Chapter 7
'Dammit, I knew he would find some way to fuck this up!' Sasuke thought furiously.
- Earlier That Morning-
Naruto sat up in bed, blearily rubbing the grit out of his eyes. He had tossed and turned for awhile last night before finally settling down. He had missed Sasuke's presence and felt uncomfortable lowering his guard in this strange place. Heaving a sigh, he crawled out of the luxurious bed and headed towards the bathroom. He was halfway there when a knock sounded on the door.
"Enter," he said after making sure he was semi-presentable.
The same young lady from last night stepped timidly into the room. After watching her stand there for a long moment, he belatedly realized that she was waiting for orders. "Breakfast," he said, trying not to grin from nervousness, "and lots of it."
"Does Orochimaru-sama require assistance with his bath?" she asked quietly.
Something low in his gut twitched at the idea of this pretty young thing running soapy hands all over him. He then blamed those thoughts on his perverted teachers. "No, I'm fine." He ignored the other part of his brain that was currently whining at him. Besides more interaction with those around him could mean possible exposure.
The red head nodded and moved to build up the fire to ward off the night's chill. Naruto continued to the bathroom after giving a brief admiring glance to her rear end as she bent over the hearth.
After making use of the facilities, he felt energized enough to tackle the day. He walked out in his towel since he had forgotten to bring his clothes with him which was hardly unusual for him. Once he had made sure the servant girl was really gone, he quickly dressed, setting aside the hair tie until his blonde locks were drier (or Sasuke showed up, whichever came first).
A polite knock sounded before the door opened, admitting three different servants along with the red head. They were all carrying trays laden with steaming food. The dishes were laid out quickly and in total silence. Naruto tried not to fidget through the process and followed Sasuke's advice about keeping his mouth shut.
Passing off her tray to another servant, the girl came over to where he sat on the couch. He tensed when she reached into a pocket, but relaxed again when she pulled out a hairbrush. With finely trembling fingers, she brushed out his hair and knotted the cord with efficient movements around his queue.
"Thank you," he acknowledged when she was done.
She gave him a wide-eyed look. "Yo-your're welcome, Orochimaru-sama." With that she bowed and practically skittered out the door.
The door remained open long enough for Sasuke to walk inside. His eyes immediately surveyed the room, then landed on Naruto. The gaze lingered for a moment on his hair, but he said nothing. He wasn't wearing the dark shirt underneath his gi and his pale skin and lithely muscled chest drew Naruto's eyes.
"You really look girly in a purple bow," Naruto commented, not bothering to wait between bites.
"Is there any particular reason why you keep obsessing over my clothes?" Sasuke asked as he calmly came over to the table, sitting down to eat.
"Besides the fact that you dress like a Slut-nin? Did you pick out those clothes or did Orochimaru dress you?" Naruto mentally winced. Why couldn't he just learn to shut his mouth for once and not say the first thing that popped into his mind?
Sasuke felt his eyebrow twitch in irritation. "At least I never had to turn into a girl to get what I wanted." He deliberately looked the blonde up and down. "Not that there is much difference."
Naruto felt his eyes widen incredulously. "Did you just say I look like a girl, bastard?"
"One has to wonder why you are always changing into a girl all the time," he continued insolently. "Maybe you are just more comfortable in that form."
Just as Naruto opened his mouth to deliver another insult, there was a knock on the door. The two quickly shifted into more relaxed stances and acted like everything was normal. The younger ninja called for entry and the door opened to reveal Oushi. Naruto kept his eyes on his plate as he ate, allowing his bangs to fall concealing their blue color.
"Orochimaru-sama," Oushi greeted as he stepped forward and bowed. "I understand you are not going to be staying long so I thought it important for you to review the test subjects before you leave."
Naruto stilled. 'Test subjects…' He ignored the warning look in Sasuke's eyes and nodded. "I am available now. Give me just a moment."
The man bowed again then exited the room, closing the door softly behind him.
"We don't have time for this," Sasuke hissed quietly.
"Yes, we do." Naruto's tone left no room for argument. His face went blank of all expression for a moment then Sasuke's seal flared up like last time. As Naruto looked up with yellow eyes, the door flew open.
Oushi held his shoulder as his eyes darted around the room. "Is everything well, Orochimaru-sama?"
"Take me to the test subjects," the blonde replied unequivocally. He stood and smoothly glided toward the door. The man glanced up into his eyes for a long searching look, then dropped his gaze as he moved aside.
Sasuke made sure the packs were in a place where they could be grabbed easily then followed. By the time he passed through the door, his seal had settled down to that annoying prickle.
Luckily in Oushi's anxiousness he stayed a half step in front of Naruto thus unknowingly leading the way. "The new serum has produced some interesting results when it works. Unfortunately, it only works twenty-five percent of the time. When it doesn't, the side effects are invariably fatal." He shrugged nonchalantly. "But even the failures give us data to improve the serum."
The casual brush of Sasuke's knuckles against his hand made Naruto realize his fists were clenched. He forced himself to relax. He would find a way to shut the experiments down. Impersonating the snake had to be good for something. He felt a squirming and wriggling beneath the seal on his stomach.
Oushi led them to a spacious chamber that sunk down to a pit area. Along the walls of the pit were several barred doors. Naruto felt a fine tremor spread throughout his body. 'The fucking inhumane bastard!' He was led down into the pit and along those cells. Oushi was commenting on each occupant but Naruto didn't hear the diatribe. He was too busy trying to keep his rage in check as his eyes fell on the hapless victims of Orochimaru's quest for power.
While none appeared older than twenty-five, some were young, younger than when he had become a genin. Weeping sores, discoloration of skin, some with twisted inhuman looking limbs were only a few of the side effects of the experiments. Almost all of them had hopeless, lost eyes. It was a fucking macabre nightmare of human suffering.
"Orochimaru-sama?" Oushi's voice finally broke through his thoughts.
"Is there any way to reverse the side effects?" he almost panted.
Oushi blinked in confusion. "We haven't bothered studying a possible reversal, Orochimaru-sama," he said slowly. "We will dispose of the failures and obtain new specimens as needed." Oushi was staring at him strangely.
Sasuke watched as red tried to consume yellow as Naruto's rage expanded exponentially. Purple chakra suddenly surged around the younger boy as he doubled over in pain. At the same time Oushi and Sasuke both let out a strangled cry of pain as their curse seals flared and immediately spread to the second stage.
'Dammit, I knew he would find some way to fuck this up!' Sasuke thought furiously.
Naruto fought back a wave of pain in his gut as he felt Orochimaru's presence trying to escape the seal. Sasuke's familiar features twisted into something he had only seen once before but had left both a sad and frightening impact.
Black hair lengthened and grayed out. Alabaster skin darkened as the whites of his eyes went black and yellow irises appeared only to immediately shift into the crimson red of Sharingan. Lips changed to appear almost effeminate and purpled in color. The thick, black cross bridged his nose as claws formed. There was the ripping of cloth as two large hands burst from Sasuke's back in a grisly mockery of wings, multiple fingers substituting feathers.
Short tight black hairs spread all over Oushi's body as the hair on his head changed to the same color. His muscle mass easily tripled, ripping his clothes to shreds. Two horns sprouted from the sides of his head, curving out and then inwards like a bovine's. A spined tail grew from his backside as his legs reformed to a more animalistic shape. Broad shoulders supported a thick neck, hinting that the horns were more than decorative. All in all he resembled a thickly muscled minotaur.
Oushi immediately tried to charge Naruto. Sasuke, resisting the almost overpowering pull towards the blonde, used one of his hand-shaped wings to thrust his unmoving friend out of the way. Naruto fell to the ground, arms wrapped around his stomach.
The bull-like creature changed targets and Sasuke quickly leapt to get out of the way. As he was clearing over the thing's head, he felt that whip-like tail wrap around his right ankle. With a burst of speed, Oushi spun, jerking him around and causing the spines to dig into his flesh. As he was flung at the wall, he could feel the flesh around his ankle ripped to the bone.
The stone wall came rushing at him and he flared his wings, slowing his momentum. Adroitly flipping around, he was able to impact the wall with his feet. Fire seemed to race up his right leg, but he ignored it as he sprung toward the minotaur.
Balling his fist, Oushi charged again, intending on flattening the little punk. Sasuke suddenly folded his wings protectively around his body, allowing him to dive toward the floor. Hands and aching right leg bracing him at the last minute, he brought his left leg up in a vicious kick to the chin. The minotaur flew backwards and Sasuke easily righted himself. A wave of dizziness made everything blur sickeningly before clearing again. He glanced down at his ankle to see the yellowish green slime in the wound.
Oushi saw what he was looking at and smiled through the fang filled muzzle. "Won't be long now," he gloated in a deep bass voice. At that moment several Sound-nin entered the room, trying to assess the situation. "That's an imposter," Oushi rumbled, pointing a wickedly sharp claw at Naruto's prone form. "Detain him!"
Sasuke moved to try to protect his friend but Oushi placed himself in between the two. The twisted angelic form felt another sickening wave hit him and he tried not to sway on his feet. He could feel the blood pooling around his foot, soaking into his pants. Tremors of pain from being in his altered form combined with the burning of the poison in his veins shook through his body.
Oushi lowered his great bull-like head and charged again. At that moment, Sasuke felt the heady power of the curse seal drain out of him. Oushi, once more a lanky young man, stumbled in the middle of his collision course as pain rippled through the both of them with the ebbing of power.
Gritting his teeth, Sasuke ignored his body and smoothly pulled out his sword. Two slashes executed faster than the eye could see and Oushi lay on the ground lifeless. He stood wavering over his fallen enemy for what seemed a long moment before he forced himself to take a step towards the others now around Naruto.
Naruto had finally shut down all influence Orochimaru and the snake's chakra had on the two warriors. He now understood that like with Kyuubi, getting angry while channeling the Sannin's chakra was a bad idea. His loss of control was the reason that Sasuke was injured and he himself was being held.
Without hesitation, Sasuke formed the seals that he needed one handed. He breathed out and the flames erupted, quickly engulfing the area. The other shinobi released Naruto without second thought as they flinched back and moved to escape the area. The former Leaf-nin jumped adroitly away from the flames, flipped over to land by his companion.
"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"
Now outnumbered ten to one, the dozen enemy shinobi quickly spread out. Some appeared to be re-evaluating whether it would be wise to stay. A loud chirping, crackling sound was heard as Sasuke pulled on his chakra reserves to form his full-body chidori. As far as the lower-level ninjas were concerned, that was the last straw. They quickly retreated through the door on the upper level.
"They will bring reinforcements," Sasuke said as he let the chidori disperse. "We need to get out of here."
Naruto shook his head. "Not until we get these people out of the cells. We'll take them with us."
"No!" Sasuke said sternly. "We can't do anything for them and they'll just slow us down."
"Dammit, Sasuke, we can't just leave them here!" He stopped as he realized something. Sasuke knew about this place. He had been here before. "You knew they were here and you weren't going to do anything to help them! You cold fucking bastard!"
"They're not coming and that's final!" Sasuke moved up to the door and quickly looked out to see if the enemy had started back their way yet.
Naruto growled. He would not leave these people here. He had several of his clones go to the different cells and start removing seals and breaking locks.
Sasuke fought off another wave of dizziness and turned to see what was taking the dobe so long. He saw the prisoners being released and couldn't hold in an uttered, "Fuck." He should have known. Damn Naruto and his fucking need to save everyone! He closed the door with a forceful slam and desperately looked around for something to block it with. Finding nothing that couldn't be broken through in a matter of seconds, he pulled out some explosive tags and started placing them on the door. At this rate the idiot was going to get them killed! Finishing his work he turned and surveyed the pitiful wretches through narrowed eyes.
He moved away from the door and grabbed the nearest Naruto, not caring if it was a clone or not. "What the hell do you think you're doing? It is going to be hard enough just to get us out of here." The clone looked down at Sasuke's ankle and then grabbed one of the dark haired shinobi's kunai from his pouch. "What are you doing now?" he growled out. The clone ignored him and cut a strip off of his ripped shirt. Kneeling down, the clone tightly wrapped his injury. The room spinning caused him to place a hand on the clone's shoulder. Worried blue eyes watched him as he abruptly straightened when he realized he was showing weakness.
"No one deserves what they've gone through, Sasuke. Even if we can't help them, we can take them to a village where someone might be able to," the clone said softly.
"We have other things to do besides baby-sit a bunch of dead weight!" he growled.
"You need medical treatment as well," the clone pointed out.
"We can get there faster without them and then move on. This will leak out. The other lairs won't be easy to infiltrate and without Orochimaru showing up, people will start to think he is dead. Once that happens we can kiss the other scrolls good-bye!" he tried to explain to the imbecile.
"Dammit, Sasuke! Don't you think of anyone else besides yourself?" Naruto demanded furiously.
"No, Naruto! My goal is the only thing that matters to me and the sooner you learn that the better!" he yelled back. He turned away from the stricken face only to look at another one wearing the same expression six meters away. He somehow knew it wasn't a clone. His mouth tightened stubbornly, refusing to be apologetic for the truth.
After a moment, Naruto nodded. He knew. He should have remembered. But that didn't mean he was going to give in. He had his own nindo that he lived by and abandoning those in need was not a part of it. He quickly dispersed all but thirty of his clones and started giving orders. First Aid, which had begun when the cells were opened, was quickly finished and everyone was moved away from the back wall. Two other clones hastily rounded up any kunai lying around as well as rope and deposited the equipment nearby. At the same time a dozen clones moved into a circle at the far wall and started molding chakra. Naruto knew that this would take its toll on his own reserves, but they had to get these people out of here safely.
Two clones formed a large Rasengan, the Oodoma Rasengan, and tilted their creation at an angle toward the wall. They kept channeling and kept pushing at the stone, pulverizing the rock with both the brute force due to the amount of chakra and the cutting edges swirling therein. As the clones started drilling to the surface, the others started readying the injured for the trip up the slowly forming tunnel.
Satisfied, Naruto turned and started walking to the door. "Where are you going, dobe?" Sasuke asked coldly.
"I promised to help you avenge your clan and the scrolls we've collected are important. I keep my promises," he said before stepping around the traps and exiting the door.
Naruto closed the door behind him and immediately created more shadow clones. If he could train for hours on end with a thousand clones using his wind element, then he could create enough to cause a diversion while Sasuke and the prisoners escaped.
He sent his numerous clones through the hallways, engaging the approaching enemy ninja. He really didn't care about defeating anyone in battle as long as the others escaped and he could reclaim their packs with the scrolls.
He hurried to Orochimaru's rooms amongst the melee. He fought when he had to but only long enough until a clone came along to distract the enemy. Back in the pit room a clone was dispersed and he gained the knowledge that they had broken to the surface and were making their way out.
Ducking into the snake's quarters, he grabbed up the four packs plus his and Sasuke's coats. Using a henge to appear like the rest of the clones, he started to make his way to the main entrance. His other clones were being beaten rapidly but it didn't matter as long as the delaying tactics worked.
Sasuke cursed inwardly as he felt the poison still sapping his strength. The nausea was worse and the room seemed to dance continuously before his eyes. There was a shout from the group of clones by the wall and daylight streamed through the sloped passage that they had made. They quickly strung the kunai together with the rope and made a makeshift lifeline leading up and out of the tunnel. The clones carefully gathered up those who could not walk and were half crawling, half climbing to the surface.
"Do you need a hand, teme?" one of the clones asked him in concern.
"Che," he sneered woozily. Ignoring his protests, the clone pulled Sasuke's arm over its shoulders and helped him to the tunnel. "I can do it on my own," he growled threateningly.
"Shut up, teme, or I'll carry you," the clone threatened back.
Of over a dozen prisoners only two looked wholly able to travel on their own strength. They looked related as they both had shaved heads but for a single stripe of long dark brown hair down the center held back in a queue. Both had dark tanned bodies with tattoos decorating their skin, one more so than the other. The one that was more heavily tattooed than the other seemed a bit older and the other obviously deferred to him. The younger was carrying yet a third man with the same traits, but he was younger still and had the least body art among them.
'Must be from the same family or village,' Sasuke thought dazedly. It was then that he realized that Naruto's clones had just concluded some kind of discussion with the eldest and were now starting to move the infirm through the woods. Sasuke, apparently, was counted as one of the infirm.
"Where are we going, dobe?" he asked the clone that had appointed itself as his caretaker.
"There's a village a little ways off where we can get help. We are headed there."
"You are aware that if any shinobi recognize me there will be trouble?" he pointed out.
"Don't worry, teme. As soon as we get you patched up, we're leaving again. As long as we make it to the village, these people will be able to get help from there." He inclined his head toward the tattooed men. "Shirotora and Taka will make sure they do."
Sasuke sleepily nodded and realized how cold he was. He felt himself shaken roughly within the circle of the clone's arms. "Stay awake, teme!"
"It's cold," he heard himself complain faintly. He was too tired to comment when he felt himself being lifted and held against a broad chest.
"That's because it's winter and there's snow on the ground. And you're injured and don't have your coat. Just stay awake a little bit longer, teme. It won't be much farther." Blue eyes watched him in concern as the large party raced through the snow-laden trees.
Sasuke could hear vague noises of the other Naruto clones speaking quiet encouragement to the other injured as well. They were doing their best to keep people awake in the biting cold and ran as fast as they could toward help.
Sasuke jerked his head up as he felt a sudden flare of chakra some distance behind them. "What was that?" he asked weakly.
The clone half shrugged. "Dunno. My guess would be either it was to lure the Sound-nin away from us or I got surrounded and had to fight."
"Are you winning?" Had he been in his right mind, Sasuke would have realized how stupid that question was. At the moment however, it made logical sense to ask.
Naruto's face smile down at him. "Of course. I'm kicking all their asses as we speak."
"That's good," came the muffled reply. Sasuke buried his cold face against the body carrying him and was attempting to drift off again.
"Oi! Bastard! Stay awake!"
"Halt!" a voice commanded loudly from the trees ahead of them. Three Cloud-nin dropped down to the ground in front of their large party. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"
The larger tattooed man stepped forward. "I am Shirotora from the Ryouki clan of the village of Yama Kiri. We are refugees that have escaped from Orochimaru's prison. We are in need of medical attention. We are trying to find help."
The one that Sasuke took to be the team leader nodded and gave a quick bow. "I have heard of you, Ryouki-san. Allow us to escort you so that you will not be impeded further."
Shirotora gave a nod in return. "That would be most helpful."
Turning, the Cloud-nin fanned out both to lout out for dangers that could threaten the group and to keep an eye on everyone within the group. An hour later they were entering a large town and being led to a hospital. Once there, two clones stayed with Sasuke as the others dispersed after handing over their precious burdens.
Sasuke was quickly ushered to a room where a doctor examined his ankle. One of the blonde clones explained that he had been poisoned by one of the snake bastard's foul henchmen. They gave him a generic antidote since they could not pinpoint the exact type of poison that had been used against him. They stitched his ankle up and dressed his wounds then hooked him up to a nutrient/antibiotic IV drip. As the doctor and nurse left, the sunny blonde gave him a warm smile.
"Ok, now you can rest, Sasuke-teme. We'll keep watch over you."
Sasuke was too tired to point out how useless two clones would be were he actually attacked and drifted off into a painless medicated slumber.
Sasuke awoke some time later to the sound of his hospital room door being slammed open. He struggled upright as a porcelain masked Cloud-nin strode into the room flanked by what appeared to be two jounin. Neither Naruto clone appeared to be in sight. So much for watching over his sleep.
"Uchiha Sasuke, you are hereby placed under arrest as a missing-nin of the Leaf. Any attempt at escape will be met with extreme if not fatal force. As soon as you are recovered enough to be moved, you will be transported to the Hidden Village of Cloud. Be warned, you will be watched." With that, the masked shinobi walked out of the room, leaving one jounin behind to guard him and the other outside the door.
Naruto leapt from tree to tree in an almost reckless fashion. It had taken a few days to lose the last of the Sound-nin from his tail. Now he had to make up lost time and catch up to Sasuke.
He didn't like being separated from his friend, especially while the raven-haired ninja was injured. Sasuke was the only home he had now. He couldn't lose him, too.
He was in mid leap when he felt one of his two remaining clones disperse. The information hit his mind even as he registered that he would miss the branch he was aiming at. He concentrated chakra to his hands and caught a hold of the tree, allowing his momentum to carry him up and around to land on his feet. Once settled safely, he reviewed the new memories in his mind.
He was watching from above, hidden behind the ceiling tiles as Sasuke slept a semi-drugged sleep below. Cloud-nin would be back when he healed to take him away, but he planned on escaping come nightfall if he could distract the jounin that guarded his sleeping form.
A nurse came in, escorted by an Anbu wearing a monkey shaped porcelain mask. She injected something into the IV tube leading to Sasuke's arm, then nodded at her companion. "He'll sleep for awhile."
"I want him kept sedated. We will heal him and move him out immediately. We have direct orders not to delay," the hollow voice behind the mask intoned to the guard. "Stand watch outside. With him out, he won't be in any condition to escape. As soon as Takako reports for duty, we will head out."
His clone waited until the room was cleared then dropped down to investigate the windows to see if they were a viable escape route. The door suddenly jerked open behind him and he immediately moved to hide by the bed.
The jounin guard surveyed the room suspiciously and the clone masked himself without dispersing. A female guard entered the room and raised an eyebrow as her teammate scowled. The male moved through the room, his senses wide open, trying to feel out any chakra signatures. The clone pressed himself to the underside of the bed, hoping to be mistaken for Sasuke. After all, if the man didn't have a special jutsu or bloodline, he might sense his chakra but not be able to pinpoint it.
"I don't like this," he said to his companion. "His chakra signature is larger now."
His companion shrugged. "Maybe he is healing or replenishing himself. He is an Uchiha after all. I wouldn't be surprised that he is powerful."
He made a non-committal noise and resumed his position outside. The woman walked up to Sasuke and started healing his leg using her green medic-nin chakra. A short time passed and there were no opportunities to escape with the unconscious shinobi. One hit and the clone would be gone and Sasuke would be down to one protector.
The door opened and the Anbu walked back in. The clone vaguely noticed that it was pre-dawn outside. The Anbu tossed a black bag and silken ropes to the male jounin. "Tie and bag him," he said brusquely. "We are leaving now."
After tying a gag in Sasuke's mouth, the male jounin pulled the black bag over Sasuke's head and secured it around his neck. He then went about tying his arms behind him, carefully wrapping the fingers up so they couldn't move to form seals.
The female gathered up Sasuke's belongings, eyeing the katana appreciatively. She stopped abruptly then dove to the floor. The clone "eeped" and made a mad dash to safety. A shuriken halted his progress and the memory ended.
Naruto shook his head and resumed his headlong charge towards his only remaining clone. He could feel it in the distance and he only hoped that this one laid low so he wouldn't lose his bead on Sasuke.
Sasuke woke to cold. His first thought was to reach out to find his own personal heater, but found he couldn't move. Snapping his eyes open, he only found darkness. Cloth brushed his face, weighed down his hair. An ache in his arms drew his attention to the restrictive bindings around his body. Swallowing, he tasted cotton cloth in his mouth.
Pushing down a surge of adrenaline, he tried to use his other senses to find out where he was and in what situation. He felt something solid against his back and found he couldn't lean away from it. That meant he was probably tied to it. The object was rough and the smell of woods assaulted his nose so it was more than likely a tree. His ass was cold so that meant they were still up north and he was sitting in the snow. A blanket seemed to be covering him from the feel and warmth of it. He could hear the crackling of a wood fire, not very big so probably a campfire then. He faintly smelled food through the cloth of his hood as if it had been cooked and eaten a while ago. The smell sent a shiver of nausea through him, a side effect of the sedatives in his system. Listening closer he could hear two sets of deep breathing, the sound of people asleep.
He heard an almost imperceptible shift of snow behind him and tensed up. What felt like a furred muzzle brushed up against his fingers. He was starting to worry about something trying to make a meal out of his bound digits as a wet rough tongue ghosted over his skin. He frowned in confusion as he felt a tug on his bindings. Was it a nin-dog? The only one he knew that could use them was Kakashi.
"Ah, you're awake," said a voice from the other side of the fire.
The little furry creature froze a moment in panic, then abruptly but silently left.
Sasuke nodded his head since there was no reason to pretend otherwise. He made a muffled noise and drew his knees up.
"Gotta piss?" the male voice asked.
Sasuke gave a single nod.
"Stay put," he said as he moved.
Sasuke refrained from rolling his eyes at the redundant command.
He heard two voices talking, one seemingly put out at first. Then it chirped up. "Oh, sure!" It was a female voice and Sasuke suddenly had a bad feeling.
A lighter pair of footsteps approached him and untied him from the presumed tree. "Hmm, I've been waiting for this," the feminine voice said eagerly.
"Don't molest him, Takako. Just take him to the bathroom," the male voice admonished.
Sasuke could hear the pout in her voice. "You take the fun out of everything, Tanuki." She helped him stand, tossing the blanket aside and then led him about five meters away from the sound of the fire.
Sasuke blushed in both embarrassment and fury as her hand deftly unfastened his pants and drew his manhood out into the cold. He felt her warmth against his side as she carefully held him, giving into the temptation of a stroke or two. He growled around the gag, protesting her manhandling.
She chuckled and stopped her ministrations. "Unless you wanna piss on yourself, I still gotta hold it."
Sasuke forced himself to try to relax. After a few moments, his muscles unclenched enough to let a stream go. Afterwards, she tucked him away amidst a few more fondles.
"I'm gonna have to get my hands on you some night during my watch. It'll be fun to see if you can perform trussed up like this," she said in a sultry tone.
Sasuke jerked away from her touch with another growl.
She laughed at his actions. "Behave, little boy. I'm the one that's taking care of you right now. So how does some food and water sound?"
He hesitated a moment, then nodded. If they were trying to kill him, he would be dead already. He might as well keep up his strength while he could.
Chapter 8
It was night again. He could only assume it was the next one. After he had been fed and watered like some kind of pet, his gag had been replaced and the bag pulled back down from his nose to be retied around his neck. About an hour after that he had felt a sharp pinch in his arm and everything faded away.
This night was pretty much like the last. He had awoken and the female took him into the woods a short ways so that he could relieve himself. This time however, she didn't seem inclined to stop her touches. He angrily pulled away from her but knew that tied and blindfolded like he was, there wasn't much he could do to escape. He couldn't form seals even if he had wanted to since his arms had long gone numb from the chakra reinforced rope. He could only move away from her gropes as she laughed at him.
"Takako, bring the prisoner back and secure him. You can be a whore on your own time," an authoritative voice barked.
"Yes, Captain," she grumbled. She grabbed his arm roughly and quickly dragged him back to camp.
After he was fed, the camp settled back down and watches were resumed. He tried not to jump when he felt a small cold nose against his fingertips. A tongue quickly passed over them before the tugging started on his bonds. He wished he could tell the little animal that chewing on the ropes was probably not going to do much good. But as long as it didn't get caught, it made him feel like at least something was being done for his release. He couldn't help but wonder where the dobe was currently. He hoped the idiot made it out of the lair and away from Oushi's goons.
He twitched in surprise as he felt the ropes loosen slightly. Did the damn thing have serrated teeth or something? To cover the movement, he stretched his legs out in front of him. Those sharp little daggers continued to work the bindings, only pausing for an apologetic little lick when they accidentally scraped flesh. They stilled long enough for the watch to change. The other male taking over said nothing to the prisoner as he settled himself in to survey the surrounding area. It seemed the female had first watch while he was usually asleep. So, the other two weren't completely stupid it seemed.
He felt the ropes part but the little nin-dog didn't stop there. He felt two small paws on his back shoulder, barely out of sight since Sasuke didn't hear a cry of alarm from the guard. Two swift tugs and the cowl loosened around his head. The paws dropped off his back and receded.
Taking a deep breath, Sasuke prepared himself for the blinding light of the fire and jerked his hands free. Pulling the bag from his head, he immediately located and locked eyes with the male jounin guard. His Sharingan flared to life and the other male froze in place, limbs trembling in fear. Sasuke held his gaze, keeping him in the genjutsu as he quickly moved to the other man. Placing his hands on the man's head, he ended the other's life with a swift twist.
Spotting his katana in amongst the equipment pile, he quickly grabbed it and headed into the trees. A few moments later, he heard sounds of pursuit begin.
He had no idea which direction he was heading. Clouds covered the stars and the time spent within the darkness of his hood threw off his senses. He could feel the two shinobi following behind him as well as something pacing him from the side. He could probably examine the sense closer and get an idea of who or what it was, but he didn't have the time to spare. He assumed it was the nin-dog however since it never tried to converge on his path.
Making a decision, he quickly moved toward the parallel signature. He didn't want to leave it behind until he found out more, but he had to get away from his pursuers. As he approached however, the creature slowly pulled in another direction. He grit his teeth in frustration then raised an eyebrow as it straightened out its path. Perhaps it was leading him somewhere.
Putting aside his doubts for the moment, he moved toward the creature again only to find a snow white fox with brilliant blue eyes leaping from tree to tree. He could tell it was a henge form. "Naruto?" he questioned as he scooped up the fox. It gave a happy little yip as it snuggled into his arms. As soon as it was settled, he poured on the speed, leaving the other nin far behind.
Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as he felt his clone closing the gap between them. He only hoped that Sasuke was with it, but he didn't want to risk dispersing it until it came into visual range.
It was late the next day when he felt the clone nearby. He didn't want to think about the speeds it had to have been traveling to get that far that fast. He frowned as he heard someone approach through the trees. It was either a very tired or a very poor ninja. He heard the sound of bark giving way and the faint outline of something falling. Surging forward, he caught Sasuke just before he hit the ground from the forty-foot drop from the scraggly canopy above. As it was, they ended up in a tangle of limbs in the wet snow from the impact into each other.
"Dobe," the voice said in a soft, breathless tone.
It was indeed Sasuke, but his chakra reserves were very low. He was also shaking with the beginnings of exhaustion and fever. The white fox kit disappeared in a puff of smoke and Naruto received visions of their race through the treetops as well as the brief captivity. Naruto felt a surge of fury as he "remembered" how that dark-haired bitch had touched Sasuke uninvited. He briefly considered leaving his friend tucked safely away while he went to express his displeasure with the Cloud-nin. Preferably with a Rasengan.
A shiver within his arms brought his attention back to more immediate concerns. His friend was wearing the remnants of the clothes he had on from the fight in the lair and his shoes, but that was it. No coat, nothing else to keep him warm from the frigid air. Naruto quickly pulled out his friend's coat from his pack and dressed him in its warmth.
He then quickly formed another clone to carry the four packs (which it naturally complained about) while he lifted Sasuke over his shoulder. He had seen a perfect spot to take shelter while they recovered from their respective flights.
A few hours later they were ensconced in a small cave with a narrow opening. While Naruto settled his friend in, trying to warm him up, he sent out a couple clones to gather firewood and enough water for a few days. He sent the clones back outside after they brought back their supplies and spiked a blanket over the entrance with a few kunai, making sure leave a large enough gap that smoke could escape from a fire. Once the blanket was in place the two clones disguised the entrance of the cave with limbs and snow, masking its presence as best they could. They then erased any tracks around the area before dispersing.
The next few days Naruto tended to his ill friend. He had to balance keeping him warm enough not to exacerbate the sickness but cool enough to keep the fever down. So he rotated between bathing his forehead with a cool rag, piling the blanket and coats on him and loosening his clothes to regulate his temperature.
On the afternoon of the third day a tired voice interrupted Naruto's doze. "I knew you would find a way to fuck things up," it groused.
Naruto gave him a weary smile and he opened sleep caked eyes. "That's one of my talents. You should know that by now."
"Hn."
"You feel up to traveling?" he asked quietly.
Sasuke eyed the exhausted form of his companion. "Tomorrow morning. Is there something decent to eat around here?"
"Well, it isn't ramen, but there's food," he said with a tired smile.
"Tch."
Naruto leaned over and started digging through their packs. "Oh, there is something that I wanted to ask you about, teme."
Sasuke glanced over as Naruto pulled out a corner of a very familiar looking orange jacket. It was still shredded and bloodied from the fight with Orochimaru. "Che. Don't ask me why you pack the shit you do." He turned away and shut his eyes, signaling the end of his interest in the matter.
Naruto smiled warmly at his friend and tucked the jacket away. It was too tight on him now anyway. He pulled out some rations and rice then started boiling some melted snow.
Not too long later, Sasuke was awakened by his companion to eat. A part of him felt like bringing up the subject of Naruto's idiocy again and beating the hell out of him on principle alone, but decided that he was just too exhausted to engage the moron in an argument.
"So, where are we going now?" Naruto finally asked, bored with the silence.
"Grass Country," came the short reply.
Sasuke settled down into his blanket again after eating. His chakra had recovered along with his health now, but it wouldn't hurt to rest while they could. Naruto sat against the wall alternately nodding off and jerking awake. He spotted the second blanket over the entrance and realized he was lying on top of the floor tarp for the tent and his own coat.
"Hey, baka," he said as he held up the corner of the blanket. Naruto started slightly as he broke out of his doze. "Come get some real sleep so you won't slow us down in the morning."
The other young man hesitated a moment then crawled over, peeling off his coat. He scooted down into the blankets and unabashedly cuddled into Sasuke.
Fighting down the pink tinge that must surely be on his cheeks, Sasuke covered them both up and settled down to sleep.
Trying to avoid ninja patrols, it took a little over a week to reach Grass Country. They stayed to the northern countries, avoiding Fire Country. Neither of them wanted to be found on the wrong side of the border by Leaf nins. The snow had melted after five days into their travels. However, the ground was wet and muddy, the trees were slippery and both terrains took imprints too readily for their comfort.
They pushed on as much as possible each day. At night Sasuke would activate his Sharingan and Naruto would channel some of the fox's chakra to his eyes so they both could see into the darkness. Naruto would keep a close eye on his friend and when Sasuke started looking tired, Naruto would start whining that he wanted to stop for the night. It protected Sasuke's pride and allowed them to get the rest that they needed to continue on in the morning.
Their routine fell into their usual patterns as if it had never been interrupted. They shared bedding for warmth at night, took turns cooking and every morning Sasuke would bitch and complain as he was "forced" to fix Naruto's hair.
They avoided all but the smaller villages where Sasuke would henge into someone else to buy supplies. He didn't trust Naruto with the shopping after the first time the blonde came back with a dozen packs of ramen. Besides if the henge dropped for some reason a pale, dark-haired, dark-eyed man would be harder to remember than a blonde, blue-eyed, whisker marked one.
The next day they would be at the main Grass Country lair according to Sasuke.
"Do you want me to pretend to be Orochimaru again?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke shot him a look before stopping to actually consider the question. "The Grass lair is pretty small. They probably know nothing about what happened yet." He shook his head. "They know me. That will be enough. Just follow my lead and try to repress your "save the world" tendencies."
"Bastard, if someone needs help and we are in a position to do something about it, then we should!" he protested angrily.
Sasuke growled in frustration. "There shouldn't be anything like that at this facility. It was more of an information center for the spies he had around the area. Plus he did some scroll research there, which is why we are going."
"If he has someone locked up experimenting on them, I'm not gonna leave them that way," Naruto said adamantly, crossing his arms over his chest.
"If there is, let me handle it discreetly."
Naruto thinned his lips angrily, then finally nodded.
Sasuke felt himself relax slightly. 'Like a bull in a china closet,' he thought with a shake of his head. "Hey, dobe."
"Don't call me that, teme!" came the knee jerk response.
"Why exactly did you collapse in Lightning Country?"
"Oh, ummm..."
"Ummm...?"
"Well, I got really mad and Orochimaru tried to get out. He took control of his chakra enough to activate the curse marks."
Sasuke recalled feeling drawn to the blonde at that time. "I guess we should be glad that Oushi was the only one there that had one," he murmured.
Naruto nodded his agreement.
"Let's not use his chakra again unless we absolutely have to. We don't want him getting loose again." Sasuke didn't want to think about losing Naruto again to that snake.
Naruto readily agreed, thinking almost the same thing about his friend.
"One last thing," Sasuke was saying as they approached the entrance to the lair. "If I am in charge of this one, you will call me either Sasuke-sama or at least Uchiha-san."
"Fuck you, teme! I will not!"
"Dobe, it's what everyone here calls me," Sasuke gritted out. "I just want this to go smooth."
"Fuck you," Naruto repeated. "I'm not calling you "san" and I'm sure as hell not calling you "sama." Stoke your ego on your own time, bastard!"
"Pain in the ass," Sasuke muttered. He had hoped by putting Naruto in the position as a subordinate that the idiot would go to him before doing something stupid. He should have known better.
Sasuke opened the entrance and a wave of warmth hit them. They both gladly shed their coats as the door closed behind them. A late middle aged man met them in the hallway as they walked deeper into the lair. Brown hair greying at the temples and chocolate brown eyes almost painfully reminded Naruto of Iruka for a moment.
"Sasuke-sama." The man bowed formally. "We are honored by your presence."
'Oh my god,' Naruto thought. 'Here is a serious booty kisser.'
"And who is your guest, Sasuke-sama?" the man asked politely. Naruto saw his eyes rake over him almost dismissively.
"Yes, Sasuke-sama," Naruto found himself saying as he stepped up to Sasuke's back. He nuzzled the dark hair affectionately and snaked a hand around his chest to run it over suddenly tensed pecs. "Introduce us."
Sasuke snapped open his eyes that had somehow closed to half-mast without his permission. He saw the disapproving look on the steward's face at Naruto's display. "This is my guest...Oturan," he managed to get out in a relatively normal tone.
A hot breath caressed his ear. "How original," it whispered, then followed with the wet tip of a tongue along the lobe. Sasuke tried to suppress a shiver.
"Yes, well." The older man gathered his dignity. "Allow me to show you each to a room where you can rest and freshen up."
"Oh, we don't need separate rooms. Do we, Sasuke-sama?" Naruto protested lightly as his hand started sliding down from the pecs to the abs.
Sasuke quickly captured the wandering hand and drew Naruto out from behind him. "Just the room I usually use, Kyoshiro."
Kyoshiro's mouth tightened almost imperceptibly and started leading the way. Naruto immediately followed with a deliberate sway to his hips. The impulses telegraphed to Sasuke's brain screamed at him to do naughty things to his friend as he watched him walk away.
The blonde paused and looked over his shoulder. "Are you ...coming, Sasuke-sama?"
The pale skinned young nin swallowed with difficulty. Desperately ignoring the hardening within his pants, he caught up to the unpredictable menace to his sanity.
Five seconds after the door had closed, Naruto had collapsed on the bed and started howling with laughter. "Oh my god, did you see the look on his face?" the dobe demanded before breaking down into mirthful giggles yet again.
Sasuke felt his eyebrow twitch. He wasn't sure if he should be irritated or amused at his friend's childish antics. Well, as he had always told himself in the past, when in doubt go with irritated. It was the safer of the two. "You do realize, moron, that the small bed you are currently flopping around on is the one you volunteered to share tonight."
Naruto glanced at the narrow bed, grin still plastered on his face. "Heh. As long as you keep your cold feet to yourself, bastard, we'll be fine."
"You mean as long as you don't hog the bed. I should make you sleep on the floor."
"No way! Besides, you have to admit it. It was funny!"
"Hn." This is what he had missed so much while he was away. He was loathe to admit it because it was almost like a betrayal to the cold harsh reality of his clan's pain and suffering. It felt like to smile or be happy was almost to make inconsequential their deaths and his oath to avenge them. And of course there was his brother. To be better than him, to defeat him, meant to be as powerful as him. To be like him. To hate him and everything to the point where only one thought, one emotion consumed him and gave him unwavering focus and strength.
Naruto stifled a sigh as the ghost of a smile disappeared from his friend's lips and the coldness returned tenfold. Every time he thought the bastard might start to feel something, he shut down or turned frigid. 'Maybe he just needs to get laid,' Naruto thought sourly. 'Hmm, maybe I should offer as a form of stress relief.' The thought brought a light blush to his cheeks. He personally thought that he was pretty talented in that area. He could offer his services to his friend. A self sacrifice on his part naturally.
"I've seen that look on Kakashi's face before. What are you thinking, dobe?" the cold voice shattered his musings.
"Oh, not much," he said with studied innocence. He nonchalantly turned onto his stomach, willing his body to cool itself down. "So, same routine? Laundry, shower, food, etc?"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, wondering what was going through the teenager's mind. At some times the dobe was totally clueless, like during their snowball fight and subsequent sword discussion or when it came to young Hinata's crush on him. Then at other times, the idiot could almost give Kakashi a run for his money like when he turned into a naked girl right in front of his whole Ninja Academy class and then turned around and taught the jutsu to an eight year old kid.
That was even before he was taught by their own porn-reading instructor. Sasuke also knew for a fact that he had been at least briefly taught by someone Naruto called "ero-sennin" who he had claimed was even more perverted than Kakashi. For the first time he found himself curious about what Naruto had been up to during their time apart. A smaller, more nostalgic part wondered if he should ask about the rest of the rookie nine, but he quashed it ruthlessly. Having one friend was hard enough. He didn't need to tie himself to others. He also realized, apart from the cryptic statement of "there's nothing there for me now," Naruto hadn't even mentioned Konoha in the few weeks that had been together. That didn't seem like the loudmouth who would talk about anything and everything normally.
Reminding himself that the only thing he cared about Naruto doing was the idiot keeping his promise regarding Itachi, he turned to the only dresser in the room. Fishing out two sets of clothes, he tossed one to the blonde on the bed and kept the other for himself. "Showers and facilities are two doors down on the right."
Naruto held up the white gi with the discreet uchiwa embroidered on the back near the collar. "You've got to be kidding me."
"You could always go naked," Sasuke reminded him.
With a sigh and a scowl, Naruto grabbed the clothes and his toothbrush and stomped off to the shower. Moving two doors down, he entered what looked to be a communal bathroom. There were four separate tile shower stalls with curtained entrances, a large soaking tub and a circular running fountain at which to shave or brush your teeth. A doorway led to another room with toilets and urinals.
Stripping down, he tossed his dirty clothes next to his clean ones on a nearby shelf and then entered one of the showers.
About ten minutes later as he was standing there rinsing off, he heard the main door open and then reclose. He hesitated a moment, then eased his senses out, trying to identify the intruder. He brushed up against a charka signature with an underlying hint of ice with an even more subtle hint of fire beneath that. He knew that signature almost as well as his own.
"It's just me, dobe," Sasuke announced as he felt the brush of something warm and spicy, like hot cinnamon.
"What do you want, teme?"
"Brought you a towel, idiot, but I'll make sure to let you streak down the halls next time." He heard a mutter that sounded suspiciously like "prick" in response. He threw his own clothes up on the shelf and steeped into an empty shower stall. "There should be food sent to the room soon," he said before he turned on the water.
Naruto's stomach greeted the news loudly and happily. He killed the water and quickly grabbed the towel to dry off. After having dressed from the waist down (he refused to wear that damn gi unless he absolutely had to), he walked over to the basin to brush his teeth. Glancing up casually, he happened to see that Sasuke's shower curtain had about a thirty centimeter gap in it. He had a clear view of a pale, tautly muscled flank as his friend washed his hair. The sleek dancer-like muscles rippled and flexed as he shifted his weight with his movements. Naruto's toothbrush paused as Sasuke turned to rinse out his raven black hair.
Water flowed over the defined chest, edging pale pink nipples in its trek southward. It continued over firm abs then parted to caress creamy thighs. However at that point, Naruto's gaze was riveted to the dark curling hair nestled between those wonderful thighs. Or more accurately to the flesh that hung displayed there. Lax but still clearly well endowed, his mouth salivated at the thought of licking the rivulets of water that coursed over that length.
His hand gripped the side of the metal basin tightly as, right before his eyes, that pallid manhood twitched and filled out slightly. His widened eyes darted upward to meet onyx black eyes staring back at him. He froze, his mind abandoning him in his time of need. There was a long moment of silence, and then:
"You're drooling toothpaste down your chest," Sasuke deadpanned.
Naruto gave a start as he glanced downward. "Shit!" he said around the toothbrush still jammed in his mouth. As he simultaneously removed the offending utensil, rinsed out his mouth and dove for a towel, he heard the distinctive sound of a shower curtain being jerked closed.
He blinked at the now-shrouded stall and decided that since he was still breathing perhaps he should examine this situation further. His stomach rumbled, trying to gain his attention. 'Okay, after food perhaps,' he conceded. After a last look at the still running shower, he grabbed his clothes and walked back to their room.
Sasuke finished washing himself, still trying to decide if he should be irritated or amused. Unlike usual, however, he wasn't sure if he really wanted to be irritated this time. Watching the dobe just stand there drooling had been both entertaining and, if he was honest with himself, flattering. Not to mention a little thrilling as well. It was certainly a whole different sensation than when Orochimaru had watched him bathe. Shaking his head, he mentally shoved his thoughts in a box labeled "All Things Dobe" and filed it away for later contemplation. At the moment, he had more important things to do.
After quickly dressing, Sasuke stepped out into the hallway. Instead of moving towards his room however, he moved further into the hidden base. Coming across a servant, he handed the young man his soiled clothing and told him to gather the rest from his room and have it laundered. He moved on, ignoring the "Yes, Uchiha-sama" that the other murmured.
Sasuke quickly came to the door of Orochimaru's study. He confidently disarmed the traps surrounding it and completed the necessary seals to unlock the jutsu protecting it. This he had seen done before on his previous visit with the Sannin. He swiftly entered the room and resealed it behind him. Turning on the lights, he surveyed the relatively uncluttered room. There was a large table with a plush, comfortable looking seat behind it. On the heavy table was a lamp and a handful of blank scrolls neatly stacked by a brush and ink set. Along one wall on a shelf were some more common lower level jutsu scrolls. Nothing that he was particularly interested in.
He activated his Sharingan and studied the room more carefully. He knew that there was a vault in this room. He just wasn't sure of where. His eyes picked up the minute trace of mortar dust on the floor along one section of the far wall. He moved closer and, after several minutes of looking, was able to see a section of stone where the mortar didn't quite meet the edges of several stones. He could sense the presence of charka in the area but was unable to identify the sealing/locking jutsu used.
He had to get into this vault. He was aware that the snake Sannin had placed some of his more valuable scrolls in the vault of this lair. Valuable enough that he had never let Sasuke watch him open it. More determined than ever, he pulled the chair over in front of the wall and sat down, studying it intently.
It was many hours later when Sasuke let himself into the room he was sharing with Naruto. While he had a few ideas about the vault, he didn't know enough yet to risk opening it. Perhaps after some sleep he would be clear headed enough to discover some more.
The room was dimly lit by a candle on the simple but sturdy desk in the corner of the room. On the desk were the cold remains of dinner which he declined to eat at the moment. He just wasn't in the mood for food. On the chair in front of the desk was a folded pile of clean clothes, ready to be packed away.
He glanced over at the bed to where Naruto was sprawled out, blankets pushed down to his hips. The golden light of the candle seemed to make the tanned skin glow softly. As his eyes slid over the vivid yellow hair, the dobe box in his mind rattled, begging to be opened. He ignored it and moved over towards the bed, staring down at his sleeping companion. 'Not a companion,' a part of his mind denied. 'Merely a tool to be used.'
Another part of his mind urged him to reach out and touch that skin. The whisker marks were drawing his fingers in to explore them, to see if they were scars or birthmarks. Finally, unable to resist any longer, he allowed his fingertips to ghost over the surprisingly smooth skin. However, in a typical Naruto fashion, he could feel the faintest trace of a ridge along those lines, leaving the answer as enigmatic as everything else that really counted about the young man. If only he could delve inside that mind as easily as he traced those tanned cheeks. If only he could figure out what made him tick, what it was about him that seemed to infect and change everyone around him. Perhaps one day he could use his Sharingan to project himself into the younger shinobi's mind and go exploring. His lips twisted into a facsimile of a smile as he thought he should be afraid of that particular prospect.
Blue eyes snapped open, meeting his own and disrupting his thoughts. A left hand immediately jerked up to cover the right side of a chest protectively as a swirling mass of charka formed in the right palm. Sasuke immediately used his speed to move himself out of range, faster than the eye could follow. Those blue orbs blinked and awareness flooded them. The chakra dissipated as Naruto gave a short, embarrassed laugh. "You startled me, bastard."
Sasuke noted that the left hand hadn't fully relaxed. "You should be more aware of your surroundings," he murmured reflexively but without his usual rancor.
"Pfft, whatever, bastard. Maybe you shouldn't hover over people while they sleep." Naruto watched as Sasuke turned away and started to strip down to his boxers. "So, get the scrolls?"
"No."
Naruto waited in expectant silence for a long moment. "Annnd?" he finally prompted. Sasuke made a shooing motion with his hand and Naruto obediently scooted over.
"And I will get them tomorrow," he said shortly as he crawled under the blankets.
Naruto stared at his companion for a long moment before speaking. "Hey, umm, Sasuke," he said as he propped himself up on his right elbow. "I've been thinking…"
"There's a first."
"Shut up, teme!" Naruto paused to glare at his friend then continued his train of thought. "Well, you know stress relief is really important. You know getting rid of tension and all. And I've always been bad at meditation even though I'm supposed to meditate to keep my chakra pathways clear, but I really suck at it."
Sasuke turned his head to look at his bedmate in slight confusion. Apparently this train of thought had many stop-overs before it reached its destination.
"And I've only seen you relieve stress and tension by beating the shit out of things and people…" he continued to ramble.
Sasuke couldn't deny that last statement.
"And I'm sure an ice prick like you must get stressed since you're an uptight asshole…"
"Besides insulting me, is there a point to this?" Sasuke interrupted coldly.
"See, that's kinda what I mean," Naruto said while pointing a finger at his friend.
Sasuke wondered which would occur first, his headache or Naruto's conclusion to this meandering conversation.
"So anyway, no strings attached, doesn't have to mean anything, just stress relief…"
"Naruto," Sasuke intervened once more. "Take a deep breath." He waited until the other boy did so. "Now tell me what the hell you are trying to say."
"Wanna fool around?" he almost squeaked out.
Sasuke caught himself before he did a double take. After the scene in the shower, he shouldn't be surprised really. However, that didn't change the fact that he was. Did the offer intrigue him? Of course. He had already semi-admitted to himself that he found Naruto attractive. Did he think it was a good idea? Of course not. If they had been complete strangers then perhaps they could've avoided entanglement. But he didn't believe it was possible for two people with as much history between them as they did to be unaffected by a new level of intimacy.
He watched as Naruto started fidgeting nervously. The fingers of the younger boy's left hand unconsciously caressed the smooth unscarred flesh where Sasuke's hand had once pierced. He ruthlessly quelled any feelings of guilt. He had no reason to feel guilty. He had left the dobe alive in the end. The fight would have never happened if the idiot hadn't pursued him in the first place. However Sasuke was sure that on some level, Naruto didn't trust him completely. This would be a way to bind him closer to Sasuke and, by default, Sasuke's purpose. If they were to fight together against the murderer of his clan, then it would be best if the blonde trusted him absolutely. He almost nodded to himself, reassured that his thinking was logical and in no way was influenced by other factors. Factors like underlying emotions and curiosity. No, there was no other reason at all.
"Well you know, it was a passing thought," Naruto laughed nervously into the silence. "Forget I said anything. It's late, I'm still aslee-"
"Okay," Sasuke agreed without inflection.
Naruto froze. "O..Okay?" Surely he had heard wrong.
"Yes, dobe. Okay," he reiterated quietly.
A slow grin crept across Naruto's face until his eyes squinted in delight. He let out a "whoop!" and in one bound was out from under the covers and sitting across Sasuke's legs. He rubbed his hands together gleefully then cracked his knuckles. "Alright, let the master get to work! I'll have you moaning the name of Uzumaki Naruto in a matter of seconds!"
'What have I done?' Sasuke asked himself faintly.
TBC