Shadowing Lights

Ch 7: We Need Help

Naruto didn't know what he was hoping to see when his husband teleported them to meet up with the search party. Maybe the sight of their younger selves pushing each other's faces into the dirt would have been nice. Instead he was greeted with the sight of Sasuke's child self crying his little single tome sharingan eyes out clutching a shoe that was caked in what was most certainly blood like he would his toy dinosaur.  The red substance was smeared all over the child's hands and shirt. A scene that was probably going to give the hokage nightmares for the rest of his life.

Naruto knelt by the young boys side in seconds before his brain could even catch up with what he was seeing. He didn't know what was going on. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that tiny Sasuke was covered in blood and he was upset enough to be sobbing. The small child was emotionally distressed enough, maybe even traumatized enough, to have a sharingan in his eyes. Naruto couldn't just stand there and watch him cry. Not even for a second.

"Hey, Sasuke, you hurt?" His knees had barely hit the ground before he was checking the little boy for injuries. Hands sliding briskly up and down the boys quivering arms in search of scrapes or cuts. The hokage fussing over him, kyubi chakra at the ready to heal any wound he had, but the one wound the kid did have...this version of himself couldn't do anything about. Kyubi chakra could do nothing to heal a breaking heart. The kid just cried harder at the sight of him. The adult Naruto wasn't the one he wanted. He just wanted his Naruto.

"Shh...Shh...hey, hey, you're okay." Naruto wrapped his arms around the young boy. He held him tightly. "It's okay. Don't cry. You're okay Sasuke..."

"But you're not!" Kid Sasuke snapped in reply, his voice cracking, spit flying from his mouth. Tears streamed down his cheeks. "You're not okay...nothings okay...It's not okay." He threw the shoe away and clung to Naruto's shirt.  His arms so strong and securing around him. The little boy melted into the offered warmth. Sasuke needed a hug. Even at six the little boy was so touch starved. His eyes scrunched closed. The Naruto's smelled the same. It was the kids only comfort. The hokage let him cry.

While Naruto handled his younger self the adult Sasuke was already chewing out his elder-younger brother.

"Itachi, Tell me you've found more than this." Sasuke picked up the shoe. He studied it closer than his younger self had dared. He felt like throwing up. There were rips in the material that his younger self definitely hadn't made. Something had definitely attacked his husbands younger self. The shoe was so small. Kid Naruto was so young, so defenseless. Sasuke tore his gaze from the shoe to his brother when he got no answer right away. "Answer me Itachi!" He grabbed his brother by the front of his shirt. "Mini Naru doesn't have the time!"

"That's it, Sasuke." Itachi found his voice. "There's no blood trail, no leads, no direction. Just the shoe."

"No, no, there's got to be more." Sasuke denied, shoving him away. "You missed something!"

"There's nothing to miss." Shisui frowned at him. "We've checked everywhere."

"Well he didn't just disappear!" Sasuke denied a single hand pulling at his hair in frustration. Worry gripped him tight. Naruto's kid version was supposed to be safe at his house. Why did his dad have to go fuck it up? Sasuke slammed his fist against a tree. Leaves fluttered down all around him.

Sasuke shut his eyes. He tried to focus, sense the kids chakra, but Naruto's child self was too small and the kyubi was still caged. Without the ninetails chakra leaking through and making up the difference there wasn't enough of him to sense over a long distance. Sasuke wanted to scream. Why did they come back alone? They should have brought his anbu unit. Ino at least. Or Shino maybe. Even Hinata would have been helpful. Any of the rest of his buzzes as him and the trio were so affectionately deemed. Hell he should have paused to snatch all three of them before he and Naruto did this damned jutsu. But no, they came to the past alone like idiots. Now it would seem they were paying the price for that decision.

Sasuke never dreamed his brother could be so incompetent. Shisui neither. They were the best. Or maybe that was just his childhood memories playing tricks on him. Perhaps they weren't as good as his childhood emulation lead him to believe. Then again his standards for anbu candidates were far different than that of lord third. The asshole. Regardless, he needed help. Actual competent help. He couldn't find Mini Naruto on his own. His husband was too busy making sure his own kid self didn't give himself an aneurism to do any real sensing. Equally important Sasuke supposed. Though personally Sasuke would much rather just let himself stroke out and chuck the little shit that he used to be at Itachi so they could focus entirely on Naruto's kid self, but Sasuke knew full well his husband would never go for that option. A pity really.

He could protect kid Naruto no problem once he found him. It was locating that crafty kid that was the issue. But who could he even find in this trash heap of a village that would be adept enough at a currently lead less search? Not only that, who even was there that would want to help find the nine tails jinchuuriki? Everybody hated Naruto at this age. Time was of the essence. Every second he wasted thinking was another moment Naruto's kid self could be bleeding to death in a ditch somewhere. So who? Who would help them no questions asked? Who could he go to? Who wasn't a fucking kid in this time period? Who was skilled enough-The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He was a fool.

"Hey," He walked over to Naruto. He ran his hands through his blonde hair and pressed a kiss to the hokage's head. The jinchuuriki looked up at him not having expected the kiss. Sasuke stroked his cheek. His younger self too busy crying himself to unconsciousness to notice his older self stole Naruto's attention. "I'm gonna find you." He rested their foreheads together. "I promise." He murmured, and then with that said, Sasuke was gone again.

Itachi breathed a sigh of relief. Only to choke on air a few minutes  later when his older little brother reappeared behind him, grabbed his shoulder and teleported him away with him.

Shisui pursed his lips. "Hm. Welp, that happened...so..." He angled his head as he studied Naruto. He toed a pebble on the ground. "...that whole Storm cloud thing Sasuke did back at the house...how'd he do that?"

Naruto stood up, holding Sasuke's kid self in his arms. Careful to cradle the young boys head against his shoulder. He'd tired himself out. He raised a brow at Shisui and grinned to himself. A secret smile. "He trained."

"He trained?" Shisui parroted looking at the child version with budding curiosity. The answer so simple, so vague, that it really didn't answer anything. Just gave him more questions.

"Sasuke's not a prodigy. Never has been and never will be. It's not how he's wired. He's not like his brother or you from what I've heard. Get that out of your head now. Don't set him up for feeling like a failure just because he's a different kind of ninja."

"A different kind?" Shisui asked in confusion. Naruto sighed and went on with his explanation.

"In this world, there are two types of ninja. The first kind are ninjas that are born with talent. Like you and Itachi. Everything comes easy and you've just got power shooting out your ass while your in diapers. You plateau by your twenties. Become disillusioned and bored with ninja life. But there's a second kind of ninja. A kind like my husband. The kind of ninja who have to train everyday of their lives just to have any hope of being acknowledged. They're the ones who revolutionize. The ones who put their heart and soul into their training and become magnificent. You give him time, you let him put in the work, and this little guy here, you'll watch him grow to do things that'll make your head explode."

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Okay! Here's another chapter you guys! Thank you all so much for reading and for all of your kind words! It warms my heart that so many of you are enjoying this story. There'll be more to come soon so stay tuned!

Are you all still liking this story? Is it getting too serious? Idk, I'm still figuring out it's tone and everything. What do you think?