Warnings: Swearing, drinking and mentions of drug use.
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Chapter 9
It was eleven in the morning and Naruto and Sakura were meeting with the others to talk to them about what happened last night with Sasuke and Kakashi. They wanted to speak to them about how Sasuke didn't seem to care about how he was acting and they needed to come up with another way to speak to him. They had gotten everyone together in the training grounds so they could talk without being interrupted. They arrived and saw that everyone was there and they gave them all a small smile. Shikamaru, Neji and Kiba didn't seem too happy to be here but they were there to see what was going to be said.
"Finally you two show up. What the hell are we doing here?" Ino asked annoyed.
"We wanted to talk to you guys about Sasuke. Something needs to be done about him." Naruto said.
"We already had this conversation just last night Naruto." Kiba said annoyed that once again Naruto and Sakura were on this kick to get Sasuke to stop drinking and doing drugs.
"Last night didn't go so well with Sasuke or with Kakashi. We need to go together to speak to him." Sakura said.
"Why do we need to speak to him?" Tenten asked clearly not interested in any of this.
"Because he's in trouble. We've all seen the article we know what he has been doing. Kakashi doesn't seem to be bothered by it. Sasuke is even living with Kakashi, but he is defending Sasuke and his actions." Sakura said.
"We can't just let Sasuke keep doing this. He's ruining his reputation and Kakashi's. We can't just ignore that." Naruto said.
"What was said last night?" Shikamaru asked.
"Well first we get there and Sasuke orders a drink. He actually gets some alcohol while we are there for dinner and Kakashi didn't say anything about it. Then we talk about what he has been doing. I asked why he never told us that he was gay and he didn't understand why it was important that he hadn't mentioned it before." Naruto said.
"Kakashi didn't seem to believe that Sasuke had a problem. He said we shouldn't be talking to him about it. They both left when Sasuke got angry that we were talking about it." Sakura added.
"We told you that Sasuke wouldn't tolerate being questioned like that. We told you he wasn't just going to be happy and get passed everything. Now you've just pissed him off even more." Kiba said.
"Hey, you didn't want to come with us last night to help. You said that we should basically just ignore it and let Sasuke keep doing these things. We can't just ignore it and let him destroy his life." Naruto said.
"He's just going through a phase right now and we need to be there to help him see that he's not gay and he doesn't need to be drinking and doing drugs." Sakura said.
"You can't change that Sasuke is gay. It's who he is. That's not a phase someone goes through. As for the drinking and the drug use, he'll quit when he is ready. There isn't anything you could say to him that would make him want to quit. He has to be ready for it." Neji said calmly.
"I don't care let him destroy his life. He was an asshole before he left and he's still an asshole now. There's enough ninja pissed off at him in the village I'm not about to get involved and ruin my reputation thanks." Tenten said.
"Naruto and Sakura-Chan are right. We need to do something to stop Sasuke from his destructive path. He is giving all Konoha Ninja a bad name." Lee said.
"Doesn't it bother you that he's gay? We've all changed in front of him and he just kept that a secret. He should have said something to us." Naruto to the guys.
"So what? We've all seen each other naked are you telling me you've never snuck a peek at anyone?" Kiba said.
"I'm not gay." Naruto said with a hint of anger.
"None of us are, but it's human nature. Even females do it. Sasuke being gay doesn't change anything. It's not like he constantly hits on any of us. I don't care that Sasuke is gay it doesn't matter or change the fact that he is powerful." Shikamaru said.
"Sasuke has to overcome what has happened to him in the Sound in his own way. It is not something that will be overcome instantly. He needs time and support. Him being gay is just another part of who Sasuke is. It is not something that you should have a problem with." Shino simply said.
"Sasuke needs to know he has your support no matter what he does. He needs friends who will just accept who he is now and not what they want him to be." Neji said.
"Ya but come on Uchiha Sasuke is gay? Hell no. He's probably just confused or something from the Sound. How long are we supposed to let him continue doing these things before we step in and stop it?" Ino said annoyed.
"And just what are you going to do to stop it?" Kiba asked.
"I don't know, but there must be something we can do to try and get him to see that he isn't gay." Ino said.
"Ya because being gay is a lot worse than the drugs or the drinking. You two just want Sasuke to be straight for yourselves. You don't care if he is gay or not as long as he is with you." Kiba said.
"Hey for all you know he's only letting guys fuck him when he is drunk or high. We could do an intervention or something and get him to see that he is not gay and he can't be doing the drugs anymore." Ino said.
"Hinata, you agree with us right?" Naruto asked.
"Um… if you think it's for the best." Hinata said clearly not sure of what to say herself as she didn't want to anger anyone.
"So we could do that intervention thing. Maybe get Sasuke to see that he is making a huge mistake and that there are consequences to his actions. It's only a matter of time before the village attacks him in some way." Sakura said.
"A lot of people in the village feel sorry for Sasuke because he was in the Sound for three years. There are only a handful of ninja that hate Sasuke for being gay. The others understand that Sasuke went through some horrific experiences and they can understand he is going to have problems afterwards. You can't just assume Sasuke is going to be okay after everything he has been through. We don't even know what he has been through, but obviously something happened to make him like this. You need to give him time." Shikamaru said.
"If you keep trying to change him or tell him he's in a phase or whatever, all you are going to do is piss him off even more." Kiba said.
"We can't just ignore this. The reputation of this village is on the line." Lee said with force.
"No it's not. Sasuke is powerful and that is all anyone will care about when they need him in a fight. Anything else won't matter the second they need Sasuke's power." Neji said.
"So that's the plan then? We ignore it all and hope Sasuke gets better on his own. How is that going to help? Sasuke needs to be confronted with this so he can see what he is doing is wrong and he can change." Naruto said.
"And say what exactly? Hey Sasuke stop being gay and doing drugs, just get over what happened to you and move on? How is that going to help him? The things he's seen and been through aren't something that he can just get over. You are just going to piss him off." Kiba said.
"We have to try something Kiba. We can't just stand around and let Sasuke keep going on like this. We need to do something." Naruto said.
"Maybe we should talk to Raji. Maybe Sasuke should be staying with him if that is what it will take to get Sasuke back to who he used to be before all of this." Sakura suggested.
"How would that help? Raji just wanted to control Sasuke the same way Orochimaru did only he is extreme in the other way. That's not going to help Sasuke, it's only going to anger him and make him act out even more." Neji said.
"We don't even know where Raji is to begin with. He hasn't been seen in the village in over a week." Shikamaru said.
"Ya, but if we can find him Raji might be willing to help us. Maybe if we got all together we could do one of those interventions and get Sasuke to see what he is doing is wrong. Raji might be able to help us get Sasuke to listen and so what if he goes to church all day. It's not like it would hurt Sasuke to be more religious or spiritual." Ino said.
"Uchiha's are spiritual. They believe in the dead and you respect the dead. They don't believe in a higher being; just that the dead are never truly gone and one day you will meet with them." Neji explained.
"Well then someone should tell him that his dead family would be rolling around in their graves at his actions. He's totally ruining the Uchiha name. He's making us all look bad. I can't be seen with him when he is like this. People will talk and I can't ruin my reputation because he wants to go around pretending to be gay and doing drugs. He needs a wakeup call and a major one to get his head out of his ass." Ino said.
"Look, if you guys don't want to help then fine we'll do it ourselves." Sakura said as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"I'm not helping you do this. I am going to be there for Sasuke, but I am not going to judge him and try to force change onto him. You need to give him time to cope with what happened to him. You should be his friends and not trying to force something onto him." Shikamaru said.
"Same goes for me. I'm gonna give Sasuke support and be there for him, but I'm not gonna keep hounding him to change. He'll change when he's ready." Kiba said.
"For me as well." Neji said.
"I just don't give a shit." Tenten said.
"I think Shikamaru, Neji and Kiba are correct. Sasuke needs time and space. He will overcome this in his own time." Shino said.
"I don't care. I don't like Sasuke. He can do what he wants until it effects me." Chouji said.
"Fine then I guess it's just the five of us then." Ino said with anger that the others weren't on their side.
"Let's go and speak to Iruka. I bet he'll have an idea for us." Naruto said.
"Come on let's go the sooner we get a plan together the sooner we can fix Sasuke." Sakura said.
The five of them left the training grounds to go and speak to Iruka. Tenten, Chouji and Shino all left as well leaving Neji, Shikamaru and Kiba standing there.
"Well now what?" Kiba asked.
"Hopefully Iruka will tell them that he thinks they should leave Sasuke alone." Shikamaru said.
"What the hell do we do?" Kiba asked the two geniuses.
"Asuma said that Kakashi was leaving this morning for a mission. He'll be gone for a few days. Asuma did say that for Sasuke being alone and the quiet would be really hard for Sasuke. He said that Sasuke has basically been in survival mode for three years. Always having to be on guard and waiting for that attack to come. Now that he is not moving around all the time and being on guard that is when the memories will bother him the most." Shikamaru said.
"And that is probably why Sasuke moved in with Kakashi. He wouldn't be alone all of the time." Neji said.
"But Kakashi is gone on a mission for a few days so Sasuke will be alone. So it's logical to say that he will be worse while Kakashi is away." Kiba said.
"It's logical yes. We don't know how well Sasuke is since living with Kakashi, but Kakashi wouldn't be letting him get drunk every night." Shikamaru said.
"Ok so he's at Kakashi's place right now. It's almost lunch time why don't we grab some food and head over there. Let him know that we are on his side and at least he will have eaten something. He was looking a little thin the last time I saw him." Kiba said.
"He was looking thin. Alright we can try it. If we can get into the house then we will be ok." Shikamaru said.
The three of them headed out of the training grounds and made their way to one of the restaurants in the village. They placed the order for food and once it was paid for they took it to Kakashi's house where they knew Sasuke would be. They arrived at Kakashi's house and Shikamaru knocked on the door. They were all hoping that they would be able to get Sasuke to let them in so they could just talk and hang out. They wanted Sasuke to know that he could trust them and that they were there for him. After a moment Sasuke opened the door.
He was dressed in light blue jeans with a black muscle shirt. He didn't look happy at all to see them.
"Great more of the goody goody squad. Are you going to tell me that I'm going to hell because I like it when guys fuck me? Or perhaps how drugs are bad and will wreak havoc on my soul?" Sasuke said with anger before he took a drink from his rocks glass that the three of them knew had some kind of alcohol in it.
"No Sasuke, we're not here to lecture you. We just thought we would come by and have lunch with you." Shikamaru said.
"Oh really? You just thought you would bring lunch by to see me, someone you don't like. Do I have stupid written on my forehead?" Sasuke said clearly skeptical.
"Sasuke really we just wanted to stop by and hang out. We know Naruto and Sakura have been giving you a hard time and we just thought you could use some company with people who don't care that you are gay or doing drugs." Kiba said.
"It's just lunch Sasuke. Afterwards if we've pissed you off you can tell us to get the hell out of here." Shikamaru said.
"We're not here to cause you any problems Sasuke." Neji said calmly.
Sasuke looked at the three of them to see if he could find any lies in their eyes and in their words. He wasn't able to pick up any so he let out a sigh before he moved away from the door and allowed the three of them to come inside. They went into the kitchen and Sasuke got down four plates while Kiba put the food on the island counter top and got the food out on the counter.
"Drinks are in the fridge, help yourselves." Sasuke said as he placed the plates down on the counter top.
Kiba went over to the fridge and grabbed a pop for himself, while Neji and Shikamaru just grabbed a water. Once everyone had some food on their plate they went over to the living room. Sasuke sat down on the couch with Kiba beside him and Neji and Shikamaru each took a chair.
"How have you been Sasuke?" Kiba asked.
"Fine. So you've been talking to Naruto and Sakura huh. Is this their next try to get me to see the errors of my ways?" Sasuke asked calmly, but they could tell he was annoyed and upset by it.
"No they don't know that we are here. We saw them yesterday afternoon when they asked us to join you four for dinner. They wanted us to go with them to speak to you about what has been happening and we told them no." Neji said.
"They told us that they wanted to confront you and wanted us there as backup. We told them it wasn't a good idea and unfortunately they didn't listen to us." Shikamaru said.
"We just saw them. Apparently it didn't go well last night." Kiba said.
"Oh no it went fucking perfect. We didn't even order dinner it went so fucking well."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Shikamaru asked.
"There's not much to talk about. Naruto was ignorant and an idiot and Sakura believes I'm in a phase and I need to snap out of it. It was fucking stupid."
"Naruto and Sakura had everyone meet up earlier to talk about it. Naruto mentioned he had a problem with you being gay. He seems to believe that because you are gay that means you were checking all of us out in the shower and change rooms. We tried to correct him, but he doesn't seem interested in learning." Shikamaru said.
"So what everyone just got together to talk about me. How fucking cute."
"Not everyone was agreeing with them. Shino, Chouji and Tenten didn't want anything to do with it. We obviously don't agree with them. Hinata just seems to be going along with Naruto because she is madly in love with him." Kiba said.
"Hn. So what is the plan now? Are they going to show up here next?" Sasuke asked clearly annoyed.
"They went to speak to Iruka about it." Neji said.
Sasuke let out a small chuckle to that before he spoke. "I'm sure he will just be fucking thrilled. He hates me right now."
"Why?" Kiba asked.
"Because Kakashi broke up with him and he blames me for it."
"Why would it be your fault?" Shikamaru asked.
"It's a complicated story. He found out a piece of information that he wasn't happy about and instead of accepting it he decided to be an asshole."
"I didn't know Kakashi was gay." Kiba said.
"Ya so what?" Sasuke said on guard.
"Nothing it's just so hard to tell. I always thought Gai would be gay." Kiba said with a smile.
"He might be. It wouldn't surprise me." Shikamaru said.
"I thought he was dating Kakashi when he told me about being in a relationship with someone before he retired." Sasuke said.
"What did Kakashi say to that?" Kiba asked with a smile.
"He was kinda insulted and disgusted. I didn't expect it to be Iruka though." Sasuke answered.
"No, but it makes sense. They went to the academy together and grew up together. It makes sense that he would be with someone his own age and someone he knew for a long time." Neji said.
"That makes senses." Kiba said.
"It would also have to be a ninja, only a ninja can truly understand the life that we live." Shikamaru said.
"Your mom isn't a ninja though." Kiba said.
"No, but she grew up in a ninja family. She understood what it meant from the time she was little." Shikamaru answered.
"Naruto and Sakura were talking about speaking with Raji and seeing if he would help them with you. You need to be careful if Raji comes around." Neji said getting them back onto the topic that he wanted to focus on.
"Raji isn't going to be a problem." Sasuke simply said.
"Well you can obviously handle him yourself, but he might be annoying to deal with." Kiba said.
"No he really won't be a problem, he's in jail." Sasuke stated.
"When? How did that happen?" Shikamaru asked shocked that they hadn't heard anything about it.
"About a week ago now."
"What happened?" Shikamaru asked.
"He thought he could kidnap me and keep me locked up and drugged for nine days and get away with it." Sasuke said with a shrug.
"Wait what? Go back." Kiba said confused and extremely interested.
"Kakashi left for his mission sixteen days ago, he was gone for nine days when he was only supposed to be gone for a week. A local gang somehow got into my apartment and used GHB in my water bottle. I drank it and passed out. They brought me to Raji and he chained me up and locked me in the closet and kept drugging me with the GHB for nine days. Kakashi came back and figured out I was gone and he found me. Raji and the gang are in jail now for a long time."
"What? How did we not hear about this from Naruto and Sakura?" Kiba asked angered that they had been kept in the dark.
"They don't know."
"How do they not know? They are your friends and teammates, how could they possibly not know about it?" Neji asked.
Sasuke spoke as he got up to put his plate into the kitchen and get another drink.
"Because Kakashi is the only person who actually sees me and he was away on a mission. Kinda can't get reported missing if no one actually notices."
Neji, Shikamaru and Kiba looked at each other and Shikamaru spoke as Sasuke came back with a glass and sat back down on the couch.
"Naruto and Sakura didn't come by at all while Kakashi was away?"
"No. I haven't seen them since I came back that second night for dinner. Then I saw them last night. The only person I've seen is Kakashi and Iruka for a day while I helped at the academy. It didn't end well."
"For you or Iruka?" Kiba asked with a smirk.
"Bit of both actually."
"Why hasn't Naruto or Sakura come by to see you?" Shikamaru asked.
"I don't know you'd have to ask them, not that I give a fuck though after last night."
"I'm sorry Sasuke that we didn't come by before. I thought Naruto and Sakura were hanging around you. I didn't know you were being left alone all of the time." Shikamaru said.
"I don't need a fucking babysitter thanks. I'm good at alone, I'm used to being alone. Besides I wasn't spending all of my time alone Kakashi was there with me."
"We know you don't need a babysitter Sasuke, but it must be hard after being in the Sound to being back in Konoha. We should have come by to check in and make sure you were adjusting alright. Is what happened with Raji the reason you are living with Kakashi now?" Neji asked.
"Yes and no."
"What's the no part?" Kiba asked.
"The same reason why Iruka not liking me is complicated."
Kiba went and brought his plate into the kitchen as well as Shikamaru's and Neji's empty plates as he spoke.
"Ok come on how complicated could it be? Iruka and Kakashi were together for how long do you know?"
"Five years I don't know if that includes the three he was gone for though." Sasuke said.
"Ok so at least five years if not eight years. He comes back to the village the same day you do and now a month later they are breaking up, it's somehow your fault and now you are living with Kakashi. How complicated could it really be?"
Kiba sat back down in his spot as he waited for Sasuke to answer.
"We're in love and Kakashi broke up with Iruka to be with me and now we are living together." Sasuke said as he looked right at Kiba and clearly he didn't expect that answer or that honesty.
"I'm sorry what?" Kiba asked.
"Complicated." Sasuke said.
"It's a lot more complicated than that isn't it Sasuke." Shikamaru said and Sasuke could see his mind was trying to figure it out.
"What do you mean?" Kiba asked.
"Sasuke you've been back into the village barely a month. Within that time you spent nine days in a closet and Kakashi was on a mission so that eliminates one week. So within three weeks you both have fallen in love and are now living together. It's not possible for the both of you. You both are too intelligent and reasonable to fall in love with each other in just three weeks. Which has me believing that something else has happened. He wasn't really retired was he?" Shikamaru asked as he looked right at Sasuke.
Sasuke looked at Shikamaru and he could tell that he wasn't about to let this go. It was a puzzle and Shikamaru always solved a puzzle. Sasuke knew that Shikamaru or Neji wasn't about to go around spreading what he said, but he wasn't too sure about Kiba. He also didn't know how well Kakashi would appreciate him telling anyone, but he had told Iruka and Asuma as far as Sasuke knew.
"It's our story. It's private and we don't want people gossiping about it. It's ours."
"Sasuke, none of us are about to go out and start telling every person we see. We're not gonna tell anyone what you tell us. It's your story and we respect that. We don't need to know how you eventually got together, just the basics is all." Kiba said.
Sasuke sat back with a small sigh as he looked at his glass. He looked up and he could see that the three of them were patiently waiting to see what he would say. After a moment he spoke.
"He was retired, but on paper only."
"He was in the Sound with you." Neji stated.
"I didn't know about it. I found out three weeks ago roughly. He invented a seal that would change his chakra signature, his look and even his voice. I knew him as Nitto. He left a week after me, but I didn't see him for the first three months. He spent three months trying to earn Orochimaru's trust. I don't know what he had to do. We haven't talked about it. Orochimaru left him in charge of watching me when he went away for a week to some meeting. After that he spent another three months trying to convince Orochimaru that I would be better served being trained then a slave. We spent a lot of time together after that, he even trained me. It was about a year into it when it just kind of happened. We spent the next two years together, even staying in the same room and going out on missions together. He left the night before I had to kill Orochimaru. The Higher Up doesn't know. Only a handful of people know the truth and only Iruka and Asuma know we were together."
"That's wild. How did you find out that it was Kakashi?" Kiba asked.
"Not the best way. Three weeks ago I came over to wait for Kakashi while he spoke to Tsunade. I was going through his books when I picked up one and a piece of paper fell out. I saw the seal and what it was. The seal was the same tattoo that Nitto had on him. Kakashi came home a few minutes later and I lost it on him. I thought he was using me. He wouldn't let me leave until he told me that he loved me and that he wanted to tell me the truth, but one wrong thing said and we could have blown it. Afterwards he didn't know how to tell me. It took hours for me to calm down, when I did I finally realised that he did love me and I still loved him. After that it didn't matter."
"Isn't it weird? I mean two years ago you were fourteen and he was your sensei, wasn't it weird when you found out?" Kiba asked with genuine curiosity.
"Honestly, I've never even thought about it. As for the age I know I was young by age, but I've always been older than my age. We don't ever think about the age gap. It probably should be weird, but it's not, it's comfortable. He knows everything that happened to me. He knows what I'm like and why. I don't have to try and explain myself to him. He just loves me for who I am and not who I used to be or who he wants me to be. I never expected for any of this to happen. I never expected to love anyone in my life or be truly loved back. And it happened in the one place where it never should happen. But neither of us regret it. He makes me happy, genuinely happy. When I'm around him I can feel like I can breathe. People don't have to understand it or like it. It's not going to change anything between us." Sasuke said honestly as he got up and headed into the kitchen as he continued to speak. "I wouldn't have made it without him. It's not misplaced emotions. I know it's not, because we were friends for six months before anything happened and it's not like we just slept together and then moved in with each other. We were still friends and we took it slow. If it hadn't been for him I wouldn't have survived. I had every intention of ending it after those first three months while Orochimaru was away for his meeting. He gave me hope. He showed me kindness and it gave me strength. Without it I would have killed myself. I planned on it. I was looking forward to it." Sasuke said as he took his drink in one go before he poured more and grabbed the bottle and headed back over to the couch. "He doesn't know. I never told him just how close I came to death. I'll never be okay. Nothing will ever make me okay, but Kakashi has always made me feel like it's okay to not be okay. And that was a really long answer to a simple question sorry."
"You don't have anything to apologise for Sasuke. You obviously have things you need to talk about, but you haven't had anyone to talk to them about to. You can't tell Kakashi everything, because there are things you need to talk to friends about. We're not here to judge you or your relationship with Kakashi. People fall in love all the time without ever expecting it in places they never expected it to happen. You and Kakashi are proof of that. You can always talk to us." Shikamaru said.
"And it is okay to not be okay Sasuke. How could you be after everything you have been through? The pain is clear as day in your eyes. The fact that Naruto and Sakura can't see it concerns me. You shouldn't have to deal with people expecting you to be okay after everything you have experienced in the past three years. You are allowed time to grieve and adjust and don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise." Neji said.
"Ya man. Seriously, screw anyone that tries and tells you that you're dealing with this the wrong way. Ya drinking and drugs might not be the best choice, but you were in the Sound I can't imagine there were healthier ways to deal with the things you had to deal with. You deserve to be struggling right now and knowing that Kakashi is there for you helps. I know he wouldn't let you go buck wild and put yourself in serious danger. You'll figure out how to deal and overcome everything in your own way and in your own time." Kiba said.
"Unfortunately not everyone understands that and they are going to give you trouble. I don't know what will happen when they go and talk to Iruka. Hopefully he will tell them to mind their own business, but given what you just said I don't see him taking the high road." Shikamaru said.
"Probably not. According to him I'm a bad influence on Kakashi." Sasuke said with a shrug.
"Why?" Kiba asked.
"Kakashi is a little different now or maybe he's more of himself then any of us have ever seen before. He swears more, but that's not a big deal. He's got more of an edge to him, but he might have always have had it. How would I know? I didn't know him before he was my sensei and even then he never had to show much. The Sound was different and he had to do things he never thought he would. It only makes sense that he would be a little different after everything himself." Sasuke answered.
"It's only fair that everyone understands and accepts that Kakashi himself is slightly different as well. He must have seen some horrible things as well. Plus as you said he knows what happened to you and that will make him different as well. Even though everyone believes he was retired that can change a man as well." Neji said.
"What is he like anyways? He's not as ass to you right?" Kiba asked.
"No he's not an ass, at least not to me. He's really sweet and gentle. He's protective and possessive, but not in the creepy way. After Raji's little kidnapping trick he spent the week taking care of me and making sure I didn't do much of anything. Raji had given me a shit load of GHB over the nine days and it made me hallucinate and feel like shit for a few days. He's really patient and he gets me, he gets why I drink and why I have done the drugs. He doesn't lecture me about it or about not sleeping. He's amazing and he loves me very much."
"Good as long as he treats you right that's all that matters." Kiba said.
"It is all that matters. What are you going to tell people when they start figuring it out? Or are you both going to hide it for a while?" Shikamaru asked.
"We're not looking to hide it. We're not broadcasting it from a rooftop, but we're not gonna hide it. People can think what they want like I said it's our story and it's no one's business what that story is. As far as people will know we hooked up after I came back and he came back from retirement."
"It's no one's business what happens between you, but it's good to have an answer when people ask, because they will." Neji said.
"How do you feel about all of this?" Shikamaru asked.
"Wannabe more specific there."
"Obviously you are happy that the man you fell in love with is here with you. I'm happy for the both of you and I know neither of you will give a damn about what anyone says about you. But Naruto and Sakura they were your teammates, you died to protect Naruto. It has to do something to you that they aren't being understanding of how you feel or what you went through. Hell even the fact that you are gay they can't understand and accept. That has to bother you Sasuke." Shikamaru said calmly.
Sasuke let of a sigh as he brought his legs up and sat back into the couch with his glass still in his hands.
"Ya. I don't know what I feel about it. A combination of things I guess. I knew they wouldn't be happy about the drinking or the drugs. I didn't think they would find out that way though. I still don't know who took the pictures. The article was very nicely done I have to give him credit for that. I didn't think being gay would bother them though. I had a feeling Naruto would have questions, I mean it's natural. And I even expected Sakura to maybe hope that it was some kind of mistake. I didn't expect them to react the way that they did at all. It's a little weird to know that after everything we've been through together they don't have my back on this. When I would have had theirs."
"It's natural for you to be feeling upset and hurt over it, even betrayed by their actions and words. They should be the ones there for you no matter what. They should be the ones that are standing up for you no matter what. They don't seem to be right now for their own reasons. I think they were expecting you to come back perfectly fine, even though they had been warned since day one that you would not come back okay." Neji said.
"And it's not fair for anyone to expect you to be okay after everything you have been through." Shikamaru said.
"I'm doing the best that I can. I'm hoping to be going on missions soon so I can get time out of the village and keep busy. Not doing anything makes it worse." Sasuke admitted.
"Do you know if you will be allowed back on missions?" Kiba asked.
"Tsunade has to speak to the Council about it. I'm waiting to see what they say. Kakashi was classified as retired so he can just come right back out of it. He's on his second mission now. I'm hoping to be getting one soon."
"Time out of the village couldn't hurt and keeping busy isn't a bad thing." Kiba said.
"As long as you are dealing with the trauma as well. You can't ignore it Sasuke or it will just continue to get worse. With that being said though, you also can't focus just on the trauma because that will make it worse. You need that balance. Going on missions would be good for you." Shikamaru said.
"Hopefully the Council will let me. I don't see why they wouldn't." Sasuke said.
"They probably will. There's no reason to keep you away from duty. If anything else they want you out of the village to try and get the villagers and ninja used to you being back here." Neji said.
"Find out I guess." Sasuke said with a shrug.
"Things will calm down. Something new will come up and you will become old news." Kiba said.
They spent the next couple of hours sitting around just talking before Neji, Shikamaru and Kiba headed out to head home. They were all going to keep an eye on Sasuke and make sure he was eating and adjusting ok without Kakashi there. They were also going to keep an eye out for the others. They didn't want Sasuke being hounded or pressured by the others because they couldn't understand that he was going through something. They never expected for Sasuke to be a friend of theirs, but he was now and they weren't going to let anyone try and hurt him.
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Naruto and Sakura were the ones that decided to go to Iruka alone. They figured it would be better to not have that many people there and then afterwards they could get together and see what the plan could be. They didn't know what to do about Sasuke and they were hoping that Iruka would have an idea for them. They arrived at Iruka's place and Naruto walked in as he had a key.
"Hey Iruka!" Naruto called out and he saw Iruka coming out of the kitchen.
"Naruto, Sakura it's good to see you both. What are you doing here?" Iruka asked with a smile.
"We wanted to get your advice on what to do about Sasuke." Sakura said.
"Oh" Iruka said trying to hide his anger and annoyance.
"Ya Sasuke is completely ruining his reputation and the village's reputation and he's on his way to ruining Kakashi's." Naruto said with anger.
"What happened? Besides the obvious article." Iruka asked.
"Last night we went to dinner with Sasuke and Kakashi. We tried to talk to Sasuke about how he was acting recently." Sakura started.
"First he orders a whiskey. He's drinking at dinner with us. Like it's nothing." Naruto said with anger once again.
"We tried to talk to him about what he had been up to as we hadn't really seen him. He said he was staying in and I said it would be good for him to stay in and clean out the toxins in his system. He got upset that I had said that. We brought up the drugs and being gay. I told him that he was confused from being in the Sound and he got angry. He was even rude to the waitress that came over to take out orders. He told her to walk away without even letting her say anything or looking at her." Sakura said.
"Ya and he got all upset when I was upset that he didn't tell me or the other guys that he was gay. I said we had a right to know about it. I mean we were around him all of the time, it's only fair that we know about it." Naruto added.
"Then he got even more angry and Kakashi wouldn't even agree with us, he agreed with Sasuke. They are even living together and they left together before we even ordered any food. Hinata, Ino and Lee want to do something to get Sasuke to straighten out before he completely ruins the village's reputation and his own plus Kakashi's. I thought maybe Raji would be able to help, but we haven't seen him since the meeting when Sasuke returned." Sakura said.
"Ya and I suggested we talk to you about it and see if you had any ideas. We need to do something before it gets any worse. I mean other ninja are going to be pissed that he is gay and they could try and attack him or something." Naruto said.
"Alright, both of you calm down and have a seat for a moment and we can discuss this." Iruka said calmly as he tried to figure out a way that he could make this work for him.
Naruto and Sakura sat down on the couch while Iruka sat down in the chair.
"Now, Kakashi and Sasuke are living together?" Iruka asked.
"Yes they are. I don't know how long though, but they are living together." Sakura said.
"Kakashi has mentioned to me that he has been having some problems with Sasuke. Kakashi told me that Sasuke had actually cooked dinner for them and Sasuke had drugged the food. Kakashi passed out and he woke up on his bed with Sasuke on top of him, touching him. Kakashi was able to get Sasuke off from him, but it was a struggle and Kakashi had to hit him to keep him away. I'm surprised they would be living together. Kakashi was very angry at the situation and he said he wanted nothing to do with Sasuke. Sasuke has lived with Orochimaru though, it's possible that Sasuke has put some kind of Jitsu or seal on Kakashi to manipulate him." Iruka said sadly.
"What! That little bastard how dare he do that to Kakashi-Sensei." Naruto said with rage as he stood up with his fist clenched.
"Naruto calm down, there must be some mistake." Sakura said.
"Why would Kakashi lie about something like that?" Naruto asked as he paced around.
"He wouldn't, but I just don't understand why Sasuke would do something like this." Sakura said hurt and confused.
"Sasuke has been trained by Orochimaru for three years. There is no telling just how much Orochimaru has changed Sasuke. Kakashi wanted nothing to do with Sasuke when it happened and now you say they are living together. I'm afraid Sasuke has Kakashi under some sort of Jitsu for him to be acting like this now." Iruka said sadly.
"It makes sense why Kakashi-Sensei stood by that bastard and not took our side. I'm going to kick his ass." Naruto said with pure anger in his voice.
"We have to tell Tsunade-Sama about this." Sakura said.
"You can't without proof. Kakashi could simply deny it. You need proof of a Jitsu. You will need to get Sasuke to confess to what he had done or try and break the Jitsu." Iruka said.
"But how do we do that if we don't even know what Jitsu was being used?" Sakura asked.
"You could research a Jitsu that would make Kakashi hate Sasuke. It wouldn't be perfect, but at least he wouldn't be controlled by Sasuke's Jitsu." Iruka suggested.
"And while we are trying to figure that out Kakashi-Sensei is going through who knows what by that bastard" Naruto said.
"Kakashi is gone on a mission for a week. You could use this time to research on Jitsus. The other option is making Sasuke leave." Iruka said.
"And how would we do that?" Naruto asked.
"Ninja already don't like Sasuke. If they found out what he is doing to Kakashi they could retaliate against him. You could force him to leave."
"That seems really cold though. He could get hurt." Sakura said.
"So what? He's controlling Kakashi-Sensei. Who cares what happens to him he deserves it Sakura. Sasuke is too different, he's too unstable right now. He shouldn't be in the village especially if he is doing this to Kakashi-Sensei."
"I'm afraid Naruto is right. If Sasuke is doing this to Kakashi then what will he do to the children or the other ninja. You can't trust him and he shouldn't be here." Iruka said.
"We need to do what is right and we need to get Sasuke away from Kakashi-Sensei. So how do we do it?" Naruto asked with anger.
"If we need proof of the Jitsu for Tsunade-Sama that will leave Kakashi-Sensei with Sasuke." Sakura said.
"And there is no telling what that bastard will do to him during that time." Naruto said.
"The best way is to try and get Sasuke forced out of the village. If enough Ninja cause a big enough problem for Sasuke it will force the Council to make him leave or they could put him in jail. It wouldn't be the first time where a ninja had to be exiled or placed in jail because they weren't good for the village." Iruka said.
"How do we get ninja to force Sasukeout of the village though?" Sakura asked.
"You spread the word to your friends that are in an agreement with you on what to do about Sasuke. You then go and tell all of the ninja that have expressed their dislike for Sasuke that you want to force him out. They will understand and take things from there." Iruka explained.
"Maybe we should speak with the Higher Up or Raji about Sasuke." Sakura suggested.
"Perhaps, but the Higher Up is a very busy man and it would take a while before he even responded to you. Your best bet at freeing Kakashi from Sasuke is by getting rid of Sasuke." Iruka said.
"Come on Sakura, let's go tell the others and get the word out. Maybe if we hurry we can get Sasuke out of the village before Kakashi returns." Naruto said.
"Ok you're right we need to do this, it just feels wrong." Sakura said sadly.
"I know, but we have to help Kakashi-Sensei, even if it means Sasuke can't be here. We can't just let him act this way and hurt Kakashi-Sensei." Naruto said sympathetically.
"I know we can't. I just wish this never had to happen, but it is and being sad about it won't help anything. Let's go we need to get this done with quickly." Sakura said as she stood up from the couch.
"I'll speak to a few others that are higher ranking and have mentioned their dislike for Sasuke. You just focus on the Chounin rank." Iruka said.
"Thanks Iruka." Naruto said.
"Thank-you for your time and advice Iruka-Sensei." Sakura said.
"You're welcome. I'm just sorry this had to happen, but I am proud of the both of you for doing what needs to be done and what is right." Iruka said.
"This sucks, but we can't just ignore this. We'll let you know how it goes." Naruto said.
Naruto and Sakura headed out of Iruka's place and took off to meet with Ino, Lee and Hinata. They didn't like what they had to do, but they couldn't just let Kakashi be used like this by Sasuke. Sasuke had taken his behaviour too far and they weren't going to let this continue. They had to stop him and they had to free Kakashi from him. Iruka smiled as Naruto and Sakura left. He was finally going to get Kakashi back. Once Sasuke was out of the village then Kakashi would come back to him like he should have when he returned from his secret mission.