Title : Between Horizons [ 1/10
Author : stupidpoem [ coatcheckdream
Rating : Eventual R [ blood, swearing and adult situations
Pairings : Naruto/Sasuke -- slight Sai/Naruto
Summary : He was to lie to Naruto, for his own good. Sasuke knows Itachi could be lurking around any corner, but he can't seem to let Naruto know how much worth he has in Sasuke's eyes. And theres that bothersome Sai ...
Sasuke crept silent through the forest brush, eyes glinting strangely feline in the half light. His body moved fluidly and lithe, everything about him reeking of danger and precision. And it was true. All of those terrible horrors that the village of the Leaf had whispered amongst neighboring towns until it had spread like wildfire and reached the missing nin's own ears. All of them were completely and horrendously true.
He reached a still clearing and paused, eyes roaming over every rock and twitching blade of grass. There was no time for error in a mission like this. Picking up his pace, the Uchiha continued with quickened steps. Already his eyes were transforming under starlight and he noticed every sway of leaves, every subtle crunch of twigs beneath his sandals.
"Itachi?" Sasuke's voice sounded clear and strong, echoing across the wall of rock he had come across and becoming audible throughout the entire forest. Hopefully Itachi had kept his half of the bargain and come unaccompanied.
Sasuke rapidly became aware of the soft red glow watching from the shadows until it was him, just as he always remembered, standing before him. Itachi was about the same height as Sasuke now, but still it seemed to the younger of the Uchiha's that Itachi towered over him.
"So you've come," Itachi's voice was all smooth and silk with a hint of amusement. He still wore his Akatsuki kimono even though the group had been disbanded for some time now. The crimson clouds had faded to a dull brown over years of wear but Sasuke could never mistake it.
"Yes. I've come to negotiate," he said carefully, taking in every possible exit from this dead end path. He was only here for one thing, and that one thing he would walk away with.
Itachi smiled cruelly though it was half hidden by the neck of his coat. "You've come for the fox? To ensure his safely? I thought you were over such trivial matters, dear brother."
It took all the will power Sasuke could muster to keep from lunging at his prey. Years, he had waited for a day like this. A chance to finally take his vengeance that he sacrificed so much for. But he needed something else first.
"I need the names of the Sound ninja leading the invasion," Sasuke said with an even tone though his soul was trembling.
"And what do you have of value to me?" Itachi was certainly bemused. His calculating eyes swept over the young Uchiha. He was still donning the kimono from Orochimaru and in a strange way it suited him. Sasuke was all elegance.
Sasuke calmly slipped a hand into his weapon pouch and pulled out a shimmering green gem on a chain. The First Hokage's necklace that he had stolen three days prior from the very heart of Kohona, right from within Uzumaki's apartment. It had been risky, and had he been caught death was most certainly the punishment. But it had to be done and perhaps Naruto would even thank him some day.
Clearly surprised, Itachi moved closer as if to verify it wasn't a decoy. There was no mistaking the strange hue and hazy aura. Yes, the gem would be a valuable asset to his plans. It elicited a satisfied smirk from Itachi and he took the chain from Sasuke's slender fingers.
"I have sent six teams to lead the first assault. The leader's name is Kanya Mituzugo from the hidden village in the Sound. They will be attacking in two days time," Itachi said easily, toying with the necklace.
Sasuke nodded, silently swearing his vengeance a thousand times over in his mind. He still couldn't fathom why even after all this time he had such a concern for Naruto Uzumaki. Never would be admit such a thing to anyone, yet there he was, letting a chance to murder Itachi slip through his fingers.
"Remember the story you must tell, or that entire pitiful village will burn."
The younger Uchiha turned, growling without turning around. "I will be back for you and those words will become truth." Sasuke picked up his pace, seething. He wanted nothing more than to rip into the traitor, the murderer that so closely mirrored himself. Even when he had put miles between him and his brother and he was in the safe seclusion of trees he didn't dare let himself rest. For that sort of luxury was not for traitors like himself.
-----
Sasuke was close, Naruto was sure of it. The blonde had spent years tracking him and finally it came down to this quaint, serene forest so close to Kohona. His eyes searched desperately, body crouched behind a sapling tree. Even with the mental preparations, he still felt his breath catch when he spotted a slender frame leaning against a rock.
Former attack plan abandoned, Naruto stepped out of the shadows. It would have seemed like Sasuke hadn't noticed anything at all except for the sway of his bangs as he shifted his gaze to Naruto.
" … Sasuke?" Hesitantly, Naruto paced forward, looking as if he were afraid the Uchiha would strike without warning. None of their prior meetings had gone pleasantly and he expected no less of this one. But the fire of determination had not left his eyes. He was going to end this and bring his best friend home.
"Naruto," Sasuke said impassively. "You should leave."
The blonde ninja scowled and when he spoke his voice was biting. "This has to end. Just come home with me!" Naruto ventured even closer, unafraid.
Sasuke closed his eyes as if he were suddenly very tired. "Naruto. There will be ninja coming to infiltrate Kohona in two days. They will come looking for you, which is why I'm taking you far enough away that they will not be able to locate you."
For a few stunned minutes, Naruto visibly absorbed this information. A strange look welled up in his eyes; something like torn feelings waging war. He must save Sasuke. He must protect Kohona and everything within it's walls. He must …
"Itachi is dead," Sasuke said solemnly. He said it with such confidence that for a moment he believed it himself. But then those haunting eyes crept into his subconscious and he was sure that beast was still living, waiting to rake claws down his soul.
"He .. What?" Naruto asked, obviously still grappling with the concept of an invasion. How could Itachi be dead? It was only a few months ago that ANBU had spotted him in the far end of Fire County. Naruto shook his head in disbelief.
Sasuke looked up and Naruto swore something was swimming behind his coal eyes but couldn't place exactly what.
"I don't believe you," he finally said with an even tone. At least Naruto hoped that it wasn't truth. He had always imagined that once the other Uchiha was dead, a caged part of Sasuke's soul would finally be free. And standing there before him now, nothing about Sasuke looked free. He appeared as if his entire being was fettered down.
"Hn. Believe what you want, I could care less," Sasuke said with a sneer.
"Why would you tell me information like that. You hate me, remember? Teme?" Naruto felt something change in the tension as the words left his mouth. Sasuke looked caught of guard. Something was off, and Naruto could sense it.
"I don't know why I even bothered," the Uchiha said. He closed his eyes in debate. As if in resolution, he moved forward until his mouth was a breath away from Naruto's ears.
"You must believe what I'm telling you. You're in danger, dobe," he whispered rapidly as if he were afraid of the words spilling from him. A kind of awe dawned on Naruto's face that dominated the previous ferocity.
" … You're worried about me, aren't you?" Naruto said, dumbfounded. "Yeah, you are!" A foxy smile broke out across the boy's face and it was like water being poured into a desert.
Sasuke stepped away, expression stoic. He didn't comment on Naruto's findings. "I'll follow you from a distance back to the village so you can alert the Hokage. But then we really need to find somewhere to hide. They want you," he said.
Naruto furrowed his brow at the word 'they' but didn't say anything. "You mean the Kyuubi. They want the Kyuubi, not me." By now Naruto was tired of being considered one and the same as the fox demon.
"Yes."
"Okay then … I guess we should get going," Naruto said, looking at Sasuke strangely. He felt as though when he looked away the Uchiha would evaporate or something equally as mysterious. A smile came easily to his lips as he looked back. In a rush of wind and grass, the blonde ninja was sprinting through the foliage.
After a safe following distance was established, Sasuke took off after him. A smirk of his own was hardly noticeable but there all the same. He was glad to see Naruto more or less unchanged, even after all he'd been through. The one bond that he had deemed impossible to sever, and for once, the Uchiha felt grateful for this one thing.
---------
Naruto was little more than an orange blur when he entered Kohona, and hardly noticed Sai's presence until he was more or less on top of him. The pale boy gave a practiced smile at Naruto's presence.
"Hello Naruto, I didn't expect you back so soon," he said and closed his sketchbook. Over the years and missions, the two had become closer than anyone had expected, and even now they often went to dinner or training together.
"Yeah, I have some important news for Granny Tsunade. I know I said I'd come see you as soon as I got back, but this can't wait. I'll talk to you later, alright?" Naruto grinned apologetically with a hand rubbing the back of his neck as he walked away.
Sai didn't seem perturbed. In fact he looked slightly relieved. "Good, that means I can finish your gift."
"I can't wait to see it," Naruto said and it was truth. When the blonde had left for his mission a week prior, Sai had promised him something he would love upon his return. As much as Naruto had pestered Sakura, the medical ninja wouldn't let on anything about it, just smiling knowingly.
Back to the task on hand, he easily made the short run to the Hokage's tower and wasted no time in sprinting inside. He received several strange looks as he poked his messy blonde head into every room along the way in an attempt to hunt down Sakura. She spent almost every spare second there continuing her training in the medical field.
"Saaaaakuraaa!" he yelled down the hall, paying no heed to the harsh glares being sent his way when his voice bounced off the silent walls. But it did it's job because Sakura appeared seconds later with a life threatening glare.
"Naruto! You can't just come in here and act like a five year old!" she fumed. No matter how many years past, Naruto was always the same loud mouthed twelve year old at heart. Sakura loved him dearly, but he tested her nerves more than she'd care to talk about.
"Sorry but it's important!" he defended, not sounding sorry at all.
"Well, what is it?" Sakura closed her eyes and rubbed her temple with her thumb.
"I can't really talk about it here, it's kind of a secret," Naruto said with a nervous smile, blue eyes bouncing around the hallway at all the ninja acting nonchalant while they listened in.
Sakura gave him a look that caused Naruto to question his own safety. "I uh … seriously!" he added and just for good measure let the smile slide off of his whiskered cheeks. His friend paused, green eyes flickering in thought but she didn't say anything more.
Tsunade was predictably at her desk, an untouched mountain of paperwork teetering on the edge. Naruto felt relieved to see her face even though she was giving him a less than welcomed stare.
"What is it now, Naruto?" she said with an edge of irritation to her voice. "I have a million things to do so this better be important." Her accusing eyes drifted over to Sakura who abruptly looked away.
"Granny, we have … a problem."
----
Sasuke watched from the tree line, concealed in chakra and stifling a quickly building rage. A good half mile away a thin, pallid figure was drawing a needle through orange cloth resting on his lap. Sasuke's stand in for the team. He knew just from the interaction between him and Naruto. Red swallowing his vision, he watched Sai dangerously, like a fierce predator observing it's prey. How dare they replace him so easily? With a low growl, Sasuke turned toward the Hokage's tower. He was aware of the ANBU that would most certainly be stationed there, but brushed it off. He was thirsting for blood anyway.