OMAKE: Sasuke's Legacy
Hazou despised having to turn Keiko away. He was in no real position to help Ami, if she even
needed help, and he had no explanation with which to console Keiko. He promised to dedicate resources to finding out what Mist had brewing, but until Hazou's situation cooled down, he was unfortunately still on thin ice with Asuma, and couldn't afford a slip up. Keiko had left him shortly thereafter, utterly calm, which was of course panic inducing to Hazou. He knew that
she knew that he would try his best, nonetheless, which let him breathe just a bit easier.
Still, no matter how hard he thought, it was a problem he couldn't solve today. By this point in the evening, Hazou had become resolved not to solve
any problems. It was the first day he hadn't performed much work in... well, maybe ever? There was something awfully foreboding about that…
Late that night, Hazou rolled about in his bed, unknowable questions haunting his mind. Warm, wet air wafted through his room. Hazou generally had his window open if the heat wasn't too unbearable. He could always put some of his sealed ice in the buckets he had throughout his room if he got too hot. Akane was more than happy to provide him with the ice when he asked. Speaking of Akane… No, he refused to solve any problems at this moment. He'd come too far today. He tried counting chakra sheep, and just as he'd dozed off…
A silhouette shrouded in moonlight sat ninja-like on his windowsill, making no attempt to mask his presence. Hazou didn't dare move as he ascertained his current scenario. He hadn't been killed immediately, which was a good start… Was it really that easy for anyone to approach the Goketsu compound whenever they felt like it? Kagome would be kicking himself for weeks to come.
The figure did not move, but it spoke in a low, male voice. "I know you're awake, Goketsu Hazou. You have information that interests me. I heard you met my brother, Uchiha Itachi." Sasuke's eyes flared red in the dark. Was he seriously using his Sharingan to make himself look cooler? The worst part was, it was working.
Hazou didn't move a muscle, but he asked gently, "Uchiha Sasuke? I'll gladly answer any questions you might have. If-"
Sasuke interrupted him. "Excellent. You will be at the Uchiha compound tomorrow, at the crack of dawn. Do not make me wait."
Hazou debated whether he should validate this power dynamic Sasuke was already trying to create, and he opted not to fight it for the time being.
"Understood."
Sasuke blinked away.
o-o-o-o
Not feeling quite rested, Hazou made his way to the clan house Sasuke resided within early in the morning. He left a note before he headed out, just so his family would know where to look for him if something happened.
He ran over the potential conversations in his mind, attempting to fabricate a mental flowchart. Would Sasuke be furious about Hazou's encounter with Sasuke's fateful rival? Would he be pleased that he told Itachi off? Sasuke didn't exactly sound pleased last night, but Hazou had heard he rarely ever did. He was kicking himself over never asking Naruto what Sasuke was really like. That information could potentially save his life right now.
He arrived at dawn, as Sasuke requested. Hazou knocked once, and the door swung open for him immediately. Sasuke sat at a table, with a chair across from him. Hazou was surprised to see how bare much of the walls of Sasuke's household were. Perhaps the old decor held painful memories for him. Sasuke's servants flitted about, preparing breakfast and tea.
"Sit," Sasuke said, not very politely. His Sharingan were active.
Hazou cleared his throat. "Lord Uchiha, I would be grateful to be treated as more than another of your servants. I am willing to cooperate with your interests, but I have my own pride."
Sasuke nodded. "Sit," he repeated, in exactly the same tone.
Hazou sighed and took the seat across from Sasuke.
After the teapot was placed on the table, Sasuke poured a cup for him without even looking at the teapot or the teacup, placing the drink before Hazou.
"So. I hear you met Itachi of the Sharingan. You sent a message to the man single handedly responsible for the genocide of the most powerful clan in Konoha, asking for his help in defending Konoha, and he sought you out."
Hazou steeled his body with the Iron Nerve, before realizing Sasuke could probably see him doing it. Not wanting to hesitate, Hazou answered, "That's what I was led to believe, yes. In my mind, that's exactly what happened, but I've been informed that-"
Sasuke held up a hand. "You don't have to worry about pretenses with me. I know Itachi didn't genjutsu you. I will not break the facade the village is maintaining, but I would prefer if we ignored it for now." He gestured for Hazou to continue.
Hazou sipped his tea. It was surprisingly good. (Though the mint in it was giving him inconvenient memories at the moment.) He didn't sense a trap with Sasuke.
"Yes. I sent a letter to Uchiha Itachi, believing that if his ideals truly aligned with the Will of Fire, he would be a useful asset in defending Leaf during its most difficult time." Hazou wasn't sure whether to use the detached Uchiha name, or to separate the renegade entirely from the clan with just 'Itachi', so he opted to use the full name.
Sasuke asked, "Why did you think your letter would change his mind on that front? He's
from Konoha. He already knows exactly what our ideals are. If he wanted to defend Leaf, surely he would do it anyway."
Hazou nodded. "Yes, that was another possibility. I still felt like I had to try. If the letter was all it took to get him to remember those ideals, and I
didn't send it, well, it would be even stupider, wouldn't it?"
Sasuke made a "hmph" sound but didn't immediately answer, sipping at his own tea. "Why do you believe a clan murderer and sworn enemy of Leaf would want to protect it?"
"To be honest, I didn't know much about Uchiha Itachi when I wrote the letter. I had a nebulous idea about what Akatsuki was trying to accomplish, and could only assume he would share the same goal, if he ever truly believed in it."
Sasuke considered this, as servants delivered breakfast to the two of them. Scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes. Hazou stared.
"Is there something wrong with your food?" Sasuke asked neutrally.
"No, no…" Hazou replied, unable to hide his uneasiness. There was something bizarre about watching Sasuke eating
pancakes.
"I try to stock up on protein and carbs in the morning," Sasuke said, as if that explained everything.
He reluctantly dug in, and the food was, of course, delicious. Hazo flinched upon seeing Sasuke slather his eggs with ketchup. Was this some kind of mind game?
"Tell me about your conversation with Itachi," Sasuke said, between bites. This was terrible for his cool-guy image. What was Sasuke trying to convey here? Did Sasuke think so lowly of Hazou that it didn't even bother him to degrade himself in front of Hazou?
Hazou repeated the conversation as completely as he could, recreating some of it with the Iron Nerve.
Sasuke did not smile, but he gave a look of what Hazou thought was satisfaction by the end. "Yeah. That sounds about right. That man was a fanatic, even when I knew him. Back then, it was devotion to his people, and to the village. I don't think he'd even have an identity if he didn't have blind admiration."
The servants brought forth the last straw. They placed a tall glass of milk before both Hazou and Sasuke before bowing back into the kitchen.
Sasuke drained his entire glass in one go, milk stache hanging on his lips.
"Are you going to drink that?" Sasuke asked calmly. Was this a test? What could he possibly be hoping to demonstrate here? What in-
When Hazou didn't answer, Sasuke lazily flicked out ninja wire and pulled the glass into his hand near-instantly, without spilling a single drop. He gulped the entire thing down. Did Hazou pass the test?
"Do you know why I called you here today, Kurosawa? I'll give you a hint, it wasn't just about Itachi." Hazou blinked. Sasuke using his old family name was likely a clue. Hazou was still far too dumbfounded by the situation to make any kind of rational assessment.
"I can honestly say I have no idea."
"The Kurosawa are descendants of the Uchiha, are they not? I've heard snippets about your Iron Nerve, and they sound an awful lot like the powers of the Sharingan."
"They are descendants, yes." Oh gods, he wasn't going to bring up that impregnation deal again was he? Hazou really wasn't ready to have that conversation with
Uchiha Sasuke.
If a poker face could look sentimental, that would be how Hazou described Sasuke's face at the moment. "I guess that makes you kind of like my cousin, right? I'm a guy who values family, Hazou. That's why Itachi is the ultimate disgrace to my heritage. He turned his back on who should matter most."
Hazou didn't entirely agree with that, but knew better than to say otherwise.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is that my quest to destroy Itachi may not end in my favor. I have to accept that defeat is a possibility, even if I do my damndest to prevent it. Denying myself isn't going to help me. If I fail, I want my family techniques to survive without me."
Hazou blinked. Sasuke wanted to share the secrets of the Uchiha with
him?!
Sasuke rose from the table slowly. "It would be my honor for you to train beside me, and to carry the proud traditions of the Uchiha, to teach my clan should I fall. Can you promise me you will do this?"
Hazou gulped. "I mean, we should probably hammer out the details on paper, but… If this is your wish, Lord Uchiha… Sasuke… then I, uh, don't see why not."
Sasuke gave him his first smile of the day. "Excellent. With what I've heard of your Iron Nerve, you should be able to memorize proper form in no time."
"Well, possibly… what kind of form are we talking here?"
"The essential exercises any good ninja should run through before learning their techniques," Sasuke replied, vigor brimming in his voice.
Oh, so stuff like breathing exercises and whatnot? Hazou supposed that would be useful for the famed Uchiha fire techniques.
Sasuke began undoing his robes.
"Um, what are you doing?" Hazou asked.
"Hazou, any good ninja must also have a living legacy, a narrative that evolves with them. Even today, Itachi is known as Itachi of the Sharingan. A master of the copy wheel eye, the destroyer of the Uchiha. I must craft a narrative of my own, a narrative stronger than his, so that Fate sides with me."
He dropped his robes, revealing a hulking form that couldn't possibly have been contained within those tiny clothes.
"I will become Sasuke of the Sharingains, and you will keep my legacy alive."
Hazou couldn't help but squeak out his answer. "So, uh, when do we start? Er, sensei?"
Sasuke gave a throaty, booming, horrifying laugh, and sat back down at the table. "Lesson one. Carb loading," Sasuke said, as his servants set another plate of pancakes before him, and before Hazou. Hazou sighed and picked up his fork.
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