Chapter 6: On the Run

He was half a day's flight from the hideout when he first sensed that he was being followed. The snap of a twig, the crunch of a leaf, the unexplainable whoosh of air…

Madara underestimates me, thought Sasuke with a chuckle, as he came to a sharp stop, flipped backwards off the nearest bough and engaged the two assassins nearest him in a battle that lasted all of 6 seconds. Two and a half minutes and several bodies later, Sasuke dusted his hands off and continued on his way. Despite himself, a tiny smirk made its way to the surface. He was proud of himself. So proud, in fact, that he mistook the rustle of leaves behind him as the odd coincidence.

X

Three nights later, the bedtime story thing had become a routine. Hirohito got a thrill from hearing of Naruto's adventures, and Naruto got off on exaggerating them all he wanted. One morning, both boys staggered blearily out of Hirohito's room at 11 in the afternoon, having finally slept at three the previous night.

"This has got to stop, Naruto," chided Sakura with a sigh. "Do you even know what time it is? It's eleven!"

"I know, I know. But he loves it!" Naruto whined pleadingly.

"And apparently he's not the only one," muttered Sakura. "Fine, do what you want," she walked off with a shake of her head.

A few hours later, Naruto and Hirohito were outside for their afternoon training session. "Good!" said Naruto approvingly as Hirohito struck the target with his kunai for the fifteenth time straight. "After all, who's student are you?"

Hirohito grinned without turning around as he let three kunai fly. The count was now eighteen. Yup, you're Sasuke's nephew alright, thought Naruto wryly. Every single target decimated. If anything, you're better.

"He's improving really fast, isn't he?" asked Sakura who'd come to stand beside him, as if voicing Naruto's own thoughts.

Naruto let out a breath. "You can really make out his ancestry," he said. "In fact, if this keeps up, he won't need me much longer. The only things he really needs a teacher for, I can't teach him."

Sakura glanced at Hirohito's as yet black pupils, and sighed in agreement. "How much longer can we stay here, Naruto?" Sakura hesitantly posed the question. You know I love our little Hiro as much as anyone, but there's a war going on!" she continued, picking up speed. "I sent a message back to Lee-san telling him I was fine and not to worry and that I would join them when my business here was complete, but when will that be? Raising a child is the work of a lifetime – neither you nor I have the time or experience for that! And Akahana's still in shock. Apart from the occasional muttering or incoherent outburst, she's pretty much as unresponsive as ever – she's not even trying to help-"

"Sakura!" Naruto chided, eyes flashing. "She just found out her husband just died. How do you think you'd react?"

Sakura hung her head. "I didn't mean it to sound like that," she apologized. "I can't even begine to imagine what she's going through, but the fact remains – we can't play "happy family" with Hiro forever. And the longer we stay here, the harder it will be to part – not only for us, but for Hiro as well. And god knows he's had enough parting and pain to last a lifetime."

It was Naruto's turn to sigh. "The problem is, I agree with you," he said softly, turning to look Sakura in the eyes. "But there's no way I can leave Hiro here on his own to fend for himself, knowing his father is dead. And with his mother unresponsive, who knows how long he'll be on his own? I'm not leaving my baby here feeling he's an orphan. I won't!" Naruto shot back fiercely, setting his jaw firmly as he turned his face to hide his watering eyes.

Looking at him, Sakura's eyes began to water as well. Trembling, she started, "Naruto, I-"

"Shh," Naruto whispered, clapping a hand over Sakura's mouth and pulling her behind a bush. "Someone's here," he mouthed. "I'm gonna go find Hiro." Sakura nodded fearfully as Naruto slunk off into the shadows.

Thunder crackled as Naruto crept over to where Hirohito had been training a moment ago. Storm clouds had set in while he'd been talking to Sakura. Suddenly, a flash of lightning illuminated both Hirohito and a hooded figure behind him. The figure stretched out an arm towards the boy. Naruto had hardly opened his mouth to scream out a warning when suddenly the figure became taut and turned to one side. A second flash of lightning revealed a crimson-eyed Akahana standing atop a small hill on the left. Eyes widening, Hirohito shrunk back into the treetrunk behind him.

Akahana? Out here? A gasp from across the field told him Sakura had noticed as well. After his initial shock seeing Akahana on her feet, Naruto snapped back to the situation at hand. Assuming the newcomer was caught in the same genjutsu he had been when he had first gotten here, Naruto dashed over to Hirohito. A shuriken in the shoulder convinced Naruto sufficiently that that was not the case. Coming to a halt, Naruto shouted, "Stay where you are! I'm coming for you!" to a terrified looking Hirohito, who gave a shaky nod in reply. Taking a deep breath and steadying himself, Naruto inched forward, eyes snaking towards the ninja. From the tension in the air and lack of a reaction, Naruto figured the ninja was probably countering the genjutsu. From the look on Akahana's face, it looked like the battle had gotten more serious.

Testing the waters again, Naruto shuffled forward until the tree Hirohito was standing near was only a few yards away. Glancing quickly at the figure once more, Naruto made a break for it and threw himself in front of Hirohito, shielding him, just as the figure threw another kunai his way. Just then, the thunderclouds roiled and there was a sound as if the sky had split. As the lightning struck the earth for the third time, Naruto finally got a good look at the face of the attacker. In shock, Naruto froze. It was Sasuke.

X

In a clearing nearby, a group of men waited for a signal from a wizened old man. On receiving it, they formed a circle and began the preparation for an attack.