And here it finally is! Barely finished three days before my first exam!

And it's another smutless chapter.. the smut keeps falling victim to the plot unfortunately

I hope you don't mind too much and enjoy nonethless :)


Let's take on the elders

It was all going according to Naruto's plan, even smoother than he had expected. He was sure of that, when he passed by the interrogation hall, where Karin was just about to be questioned.

It was noisy, a lot of different voices were talking and whispering confusing things and everyone seemed to be quite shocked.

"Stay calm!", a voice Naruto knew really well spoke up and the clamor fell silent, "this is all nonsense! Don't believe a word she says."

This was the sign for Naruto he had waited for. He opened the door and stepped inside.

"What's going on?", he asked innocently.

The interrogation team welcomed him with disturbed stares.

"What are you doing here?", the voice from before asked him.

Shikamaru looked at him with an annoyed glare. "This is for authorized personnel only. Don't stick your nose into everything."

But Naruto didn't show the slightest intention of leaving.

"How can I not stick my nose into something concerning Sasuke? If you have any information about him then you have to tell me! You know exactly that I won't stop until you tell me!"

Shikamaru sighed pissed. It was written all over his face that he knew that just too well and it made him sick.

"No!", a member from the team interfered, "we can't tell anyone, especially not before we have reported Hokage-sama!"

"Well, what difference does it make?", Shikamaru lacked the nerves for long discussions, "he will find out sooner or later, anyway, the rumors are already spreading like wildfire."

"What rumors?", Naruto tried his best to act confused and unknowingly.

Usually he wasn't the best actor, but this time even Shikamaru seemed to fall for it.

"You won't believe what people are saying outside the village..", Shikamaru started shaking his head, "going on about Itachi and Sasuke actually being secret agents from the elders who spy undercover as 'fake nukenin'. All the people they've killed are supposedly killed by Konoha's order, only that Konoha won't be held responsible."

Naruto listened to him with his mouth wide open, then his face became more serious as he squinted his eyes. You could almost get the impression that he was actually thinking.

"You're not seriously giving this a thought, Naruto..", Shikamaru looked at him confused. He rarely saw this kind of expression on Naruto's face. "You should know Sasuke better than anyone else to know that-"

"I know, Shikamaru..", Naruto interrupted him, "I know, it would be really weird, but.. just think what Sasuke had done the whole time while he was outside of Konoha."

Shikamaru flinched and blinked a few times startled. "Well..", he started, but didn't go on. Right now it was already running through his head, but he didn't dare to speak it out, fearing that the 'truth' would hit him like a slap in the face.

"Just think.. he was with Orochimaru the whole time, watching over his research until he..", he made a little pause and looked up to Shikamaru's snow white face.

".. he killed him..", Shikamaru reluctantly finished Naruto's sentence.

"Yes, right! He killed Konoha's most dangerous Nukenin, didn't he? And then he went to Akatsuki and killed off some members.."

"Yeah, right, including his own brother who apparently was his accomplice..", Shikamaru was still trying to talk against Naruto's wonderful theory.

"Well, yeah, but what if he didn't know that? I mean..", Naruto insisted, but Shikamaru just hastily shook his head.

"No! No, that makes no sense at all! If Konoha had done that, this would just be.."

"..cruel?", Naruto added in a weird, far too quiet undertone.

Instantly everyone in the room was covered in goosebumps, some of them looked at each other shocked, some of them where whispering something, but they obviously all had bought it now 100%.

Only Shikamaru was still biting his tongue. He refused to believe it. Something was still fishy there, something still didn't make any sense. If he just could figure out what it was.

"I don't know what you think, Shikamaru..", Naruto already turned to go, "but for me this makes more sense than everything else. And it is really nice to know that Sasuke was never fighting on a side different from ours."

With those words he left the door, fearing that Shikamaru actually could find a catch in this. Something he couldn't explain that easily.


"YOU GOD DAMN BASTARD!", Suigetsu yelled at Sasuke, trying to go at him and attack him, but Juugo was holding him tightly.

"Calm down, already..", he tried to talk sense to him, already quite annoyed.
"What?! Am I lectured by you? YOU OF ALL PEOPLE TELL ME TO CALM DOWN?!", Suigetsu didn't even think about calming down.

"When you act like that, it almost gives the impression that you cared about Karin.."

Suigetsu suddenly froze and stopped struggling.

"What the hell are you saying?!", he denied, "The hell I do! I'm just annoyed because this is obviously proof that Sasuke was betraying us all along!"

Sasuke looked at them while he was thinking intensely about what he was supposed to say. Karin's kidnapping had obviously something to do with Naruto. Maybe this was even part of his plan.

So he just had went on with it, even though Sasuke had told him not to. That really annoyed him, but he had no time to grumble, there was another nuisance there, right before his eyes.

"Would you even believe me, if I told you that I don't have anything to do with it?", Sasuke had been doing this for quite a while now, but he kept being ignored and offended even more.

If Juugo wasn't there to hold him, Sasuke would have already been forced to kill him.

"Just tell me what I have to do so you believe me..", he knew that Naruto had told him to keep distance to them, but he wasn't going to listen to him anymore.

In fact, he was so pissed that he had a mind to just go and ruin Naruto's god damn plan. He couldn't get rid of the feeling, that Naruto was treating him like a kid and that was more than hurting his pride.

"Rescue her", Suigetsu's eyes pierced through Sasuke.

"What?!", Sasuke thought he just had misheard, "I'm a Nukenin, I can't walk into the village just like that.. They'll rip me into thousand pieces like mad blood hounds."

"Well, if you are a Nukenin. And then I'll gladly watch that scenery", Suigetsu grinned as he seemed to imagine it.

What should Sasuke do? Going back to Konoha now to rescue Karin surely wasn't the best idea, Naruto would be raging. But on the other hand.. having Suigetsu as foe would surely be a real nuisance. So what now?


Naruto ran through the village with a broad smile on his face. He had an overly good mood today. The only thing that could make it even better now was a bowl of Ramen at good old Ichiraku's.

He walked into the store gushily and ignored the weird atmosphere lingering around, sat down and ordered a cup of his favorite Ramen. The old store keeper quickly started to prepare it without a word – which was already strange enough – and his daughter Ayame just stood there doing nothing, her eyes glued on Naruto.

"Are you alright..?", Naruto finally noticed her stare and looked back at her.

She flinched and turned slightly red, then quickly shook her head.

"No.. no it's nothing!", she denied quickly, "but.. but well..", she muttered and looked around nervously, "say, Naruto.. do you know something about that rumor?"

The last part was only whispered by her as if she was fearing someone could overhear. Someone who shouldn't. Naruto had to do his best to refrain from grinning broadly. Actually it was kind of boring that he needed to do so little.

"What rumor do you mean..?", he asked her, pretending not to know yet.

She looked even more nervous, looked around a second time and bowed over the counter, her voice got even quieter.

"Have you heard that.. that rumor about Itachi and Sasuke?"

"Ah that one?", Naruto asked back, emphasized loudly and Ayame flinched.

"In fact I have some secret information about that matter!", he claimed with a serious face, "but it's not like I can tell everyone about it."

Ayame looked at him surprised, bit her lip as she gazed at the floor before she reverted her eyes at him. She seemed to be really determined.

"Please, Naruto, if you know anything then tell me. I know.. I'm just a Ramen girl.. but.. but I just have to know the truth!", she begged him.

It was rare to see her like that, she was always acting so tough. Naruto was a little irritated by that. Of course, he would have told her anyway, that was the reason for coming here after all. Besides Ramen. But he couldn't really understand why that was so important to her.

"Why?", he decided to just ask her.

"Well..", she was a bit reluctant telling him, but she did it anyway, "the truth is I used to know Itachi pretty well, back then when he still lived in the village. I have never understood why he did such a horrible thing.. It really.. would mean a lot to me.."

(A/N: This is actually a reference to my other Naruto fanfic. Feel free to check it out if you want to!)

Naruto gulped. He had had no idea about that. But thinking about it, they were the same age, right? And of course she had never told them. Having a Nukenin as old friend isn't something you usually talk about, and even less in Sasuke's presence.

"I see..", Naruto mumbled, feeling old Tenchou's pervading eyes on his face.

He seemed to be just as curious. Or maybe he was waiting with his knife in his hand for Naruto to say something hurtful to his daughter.

"It's true", he finally said, "the rumors are all true!"

He had a harder time saying this now than he had thought. There were tears running down Ayame's face.

"Thank you, Naruto..", she sobbed, "I'm happy.."

It were tears of delight and Naruto felt a bit warm in his breast. But at the same time he realized, that this rumor he had spread – whether it was the truth or not – was actually triggering something in the people.

Somehow he had had the opinion, that no one even cared about Itachi and Sasuke and their true motives, he only wanted to sow the seeds of doubt in the minds of the people of Konoha concerning their elders. Yet, with this, it had suddenly came to him, that this whole thing could get out of control.

But now it was already too late to consider this.

"You're off for today, Ayame", Tenchou said to his crying daughter.

"Thanks..", she gulped smiling and turned to go, "I'll go out then for a bit. I'll be at the graveyard."

After she had left, Tenchou reached Naruto his bowl of Ramen and looked at him worried.

"I hope you know what you're doing there", he hissed at him, "I fear you'll get yourself in some real problems with this attitude.."

But Naruto still dug in with a smile on his face.

"Thanks for your concern, old man, but I'll be fine", he said with his mouth full.

Tenchou didn't seem convinced. Well, there was no need to be a Shinobi or are ANBU to figure out that the higher-ups in Konoha wouldn't be very pleased about this rumor spreading around. And even less about Naruto's efforts to make it even worse.

And as right on cue, it didn't take many steps after Naruto had left the Ramen store, until he suddenly felt a draft next to his ear, followed by a dull sound and pain at the back of his head.

Only a moment later, everything was black before his eyes.

When he finally got the feeling in his body parts back, weird prickling in his limbs, he opened his eyes and waited for the blurred picture to clear up. He was kneeing on the floor, in front of him a broad table with figures sitting at it, staring down on him.

"This is the guy, who's responsible for all this", Naruto heard a deep voice behind him. It was most likely the one who had brought him here.

He could almost feel how unsettled those people looking at him were. Despite his unpromising seeming situation, he answered their gazes with a victorious grin.

"Took you long enough.."


"So this is Konoha, huh?", Suigetsu said as they were slowly and carefully approaching the big gate, "It looks so harmless and peaceful, I'd love to crush it."

"Don't do anything reckless!", Sasuke hissed at him.

He couldn't believe that they were actually doing this. That he was actually doing this. There had been a time where he had never thought that he would see this gate ever again.

And then there had been that time where he wanted to believe that he would, brought here by Naruto. But now he was here on his own accord, sneaking through the securities, like a real Nukenin who came back to attack his town.

"We're just here to get Karin and then get out out here! We can't afford to be seen by anyone or to even get in a fight."

He would never admit it, not even to himself, but the thought of Naruto's reaction on this scared him. Would he rage until he nearly turned into Kyuubi? No.. no he wouldn't be mad, he'd be disappointed. And that was even worse.

Suigetsu just made some sounds of reluctant approving, but Sasuke wasn't really put at ease by that. He knew that all he could do was pray. If there was a god who would still listen to him.


"Naruto..", a voice Naruto only knew to well was talking to him, "I should have known it.."

The woman talking to him looked centuries younger than the old ones sitting left and right to her, but Naruto knew it better. In fact, she already was an old hag herself, not as old as the elders of course, but yes, she was old.

"How unfortunate..", the old woman next to her said, "I hoped we could just dispose of this matter, but we can't possibly kill the vessel of the nine-tails."

Naruto looked at her and the other ones sitting at the table. It was Tsunade, of course, the elder pair and Danzo, who was glaring at him especially hateful.

"Naruto..", Danzo mumured, "he's been a nuisance all along, but this goes too far. What shall we do with him, now?"

Tsunade bit her lip nervously and stared at Naruto with shivering eyes. She didn't feel to comfortable in this situation. Naruto felt a little guilty for putting her through this, but it couldn't be helped.

"Naruto.. is it true that you are responsible for these rumors about Itachi and Sasuke spreading around?", she was obviously hoping for Naruto to deny it, but he had to destroy those hopes.

"Yes, I am."

Tsunade gulped and got a glare from the elders sitting next to her.

"Keep out of that, Tsunade", the elder woman instructed her, "if it hadn't been for him you would have never been dragged into this and we would have taken Itachi's secret to the grave. But now.. the whole land talks about it.. and what's even worse.."

"..that insolent little brat, who betrayed the village, is being put on the same level as his heroic big brother", Danzo completed her sentence without taking his eyes from Naruto.

"Don't talk about Sasuke like that!", Naruto yelled at him. Hearing that someone bad-mouthed his beloved Sasuke really stirred him up.

He even wanted to jump up and punch the old man right in his stupid face, but the guy behind him held him back and he noticed that he was tied up.

"Naruto.. why did you do this? And what do you expect us to do now?", Tsunade looked at him with pained eyes. In the end he had betrayed her, he knew that. But there was no turning back now.

"It was the only choice I had, right? Now your only choice is to tell everyone that those rumors are true and let Sasuke back in the village!"

"Insolence!", the old elder hag stood up from her seat and yelled at Naruto, "Who do you think you are?! You think you can play with us as you want to and then even give us such foolish orders? You'll see what we'll do with you!"

"What?", Naruto wasn't intimidated at all. "What do you want to do with me?"

He let his eyes wander across the old guys up there, staring at him with big shocked eyes.

"I'm the Kyuubis Jinchuuriki. You can't kill me. There are no chains which are able to hold me. And there's a war coming up, you can't afford to do anything like that. You need me. But I won't raise a finger without Sasuke by my side."

The elders looked at each other shocked and disturbed, only Tsunade's eyes were glued on him.

"That's a really big risk you're taking there Naruto.. but why? This is going too far. Why are you going so far for a friend..?", she asked him, trying to read the answer in his face.
"Just what is your relationship with Sasuke..?"

Naruto felt his heart jumping at this question, he sensed the heat in his face and avoided her eyes.

"Are you, by any chance..", suddenly there was break in her voice. She stuttered and mumbled and gave some not understandable things from her.

Naruto looked up to her again and was startled by her high red face. This was the first time he saw her like that. She hid her face in her hands as if trying to calm down again.

"Good!", suddenly she jumped up and held her fist high in a determined pose, "I'm fine with it! Let's bring them back together – No! I mean – bring Sasuke back to Konoha!"

Naruto's mouth flapped open. Strangely enough, even though this had been his plan all along, this had been the least thing he had expected. The others were staring at her just as dumbfounded.

"Have you lost your mind, Tsunade?!", the old hag was the first to find her voice again. "Didn't I tell you to stay out of this! You should know that this is impossible!"

"No matter what you say, I'm still Hokage and I make the decisions here! And there's nothing impossible when it comes to lo-.. friendship between two young boys! Who gives us old geezers the right to keep them apart?"

Naruto was truly glad about her support, but something in her eyes and her voice made him creep out. There had to be something wrong with her.

This theory he had was only undermined by that knowing wink she through at him while fighting with the elders. Naruto got goosebumps instantly and shivered. Why was he feeling this misgiving even though it was going in his favor?

"It's ok Naruto, you can go now, I will handle this", she smiled at him broadly while rolling up her sleeve's.

"Ohhhh-kay..", Naruto mumbled while the confused ANBU behind him undid his ties.

"Tsunade! You can't be serious about this! What are you thinking?!", it was the last thing Naruto heard while he was already leaving the room solemnly.

He didn't hear Tsunade's answer anymore.

"As I said, I'm Hokage and in this village you'll do what I say! And I say let Sasuke return to Konoha! And I say install cameras both in his and Naruto's sleeping rooms!"


He left the room and the whole building as quickly as possible and only went through that weird conversation when he was standing in the middle of the village again. That was good, right? They made that deal with him, right? Sasuke could return now, right?

Naruto wasn't sure. But well, in the end the Hokage herself had said so, therefore.. victory? Naruto decided to waste it no more thoughts and except it as victory. Finally he felt the delight. Sasuke would be able to return. He had to find him.

He ran through the streets of Konoha, there was no way he could sit still now. His heart was overturning, he was about to cry of joy. He had done it! He had really done it! What would Sasuke say once they'd be reunited? What face would he make when Naruto told him everything.

He couldn't wait, the more the conscience of his achievement sunk in, the more it seemed to give him wings. Maybe he could even fly?

Trying it out had been a bad idea. Yes, he could jump high, as always, but the gravity was still stronger than his imaginary wings.

"Ahh! Careful!", he screamed as he realized that there was someone standing at that spot he was about to land on. Someone wearing a cloak.

The guy looked up to him, but it was already too late. They bumped together and were both lying on the ground.

"Sorry.. sorry..", Naruto let his fingers glide through his hair in order to get the dust out. "I've been a bit reckl-"

Naruto wanted to explain, but his words got stuck in his throat when he recognized the face of the guy lying beneath him.

"Sasuke..?", his heart skipped a beat and his face fell apart.

"Naruto.. I'm..", Sasuke started disturbed, but was interrupted by his fellow, who suddenly held a huge sword at Naruto's neck.

"My, my, how unfortunate. Seems like we didn't make it unrecognized."


Phew, finished

I didn't want to leave you hanging too long at that cliff, so now you have a new cliff to hang around :D

Hope you have it comfortable there and got some snacks because I'm fully changing into exam mode now (If it only was that easily..)

Have a nice february! I'll be back in march!