66 3.28

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Minato was the Yellow Flash for a reason, as he had arrived at our base particularly early. Now, four hours had passed since he had arrived, and only now was the second emissary arriving.

As for me, I was still on top of the castle, but this time with my head laying against Sarah's thighs as she fiddled with my hair.

I was quite a distance away from the incoming men, but going by their colors, they were from Iwa.

I did not move however, as we had previously agreed that Konan would be welcoming the different emissaries, and convincing them to stay long enough for the reunion. This was quite the task, actually, considering the strength of the emissaries.

Of course, not all of them were going to be at the level of the Yellow Flash, some of them didn't even have someone of his level, but it would still be some of the most important Jonin in their respective village.

After all, negotiating with the new power in the middle of the battlefield was extremely important. Whoever we would ally ourselves with would gain a tremendous advantage, as we would not only provide impressive firepower, but also direct access into three of the Great Countries.

This wasn't the kind of negotiations you would leave to someone unimportant, especially in such times. So yeah, this couldn't be left to any of the nameless lower ranked members of the Akatsuki.

Still, I kept an eye on it, to make sure nothing would go wrong. I wasn't as hard pressed about saving anyone now, since their death wouldn't result in mine anymore, but I would still prefer for them to live. Not only would them living make my time in here easier, but I also took a liking to them.

But as I looked at the quickly approaching Iwa Shinobis, Sarah asked, "Why don't we get inside? It's getting chilly out here, and I'm still wet."

I looked up at her, and saw she had a cheeky smile on her face. Rolling my eyes, I muttered, "I need to watch over them. And adding a little deterrent by literal watching them from above certainly helps."

The news of my death or incapacitation may have spread, arriving in enemy territory and having someone watch you from the top will always remain a deterrent. Whoever I was didn't really matter here, as I had to be someone important, thus strong, to be watching from the top.

I grabbed her arm, bringing her hand over as I kissed it, and added, "You should get inside before you get sick. The rain and wind won't do you any favors."

She sighed, not moving, "I'm not leaving you here alone."

"The cold won't do anything to me. I don't think I am physically capable of catching a cold."

"I don't care."

I rolled my eyes at that, hesitating between leaving and staying. However, as I looked back at the Iwa delegation, I was surprised to find them tensed up. The members of the Akatsuki around them were also ready for a fight.

I grabbed the edge of the roof strongly, and was about to jump when Sarah tightened her grip on me. It wasn't nearly enough to stop my physically, but she would get thrown off the roof if I did jump down.

So I stopped myself with a frown, but before I could say anything Sarah shut me down, "You always try to do everything on your own. Just trust Konan, she can handle herself."

"I can't leave my life in someone else's hands. That would be stupid."

Sarah raised an eyebrow, and asked, "I left my life in your hands. Are you calling me stupid?"

My face scrunched up as I groaned, "That's not what I meant. It's not the same. You didn't have a choice, and trusting me was the best option. I, on the other hand, have the choice. I am strong enough to deal with this, so not doing it would be lazy and stupid."

But Sarah wasn't really offended as she smiled, and said, "Sure, tough guy. But you are hardly leaving your life in Konan's hands by letting her handle this on her own."

I frowned, she had a point. But I still didn't like it.

"Besides, everyone thinks you are either dead or about to, so revealing yourself only at the meeting would make it much more impactful. If you had the Samurai and Konoha's support, we would make for a much scarier, and thus much more compelling side."

My eyes shifted between the crowd beneath, and Sarah, and after a moment I sighed, and laid back as I grunted, "Fine."

Sarah smiled at the victory and continued fiddling with my hair, while I kept looking at the situation beneath, ready to move in case anything degenerated.

But, making me feel equally embarrassed and satisfied, the tension was quickly dissipated as Konan led the Iwa delegation into the building.

Without even looking at her, I knew Sarah had a big smile on her face, so I quickly changed the subject, "Is Naruto up to your expectations?"

Sarah merely replied, "What do you mean?"

I glanced at her, and while traces of her earlier glee were still present, with the crease of her eyes and the tugged lips, she also looked a little confused.

"I mean, you have dyed hair. I assumed you watched anime, and Naruto pretty much can't be missed for anyone watching anime. Especially at your age."

"My age?"

Realizing I messed up, I quickly added, "As a beautiful woman in her prime."

Sarah grinned, kissing my lips before replying, "No, I don't watch anime. Well, I might have watched an episode or two on TV when I was younger, but I could hardly be called a fan."

"Is that so? Why did you dye your hair then? Grey is a pretty uncommon dye, if it doesn't come from anime."

Sarah bit her lower lip, and exhaled before explaining, "It's not supposed to be grey, but white. It's just been a while since I did my hair, things weren't exactly going strongly in the real world."

I listened silently, but nodded in understanding. Everyone who was pulled into this game had more or less given up on life, meaning most people pulled were at their lowest point.

For the first time since I've met her, the cheerful Sarah looked a little hesitant and down, before she started, "I told you about my brother, Nathan."

I nodded, and she continued, "The biggest reason behind his personality was his condition. He is an albino."

I gaped in understanding, and she added, "I wanted him to feel less special, a little more normal you know? So as to not stand out as much in crowds. But kids can be cruel."

I remained silent for a moment, before remarking, "Are you close with your brother then? Or were you, before getting here?"

She sighed, "Well, we haven't seen each other in a while, he moved to the US for his project, and with his personality keeping in touch can be quite hard. What about you? Are you close with your family?"

I shook my head, replying, "Not particularly. I love my parents, don't get me wrong, but we could hardly be called close. Growing up, I never had any siblings, cousins, uncles, aunts or grandparents. It always was my parents, and they were often busy with work. I pretty much raised myself."

"So I assume you want children?"

I looked at her in surprise, before snorting, "A little early to speak about children, isn't it?"

Sarah smiled and said, "Considering we might die any day, nothing's really too early. But I wasn't speaking about myself."

This time I frowned, and asked, "What do you mean, not you? I'm not about to form a harem."

Sarah rolled her eyes, "Don't play dumb, you know what I mean. I don't worry too much about you, I have a feeling you will win this game. I don't really fancy my chances however. And if I do die someday, you shouldn't worry about me. All I ask is for you to remember me, and to tell my family I died."

As I listened to her, I kept quiete, but I slowly rose from her thighs, to look at her in the eyes. She was trying to look confident, but I could see the fear and uncertainty in her eyes.

Grabbing her by the shoulder, I gently hugged her as I muttered, "I'm not letting anything happen to you. I promise you that."

Those may just be words, but I felt her tense muscles relax a little as this time she was the one to lay in my embrace.