Sasuke was lost in disturbing dreams all day.
Every now and then, Kabuto's rotting mug would surface, whispering hurtful, unfair things. Hands, reaching out from the darkness, clung to him from all sides, trying to take his daughter away. It was scary, painful, and cold. Sasuke didn't know how this could be real, but he was freezing in every sense of the word in his sleep, even though he remained lying in a warm bed.
He woke up shivering with cold. He looked around in fear, afraid to find himself chained to the wall in a freezing laboratory. Afraid to realize that both the warm bed and the food were just figments of his imagination.
Sometimes the omega would be awakened by his own cough—a dry, throat-scratching one. Noticing this, Obata-san would sympathetically stroke his head and bring him hot milk with honey. The doctor was scheduled to arrive the next day, and Sasuke consoled himself that he simply had to wait for him.
In the rare moments of wakefulness, the omega tossed and turned, tormented by a bad feeling.
Something was wrong, but Sasuke couldn't place it. Kind people had shared shelter and food with him. The village was very small, so he was relatively safe here. News from the wider world rarely reached a remote place like this, and the locals had little interest in following it anyway—what did they care? The main thing was that the fish were being caught.
And yet Sasuke couldn't find peace. A warning bell continued to ring in the back of his mind.
Something is wrong. Or something will be wrong.
Omega checked himself: maybe he'd simply forgotten how to trust people? Maybe it was just him? Then again, spend even a week with Orochimaru, and then live the rest of your life with the fear that he might kill you in your sleep.
But, as it turns out, Sasuke's intuition was right. Much later, he would learn that it hadn't failed him back when it had forced him to flee the island as quickly as possible.
It was late evening when an unfamiliar voice broke into his sleep. Even before the omega had time to wake up, an unfamiliar scent reached his sense of smell. Something sharp, heavy, and uncompromising. Alpha. The scent hit his senses with such force that Sasuke unconsciously grimaced in his sleep. He hadn't interacted with alphas often enough to learn to perceive their dominant scents. Besides, the omega had already discovered that the only alpha whose pheromones hadn't bothered him during pregnancy was Naruto.
Stranger. Danger.
Sasuke's hand jerked involuntarily, ready to grab the hilt of the sword, but his fingers closed around nothing.
His breath caught sharply, and his eyes widened to meet dark green ones. A menacing, tall man leaned over him, his strong scent literally pressing the omega into the mattress. Yet, gathering his strength, as if daring to defy gravity, Sasuke propped himself up on his elbows, frantically trying to figure out if he had the agility to fight him off and escape out the window.
"Oh my God, Mako, you're scaring the boy!" Obata-san appeared out of nowhere and pulled the man away from the bed. "Look how pale he's become!"
Obediently retreating a couple of steps, the alpha bowed politely.
— I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snuck up on you in your sleep.
"It's okay," Sasuke breathed out, though the back of his neck was already damp with fear. "You must be the owner of the house."
He resembled his elderly mother—the same eyes, thick eyebrows, thin nose. However, unlike the woman, he exuded neither kindness nor affection. If the Uchiha had encountered such a man in the forest, he would have kept his weapon at the ready. The scent alone was enough—it demanded that the omega lay down like a rug under the alpha's feet, and Sasuke utterly disliked being demanded of submission.
"I just got back from fishing," the fishing rod swung behind the man's back.
— The storm must have disrupted your plans.
He remembered splashing in the icy water the night before, and his skin instantly broke out in goosebumps. Sasuke tried to keep his composure, but the stranger's presence unsettled him. His instincts screamed louder than his pride: the alpha was big and strong, and he was pregnant and could barely get out of bed. Vulnerable. He was terrified of being vulnerable.
"Winter storms are common here," the man chuckled, taking a couple more steps back, but keeping a watchful eye on Sasuke. "I had to wait it out on the other side. I didn't think a guest would show up in my absence."
Omega bowed his head politely, deciding not to provoke the man.
"Your mother was very kind to let me stay here. But if I become a burden..."
"No, lie down. How can I send a pregnant omega out into the winter cold?"
Okay, maybe he wasn't as scary as his scent suggested. Apparently, Obata-san was right – don't spoil an alpha from a young age, and he'll grow up sensible and polite. Although Sasuke still didn't like the way he looked at him.
A too intent, scrutinizing gaze. Suspicious.
Looking down at the omega's stomach (making him nervous again), the alpha thought for a moment before saying:
- Anyway, make yourself at home. Come on, Mom, let him rest.
Sasuke muttered a quiet "Thank you." The Alpha walked out the door, but the tension didn't leave with him; it lingered in the room, persistently filling the space. The omega's hands crumpled the blanket as he tried to figure out what exactly was wrong. Obata-san, in contrast, was frivolous and cheerful, finding nothing unusual in the situation.
"You must forgive him, Hikaru-chan," she smiled apologetically. "He may be callous on the outside, but you'll see, there's a very good person inside him..."
"It's okay," Sasuke shrugged, not taking his eyes off the door that had just closed behind the alpha.
"I'll go set the table... There's the freshest fish for dinner tonight. I'll ask Maki-chan to bring it to your room."
The omega wanted to thank him, but he coughed into his fist again. His lungs itched, as if he'd inhaled stinging sand. So, his iron temperament and horse-like health had come to an end... And what of his daughter? His daughter shone brightly in the womb, like a small sun, already preparing to be born. Coughing, Sasuke pulled the blanket up to his chin, unable to tear his eyes away from his belly—when had it gotten so big? Sasuke never thought he'd stretch to this size.
"I had to sacrifice a lot to bring you into this world," he sent her a mental message. "I don't blame you for that. I'll sacrifice even more for you if that's what it takes."
He spent some time simply looking out the window. It had been raining for two days now, but unlike yesterday's downpour, today there was only a light drizzle. The first real snow would fall soon, covering the ground in a thin shroud. His child would be born in winter, on New Year's Eve—the omega tried to find some hidden meaning in this, too.
The tension did not let up.
Sasuke listened for sounds in the house, but found only silence. This wasn't normal. Was it supposed to be this quiet? Shouldn't they be chatting in the kitchen, discussing fishing or the recent storm? No lively conversation, children's laughter, or old man's lamentations. The entire house was silent.
Why?
The door creaked, and Maki walked in. Carrying a tray with dinner, the girl approached the bed with small steps, afraid of tipping it over.
Sitting up, the omega intercepted the tray and nodded his thanks, much to the little girl's confusion.
Maki was a quiet and shy girl, yet very curious—whenever her grandmother entered Sasuke's room, she would immediately peek out of the doorway, glancing at the omega from within. According to Obata-san, she was a smart girl and a great help around the house, despite her young age. And even now, while he was eating dinner, Maki swept around the room with a rag, dusting surfaces, constantly casting interested glances at Sasuke. It was as if she wanted to speak but was too shy.
In the end, the girl couldn't take it anymore.
— Are you going to have a baby soon?
Sasuke froze in surprise, chopsticks to his mouth. It was the first time she'd spoken to him directly. The Omega wasn't good with children—they usually shyed at the sight of his face. He probably looked too stern for them, and the thought of it was more upsetting than usual. He didn't want to look stern to his daughter... but what else could he do? Children needed to be treated gently, and Sasuke wasn't gentle.
Will he have time to learn? And will he even be able to learn? To smile, to open up to people. To laugh, after all.
"Yes," he nodded, glancing quickly at his stomach. "Very soon."
Maki perked up a bit and came closer, clasping her hands together. Her green eyes glowed with an enthusiasm she was trying hard to contain.
- Is it a boy or a girl?
It had been a long time since he'd stopped counting on the boy, even if a nagging "What if?" still lingered in the back of his mind . Initially, Sasuke had wanted an alpha. It was simply... safer. First and foremost, for the child himself. So, at first, he'd held out all his hopes, but there was no arguing against the crushing statistics.
"I'm not sure yet..." Frankly, the omega was confused by all the attention he was getting. "But most likely a girl."
- What will you name her?
Sasuke didn't have to think long. He'd decided on a name the moment he left the hospital. The idea had popped into his head like a flash of lightning and remained there ever since. If he had a girl, it would be...
"Mikoto," the corners of her lips twitched in a faint smile at the familiar, beloved name. "That was my mother's name."
- What a beautiful name...
- Do you like it?
"Yes!" the omega nodded vigorously, causing her hair to fly up, shimmering golden in the lamplight.
Looking at her, Sasuke suddenly thought that his daughter could be like Maki. Just as beautiful, sweet, and curious. Instead of golden hair, she could have long black curls. And black eyes – like two beads.
Although golden hair was also very beautiful. Sasuke could imagine her inheriting it from Naruto, and then they would truly have their own little, personal sun. But the eyes... the eyes had to be Uchiha! As much as the alpha's blue eyes enchanted him, the omega prayed with all his might that nature would leave his child the most precious thing their clan had.
Let them take everything. Let his daughter be an exact copy of Naruto... just leave her Sasuke's eyes. He won't ask for anything else.
"My mom named me that because my grandma told her to," Maki said quietly, breaking the silence. "But she wanted something different."
"Maki" is a beautiful name too," Sasuke looked down at his half-empty plate, picking at the vegetables stuck to the bottom with his chopsticks. "Does your mother live here?"
Obata-san had never mentioned the presence of another omega in the house, so the answer to the question was obvious.
"It's just me, Dad, and the baa-chan living here. Mom went fishing and never came back. Dad says she decided to go on a trip..."
Sasuke heard something fragile breaking inside him.
He understood perfectly well the world they lived in. Most children grew up without one parent, and many were orphans altogether, so this shouldn't have surprised the omega—he himself had lost his family at an early age. But at least he knew that her parents were gone for good, and this girl believed that her mother would return sooner or later...
And maybe it would be easier for Sasuke too to believe that his mom and dad were still out there somewhere, just not in a hurry to get home.
"Do you miss her?" he asked cautiously.
"I don't know..." Her green eyes filled with longing. "Mom didn't even ask if I wanted to go on the trip with her. And I really do! And then she just up and left... Abandoned me..."
His eyes stung, and the omega quickly looked away. He must have looked like this once—an innocent, orphaned child, deprived of a mother's affection and love. And Naruto... he was like that too, wandering the village streets alone, like an abandoned kitten.
Sasuke remembered watching the alpha from afar as he swung on an empty swing. He watched and realized: his heart and that strange boy's beat were the same lonely beat. The thought warmed his heart.
But their daughter... no, their daughter will never be so lonely.
"I don't think your mother abandoned you," he tried to reassure Maki, but still stared out the window. "At least, not by choice. No mother would abandon her child voluntarily."
He certainly wouldn't have quit.
- She probably really wants to come back to you, but she can't.
- Then I'll go to her myself when I grow up.
Sasuke's throat tightened.
"You'll definitely meet," he nodded, still glancing at the girl. "But you... just don't rush."
The little omega nodded sadly and stared at him again, her gaze searching. Uchiha sighed silently – what a curious child! A hundred questions, and she still wasn't satisfied. But this didn't irritate him at all; in fact, quite the opposite. He wanted to talk to the girl more – these idle conversations distracted him from the nagging feeling of unease.
Where did it come from?
"Hikaru-san..." Maki began, barely audibly, covering her mouth with her hand, as if about to reveal some important secret. "Is it true... that you're a criminal?"
Sasuke didn't immediately grasp the meaning of the question. And when he did, his blood ran cold, and everything suddenly fell into place. The tension, thick in the room, making it hard to breathe. The suspicious silence. The attentive gazes. His palms instantly began to sweat, and the little Uchiha shifted, as if sensing something was wrong. Licking his dry lips, the omega looked at Maki.
The girl looked expectantly, clasping her hands behind her back, innocently blinking her eyes, which sparkled like two emeralds.
"A criminal?" Sasuke asked as casually as possible, trying not to betray his anxiety. "Who told you that?"
"Dad," the girl glanced back at the closed door. "He said you were a criminal who ran away from home and killed a lot of people... and that you need to be sent back quickly."
Okay. Okay.
Sasuke took a slow breath, trying to calm himself, even as his instincts screamed at him to grab his things and run. His head was in chaos, the whirlwind of thoughts drowning out all other sounds.
They think he's a criminal. That he's a murderer. But that's unfair! He only killed Orochimaru and Kabuto, and they weren't even human... Frankly, Sasuke did the world a great favor by ridding the planet of those two.
They think he's dangerous...
Omega remained silent for so long that the girl began to back away hesitantly toward the door. No, no, not that! He couldn't let them know he knew everything. A shinobi squad hadn't barged into this room yet, so he had to proceed carefully to avoid provoking a fight. Because, as sad as it was to admit, he definitely wouldn't survive that fight.
"Listen, Maki," Sasuke returned the little omega's attention, speaking calmly and ingratiatingly. "Your dad got it all wrong. Yes, I left home, but only to do something important... and I'll definitely return there, myself. As for the rest..." Kabuto's rotten corpse flashed before his eyes. "Everything I did was to protect my child."
The girl hesitated.
"For your daughter's sake?" she asked innocently.
— Yes. Because I promised myself to protect her at all costs. To be with her always. Do you believe me?
Maki chewed her lips, then nodded hesitantly. Sasuke knew he was pressing a sore spot, and he felt ashamed, but there was no other way.
- Then I'll go and tell dad that he was wrong...
"I'll tell him myself, okay?" Sasuke said quickly. "Don't tell him I know everything, or he'll be angry that you spilled the beans," the girl nodded again. "And now, could you bring another helping of dinner? And some tea and sandwiches. I need to eat twice as much, after all."
"Enough for my daughter?" the little girl beamed, and Sasuke hummed in agreement. "I'll get it right now!"
Smiling happily, she ran out of the room.
Sweet, naive child. It's a shame he won't have time to apologize for his pretense.
The moment the door closed, Sasuke jumped out of bed and quickly pulled on his clothes. He couldn't afford to hesitate, but he couldn't act hastily either. Sensibly. Carefully. No sudden movements. Creeping to the door, he listened for sounds outside and, detecting no one, slipped out into the hallway.
Quiet. Dim.
Two doors on the right. Two on the left.
Sasuke nimbly moved from door to door, examining each room. Despite his severe weakness, he hadn't lost his shinobi skills, moving as quietly as air. Bedroom, another bedroom, office... where was the storage room?
Reaching the stairs to the first floor, the omega began to descend. The lower corridor was lit by a dim light shining from behind closed shoji. Blurred silhouettes wandered behind the opaque rice paper. Sasuke heard someone whisper, and he crouched low, straining his ears.
Oh.
Eavesdropping on conversations behind doors never brought good news.
"What if you're wrong?" Obata-san asked incredulously. "To worry all of Konoha over one boy..."
"Mom, this isn't just any boy!" her son tried to hammer home in a hissing, half-whisper. "He's an Uchiha! That crest is embroidered all over his clothes! And his face? Remember—a couple of months ago, shinobi from the Leaf came to us and asked us to post those fliers. They're hanging on all our fences!"
There was a rustling of paper, and Sasuke bit his lip. Who would have thought that his family crest, which he always wore with great pride, would one day be used against him? And what did "hang on every fence" even mean?! Since when did his face adorn the fences of a godforsaken village?
A few silent seconds passed before the old woman sighed.
- Indeed, it does look similar... My eyes are so blind...
"It's not just 'looks like', Mom, it's him! Sasuke Uchiha."
— I can't believe it... He looks so harmless and sweet. And so polite...
"Even bad people can be polite sometimes," the man sighed. "We need to send letters to the nearby cities immediately... maybe they'll include someone from Konoha."
- And what will they do with him?
"How should I know? He's one of their apostates. Maybe they'll capture him and punish him..."
"Isn't that too cruel?" Obata-san worried. "You saw how weak he is. So skinny, so frail... He's pregnant, after all! It's just too bad... the baby's about to be born, what's he guilty of? Why destroy the child?"
"They won't ruin the child. They're not monsters... They'll wait until the baby is born and then they'll punish him. He's a cruel killer, Mom. By killing him, they'll save many lives."
"How will the baby cope without his father?" the old woman asked, genuinely worried. "We can't separate parents and children..."
"Mother," the alpha's tone softened. "You're too kind. You can't even imagine how much evil this man has done. He's a renegade and a murderer! He was raised by Orochimaru himself, just imagine all the nasty things they've done together! This Uchiha would even harm his own child, so we need to save the poor thing from his father's influence. And really, it's better to have no father at all than with someone like that..."
Sasuke stood behind the door, gritting his teeth. A feeling washed over him in turbulent waves, the kind that made him want to throw himself against the walls. Such intense rage and the devastating helplessness that followed. He wanted to burst in, grab the damn alpha by the lapels, shake him hard, and scream, "I would never hurt my child! Everything I did was only for him!"
He is not a bad person!
He's not a bad dad!
He's not bad...
My throat started itching.
They couldn't just say his daughter would be better off without him. Just take her away. No, he wouldn't allow it... The Omega had given everything he had to give her life. He'd shed blood, sweat, and tears. Sasuke loved her more than life itself, his Uchiha. Their bond was a lifeline. The only thing that kept them afloat. She and Naruto were all that kept him from losing his way, and if one of those bonds were to disappear...
Barely restraining himself from bursting into the room, he clenched his fists and looked around.
Hidden just under the stairs was a small, inconspicuous door.
Sneaking inside, Sasuke examined the small room. Yes, as he'd expected—a storage room. The room was filled with various junk, and his belongings—a bag with scrolls and a rolled-up sleeping bag with rags—were carefully stacked on top of his suitcase.
Throwing his bag over his shoulder, the omega hefted the remaining belongings onto his shoulders and bit his lip, doubling over from the disgruntled kick to the liver. The little Uchiha clearly didn't like the idea of leaving the warm, soft bed. The bubbling anger inside Sasuke vanished as if by magic, replaced by resentment: why? He thought he could breathe a sigh of relief, at least for a little while, spend the remaining time before the birth in peace...
He is so tired.
Who knew how tired Sasuke was.
Realizing his eyes were getting wet, the omega shook his head. Inhale, exhale. Breathe.
He has overcome a lot, and he will definitely overcome this too.
Everything will be fine.
He can't let himself fall apart, he can't, he can't, he can't. That's for later. Right now, little Maki will go up to the second floor to bring him a second helping of dinner and won't find the omega in bed. It'll happen very soon, so he needs to leave as quickly as possible.
Creeping to the front door, Sasuke quietly opened it and stepped out into the winter cold. He ran down the deserted street, darted into the forest, and ran as deep as he could into the thicket. The thinning branches scratched his cheeks. The rain had stopped, but the sky was hidden by clouds. Shivering, the omega pulled an orange scarf from his pocket and wrapped it around his neck, taking a few seconds to bask in the precarious warmth.
And it really came in handy.
—
The sunset spread across the sky over Konoha, illuminating the streets with a pink hue—a rare sight in winter. On evenings like these, all beautiful things became even more beautiful, and Sai couldn't resist taking the opportunity to draw.
He sat cross-legged on one of the high rooftops, a sketchbook in his lap. A box of pastels lay within arm's reach. He usually painted with watercolors or ink, but today was different, because the person the alpha wanted to paint was special.
A long-haired blonde from the flower shop down the street. From the rooftop, Say had a perfect view of the counter filled with chrysanthemums, where this omega bustled about. It was already evening, and it was time to close, so she lifted pot after pot of flowers inside to keep them warm during the night. The pink sunset light tinted her skin pearly and her hair powdery, and Say immediately knew he needed pastels to capture her beauty.
In fact, he and Ino had known each other for a long time, but their conversations never lasted longer than five minutes. And the alpha knew she was beautiful—the thought had occurred to him the moment he laid eyes on the omega. But there were plenty of things in the world he found beautiful.
The scenery was beautiful. The glass of water on the table, illuminated by the morning sun, was beautiful, too. And so much more.
Sai also found flowers beautiful. One day, a month ago, he found a bright blue flower that appeared out of nowhere in the middle of an autumn forest. Everything around him was yellow, gray-green, and brown, but the flower was so blue that it could be spotted a kilometer away. The next day, the alpha returned to the forest with his sketchbook, sat down on the damp earth, and began to draw.
And when a breeze blew, turning the bud in the other direction, he wanted to reach out to straighten it...
- Oh, you better not do that.
Sai turned around. Ino stood with her hands on her hips, a basket full of mushrooms behind her. For some reason, the alpha thought it important to notice that today her long hair was pulled back into a thick braid—everything except for a strand covering her eye.
"The wind turned the flower," he justified himself. "It needs to be fixed."
"And I'm saying it's better not to do that. At least not with your bare hands."
"Why?" Sai was surprised, but quickly figured it out. "Is it poisonous?"
"Yes, it's very poisonous," Ino smiled and sat down next to her. "And it's designed specifically for those fools who'll spot it from a mile away and immediately run to touch it. A very treacherous flower."
Alpha turned his gaze to the plant. It swayed innocently in the wind, its rich blue color enticing. Indeed, it was tempting to touch it—to check whether it really was that blue or if someone had simply sprayed paint on the petals.
- Are you calling me a fool?
Omega smiled, and the forest suddenly became brighter.
"Aren't you a fool? If you touched a flower right now, I'd be dragging you to the hospital if you hadn't collapsed right there on the spot..."
Sai scratched his warm cheek thoughtfully, feeling something akin to embarrassment. Frankly, he wasn't entirely sure where it came from. It was like the sound of a match striking a matchbox, the moment just before the spark ignites.
"Why would a plant attract attention to itself in order to kill?" he asked, brushing the paper to distract himself from her face. "Poison is usually a defense mechanism. What's the point of attracting attention in order to kill the one who's attracted?"
"Oh, how did you even enroll in the shinobi with such a mediocre knowledge of botany?" Ino sighed sadly.
— Mediocre?..
- So, listen...
Sai listened with half an ear, wondering inwardly: how could Naruto's blue eyes evoke no emotion at all in him, yet Ino's equally blue eyes sent a slight thrill through his heart? Could it really be all about the shade? Ino's was a little lighter, so piercing. Was that the whole point?
Sai cleared his throat and said,
- If you listen to you, all beautiful flowers are poisonous.
"Nature's a strange thing, isn't it?" She shrugged and rose from the ground. "But no, not all beautiful things are poisonous. And anyway, don't judge a book by its cover... beauty can be harmless."
"And you?" the question burst out of the alpha before he had time to think.
- What about me?
- Poisonous?
He didn't understand why she blushed so terribly, but he really liked the look.
The next month was a whirlwind for him. Sai's thoughts would swirl and then scatter—uncatchable. A delicate floral scent, blue eyes, silky hair. A heartbeat that kept skipping beats. His cheeks would warm up every now and then.
Alpha didn't understand what was happening to him, nor did he understand whether he liked it or not. In any case, he increasingly found himself here—on this street, on this roof, near the flower shop.
He rarely drew people, but today his hands were itching. Pastels. Drawing Ino had to be done with pastels.
Sai pensively traced the chalk across the paper, creating an underpainting, repeatedly tracing the smooth oval of a woman's face. He was so immersed in his work that he didn't immediately hear the loud bird call that rang out overhead.
A huge ink eagle landed on the roof, clutching a struggling peregrine falcon in its talons. Sighing, Sai set the album aside.
- Another one, huh?
These birds flew from the Land of Water to Konoha and back, delivering letters for Lord Danzo. Lately, they had been spotted in the air more and more often, and Sai knew perfectly well what it was all about.
Or, to be more precise, with whom ? Pregnancy can't last forever.
Sasuke Uchiha lived, unaware of how much attention was focused on his child, who hadn't even been born yet. Sooner or later, the cherished news would appear in one of his letters—and the whole world would go mad. At least, that's how it felt to Sai himself: the birth of a new Uchiha would bring either great misfortune or great happiness to the world. He didn't know which was closer to the truth. And no one else probably knew either.
He looked thoughtfully at the peregrine falcon pressed against the red tiles.
His painted eagle, which circled over Konoha day in and day out, was intercepting mail. At first, the alpha had come up with this idea to do his job—prevent the Uchiha from contacting Naruto. But there were no letters from the omega, and Lord Danzo's peregrine falcons were constantly flying, and at one point he simply couldn't resist, and...
Kneeling down, Sai carefully removed the scroll from the bird's leg. If the reports didn't contain important information, he would wrap them back up and let the bird fly to its destination, to avoid raising suspicion. Until now, they had arrived empty—the Uchiha was simply nowhere to be found.
The letter the alpha had seen this morning read: "Orochimaru's hideout has been found. He's dead. Omega is missing. The research data is missing. The Uchiha likely took it with him. Search continues . "
And, oddly enough, Sai breathed a sigh of relief.
There is no Omega.
For reasons unknown to himself, the alpha took this as a good sign.
Having skillfully unsealed the scroll without damaging it, he unrolled the next message. He hoped the letter would be as empty as the previous ten, but the next second his heart sank into his heels.
"A village on the Northern Coast near the city of Toko. Omega has disappeared, we're tracking him. He's possibly heading towards Konoha. The birth is in a week or two. We're sending some of our men to the border. We're sending a request for assistance to the Mizukage."
Sai slowly read the lines, hoping that his eyes were deceiving him.
Sasuke Uchiha was caught.
What did this information mean to him? This man was nothing to Sai. This matter didn't concern him at all. If anything, he'd long ago exceeded his authority by opening secret messages that weren't addressed to him at all. And now Sai was rereading one of them, suddenly imagining himself a protagonist he'd never been. Stupid. "Don't interfere," the alpha firmly told himself. "Just don't interfere."
And yet something urged me on. It was breathing down my neck: do something . Prevent it. Don't let this disaster happen. It might not be according to the rules, but it would be the right thing to do .
Alpha looked around helplessly, hoping someone would tell him what to do. Sai didn't know how to do the right thing—he always did the right thing. It's not hard to guess that the " right thing" wasn't always the " right thing . "
What should we do?
Sai's gaze suddenly fell upon the flower shop windows. Ino was engrossed in conversation with her father, wiping the shelves clean of dirt. She was probably discussing the weather or...
What if what happens to Uchiha happened to her?
Sai thought about this and his hands went cold.
If something like this had happened to Ino, he'd already be halfway to the Land of Water, abandoning everything. The alpha usually had no personal opinion on Danzo's orders, but something in the back of his mind whispered that taking children from omegas while killing them was the ultimate cruelty. He would do anything to ensure Ino never suffered such a fate.
What if... what if it was Naruto in Sai's place?
Naruto is a good friend. If someone dear to Sai were in danger, Uzumaki would have told him immediately upon learning of it. The fact that Sai himself had kept silent about what was happening all these months suddenly seemed like a terrible mistake. What was he thinking, keeping his mouth shut when his friend's omega was in mortal danger? What's more, this was about Naruto's child!
Uzumaki would go crazy when he found out what had happened to his omega. He wasn't exactly well, even now. Sai was certain that if that damned Sasuke died, he'd never see his comrade the same again.
A squeal reached his ears, and the alpha came to his senses. His eagle was still pinning Danzo's bird to the roof, and the letter was crunching in his hands.
It's not too late to fix everything.
At least try.
Having torn a sheet from the album and confirmed the similarity of the paper, Sai picked up a pen. Copying someone else's handwriting wasn't difficult—after all, he was an excellent artist.
"Friday. Empty."
Having rolled up the paper, he masterfully sealed the scroll so that no one would suspect tampering. He tied the letter to the leg of a peregrine falcon and commanded his eagle to fly away—Danzo's bird instantly soared into the sky, carrying the forged message straight to his master's window.
Watching her go, Sai thought distantly:
"Danzo will kill me."
But for some reason I wasn't scared.
He arrived at Uzumaki's house in a matter of minutes.
I remember he once lived in a tiny apartment on the outskirts of the village—so squalid he was embarrassed to show it to anyone. When Sai visited him early one morning (because he'd overslept and they were late for a mission), Naruto stood glued to the wall, trying to hide a huge moldy stain on the wallpaper with his back.
Now Uzumaki lived in a small, but clean and cozy house near a ramen shop—a reward for saving Konoha. Pausing at the door, Sai briefly considered whether he should choose the right words to break the most shocking news of his life to his friend, but quickly abandoned the idea. He wasn't good at choosing words, so he'd just say it like it was. Just blurt it out.
Alpha listened to the heated argument behind the wall, but knocked anyway.
Sakura immediately opened the door.
"Naruto's busy, come back later!!" she barked, her eyes flashing.
Sai swallowed involuntarily. How could such a wonderful and sweet girl like Ino have such a vixen friend? They say it right: opposites attract.
"I need to tell him something important," he dared to object.
— I told you he's busy!
- How?
- That I'll kill him now!
Sai tilted his head to the side. He wasn't a master at reading emotions, but he could see with the naked eye that the beta was genuinely angry—and not at all like when Naruto commented on the size of her breasts or her lackluster cooking skills. No, Sakura was seriously angry, and that was always a scary thing.
The girl tried to slam the door, but the alpha tripped her and nearly went blind with pain when he hit her with all his might. Yes, Haruno's strength is simply incredible...
"It's really important…" he squeezed out through the pain.
"Go to hell, Sai!" Naruto's voice sounded from the depths. "I don't care about you!"
His friend's voice was almost a growl. What the hell was going on there? Seizing the opportunity, Sai craned his neck to peer inside the house and blurted out the key word:
- I want to talk about Sas...
Before he could finish speaking, elephantine stomping could be heard in the hallway. Naruto burst out from around the corner, and Sai instinctively recoiled, sensing an invisible threat. Firstly, the second alpha's heavy scent practically screamed, "Don't come near, he'll kill you!" Secondly, he looked like he could actually kill without blinking.
Naruto's disheveled hair stuck out even more than usual. His ruddy skin had turned gray, and instead of eyes, his face was adorned with eerie dark holes, deep within which two maddening blue flames glowed. And that expression… well, if Naruto had asked Sai to move, Sai would have moved to the other side of the village, just in case.
"Come in," the alpha muttered, dragging him inside the house.
Beta followed them with a dark gaze.
- You shouldn't have come here.
"Sakura, you better wait outside…" was all the guy managed to say as he was dragged into the living room.
"I'm running and falling," she snorted, stomping after him in displeasure.
— I insist, this is confidential... What's going on here?
The room he was dragged into was supposed to be a living room, but the alpha had vague doubts about that, as it resembled both a bedroom and a dining room, judging by the pile of plates on the coffee table. But most of all, the room looked like Konoha after an Akatsuki attack—utter chaos. Items had been pulled out of the closets and scattered across the floor, and an arsenal of weapons lay spread out on the sofa. And in the center of this chaos, like the main character of the composition, lay an open, half-filled backpack.
"Yes, tell him," Sakura chuckled loudly, standing in the doorway. "Tell him what's going on, Naruto! Tell him how you planned to escape Konoha. Without permission, with an important mission at stake!"
"An important mission?" Uzumaki barked. "What kind of important mission?! Come on, tell me, Sakura!"
Sai prudently retreated to the nearest wall, feeling like a third wheel in this argument. Apparently, the presence of an outsider didn't bother the two at all. Instantly forgetting about Sai, they continued shouting at each other.
— A trip to Suna! You, me, and Shikamaru. Forgot?!
- And this, in your opinion, is important?!
- Of course it is! Diplomatic…
"Stop playing dumb, ttebayo!" the alpha grimaced. "We're going to Suna practically every two weeks! Even a dumbass like me realized they're just trying to distract us from Sasuke, and you're playing along with that one-eyed old man!"
Sai coughed quietly, wondering how he could enter this tornado without being torn to pieces.
- Do you want to escape from Konoha, Naruto?
"He's not going to run away!" Sakura objected hotly.
— I forgot to ask permission!
"Naruto! You need to ask permission! The village has more pressing matters than finding Sasuke! You can't throw a fit just because Konoha isn't giving in to your wishes!"
And when Sai wanted to ask what the Uchiha had to do with it again, the Alpha suddenly kicked the coffee table so hard it cracked in half, sending plates flying in all directions. A monstrous crash rang out. Naruto took a sharp step forward, and Sai suddenly regretted not being able to press himself even further against the wall. Sakura retreated back in fear.
" Nothing is more pressing than Sasuke! " Naruto yelled, making the windows rattle. "Something's happening! Something's happening to him right now, but none of you want to think about it!"
Sai automatically reached for the weapon on his belt—his instincts had recognized the second alpha as a threat. He'd never seen Uzumaki so enraged... though all the other times he'd approached a similar state had, of course, been related to Sasuke. As expected.
Naruto took a step forward and winced when a shard of plate crunched under his boot. It took a little courage for Sakura to speak again.
"Don't you dare tell me I'm not worried about Sasuke. You know we think about him. But not everything—do you hear me, not everything—should revolve around him!"
"You don't understand! " Naruto growled, burying his fingers in his hair. "You don't understand anything, ttebayo! You don't understand anything at all !"
He closed his eyes, scratching his scalp with his nails, and only now did Sai fully realize how exhausted his friend looked – as if he hadn't slept for several weeks at least.
When did this weirdness start? When Naruto first lost sleep, explaining that he'd been thinking about Sasuke all night, everyone just rolled their eyes. And then it only got worse. Long periods of staring at one thing. Anxiety attacks in the middle of the night. Reversing every conversation around Sasuke's name .
And now Naruto looked on the verge of despair... and the most surprising thing was that his anxiety was not unfounded.
"Naruto," he said carefully, "I think I understand after all."
"Oh, God," Sakura massaged her temples. "Don't even start…"
— What I'm saying is that something is really happening to Sasuke right now.
He glanced at the beta, who had moved to the other side of the room, and nodded for emphasis. Naruto, out of breath after his scream, suddenly froze and slowly turned toward the voice. His eyes stared at Sai, unblinking, making Sai feel uneasy again.
- How do you know?
"I know because Lord Danzo knows it." It could be a long story. "He knows Sasuke's secret, and that's why he has the advantage."
" A secret? " Naruto repeated, turning his whole body towards him. "Does Sasuke have a secret?"
Oh, he had no idea what it was.
The alpha's ardor had waned, but his face remained just as frightening. His blue eyes glittered feverishly in the shadows. Sai mentally called himself a fool for even considering choosing his words—no "correct" words carried any weight while Uzumaki was in this state. In a way, the alpha felt like he was poking a deadly bomb with a stick. No matter how slowly he pressed, the result would only be the same.
Explosion.
"Lord Danzo will kill me if I tell him," he admitted resignedly, this time out loud. "Definitely."
And it wasn't even a joke.
- Maybe that's enough chatter...
"Sasuke's carrying a child," Sai blurted out in one breath. "It's yours."
A pause filled the room. Alpha braced himself for another outburst, but Uzumaki merely frowned.
— What does it mean, "carries a child"?
Sai's mouth dropped open in confusion. Did he say something unclear?
- He's pregnant, Naruto.
In an instant, everything suddenly became very quiet. Too quiet for a place that had just recently been filled with screams and shattering dishes. The color drained from Naruto's face, as if someone had splashed it with paint thinner. Slowly, awareness faded from his gaze, his connection to reality was lost.
Sakura woke up abruptly.
"I'll bring sensei," she said in a trembling voice and ran out into the corridor.
They were left alone. The fading sunset slowly took all the light with it. Sai stood against the wall, Naruto in the middle of the ruined room. He stood frozen, like a stone statue. And the first emotion that flashed across his face was, for some reason, resentment.
"Did you come here to make jokes?" the alpha asked quietly, as if accusing Sai of choosing such an inopportune moment to laugh.
- I don't know how to joke. You know that.
"So you're just lying," Naruto's mouth muscle twitched, and he grimaced. "Bastard! Why the hell are you lying about something like that?! This isn't funny at all!"
If before it seemed like he'd stopped breathing, now Uzumaki's breathing was accelerating. His chest was heaving, the air whistling out of his throat. His eyes darted around the room, and his hands clenched into fists. He was as fragile as a house of cards. And Sai felt very sorry for him, but he couldn't do anything else but continue rocking him.
- I wouldn't lie about something like that.
"But you're lying!" Naruto frowned. "Sasuke... this would never happen to him. He always knows what he's doing! And he wouldn't... this... this couldn't happen to Sasuke, okay? Because why would he... all this?"
And really, why? Sai had never thought about it—he had nothing better to do. He only knew that Uchiha was pregnant, but he hadn't even considered how that could... no, he imagined how . But "why?" was a really good question.
— I don't know. Such things sometimes happen by accident.
Naruto was stunned for a second, and then exploded with renewed vigor.
"That's not what I'm talking about! Sasuke... Sasuke's not stupid! He always has a back door. He wouldn't... he wouldn't have put himself in that kind of situation. Even if it were an accident, do you think he wouldn't have figured out a way to solve it?"
- Maybe I would have come up with something.
- Then stop making such stupid jokes!
"Listen..." the alpha shook his head. "I don't even know how else to tell you. I don't know if Sasuke is stupid or smart, what he could do or couldn't. I'm just saying that he's going to have a child soon. Your child, Naruto. Yours and Sasuke's."
Uzumaki blinked.
"Mine and Sasuke's," he repeated slowly, staring ahead with a glassy gaze. "A child."
- Yes.
— We're going to have a baby.
"Yes," Sai repeated. "In a week or two."
— Wait... What... so soon?
Silence fell over the room again. Naruto breathed raggedly through his nose, his eyes continuing to dart around the room as if seeing this place for the first time. The further he looked, the more noticeable the trembling that gripped his arms and shoulders became. Sai even thought he could hear the boy's heart pounding.
"Sai," Naruto babbled pleadingly, his trembling voice breaking the silence. "Don't do this. Please, just say you're joking. So I don't..."
Something gurgled in his throat. His legs buckled. Sai winced, taking a quick step forward—Naruto looked like he was about to faint. Instead of collapsing, however, he slowly backed away, groping for the chair and slumping down in it.
— This can't be. It can't be. It can't be, right?
"Naruto..." Sai breathed out in disbelief. "You... aren't happy?"
When he was about to tell his friend about the Uchiha, he wasn't sure what reaction he was expecting. Sai knew it would be hard to accept—it's not every day you find out you're about to have a child you didn't know about for eight months. As for the rest... it's unclear where the alpha came from, but he was absolutely certain Naruto would be delighted.
But what he saw now—was it joy? Uzumaki looked as if he were dying, his eyes glistening with tears. Sai suddenly began to doubt—had he only made things worse? What if Lord Danzo was right, and there was a reason for the secrecy?
"I… I'll kill Sasuke…" Naruto squeezed out, running his hands over his face, wiping away the tears. "I'll kill him. He saw me, and even then… and he didn't… Oh God, I'll kill him. I'll kill him. I'll kill him…"
There was a slam of a door in the hallway, and a second later Kakashi flew into the room.
"Naruto!" he called out, panicking. "What's going on?!"
An out of breath Sakura followed the man.
- Sai, repeat to sensei everything you just said!
Uzumaki pulled his hands away from his face, raising his head to look at his teacher. His lips trembled, his cheekbones were wet, and his body shook nervously, but his eyes… A tingling sensation tugged at Sai's chest. Naruto's eyes were literally shining , and he was sure it wasn't just a trick of the light, as sunset had almost left the room.
"Sensei... Sasuke and I... oh shit!" He couldn't take it anymore and rubbed his eyes again. "We're having a c-child. Mine and Sasuke's. A child..."
He sobbed loudly.
- I'll just kill him...
Sakura collapsed onto the sofa. She, too, was shaking slightly, and her face was one of utter horror. Looking at Naruto's dismayed expression, she shook her head in confusion.
"Is that true?" the alpha nodded. "But why? Why did Sasuke decide to do... this? He wouldn't..."
Kakashi closed his eyes briefly, and Sai was amazed by his calm. He didn't know the man well, but he had already learned that he would keep a cool head even when everything around him was engulfed in flames. Now, while Naruto was trying to piece himself back together and Sakura was looking around in confusion, Hatake was the only person in the room he could talk to rationally.
"Sai," Kakashi addressed him. "Tell me how you found out about this."
"I spoke with Lord Danzo," he said, choosing not to mention the report he'd been giving about Naruto's surveillance. "There was another man with us who was supposed to report on his meeting with Orochimaru."
"Since when has Root been collaborating with Orochimaru?" Kakashi frowned.
Sai shrugged. Lord Danzo never justified his actions, and the Alpha didn't ask—it wasn't allowed. He convinced himself that it was for the good of Konoha. Shimura always acted in the interests of his homeland.
"Sorry, I can't comment on that," Sai said honestly. "The plan was to hand over a specific object that would be wiretapped. Orochimaru didn't show up for the meeting, but Sasuke Uchiha did."
Sai didn't notice how all the attention in the room was now focused on him. Even Naruto, quiet, stared silently from his chair, boring into him with wet, reddened eyes. His pale, clumsy eyelashes trembled.
"So, Sasuke ended up with the wiretap," he continued. "It captured the moment he went to the hospital, and..."
"To the hospital…" Naruto croaked. "What was he doing at the hospital?"
"I consulted," Sai shrugged. "Kurenai-san also visited the hospital often when she was pregnant."
Uzumaki shuddered—the situation had become even more real to him. Licking his salty lips, he began wringing his hands. God, he was completely out of his mind.
"What did they say?" the alpha asked haltingly, swaying back and forth involuntarily. "There, at the hospital... about the b-baby. Is he okay? And Sasuke..."
"Perhaps this isn't the most successful pregnancy," the guy recalled the evening of the interrogation.
Naruto turned even paler, although it seemed like he couldn't get any paler.
- N-not the best...
"Naruto, later," Kakashi cut him off and nodded to Sai. "You continue."
"The details were discussed without my participation," he said, lowering his head. "So I can't say more. But knowing Lord Danzo, I shouldn't expect anything good. I've been tracking messages from the Land of Water to Konoha for some time. This morning, Lord Danzo received a letter saying Orochimaru had been killed... and most likely by an Uchiha."
"Sasuke..." Naruto breathed out, not even knowing what to say. "Where is he now? What's wrong with him? And his... I mean, our ..."
Kakashi cast a sympathetic glance at his student. The poor guy had no idea where to go—he sat there, gripping the armrest as if it were the only thing keeping him balanced. Sai sighed again.
"I don't know where he is. Root hasn't gotten to him either, but that could change at any moment. I intercepted another letter just recently, and now..."
Taking the crumpled piece of paper from his pocket, he hesitantly handed it to Kakashi. Naruto, abruptly jumping up from his chair, was at his side in no time, beating the man to the punch, snatching the letter from his hands and gazing at the text with a feral gaze. Sai glanced warily at his friend. That abnormal, insane state that had Uzumaki destroying the room was returning with renewed vigor. It was time to press himself against the wall again.
"Lord Danzo gave me only one order," Sai admitted quietly. "It was to keep Naruto from knowing about the child," he muttered under his breath. "So yes, he will definitely kill me..."
Leaning over the boy's shoulder, Kakashi read the contents of the letter and became even more serious.
"Naruto, this is very bad," the alpha looked up at the sensei, his eyes rapidly emptying. "What's written here."
"Oh, my God..." Sakura whispered, understanding everything at once. "They don't want Sasuke back. They're tracking him down so they can..."
Sai kept waiting for Naruto to hit him. He deserved it, really – he should have told him all this months ago, then the chances of helping the Uchiha would have been much greater. And now, with weeks counting down, and Root members already swarming the entire Land of Water… well, Sai wasn't opposed to a good punch in the jaw.
But Naruto didn't even look at him. And even if he did, he didn't see him.
Without saying another word, he walked unsteadily back to the center of the room and continued stuffing things into his backpack.
"Naruto..." Sakura began warningly. "We need to think this through."
"Think about it, Sakura-chan," Uzumaki replied in an empty voice. "And I'm off."
"Wait," Kakashi intervened. "Let me get ready, we'll go together."
"The three of us," the beta immediately corrected and disappeared into the corridor. "I'll be there in ten minutes."
Kakashi turned to Sai, who hesitated. He would have loved to help Naruto, but right now it seemed he would be far more useful if he stayed in Konoha.
— It will be better if I stay here and continue intercepting letters.
"Makes sense," Hatake nodded and placed a warm hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, Sai. I know it was difficult."
Alpha shook his head. In truth, he still felt ashamed for only now realizing it. If the Uchiha was truly killed, responsibility for it would rest on his shoulders. As would responsibility for Naruto's psychological state.
"One person inspired me to come here," his cheeks warmed again at the thought of Ino. "Do you think there's anything else you can do, Kakashi-san? Root must be on Sasuke's trail already. They're much closer to him than you are. Besides, the birth is approaching..."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Naruto's back go rigid.
"You underestimate Sasuke," came a voice from his side. "He's not one... to give up easily. He's strong."
"Naruto's right," Kakashi's eyes smiled. "Our Sasuke is very strong, but we won't let him down. And we'll try to do everything in our power."
"Konoha gates in ten minutes," the older alpha said before slamming the door. They were alone again, and Sai turned to his friend. He was frantically tugging at the straps of his backpack, mindlessly stuffing everything he could get his hands on. Confused, disoriented. And very, very scared.
"Hey," Sai called out quietly as he left. "How are you feeling, Naruto?"
...and Naruto felt a chasm opening up beneath him, dividing his life into "before" and "after".
Naruto felt his eyes sting and burn. He felt like he was being torn apart. His head was a mixture of sweet and bitter. His body moved as if numb. His heart pounded furiously beneath his ribs, making them crack. He felt the pain, but he couldn't hear the heartbeat itself. Sasuke's tired voice, a distant echo of the past, echoed in the ringing silence: "Nothing will ever be the same again . "
He was so lost. Everywhere—in this world, in this city, in this room. And yet, with relief, he felt the sky clearing above him, and the path illuminated by light.
Everything suddenly fell into place.
What had been gnawing at him all these months. The omega's face, before his eyes every time he closed them. Icy, suffocating dreams, in which he inevitably froze and woke with chattering teeth. The gnawing need to see Sasuke—not just a desire, but a command , emanating from somewhere deep within him. He could not disobey.
Sasuke himself might not admit it, but he was calling for Naruto right now. Loudly and incessantly. The omega needed Naruto like no one had ever needed him before. The bonds between them vibrated.
And, of course, the alpha could not help but obey their call.