A/N: So sorry I didn't update for so long, I kinda got sidetracked by life. Grr. Anyway thanks to those who reviewed last chapter! And in case anyone got confused, Raven's mask last time wasn't broken, it was only bloody, so Naruto still doesn't know that Sasuke is Raven. :)
Here's the first official sorta chapter! Yay! And it's much longer too. Please enjoy!
Betrayed By a Truth
Chapter One: Freedom Flies
"We'll send Sector Three troops to the northeastern border. They're having some difficulty with the Kumo troops, who invaded the Land of Frost. Sector Eight is departing tonight for the station in Kiri. Suna has begun raiding the southwestern towns, so some troops must be deployed there as well."
Naruto propped his head up lazily, drawing patterns on the table absentmindedly as he listened to Danzo's army generals and strategists give their reports. It was never an interesting affair, listening to them talk. He would much rather be riding his horse and hunting; but it was a required task, seeing how one day he would rule over Konoha.
"Very good. What about Iwa?" Danzo asked from beside Naruto.
Hiashi, the main general, answered. "They've been withdrawing lately. We have reason to suspect that they're preparing for a brutal assault, since things have been too quiet recently."
"I see. And what of alliances?"
"As far as we can tell, there have been no attempted alliances between any of the surrounding countries. We have done our best to ensure that…"
Hiashi's voice droned on, and Naruto stifled a yawn. He felt someone kick him under the table and his head snapped up to glare at his best friend, who had a smug smirk on his face. "Don't fall asleep," he mouthed.
Naruto scowled and was about to kick him back when he noticed Danzo and his surrounding advisors staring at him rather expectantly. "Uh—yes?"
"Shikaku asked what you thought of the infighting that's been occurring," Danzo said. His face was unreadable as always, half hidden beneath the customary white bandages. Naruto had never known what was wrong with his appointed guardian—some medical mystery, probably, since neither Sakura nor Tsunade (the two best healers in all of Konoha) had been able to heal him.
"Ah, that." Naruto swallowed, taking his eyes off Danzo and locking them on Sasuke, pleading for help. Sasuke gave a slight shake of his head. Traitor. "Um, well, the Rebel Factions have been acting up in the south. Perhaps some of the peacekeepers should be sent to make alliances with them, so we can save our resources and focus on the outside enemies instead of the interior. As well as the poorer towns in the east, who are constantly complaining about being attacked by pirate ships from Kiri. We could—"
"That's all and well," Danzo interrupted, his one visible eye shrewd and oddly piercing, "but what about the gangs?"
Silence settled like a death shroud over the table. Naruto threw another desperate glance toward Sasuke. His face had grown strangely impassive, and he was staring at Naruto with indecipherable eyes. Alone again.
"The gangs. Right. Ah, there were some of the smaller gangs stirring trouble, but nothing too major. There have also been rumors of the gang called Akatsuki invading from the north, but those are just that, rumors… Oto's gangs have also been quiet recently. The ANBU gang as well. Most of the trouble is coming from the infighting, truthfully, so we should just focus our efforts to end the rebellions and everything will be solved." Naruto was aware he was rambling, but he couldn't stop himself.
"And the Leaf gang?" Danzo's voice was icy cold.
A chill ran down Naruto's spine as he stared at his guardian. Does he know something? Did he find my mask? Or… does someone else know, and they told him? "Th—they don't really cause trouble. Only rioting through towns and the like. Nothing severe."
They locked eyes for a few more moments, before Danzo finally looked away and the weight lifted from Naruto's chest. He breathed out, eyes closing in silent relief.
"That'll be all for today," Danzo was saying. "Please be here, same time, same place, tomorrow."
The screeching of chairs being pushed back across the stone floor woke Naruto from his brief reverie, and he hastily stood up as well. "Farewell, Your Majesty." He bowed slightly to Danzo before dashing out of the room, seeing Sasuke waiting outside. "Thank God that's over. I hate those meetings."
"They're necessary," Sasuke murmured as the two of them set off down the corridor. "And you should start learning how to manage them." He fixed the prince with a stern glare.
Naruto burst out laughing. "Yeah, sure, sure, whatever you say. Anyway, at least that's over! Let's go outside. I'm in the mood for some fresh air." Without waiting for Sasuke's answer, he grabbed his best friend's wrist and began running.
He breathed in deeply as soon as they were outside, enjoying the sunshine on his face and the wind in his hair. Naruto never did like the castle much. Too luxurious and too cold—much like Danzo. The man never failed to irritate Naruto. He wasn't even related to him; he had just been his late parents' senior advisor, who had happened to take on the role of king after the terrible incident seventeen years ago, at Naruto's birth. They never talked about the incident, even though Naruto had made it known that his one goal was to find his parents' murderer and destroy them even if it cost him his own life. Sasuke didn't like discussing the topic, since his own clan had been eradicated during the attack, leaving only him to carry on their duties.
"—ruto. Naruto!" A pale hand waved in front of his face, causing Naruto to start.
"Wha? What's going on?" He looked around, confused.
"It's me, idiot." Sasuke's hand retreated, and he walked a little ahead of Naruto, hands in his pockets. "You were spacing out. Where are we going?"
"Let's just wander around. I haven't had the time to properly enjoy the outdoors without being chased down recently." Naruto grinned lopsidedly, quickening his pace a little to catch up with Sasuke. They walked in silence for a bit before he spoke again. "So, what have you been up to recently?"
"This and that." Sasuke shrugged, staring straight ahead. "You know, advisor duties."
"You never tell me what those are," Naruto complained. "How do I know you're not secretly, like, plotting with Danzo to kill me? Or sneaking off to perform assassinations in the dead of the night? Or—Sasuke?"
Sasuke had stopped dead in his tracks, leaving Naruto ahead of him. His face was paler than usual, and his voice had an unidentifiable edge to it. "What did you just say?"
Naruto frowned. "Relax. I was joking. Of course you wouldn't be plotting with Danzo. I trust you." He took a step forward, only to halt as Sasuke's tense face melted into his regular emotionless façade, with what might be the slightest hint of relief hiding under it all.
"Right. Sorry, this stress is getting to me." Sasuke laughed, the noise natural and fluid. Naruto smiled too, already forgetting Sasuke's strange behavior. "The war isn't progressing as planned, you know. We're facing some dark times ahead of us if we don't get this settled soon. And you also want to avenge your family, don't you?"
"Yeah. I need to become king before I can do anything about it though." Naruto sighed, watching petals swirl off from the sakura trees. If there was one thing he loved about the palace, it was the courtyard and gardens. Immaculately maintained and beautifully designed, it gave off an air of freedom—despite the castle wall looming forbidding and gray in the background. "I love spring."
"Hn."
"It feels so…liberating." Naruto stretched a hand up, watching it imprint itself against the cerulean sky. "Almost like there's nothing wrong with this world. Like Konoha isn't becoming corrupted. Like violence isn't occurring right at this moment. Like—"
Like I can fly.
"But that isn't the truth." Sasuke's voice brought him crashing back down. Naruto's hand fell to his side and he scowled at his best friend.
"Stop bringing me down, bastard. Let me feel happy!"
"If you want to feel happy, why don't you go for a ride? I'm sure your horse misses you."
"Only if you come with me."
Naruto's heart fell as Sasuke turned away; as if Naruto hadn't already seen the beginnings of a 'no' in his black, black eyes. "I can't. Sorry. You know I have things to do."
"Yeah, I know." Naruto watched with a heavy feeling in his gut as Sasuke lifted his hand briefly (now where had he seen that before) and vanished around the corner. And then he was alone in the gardens, alone on the path, alone in the whirl of cherry blossoms dancing in the spring.
Don't you know that there's no point to anything if you're not there with me, by my side?
Naruto ended up wandering around the gardens until he found Lee, the gardener, trimming some artfully shaped shrubs in the eastern side of the castle. "Hey, Lee."
"Oh! Your Highness Prince Naruto!" Lee jumped up and saluted him, shears still clamped in his hand. He seemed to realize this and threw them behind him into the bushes before grinning again. "What may I help you with?"
"Stop it, Lee. I told you not to call me Your Highness. It sounds way too formal." Naruto sighed, picking his way around Lee and plucking the shears from the bushes. "Here you go."
"Thank you, Your—er, Prince Naruto."
Naruto decided not to mention that he didn't like the epithet 'Prince' either, considering the fact that if he did Lee probably would have a fit trying to figure out what to properly call him. "What were you doing?"
"I was just fixing up the shrubs. They were looking a little frizzy." Lee turned around and began snipping off little twigs again, examining them sharply with his round eyes. "I do not mean to be rude, Prince Naruto, but why have you come to seek out a lowly gardener such as me? Surely I have done nothing wrong?" He looked worried under his large straw hat.
"Oh, you did nothing wrong. I was just bored." Naruto and Lee both fidgeted in the awkward silence that followed his statement, and finally Naruto said, "Can I help you?"
"Wh—help me? You? I mean, Prince Naruto wants to help? Um, I—er…" Lee flapped his hands, confused. He was obviously unsure whether to refuse Naruto's request and possibly end up in the dungeon for a couple days or let the prince help and possibly bring the wrath of Danzo down upon him.
"Never mind. It's okay. I'll just…go," Naruto mumbled, apologizing to Lee before quickly fleeing the scene. He hated his royal status. He really did.
This is why I have no real friends. Except Sasuke, but even he doesn't want to be around me that much.
Sighing despondently, he returned the castle. It was still early in the afternoon, and now he had nothing to do. Servants scurried out of his way as he passed them, directing their gazes downward in what was supposed to be a show of respect but only ended up making Naruto feel even lonelier than before. Sasuke was nowhere to be found, and even some of the other young adults he liked to hang out with on occasion—Sakura, Ino, Hinata, Shikamaru or sometimes even Shino—were conspicuously absent.
He finally returned to his quarters and collapsed on his large bed in defeat. "Am I really that alone?" Naruto whispered, eyes trained on the ceiling. "I just want some friends. Is it too much to ask?"
No one answered, not that he had expected someone to.
With another sigh, he rolled over and stood up, walking over to the mirror propped up in the corner of his room. Familiar blue eyes stared back at him, and he ran his hands through his bright yellow hair. Everything about him was so colorful that it almost seemed fake in the soft afternoon sunlight washing his room in a pale gold, dappling his skin. Briefly, he wondered what his gang would do if they figured out that he was a prince and not ordinary like they thought he was. Would they abandon him too? Think him a traitor for not telling them sooner? Fear him for his supposed power? Naruto didn't think he would be able to stand if that happened—the Leaf gang members were one of the few that Naruto actually considered friends outside of the castle, even if they were bound by dedication and duty. They had been together for three years now, formed on one stormy night and based off of a promise to do good and brighten humanity.
If they were to shun him as well, only because of his rank… Naruto didn't think he would be able to stand it. He would break.
Naruto turned away from the mirror abruptly, shaking his head. No. He had never thought about the Leaf gang this much outside of when he was Kyuubi, so why was he doing it now? Determined to forget about the Leaf's existence—at least for another month—he shoved it to the back of his mind and sealed it away.
It didn't diminish the aching feeling still left inside Naruto, however. He still felt lonely—so lonely. He just wanted escape, even if it was just for a little. Freedom like the gardens, only without the castles. Freedom like…
Outside.
A sudden idea implanted itself into Naruto's mind and in seconds he was acting on it, ignoring the consequences it would no doubt bring in favor of easing the terrible loneliness that was slowly tearing him to pieces. Just for a little, he told himself. He would go outside—just for a little.
After digging around in his wardrobe for a bit, he finally found a plain tunic, dusky blue and slightly wrinkled from being shoved in the corner for so long. He kept his black pants on and selected a heavy, velvety cloak from the closet before shutting it and glancing at himself in the mirror. With the hood on and his face in shadow, he would be hard to recognize, especially since Prince Naruto was never known to go outside of the castle much anyway.
Naruto smiled to himself before flipping the mirror around, revealing a hidden door set into the wallpaper. Every room had one of these, forming an intricate interconnected maze within the very bones of the castle. Naruto had used them to escape on more than one occasion, and this time it wouldn't be any different.
He emerged near the sewers, and wrinkled his nose at the stench. Quickly drawing his hood up, he began walking toward the closest street, heart pounding away in his chest. Every time he snuck out, it brought a certain thrill to him, knowing that he might be caught but probably wouldn't. The merchants paid him no mind as he merged seamlessly with the flow of traffic exiting the castle; he was just another errand boy sent by some farmer or smith in the city. Naruto followed the familiar dirt-trodden path until he reached the market square, which he widely considered his most favorite place in the whole world—even above the gardens in the castle.
It was huge, to say the least. The square stretched open before him, the expanse wide and encompassing. It bustled with people of all shades and colors, and stall-owners hawked their sales with loud, cawing cries, urging men and women and girls and boys to come look at their oh-so-beautiful ribbons or swords. Naruto breathed in deeply, a grin spreading across his face. Times like these were when he liked to say, 'I'm home.'
And he truly did feel that way. Only in the market (or when he was leaping across buildings, quick like a shadow with the wind in his hair and a mask on his face) did he feel like he truly belonged; in the throng of the crowd, the hum of the conversations, basking in the normalness of the citizens around him.
He slipped through the crowds, admiring the wares and merely listening to the crowd's incessant chatter. It calmed his heart.
"And so did you hear about Akana? Yeah I couldn't believe it! Who would've thought—?"
"—heard Tazuna is throwing a party soon. Who knows, he just had a son and his wife is absolutely horrid—"
"Who wants some beautiful, finely crafted pottery? Made by the best pottery-smith in town! Come and get it before it aaaaall runs out!"
"Jiraiya-sama's newest novel is releasing soon! I'm so excited!"
"—do you want to eat tonight? I heard the Green-Eye Tavern is open again. Maybe—"
"…buy now! Biggest sale of the year!"
Naruto wandered around for a good hour or so, content to listen and observe. Once he bought some sausage-bread because he had grown hungry, only to give it to a dirty street urchin. He ended up buying five more for the street urchin's beggar friends, who all looked pitifully small and bony.
How can Danzo sit in his castle and do nothing about the children, waste money on luxuries, and send troops to war when obviously the bigger concern is the population of Konoha? Who does he think will supply the armies when our troops get too diminished? The children?!
Naruto thought angrily afterwards.
He was sitting on the stairs that led down to the square, resting, when he heard his name. Instantly, his back stiffened and his ears perked, straining to catch the conversation.
"—he's a useless prince. Almost worse than Danzo, but nobody likes Danzo, so he doesn't really count." The male voice, low and rough, scoffed derisively. "He doesn't do anything for Konoha either. Basically we've got a useless government who can't do anything for our country."
"Well, I heard that Danzo doesn't allow him out of the castle very much," another voice began, also male but decidedly less brash than the first one.
The first voice cut him off. "Don't pull that bullshit. Everyone knows that there are ways to get out of that damn castle if someone really wanted out. It's not a fortress."
"You still shouldn't badmouth someone you don't know," the second voice admonished lightly.
"The Leaf gang does more than the blasted prince ever will! If he hasn't done anything in his seventeen years so far, what makes you think that he'll help us when he's eighteen and ascended to the throne? What if he just ends up useless and even more of an incompetent fool than Danzo? I say we'd be better off without him."
"Come on, Takeshi—"
"He's probably got assassins out for his head anyway, looking to clean up the mess from seventeen years ago. Maybe that's why he doesn't want to poke his nose outside the castle. If only his parents hadn't up and died, maybe we wouldn't even be in this mess!"
Naruto had heard enough. He stood, back hunched and arms clenched inside the cloak, literally shaking with the effort he was restraining himself with. Don't do it. Don't go over to Takeshi… Don't punch his lights out. Don't do it, it's not worth it, it's not worth it! he chanted to himself, taking a deep breath through his nose before slowly taking a step down the stairs. And another. And another. Twelve steps in total, until he was once more immersed in the chaos of the square and away from the badmouthing idiot that he so, so wanted to kill.
It was one thing to insult Naruto, which he knew he deserved. It was another to insult his parents, who had been far more just and fair than Danzo or he could ever be.
Tension coiled in his chest again, tight and threatening like a cobra waiting to strike. It wouldn't leave even though he tried to distract himself with the conversations still going on around him ("Buy me some sweet cake, please, Mother?" "Not today, honey. You know we're tight on money."). He knew this would happen—it always did, someone badmouthing him or Danzo. Humans gossiped about what they didn't know, and that was a fact of life. It was just that nobody had dared talk bad about his parents…until now.
Naruto didn't know his parents. He was just a day old when they were killed, after all. All his life he had heard stories, though; stories of how they bravely gave their lives to the kingdom in exchange for peace and prosperity. Stories of their combined strength to protect the things they loved. Stories of how his mother's hair was redder than blood and his father's hair was as bright as the sunshine. He knew they weren't perfect, that they had flaws as all people did, but their souls were much purer than anyone left in Konoha.
(and so, tell me, what makes Konoha worth saving?)
He hadn't realized he was still walking, automatically weaving between people and stalls, until he reached a much less crowded street. The sun was going down, and it was at that awkward time when it wasn't yet dark enough for the streetlights to turn on, but it was getting harder and harder to see in the semi-twilight gloom. Naruto sighed. Apparently this outing hadn't helped as much as he hoped it would.
He was turning, ready to start home, when something crashed into his chest and sent them both bowling over.
His first thought was, I'm being attacked! His second thought was, So why is there a slimy tongue running all over my face?
Naruto cracked open an eye and was met instantly with the attractive face of a furry, overgrown white mutt. The dog panted delightedly at seeing his prey move, and it set off a second round of tongue-licking sliminess. Naruto winced and attempted to push the beast off of him, but it was just that: an inhumanly large beast. To make matters worse, it decided to sit down on his chest, causing the breath in his lungs to whoosh out of him in one huff. Damn this dog was heavy.
"I'm so sorry!" a voice cried, and suddenly the dog was pried off of him and oh holy lord he could breathe again. Naruto coughed slightly as he was dragged into a sitting position and something soft was wiped across his face, relieving it of the slobber. "I'm really sorry," the voice apologized again, "I didn't mean to let Akamaru go. He just has this wild tendency to pull and pull and I'm sure you know by now what happens when he's dead set on something… I'm really sorry—"
"It—it's fine," Naruto said, coughing again. He blinked, finally seeing the young man kneeling in front of him with a worried expression on his face.
He was about the same age as Naruto, or so he would've guessed. The man had tanner skin that most, which came from working in the fields or spending a lot of time outside, like Naruto. He had brown, ruffled hair and sharp black eyes, as well as twin red triangles tattooed on his cheeks. Certainly a little rough looking, but nothing scary.
Akamaru barked, causing the stranger's attention to divert for a split second. "Shh, Akamaru," he hissed, before looking back at Naruto. "Um, so, are you new here?"
"Ah, no." Naruto shook his head, and as he finished the motion, he realized something was deathly wrong. There was no weight on his head—no fabric covering it. Panicked, he grasped head and only felt hair, instead of the cloak that should have covered it. Had the stranger recognized him? Wait—no. He couldn't have. Not if he asked if Naruto was new. Relief settled in Naruto's bones.
"I'm not a stalker or anything, don't worry. I just frequent this square a lot and I usually know most of the regulars that come by, and I'd never seen you before so I like introducing myself to new faces. Just usually, you know, not by attacking you with my dog." The stranger chuckled uncomfortably, scratching his cheek shamefully. "By the way, I'm Kiba. Inuzuka Kiba." He looked expectantly at Naruto, as if waiting for him to give his own name.
Once again, panic rushed through Naruto in a hot wave. He couldn't give his name—it was too well known! Panic caused his mouth to blurt out the first thing that came to mind: "You can call me Fox."
If alarm hadn't been thrumming through Naruto's veins and subsequently clouding his instincts, he might have noticed Kiba's eyes widen just a fraction, his skin pale just a shade. But maybe Naruto was just exceptionally oblivious, and maybe Kiba was just exceptionally good at hiding up his surprise.
Either way, Naruto ended up covering for his momentary lapse in judgment. "I was given the nickname Fox because of these whiskers on my cheeks. See? Kinda foxy?" He grinned cheekily. There was no way Kiba could know what Fox really meant. Only the Leaf gang knew that and the chances of meeting one of them sans mask in a crowded town square was literally next to zero.
Naruto figured he was safe.
Kiba was just opening his mouth to speak when a thundering gong sounded, halting all the conversations in one blow. Following the gong, a voice roared out, "We are looking for His Highness Prince Uzumaki Naruto, who was rumored to have been sighted in this general area! If you find him you will be rewarded with five hundred gold pieces! He has blue eyes—"
Naruto didn't wait around to hear the rest of the proclamation. This was what he got for losing track of time! Danzo had sent men looking for him. Gritting his teeth, he jumped to his feet and pulled Kiba up as well. "You wanna go?" he whispered, edging toward the alleys nearby.
"Why?" Kiba asked, a confused look on his face. Akamaru whined.
"Danzo's military scares me. I don't want to get near them." Naruto shivered, which wasn't too much of an overstatement.
"Oh. That's true." Kiba considered him for a moment before suddenly glancing at the sun. "Crap! It's almost sunset. I have to get home, sorry. You want to meet again sometime? You seem pretty cool. We could hang out." He offered a white, blindingly bright grin.
"H-hang out?" Naruto blinked. Nobody had ever dared say that to him before, so casually. It was always 'If you want to, Prince Naruto, we will' or 'Your wish is our command'. Never this. (Is this what normalcy is?) "Yeah. I think I'd like that."
"Cool. We buds?" Kiba held out a fist.
Naruto bumped it lightly, smiling. "Buds."
It felt good to have a real, no-strings-attached friend.
He considered the sneak-out worth it, even when Danzo roared at him not to do it ever again or else he would be punished severely. Naruto didn't argue back, knowing that Danzo would only get angrier should the pet he thought 'so carefully tamed' turn out to really be a wild, feral beast ready to tear out his throat if need be.
Not that Naruto would go so far. He wouldn't dirty his hands on someone like Danzo.
He was walking through the halls, feeling particularly rebellious, when something slammed him against the stone wall and clutched at his throat.
"Don't you ever do that again, you hear me?" Sasuke hissed, hand clamping tighter around Naruto's neck.
Despite the growing difficulty to breathe, Naruto managed an amused smirk. "What, were you actually worried about me? The great, lofty Uchiha?"
"Shut up." Sasuke dropped his hands, and Naruto grinned triumphantly. Sasuke's next words, however, caused his smile to drop like a stone. "You know we need to keep an eye on you at all times. We don't know what you could do alone or who could get to you."
"I don't have enough power to do anything right now. You know that. Don't go preaching to me like Danzo," Naruto snapped, turning his back childishly on Sasuke and stalking off. He hated it when his best friend morphed into his 'advisor' side and lectured Naruto. It was one thing hearing it from Danzo, who he didn't particularly like, and an entirely different thing hearing it from Sasuke, whose opinion he greatly valued. Plus he didn't like the snooty tone Sasuke took on whenever he began lecture him, like he was so much better than Naruto.
We're equals. Right?
"I'm sorry," Sasuke said, predictably, a minute later as he caught up. It was an empty gesture, and both of them knew it. Uchihas didn't apologize—or if they did, they rarely meant it.
The silence between them was strained during the rest of the walk to Naruto's chambers. When he reached it, at last, he turned to Sasuke. "See? I'm fine. Nothing happened when I walked here. You can go back to your room now."
He turned and was opening the knob, completely ready to scorn Sasuke and forget about him for the night, when he grabbed his wrist with a sigh. "Naruto. Listen. Don't be mad. This really is for your own good, even though I know you don't like it. Why don't we put this behind us for today, okay?"
His eyes were open for once, letting Naruto in. He scanned the inky depths for any hint of a lie; finding none, he shook his head reluctantly in defeat and let Sasuke into his room. "For today."
This battle isn't over yet.
A/N: So yeah. Second chapter :D Perhaps Sasuke being suspicious is a little too obvious, but hey... he's being very suspicious. Their world is sorta in a different place, with Japanese influences (like Naruto), so I'm going to use Japanese names and stuff. And yes, Naruto is being rather lonely and useless right now, but he's going to chance. Whoopee!
Okay I promise I will try and update sooner this time. But also please review, because they make me feel happy and flail crazily, and will probably (just saying) get me to update faster xD
TBC!