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Silence stretched between them. Neji hadn't lied; everything they'd lived through testified to it.
After rage burns itself out, only cold clarity remains. That was where Sasuko stood now. The Mangekyō's surge had been pressed back; a cool ache lingered behind her eyes.
Her gaze settled on Neji.
"Neji… what do you want?"
Once, she'd thought the two of them were the same both raging against fate. But the farther they walked, the more she realized they were different. This vast D-Organization base, the buried secrets, the truths, what was his endgame?
Neji's mouth quirked; then his face turned serious.
"People are greedy, Sasuko. You reach one goal, you want another. I'm no exception. Neither are you. I used to want to survive where no one could threaten me. Now? I want a comfortable world to live in."
His eyes slid to the horizon. "And my vision isn't limited to this one village anymore. But to move outward, I need a stable home front."
"Do you understand?"
Sasuko frowned. She grasped a piece of it, but not all of it.
"How are you going to do it?"
"You don't need the details. You only need to choose: help me, or don't."
They held each other's eyes his a deep, clear blue.
"Can you make my goals happen?" she asked.
"You mean killing Danzo and the masked man?"
"Yes."
"That, I can do."
"Then I'm in."
No flowery promises. Just yes, or no.
Neji nodded and added, almost casually, "I'm cooperating with the masked man right now. Full disclosure."
"Cooperating?" Sasuko didn't flare up. She wasn't the hotheaded girl she once was. Neji had blown open her narrow path into a wide road; she could watch from the middle now, not just sprint from the edge.
"With the collection of the tailed beasts," Neji said. "There are only three left: Six-Tails, Eight-Tails… and the Nine-Tails."
Sasuko's pupils tightened. Nine-Tails… Naruto's face flashed through her mind, and the monster sealed within him.
"Uzumaki Naruto is the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki."
"Correct."
Waves hammered the cliffs outside as Neji looked out the window.
"And I promised them I'd bring them the Nine-Tails."
Sasuko sprang to her feet.
"You're going to kill Naruto?!"
Neji actually smiled. So there was a chord there one that vibrated the moment his name was threatened.
"No. The Nine-Tails is the Nine-Tails. Naruto is Naruto. Handing over the Nine-Tails doesn't mean handing over the boy. Learn the difference. Don't jump."
He glanced back at her with a look that said I saw that, and Sasuko stiffened.
She sank back down, jaw tight. Even she didn't know why her reaction had exploded like that. It just… had.
At the side, Izumi tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, smiling a little too sweetly. She knew that reaction.
Sasuko caught the look and turned her head with a faint huff, studying the room instead.
"Jinchūriki die when a tailed beast is extracted. I know that."
"Do you know Gaara?" Neji asked, flicking his fingers. A live projection spread across the glass Sunagakure, the Kazekage's office, and Gaara was seated within.
"The One-Tail was taken from him. Chiyo revived him at the cost of her life. I took part in that incident. I have the method."
He added, "And there's no need to pull the Nine-Tails from Naruto. He only holds half the Yang Nine-Tails. The Yin half is separate."
Sasuko blinked. "Half?"
"Yang in him; Yin elsewhere."
"So you'll hand over the Yin half?"
"No. I won't hand over either half. That promise is a smokescreen. There's… a substitute."
Sasuko stared; Izumi chuckled and shot Neji a sidelong glare.
"Enough teasing."
Neji lifted his hands in surrender. "Not teasing setting expectations. We can't afford misunderstandings."
Sasuko's look went faintly reproachful. Right under all that logic, Neji was still Neji; the impish streak hadn't died.
"That's enough for today," he said. "You know my aim. Rest. You've had too much dropped on you at once let it settle. And get used to your new state. That power he died to put you on that road."
Sasuko's throat tightened. It was too much. She inclined her head to both of them and left without another word.
…
When the door closed, Neji exhaled. Izumi stepped behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, cheek pressed against his shoulder blades.
"I'm sorry."
He blinked. "For what?"
She didn't answer at first, only held on tighter. His mind flashed to Itachi's apologies that came too late.
"If anyone should say sorry, it's me."
"No," Izumi said firmly. "It's my fault."
Neji froze. Now what?
"What happened?"
"I misunderstood you," she said into his back. "I misunderstood… You two. I'm sorry."
"…Huh?"
Neji stared at the door, baffled. You two? Sasuko? What did he miss? What did she think she saw?
He rubbed his temple.
"What exactly did you think I meant?"
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