Sass-suke

Chapter 5

By the time Gaara had finished eating, Sasuke and his friend were nowhere in sight. Gaara looked around the house, fidgeting with his fingers. Upon spotting a trash can next to the kitchen counter, the redhead walked over to it, delicately placing the trash in the bin.

His eyes slid over to the long hallway where the two kids had disappeared to. Should he follow? He wasn't sure whether he was allowed. Luckily he was saved from having to make a decision when Sasuke stepped out of a room in the distance.

Noticing that Gaara was finished with his food, he gave the boy a soft smile. "You ready?" The redhead nodded. "Good, follow me." Gaara obliged. He trailed after Sasuke as the raven haired boy approached a dark oak door.

Sasuke tapped lightly on the wood before entering. Karin was already situated, arms slung about a small sofa chair in the corner. Papers were scattered all over the floor, every single one of them containing bits and pieces of information Sasuke had gathered.

There was a stack of books on the side, nearly teetering over with the mass contained in them. Sasuke had done his homework. He already knew somewhat what to do from Naruto's excessive rambling, but he wanted to make sure the entire operation went off without a hitch.

Last night, Sasuke had not slept. He'd traveled all over Konoha looking for fuinjutsu scrolls and books, even going as far as to break into the Hokage's office, as well as the classified archives. Taking the books home, the raven had read through every single one of them, taking notes on important information with the help of his Sharingan.

After all, it never hurt to be prepared. That was why Karin was here too. Her chakra detecting skills would allow her to detect if Shukaku goes berserk, or Gaara's chakra spikes abnormally. If either of the above happens, the boy would be forced to halt everything immediately.

Sasuke quickly ran down what he was supposed to do before turning back to Gaara. "Alright just, um. Find a spot where you aren't laying on any papers." The young boy silently complied, laying down on the cool wood floor.

Sasuke glanced at his body, eyes searching for familiar black ink. "Shit." Karin looked up at him, curious. "What's wrong?" Sasuke frowned. "I don't think he has a physical seal. I have no idea how to alter it if I don't have a visual to work with."

Karin pursed her lips. "What about placing one on top of the seal? You can just sort of override the other one." Sasuke furrowed his brow. "Maybe. But that would be breaking my promise to Shukaku. I told him I would allow him more freedom."

Karin shrugged. "I dunno man. Hell, I don't even know how you know this shit to begin with. What are you, 13?" Sasuke rolled his eyes. 'Twenty, actually.' "It's none of your business." The girl shifted her position, crossing her legs on the chair.

"Fine, keep your secrets." Sasuke gave her a grateful nod. He sucked in a breath before turning back to Gaara. The redheaded boy had just been silently laying down during this whole ordeal. Sasuke groaned. 'If only there were some way to create a hole in the seal, keeping Shukaku inside while also giving him more freedom.'

Sasuke's eyes widened. "That's it." Karin grinned at him. "I knew you would get it eventually. Whatcha got?" The raven leaped over to the other side of the room, snatching up a book and activating his sharingan. He skimmed through the pages until he found what he was looking for.

"Here." He turned the book towards Karin, who squinted her eyes. "A tunnel?" Sasuke nodded enthusiastically. "Yup! If I can put a seal on Gaara that burrows into the other one like a tunnel, and regulate what is allowed and what isn't on the one I create, then it might just work!"

The girl laughed. "Wow you're really excited about this!" Sasuke flushed red. "I'm just glad we found a solution." Karin grinned. "You mean you found a solution." Sasuke turned his back to her, grabbing the ink. "Whatever."