Chapter 5
The room was narrow and both combatants were trying to avoid the motionless figure in the center. Kusanagi katana met kunai as the two clashed and retreated. Kabuto's offhand glowed with a bluish green light and Sasuke knew better than to allow himself to be touched by the medic-nin. The two ninja were pretty evenly matched and it was hard for either to gain the upper hand.
Sasuke was limited on the jutsus he was able to use since a lot of his favorites were fire based and while he didn't care what happened to the room or Kabuto, it would be pointless to fry the one he was trying to save.
Kabuto's style was more close range but with the katana keeping him at a distance it was difficult getting in any damage. The best he could do was drive the raven-haired ninja further away from his master.
Sharingan eyes spun wildly as they tracked and predicted Kabuto's movements. He was still partially caught off guard as the silver-haired ninja blurred in a lunge, going low. Sasuke blocked the kunai going for his gut but not the hand that tapped the back of his knee. The knee buckled suddenly as muscles were cut, rendering the leg unable to support his weight. He shifted his balance to his other leg and redoubled his efforts in keeping the smugly smiling older man at bay.
Naruto heard the sounds of music and laughter outside and wanted to join so badly. He knew however that today wasn't a good day. For all of the fact that there would be a festival today and fireworks tonight and people celebrating with their loved ones, today was his birthday and he knew better than to show his face. He knew as the day wore on and more alcohol was consumed that the cold hateful stares became insults and the insults would then morph into subtle physical displays such as shoving and tripping. He never stayed to see what the next step might be, because even his seemingly oblivious young innocent mind told him to be afraid to stay out late.
But for now it was early and the six-year-old really just wanted to be a part of the fun and excitement for once. Resolved not to be afraid, but not to stay for too long, the little boy slipped out of the lonely one room apartment and into the shadows of the streets.
Staying to the alleys and side streets, he watched the beautiful people walking around in their kiminos and yukatas. All the colors of the rainbow were present and to Naruto all those bright colors were wondrous. It was then that he decided that one day he would have a brightly colored outfit as well so that people would look at him the same way. So they would notice him for once and see that he was just like them.
Happily, he walked down the alley intent on heading to the part of the festival that had games with prizes. He had enough to play one or two. Maybe this year he would get lucky and win a stuffed animal. He had always wanted one to keep him company at night. Whenever they would hand them out to the war orphans, he always managed to get jostled to the back of the line and they were always out by the time he got up to the front.
His thoughts were interrupted by a deep voice. "Looks like we caught ourselves a baby fox," it sneered.
He jerked his head up to see three men currently in the alley. From where he was he could tell by the smell of alcohol that they had started celebrating early. 'These are bad men...run!' his mind instructed fearfully. But for some reason his legs wouldn't move, his body wouldn't turn. He couldn't get away.
The first slap spun him to the ground where it was followed by a vicious kick to the ribs. His body tingled in a way that he knew would heal the boo-boos he got when he was careless with a shuriken or a kunai he sometimes found forgotten on the training grounds, but this hurt so much worse. A fist landed across his cheek and he could feel the very bones shift and crunch under the impact.
Just as he was about to curl into a whimpering and crying ball, he saw something. Something that tickled a memory in the back of his mind. One of the men had a tattoo on his bare shoulder. It was a large black snake that curled around his bicep. There was something about a snake that was important. Something more dangerous that the beating he was receiving.
As his head rebounded on the dirty cobbled ground, he saw a cat hidden in the shadows. It was watching intently with yellow eyes as if wanting him to see it. A snake. Yellow eyes. A snake with yellow eyes. A fight with a snake with yellow eyes. Orochimaru!
Naruto gasped as if surfacing from being under water too long. He was standing in the sewers of Kyuubi's prison but the snake was nowhere in sight. Panicking, he turned and rushed to the room with the cage.
As he squelched to a halt on the flooded floor, he gave a yell of shocked dismay. A red wave of chakra was wrapping itself around the snake bastard, encasing him in power.
"You fucking fox, we had a deal!" he shouted angrily.
Red eyes fastened on him contemptuously. "He was stronger." The glowing red figure flickered then was gone.
"It's not over yet!"
"Yes, brat, it is. You lost."
Sasuke avoided strike after strike from those deadly hands, whether wielding a kunai or chakra scalpel. His left arm as well as his right leg was useless now, but at least Kabuto had some nasty slashes on him as well. At least until Sasuke watched them heal up almost as fast as Naruto did.
Grimacing, Sasuke deliberately allowed himself to lean on the wall. He normally would rather die than have someone think he was weak, but in this case he hoped it would be what kept him from dying.
Knowing that Orochimaru only needed the Sharingan eyes, Kabuto moved in for the kill. Sasuke, expecting the medic-nin to try to disable him with his chakra scalpel, was surprised as the kunai was thrown at him with deadly accuracy. He easily blocked the weapon with his sword, but had not seen the senbon that had been traveling hidden beneath the kunai. He only had time to register the gleam of liquid on the tip of the needle before it pierced his flesh.
Kabuto smirked then turned his back in disregard to the neutralized enemy. Sasuke felt fire radiate from the needle and his body became heavy and unresponsive in its wake.
Orochimaru was flooded with power beyond his wettest dreams. Power to conquer, power to enslave, power with which he could attain true immortality. After all, demons were immortal and he had the spirit of one in his body. He knew there had to be a way to absorb its power and gain its longevity. After that, the world would be his playground.
The addictive surge carried him with its flow on a course back in control of this wondrous body. The Akatsuki were nothing to him now. This power combined with his knowledge would cause Konoha to topple at his whim.
He emerged from his mind into a world lit by glowing red chakra. A world ruled by fire and agony.
Kabuto once again unrolled the scroll that would hopefully seal Naruto-kun's soul away. He had known this would be a risky venture even if it had been undertaken out of necessity. Inevitably, everyone underestimated the loudmouthed shinobi and usually ended up paying the price.
Sasuke watched as Kabuto smeared blood over the writing on the paper. 'I can't let them...I have to protect Naruto...need to just...move.' Sasuke was overwhelmed by a feeling that he hadn't experienced since his first mission to Wave Country as a genin. The way his heart (and he was astonished that he still had one that could be affected) clenched in anxiety at the thought of Naruto's death.
Kabuto started forming hand seals, not noticing the fiery eyes before him were starting to flood with awareness.
Sasuke growled at himself. He...Had...To... Move! A surge of strength rushed through him and his body jerked away from where it had been slumped against the wall. Drawing up the last of his reserves, he formed the Chidori Nagashi and electrical arcs danced over his body, the sound of a thousand birds chirping almost deafening in the confined area.
Kabuto knew what was happening. He knew he only had seconds to finish the jutsu and he was only half way through it. His regeneration was already working and he had to hope that it would keep him alive long enough to ensure that his master had complete dominance of the body before him. And while he might fear his own death, he did not believe that it would happen at the hands of the Uchiha.
Sasuke lifted his sword almost ponderously and plunged it through Kabuto's back, channeling lightning down the blade. As Kabuto yelled out in searing pain, blood flying from between his lips, his cry was eclipsed tenfold by another.
Red chakra engulfed Naruto's body in a frighteningly familiar silhouette. Hand and finger bones broke, stretched and healed as claws sprouted from the elongated digits. Jaw bones shattered and reformed in an almost snout like shape as fangs pushed out from his upper gums. Ears lifted and grew more pointed as the whisker like scars deepened and thickened on the tan cheeks. Feet followed hands as bones snapped and broke allowing the heels to shift upwards, each foot extending until the weight was balanced on the clawed toes. The fragile silk robe disintegrated under the burning power of the demonic chakra that encased the now crouching figure.
One Tail.
A sharp cry gave evidence of both the ecstasy and ache that hummed through the body, chakra channels distending with the deluge of power.
Two Tails.
A scream as the body started bursting at the tenketsu points only to heal over and rip open again.
Three Tails.
Mind numbing pain and anguish as the coveted power destroyed him and remade him over and over. He was fast losing his sanity under the unrelenting torture and he could feel his mind slipping away. His continuous screams cut off abruptly as darkness consumed him.
Four Tails.
He was in control once again.
Sasuke watched in horrified fascination as the tails kept forming and the screams became more frantic and desperate. He had only seen this... transformation once before and then it had only shown one tail. The power pulsated off the being in waves drowning him in both fear and exhilaration.
The fourth tail formed after the sudden deafening silence. The eyes looked around quickly, but not frantically. A newly awakened creature ensuring that its surroundings were safe. Those blood red eyes met his and he knew.
"Naruto," he whispered.
Those eyes zeroed in on him, then a scowl formed. Sasuke had a brief moment to wonder whether he should defend himself, whether this part of Naruto might still resent getting a hand shoved through his chest or not. But then he saw what had garnered that look.
A fifth tail was budding behind him.
"No. This is enough. I will not let it happen," Naruto growled out in a gravelly base voice. It almost seemed he was talking to someone rather than himself. Sasuke could hazard a guess as to whom. After a moment the fifth bud disappeared.
Those eyes focused on Sasuke again, seemingly ignoring the way his body ripped apart around him. Naruto's gaze lifted to the body of Kabuto in front of him still slumped over on Sasuke's sword. Eyes quickly pinpointed slowly healing wounds on the still form. Without hesitation, he reached back, formed a Rasengan and drove it into Kabuto's chest.
Sasuke blinked as the blood spray hit his face. He jerked back more from the almost indifferent look on Naruto's face than from any distaste from the action itself. He had seen many worse things while he had been Orochimaru's apprentice.
The nude form crawled toward him on all fours with surprising grace and eyed him. He then realized that although it was Naruto behind the eyes, his psyche was being bombarded with the demon's instincts and impulses, slowly overriding his friend's usual inhibitions and behaviors. Those eyes hotly assessed him, nostrils flaring slightly as his scent was caught and analyzed.
"Mine," the voice growled calmly.
He didn't think that Naruto was trying to claim him (although that thought did funny things to his stomach and perhaps a bit lower) but rather was identifying him as friend or foe. The gaze swung easily to the door then back to him and he could tell that his friend was fading fast and the demon was just below the surface.
"Stay." Then the figure darted out through the door faster than his Sharingan could follow.
Sasuke decided, as he heard the screams start out in the lair, that he would take his friend's suggestion. While he wanted to join the fight and set himself against a certain select few of the more powerful Sound shinobi in the hideout, he really didn't want to be mistaken as one of them by a blood-lusting Naruto.
He moved over to the still form of Kabuto, eyeing the man dubiously. He gripped his katana in both hands and decided to make sure that he was truly dead. He didn't think he could regenerate his head.
Several minutes later, the burning started in the curse seal placed upon him by Orochimaru.
Sasuke stepped unflinchingly through the bloody remains in the hallway, being careful not to sully his clothing on the foulness. His analytical mind noted chakra burns, claw marks and even bite marks on the bodies. A few times he had to swallow thickly as he noticed that not all body parts were accounted for and that the areas surrounding those missing body parts had teeth marks.
The screams had ended about a half an hour ago around the same time as the fierce burning in his shoulder. He had fought his own battle trying to resist the call of the curse mark, trying not to embrace the power that had been demanding his attention. He was unsure what had caused the mark to flare up, but he was unwilling to surrender to it.
Surprisingly enough, Naruto had not left the hideout. Either he was apparently satisfied with the small-scale massacre or self-disciplined enough not to venture out for innocent bystanders. Or perhaps he just didn't like Sound-nin. Sasuke knew for a fact that if even an iota of Naruto were in control, he would avoid innocents.
Being the only other living thing in the lair, locating the dobe wasn't that hard. Apparently liking creature comforts (he smirked at the pun) he found the fox-bearer all curled up in a nest of blankets on Orochimaru's bed. It would make sense, Sasuke supposed, since the room probably smelled strongly of Naruto's own scent. He followed the four scorched lines on the floor to the bed, the smell of burnt sheets filling the air. Lifting a slightly charred blanket, he saw the blood matted blonde hair and blood covered tan skin of a soundly sleeping Jinchuuriki.
Sasuke sighed. He had better clean him up as much as he could before he woke up. Naruto was, at his core, a kind-hearted person. Not normally good material for being a shinobi, but somehow he made it work for him. He wouldn't handle waking up to his current state well. He would then be sure to destroy any evidence of the massacre. He wasn't sure if the kitsune had been had been in charge or if it had been a twisted form of Naruto's mind. Either way, he didn't want the dobe to see the results.
He grabbed a basin from the top of a lacquered chest of drawers and filled it up with water from the bathroom. Claiming a towel and washcloth, he went back to the bedside. Chiding himself that the body of a blood splattered male, even a blood splattered Naruto, shouldn't be a sexually stimulating sight, he set about cleaning the dobe while trying not to wake him. He froze as the other sniffed the air suddenly and opened his eyes to brief slits before settling back to sleep. Just how much of the animalistic traits did Naruto retain even without the fox's chakra swirling around him?
There were many questions on his mind from what was the status of Orochimaru to what was it like to be in that torrent of power.
He slid the washcloth over strong arms, down a well built chest and over taut abs. He couldn't help but note that there were no scars on all of that tanned flesh. 'Must be nice,' he mused. As he passed the cloth over his navel, Naruto gave a little sighing moan. Glancing up to make sure the blue eyes were still closed in slumber, Sasuke ran his bare fingers over the same spot. The dobe made another interesting sound and the black inked seal flared to life under his questing hand.
Power flared and tingled over his fingers like static, sending little electric sparks straight to his groin. His cheeks flamed slightly as he noticed the blonde-fringed manhood stirring.
"Bastard," a tired voice mumbled from above. "M'lest me later, m'tired."
"Hn. As if," he scoffed in denial. He quickly mopped at his legs and threw a blanket over the sleeping form.
He would give Naruto another thirty minutes. In the meantime, he had some bodies to collect and burn and a plan to formulate.
Naruto was in a deep dreamless sleep when he felt someone shaking him. He grumbled something about more sleep, but the shaking persisted. Sighing, he opened his eyes to see Sasuke standing over him, looking down at him in vague annoyance. He gave a happy grin. "Sasuke!"
"Get up," came the bland response. "We have things to do."
Naruto's smile faded into a scowl. Not exactly the cheerful reunion he had hoped for, but then again Sasuke was an icy bastard at times. Okay, most of the time.
"Is Orochimaru going to be a problem?" Sasuke demanded in a no-nonsense fashion.
"Nope. He's sealed away now," Naruto replied, patting his belly through the blanket.
"Sealed?"
"Yah. Did you know his soul doesn't have any arms? Kyuubi, the betraying little bitch, said that someone had at some point tried to use the same sealing technique on Orochimaru that Yondaime used on Kyuubi. That was why Kyuubi was able to wrap him up in his chakra and suck him into the cage through his seal. He said it had an affinity for the bastard." He gave another grin. "I guess Kyuubi has a chew toy now."
"Hn, so Kyuubi is the one that took him out."
"No," Naruto growled a little testily. "The snake bastard lost because he was too weak."
Sasuke stilled at that assessment. He glared over at Naruto, not sure if he should be angry or not. After all, he had joined the Sannin because of his strength and what he could teach him. "What do you mean, usuratonkachi?"
Naruto scowled at the insult but answered the question. "Well, baka, your precious sensei couldn't handle the power. Or more accurately the pain that goes with it."
"You said Kyuubi betrayed you?" Sasuke's tone was still void of emotion, his mind sorting all the facts so that he could get an accurate picture of what had really transpired.
"Yeah, when Orochimaru showed up in the prison, Kyuubi was supposed to give me power to use in case Orochimaru cut me off from my chakra. The bastard gave it to the fucking snake instead. Thought he was stronger and would let him out more or again or some shit." Naruto shrugged. He should have known better than to make a deal with a demon.
"So, he just blacked out from the pain?" he asked dubiously.
"You try it sometime, teme. His mind couldn't handle it, he broke under the strain."
Sasuke eyed Naruto up and down, not forgetting that he had lasted through another tail and hadn't been screaming like a girl.
Naruto noticed the look and shrugged. "I'm used to it." Though he wouldn't admit it to Sasuke, but having Kabuto and Orochimaru clearing out his chakra channels and increasing his health, he was able to handle the fourth tail better than he had been able to before.
"Hn." Sasuke looked around the room before settling his eyes back on the other occupant. "I'm going to try to get past the traps and wards Orochimaru has around his private scrolls. Why don't you shower and we can see about getting out of here."
"Where are we going?" Naruto perked up.
"Orochimaru had these hideouts tucked all over the place. A handful of them have powerful jutsu scrolls hidden in them. If I don't have a teacher," he looked at Naruto as if to say it was solely the blonde's fault, "at least I can get his jutsus to study. There has to be something to use against him."
Sasuke watched as Naruto wrapped the sheet around himself before standing. He knew he didn't need to ask if Naruto would back out on his promise. He knew he wouldn't. He quashed the urge to seek some kind of reassurance, telling himself that it was just another sign of dobe-induced weakness.
"Are you going to send word to Konoha that you are still alive? I'm sure that your friends are worried." He hated that sly tone of jealously in his voice. Naruto had promised to help him and until his brother was dead that meant the blonde would stay at his side.
The blonde paused, looking down at the pattern on the rug at his feet. "There's nothing there for me now," he whispered before disappearing into the bathroom.
Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. "What happened?'
Naruto sighed in pleasure as the warm water cascaded down his sore body. He would help Sasuke kill his brother because he knew the Uchiha clan deserved justice. He would be there to watch his back and to protect him. He was ecstatic to have his best friend back with him again. This day made everything that had happened in the last three years worth it.
His smile slowly faded when he realized that if (when!) Sasuke got his revenge, he would head back to Konoha to start on his only other goal. The revival of his clan. 'I...I could live there within the village if I have to. Be a ninja just within the village,' he assured himself. He didn't know if he could bring himself to allow them to place the curse seal on him though. It wasn't right to do that to someone. 'But, if I had to ... just to be near Sasuke... and everyone else, of course...'
A bang on the door startled him out of his thoughts. "Hurry up, dobe!" Sasuke barked.
Naruto blinked, his skin was pruned. He had no clue how long he had been standing there. "Yeah, yeah, I hear ya, teme!" He hurriedly finished washing, studiously ignoring the faint pink that washed down the drain. He only had blurry images of what had happened after he had run through Sasuke's bedroom door while in fox form. He had a feeling he really didn't want details. He only remembered Sasuke shaking him awake after that. He had a sneaky feeling he would be having nightmares about it soon, however.
He turned off the shower and quickly dried off. Wrapping the towel around his hips, he walked back out into the bedroom for clothes.
Sasuke had a fair number of scrolls piled on the bed and was currently sorting through them. There were about four different packs lying around as well. Naruto recognized Iruka's sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed. "Oh cool, you still have it!" Just as he went for the bag, Sasuke snatched it away and tossed it on the bed out of his reach.
"I'm using that one. I have another for you. Get dressed." Sasuke didn't look at him, but Naruto knew his friend well enough that he could tell he was tense.
"Bastard, that was Iruka-sensei's!" he protested. The bag meant something to him. It was the only reminder he had left of his former teacher and pseudo-father figure since his hitae-ate was gone.
"Fine, I'll transfer the stuff if you are so damn sentimental," Sasuke growled. "Only an idiot like you would get worked up over a bag."
"It's more than 'just a bag,' ass."
"Get dressed, moron."
'What the hell is his problem?' Shrugging it out of his mind until later, Naruto opened up the armoire and fished out his clothes. He blushed as he felt eyes on him as he dropped his towel and pulled on the black briefs. He yanked the orange pants on and breathed easier when he felt the eyes look elsewhere.
He suddenly stopped as he realized that Sasuke had been looking at his bare ass. And then there was that incident in the hallway previously with the new clothes. Of course that didn't mean that Sasuke would be open to anything between them. Hell, the bastard barely even thought of him as a friend and had tried to kill him on several occasions. He felt the muscles in his shoulder twitch as his hand unconsciously went up to his chest where the Chidori had been rammed through his chest.
Okay maybe having those kind of thoughts were a bit premature. Maybe he should worry about them getting along and not trying to kill each other first.
After all, Naruto had ogled many a girl under ero-sennin's eyes (and a few boys out from under ero-sennin's eyes) but hadn't been ready to sleep with any of them.
Then again, Sasuke had just helped defeat his sensei and save Naruto's life. Maybe he wasn't as much of a prick as he tried to pretend.
"Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to put the rest of your clothes on?" came a scathing voice.
Then again...
"Fuck off, bastard. I have a lot on my mind," Naruto grumbled.
"Let me simplify it, there isn't any ramen here," came the sarcastic reply.
"Do you got a problem, Uchiha?" Naruto demanded angrily.
Sasuke tossed a scroll on the bed. "I thought I had gotten rid of all my baggage when I left Konoha, dead-last."
"Are you fucking calling me baggage, you bastard?"
"Wow, you figured that out on your own?" Sasuke was expecting it, was almost welcoming it, when the other launched himself at him.
Forgetting finesse, forgetting years of shinobi training, the two rolled around on the floor trying to beat the shit out of each other.
Sasuke sat on the floor panting, gingerly prodding a tooth with his tongue. Getting hit by the blonde was like getting kicked by a mule at the best of times. Like a damned draft horse when he was serious about it. Sasuke had to admit he was a little calmer now, more relaxed. And by the look of the stupid smile on the idiot's face, he was as well. He fingered a tear in his white shirt. Oh well, it had been stained from earlier anyway. No big loss.
Naruto turned his head toward him from where his tanned body was sprawled out comfortably on the floor. "Oi, bastard. We should get a move on," he said between breaths. "A while back Akatsuki were in the area. Been a while, I think. My time sense is kinda screwed up. Don't know if they are still around or not and the fox puts out a big chakra signal."
"You're just fucking telling me this now?!" Clenching his teeth to keep from cursing even further, he got up and swiftly started shoving scrolls in bags. "Finish getting your clothes on. Pack what you need. I cleaned out Iruka's bag for you while you were off in ramen-land."
"Sure, if you do one thing," he replied.
"What?"
"Leave that ugly damn purple bow thing behind. It looks so shitty on you."
Sasuke couldn't help but roll his eyes. "No."
"No?!"
He glared over at the blonde. "Not if we are going to have you impersonating Orochimaru as long as we can so we can get those scrolls without fighting everyone for them."
"Oh." He got up and pulled on his black shirt. "But after that, ditch the damn thing."
"Does it bother you?" he asked tauntingly.
"No," he said too quickly and too vehemently.
Sasuke's snort answered what he thought of that.
After packing a bag of personal items they would need for traveling, Sasuke had them each carry an extra bag that was only partially full of scrolls. Naruto pulled on his black silk overshirt and then pulled out a heavy black poncho from the armoire.
"At least he had nice clothes, except for those ugly ass purple bows," he commented, saying the last part loudly to make sure the ugly-ass-purple-bow-wearing ninja understood his opinion.
Ignoring the taunt, Sasuke left the room to quickly change, putting on a tighter black shirt under his standard oversized shirt to help protect him from the elements as well as grabbing his own poncho. He threw some clothes in his bag along with a few personal items. He went back to check on Naruto only to find the younger ninja struggling with the beaded cord that tied his longer hair back.
After watching for a couple of excruciating moments, Sasuke finally stalked over and yanked the brush and cord out of Naruto's hands. He quickly ran the brush through the medium length blonde hair, trying to ignore the warmth as his fingers brushed the nape of the other's neck. He tied the intricate knot with ease and fluffed a couple of spiky locks in spite of himself. "There, you're beautiful. Let's go," he said shortly.
Naruto grinned at him from the reflection in the mirror. "You think so?"
Sasuke quickly turned to hide the faint blush on his cheeks. "Hn."
Chapter 6
Tsunade stared at the reports in front of her without really seeing them. After Jiraiya's carefully worded message, she had sent a three-man team of shinobi to investigate the area he was in, trying to find some clue to Orochimaru's whereabouts. What had both alarmed and gave her hope was the one line from the message: '..the snake ate the fox, but his meal keeps coming back up.'
The newest report in front of her informed her that the team eventually had found the snake's lair. However, there were signs of a bloody struggle and the remnants of a large fire in the training area. An analysis of the ashes indicated there had been bodies burnt. There were a few other details that had garnered her attention. A discarded blood stained shirt with an uchiwa fan on the back, chakra scorch marks on a floor leading to a blood covered bed and the signs that someone had left in a hurry.
If she were to add to the facts what Anko had reported once she had returned from her mission, it became either a hopeful picture or a very grisly one.
-Flashback-
Anko, flanked by Shizune and a masked ANBU entered the room at her permission. She noticed that both her assistant and the ANBU were watching the mesh-wearing jounin carefully. Anko was holding her curse-marked shoulder apprehensively.
"Hokage-sama," Anko began in her usual tone. It was a voice that some of Orochimaru's veiled arrogance and impatience had rubbed into in the years that she had served as his student. "I was a day outside of Konoha returning from my mission when the curse seal activated."
"Activated?" Tsunade's felt her eyebrows climb toward her hairline.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," she replied, her tone overlaid with anxiety now. As Tsunade rose and came around the desk to examine the seal, she continued. "I could tell he wasn't near and usually it only flares by his close proximity. However, I could feel it pulling me to the northeast. In fact I had actually turned and stared heading that way when my team had to forcibly stop me."
Shizune nodded in affirmation. "The seal had started spreading across her skin. I was lucky to get a needle in her with a paralytic, she took off so fast."
"The impulse lasted about fifteen to twenty minutes then it just as suddenly went away," Anko continued, her voice once more curt and to the point.
Tsunade probed the seal, but it remained dormant and unresponsive to her chakra. "Make sure you aren't alone for the next few days. If you feel even a flicker, you immediately come to me."
-End Flashback-
So either Naruto was fighting Orochimaru or Orochimaru now had access to Kyuubi's chakra, which would increase his powers tremendously. As Hokage, it was her duty to prepare for the worst, even if she hoped otherwise.
Tsunade pulled out a bottle of sake and poured herself a drink. She was beginning to think that it was her lot in life to lose anyone she cared about.
She walked into her sitting room and stared at the fourth picture in the line of Hokage portraits on the wall. '...his meal keeps coming back up.'
If anyone had the strength and determination to withstand Orochimaru's jutsu, she reminded herself, it would be Konoha's number one most surprising ninja.
Naruto sighed in annoyance. While it was a bright winter's night outside with a full moon, the inside of the two-man tent was dark and while maybe not warm, it was at least comfortable. He scowled as he heard teeth chatter again.
"Che, Sasuke, will you freeze to death a little quieter? I'm trying to sleep!"
"Usuratonkach-ch-chi." A shiver rippled the blanket next to his.
Naruto heaved another sigh and sat up. "I knew you were an icy bastard, but this is ridiculous." He leaned over and grabbed his friend's blanket, pulling it off and over to his own.
"What the f-fuck are you doing, moron?!" Sasuke protested as what little warmth he had acquired dissipated into the cold air. He felt a hand grab his arm and he was unceremoniously yanked over closer to the blonde.
"Just shut up and get under the covers." Naruto finished layering the blankets and laid down on his side, facing away from Sasuke. He knew the proud bastard wouldn't lie down if he was watching him.
Sasuke scowled darkly, contemplating kicking the dobe's ass until another shudder wracked his body. He quickly climbed under the blankets and lay with his back against Naruto's. Immediately warmth started seeping through his tense, chilled muscles.
'Does he have a heater shoved up his ass or something?' the dark-haired body thought in irritation. After one or two more shivers, his body relaxed into the heat behind him and sleep slowly claimed him.
The screaming wouldn't stop. No matter how many times he killed them, they wouldn't stop screaming. He felt the blood flowing over his hands, wet and warm, comforting. But still the screams echoed in his ears. He loped through the halls on all fours, chakra pouring from his body as naturally as sweat. He chased them down relentlessly, bouncing from walls and ceiling. It didn't matter, any surface was fair game. Sometimes it was fun to see them look behind them in confusion, not knowing he had been running along above them until he dropped down to shred their frail flesh.
He ran along a wall and rounded a corner by bouncing to the far side of the hall. He stopped abruptly when he came face to face with a young woman wearing plain, simple clothing. She cowered before him, the stench of her fear wafting towards him like some aphrodisiac. 'She's innocent! A servant,' a part of his mind yelled out to him. He stared at her unblinkingly as he contemplated her fate. After a long moment, he pulled his tails close to his body so as not to burn her. "Go," he growled out. "NOW."
Eyes widening in disbelief, she edged around his crimson figure until she was past him. She backed away slowly, probably saving her own life in the process. It wasn't until she was around the corner that he heard her footsteps start running.
He quelled the impulse to give chase and instead whipped his head around as he felt a brief, insignificant pain in his arm. He plucked the shuriken out and grinned malevolently down the hall at the group of ninjas. Letting out a roar, he ran at them in a bloody red blur. And then the screaming started again.
Awareness slowly filtered through the layers of sleep, causing Naruto to grumble. He vaguely remembered a nightmare but his mind shied away from it when he tried to concentrate on it. More vividly he remembered dreaming about Sasuke again.
He blinked his eyes open to see the ceiling of the tent, which wasn't unusual for him. He normally slept on his back. However, what was unusual was the feel of another body curled into his, a head resting on his shoulder. It was a unique feeling. One that he believed he could get used to fairly quickly. One that had no doubt caused some of his more interesting dreams last night. Growing up alone with no parents, touch was something that Naruto savored when on the rare occasion he could experience it. However, he knew that if Sasuke woke up like this, it would be the last time he got to experience this comforting closeness. The bastard was too damn uptight for his own good.
Besides, he had to go piss.
Usually the slightest movement or noise was able to wake Sasuke to full consciousness. It was essential to the survival instincts of a shinobi. Which was why it irritated him that his first thought of the morning was that at some point his heater had gotten up and left. By the lingering warmth in the blankets, he knew it couldn't have been long ago. But, that wasn't the point. The point was that the clumsy idiot should not have been able to put his sandals on and leave the tent without waking him. Although he had to admit that he hadn't slept so well in a long time.
While internally arguing with himself over the pros and cons of either resting well and being in top form for the next day but leaving himself vulnerable versus sleeping lightly but safely, he decided to pull on his own sandals and coat to take care of business.
The first step outside brought an even darker frown on his face as his toes encountered the cold, wetness of snow. He had forgotten how frigid it got in winter the further north they went. He should have thought to pack socks, but he consoled himself that he had been in a hurry at the time.
He passed the blonde coming back into camp and would have kept walking except for the tug on his poncho. He glanced back with a lifted eyebrow to indicate he was listening.
"I'm hungry. You want breakfast?" Naruto asked quietly in the hushed morning air. His breath puffed out in front of him in a white cloud. He paused and breathed heavily into the air, then chuckled at the vapor.
Sasuke actually checked his first biting remark when he remembered why the blonde ate so much. However as the idiot kept trying to blow smoke rings into the cold air, he couldn't help but mutter, "Baka."
"Don't be such a tight ass. You need to learn how to relax and have fun." Naruto grinned and blew more vapor into Sasuke's face.
Sasuke didn't dignify that observation with an answer. Instead he turned and continued walking toward the trees. "Make breakfast," he called over his shoulder. "And don't burn it this time." He could almost feel the middle finger that was undoubtedly directed his way.
Once past a tree or two, he came to an abrupt halt. His first thought was to berate the idiot for leaving such an obvious sign of their passing. His second was to wonder if it was some of the fox carrying over that made him mark his territory. The third, as he eyed the yellow spiral in the snow, was that the idiot was just being an idiot.
Sasuke glanced over his shoulder, then pulled himself from his pants and decided he couldn't let the challenge stand. It took a little maneuvering but once done, he shook himself and retied his pants, surveying his work. He had made sure the Uchiha fan was a bit bigger than the Uzumaki spiral. It was a good thing he had drank a lot of water before going to bed. He had briefly thought about overlaying the spiral with the fan, but realized it would have looked like a lollipop. While he might secretly admit he was a sucker for the imbecile, he really didn't want to go around advertising it.
As he stepped back out of the trees, he tilted his head casually to the side, neatly dodging the snowball. He heard a muffled curse and then another snowball came winging his way. He let it impact his gloved hand and returned fire with a shuriken. There was a yip, a thud of a body hitting the snow covered ground and a thunk as the projectile imbedded in a tree.
"Jackass, I was just having fun!"
"So was I," came the deadpanned reply.
"Eep! Cold snow!" Sasuke glanced over to see the idiot shaking snow away from the mesh panels of his pants.
"Hn. Next time bring some real pants."
"Actually it's not that bad," Naruto shrugged. "Except that my nuts have permanently crawled up into my pelvis."
Sasuke sat down on a log next to the fire, eyeing the rice that was cooking. "I really don't want to hear about your nuts, baka."
"Yeah, well at least mine's dropped," he angrily retorted.
In one swift movement, his katana was out and flying through the air. Naruto dived at the last minute with another yelp as the sword drove into the tree. At this point any normal, sane person would get the hint and shut the hell up.
Bright blue eyes gawked at the still quivering sword blade that had come within centimeters of his head as he stood. "That was cool! Where'd you learn that?"
Sasuke took a deep calming breath and closed his eyes.
"Oh, yeah. Right." Naruto easily pulled the sword out with a flex of muscle and examined the weapon. He tried twirling it in his grasp. "So when are you gonna show me how to use one of these?" His hand slipped and he had to jerk his other arm out of the path of the sharp blade. He then quickly spread his feet as the tip impaled the ground where his toes had been.
"Dobe, you're dangerous enough with small pointy objects without arming you with big pointy objects." He pulled the rice from the fire and began to spoon it into two bowls.
"Bastard! My small pointy object's just as good as your big pointy one!" the blonde yelled.
Sasuke tried not to choke on his mouthful of rice. "Then why do you have your hands all over mine?"
"Because it looks cool and I wanted to play with it." Naruto, mercurial as ever, gave the katana another experimental twirl.
'Kami-sama, he can't be that oblivious.' Sasuke smirked over at him. "Be careful, if you don't know how to handle it, you could hurt yourself."
"I can so too handle it!" the younger shinobi protested indignantly.
Sasuke set his bowl down and practically sauntered over to Naruto. He put his hand over the other's on the hilt and leaned in ever so slightly. "So, do you really want to learn how to handle my big pointy thing?"
Naruto blinked once. He then blinked twice. "Ecchi!" he suddenly accused as red flooded his face.
Sasuke sighed as he pulled his katana out of unresisting fingers. "It was a joke, dumbass. You're the one who said I should lighten up." He turned and walked back to the fire. "Get your ass over here and eat. We have a lot of ground to cover today. And don't forget to take your vitamins."
Naruto hesitated before following him. 'Smooth, real smooth, Naruto. Here he was practically handing himself to you on a silver platter and you freak. But...he said he was joking. If I had hit on him when he wasn't serious, he would have ran me through with his 'big pointy thing.' And NOT the one I wanted.'
He felt his face flush again as he sat down to eat. 'Fucking dreams.' It was one thing to acknowledge from a safe distance how he felt about Sasuke. He wasn't totally stupid. He knew what his dreams meant. He knew that he found his friend attractive just as he knew that the cold bastard had a place in his heart that no one else could fill. And not the place the jerk had tried to put his hand through. It was just that it was totally different when the person you were infatuated with was standing right next to you, flirting with you. Kami, now he knew how Hinata felt.
After inhaling his food, drinking some tea and taking his vitamins (under Sasuke's watchful eye) Naruto began to try to unknot the cord from his hair. Sasuke gave a put-upon sigh and quickly pulled out a brush from his pack. He began to straighten the snarl that was a tangle of Naruto's hair, beads and an orange cord. Once done, Naruto carefully strapped on Orochimaru's Kusanagi and looked over at Sasuke.
"Besides," he said picking up the earlier conversation, "I already have a big pointy thing. I just need you to teach me how to use it." He gave a mischievous grin.
"Hn," was the non-committal response.
"Plus, I have an advantage with blades," Naruto persisted smugly.
"Hn." Naruto interpreted the slightly questioning tone and walked over to a rock that was roughly one meter in diameter. He pulled out the sword and concentrated. His control over the wind element was far from perfect but he was sure with some training he could progress.
Sasuke watched in interest as the snow kicked up about the other boy's feet before settling back down. He let his eyes turn crimson and was able to see the swirls of air revolving and counter spinning along the blade. 'What is it with him and spirals?' he thought dimly. The whorls spun faster and became more precise, giving a shimmer to the air around the blade. Then in one fluid motion, Naruto brought the sword around (too much like a baseball bat in Sasuke's professional opinion) and through the rock. After a split second in which gravity seemed suspended, the rock slid apart with a grating sound.
'Impressive,' Sasuke admitted to himself. "Not bad for a dobe." He smirked as the blonde hair practically bristled in anger. "It would figure you could use air so well. You have enough of it in your head."
"Bastard!"
"C'mon, dobe. Daylight is wasting."
Two days later they were in Lightning Country close to where Sasuke claimed the first batch of scrolls were located. Once they had crossed the border, they traveled hard through both day and night, only stopping long enough for short rest breaks.
As they approached the lair, Sasuke started to remind Naruto how he should act and what he should say. "I spent six months in the bastard's mind, Sasuke. I have a clue," Naruto finally growled.
"I spent three years with him, usuratonkachi. I think I might have some insight as well." Sasuke knew, just knew, that the baka would mess this up somehow. "Use henge for the eyes but be careful. There are a few ninja here that can spot it if they are looking. This place is much bigger than where you were before. There are a lot more people here."
They stopped before the entrance so that Sasuke could form the seals to open the door. He knew that they had already been spotted, but no one dared to stop them as of yet. As the door slid back, a chill went up his spine and its source was the younger ninja behind him. He turned and suddenly grimaced in pain as his curse seal came alive. It felt as if the damn thing was trying to crawl off his skin.
The blonde haloed head lifted and he met slit-pupil yellow eyes. A glance confirmed they hadn't been altered by a transformation jutsu or illusion. He felt something cold grip his chest as the voice spoke.
"Come, Sasuke-kun," it commanded in a sibilant hiss. "We have something to attend to."
Naruto found himself standing in the greenish water before the Kyuubi's cage. Two red eyes glowed balefully out at him. "I need his chakra," Naruto said succinctly.
The Kyuubi gave a toothy grin and turned around in his cage. A moment later a clawed paw-like hand shoved a humanoid shape against the inside of the bars directly behind the paper seal. Orochimaru looked a little dazed and worse for wear. He gave a pained gasp as dark purple chakra was pulled from his body and out through the seal.
Naruto let himself to channel the foreign chakra as he returned to his senses.
The yellow eyes darted to the side as the figure strode through the entrance. The guard at the door hastily dropped his gaze and bowed.
Sasuke kept a step back to try to figure out what the fuck had just happened. His seal no longer burned but it tingled unpleasantly. As they approached a branch in the tunnel, the figure stopped. "Sasuke-kun, you're reluctance makes me think that you don't wish to be here. Come, stop lagging behind."
Sasuke took the last few steps to draw even with his former sensei. Those yellow eyes flashed a warning at him. "Hn," he replied almost weakly.
"Shall we?" the voice suggested. They both stood there for a long moment, Sasuke unsure of what Orochimaru wanted. Then he noticed it. A slight roll of the eyes and a subtle twitch of the head toward the direction they had been moving.
Sasuke felt the tension leave his body. The dobe didn't know which way to go. He had never been here before. "Hn." He almost smirked. He turned and started walking, the other falling into step beside him. He didn't know how the idiot was making his eyes yellow, but he would damn sure find out once they were alone.
They had turned down several halls and were almost to Orochimaru's rooms when a shinobi fell into step with a bow of his head. "Orochimaru-sama," the green eyed, lanky man greeted. "We're pleased that you are here. There are a few matters that I need to discuss with you."
Sasuke gave an emotionless look to the man with light brown hair. "We just got here, Oushi."
Oushi shot a dismissive glare at Sasuke. "I'm sure Orochimaru-sama is anxious to hear about our progress and a few troublesome incidents regarding our latest orders."
"Not now, Oushi," Naruto drawled with the perfect blend of impatience, boredom and amusement. "As Sasuke-kun pointed out, we have just arrived. I want a bath and a real meal before anything else. I will send for you when I am ready."
Oushi bowed once again and dropped back. Sasuke couldn't help but glance over his shoulder to see the man staring after them. Their eyes met briefly and the older ninja abruptly turned and walked off.
Sasuke stopped in front of a door and, after looking discreetly both ways, made a couple of hand seals. He then opened the door and motioned Naruto inside.
The room was a little bit more opulent than the previous had been but not by much. The bed was a little bigger and had black silken panels held back with sashes on all four sides. A purple couch sat in front of a large fireplace but otherwise it was similar enough not to garner interest. Naruto turned to Sasuke and his eyes slowly faded to blue. The seal went quiet afterwards and Naruto gave him a smug little grin.
"How the hell did you do that," Sasuke asked in a hushed tone, not wanting his voice to carry.
"I said he was sealed away. I didn't say he was gone. I can pull his chakra out through the same leaks that allow the Kyuubi's out," Naruto answered with a shrug as if it was the simplest thing in the world.
"But he is still sealed?" The voice didn't betray any emotion but Naruto could tell that the dark haired shinobi was a touch concerned.
"Yes," Naruto assured him.
Sasuke gave a nod, indicating he was satisfied.
"How's your leg and arm?" Naruto asked, referring to the injuries the teenager had sustained while fighting Kabuto. Sasuke had seemed to recover quickly enough, but he wanted to make sure since they had an infirmary at their disposal for the moment.
"They are fine now. Strip down," he ordered quietly as he started pulling out dirty clothes from their packs.
"Gee, Sasuke, and you haven't even told me you loved me, yet," he grinned cheekily.
"Baka. I want to get our clothes washed while we are here. Being cold is starting to look better than smelling you at night."
"Ass," he griped as he shed his clothes.
"I'll get us some fresh supplies as well. Hungry?"
Naruto gave him a look.
"Hn. I will have food brought. Go shower." He gathered up the dirty clothes.
"Anything else, Mom?" he asked sarcastically.
"Don't forget to wash behind your ears." Sasuke headed for the door with Naruto's amused laugh following him.
Naruto stood in the warm downpour, enjoying the sensation sinking into his tired and sore body. He fingered his hair idly, wondering if he should cut it at the next village. It wasn't like he was going to let one of Orochimaru's henchmen near him with sharp pointy objects.
He blushed slightly as he recalled his last conversation regarding "pointy objects." He then decided to leave it long since it had become a part of their morning ritual for Sasuke to brush and tie back his hair. He wasn't going to give up the sensation of the onyx eyed shinobi's fingers running through his hair even if he did complain about Naruto's ineptitude in tying knots the whole time he did so. It was the same comforting feeling he got waking up with the other young man curled up against his side for warmth.
They were both very careful not to comment on either occurrence, aside from gripes and insults, but like everything else between them, Naruto was sure it would cause a fight sooner or later. Either he would push for more or tease the other ninja or said ninja would decide that touching another human being would somehow make him unable to avenge his clan and it would blow up between them.
So he pragmatically decided to enjoy what he could while he could before the inevitable explosion. Until then, he would dance around Sasuke as much as he had to and make it last as long as he could.
Naruto tensed as he heard the door open to the bedroom. Someone moved something around, there was a clattering sound and then the door shut a few minutes later. He quickly washed himself then exited the large shower stall. After drying hastily, he wrapped a towel around his waist and walked into the room. The first thing he noticed was the now lit fire that threw warmth out into the air.
The smell of freshly cooked food led him over to the sitting area where a medium sized table sat low to the ground with cushions laid out around it. A wide variety of dishes covered the table, making his mouth water. Not wasting another second, he tightened his towel and knelt down on a purple pillow. 'Purple obsessed freak,' he thought with a grimace, ignoring his own hypocrisy.
He grabbed a pair of black lacquered chopsticks with white herons painted on them. 'Shmancy,' he snickered. "Itadakimasu!" He dove into the heavenly smelling food with gusto.
A few moments later, the door opened again and Sasuke walked inside. He glanced over toward Naruto and, after shutting the door, joined him at the table. "Eat your veggies," he said almost absently as he settled himself down.
"Do you enjoy ordering me around, teme?" he asked sourly around a mouthful of food.
A shoulder lifted negligently and Naruto almost wished the black undershirt were gone so he could see the pale skin beneath the open white cloth. "Don't then. We have three to four years of growing left on us. I'll enjoy being taller again."
Naruto muttered something profane under his breath before starting in on the vegetable dishes.
Sasuke carefully hid his smirk behind a morsel of food. "Clothes are being washed. After a shower, I'll grab the scrolls and the provisions. We'll need to stay tonight to avoid suspicion. We really shouldn't leave for a couple days, but I don't want to waste time on these losers," he said in a low-pitched voice.
"What do you want me to do?"
Sasuke looked away in faint disgust. "Moron, I don't need to see what you're chewing."
Naruto deliberately opened his mouth wider. "Bleehhh."
Sasuke shook his head, rolling his eyes. "You just need to stay in the room and keep your mouth shut."
Naruto pouted a moment before shrugging. "Fine, fine."
They were both silent as they demolished the spread before them, Naruto predictably putting most of it away.
Sasuke got up and went over to a dresser and pulled a set of his own clothes out of it. Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Why are your clothes in here?" he asked suspiciously.
Sasuke's eyebrow lifted at the question. "What's it to you?" He heard teeth start grinding together.
"I want to know why your clothes are in the fucking snake's bedroom, teme," Naruto ground out angrily.
Sasuke smirked at him. "Jealous?" He grunted as Naruto was suddenly across the room, grabbing him and shoving him against the dresser. Red tinted eyes glared at him, demanding an answer. He briefly considered yanking his chain a bit more merely because a part of him enjoyed this response, but as more red bled into those azure colored eyes he decided against it. "We only came here a few times. Not enough to want to trust people to stay out of any room I might leave my stuff in. So I just put it in here to keep it safe."
The hands slowly loosened from his collar and Naruto stepped back away from him.
"He never touched me that way," Sasuke added quietly. He didn't feel it prudent to tell the upset blonde just how close he thought the Sannin had been to that point, however.
Blue eyes blinked then looked away awkwardly. Sasuke watched him walk toward the couch, muscles across his back still tense. He took a brief moment to admire the bared skin and then fished around in another drawer. He threw a pair of tight black pants towards the blonde. "You'll have to do without underclothes," he paused as that vision passed through his mind, "but at least it is better than a towel."
"Thanks," came the mumbled reply.
"Why don't you try meditating? It's been awhile since you've had a chance," he suggested.
He got a look that plainly said "yeah, right."
"Just try it," Sasuke urged.
Naruto snorted derisively. "I didn't know you cared so much."
Sasuke stiffened in response. This is what happened when he showed weakness. "I don't," he said in an ice cold voice, "I just don't want you falling behind again and slowing me down. You made me a promise and I will sure as hell make sure you fulfill it." He stalked out of the room and shut the bathroom door resoundingly.
Naruto winced, cursing his big mouth. He pulled the pants on after discarding the towel on the floor. They were snug but they would do. He sat cross-legged on the couch and tried to calm himself and clear his mind. Just the idea of the sick bastard touching Sasuke was enough to cause his body to tighten like an over-wound spring. He forced himself to breathe deeply and closed his eyes.
Sasuke washed himself with quick angry movements. He didn't need anyone, dammit. Needing someone meant he was weak. If he wanted to kill his brother then he couldn't afford any weaknesses.
It just felt so damn nice being around Naruto after three years of constantly watching his back and not trusting anyone around him. Constantly aware of the fact that his existence was getting closer and closer to an end. He just felt like he could breathe now.
He just needed to put more space between him and the dobe. He couldn't afford to get distracted at this point. But it had been a pleasant surprise to see the one person who had always seen him and not the labels put to him by others jealous over him. Maybe after he had his vengeance, if he lived...
He dressed in his clean clothes and exited the bathroom. He was glad to note that Naruto was sitting lotus position on the couch, his chin resting on his chest. 'Looks like the hyperactive dobe is good at relaxing after all.' A soft snore sounded from the couch and Sasuke felt his eyebrow twitch. 'Okay, maybe a little too good.' He shook his head as a smile fought its way to his lips. He then quietly left the room to fetch the secret scrolls.
Naruto was bored. He had finished his meditation (nap) an hour ago and he had nothing to do. So he decided to paw through Orochimaru's belongings. It wasn't like the Sannin needed them anymore.
He found a few more pants like he was currently wearing that he chose to add to his traveling pack. At least his 'nads would be warmer. He snickered at the purple obi in the armoire, but refrained from throwing it in the fireplace. He found a small coin purse in the desk that had some cash in it. He put that with the pants on the couch. He would add it to his frog wallet that Sasuke had finally coughed over. He found it interesting how his former teammate kept "finding" his belongings.
He quickly sat at the desk chair as someone tentatively knocked on the door. He pulled out a random scroll as he said a distracted seeming "Enter." He couldn't help but admire the pretty red haired girl that came in to clear the dinner dishes. She noticed his gaze and both blushed and looked afraid at the same time. At his concerned frown, she speedily finished and practically bolted out the door. He hated to think what she had either experienced or had heard about the Sannin's appetites.
Sasuke walked into the room to find Naruto hanging from the ceiling, glued in place by chakra through his feet, doing crunches. He paused to admire the flex and stretch of the other's toned body before he placed their packs by the couch. Blue eyes watched him between reps as he moved about the room, putting clean clothes and provisions into their bags. The two packs that contained the scrolls were noticeably larger than they had been. He wordlessly set out a clean set of Naruto's clothes on the couch for him to wear in the morning. He noticed the braided cord on the table and added it on the stack.
Naruto dropped from the ceiling, twisting and landing on his feet. "Everything done?"
"Yeah. We should be able to leave tomorrow morning if we avoid Oushi." He stood there for a moment, mentally reviewing his "to do" list and was satisfied that he had thought of everything. Glancing up, he noticed that Naruto had moved over to the bags and was looking through them. Sasuke sighed and pulled his personal bag over and opened it up. He still had the blonde's old orange jacket buried in the bottom of his bag and he was unsure why he was reluctant to give it back. He fished out Naruto's hitae-ate from where he had been hiding it and handed it over to the blonde.
Naruto looked up as he felt Sasuke's hand bump his shoulder then looked down at his forehead protector held in his friend's hand. He could tell by the pattern of the faint scratches on the metal that it was his. He grabbed it and stared at it in disbelief. "Where did you find this?" he demanded, stunned that the one object he had cherished most was once again in his possession.
Sasuke lifted a shoulder negligently. "Found it with some junk that had been thrown out."
Naruto felt a large grin stretch his mouth as he impulsively hugged his friend in gratitude. While the feeling of Sasuke in his arms was surprisingly warm and comfortable, he let go as soon as the other boy tensed up. Being rather attached to his limbs, he didn't want to irritate his friend with his excessive emotional displays.
Sasuke blinked at him once or twice before making a beeline towards the door. "Get some sleep," he ordered gruffly. "We are leaving tomorrow."
"Where are you going?" Naruto asked hesitantly.
Sasuke lifted an eyebrow. "It would look strange if I stayed the night in here. I have a room a few doors down."
"Oh." Naruto tried to keep the disappointment out his tone.
Sasuke paused at the door, trying to think of something to say. Finally he shrugged. "Stay out of trouble," he said before stepping out and closing the door behind him.
Naruto sighed and flopped down on the bed. It was going to be a long night.