Anari, you're the best! As for you readers, if you haven't gone and visited his stories yes, GO DO IT!
Inspiration: Sorry, no musical inspiration for this chapter...
Enjoy~!
Sai had sent several ink birds into the sky once Naruto ran off, and one had finally come back. It circled above the heads of Sai and Tsunade.
"So, what does that mean?" the Hokage asked.
"It means it found Naruto, and we should follow it." Sai replied emotionlessly, starting off on a swift pace after the bird. Tsunade followed close behind.
The sight that greeted the pair was an interesting one to say the least. Sasuke was held up in the air by sand, and a bundle of sand next to him was dripping blood. Meanwhile Gaara and Naruto stood off to the side, red chakra leaking out of the blonde's body. The chakra was almost instantly dispelled as a pale hand was placed on Naruto's shoulder.
Tsunade and Sai approached with caution. Suddenly, the Hokage ran up to the blonde, a fist raised. Naruto turned around just in time to catch the fist open up, and both arms snake around his body.
"Naruto!" Tsunade yelled through her tears. "I've been worried sick about you!"
"Y-you have?" Naruto said, blue eyes widening a bit.
"Yes you idiot! If you really felt the need to leave, we would have supported you, but you could have at least told us! We love you so much!" she cried.
Sai stood behind them, feeling slightly out of place, until blue eyes momentarily connected with his own. Naruto separated himself from the woman hugging him and walked over to Sai. "Hey."
Pale arms wrapped around the man. "Naruto, I am so sorry. I was on a mission when the search parties left, and when I got back you were gone!" Sai pulled back to look at Naruto. "I missed you."
Naruto blushed slightly. "Thanks Sai." he said, looking up to find a rare true smile on Sai's face.
"HEY! I'M STILL IN THE SAND!" yelled Sasuke, hating the fact that he was being ignored.
Everyone just glared at the Uchiha. "Fine, let him go Gaara."
"Are you sure you want to do that?" asked Tsunade. "I mean, I know I shouldn't be rooting for the execution of my own shinobi, but this a special exception."
Naruto laughed. "Yeah, I know. But, someday, somehow, he will fully realize the weight of his transgressions, and he will suffer. Karma is a bitch like that." Naruto grinned like a crazy person at the idea of the raven finally suffering. Suddenly, a thought struck the blonde. "Oh, hey, wasn't Sakura you're student Baa-chan?"
"Yeah, why?" Tsunade responded, letting the nickname slide under the circumstances.
"Well, she's kind of dead now." Naruto said rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
"And I'm sure the world will be better because of it. She was utterly useless. I was actually planning on letting her go as a pupil." The Hokage tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"Whatever, can we please leave this wretched village Hokage. I'm getting kind of sick of the disrespect I'm receiving." Sasuke said, dusting the left-over sand off his clothes.
"Respect is something that is earned." Sai stated quietly.
Tsunade nodded her head in agreement. "That's right, and you deserve no such respect after what you have done."
Sasuke's mouth hung open. 'What the hell are these people on about?'
Tsunade walked over to Gaara. "Kazekage-sama, thank you for saving our beloved blonde. We hope that you can give him the happiness he has always deserved. Please, do not let the idiot Uchiha come between our villages."
Gaara nodded his head. "Yes, we will continue to be allies, but he is never allowed to step foot in this village again." he said as Naruto walked over to wrap his arms around the redhead.
"Oh, that won't be a problem." Tsunade replied, a twisted grin winding across her face. "It won't be a problem at all." Her tone sent shivers down Sasuke's spine.
With that, Naruto hugged the Hokage and Sai, and the three Konoha shinobi were off.
"I'm so glad that's over." Naruto sighed, leaning into his new boyfriend. "Can we go home now?"
Gaara chuckled and bent down to kiss the blonde. "Of course we can." A pale hand grasped a tan one, and the pair walked back to the Kazekage mansion.
Once inside, they both collapsed on a couch in a nearby sitting room, exhausted from the day's events. Gaara felt something poke him from deep inside his kage robes. He reached in a pulled out a small scroll.
"Oh, Naruto, I forgot to give this to you." he said, handing over the scroll.
"What is it?" he asked, curious as to its contents.
"A couple leaf-nin that were part of the search party were here and asked me to give that to you." Gaara said tiredly, resting his head against Naruto and closing his eyes.
Naruto slowly opened it and found a short message.
Naruto-
I know that you have had it harder than any of us could imagine, but please, for Iruka's sake, at least come back and visit us sometimes. We all miss you so much!
-Kakashi
Naruto set down the scroll. He hadn't thought about Iruka-sensei when he left. The mother-hen figure must have been sobbing for Kakashi to attempt to do something about it.
"So, what did it say?" Gaara asked, not opening his eyes.
Naruto took to running his fingers through the red locks. "Kakashi was wondering if I could visit. You know, so that everyone knows I'm ok."
Gaara cracked one eye open. "So, do you want to go?"
"I don't know." the blonde said, biting his lip. "I have kind of a bad feeling about it."
"Don't worry, I'll go with you." Gaara said, hoping to assuage the blonde's negative thoughts. He personally thought that a trip to Konoha would be good for Naruto. As much as he loved him, and despised the people in that village, Gaara knew that there were still some people that cared about Naruto, and it would do his boyfriend some good to see that.
Naruto usually trusted his gut, but Gaara was actually for him going, and he did miss Iruka-sensei. "O-ok, let's go to Konoha." he said in a voice that he hoped came out calmer than he really felt.
"Alright, I'll work out the plans in the morning, I'm too comfortable right now." Gaara said, snuggling with his blonde more.
Naruto giggled at how affectionate his redhead was being, and leaned down to kiss him. "Alright Gaara, the morning is just fine."
Sasuke's head was reeling. He watched as both Sai and the Hokage snubbed him on their trip back. 'Why the hell is everyone so angry? I mean, I was just giving Naruto what he always wanted! Was what I did really that bad?'
The trio stopped and quietly set up camp, Tsunade and Sai still refusing to even look at the Uchiha. Sasuke had learned that his rank was being demoted upon their return to the village; apparently his conduct was not that of a respected ninja. 'I just don't understand how my actions were inappropriate!'
Sai had taken the first watch, and Sasuke was settling into his tent. He still couldn't stop wondering what he did wrong, even as he drifted off to sleep.
"Sasuke…" came a mysterious voice from the depths.
Sasuke looked around, attempting to find the source of that oddly familiar voice.
"Foolish little brother, do you not even recognize my voice anymore?"
"Itachi? What the hell is going on? I killed you!" Sasuke said, forcing his body to not shake.
"You took my eyes little brother, I will be with you always." Itachi laughed, stepping out of the darkness.
"Oooookay…." Sasuke started. "So, why is it you haven't talked to me until now?"
"Because, Sasuke, you have done many horrible things. Things that I cannot forgive." Itachi narrowed his eyes.
"What the hell are you talking about? Everyone keeps saying I've done these unspeakable things, but I have no idea what the hell is going on!" Sasuke screamed, throwing a tantrum like a 5 year old.
Itachi picked up Sasuke by the back of his shirt. "You honestly have no clue?" Let me show you."
Sasuke was forced to see things through Naruto's perspective. He saw the way the villagers treated Naruto, and the life he had growing up. He saw that Naruto had wanted to be with him, but he wanted to get to know Sasuke, to make him fall in love. Sasuke saw that Naruto had thought of the 'sex' as a huge slap in the face. Naruto had truly believed that Sasuke had loved him. When he found out that Sasuke only wanted to use him, Naruto was irreparably damaged. The blonde had thought of their relationship as a compensation from his childhood; as if karma was trying to make up for it all.
"H-how are you showing me these things?" Sasuke asked, horrified at the images that were so clear. He could actually feel what he had put Naruto through.
"The Uchihas and the Tailed beasts are linked. It was a small matter for me to access the Kyuubi's mind and see what Naruto had gone through. Do you understand now?"
"I think I do, but-"
Sasuke snapped up in his sleeping bag, tears were streaming down his face and his hand trembled as he stared down at them. "Oh God, what have I done?"
Alright, I finally finished this chapter! God, I've been having some severe writer's block! Thanks to Anari for helping to write most of the dream sequence! Also, thanks so much to Pinkyni21 for the 'Ghost Itachi' idea! I'm always open to suggestions on a story, my outlines are always very loose! :D
A special thanks to all my supporters!
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