and comments mean a great deal to me. Feedback keeps me writing.
Reviews encourage and inspire. Ever review is treasured.

Leader
Part 10: Endgame
97: Apolgies

When Sasuke had told them what the Orochimaru print had said to Haru, Shikamaru’s mind had gone into overdrive. He was only distantly aware of the conversation between Sasuke and Neji. Then he heard himself speak, which was unexpected; it was as if one of the other parts of his mind had taken control of his vocal chords. Sasuke answered, Neji posed another question and Shikamaru heard himself reply.
“I believe he wants us to think that Izuna Uchiha is an imposter.”
All the colour drained from Sasuke’s face. His lips thinned to a line. His eyes widened and then narrowed. If Shikamaru had not known better he would have sworn they flashed red.
Shikamaru’s mind went blank. He recognised his response to acute danger. Ninety-nine percent of his mind had fled, leaving only the part dedicated to deciding between cowering and running.
Sasuke on his feet looming over him; only the desk was between them. “Izuna is not Izuna Uchiha?” He spat out each word as if it were bitter poison. “Answer me!”
Cowering had won out; Shikamaru was as far from Sasuke as his chair would allow.
Then Neji was standing between them. “Sasuke-sama!”
It was the opening Shikamaru’s mind had been waiting for. He was out of the chair and running for the door.
Halfway there he realised that he had a problem. His body was convinced that the door would open. Unfortunately it wouldn’t, because Sasuke controlled it from his desk.
Then, thankfully, it did.
Shikamaru wriggled through the crack and accelerated away down the corridor.
He didn’t know where he was going but his feet seemed to be taking him to his room. Based on the few times he had been this scared, he would end up under his bed or inside a closet.
“Shikamaru! Stop!”
To his surprise his legs slowed. If it had been Sasuke he would have somehow found the energy to run faster, but it was Iruka.
Obviously being with Iruka had been judged to be as good as or better than hiding under his bed or in a closet.
Iruka jogged to where he had stopped, wrapped an arm around his shoulder and drew him back along the corridor.
Shikamaru went with him reluctantly; not wanting to go closer to Sasuke.
Then they were in Iruka’s office with the door closed and he felt much better. He sat in the chair that Iruka pushed into the back of his knees.
Iruka crouched at his side. “What happened?” he asked in his no-nonsense, there-is-no-other-option-than-you-answer voice.
“Sasuke lost his temper,” Shikamaru admitted.
For a moment Iruka looked cross, which was scary given how close he was and how jumpy Shikamaru felt. The urge to run again almost had Shikamaru off the chair and out of the door. Then Iruka’s expression changed to one of concern. He started to rub Shikamaru’s back.
“With you?” he asked.
Shikamaru tried to think it through. It had definitely been focused on him rather than Orochimaru or the Orochimaru print. “Yes.” He thought a bit more, which was difficult given how small his mind was at the moment. “I let him down.”
“I am sure you did not,” Iruka insisted, which made him feel better even if it wasn’t true. “Did he do anything to you other than scare you?”
Shikamaru thought about it. “No,” he replied. Sasuke had opened the door for him. “He let me run away.” He considered again. “He didn’t chase after me.” It made him feel a great deal better. “He was still protecting me, even if it was from him.”
Iruka smiled at him. “Good. Now I think you should go to bed and have a sleep. I’ll give you something.”
Shikamaru found himself looking at the chronometer on Iruka’s wall. A few thoughts trickled into his conscious mind from one of the other layers. “I am meant to be with the children this afternoon. We are doing sharing a story and making up sequels. I don’t want to let them down.”
“I’ll make sure you are up again for the midday meal,” Iruka promised.
Maybe a nap wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

After speaking with Gai about launching the Dart, Sasuke considered going to find Shika and apologising. However, on balance, he decided that Neji was right; Shika would be hiding in his room. Instead he sought out Kakashi, who he found in the gym.
“Training session?” Kakashi suggested.
Sasuke wondered for a fleeting moment whether Kakashi had heard about him losing his temper with Shika. If so, he could be in for a beating. He nodded.
He obviously had not, because it was a normal session that was only difficult and painful because of his inadequacies.
“You have let yourself go again,” Kakashi pointed out as he lay on the floor gasping. “And you are distracted. You cannot afford to be distracted during hand-to-hand combat.”
Sasuke did not mention that Izuna had promised not to challenge; if Izuna was not Izuna, his word meant nothing. “Yes. Kakashi. Sensei,” he managed between gasps.
Kakashi sat down beside him and waited for his oxygen debt to fall to a manageable level before speaking. “What is wrong? Or rather, what new is wrong?”
“Message from Inari,” Sasuke admitted. “The Gama had the Orochimaru print and they gave him to Haru.”
Kakashi raised a brow but waited.
“He said something, to Haru.” Sasuke watched Kakashi closely. “He said, ‘I know things about the man you call Izuna Uchiha.’”
It helped that Kakashi blanched and went rigid.
“Neji says it is merely part of Orochimaru’s strategy. He says we are on the edge of getting rid of Izuna and we should not become distracted.”
“And what does Shikamaru say?”
Sasuke felt himself flush. “I don’t know. I lost my temper and he ran away.”
There was silence.
“Did you hit him?” Kakashi asked finally. “Or grab him?”
“No, he ran away. I almost hit Neji,” Sasuke confessed.
“But you stopped yourself.”
“Yes.”
“Well done.”
It felt wrong to be receiving praise rather than a beating. Sasuke shut his eyes and imagined Naruto’s face; the reproachful eyes and drooping whiskers.
“Have you decided what to do?”
“No, but I have dispatched Gai on the Dart for Skyburrow.”
“Sensible,” Kakashi agreed. “Keeps your options open. What questions are you going to ask Shikamaru once he comes out of hiding?”
Sasuke braced himself. “I shall ask him whether Izuna could be an imposter.”
Kakashi grimaced. “I would also ask him what the chances are that Orochimaru knew members of Uchiha when Izuna was clan leader.”
It was an excellent point. “You don’t think that Neji is right and I should just let it go?”
“He’s challenged your authority, disrupted our lives, almost got some of us killed and now you are giving him one-third of Uchiha’s wealth. If he is Izuna Uchiha, that is acceptable. If he is not...” Kakashi trailed off and mimicked slitting someone’s throat.

Madara sat at his desk reviewing the media coverage from the previous day. Although some channels were harping on about his and Sasuke’s rivalry, most had moved on to concentrate solely on him or his expedition. The elimination of the AHB from Tarrasade even assured that he featured on the news; he particularly liked the way that they had spliced the interviews that he had Sasuke had given, painting Sasuke as the grieving victim and him as the rescuing hero.
Once he had finished, he sipped his tea and went over Yukie Fujikaze’s proposal for a documentary about the expedition. It was the best of the three he had received but he was not sure about using Sasuke’s favoured reporter.
On the other hand, she was very easy on the eyes. He was looking forward to her coming to see him to pitch the proposal in person.
“Uchiha-sama?”
He looked towards the door and raised a brow. Kimimaro persisted in using the title unless someone else was actually in the room with them.
“Ino-chan would like to see you.”
Madara hoped that Ino never heard Kimimaro refer to her like that. If she did, there was a good chance that Kimimaro would die in mysterious circumstances for offending the Sisterhood.
Kimimaro had decided that any woman who was neither elderly nor partnered to a male should be referred to as ‘chan’. He said it was to remind men of their duty to protect them. Madara believed him, it fitted with Kimimaro’s peculiar concept of chivalry, and had decided not to point out that it could suggest sexual availability.
“Thank you, Kimimaro-san. Please ask her to come in.”
She sat opposite him wearing one of her tight skirts and crossed her long, silk-clad legs.
“As you suggested,” she began, “I have used Shikamaru-san’s selection programme to filter out five thousand males and one thousand females from the applications you have received. All conform to your specification and, between them, they provide all the required skills in the correct proportions.”
“Excellent, Ino-san. Please ensure that I have access to the files of six thousand who came though the filter.”
“I shall do that, Izuna-sama. May I raise another issue?”
“Please feel free, Ino-san,” Madara replied, hoping it was not Kimimaro’s lack of courtesy.
“Launching the whole expedition from Tarrasade creates huge logistical problems and will be very costly.”
Logistics bored him but he was always interested in saving funds. “Costly compared to what?”
“I asked Shikamaru-san to look into alternatives,” Ino told him. “He pointed out what launching the expedition from an alternative system further into the Fringe would be cheaper. He has found one. It will reduce the journey time by one quarter and save almost thirty percent of the costs.”
Madara’s common sense told him to jump at it. However he did not want to launch the expedition from some far-flung system where none of the reporters would agree to go.
Ino was still talking. “Of course you and your aides would need transport to that system.”
Aides? The only aide he had was Kimimaro.
“May I activate the projector, Izuna-sama?”
He gestured that she should do so.
“So I looked for a suitable flagship from which you could command your fleet.”
A flagship sounded good. The projector activated and a three-dimensional image of a spaceship appeared.
She was gorgeous; sleek and elegant. Then Ino started showing images of the interior. The fittings were luxurious but tasteful.
“She can accommodate about one hundred and twenty people, Izuna-sama. There are stasis facilities for long hauls. She has one of the new miniature Mulligan drives.”
Madara wanted the ship badly. She was much more beautiful than the three massive mother ships that he was purchasing for the expedition. He already had images of walking her corridors, commanding his men. She would look fabulous in the videos of the launch. However, it was his responsibility as leader to consider costs. “How much?”
“The firm of fitters would be delighted if you would consider taking the ship as a gift, Izuna-sama.” Ino leaned forward slightly. “I think they see it as an advertising opportunity.”
Once Ino had gone, Madara poured himself a whisky, sat back and imagined the launch and life on the ship. Soon he was flipping through the thousands of profiles Ino had sent him, picking out those who would be with him on board.

Sasuke and Kakashi were late for the midday meal by the time they were through the steam room and the showers. Most people who intended eating in the main kitchen had come and gone. However, both Iruka and Haku were sitting at the table.
As soon as Sasuke appeared, everyone else beat a hasty retreat, shutting the doors behind them.
It looked like food would have to wait. He and Kakashi sat down at the table.
“Ino-san asked me to give you a message, Sasuke-sama,” Haku began. “She said to tell you that Izuna-sama is very taken by the idea of the flagship, so much so that it has overcome any objections he might have to the waystation.”
“Good,” Sasuke acknowledged. Then he realised that Haku was waiting for him to say something else. Of course, by now someone would have mentioned the Orochimaru print. “We have had word from Skyburrow, Haku-san. The Gama had the Orochimaru print in custody and he has been handed over to us. He is podded and will be brought to Tarrasade.”
Haku gave a small bow. “No rush, Sasuke-sama. Perhaps Akemi-san will want to accompany the pod, so that he can be there at the execution.”
Sasuke had not thought of that.
“And have you informed Rin-san, Sasuke-sama?”
He was definitely being told off. “I shall do so, Haku-san. Thank you for bringing it to my notice.”
Haku stood and bowed. “Sasuke-sama, Iruka-san, Kakashi-san. If you would excuse me.”
That left Iruka. Sasuke waited in trepidation. Iruka was giving him the ‘I am more angry than disappointed’ look.
“I hope you have an excuse for terrifying Shikamaru and failing miserably to tell Haku and Rin about the Orochimaru print before they heard about it via the crew gossip.”
Sasuke flinched. “Perhaps I should go and find Rin now.”
“I can assure you that the damage is already done,” Iruka replied. “When did you hear about the print?”
“Midmorning,” Sasuke admitted. “I have no excuse, Iruka-sensei. It was thoughtless of me.”
“And Shikamaru?”
“I lost my temper.”
“So I understand. I made Shikamaru stop and speak with me when he ran past me in the corridor.” Iruka sighed. “At least you opened the door for him.”
Sasuke did not correct Iruka’s misapprehension but his face must have given him away.
“Or not,” Iruka suggested.
“Neji opened it,” Sasuke admitted.
Iruka looked as if he would like to slap him. “And you were going to do what? Let him knock himself even more witless than he was by running into a closed door?”
Sasuke did not dare look at Kakashi. “I behaved unpardonably badly,” he admitted. “I suggested to Neji that I go and apologise but he said I should wait.”
Iruka studied him and then Kakashi before nodding.
“At least you know it. You are not to tell him that you did not open the door, do you understand me? It’s bad enough that you should frighten him without him realising that you intended to trap him in the room and do Lady knows what to him. It would be inexcusable at the best of times but he’s just recovering. How could you?”
Sasuke had not thought about that, just as he had not thought about telling Haku and Rin about the print. “Neji may have told him about the door.”
“No, he won’t have because Neji understands how much that information would hurt him. Now, what triggered this tantrum?”
Before he could put it into words Kakashi answered for him. “The Orochimaru print hinted to Haru that the man we know as Izuna Uchiha is an imposter.”
Iruka frowned. He seemed about to speak and then hesitated, obviously reconsidering his words. “You won’t be able to let it go,” he stated. “You and Kakashi think that to do so would besmirch the clan’s honour. So will all the others who were members of the old Uchiha.”
Sasuke was relieved that he understood.
“Please do not do anything foolish,” Iruka advised. “This is Orochimaru. It is most likely a trick. Now go find Rin and Shikamaru and then think about a present Haku would appreciate to make up for your thoughtlessness.”
Sasuke did not even look at the food on the counter. He deserved to go hungry. “Yes, Iruka-sensei.”
Unlike Haku, Rin did not seem to be bothered that he had not told her face-to-face before she heard from others.
“It is of no importance, Sasuke-sama,” she told him. “He is already dead to me.”
Sasuke doubted that. If that were so she would be sitting down facing him rather than going about her work. He decided to change the subject. “How is the research proceeding, Rin-san?”
“Well,” she confirmed, which was remarkably positive for Rin. “I believe we have a treatment for those infected. I have spoken with Yugito-san and we are going to try it on one of canine-human hybrids who were most badly affected before we podded him.”
“He gave permission to be a test subject?” Sasuke checked.
She frowned at him. “Of course. If that is successful, we will proceed.” She finally came over and sat down. “The treatment for the virus involves gene therapy. In fact, it has come out of Shikamaru-san’s research on how to extend canine-human hybrid lifespans. It would be sensible to carry out both treatments on the Uchiha hybrids at the same time, the one to combat the effect of the virus and the one to extend lifespans.”
Sasuke was glad he was sitting down. “You have the life-extending treatment as well?”
“They are, in essence, the same,” Rin told him. “They turn off production of a canine-specific protein in favour of its human counterpart. We intend to start with Hana-san. Both she and Kiba-san volunteered to go first to reduce the risk to the others. As Hana-san is older, she is the more logical choice.”
Numerous questions were buzzing around his brain. In the end, he decided that only one mattered so he asked it. “How long until you can treat Naruto?”
Rin actually smiled. “We will be transferring the initial test subject to a tank and be beginning treatment tomorrow. We will know within three days whether the anti-viral treatment is working. Assuming it is successful, we will scale up the treatment facilities in Sublevel C at the same time as we begin Hana-san’s treatment. We estimate that will require five days in a tank, during which she will be closely monitored.”
“So if all goes well you could start Naruto’s treatment eight days from now?” Sasuke asked.
“It may be wise to treat Kiba-san first,” Rin pointed out. “However, Naruto-san will be the first fox-human hybrid to be treated, as he requested. Not that changing from dog to fox, or indeed dog to wolf, should introduce any complications.”
Thirteen days; Naruto could be out of the tank in eighteen days’ time.
“You must keep in mind, Sasuke-sama, that we will have no measure of the effectiveness of the lifespan-extending treatment for at least a standard and that it will have less effect on older hybrids.”
“I understand, Rin-san,” he assured her but he was not listening. Eighteen days and Naruto could be in his arms and his bed.
Next on his list was Shikamaru. He had been due to be in the playroom that afternoon, so that was a good place to start.
Thankfully he was there. He was sitting at the side, watching the children. From the way Tsuneo was concentrating, it looked like Shikamaru had finished one of his storytelling sessions and the children were now working on sequels.
“Shika,” he said softly as he approached and cringed inside to see Shikamaru jump. “May I sit with you?”
Shikamaru nodded but did not look at him.
Sasuke sat down beside him, being careful to keep some distance between them. “I am sorry,” he stated.
“I know,” Shikamaru acknowledged. “You lost your temper. I understand.” He managed to make eye contact for a split second and offered a quick smile. “You aren’t as scary as Na-chan when he lost his.”
For a moment Sasuke imagined what would have happened if Neji had not been there. Would he have hit Shika? Kicked him where he lay on the floor after bouncing off the closed door?
He decided that it did no good to dwell on it. Instead he shared what Rin had told him about treating the hybrids.
“She’s using what I found out to cure them?” Shikamaru checked when he had finished.
“Sounded that way,” Sasuke confirmed.
Shikamaru sighed and relaxed. “That’s good.” He gave Sasuke a sideways glance. “So you have to last eighteen days.”
Sasuke nodded.
“Maybe you should see about starting those music lessons,” he suggested. “Especially if we’re going to be working on checking whether you-know-who is you-know-who.”
“Minstrels do not take students, Shika, although it was thoughtful of you to include Sabu-san on the list.”
“He might,” Shikamaru argued. “You could ask. Did you know he comes to the public part of the park every day to play among the trees?”
“Does he?” Sasuke queried with a smile. “How does he manage that?”
“I sent him a pass that gives him free travel on the Tube and the necessary security clearances,” Shikamaru admitted. “I thought he would like trees. Some of his songs mention them. I could write a programme that would ping your desk when he’s in the park.”
Perhaps they would have discussed it further but Teruko chose that moment to announce that she had finished her sequel and bring it to her Papa for checking.
They managed to check all the children’s stories before Iruka turned up to take the next session. Shikamaru concentrated mainly on plot and characterisation while Sasuke talked to them about how choosing the best word and crafting each sentence brought the story to life.
They walked side by side back towards Sasuke’s office.
“Can you talk about it without getting cross?” Shikamaru asked.
Sasuke considered and then nodded.
“Neji is probably correct,” Shikamaru pointed out. “It’s most likely a strategy for destabilising Uchiha.”
“I accept that,” Sasuke replied but, in truth, he was not sure that he did. They stopped outside the entrance to their crew room; Sasuke was heading for his office and Shikamaru was going to check on Sumiko. “Can you think of any way of rechecking his identity? How would you have done it if we had not had the samples in the tissue bank?”
“Tried to find another source of genetic material to cross-check,” Shikamaru admitted. “Done an even more in-depth analysis of full blood Uchiha genetics over the first few generations, before the clan starting using embryo engineering. The first may not be possible and for the second to work be have to be sure of individuals’ parenthood.”
Sasuke sighed. Throughout the clan’s history, parenthood had been defined during the naming ceremony rather than by genetics. “Do what you can, Shika.”
Once settled at his desk, he stared at the portrait of Naruto and the children. There was no escaping it; he had to know for certain what the Orochimaru print wanted to tell him.
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