A/N: Just to warn you...there is sex in this chapter and it's between two minors, so...
He he...um...
yeah...
Naruto stood on the landing, watching Sai working outside the Chinese laundry, scrubbing a mass of white shirts.
Mrs. Chin came out and said something to him Sai stood up and went inside.
Naruto turned around as Kakashi came out, his mismatched eyes scanning the street below.
"You now this is not my choice, kiddo, right? If it were up to me, you'd be staying here."
Naruto nodded. "I know, sir..." Kakashi reached out and ruffled Naruto's blond hair.
"Mr. Jiraiya will take good care of you, and you're welcome to come visit when you're in this district. My door is always open to you."
Naruto nodded solemnly. "Mr. Hatake...I was wondering...have you found out who killed my mother yet?"
Kakashi's eyes widened, but he shook his head. "No, we haven't gotten any new leads..."
Naruto stared at the ground. He knew from the other night that was a lie. "Okay..." He said quietly. Kakashi touched his chin gently.
"Don't ever change, kid. You gotta be a man, but don't ever lose your innocence." He said with a dashing half-smile. Naruto grinned back hollowly.
"Mr. Hatake, can I say goodbye to Sai?"
Kakashi nodded, and Naruto went down the wooden stairs and down to the front of the Laundry. Mrs. Chin looked up when he opened the door.
"Hello, Mr. Naruto!" She said, tearing herself away from her Chinese newspaper. Her hair was set in curlers and wrapped in a towel. She looked almost comical to Naruto.
"Hello, Mrs. Chin."
"Are you here to see Sai?"
"Actually, yes, I'm moving and I wanted to say goodbye."
"Okay, kid, he's on break. He should be out back."
"Thank you, Mrs. Chin."
He left, going around the side of the wooden building, the smell of soap and starch filling his nose.
He spotted a table sitting in front of what looked miles and miles of clotheslines, draped in clothes and sheets.
He saw Sai's lunchbox sitting unopened on the table, the smell of Mai Wah noodles permeating the air around it. Sai must have been among the sheets. God only knew what that crazy bastard was doing...
Naruto ducked beneath the stiff white fabric, searching for his friend. After a little while, he heard noises beyond the sheets. Quietly, he peeked around the side of a freshlt laundered sheet.
Sasuke was leaning with his back to the wall, breathing heavily, his cock hanging out of his pants. Sai was kneeling on the ground before him, completely naked. Sasuke's hands were fisted in Sai's hair as Sai licked and nibbled at Sasuke's cock. Naruto felt his heart skip a beat, the sensation pooling in his groin.
"I'm not feeling it, Sai..." Sasuke muttered thrusting intentionally into Sai's mouth. Sai almost gagged but attacked his task with greater enthusiasm, obviously seeking Sasuke's approval . Naruto rubbed his groin slightly, feeling an odd tingling sensation between his legs as he watched the two boys. He shouldn't be getting...excited...over this, should he? They were two boys...
"You're trying to hard, idiot..." Sasuke snapped, pulling the boy roughly off of his cock and throwing him face down on the ground. Sai pulled himself up slightly, but Sasuke pushed him back down with his foot, kneeling behind him. Sasuke pulled Sai's hips up level to his cock, inserting his fingers inside Sai's hole. Naruto looked down between his legs, spotting a growing lump in his pants. Sasuke began to thrust his fingers in and out of Sai's opening. Sai let out a moan and Sasuke slapped Sai's butt cheek.
"Shut up, do you want to get in trouble?"
"N-no, Sasuke...please..." Sai moaned, the red handprint on his hip fading to white as the boy angled his ass higher in the air for Sasuke.
Sasuke pulled his fingers out of Sai's ass and positioned his dripping cock at Sai's entrance.
"Now, what do we say when a client wants this, Sai?" He asked, pushing his member deep into Sai. Sai choked back a cry as Sasuke reached around, placing two fingers into Sai's open mouth.
" Don't act so displeased...do you do this with your clients?" Sasuke snapped coldly, thrusting into the younger teen. Naruto's eyes widened. Were Sai and Sasuke prostitutes?
Sai bit his lip, positioning his face on his hands so it wouldn't scrape in the dirt. Sasuke pulled out so that his shaft was exposed, but the head remained inside.
Naruto both hated and envied Sasuke. He hated him for hurting Sai, he envied Sasuke for being able to touch Sai so familiarly.
"Sasuke...is...is this okay?"
Another slap.
"Don't be an idiot."
Naruto trembled, his heart aching, He wanted to be the one to touch Sai, to run his hands down the older boy's sides, to feel the soft, pale skin, not Sasuke...
Naruto shook his head, dismissing these thoughts. Sai was a boy. And boys shouldn't love other boys...should they?
He watched as Sasuke thrust into Sai, who was moaning and biting his lip. Sasuke adjusted his angle and thrust in harder. Sai had no choice but to move his hands, his face scraping against the dirt. His arms stretched out in front of him, his hands fisting in the dirt. The dust swirled around his body as it hit the dirt repeatedly. Tears were leaking down Sai's face as Sasuke thrust in one last time before slowly pulling out. Naruto watched with fascination as cum oozed out of Sai's abused hole. Sasuke stood up, wiping himself off on one of the sheets and re-buttoning his pants. Without another word to Sai, he disappeared into the field of sheets, leaving Sai to lay face down in the dirt. The alleyway was silent, the only sound came from the pigeons on the tops of the high brick buildings. Sai tried to move, a low groan escaping his lips, his hips obviously tender from the entire ordeal. Naruto hesitated, contemplating whether or not he should go out there and help his friend. He didn't want Sai to wonder about the lump in his pants, either.
Naruto stood up, pulling back the sheet and walking forward. Sai looked at him from his place on the ground.
"Naruto..." He whispered, his voice low and raspy, the tears mingled with dirt on his cheeks.
Naruto knelt by his friends side. "Sai...what happened?"
Sai struggled to get up, his arms shaking, his face reddened with embarrassment. She stood shakily on his legs and limped over to the wall. Tears were leaking steadily down his face.
"Go away." He sobbed. Naruto blinked at him, knitting his eyebrows. Sai bit his lip as he bent down to retrieve his discarded clothing.
"Sai...I'm moving. I'm going away for a long time."
Sai avoided his gaze as he pulled his clothes on.
"Sai..." He fell quiet, his heart filling with desperation. He had to get his friends attention...he had to make Sai remember him...
He grabbed Sai's upper arm, spinning him around. What came next neither of them expected. Naruto crashed his lips against the older boys, wrapping his arms around his neck. Sai blinked for a moment before leaning into the kiss and wrapping his arms around Naruto's waist, the tip of Naruto's growing erection getting friction from Sai's naked hip. Sai pulled away from the kiss reluctantly, repositioning Naruto into a hug.
"I'll miss you! Come back and see me, if you can..." Sai whispered. Naruto pulled away, waving to his friend before disappearing into the sheets and wondering what he was going to do about his erection.
Jiraiya was waiting with Kakashi on the landing. They waved down at him and he waved back, climbing the stairs.
"Did you say your goodbyes?" Kakashi asked. Naruto nodded, picking up his carpetbag full of clothes retrieved from the crime scene.
"Okay, let's go." Jiraiya said with a smile, putting his arm around the boy and taking him down the stairs. The cut through the alleyway out to the curb. Naruto was just climbing into the car when he saw Sai come running down the alleyway towards the car. Jiraiya closed the door, getting into the drivers seat and starting the engine. Naruto pressed his hands up against the glass as the car pulled away, Sai running after a short ways.
Naruto stared sadly out the window at his friend, his heart sinking to the pit of his stomach. He hadn't realized until now exactly how he felt about Sai. He turned around and faced the front. Jiraiya glanced over at him.
"Don't worry about it. That, too, shall pass."
Naruto blinked his azure eyes up at the older man.
"What if I don't want it to?"
Jiraiya chuckled, patting Naruto on the knee as they drove up the steep Butte streets.
xXx
Naruto liked Jiraiya's house a lot better. Rather than living in Butte itself, he lived in a small town named Walkerville, just northwest of the city, closer to the mines.
Naruto suspected that the old pervert had somewhat dishonest connections to the mines themselves, mostly because all sorts of people were in and out of the man's house at every hour of every day.
And on top of that, the man was a super pervert. He had hung nude paintings of women up around his house in the name of art. But Naruto kind of enjoyed it there. It was quieter, more like what he was used to, but it was dull, and he missed Sai and Sasuke. At least Jiraiya let Naruto run around in the back yard.
But it was cold in November, so Naruto didn't go out much. To his pleasure, he discovered that the attic window looked over Butte.
From his vantage point, he could see where Kakashi and Sai lived. He was happy for a little while, but eventually, his heart just ached worse.
One evening in early December, Jiraiya poked his head up into the attic.
"Hey, kiddo, I'm going to the club, you wanna tag along?"
Naruto was beside himself as he ran down the stairs to his room and grabbed his coat and shoes. Jiraiya smiled, he knew it was wrong to encourage those kinds of feelings in the boy, but he was such a romantic at heart and couldn't stand to see the boy in pain.
"Okay, kid, you gotta keep a low profile." Jiraiya said quietly as the crunched across the snow and ice and climbed into the car.
The car sped down the steep streets towards the club, the flashing spiral of the leaf sign cutting through the haze of the falling snow. Naruto exhaled against the cool glass as the pulled up, fogging up the window. Outside of the club stood Tsunade in a long green coat trimmed with dark fur. Beneath that, Naruto spotted glittering fringes of a cream colored dress and a pair of dancing shoes. Tsunade's attendant, Shizune, stood beside her, shivering in her long black coat. There was another woman there, a girl in her late teens with strawberry blonde hair that was more strawberry than blonde.
Naruto got out of the car just as Jiraiya gave Tsunade a big hug. He golden eyes lit up when she saw Naruto and she bent down to give him a hug and pinch his cheek.
"I'm glad you made it for my big performance!" She said with a wink as Jiraiya opened the door for the three ladies. Naruto walked in right behind the strawberry head. She turned and gave Naruto a small smile, her pretty green eyes scrunching up around the edges.
Naruto ignored her as he scanned the club for any sign of Sai or Kakashi. That crazy Sai wouldn't miss something a big as this...there were way too many people here for Sai not to. Naruto jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Kakashi.
"Hey kiddo, come to watch Tsunade's Montana premiere?" Naruto nodded, not really sure of what he meant. Jiraiya beckoned them over to their usual corner table. Orrochimaru was sitting in his usual spot, smoking his usual hookah, Kabuto was standing quietly behind him. But his mouth turned up at the edges at the sight of Naruto and he nodded.
Jiraiya offered Shizune and the girl some chairs before sitting down with Kakashi and Naruto. The club fell almost deadly silent as the music started up, a low, throbbing tempo. The red velvet curtain came up slowly and the pale one's beneath it parted.
Tsunade started with her back to the audience and a shiver of anticipation ran through the crowd as she began to move in time with the music, her voice nothing but a smoky whisper above the crowd, sending waves of pleasure into the audience's ears.
As a nearby table, Naruto spotted Miss Kurenai sitting on Asuma's lap, nodding in time to the music and smiling while Asuma kissed her neck. His eyes roved the room as the music became more erratic, Tsunade's feet hitting the floor and dress swaying like the storm tossed sea. Her voce rose and fell, the audience a hush before her. Naruto's eyes fell on many dark haired people, mostly women, with the same pale skin. He looked back up at the stage, the bright lights, the swift, graceful movements of the woman...He sighed as he watched her. The entire room was so enthralled by the dancer that Naruto was sure he could have slipped away from the table, had it not been for Kakashi's hand on his shoulder. It was almost as if Kakashi knew what he was thinking. The man looked down at him, his mismatched eyes boring holes into him.
"We'll talk later, Naruto. Just enjoy the show for now, okay?" Naruto nodded, secretly cursing the man. He was so focused that he did not see Mr. Namikaze come in and sit down behind him, and he didn't see Kakashi leave with him moments later. He continued to scan the crowd for Sai. He saw Sasuke coming towards them in the crowd. Naruto waved discreetly to the teen, and Sasuke offered a small, arrogant smile. The pink haired girl grew rather excited. It seemed that she, too, knew Sasuke.
"Come to watch the show with us, Sasuke?" Sasuke gave her a smirk and took an unusually chaste stance behind Orrochimaru, leaning down and whispering in the man's ear.
Orrochimaru leaned back, exhaling a cloud of smoke and nibbling on the boy's neck.
Naruto looked away, feeling an awkward moment coming on between the two. He couldn't focus on Tsunade's dancing, even if he tried.
It was then he saw them come in, in their long black coats, black and red scarves covering their faces. To anyone else, the appeared to be simply shielding themselves from the cold night, but Naruto knew better. He looked around for Kakashi.
Damn, where had he gone?
He tugged on Jiraiya's shoulder.
"Just a minute, kiddo, Tsunade's almost done."
"But..."
"Shhh..."
Naruto got up, sneaking through the crowd, his heart beating wildly. He had to find Kakashi...when did this place get so hot? He wiped the sweat from his forehead. Someone backed into him and he dropped to his hands and knees, finding his way easier under the tables. The music stopped and he heard people getting up and the thunderous clap of applause. He peeked from beneath the table and his heart stopped.
A young man with a ponytail and eye's just like Sasuke's was standing right next to the table he was beneath. He wore the trademark dark coat and red scarf. His partner was a tall man with bluish skin and scars on his hollowed cheeks. The man's amber eyes met with Naruto's blue ones and he poked the pony tailed man in the arm. Naruto's heart pounded against his chest, his knees rooted to the spot. The taller man bent down.
"Well, hello, there, kiddo." His voice was deep and his teeth were rather pointed. From this angle, Naruto thought he looked rather like a shark. He tried to get up, to run, or scream, or anything, but he could only stare with wide eyes as the taller man grabbed him by the back of the jacket, hauling him up and cupping a hand over Naruto's mouth.
"Come on, kiddo, be quiet and come with us and you won't have to get hurt." He said evenly. Naruto felt his blood run cold as the man half dragged/half carried him out of the club.
Naruto began to fight against the shark man's strong arms, flailing about wildly as they reached the door. Jiraiya looked up just in time.
"LET GO OF HIM HOSHIGAKI! He shouted across the crowded hall, reaching beneath his jacket as he ran towards the small group. The shark man froze, turning slowly and looking at the older man. The entire room seemed to freeze at the sound of Jiraiya's normally calm voice.
"Itachi...take care of these nice people for me, would you?"
The elder Uchiha nodded, his cold eyes falling on the blond boy before he reached beneath his coat and pulled out a gun. Naruto shied away, pressing further into Kisame.
"Oh, don't worry kiddo, we aren't going to shoot you..." Kisame said with a half chuckle.
Without another word, Itachi opened fire on the crowd, backing Kisame and Naruto out of the club. From outside, Naruto could hear people screaming and yelling as bullets ripped through the air, ricocheting off of metal and brick. Itachi came out moment's afterward, tossing the spent firearm in a snowdrift.
"Hoshigaki, get him in the car!" Itachi snapped, pulling out another gun as Jiraiya came after them.
Naruto felt something cold hit Kisame as he was being dragged down the sidewalk.
"Let him go!" A ball of white went sailing through the air, hitting Kisame in the face yet again. Kisame stopped, his amber eyes falling on a shadow in the alley.
"Sai!" Naruto screamed, pushing on Kisame's arm.
"Hoshigaki, no, we're not here for him. The Boss said..."
"The Boss can wait, Itachi." Kisame said, throwing Naruto towards Itachi. Naruto felt himself sliding on the ice, unable to gain control over his feet as he landed roughly in Itachi's wool clad arms.
Kisame pulled out a gun from beneath his coat.
"Kisame, stop wasting our time on that brat! We need to go." Itachi hissed. The world around them seemed to slow at Kisame took aim at Sai, puling the trigger. Naruto screamed, lunging forward in Itachi's arms. Sai went down into a snow bank and Naruto twisted, kicking Itachi in the crotch. Kisame took aim at Sai again and Naruto lunged forward, biting Kisame in the arm. Kisame swore and dropped the gun, swinging his arm to shake the boy off.
Naruto tasted blood as he felt himself get thrown down to the sidewalk. Jiraiya rounded the corner, shooting at the other men. Naruto scrambled up, hearing the bullet's whizzing past his head.
"Get down, Naruto!" Jiraiya warned, taking aim once again as Itachi and Kisame climbed into their car. Naruto ignored the man, stumbling through the dirty snow bank towards Sai. Naruto saw a blush of crimson in the snow and felt the tears collecting in his eyes.
Naruto couldn't stand the thought of losing someone else before the turn of the year. He knelt by Sai, lifting the boy's head into his lap and touching the fine black hair. It was as he imagined, it was soft. Sai stirred, looking up at him through clouded eyes.
"Are you okay, Naruto?" He said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Naruto nodded, his eyes searching the black-clad boy for the wound. There was a bloom of red above his right hip.
"Sai..." Naruto whispered, tears running down his face. Sai's hands were cold as he touched the marks on Naruto's cheeks.
Jiraiya came over, kneeling by them and lifting Sai to his chest.
"Come on, Naruto, we need to get inside before they come back for another round..."
