Ojos Asi [[private -- nyrax]]

"In all honesty I don't think that anyone could be a parent on their own......well men can't be fathers on their own, until their sons reach a certain stage at least", Shibi remarked as he looked over at his own son. "I got lucky. Despite my wife dying as young as she did, Shino was always quiet. He didn't fuss too much, and he always did what I told him to. Clearly I couldn't be trusted with a more rowdy one out of fear that I couldn't take care of him", Shibi said with a laugh as he thought back to the days of when Shino was a young child.

Shino just narrowed his eyes. Right when they had started getting along, and here Sasuke was doing that whole talking down thing again. And to think that Shino bothered standing up for him to Sakura. "Sorry if that's how it works in your house, which I don't believe. Seems like you're the one that's making all the plans on your own"

Sasuke nodded. "Oh no, I agree with you there. I refused to hold Shai when he was born. It took me a few days before I'd actually pick him up. I was convinced that I would break or kill him because he was so small. But it's not as hard as it looks. It's just a pain. Especially when the first three months is you trying to figure out what each set of crying means." he shrugged. "I hated the first few months, but I wouldn't trade it." He grabbed some glasses from a taller cabinet that were made for alcohol and he poured Shibi a cup and then himself one and returned to the living room.

Hearing Shino, Sasuke coughed into his drink and swallowed. "Don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying that I have no control. I'm saying that SAKURA has control. And Sakura isn't here now. Much the same how Aaliyah will have control over you. And how mother had control of yoru father. It's the exchange that marriage is. She promises to have sex with you and only you, and you in turn, promise that you will love her, buy her whatever she wants, dote on her, spoil her, love her, and keep to her schedule."

Shibi nodded. "Yeah, those first few days as a father really makes you think about the direction of life that you're headed", the Aburame admitted. "You realize that everything that you've done up till than has meant very little, as the rest of your life will be trying to make that child grow up to be even better off than you ever were", he said thoughtfully as he remembered the first time that he held Shino in his arms. As Shibi received his cup he gave a mere nod. "Thank ya kindly", he said. His cup was empty before they even got to the living room.

Shino said nothing for several moments, picking out each word that Sasuke said. He was lying, he was completely lying. He had seen the way that they looked at one another, the sadness in their eyes when they had to part. Sasuke believed that marriage was much more than that, although Shino didn't fully understand why Sasuke was saying this to Shino. "I don't know why you play the word games that you do Sasuke, but one of these days it's going to get you in trouble that isn't so easy to get out of", Shino said as he took a seat on the couch.

Sasuke poured some of the heavy jug into another smaller bottle and poured himself another cup, sliding it across the table toward Shibi. He took a sip of it and lamented in the taste. "Well, sadly I don't actually have to do much to make sure turns out better than me." he said, and it almost sounded like he regretted that. "If he becomes a shinobi and doesn't end up in prison, he's better than me." And truthfully, that wasn't too far from reality, especially considering all the things Sasuke had done in the past; which included almost killing his former teammates.

Glancing toward Shino when he pointed out he was just playing word games, he smirked. Unlike the others, this one was real. It wasn't a fake facade, or one that women melted when seeing. It was genuine. "I really do underestimate your intelligence." he finished off the cup and poured another one. "How will it get me into trouble exactly?"

Shibi held the glass in his hand for a few moments as he heard Sasuke speak. "We all do things in our life that we regret Sasuke, some more than others I must admit", he added with a tiny shrug. "But believe it or not I felt the same way once. I used to think that there was no way that Shino could turn out worse than I did. I think it's the hard part about having sons especially, you know your own mistakes but they only know them if they're told to you. One day, they'll be the ones telling you what they did wrong", Shibi said before downing his drink.

Shino just gave a tiny shrug. "This one wasn't that hard to figure out. Anyone who actually saw how you and Sakura look at each other can tell", he said before hearing Sasuke's last question. "Please", he began. "After all the word battles you've had with Tsunade and you think you don't know yet?"

Thinking about it, Shibi had a point. Sasuke didn't have someone else to go to for advice, and he was too proud to ask for it. Asking for help was admitting that there was something wrong with him, the way he thought... And truthfully, a lot of his mannerisms with Shai he had learned from and through interactions with Sakura. His own father had never once praised him, only criticized him when he didn't do well. That wasn't something he ever wanted for Shai to experience. To realize what it was like to feel that no one cared about you, and to always be compared to someone he could never catch up with. "I suppose you have a point." He stated honestly, but he didn't want to dwell on the thoughts of his father and himself as a failing father, so he let it drift away.

Sasuke smirked suddenly. "I like arguing with Tsunade, especially when I win. Then Tsunade takes it out on Sakura and makes the rest of her day miserable, so she comes home and starts an argument with me for fighting with her shishou and then we argue for a few hours. And then we get to have make up sex. I usually do it just for the hope that I get angry sex, which is always the best." He took a sip out of his drink. "It's a nothing fight. Sakura started a nothing fight with me the day before you got here. That's why I had to change the sheets before I let you sleep in the bed." He said with a grin.

Shibi looked towards Sasuke, hearing his one statement before dropping the subject. Shibi felt bad for the boy. From what he knew about the boy's father, he wasn't a very happy man. The father had always been happier with Itachi rather than Sasuke. There was always a point that fathers and sons needed to come to, the point where they both realized how human the other was. How both would have great joys, and great failures together. Shibi wouldn't trade the bond that he had with Shino for anything. Sasuke didn't even have a bond to hold onto though.

"Regarless of whether you like it or not, the reason that I'm here is because Tsunade doesn't trust you", Shino said simply. "It's harder to trust people you don't like, that's just human nature. You'll have to do something extraordinarily big in order to win back her trust for you"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Shino. Wake up. Sometimes your childish notions of honor and forgiveness irritate me. Why don't you see the reality what I do? It's the exact same thing I've already explained to you. Twice. Tsunade will never trust me again. I've long since accepted that fact. I know she hates me. The only reason I'm even alive is because Naruto begged her to keep be alive. And the only reason I'm alive now is because Sakura has a child with me and I married her. Don't be fooled into thinking that Tsunade is going to trust me ever, because I know, and you know, deep down inside, that she won't. I like Tsunade and I respect her power. But she doesn't see me, she sees Orochimaru. She's waiting for me to try to kill Naruto, as Orochimaru attempted on multiple occasions to kill Jiraya. Then poison Sakura against Konoha, just like Orochimaru tried to do with her. I want her to give me back my freedom, but would you ever trust me again? The day you were assigned to watch me, almost the first thing you said to me was that I was a traitor who almost cost everyone you know their lives." He leaned back, looking away from him. Because that was the ugly truth. The truth that he never wanted to tell because he didn't want to accept it. Sasuke couldn't admit defeat, but that was what this was. He didn't have a choice in the rest of his life. Just like how Karin and Suigetsu would be bound until they did something worthy of being released, Sasuke wasn't allowed to do anything to allow him to redeem himself. In anyone's eyes.

And for him, that was it. This argument was stupid and Sasuke was angry with himself for even bringing it up. Though he didn't want to admit that he'd do anything to win her forgiveness, the reality was that he was not only to proud to admit it to her, but he was also too proud to actually go through with it.

"And yet", Shino began. "Here I am now, not more than a few days later having changed my mind about you", the Aburame pointed out. "Even my own father sits with you, not seeming to be afraid or worried in the slightest about what you're going to do. Because he can kill you? No, I've known my father long enough to know what he feels, and this is not it", Shino said honestly as he did his best to keep his cool. Sasuke always did this, but perhaps he was right. Shino got to see the good side of Tsunade, and he had rarely ever done something to actually gain her anger against him. Perhaps he'd just have to let this one go. Sasuke was dead set on being where he was, or at least in believing that he'd never escape it.

Sighing, Sasuke looked out the window. "You have the affordability to change your mind about me, Shino... Tsunade can't risk that I will repeat my past actions and let me live, especially if I do something wreckless and end up killing someone important." Who important that he could kill, Sasuke couldn't say with certainty, but another Kage or a strong shinobi from another village would easily spark a war between two nations. Considering the Youki problem, that would just give him ammunition to gain another--

"I just got an idea." he turned to face Shino this time. "Youki has already recruited another village to help with an attack on Konoha, correct? And Sakura mentioned that he's been trying to worm his way inside of Suna. That means he's looking for allies that have problems with KOnoha in a childish 'enemy of my enemy is my friend' right?" He asked, putting his glass down on the table. "That means Konoha needs to intentionally make an enemy to befriend Youki and do the same thing that Aaliyah is doing."

Shino was silent at first, right up until the moment that Sasuke seemed to suddenly be hit by inspiration. The Aburame listened to his words, not certain if he was completely following. "Let me get this straight. You want Konoha to make an enemy of another village, so that they can keep an eye on his movements for us?", Shino asked to make sure that he understood.

Shibi shook his glass, allowing what little content was left to swirl around the bottom of the glass. "If for whatever reason he thought that Suna was on the verge of collapsing its partnership with us, surely he'd move in and attempt to sway them. However, if Suna is really just acting like we want them to, they'll have access to a good deal of information. Perhaps they'd even be able to allow us to make the move before he does"

Sasuke thought over what Shino had said. "I'm not saying I actually want them to make an enemy. I want them to be enemies on paper and in the views of the other villages." he explained. Then, he nodded, pointing to Shibi. "Exactly. Konoha and Suna have a powerful alliance because of Gaara and Naruto. If they were to work out a deal along those lines, it would make things far more interesting. We just need a reason for the villages to formally renounce ties to one another, even if it's a tactical move. Youki will want a means of proof, because I know I would. But they've already attacked Konoha in the past. We need an event that Youki won't question, and I think I have one." He smirked, feeling as if this had the potential to work.

Shino crossed his arms as he thought about the plan. It definitely had the potential, but Sasuke was correct. If they were going to sell the deception they would have to trick Youki who was a genius in his own right. They would need something that would upset both Gaara and Tsunade at the same time, but what? It wasn't until Sasuke smirked that Shino finally realized what his idea was. "Something tells me that you want to get Shikamaru and Temari involved in this", he said casually. Temari WAS the ambassador to Konoha, but more importantly she was Gaara's sister. If for whatever reason something happened to her than Gaara would surely respond.

"See? This is why I like you. I don't have to explain things out to you like I do with Naruto. That's exactly it. Shikamaru has already beaten Temari in the past, and he escorts her around the village when she's here. If for any reason he injured or killed her, it would be enough reason for war to break out between Suna and Konoha. I'm sure that Sakura and Ino could make a corpse that looks like her. Though they specialize in healing, I'm sure that they could turn a body of a dead shinobi into someone else. It's not that hard, especially considering it would be injured." He explained. That mean they would need a lot of cooperation.

Well, it explained everything except how Tsunade would agree with them. "We'd only tell those who need to know about it, and I don't think that ANBU should be involved at all. There's a leak inside of ANBU. there has to be. Youki has been stealing from them for years. Even Orochimaru was stealing information from ANBU. That's how he got the information he did to kill the Third Hokage in the first place. He never told me who his informant was, out of fear or for other motives, but I know that there's a mole. The less people know about this, the better."

Shino thought about it for a few moments. "Shouldn't we tell both Tsunade and Gaara though? I mean they both need to be in on it if we are hoping to get information from Suna in order to tell us where Youki is after all", the Aburame thought out loud. "Plus, what will you do with the real Temari? She'll have to go into hiding, and like you said ANBU is not the group that we are able to trust anymore is it?", he pointed out as he leaned back in thought and adjusted his glasses.

Shibi stayed quiet for most of this, hearing out the others as they put forth their thoughts on the matter. The younger generation was so fascinating, talking about things like this alone could be enough for them to be executed. It was treason after all. "You both realize", he cut in. "That just bringing this up to Tsunade might put you both in serious trouble", Shibi remarked for a moment. "IF you plan on going through with this, than I suggest that you let me talk to Tsunade", he said in a serious tone. Shibi wasn't going to allow his own son to stick his next out here, and Sasuke wouldn't even be heard. Shibi felt like only he could talk this over with Tsunade.

Sasuke sighed. "That's the hard part, but Gaara trusts Naruto enough to agree to his plan. I think if we convince Temari first she and Naruto could both convince Gaara that this is a good idea. He understands Youki well enough or has at least seen him because he's been in his village. And Temari was in Konoha during Youki's last invasion. that will all work to our advantage when it comes to conving him." Now, all that was left was Tsunade. He'd be instantly executed for this plan, and he couldn't afford to do anything stupid. He HAD to do something that would ensure his survival, glory didn't appeal to him at all. All he wanted was to survive.

When Shibi mentioned pitching the idea to Tsunade, he nodded. "That sounds like a good idea." He said seriously. "And that's not the only thing we have to gain." He turned toward Shino. "If Youki does launch a full scale attack with Suna as backup, reason would dictate he'd bring all of his most powerful fighters, including Aaliyah. And she's the one that he would most recklessly try to bargain for if she was taken hostage, and we are now able to see Youki's movements. There's no way he could make a move we can't see, and Aaliyah is safe here."

Shino gave a few nods as Sasuke pointed out all these facts. "I think that you and I could easily convince Naruto, more you than I though", he admitted. Sasuke was much better friends with Naruto than Shino was. "If we can convince all of them, Shikamaru will have little choice but to go along with the plan. I'm sure once he took time to think about it he'd agree that it was for the best. Troublesome, but for the best", Shino admitted with a tiny smile.

As the part about Aaliyah was brought up, Shino went silent. He was hopeful, wanting it to work out but couldn't say the words. So naturally, Shibi said it for him. "Sasuke, if this works and you bring my future daughter in law safely home, you'll have my trust till the day I die", Shibi said as he finished the drink that Sasuke had given him. He took a deep breath and held his head for a moment. "When do you want me to go talk to her, I can go this moment if that is your wish. But perhaps you'd rather speak to Temari and Naruto first?"

Sasuke thought over what Shino had said. "You have a point, but Shikamaru looks at Temari much the same way that Naruto once looked at Sakura." He stated, as if that would explain things. "This is were you learn manipulation. If she had to pretend to be dead, then she'd have to stay here, isolated with someone. If Shikamaru was accused to killing her, then Konoha would hide him as well..." He elaborated. "See what I'm getting at?" he asked with a smirk. Part of what made him a good shinobi and a horrible person was that he easily picked up on the emotions of others and was able to manipulate them to get what he wanted. But he was sure Shikamaru wouldn't mind.

"Don't assume that I'll be able to do this without flaw." He stated, as if wanting them both to understand he couldn't promise that he couldn't promise Aaliyah's safety. He would however he the one to take her and draw all of Youki's focus and anger. "I'll try, but I can't promise this plan will even work. And I think that we should wait a few days. I want to talk to Naruto first, and if you got to Tsunade now, I think she'll know that this plan wasn't mine. Perhaps if we wait a short time after Shino and I are separated she won't assume the idea is mine. It is very reminiscent of my thinking style. if not only because it is rash, elaborate, and considerably challenging."

Shino just shook his head for a moment as he could easily see what Sasuke was getting at. To someone less intelligent, it would look like Shino found the idea appalling. In truth though, it was making him about to laugh at the thought. And Shino wasn't quite ready to be that open with his emotions quite yet. "Well than, I guess that we'll just have to see how it all turns out in a few days", Shino admitted with the tiniest of smiles. With luck, this might finally turn the tables on Youki.

"I never said you could, that was why the word 'if' is such a good word", Shibi said with the tiniest of smiles. "I enjoy the plan, I really do. And I want it to work out more than you know, but I've been in the business long enough to know that not everything goes according to plan", Shibi mentioned honestly. "I'll wait till you two have been separated for a while before making a move, if you want me to make it anytime before than just let me know", Shibi said before pouring himself another drink. "Man this stuff is good"

"Think about it this way..." he told Shino. "What's the most important part of a poisoning?" he asked, in reference to killing someone with it. The average person would answer the poison, because it would be doing all of the work after all. He poured himself a little more booze and swirled it around the glass, thinking hard about what he should do to ensure that this worked out the way he wanted it to.

But he had to agree with Shibi. "Yeah, if is one of those magical words. And you have a point. Things don't always go as planned.' And he knew that all too well, having abandoned many plans and reworking them while moving. The same question also worked for Shibi in this case.

Shino was struck dumb for a moment. It was crazy that Sasuke would ask that question, considering Shino has been asked it only once before. "Patience, having the patience and time in order to make sure that your plan will go the way that you want it", Shino said simply. "Rush in, and you'll most certainly get caught", he answered as he looked at the drink that Sasuke had swirled. "Gaining someone's trust enough to the point where they don't question your actions is what leads a poisoning to being successful"

Sasuke was surprised he knew the answer. It was such a question that most people thought too much into, because the planning wasn't usually included in most crimes. So, he grinned. "Correct." He stated, taking a sip of his drink.

"And if you like it that much, I'll give you one." He told shibi, glancing at him. "there's more alcohol in this house than I can drink in two life times. You can take one before you leave. Consider it a thank you, and a good luck for convincing Tsunade. You might consider bringing her some sake to convince her. Sakura bitches that she drinks in her office all the time."

Shino just gave the tiniest of smiles as Sasuke seemed surprised that he knew the answer. "Believe it or not, Aaliyah asked me that a few months back. She was explaining to me why she was with Youki as long as she was, and why Konoha wouldn't let her leave so easily. She had already put in the time and patience that most couldn't"

Shibi gained a grin. "I'll take three or four if you have that much on ya", Shibi said as he rubbed his hands together on account of his good luck. "And I'll make sure to do that, Tsunade was always the drinker. It lifts her spirits up", Shibi said with a chuckle.

So, it was something Aaliyah had asked him. Figures that's why he knew the answer with such ease. Someone had already asked him the question. "In that case, you cheated." Sasuke added with a grin. It also meant Aaliyah was much smarter than she looked, and he admired that about her. She was one of those women who appeared to be all beauty and little of anything else. But everything else about her contradicted that. She was strong and intelligent as well. A deadly combination.

"I don't know how many of them I have, but I'm sure I could give you two now, and another half a dozen as a gift when the plan succeeds." he stated with a grin. "I have to keep some insurance to make sure that you actually talk this over with Tsunade, wouldn't you say so?"

"I hardly call it cheating to use what you've learned to your advantage. We all have to learn the facts from someone after all", Shino pointed out with a smile. He knew Sasuke wasn't actually accusing him, but he had to admit it was nice to talk to someone that was around the same level of intelligence that he was.

Shibi gave a firm nod. "Yes you do, I'm such a wild card that you never know I might just accidentally forget", he said with a smile. "It's the brain damage starting to kick in I suppose", he muttered as he tapped his forehead.