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.IX.
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Less than an hour later, Neji had found himself alone with Sasuke once again as they embarked on their urgent quest. Under the Uchiha's guidance, they made their way into the treacherous mountains of Earth Country. It was there that the root of the plant they required was located—or that was what Sasuke had said at least. Neji trusted his instincts. And his instincts said Sasuke was being sincere. But Neji had been found mistaken in the past before.
Exhaustion slowly started to invade his senses as they surveyed the area. Sasuke was no gentle leader. He had made his way through the perilous terrain with alarming speed and little difficulty—which prompted Neji into believing the Uchiha had been here before. But as smooth as their journey was, Neji had still burned off more chakra than Sasuke, and the effects were made clear soon after they arrived at the site. Three hours had passed since their initial start off and Neji was feeling deadly fatigued. It was a feeling he was accustomed to, however, and his body automatically began to reserve its spare energy. You didn't become ANBU without some form of instinctual drive to keep you always on the move regardless of your body's physical state.
"Tired? I suppose I should be grateful that I didn't have to go against those ANBU earlier," commented Sasuke calmly, looking over at the older man.
Neji wiped his brow and frowned a little. "What does this plant look like?" he asked after a moment's rest.
Sasuke gazed across the snowy plateau. The wind blew harshly and little plant life was seen amidst the cold white world. "Looks like your average weed. Hard to miss, but extremely difficult to find," he said.
"You sure it's here?"
"Yes."
Neji sighed. "Then I suppose we should begin looking."
"Don't bother using your Byakugan for now. It'll be our last resort," said Sasuke dryly.
It seemed they had both been thinking along the same lines. Neji gave a quick nod in agreement and Sasuke began moving.
"I'll check along this side of the mountain. We'll meet back in fifteen minutes," he directed.
Neji arched an eyebrow. "Will we find it that quickly?"
"Difficult to find but hard to miss."
Sasuke disappeared behind a boulder, lost to the swirling snow and whiteness. Neji shook his head a little and began focusing on his task. By the time they had left Shikamaru, the man's temperature had risen sharply and his breathing became labored. He woke up for a few brief moments where he was quickly notified of Neji and Sasuke's plans. The shadow user had merely smiled slightly at them following their explanation and told them "to try not to fail, this is kind of my life hanging on the edge here". He had slipped into an uneasy sleep after that.
Neji scanned the area with some frustration. It was tiring to have to sift through the snow and his limbs were beginning to feel numb from the cold. He felt the slight compulsion to activate his Byakugan, but knew he had to conserve his energy. Neji felt a little helpless in this situation—like a blind man reaching out for the sun that was behind him.
He wondered—not for the first time since Sasuke joined their company—how in the world this mission had turned into something so potentially dangerous. It was supposed to be a simple retrieval mission. There were many unique factors, yes, but it was an otherwise unspectacular assignment. Neji didn't like having to be overly pessimistic, but there was just something not quite right about anything here. And it had everything to do with Sasuke. Neji knew that when the time was right, he would break it to him. Because as much as Neji didn't trust the younger man, he needed to know what the hell was going on—and he knew Sasuke knew something that they didn't.
Why did it have to be him of all people? Neji remembered the first time he met the man eight years ago. It was in the hallway right before the Chuunin examinations began. He could recall his first impression of the twelve-year-old boy: strong, cold, yet lacking in something essential. Neji would eventually find out what that something was. Love. Love for his country, love for his people, love for his teammates—it was all missing. At that point, Neji didn't know much about Sasuke. He knew he was the last Uchiha within the village, but didn't know anything about the boy personally. And when he first saw him, Neji detected that certain lack of emotion—the same aloofness he associated with so well. He thought it intriguing and likened Sasuke to himself.
Of course back then, Neji had mistaken that trait as strength. It would take a hard lesson to knock Neji back to the ground. And he eventually learned that emotions—love—were not useless things. To become stronger meant having to master your emotions. Pushing them away and trying to rid of them wasn't the solution. You had to deal with your problems head-on in order to gain any sort of benefit from them. Neji never forgot that lesson, and he was indebted to Naruto forever because of it.
When he thought about Sasuke now, Neji was sure the man knew the value of his humanity. But he had willingly forsaken everything for revenge. Such conviction was almost awe-inspiring if not for its idiotic existence. But Neji would not be the judge of Sasuke's actions. He couldn't read the other man's mind—he didn't care about why Sasuke was the way he was. All he cared about was what would happen to the Uchiha if he continued his reckless journey. Neji knew of self-inflicted pain—he didn't wish for anyone else to experience it. Nor did he wish for Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi to suffer needlessly because of a blinded fool.
Neji looked up as a snow pile came tumbling down from the side. He blocked his face with a hand and narrowed his eyes. The wind chafed his skin and the icy particles swirling around him limited his scope dramatically. He would have to use his Byakugan at this point. Neji frowned deeply and quickly drew in his chakra.
"Didn't I tell you to reserve that?"
Turning around quickly, Neji saw Sasuke staring back at him calmly, a small bundle in his hand. "Is that it?" queried Neji, ignoring the younger man's lightly taunting gaze.
"It is," confirmed Sasuke. "I figured since I found it I could just track you down instead of having to wait until we met up. The faster we are, the better the chances for Shikamaru."
"Agreed. Let's head back then."
Sasuke continued staring at him through the whirling landscape. Neji waited for him, not quite knowing what the other man was about to do or say.
"Aside from being judged for my actions, do you think I should go back to Konoha?"
The question startled Neji. He had not expected Sasuke to suddenly ask for his opinion—nor did he have such a response ready. So he pondered the question for a while. He got the deep impression that what he would say next would prove essential. Neji sighed and decided to go with his initial thoughts.
"Yes, I believe you should go back. You have friends waiting for you—your home is Konoha. Even if you may believe it broken or abandoned, everything can be rebuilt in a manner that may prove better than the original."
Sasuke was silent. Neji tried his best not to fidget from the cold and couldn't help but wonder how the younger man could remain so immune to the storm around him. The Hyuuga closed his eyes for a moment. He also prayed he had said the right words. Somehow he knew that whether or not Sasuke would go with them to Konoha depended on this one moment.
"Do you hold that same philosophy in terms of a person's soul?"
"With people it's even easier. You just need to be willing."
Pregnant tension ran through the atmosphere. All the while he was watching Sasuke for any sort of reaction, Neji forgot about his numbing limbs as he waited uneasily. Finally, Sasuke moved and began heading back without any acknowledgement. Neji took it as a good sign and followed, daring to breathe a sigh of relief. A few years ago, he would not have been so patient with Sasuke. He would have snapped at the man in aggravation and annoyance. But perhaps it was all the time he spent with Naruto and Lee on Squadron Thirteen—he had learned that sometimes being forceful was not the best method. Subtlety and cajoling went a long way—and with Sasuke, feeding him words laden with indirect meanings was the best route. The man didn't like being told what to do, but that didn't mean he was not wanting of any guidance. The fact that Sasuke even asked him such a question meant that he—in some strange way—trusted Neji more than the others. And by asking his question, he had disclosed to Neji a more vulnerable side of him that no one was sure even existed anymore.
Neji felt a surge of accomplishment rush through him as they headed back.
Let's just hope his intentions are as pure as you think, Hyuuga.
In the back of his mind, he knew he couldn't entirely disregard his suspicions of the Uchiha, but Neji was at least starting to feel a bit more normal around the man now. Sasuke was still human. The thought reassured him.
Broken and on the verge of collapsing—but he was still hanging by a thread. Neji suddenly felt a rush of appreciation for his friends. Despite how much he may have unconsciously distanced himself, they always remained by his side. Having companions meant potentially exposing yourself to pain. But being alone meant never realizing yourself. Neji had always been afraid to get too close to anyone because he wanted to protect his future self from pain. He was a shinobi. Comrades and partners were lost every day. But he knew now what Lee was talking about before. To bury your heart under coolness and rationality, you sacrificed your ability to feel. Neji had seen it in Sasuke—and he was deeply troubled because he had sensed himself in this shadow of a man.
But Sasuke was not gone yet. Neji had to remind himself of that. Surely if Sasuke could pull back from where he was, then he could as well. This may have partially been his reason for trying to draw Sasuke out of his shell—because he wanted to prove to himself that healing was possible. He had uttered those vain words earlier to encourage Sasuke—but Neji really did want to believe them. It was the pessimist in him that demanded physical proof. So he would watch and aid the Uchiha as much as he could. For both their sakes. And hopefully, if all went well, everyone—including themselves—would be happier in the future.
"The storm's following us."
Neji looked behind him. They were descending the mountain with relative ease, but he could see dark clouds docking slowly in their wakes, no doubt reaching their resting camp by the time morning would arise. Neji pressured himself to move faster. Shikamaru was a strong leader and more than capable of keeping himself alive, but he would not take any risks in this calculation. He couldn't afford it. Neji was a soldier. Shikamaru was a general. He was more important to Konoha than the rest of them.
"Let's hurry!"
Sasuke raised his eyebrow slightly at the order, but allowed Neji to pick up the pace. "Don't burn yourself out before we get back. I don't want to be carrying your ass across the desert."
Neji smiled tersely. "Thank you, but I think I know my limitations," he replied. "Just worry about keeping the root safe."
"You don't need to tell me that." Then pausing, Sasuke added casually, "I could use the Mangekyou to transfer us back."
Stunted surprise hit Neji as he looked at the younger man bewilderedly. "Kakashi-san's done something like that before. But it resulted in him lying in bed for the better part of a week."
Sasuke eyed Neji with something akin to disbelief. "He's Hatake Kakashi. I'm Uchiha Sasuke. Note the key difference?"
There was little sarcasm in his tone, but Neji knew better to think that Sasuke wasn't mocking him. The man could say the most demeaning things with the straightest of faces that many people probably had to think for a bit before realizing they had just been insulted. Neji found some amusement in it but still couldn't approve of an underclassman taunting him.
"I was thinking that it'd be best to conserve your energy—I know for a fact that the Mangekyou, Uchiha or not, takes a tremendous toll on its user. We might need you in battle later."
Sasuke closed his eyes. "Such faith you display in my abilities, Hyuuga-san."
"If you think you can do it without severely stunting your current chakra level then by all means go for it," replied Neji offhandedly.
He had barely said the words when he felt a sudden drop in his stomach. Neji gasped instinctively as his surroundings meshed into a swirl of colors, the air knocked out of him by a mysterious force. The lapsed time was probably less than five seconds, but for Neji it felt like eternity. All he felt were his limbs being painfully directed into opposite directions as the spatial world of physics took hold of him. Neji felt as if he was being compressed into something humanly impossible. For the brief time where he could see, he knew his hands had become like two-dimensional figures and therefore could assume the rest of his body had turned likewise.
Before the second wave of panic following such a revelation could come sweeping in, Neji was back to normal again. Air returned to his lungs and a tingly feeling resounded throughout his body as he found himself standing in the middle of the desert—their campsite situated some yards to the east. Neji blinked and looked for Sasuke. The younger man was standing beside him, watching him closely.
"You… Is that how it's always like?"
At first Neji didn't know what to say. Then the question came spilling out on its own, his wonder and amazement unfiltered. Sasuke's gaze on him lightened up a little as he responded.
"You get used to it."
Neji placed a hand to his heart, feeling his heart beating heavily within his chest. His mind had adjusted to the idea fairly quickly, but his body was still recovering. Neji breathed in slowly before speaking. "What exactly was that?"
Sasuke's attention was on their campsite as he answered. "Reality is made up of alternate dimensions. The Mangekyou has the ability to bend these dimensions to the user's will. Transporting is relatively simple since we're only changing the distance. There are other more complicated possibilities when it comes to shifting reality—but any serious experimenting would probably result in the user's death. Such techniques were never meant to be utilized except in the most desperate of situations where you know death is inevitable," he said idly.
It was a textbook reply, Neji realized. Even the way Sasuke explained it made him appear like a machine. The man's attention was completely elsewhere. Neji followed his gaze.
"Is something wrong?"
Sasuke looked at him suddenly, as if jerked from the trenches of deep thought. He made a dismissive sound. "Shikamaru's waiting."
Neji nodded and they set off back to their temporary home. Hang on a little longer, Shikamaru. He could rest once he knew his captain would be all right.
As the camp came into closer view, Neji frowned to himself. Feeling distinctly strange, he paused in his pace when they were a few steps away from the site. He stared at the still tents and felt a familiar thrill rush through his veins—the scent of danger. Neji raised his defenses and glanced at Sasuke from the corner of his eye. The younger man had stopped as well and was regarding the scene with mild curiosity.
"Something seems off," he commented casually.
Neji narrowed his eyes. "You think?" he asked rhetorically.
"Shikamaru's there," continued Sasuke, concentrating. "Kakashi and Lee too. Naruto's missing."
"Not good."
At once, Neji ran into the first tent where he knew Shikamaru would be lying. Sure enough, when he entered the small area, he found the shadow user twisting around in pained sleep. Kakashi and Lee lied beside him, seemingly knocked out and completely motionless. Neji knelt beside Shikamaru first, taking the man's temperature before calling for Sasuke, cursing mentally to himself as he tried not to think too hard on what could have gone amiss. One thing at a time, he reminded himself, and Shikamaru was at the top of the list right now.
"The root! Hand it to me and see to Kakashi and Lee!"
Sasuke slipped into the tent silently, looking first at the unconscious Kakashi and Lee, before catching Neji's cold stare. He bent down before Shikamaru, taking out the root and gesturing to the others. "I believe I'll be the better candidate in treating him. I think you should see to them," directed Sasuke. Observing the older man's skepticism, he gave a slight smile in wryness. "I hated training with Kabuto back when I was at Otogakure—but I've copied quite a few of his medical jutsu as a result. And no matter how much of a jackass he may be, he's still probably the best medical nin around."
Neji sighed inwardly. There was nothing else to do but trust Sasuke on this. He couldn't create the antidote—and they were running on precious time. It filled him with extreme unrest to hand over the care of one of his friends to Sasuke, but he did it anyway. Naruto mentioned before that he still trusted the Uchiha for unknown reasons; Neji could build on that trust. And if he was going to gain any more of Sasuke's trust, he would have to start by giving some of his own.
"Please do your best," he said quietly.
Sasuke looked at him with dead eyes. "Worry more about the others."
Neji went over to Kakashi and Lee, frowning a little. He touched Lee's shoulder and was a bit dismayed when the other man didn't respond. Even when unconscious, Lee's motor reflexes were one of a kind. That he didn't even so much as flinch worried Neji. He shook Lee's shoulder with more force a second time—and finally he was rewarded with a well-aimed punch in his direction. Dodging smoothly, Neji smiled a little.
"Lee, wake up," he said gently, stirring Lee to wakefulness.
After a few seconds, the man's eyes fluttered open and he looked blearily at Neji. "Uh…Neji? You're here? Wait…why I am here? Where are we?" he inquired in confusion.
"Sasuke and I left about six hours ago remember? We came back with the root for Shikamaru," replied Neji calmly. "But what happened here, Lee? Where's Naruto?"
He spoke in soothing tones, trying not to allow any of his concern seep into his words as to not alarm Lee. The other man appeared to still be greatly dazed and it would do no good to set him into a panicked state immediately.
"Oh yeah, the root… You and Sasuke went to the mountain…." Then suddenly Lee sat up. "Kabuto! He came and attacked us! I was watching over Shikamaru and Naruto and Kakashi-san were on guard. But somehow he still managed to come and take us out and Naruto, he—Kabuto—he took him…"
Lee leapt to his feet. "Naruto's gone!" he cried out before grimacing in pain. He touched the side of his head. "Kabuto used some weird drug to knock us out."
Neji frowned and at the same time Kakashi also regained consciousness, sitting upright in alarming rigidness. Neji looked at the older man worriedly. "Are you all right, Kakashi-san?" he asked, risking a bit of his chakra to do a quick look over of him and Lee. He found nothing out of the ordinary, which relieved him enormously. Whatever their ailments were, it was not fatal.
"Naruto's gone," said Kakashi calmly, scratching his head.
"What are we going to do? We can't go back without him—but we have no idea where to look. Why would he take Naruto anyway?" questioned Lee, scrunching up his face in thought. He then looked around wildly, noticing Sasuke and Shikamaru. He walked over to the Uchiha quietly. "Is he going to be all right?"
Sasuke nodded mutely.
Shikamaru had stilled in his sleep and his ragged breathing had quieted down. Neji felt deep relief at this. Everything was happening at once. He no longer knew what to think or feel. Shikamaru seemed to be heading onto the road of recovery, but now Naruto was missing. He had no idea what Kabuto's intentions were and he didn't want to think about what would happen to Naruto if they were not able to track him down.
"He's after me," pitched Sasuke quietly.
Neji looked up. Sasuke was staring at the wall of the tent. The Hyuuga narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean? He's using Naruto as leverage to get to you?"
"Most likely. If that's the case, then he'll make himself known to us eventually," Sasuke said dryly. He stood up slowly. "The poison should reside for another day. He should be fully functional by tomorrow morning."
He began to turn away from the tent before Lee stopped him, grabbing him by the arm.
"What are you doing? You're not going out alone are you?" he cried out.
Sasuke eyed Lee darkly, shrugging off the man's hold. "Will you try and stop me?"
"This isn't the time for selfishness, Sasuke. We can't separate and let you go off by yourself—you of all people should know that by now," Kakashi said, his tone surprisingly calm despite the circumstances.
Neji observed Kakashi and Sasuke's exchange curiously. It was strange. He was accustomed to Kakashi's wily behavior—his flair for dry humor and irony. He knew the man could be serious when he wanted, but around them he always retained a sense of easiness. Around Sasuke, though, his personality changed. It was slight, but Neji saw it. Kakashi spoke to Sasuke less as a teacher than as a scolding friend. It was obvious the silver-haired man held Sasuke in high regards even after his betrayal. It was certainly different from the way he was with Naruto and Sakura—kinder, more fatherly and patient. With Sasuke it was short sentences, more silent communication through eye contact. Even after eight years Kakashi was still naturally attuned with Sasuke's thoughts.
Perhaps the Uchiha hasn't changed so much after all, the voice in Neji's head said.
"I know how to get to Kabuto. I can't take you with me, though."
"Why not?"
"He won't allow it."
Kakashi gave a short laugh. "Are you actually worried about us?"
"No, I don't want you to get in my way," replied Sasuke icily.
"Umm…Naruto's our teammate… It's our duty to go after him you know…"
Neji almost smiled at the confusion in Lee's face. Before Sasuke could respond, he threw in his agreement. "It's true. Lead us, or we tag along. Either way, we're getting to Naruto," he said.
Sasuke was silent for a moment before tilting his head to the side. "I thought the first question you'd ask was how I knew where Kabuto was."
"We won't bother with trivial matters anymore. We've wasted enough time as it is. You said you knew how to get to him, that's all we need," replied Kakashi quickly.
The Uchiha stared at Kakashi, all amusement gone. "I could be leading you into a trap."
"Perhaps, but I like to think my former pupil wouldn't have gone that awry."
Sasuke and Kakashi stared at each other. Then, breaking away, Sasuke turned around and pulled out a blank scroll from his pocket. He laid it across the ground and performed a quick seal. The scroll was instantly flooded by smooth, cursive writing and depictions. They all gathered around it in unison.
"What in the world is that?" asked Lee.
"Information. You don't need to know it—you probably can't even read it. But it tells me where Kabuto might be," answered Sasuke. He traced the tips of his fingers against its surface, reading the inscribed characters. "Knowing Kabuto and his usual methods, he would be here," he said, pointing to a series of foreign symbols and scribbling.
"That's nice. And where is this exactly?" Kakashi asked.
"Further south. It's a wide plain with nothing more but sand and wind. We went there for training several times—Kabuto enjoys the environment there in particular. Never did know why," replied Sasuke.
"Don't you think this is going a little too far just to simply spite you?" inquired Neji quietly.
Sasuke's eyes darkened. "There is also the Kyuubi," he said.
"You know about that?" asked Lee, surprised.
"As if he could hide it from my Sharingan," replied Sasuke dismissively. "I've suspected for a long time there was something different about him ever since we were Genin. There are many people after these Jinchuuriki. Orochimaru didn't care for them—the only reason he even paid attention to them was because Akatsuki was involved. But that was years ago. When I left, Akatsuki had already hunted down three of the Jinchuuriki. I imagine Orochimaru might just want to get rid of Naruto to foil their plans. Of any other alternative reasons I can't think."
Neji could never get accustomed to the detached way Sasuke spoke in when it came to such matters as these. There was no hint of emotion on his side—not even a single glimmer—and he was all business. It made him appear inhuman and Neji felt like he was watching and listening to a stranger. He understood shinobi were supposed to be cool and logical—especially in such a delicate matter as this—but Sasuke carried it to an extreme. Apparently, the two years of peace with Aya had done nothing to even out this severity in nature.
"So what do you propose?" asked Lee.
Sasuke looked evenly at him. "We go in and get Naruto."
"Such a plan like that isn't going to work with Kabuto and Orochimaru. You of all people should know that. It's suicide. We'll get both ourselves and Naruto killed," critiqued Neji, frowning.
"We don't really have much of a choice. Our brilliant commander's down, we're running low on time, I'd say this is our only option. We're all capable fighters. I'm sure we can manage it," replied Sasuke airily.
Neji watched the younger man severely. "What is wrong with you?"
Sasuke blinked. Looking away, he said, "Nothing. Let's just go." He paused and looked at Kakashi, who had remained silent throughout the entire exchange. "Do youhave any ideas?"
The Copy Nin was thinking. He then uncrossed his arms, sighing. "I can think of many different rescue scenarios, but I think we'll ultimately end up fighting them head-on no matter what," he said.
Sasuke glanced back at Neji. "So Vice-Captain, you're the one in charge now. What do you think?" he asked, tone mocking.
There was an abrupt change in the Uchiha now. Neji noted it with some alarm. Sasuke was generally a reticent man—arrogant and mocking, but never flamboyantly displaying it. Now he was colder, even more contemptuous, and lacking any humility whatsoever. Sasuke usually avoided eye contact—now he looked directly into Neji's pale irises without flinching, challenging him—provoking him. To do what? Neji was thinking he would never know.
"Well…I guess an ambush it is. Although it really won't be much of an ambush since the enemy knows we're coming," he acquiesced with not some bitterness. He looked over at where Shikamaru laid. "Someone will have to remain behind."
"I will," volunteered Lee. Neji nodded, smiling a little.
Kakashi rose from his knees and stretched. "It's going to be one of those days."
Sasuke gathered his weapons pouch and checked its contents before strapping it around his waist. He then stood up and activated his Sharingan. Neji tried hard not to look at him.
"They'll be expecting us, but I don't think they'll be expecting such a bold move as this. Kabuto and Orochimaru like to think I'm a strategist—always planning out my moves. In reality, half the time my strategies come about through initial recklessness," said Sasuke, smiling darkly.
Kakashi looked over his former pupil. "Is there something wrong with you or am I just becoming old?"
Sasuke tilted his head to the side. "Well then…that's a question."
Neji placed a hand on his shoulder. Sasuke turned to him slowly, eyes bleeding red. "We should get going, right?" the Hyuuga prompted.
Sasuke gave a fake smile, shrugging off the older man's hand. "Yes, we should," he said, leading the way out. He stopped once before leaving the tent. "And don't ever touch me."
The Hyuuga stared after Sasuke as he left. Kakashi stood by him, arms crossed. The older Jounin sighed and shook his head. "That guy never changes," he muttered. Neji looked at Kakashi.
"Should we be worried?"
Kakashi gave a half shrug. "Who knows. I don't know if he's with Orochimaru or not—but I do know that expression. He's out for blood, and damned if he's not going to get it," he replied.
"How can you be so carefree about it?"
"Carefree?" laughed Kakashi, shooting Neji a look of amusement. "No, not carefree, Neji. He's always been like this. I never could figure out exactly what was on his mind and even when I thought I did, he still managed to pull out some twists. It's more that I've gotten used to it. Hold no great expectations for Sasuke. He can go beyond them, yes, but he can also shatter them like you wouldn't believe it."
Neji frowned. "So are you saying you don't even care what he does?"
"I care, Neji. But I'm no longer his teacher."
With that, Kakashi left and Neji stood quietly by himself. He closed his eyes and regained his self-control. Sasuke was a difficult person. Neji had never met anyone quite like him. He was quick to temper, arrogant, cold—but he was also weak, confused, and lost. There were two sides to him and Neji didn't know which one was real—or if there even existed one at all.
He began to move when he instinctively caught something from behind Lee threw. The other man's voice filled his ears.
"He's bringing you out."
Neji turned slowly. Lee was regarding him with an unnaturally knowing look. The longhaired man shook his head. "What do you mean?" he asked.
Lee smiled slightly. "Sasuke. He's bringing you out. You're showing your emotions more. You're actually worried about him and you want to help. Before, you would've never tried."
"I'm not that cold-hearted," remarked Neji, a little put-out.
Lee laughed. "I didn't mean it like that! You would've cared, but you wouldn't actually exert yourself into helping out someone you barely knew. I don't know whether it's because you feel kinship with Sasuke or not, but he's affecting you—pulling you out from your own depression."
"I was never depressed, Lee."
"Maybe you were," Lee shot back quickly. He scratched his head. "I mean… Well, all I know is that you were down and you weren't letting anyone in. Now you are."
Neji was silent. Lee had surprised him once again. The taijutsu specialist had a way with getting straight to the point when it came to his feelings. Neji smiled a little. "Isn't it good then?" he asked softly.
Lee looked up at him suddenly in surprise. "O-of course! But you know…it is weird that it's happening now—it came about so suddenly. Sasuke coming back and now all this. Somewhere in the chaos you managed to find your heart again."
"Watch over Shikamaru. We'll be back as soon as we can."
Neji picked up a stray kunai lying near him—Lee's. His weapons were always engraved with special characters on the blades. This one held the kanji for friendship. Neji gripped it tightly before placing it in his pouch.
"Good luck. And take the pill. I know you need it."
Neji looked at the soldier pill in his hand Lee had thrown. He smiled to himself. Leave it to Lee. The Hyuuga nodded and before stepping out, paused. He didn't look back as he spoke.
"People change every day, Lee. It's one of life's little miracles."
He then slipped away and Lee turned back to Shikamaru. The young captain was sleeping peacefully. Lee frowned a little to himself.
"People change every day. But it's not always for the better." Lee shook his head and laughed. "But Sasuke's not out of reach yet. He's only hiding…hiding behind his clown's smile."
--
So you finally made it here, little brother. I was beginning to wonder if you had forgotten about revenge.
Killing me won't make a difference. That's why you are foolish. Still a child after so many years. It's the memory that haunts, Sasuke. The figure is only a wall. Once it crumbles, the memories will rush back with all its brutality. And you can't kill memories, Sasuke…
--
Naruto could have died from embarrassment. He really was an idiot. He couldn't believe how he ended up as Kabuto's captive. It was belittling. He was supposed to be Konoha's future Hokage and yet here he was, trapped in a stupid cage he couldn't get out of and waiting for rescue. He banged his head against the metal bars for the hundredth time that hour. Kabuto's taunting was nothing compared to his own mental bashing. Naruto gritted his teeth and banged his head again. He then pulled back and rubbed his head. This was starting to really hurt.
It was dark where Kabuto locked him up. Naruto could make out the barest of shapes. He knew the room was large—and he knew it was mostly empty. It was also cold—which meant he must have been somewhere underground because he knew the sun was still out and the desert was never cold during the day. He knew he was not out for long. His internal clock told him so, and Naruto always trusted his instincts. Kabuto had been there when he came to, leering down at him wordlessly. He then left Naruto to himself—and the young man was beginning to remember why he didn't like being alone for long. His head came up with depressing thoughts.
Like what would happen when the others did come. He knew, knew Sasuke would be one of his "rescuers" and he did not want to hear what the other man had to say. Then there was Kakashi. Naruto knew his former sensei would not let him off without some sort of jibe. Thank God Shikamaru was out. He would have torn Naruto apart.
Naruto sighed and leaned back against the bars. There was nothing he could do now except wait. But waiting alone was a dangerous thing for him. His mind would entertain him for so long. Eventually, it would move onto more serious topics—things like Sasuke and this screwed-up mission. Naruto frowned deeply and squeezed his eyes shut. Oh, he knew the mission was fucked up. He knew there was something totally wrong about what was going on. Sasuke's appearance was too coincidental for him to accept without question. He wanted to, though. God, he wanted to. But that trust was broken a long time ago and Sasuke was not making any attempt to rebuild it. How else was he to react?
He still felt like he was in some nasty dream—that he would wake up at any moment and find himself back in Konoha, safe and comfy in his own bed. Naruto shook his head. But it wasn't a dream. And sooner or later he would have to deal with his inner demons. Sasuke was in fact here. He wasn't going to disappear any time soon. He was still the same self-righteous bastard he had always been. He was sarcastic, patronizing, and relentless.
He was broken.
Naruto clenched his fists. He was still furious with Sasuke—his betrayal, his abandonment of his friends—but underlying the anger was worry for the Uchiha. Naruto could plainly see that Sasuke wasn't who he used to be—knew it instinctively the moment he saw him for the first time in eight years. Perhaps that was the main reason why Naruto was so mad. Because he couldn't help but remember the proud, determined boy of twelve years whenever he looked into Sasuke's empty gaze. The boy was gone. He had been replaced by a cold statue that cared nothing at all for the world around him—or even himself. Naruto was angry because he was tormented by the ghost of a past—a memory of a boy whom he considered one his best friends, but who was now a mere stranger.
Naruto leaned his had back against his cell. He's not a complete stranger, though… There are still those moments where… His train of thought stopped, however, when a loud bang erupted from a few yards before him. Naruto jumped to his feet, listening closely. Suddenly, light streamed in and he drew back painfully, shielding his eyes.
"Still getting yourself into trouble, Naruto. What will you do when we're not here to rescue you, hm?" drawled Kakashi.
Naruto tried opening his eyes but they still had yet to adjust to the sudden light. But he grinned in the direction where he heard Kakashi's voice. "Oh, I don't know. I could probably hatch up an escape plan eventually if I really needed to," he said in response. He heard the cell being cracked open and he was finally able to open his eyes fully. Kakashi stared at him dryly. Naruto shrugged helplessly.
"He put up wards on the thing. I couldn't escape on my own."
"Well, we better hurry. I don't know how much time Sasuke and Neji can buy us up there."
Now that he was out of his prison—and there was light—Naruto could see that they were in fact what appeared to be an underground laboratory. Florescent lights lined up the ceiling and all sorts of computers and strange looking glass cells were spread over the ground floor. So much for it being empty. Naruto suppressed a shiver. Given Orochimaru's reputation, he couldn't help but wonder what experiments had gone on in this place before it was used temporarily as his holding cell.
"No time for ogling, Naruto. Let's go!"
"Right!"
Blinking, Naruto ran after Kakashi, who had started up the stairs. He followed the older man through the long corridors and kept his guard up. "Lee stayed back with Shika?" he asked.
"Yep."
"And Neji and Sasuke are—?"
"Decoys."
Naruto grinned. "Those two, huh?" he said to himself.
A crash exploded in front of them, knocking debris and dust into their path. Naruto and Kakashi stopped, covering their eyes. Once the smoke cleared, Naruto opened his eyes and saw Neji standing before them, three Oto shinobi at his feet.
"As ruthless as ever, Neji," commented Naruto.
The Hyuuga looked him over, his Byakugan scanning both him and Kakashi. "You're uninjured. Good," he said. "Sasuke's still dealing with Kabuto. There's an opening up ahead."
They began following Neji down the tunnel. Naruto looked back a little worriedly. "Is it all right to leave him behind?"
"He can take care of himself," replied Neji coolly.
Once they were above the surface, Naruto took a look at the field. It was wide and barren. The sand was calm but every time the wind blew, it would send tremendous waves throughout the desert. Naruto shuddered. The entrance to the underground base was a slab of stone that stuck out from the field of sand. He knew now it had a secret locking mechanism. Once they left, it closed automatically. Naruto had no idea how to open it again.
"And now we wait," murmured Kakashi.
They had moved away to a safer distance from the entrance. Naruto waited expectantly for the stone to shift, allowing Sasuke to come out. But minutes passed and there was nothing but wind and sand.
"Perhaps I should have stayed after all," said Neji.
"Why did you leave him alone?" asked Kakashi.
"He told me could handle it."
"Typical Sasuke," cursed Naruto.
Then the stone moved. They all froze as a dark shadow leapt from the depth and landed before them. Sasuke looked at them, slight confusion in his face.
"Why are you all standing here? They'll be activating the traps around this area soon," he said before he began running.
At once they moved. Naruto paused, processing Sasuke's words, and then felt his mind grow cold. "Wait, there are traps around here?" he cried out.
"That took you less time than usual to process."
"Hey!"
"Naruto, don't!"
"Wha—?"
Naruto felt the ground below him give away. Then suddenly he was falling, falling, and it was rapidly becoming colder and darker. Just as soon as he thought he would hit rock bottom and break every single bone in his body, he felt a hand grab his wrist, the sudden force of stopping snapped through his body like lightning. For a few seconds all Naruto could process was his quick breathing echoing around him and the hand that had saved him from certain death.
"Even after all these years, I still have to save your ass."
Almost automatically, Naruto replied with, "I could've handled it by myself."
He looked up and saw Sasuke suspended on a rope, his right hand outstretched to hold onto him. There was blood running down the same hand. Naruto watched him in confusion. "Why?" he asked.
"I don't know."
Sasuke slowly readjusted his arm and began swinging Naruto in the air. "Are you ready?"
"Yeah."
With a mighty lurch, Sasuke swung the redhead up the shaft and Naruto used the walls as certain jumping points until he reached the opening. Neji and Kakashi greeted him in relief.
"Dammit, Naruto, didn't I teach you anything?"
Naruto smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Kaka-sensei."
Sasuke followed up the chute quickly, retracting his rope as he did so. He clutched his right shoulder, rotating it slowly. Neji's eyes ran through the area. "Dislocated—and you cut your arm pretty badly."
"The dislocation is nothing to worry about," replied Sasuke, as he popped the shoulder back in its proper place with barely a grimace. He ripped off his sleeve and Naruto could see the long gash that ran down the man's forearm. Sasuke wrapped the sleeve tightly around the cut before surveying the area quickly. "We've escaped the vicinity of the traps. We can continue safely from here."
"Then we head back to camp and then continue on towards Konoha," said Neji.
Silently agreeing, the group quickly began running across the desert. The sun was peaking and the day was blisteringly hot. In the distance, though, thunderheads were gathering. Naruto fell behind the group to observe Sasuke. As much as he wanted to trust the man, he couldn't help but feel at odds with the situation. His kidnapping—to what purpose did it hold? It seemed to Naruto like Kabuto had merely taken him on a whim—impossible, though, because Kabuto meant Orochimaru, and Orochimaru was hardly the type to do things without a reason. So why had they taken him? Naruto frowned deeply. And was it really supposed to be that easy to break in and out of one of Orochimaru's bases? He knew his team was good. Even without Lee and Shikamaru, Neji and Kakashi could more than take care of themselves. And Sasuke had proven long ago he was more than capable of roughing it. But the entire escapade itself seemed meaningless—fruitless—or at least that was what Naruto thought. Perhaps he was overanalyzing it. Perhaps he should give Sasuke some of the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps—
"You planning on betraying us again, Sasuke?"
He had no idea where the words came from, and he had not meant for them to fall so easily from his mouth. Naruto froze as Sasuke turned to look at him. From afar he could see Kakashi and Neji listening closely. Naruto bit his tongue.
"Depends on my mood, Naruto, it really does. If you keep warming up to me like the way you are now, who knows. You might just get lucky."
They stared at each other for several moments. Then Naruto cleared his throat. "Um…thanks…for, you know, saving me down there."
This time it was plain amusement that shone from Sasuke's eyes as he spoke. "That was sudden."
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Arrogant bastard."
Sasuke watched the redhead a little longer, his expression unclear. Naruto looked away from him.
"You're welcome, dobe."
The words echoed of the past so piercingly that Naruto was almost chilled by their intonation. But something else made him feel warm inside. It was Sasuke—him and the smile that was in his speech. Naruto forgot his concerns for a second and reveled in the familiar presence of his old friend. Perhaps—
—Naruto cleared his head. No time for doubts. No time for what-ifs. This time he would make sure Sasuke stayed for good and that was that.
