A/N:Obviously, this is going to be longer than 5-6 chaps.

Chapter 4

At first he couldn't understand why his headache seemed to fade soon after he laid his head on Naruto's shoulder. His eyes stopped throbbing in time to his pulse, and the weakness in his limbs was partially replaced with strength. He felt his aches dwindle. For the first time since seeing Naruto and Killerbee brought into Madara's headquarters he felt…well, not okay, but better. Much better. He was able to feel contentment steel through him as the trees whizzed by.

It was dark now, but their surroundings were lit with Naruto's chakra-

His chakra.

Sasuke was surrounded by the stuff. What was reflected on the trees and ground was just that- a reflection, but Naruto's yellowish-white chakra extended several inches beyond his body, and he, Sasuke, was in direct contact with it. He'd been aware of the low-grade tingle of warmth this contact generated, but absently. His misery over his pain, and his shame at needing to be carried had occupied the majority of his thoughts. Now, though, aware of what Naruto's powerful chakra was doing to him, he gave it his full attention.

Zetsu had been only too happy to inform him that Naruto had mastered the Kyuubi. The man had first-hand knowledge of this fact via his connection with events taking place on the battlefield, and with his clones. Sasuke had experienced equal parts disbelief at Naruto ever gaining control of himself, and beady interest because, let's face it, Zetsu had to know what he was talking about. Come to think of it, Madara had been highly worried that Naruto would wake and come to his senses before the procedure could be complete, which was why he'd had Nagato temporarily hold on to Naruto's soul while 'Bee had been sealed. Also, no one had risked a direct confrontation with either of them since Naruto had recovered. All of these things would suggest that Madara was leery of taking Naruto on, and that…well, that was just so fucking pathetic.

Feeling Naruto's peculiar power seep through him, Sasuke sneered. If Madara was afraid to take on Naruto, then he wasn't worth Sasuke's time. He felt a corrosive breed of contempt for the man, and a measure of superiority over the goons running with him. Now he was glad he'd foiled Madara's plans. The man was weak, he deserved to fail.

Sasuke tightened his arms around Naruto and let himself sleep.

A day or two passed, by which time both were recovered sufficiently to walk, run, and hunt on their own. They were traveling through the trees with some haste when Naruto looked ahead to Sasuke and called, "Oi!"

Sasuke landed on an upper tree limb. He twisted his head to regard Naruto with one eye.

Naruto caught up to him and landed beside him. The limb dipped a bit under their combined weight, but held. "I think it's time you told me where we're going."

Sasuke would rather have avoided this conversation, but admitted to himself that the sooner it was over and done with, the sooner he could get back to his own plans. He stared blandly into the wide blue eyes, anticipating resistance. "I'm going to find the rest of my team. You and I should go our separate ways."

Naruto didn't disappoint. "You think I can let you go off on your own for Madara to find? The only reason he hasn't come after us harder is because you and I are together. You saved me. I'm not going to be a shit and turn my back on you now."

"I don't need you." Sasuke turned to leave. "Go back to the village."

Naruto felt an incredible amount of hurt and rage at the way he was so easily dismissed. After everything, after Sasuke rescuing him, and them looking out for each other, the bastard was still the same miserable asshole he'd always been.

Nothing had changed.

But Naruto had known that. He'd known Sasuke would be able to save him from dying and then still turn his back on him when the time came. That was Sasuke for you. Instead of wasting precious time berating him for what he'd come to understand as something probably beyond Sasuke's control, Naruto swallowed his hurt now, and moved to place himself in front of Sasuke. "Why'd you save me?"

Sasuke assessed the lowered brows and shaking voice that came out in a growl. Here it comes, his 'come back with me or else' spiel. "Just consider yourself lucky I did. Move." He sidestepped.

Naruto blocked again. "I want to know why you did."

"Don't really care what you want." This time Sasuke stiff-armed Naruto out of the way and was several trees along before Naruto landed in front of him.

"You want me gone?" Naruto bit out. "Then tell me the truth. Tell me why you saved me after spending four years hating me and swearing to kill me."

"I still hate you."

Naruto waited.

Sasuke looked Naruto up and down with a sneer of disgust. When that didn't faze the blond, he shook his head shortly. "Tch." He shot Naruto a pointed glare. "You'll go your way if I tell you?"

"If you tell me the truth."

Sasuke weighed the benefits of being alone against the shame of divulging the truth. "Fine."

Naruto grinned his thousand-watt smile and bounced up close to Sasuke. "Neh, you really do consider me your friend, don't you? I knew it!"

"No," Sasuke said honestly. "I don't. I can't stand you. But I couldn't watch you die either. I said I'd kill you if you got in my way, and I meant it, but I'm not a murderer."

Naruto had gotten serious from the moment Sasuke'd said he couldn't stand him. "But why go against Madara's plans like that? You had to know he'd kill you for it. Do I mean that much to you?"

"Are you deaf?" Sasuke stepped into Naruto's face and enunciated his next words. "I. Loath. The air. You breathe. I hate everything about you."

Naruto smiled calmly…or, what was considered calm for him. "Ha. No, you don't. If you did, you would have let me die. You are a murderer, Sasuke. You almost killed Sakura, and nearly killed your teammate, Karin. But that's okay. I mean it's not, but I can deal with it; if you saved me, that means there's hope for you. I wouldn't have given up on you even if there wasn't, but now? Oh yeah. My job's that much easier." He threw his hands behind his head and gave the grin that Sasuke had always hated.

"Whatever. I told you what you wanted to know. Get lost."

"Nope."

The black eyes narrowed dangerously. "You promised."

"Yup. Didn't say when I'd leave you, though, did I?"

Sasuke suddenly shoved Naruto off the limb and zipped off in the opposite direction, employing Shunshin.

-oOo-

Naruto caught himself on the side of the tree two feet from the ground, then dropped lightly the rest of the way. He watched Sasuke zooming away, looked around, then leaned against the tree to wait. He studied his filthy nails, before pulling out a kunai to clean them.

Miles away, Zetsu's focus suddenly sharpened. "Boss, they're separated…not by much. Only a mile or so, but the gap is growing. We may have a chance to get Sasuke…"

Madara acted immediately. "We all go."

They landed near him and were gone in a swirl of the parting atmosphere.

Sasuke traveled hard, thanking whatever luck had delayed Naruto in following immediately. He estimated that he'd widened the gap between them by a good few miles, when Madara rose up from the tree he was about to land on, and grabbed hold of his belt.

He could feel the nauseating tilt of himself being sucked into one of Madara's dimensions, but even so, he had a chakra-laden kick to the man's mask breaking the hold on him. Sasuke drew his blade as he was somersaulting away, infused it with lightning chakra, and sliced at the twin threats of Kakuzu and Deidara leaping up to meet him.

Clones.

A clay bird the size of his head detonated right behind him almost before he could duck, while a host of thick black threads swarmed at him from below. He sensed Deidara swooping in from above. About to evade both attacks, Sasuke cursed between his teeth at feeling something hard and unyielding wrap around his middle. Looking down, he saw nothing, but then Kakuzu and Deidara closed in.

Madara watched keenly from a short distance away. He's definitely healed significantly since our last attempt to retrieve him, but he's not 100%. He's holding back. Nagato's chameleon shimmered into visibility with Nagato himself standing atop its head. The creature's tongue kept Sasuke's arms pinned to his sides, while Kakuzu's threads covered Sasuke from head to toe. Deidara sent a dozen winged clay creatures toward the immobilized Uchiha. Luck is with me still to find him alone and unable to call out his true strength, Madara gloated briefly. Last time, he called out Susanoo immediately. Looks like this time around he's wary. "Tear him apart!"

"Boss-!" Zetsu shouted a warning.

"Rasenrangan!"

Sasuke screamed as the tendrils pierced him, the chameleon's tongue cinched tight, and something hot sizzled past his ear. Whatever that last thing was, it cut a bloody swath across the side of his head, but did the job of setting him free as his captors scattered. He was released to fall and catch himself on one hand and knee on a lower tree limb. He didn't wait, but glanced up at where that familiar yell was accompanied by a storm of chakra. His eyes reddened as he bared his teeth in a snarl.

-oOo-

Naruto dodged the huge clay owl bomb to send his chakra arms soaring after Deidara. He caught him by his ponytail, and swung him in a wide arc to smash with a sickening crunch against a tree. No good. Nagato and Kakuzu both were coming at him, and Nagato, at least, had some shit that was hard to figh-

"Now!" Madara roared. "While the Genjutsu lasts!"

Naruto blinked at the landscape of featureless red, then felt something bump him hard. Sound and scenery burst through his senses abruptly to leave him reeling. He saw that Sasuke was in the middle of a leap that would carry him into an oncoming attack meant for Naruto. Sasuke had been the one to bump him, Naruto understood, in order to break the Genjutsu on him.

Still down on one hand and knee from where Sasuke had knocked him, Naruto let his former teammate handle the situation for the time being. Putting his hands together, he closed his eyes.

'I still hate you.'

'I'm not a murderer.'

'I loathe the air you breathe.'

'I couldn't watch you die.'

'I said I'd kill you and I meant it.'

All things that Sasuke had said. But his actions contradicted those words. Naruto wasn't stupid enough to think that Madara would pass up a chance to let Sasuke get away if it meant he could have the Kyuubi. Which meant that Sasuke had just let a golden opportunity to escape slip through his fingers. Sasuke could be motivated by a need for revenge, true. Naruto could even see Sasuke's actions now as payback for resurrecting Itachi. Maybe this had nothing to do with Naruto at all. Maybe it was all about thwarting Madara, in which case Sasuke would take every opportunity to throw a wrench in that man's plans that he could.

But Sasuke had saved him. That was all that mattered.

Naruto stood up. "Madara!"

The fight, bloody and leaning decidedly in Sasuke's favor, halted at the sound of that shout. Sasuke and his attackers looked up, just as Madara did, to behold Naruto in what Zetsu had mentioned as Sage Mode.

"Uzumaki Naruto," Madara said carefully as he faced the boy across the distance separating them. They were both standing on tree limbs.

"Tell them to let Sasuke go, and I'll come with you." Naruto kept track of Kabuto, who was two miles northwest of his position, as well as Deidara, Kakuzu, and Nagato, who had faded into the foliage and were now approaching him from three different directions.

Madara cocked his head, giving those three time to close in, while appearing to think. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Just let Sasuke go," Naruto reiterated more quietly.

"Naruto," Sasuke bit out.

Madara waited all of ten seconds. "Agreed. Take him," he said to the three who appeared behind Naruto.

At that moment, though, Nagato, Kakuzu, and Deidara collapsed. Madara only had time to frown in confusion and disbelief before Naruto was right there, in his face, with a chakra hand coming in fast for his throat. Madara fell backward, off the tree, twisting and disappearing into his dimension even as he saw another chakra arm smash into the tree next to where he'd been standing.

-oOo-

Sasuke walked sideways, staring upward. "You let him get away. Typical."

Naruto let the chakra arm still embedded in the tree trunk withdraw. Attached to it was the lifeless body of Zetsu. Sasuke gawked.

"Actually," Naruto said as he let the body drop to the ground, "I was stalling in order to give my clones time to reach Kabuto."

Sasuke had been staring at the gaping, bloody hole in Zetsu's chest. His head snapped up now to follow Naruto as he jumped down beside him. "Kabuto? You-"

"Dead. He was so focused on his zombies that he didn't see the clones coming. Shall we?"

Sasuke stared at Naruto as if he'd never seen him before. Naruto seemed not to notice as he stooped and slung Zetsu's body over one shoulder. He proceeded to walk away, northwest, as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. A rustling sound had Sasuke turning, sword raised, but it was just another blond clone, piling the three bodies of Deidara, Nagato, and Kakuzu onto its back. This one followed after Naruto.

After another minute of staring around, Sasuke thoughtfully sheathed his sword and followed as well. What the fuck just happened?