Invictus
By: fruor

Summary: Five years ago, Uzumaki Naruto disappeared. The only witness: Uchiha Sasuke. While people fail and stray, Uzumaki Naruto always remained unconquerable. SasuNaru.

Rating: T

Genre: Romance/Angst

Pairings: SasuNaru, KakaIru, LeeSaku(?), KibaHina(?)

Disclaimer: Grab a random online dictionary or encyclopedia. Search for "Fanfiction". Enough said.

Note: I promise you. After this chapter, I'll answer some of the questions I put in the other chapters. Random outburst: OF COURSE I'M NOT GONNA KILL SASUKE! XD


VIII. Falling with Wings

"Get the fuck away from him, Hoshi." Naruto slammed his palm onto the little girl's chest, sending her flying like a pebble in the air. She landed in straight posture a few feet away from the Uchiha, the sickle disappearing into thin air in the same manner as it appeared.

He offered his hand to Sasuke but whatever jutsu was placed on him was still holding him down. Naruto glared at Hoshi and spat, "Release him, Hoshi."

The girl cocked her head to one side as though asking what it was she needed to do.

"Release him."

Hoshi turned around, shrugging her shoulders.

"Aah." Sasuke took a sharp intake, pushing himself up with Naruto's hand for support. From the picnic blanket, Sakura rushed to his side with Ino following her best friend hesitantly. The stir the girl made was so big that even Shikamaru was forced to stand up and react. They all felt it. They all felt that that little girl was going to kill the Uchiha without any hesitation…and they can't do anything to stop her.

Sakura passed her a green glowing hand on Sasuke's chest, checking for any abnormalities Hoshi caused. She glanced at the girl warily before focusing on the patient in front of her. "Are you okay, Sasuke-kun? Do you feel any different?"

The brunette shook his head, pushing away Sakura's hand. "I'm fine. You worry too much."

"HOW CAN I NOT WORRY! We don't even know who this girl is!" She pointed at Hoshi, "Who knows what kind of…what kind of monstrosities she carries! SHE'S NOT EVEN HUMAN!" She didn't care about Naruto's opinion anymore. Being a medic nin taught her that every contact from anything unknown could result in disaster.

"Stop it, Sakura." Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder, pressing lightly to try to calm her down. "Don't say those things about Hoshi. She's not a bad person. She just follows…different rules."

But Sakura wasn't in the mood to listen to Naruto's vague reasoning. "I trust you, Naruto…but…that's not something I could give to some little girl that just pops out of nowhere." She waved a hand, "She just has to go."

Naruto frowned. He snapped his fingers and Hoshi quickly came to his side. "Go back to the apartment. Stay there until I say so." He said strictly. The girl nodded and ran out of them without as much as glance. Cold, angry eyes stared at Sakura's fearful green. "Your judgment is too harsh, too prejudicial. If there's anything you wish to say against Hoshi and I, then we should bring it up to the Hokage first thing tomorrow morning."

"Naruto, I—"

Sasuke shot Sakura a look that told her to keep quiet. "Let it go. It doesn't matter. There are no injuries."

"Yeah, that's right. You're supposed to help us train for the jounin exams, ne?" Naruto smiled softly, shaking his head as though to remove every ounce of seriousness he carried a while ago. "So…do you want to eat first?"

Sakura watched as Naruto pulled Sasuke to the picnic blanket. She felt guilt eating at her. She knew she went too far back then. Naruto had trusted them to trust that little girl. By deciding to make the girl go away, it was like shooing Naruto away as well. And that happy-go-lucky attitude she received only made it worse. With a long sigh, she followed the blonde to the blanket, an apology hanging at the tip of her tongue.

"I cooked the bento!" Naruto proudly proclaimed as each of them took a bit from the box. "Hmm? Why the long faces? You looked like you've seen a ghost or something!" He laughed.

"We just saw a ten-year-old incapacitate the Uchiha Sasuke, a ten-year-old that you yourself brought here, one that's not human even." Chouji pointed out.

Ino nodded, "I've been wondering about that for a while. She looks human enough but the byakuugan can't even see her! How safe can she be when you yourself kept telling us she's a danger to Konoha?"

Naruto placed his chopsticks on his lap, "I'm not denying that she's not human. You'll learn what she is eventually. Everybody does in the end." He sighed, "She can be a danger to Konoha. But she won't be…if her rules aren't violated. She's not human. You said it yourself. Therefore, she cannot lie."

Sasuke looked at Naruto. There was that unreadable expression again. He was smiling yet his eyes held so much sorrow…so much of so many things that Sasuke couldn't figure out those windows to his soul anymore. He frowned. It was during these times that he felt how little he knew of the blonde.

"But…the rules…what are the rules?" Ino inquired, speaking for Sakura.

Naruto smiled, "To gain something you must first give."

- - -

"I don't understand. How could you let her inside this village? Do you even know that she's not human!" Sakura pulled her hair in frustration. As Naruto suggested, she went straight to the Hokage first thing the next morning but the response she received threw her into hysterics. Not only was the Hokage calm about the situation but she seemed to take Naruto's side. Is she the only one out there who was cautious about such a suspicious character?

Tsunade sighed. She didn't want to deal with Sakura and that worrywart attached to her that just keeps growing every time she encounters something unfamiliar. "Information like that is classified, Haruno-san. It's dangerous for you to keep it. I suggest you forget whatever accusation you have against Hoshi-san."

"You don't understand, Tsunade-sama."

"I understand perfectly, Haruno-san. In my opinion, too much time in the shinobi hospital has caused to be paranoid. How much damage could a ten-year-old cause to one of Konoha's best?"

"She's not human. She may be capable of things that I could only dream about."

The Hokage narrowed her eyes towards the medic nin. It was a habit she gained from intimidating people. "I think, Haruno-san, that you need to rest. A vacation sounds nice, doesn't it? It would give you time to prepare for whatever you wish to do on the gaki's birthday." She grabbed a pen and paper and started scribbling. She folded the letter neatly and handed it to Sakura.

Sakura looked at the Hokage's seal imprinted on the paper. With an uncertain hand, she touched the letter, eyes trying to convince her sensei to reconsider. But she saw only cold and hard eyes staring back at her. She sighed in defeat and took the letter, crumpling it slightly between her fingers.

"Spend this time thinking about your actions."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama." Sakura bowed and left the office, her eyes watering at the sight of letter. Tsunade was her only choice if she wanted to Hoshi to be watched. There was the council but she knew that if she went to them, Naruto would also be dragged into the situation. Not only that, she didn't think she could keep her temper in front of the council.

"Why did Tsunade-sama push me away?"

"You ever pause to think that maybe she couldn't?"

Sakura jerked her head to her left. "Shikamaru? What are you doing here?"

"Meh. Just a troublesome report." The lazy genius waved the folder in his hand before throwing it onto the counter. "So you really did go and complain to the Hokage, huh. If I were you, I wouldn't even bother."

The medic nin laughed, "But you never bother yourself with anything if you could help it."

Shikamaru just shrugged.

"Thanks." Sakura smiled, "I would've gone on a village rampage if you hadn't come and well…be Shikamaru."

"You women are too troublesome, too complicated to bother with." Shikamaru shoved his hands into his pockets and walked away. He wasn't about to discuss anything with a paranoid medic nin in the Hokage tower.

"Spill." Sakura declared as soon as they were away from the tower.

"Hokage-sama knows."

"Hmm? What do you mean she knows?"

Shikamaru grumbled. He didn't like explaining his conclusions to other people. It would create too many questions and would cost too much time. "She knows about…Hoshi, was it? More than all of us. Maybe as much as Naruto. She did approve of that girl's stay here, right? So she obviously knows."

Sakura frowned. "If Tsunade-sama knows, then why isn't she doing anything about it?"

"Maybe she can't." Shikamaru leaned back, falling on the concrete surface his favorite cloud-watching place. "We all know that Hoshi isn't human. I'm sure Naruto knows about it. That might just be the reason why Hokage-sama can't make her leave."

"Then we have to know what she is." Sakura stood up, "I'll ask Naruto."

"Wait, wait, wait." The lazy genius motioned for her to come back. "Don't you think that if Naruto wanted to tell, he would've already? Take the Kyuubi, for example. He never told any of us about the demon. Well, only you but that was because you were dealing with the Akatsuki at that time."

With a sigh, the medic nin fell beside Shikamaru. "Then…that little girl…has something to do with the Kyuubi?"

Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders. "She definitely came from wherever Naruto disappeared to."

"ARGH!" Sakura pulled her hair in frustration, "Why did Naruto have to disappear in the first place? It's more complicated than memorizing the human anatomy." She sighed, taking deep long breaths to calm herself. "Any ideas about the little girl?"

"Naruto said that we'll all find out in the 'end'." Shikamaru watched the clouds pass lazily across the blue skies, "Something that all shinobi find at the end. Maybe at the end alone because…there are rules to follow."

Sakura jolted upright. "At the end…?" she stood up, eyes focusing on the silhouette of the shinobi hospital. She turned to Shikamaru, "Thanks. I think…I'll do with that." She smiled, "You know, you're getting less and less lazy every time I talk to you. If only you could try to pull that into your actions." She laughed then raced off the rooftop…straight to Konoha's Libraries.

"Meh…. Women. So troublesome."

- - -

There was only a two-day wait before the Kyuubi Festival. The streets of Konoha were filled with people preparing stands for the upcoming celebration while the Academy students and the newly appointed genin teams were putting up the lights and streamers across the rooftops.

Inside the Hokage tower, security plans were being revised again and again. Some of the participants for the jounin exam had decided to come early to familiarize themselves with the village. The festival itself had caused most of the shinobi to relax, take breaks and whatnot. It was during these times that the security becomes loose and unauthorized citizens and shinobi infiltrate the village with ease.

"So…how many guard duties did you get?"

Kiba looked down, pressing his chin between his forefinger and thumb. "Bah! I don't know anymore! They're too many to count!" he ruffled his own hair, screaming his stress to the world. He growled to himself, shoulders slumped. "It's a good thing Hokage-sama's giving us a day off on the night of Naruto's birthday or I'd die."

Ino rolled her eyes. "You just say that because you're a jounin. Us chuunin are stuck with guard duties all the time. It's about time you get out there and bore yourself to death."

Kiba sneered, "Hehe. You're just sore because you didn't pass the jounin exams last year and the year before that and the—"

"Shut up before I go shintenshin on you and make Hinata avoid you for life."

"Damn. Women today become more evil everyday." Kiba crossed his arms. "Don't pour your anger out on me. We're both stuck with guard duties. Take out on the one that doesn't share the same fate."

Kiba and Ino turned to their backs, eyes focused on Shino.

"ANBU don't get guard duties. We're assigned to scout around Konoha." Shino shrugged.

"Che. ANBU always get better missions than us."

"Hey, isn't that Hinata?" Ino pointed, choosing to pay attention to the Hyuuga heir rather than Kiba and his ranting.

Hinata stood in front of Naruto's apartment. Her eyes were focused on the closed windows of the unit. In her hands was a basket of fruits.

"HINATA-CHAN!" Kiba rushed to Hinata. If he had a tail, he would be wagging it excitedly already.

"Oh. Kiba-kun. Ino-chan. Shino-kun. Good afternoon." Hinata bowed, "This is Naruto-kun's apartment, right?"

Ino nodded, grabbing the basket from her hands. "Why? Is this an early birthday gift?"

The Hyuuga heir blushed, shaking her head vigorously. "No. It's not from me. It's from the Academy. Some of my students – the ones that were just made into genin – wanted me to give this to Naruto-kun since they didn't know where he lived. I never thought that Naruto-kun knew the students from the Academy. He never mentioned it to me."

Yamanaka nodded slowly, "If that's the case, then what are we waiting for? Let's go visit that fox!" She waved the basket in the air, making some of the fruits fall. Shino caught them and put them back on the basket.

"Are you sure it's okay for you to come? Aren't you busy with the guard duties?"

Kiba scowled. It wasn't just the ANBU that were excused from that boring excuse for a mission. The Academy teachers also didn't receive any. "No, no, Hinata-chan! It's okay! Besides, I still don't know what to give that idiot. I'll probably just ask him if he wants anything."

"Ah, arigatou, Kiba-kun."

The four – well, two of them. Ino and Shino decided to leave for reasons unknown – made their way upstairs. Hinata knocked lightly on the door. No one answered. She knocked again, louder this time but still, no one came to the door.

"Hmm…maybe he's not home." Hinata cocked her head to a side, looking at Kiba with worried eyes.

"OI! NARUTO! YOU HOME?" Kiba kicked the door and pounded both of his fists on the wood. His racket received no reply, just like Hinata did. He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I guess he's not. Wonder where he went…training, maybe? You know how obsessed he is. Just like Uchiha."

Hinata chuckled, "Do you think I could drop it off at Uchiha-san's place instead? If I bring this home, someone would most likely eat it. Letting Uchiha-san keep it would almost guarantee its arrival to Naruto-kun's hands."

"Well, I guess we could try. Let's just hope that bastard ain't in his bastard mood yet."

- - -

When Sasuke was asked to give a basket of fruits to Naruto, he wanted to laugh his ass off for two reasons: one, he was asked to be a delivery boy; two, it was a basket of fruits. Basket of fruits and Naruto just can't seem to fit well in his head. But he could not let his pride go especially when it's in front of the Hyuuga heir and the number one male gossip.

So he gave his stoic face, raised an eyebrow, accepted the request and slammed the door in front of their face. Message: Leave MY Uchiha grounds.

The treatment was harsh especially since Hinata had answered the one question he wanted to ask but never did: why not give it to Naruto himself? The Hyuuga heir had mentioned that the blonde wasn't home. It's not that it was his business to know things about Naruto but he did know that the blonde would either be home or somewhere out there training. Naruto's schedule had become like that just when Hoshi came. He skipped the visit-friends-and-talk-about-nothing part.

Not that Uchiha Sasuke was taking note, mind you.

The basket of fruits could wait for another day.

Uchiha Sasuke didn't like delivering stuff for others. Most of the time, it was others delivering stuff for him. So, he decided to drop the basket to Naruto's first thing in the morning. After all the hygienic routines of course.

"Oi, dobe!" Sasuke knocked impatiently. After having the blonde in his house for around half a year, he knew that Naruto had dropped the waking-up-late habit and replaced it with the so-early-waking-it-seems-like-I-was-never-asleep-in-the-first-place one.

He scowled when the door was left unanswered. Training this early – it's 7:00 in the morning! – wasn't an option either. Naruto wouldn't leave without making breakfast especially with that little girl with him. Oh, he knew that Hoshi isn't human. Not when his sharingan couldn't work properly with her. But despite the non-human factor, he figured that no one could create a decent amount of chakra with an empty stomach.

Sasuke's patience was never great with the blonde and the lack of response from his incessant knocking. "I'm busting in!" he forced the door open with one strong side kick, almost taking it off the hinges.

He went in the unit, closing the door with yet another kick. He dropped off basket onto the dinner table and peeked into the kitchen. His nose smelled nothing of Naruto's cooking. Sasuke shook his head. It wasn't a good thing for him to think that every time something went out of routine, Naruto would disappear.

Sasuke wondered if Naruto was still asleep. He made a beeline to the bedroom the blonde was using. He took a deep breath before entering the room. Surprise caught him when he saw the neat Naruto room, neat. As though no one had used it.

A flash of worry passed his eyes but he wasn't about to make assumptions when he hadn't searched the whole apartment yet. So he went to the other rooms, looking inside the bathroom and the closets that he only saw at this visit. The last time he went inside Naruto's apartment, he had stayed in the living room and kitchen. He found no need to go out and "explore" the apartment – that was what Naruto would do, not Uchiha Sasuke.

With a long disappointed sigh, he made his way back to the dinner table. "Where the hell are you, Naruto?" He grabbed an apple from the basket and bit off a large chunk from its green skin.

"Naruto-sama always leaves during this time of the year."

Sasuke pivoted. His sharingan flared at the figure crouched behind the basket on the table. It was that little girl, Hoshi.

"Naruto-sama always visits at this time. He says that since he's the only one that can, he should at least make it yearly." Hoshi smiled, causing the Uchiha to feel tense, "He usually leaves on the day itself. Naruto-sama just has another reason this time around." For a moment, she glared at the Uchiha then that annoyingly happy smile shone on her face again.

Sasuke deactivated his bloodline. It was useless to scan somebody like Hoshi with his sharingan. As he kept wary eyes at the little girl, he repeated what she just said in his mind. Sasuke scowled. He didn't like the sound of it. Naruto was not here…neither is he in that place – the place that he and many others are dying to find out – because it was a visit, not a stay. And the reason why he left yet again…is it…is it because of Sasuke?

"Don't kid yourself, human." Hoshi interrupted his thoughts, "Not everything Naruto-sama does is because of you…though most of the time it is. Not in this round though but it does have something to do with Konoha. It's always been…Konoha." She spat the name of the village in anger, "Things that this village deserves not."

He didn't like how the conversation was going. The little girl was entertaining his questions, even questions that he hasn't said in words yet. As far as he knew, this girl hated him. She wanted him dead. "How can I know you're not tricking me?"

Hoshi chuckled, smiling at the Uchiha, "Hoshi isn't human unlike you. Hoshi never lies. You've never seen a beast lie his way out of stealing your livestock. It's the same with Hoshi." She shrugged, "Lying is a human flaw."

"Then why are you telling me this? I'm not an alien to hate. You wouldn't do this for me."

A stern frown replaced that unreal smile on the little girl's face. "Because Naruto-sama never does anything for Hoshi's sake. Because Naruto-sama always thinks of Konoha. Because Naruto-sama always thinks of you." Her blue eyes met with Sasuke's black ones, "And the only way I could stop him from giving too much is through you. So you have to know about the things that Naruto-sama would not tell, would never tell."

"Uchiha Sasuke, stop Naruto-sama before he has nothing left to give."


Actually, 7am in the morning isn't early. I wake up at 6am every day, 4:45 when there's school because my classes start at 7:30.

Hoshi's kinda weird, don't you think? She almost killed Sasuke and now she's telling him to stop Naruto. I kinda like it when Naruto prioritizes Sasuke over her. Ah, the joys of bashing your own OC! XD

Anyway, I'll tell where Naruto disappeared to on the next chapter. For the five-year one and the Kyuubi festival. Yes, they're different. Anyone want to guess the reasons for Naruto's disappearance? There are clues in the other chapters. You can look for them if you want. Try to be specific. If you guess it right…uhm…of course I'll tell you and…I don't know…would you like a one-shot dedicated to you? Just a prize :D

Reviewers! RuByMoOn17, Ky0Kichi, Icy Sapphire15, Cassidy, Kyorocks34, Hayaku, Naaja and tishu

On a happy note, this fic has finally gained more than 10,000 hits! It's the first fic I posted so it's a happy thing! XP