Don't Stare at the Sun or You'll Go Blind

Chapter 4

Sasuke had been in the middle of breakfast when he'd gotten the urgent summons to appear before the Hokage. His mother had picked up his dishes as he had abruptly left the table and slipped on his shoes. When he arrived at the Hokage Tower, Sasuke spotted Kakashi slipping in through an open window. If Kakashi was called and he actually bothered to show up on time, then this had to be serious. Slipping in after Kakashi, Sasuke kept the surprise from showing when he spotted Sakura and Naruko already standing in front of the Yondaime. Sasuke took his place next to Kakashi and waited for the Yondaime to begin.

"We have just received intelligence that the Kazekage's youngest son has just been taken by members of the Akatsuki organization," the Yondaime said with a stern voice. It had come out as a soft whisper, but Sasuke had heard the, "Gaara" that Naruko had uttered with an intense amount of emotion behind it. Sasuke had wanted to turn to her in question but refrained. How was she so familiar with the Kazekage's son to call him by name?

"We have more knowledge on the Akatsuki and its members so Sunagakure has requested our assistance in dealing with this threat. Your mission will be to head to Sunagakure immediately and provide back up. Additionally, you are to report back on the situation there," Minato said and offered a scroll to Kakashi.

Sasuke hadn't heard of the Akatsuki before and judging by the expression on Sakura's face, neither had she. But Naruko looked grave and... furious. Her fists were clenched by her sides and she was glaring at the floors as if she meant to set them ablaze. When Sasuke looked back at Kakashi, even he looked quite serious.

"Naruko, stay behind for a few minutes. The rest of you are dismissed," the Yondaime said and locked eyes with his daughter. She stiffened under her father's intense stare and remained in place while the others started to leave. Sasuke spared the two another glance before following Kakashi out.

Once the door had closed behind them, Kakashi said, "Pack for enough for a weeklong trip. I doubt we'll get much time to rest, however. We'll leave from the main gate in thirty minutes."

~:~

From the moment they had left the village, Naruko had been tense and far too quiet. On more than one occasion, Sakura had to remind her not to break formation when she suddenly started to pick up speed. Impatience was one of Naruko's defining traits, but her rush was more than that. It was almost desperate. Sasuke frowned.

"Naruko," Sakura chastised again.

Naruko stopped on a branch farther ahead with a frown. "Kakashi-nii, can't we go any faster?" she asked with an impatient groan.

"What's your rush? I get it that the Kazekage's family is important-" Sakura started to argue but Naruko was quick to cut her off.

"It's not just that. It's Gaara," Naruko stressed as if that explained everything. She frowned and clenched her fists. She started jumping from branch to branch again, but kept speaking, "He's my friend. After I left the village with Ero Sennin, we went to Suna because he was supposed to help them with some seal stuff. That's when I met Gaara. He was so angry and lonely. I made a promise to him that he could always count on me as his friend and I don't ever want to go back on my word."

Sasuke almost didn't recognize her. He could remember the little girl who shouted about becoming the Hokage and declared her nindo at the top of her lungs. Back then, it had always sounded like a promise of a child. But the conviction in her voice and the fire in her eyes was much deeper now. It hit Sasuke just how much she had grown these past three years. She wasn't a little kid anymore. In a way, Sasuke could see small glimpses of the woman she would one day become.

After her rousing speech, they picked up their pace with a new sense of urgency.

~:~

Sasuke had kept an eye on Naruko all day and something was nagging at him. It wasn't just Naruko. Kakashi had been acting off as well. Sasuke hadn't expected Sakura to pick up on it, but Sasuke was more than familiar with Kakashi's mannerisms. He knew how to pick up on his former sensei's tells and right now Kakashi was worried and stressed. He hid it decently enough, but he slipped up whenever he looked at Naruko. They knew something that they weren't sharing.