Chapter 4: Demon

I don't own Naruto.

Warning: There is swearing in this chapter.


Naruto entered the clearing full of trepidation, anger, and many questions. His stomach was doing acrobats and his head was running a marathon. There were so many things he wanted to say, to ask. At the same time, he had no idea what words to begin with. How do you talk to someone you haven't seen in years? How do you talk to someone you've, at different times, tried to both kill and save?

Did you even start with words?

The most pressing issue on his mind was why. Why had he deserted them, again, in those first few moments after Madara's death? Naruto had already formed a few opinions. His first idea was that Sasuke wanted to put everything behind him and make a new life, with a new place and new people. Or perhaps it wasn't about what he sought, rather what he didn't want to confront. Perhaps too much had happened for there to be even the slightest chance of him finding peace, within himself, in the surroundings of Konoha.

Naruto could easily remember when the truth that Madara was dead initially sunk in. He'd been so hesitant, so scared to believe that it was really over. He'd been vigilant to the point of paranoia, in those first few moments, of any signs that suggested the corpse in front of them was alive. He could clearly envision the expression on Sasuke's face at the time; it conveyed exhaustion so severe, that it was beyond a mere physical state. So chronic it had seeped into his very consciousness, and evolved into a state of mind; one that he had been fighting, managing and accumulating for years.

Sasuke had stood on the edge of the waterfall looking out, and his shoulders sagged. He turned to look back at Naruto, and said in a quiet voice, "Please don't stop me."

Naruto hadn't given much thought to those four simple words at the time. But returning to this experience, as he had done many times in his memories, he concluded they were a very odd choice of words for the person who spoke them. Most notably, he'd said please. Naruto had never known Sasuke to waste his breath on words, least of all words that conveyed manners. Manners expressed, among other things, a speaker's willingness to endear themselves to the listener. He'd also phrased the final three words in an interesting way "don't stop me," not, "don't try to stop me." This was Sasuke's subtle way of acknowledging Naruto's strength, and the threat it presented, when set against his own. Naruto had felt a stab of pride when he'd realised this. His enemy, his rival, his brother, had recognised him as his peer.

This behaviour was very out of character for Sasuke. And at such a point in time, when everything they'd known had ended and everything they didn't was beginning, Sasuke had every reason to be himself, every reason to let the walls around him crumble. This led Naruto to believe that Sasuke had been himself; it just wasn't a version or a side of Sasuke with which he was familiar.

At the time, Naruto had not even had a chance to respond, before Sasuke had secured his sword to his waist and leapt off the cliff into the falling water below.

Naruto stopped in the clearing and took in his surrounds. He was in the middle of the dense green forest surrounding Konoha. The clearing played host to an average sized house surrounded by piles of wood, giving the impression of a construction site. A charred black pile, surrounded by palm sized river stones and near a fallen tree log, suggested someone had also been using this area for a campfire.

He heard movement to his left. Whirling around, he saw a man with black hair walking toward him, carrying a wooden beam on his right shoulder. Sasuke walked past Naruto and dropped the beam in a pile of others like it, just next to the steps leading up to the house porch. He let out quiet sigh and rubbed the sweat from the back of his neck. He walked back the way he had come, and Naruto watched as he picked up another beam from a distant piled and began the same trek back toward him. Sasuke added the second beam to the porch pile; he turned to Naruto with a look of mild irritation. "Are you going to stand there or are you going to help?"

Naruto stood still. Of all the first exchanges and dialogues he had rehearsed in his mind, this was certainly not one of them. Then he burst out laughing. "Oh this is brilliant. Really. You piss off, for years, without a word. We don't know whether you're dead or alive, and your first response is to get annoyed, because you think I should be pulling my weight."

Sasuke didn't say anything and walked past him to get another beam. Naruto was feeding off his silence; initial amusement turned to slight anger at his lack of response or reaction. "And don't think I missed the double meaning of your question. I'm in. Granny's told me everything."

Sasuke walked back toward the porch with another beam, and said mockingly, "Dobe, I wouldn't accuse you of missing anything." There was a hint of a smirk as one corner of his mouth twitched upward. Sasuke finally made eye contact with Naruto as he said this and Naruto stepped back at what he saw.

"Jesus, I forgot about that."

"You saw me before..."

"Yeah, but there was so much going on then. They're freakish, aren't they? And they stay like that?"

Sasuke ignored him and continued shifting the last of the beams. Naruto watched him for a bit, feeling rather surreal. This couldn't be real. His best friend couldn't be back, and talking to him. He couldn't be back and making snide remarks at him like old times. Naruto remembered he'd been angry seconds ago...where was that anger now? It had dissipated completely. He travelled here with so much pent up rage; he'd worked through speeches in his head of what he'd wanted to say, to shout, and to pound into him. And now, it was gone. Oh, Sakura would say he was pathetic, and Kakashi would say he was forgiving. Sai would call him something demeaning. He tried, really hard, to reignite his anger, but it just didn't stay. The sheer joy at having Sasuke back was infectious and dominated any other emotion he felt.

Naruto moved to sit on the fallen log. Eventually, Sasuke dragged another nearby log and laid it on the opposite side of the campfire site. Sasuke left the clearing for a moment and quickly returned with sticks. "So, we gonna talk about it or what?" asked Naruto.

Sasuke placed the sticks in the circle of stones, and murmured into the pile, small flames burst to life. Sasuke watched the flames lick the wood and take hold. "You already know everything."

"No," corrected Naruto. "I know what you told Granny."

The almost smirk reappeared on Sasuke's face momentarily. "What I told her was everything."

"Cut the crap Sasuke,' said Naruto seriously. "Why'd you come back?"

Sasuke said nothing.

"I'm suppose to believe that you came back to help overthrow a corrupt council?" hounded Naruto. "Is that it? What's the real reason? Why are you really here? C'mon Sasuke, we both know you're not the self-sacrificing type."

"If that is what your Hokage told you. Then that's why I'm here," replied Sasuke, getting to his feet.

"You're a bastard. Don't you – No!" shouted Naruto indignantly. "Don't you cop out like that. You don't disappear for years and then cop out on the explaining. You earn your licence to cop out."

Sasuke sighed, then said in a quiet voice, "Dobe, it's really why I'm here." The way he said his nickname for Naruto was, in a strange way, placating. Naruto was suddenly compelled to believe him. Although he still thought there was also more to it than Sasuke was telling him, which he would find out eventually, from other sources, if Sasuke continued to prove difficult. This time, pushing Sasuke too far, too soon would only send him further away.

Sasuke walked toward the house.

"Hey! Where're you going?" yelled Naruto.

"To get food, idiot," said Sasuke over his shoulder.

"Ramen," declared Naruto.

"I know."

While they ate, Naruto did most of the talking and Sasuke most of the listening. Naruto told him about the recovery of Konoha from the war in the last few years, how things had changed and would continue changing. The plans he had for when he was Hokage himself, what he hoped to achieve. He noted Sasuke was nodding slightly as he talked about what was wrong, and the things that still needed to be done. Sasuke even offered a constructive and helpful opinion on occasion. One important point he emphasised, was the need for constant vigilance, after the new infrastructure and systems were in place. There was no point in establishing a new government, only for it to revert to the ways of the old, because people weren't monitoring and being monitored properly. Naruto couldn't help but agree.

Conversation then strayed to people. Sasuke inquired, in a disinterested voice, about Kakashi's role in Naruto's Hokage training. He also asked about Sakura and her role at the hospital.

"What does she do there?"

"She helps run it," replied Naruto casually.

"Why does she need to be involved then?"

Naruto bristled, "I want her to be."

Sasuke snorted. "Of what use is she, Dobe?

"Fine. You want to know?" asked Naruto sharply. "She knows a lot of higher ups. She can help gather Intel and watch our backs. Useful enough for you?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Fine, include her. Just remember the more people who know, the more diluted the security of what you're planning becomes."

Naruto frowned. "She's trustworthy Sasuke. I wouldn't trust anyone with my life more than I do her."

Sasuke didn't say anything, and there was a tense silence as they looked at each other.

Naruto finally broke it, when he stood up. "I should get back."

Sasuke nodded, his attention was back to the flames.

"The next time I come here," Naruto paused, waiting for Sasuke to look at him. When he did, he continued, "Sakura will be with me."

Sasuke put out the fire and also got to his feet. "Dobe, you do whatever you want." Naruto watched Sasuke's retreating back as he walked toward the house.


"Naruto, stop it! This is really starting to piss me off! Just tell me!" said Sakura in a fierce whisper.

Naruto simply ignored her and kept moving through the trees.

Sakrua sped up and grabbed his arm. Using her improved strength, she pulled him to a sharp and abrupt halt. "Naruto! Stop this!" she demanded. The Naruto she was holding disappeared, and another came into sight, several trees away from her.

"Do you honestly think I was stupid enough to send myself to get you?" said this new Naruto clone, with a grin she wanted to wipe off his face. "Just follow and stop trying to stop me." Sakura growled a response under her breath, but began to follow again.

Maybe he could sense her apprehension, because the second Naruto clone began to move faster. Sakura welcomed the new pace, she was eager and extremely curious to see what he so desperately couldn't explain, but promised he could show her.

Eventually they entered in a small clearing. Sakura noticed a house, woodpiles and a campfire site. Someone had or was living here, she thought, and by the improvements currently being made to the house, they planned to stay for a while. There might even be more than one person. Sakura turned to Naruto, who was scouting the trees, as if looking for this person or people.

"Naruto-" she began. But Naruto cut her off with a hand gesture. He'd stopped searching and was now focused on the one spot between two trees. After staring at the very same spot for a few long and tense seconds, Sakura's eyes finally saw what Naruto's sharp eyes had seen all along.

A tall figure, a mere shadow at this distance, was emerging from the forest. As the figure became more distinct, Sakura could make out black clothing, black hair and very pale skin; as pale, if not paler than her own.

There was no mistaking who this was.

Sakura stilled. Her expanding diaphragm stopped mid-breath, and she could only hear her heart, getting faster and faster. Sakura felt like one solid limb, as though she could not move one small part of herself without making everything move.

As the figure moved toward them now, more details became apparent. The black clothing was loose, he had white bandages covering both arms, and his face...his face was exactly as she remembered it; straight nose, solid jaw and a set mouth.

And his eyes.

She should have seen the eyes before she saw anything else. But she'd been looking for familiar features of the Sasuke she knew and these...these were completely alien. Where dark, almost black, eyes once were, red and black orbs with swirls forming a hypnotic pattern, now lived. The eternal mangekyou; the eyes of a demon.

Sakura started breathing again. She'd seen his sharingan many times before this. But this...this was different. These were the eyes of another. He'd ravaged a corpse to get them. He'd done this to get power, to get revenge, to destroy. She felt sick, like there was a heavy stone in the pit of her stomach. She needed to run, away from this place and away from him.

Sasuke focused his eyes on her and Sakura desperately wished he wouldn't. His alarming gaze rooted her to the spot; it was as though he could read her very thoughts. He could see and feel her horror and disgust. His face formed into a malicious sneer.

"I told you once that the day my insides matched my outsides you would run. Do you still want to run, Sakura?"


Thank you for the feedback so far. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Eydeller.