A/N: Ahh! I'm sorry it's been so long! The winter months are always busiest for me. Just wait! Once AP exams are over in April I should have more time on my hands, which means more frequent updates!

Neurath's Boat: The philosophical debate based on this metaphor, which Naruto refers to in the chapter, which considers the situation of a boat that is being changed or rebuilt at sea. It is used to allude to many philosophical concepts, such as identity and the means by which personality can change.

Also, thank you, reviewers! I wouldn't have the motivation to continue this story without you.

Also... the farther I get into this plotline, the less I know how to categorize it. So you may notice that I have switched around the genres. Let's just say it here: this is a horror/romance/tragedy/mystery/(somewhat unintentional porn) story! And that doesn't even cover the whole of it. God, I hate categorizing.

Behind the Sun

Chapter 10: Neurath's Boat

Naruto looked up so quickly when he entered, Iruka nearly missed the fact that he had been gnawing on his chains.

"Hello, Naruto," he attempted to say, but his words were nothing but a breath of soundless air passing from his lips.

"Sensei?" the boy's head tilted and he eyed the Chuunin questioningly.

Iruka wondered what half-thoughts were running through the Jinchuuriki's twisted mind. Iruka knew he looked himself quite the sight, but he wondered if the injuries even registered in the boy's mind or if he even wondered what the bandages were for. Did he remember that it was his own clawed hands that had ripped through Iruka's flesh? Did he know that his hands were stained by the blood of his comrades? And if so, would he still be able to smile?

To Iruka, Naruto had always been and always would be his childish prankster of a student, as innocent as any other child. He had been convinced in the year he had with the boy that no malicious or demonic intent influenced his actions.

It was a morbid thought that he had been proved otherwise.

Iruka smiled and Naruto's frown disappeared, replaced by a smile just as blinding as any other— with the hint of mischief that never seemed to leave those cerulean eyes.

Never would Iruka have wanted to be faced with this dilemma. He had made the decision once, and he was loathe to go back on it now. Naruto was no demon.

Iruka would not hate him for that which the boy could not control— and he refused to believe that Naruto willed the demon's violence on anyone.

Iruka could not hate him.

However, in the tiny, survivalist part of his mind that Iruka, for shame, would never admit to anyone, he feared the boy a little bit.

"Food?"

Iruka nearly chuckled in amusement. It figured that the expectation in the boy's eye's had such a simple purpose.

He shook his head slightly and raised his empty palms. "Sorry," he mouthed.

Naruto slumped.

Iruka dropped his hands, and tried not to feel apprehensive as he stepped across the first circle of barrier seals; the complex array of indecipherable symbols flickered peripherally as the Chuunin stepped inside their chakra field. He stopped, willing himself to breathe deeply through the sudden tightening in his throat that the greater proximity with the blonde— with red, angry eyes full of hate and inhuman teeth and claws— but no, it was just Naruto.

"Sensei?" Naruto frowned at him.

Taking another deep breath, Iruka took another half-step forward, he couldn't will himself across the protection of the last to circles of barrier seals. Steeling himself, he reached out, to do what he came to do.

He ruffled Naruto's hair, and prayed the boy didn't notice the tremble in his hand.

Naruto smiled and leaned into the touch. Iruka knew the boy, always the people person, felt out of place in this white room with its steel-reinforced doors and its black inscriptions, whose stark contrast on the floor and walls grated on the eyes.

The boy needed at least one person to offer some comfort.

Naruto's smile faded as Iruka stepped back again and started a slow retreat for the door.

Iruka didn't think he could handle being so close to the blonde anymore. He looked so innocent! But Iruka knew he was not, and he still trembled at the memory of the hatred in that sweet child's eyes. The eyes that had killed his parents.

"Sensei? Don't leave!"

Iruka managed to wave goodbye as he shut the door after his exit. He turned and sagged against the door once it was closed. He wished he could sigh— with relief or sadness, he would never know— because it was rather difficult to do so when one's larynx had been ripped out of one's throat.

"You okay?"

Iruka jumped; but relaxed when he saw it was only Kakashi.

"You should really take it easy, my little porpoise, you're in no condition to be wandering the halls."

Iruka swatted him one on the shoulder for the ridiculous nickname, but he was glad the man failed to point out the high security vicinity neither of them they were supposed to be in, or the fact that his knees were shaking just enough for a perceptive shinobi such as Kakashi to notice and recognize why.

The twinkle in Kakashi's single visible eye had a calming effect on Iruka, and he willed himself to forget that the door behind him led to a deranged demon child, his fallen student.

"I take it the both of you let yourselves out of the ward."

Iruka jumped away from the door, and was met with the sight of a worn-looking Hokage, too tired to lapse into one of her infamous flying rages reserved for the more unruly hospital patients.

Kakashi replied with only a cool wave, "Yo."

"Where the hell did the ANBU go?"

Iruka blinked. There had been no guards when he had arrived.

Kakashi shrugged and did his usual, "I'm so innocent and I don't care" act. Whether he actually had any involvement in the matter was impossible to discern.

Tsunade sighed. "I swear, the ANBU are getting more and more useless lately."

Iruka frowned, wondering if she was referring to the recent incident with the... attacks.

"Well, we'll be getting back to looking for the cafeteria... you know this hospital gets more confusing every time! Iruka and I seem to have gotten lost and—"

"Oh stuff it, Kakashi," Tsunade waved them off and pushed for Naruto's door. "Now, shoo! The both of you,"

No shinobi had to be told twice by the Godaime.

Tsunade sighed softly as she kicked the door open and was greeted with the painfully familiar sing-song of, "Baa-chan!"

"Hello, Naruto, how are you feeling?" she slipped automatically into bed-manner mode, because she didn't know how else she could handle the situation. She couldn't be angry— at least not at Naruto in his current state— she could only be frustrated, and sad, but she could not let those feelings guide her now. She was the Hokage, after all.

And the Hokage was meant to be dignified and diplomatic. A Hokage had to make all the right decisions— but not for herself, for everyone. Her responsibility was to the entirety of Konoha, and therefore every decision she made affected the collective. And Naruto, thanks to the recent circumstances, was no longer part of that collective.

"Naruto is good!" He paused and looked down. "Demo... Naruto can't get up."

Tsunade snorted and reached out to shake one of the chains bolting Naruto to the floor. It rattled with a piercing CLANK CLANK in that hollow room. "That's because Naruto was a very bad boy! You're on time out, mister!"

The boy's eyes widened. "T-timeout! No! N-naruto is good! Naruto is very good! Naruto will never be bad again!"

Tsunade watched the boy's frantic struggle bemusedly. "Calm down, brat."

"Let Naruto go!"

Tsunade glanced at the holding seals. Not even a flicker. That meant his chakra levels were normal and Kyuubi was quiet. Was that enough to prove or disprove one of her theories? He certainly looked agitated... but the seals sensed not even the faintest stirrings of the demon.

She knelt down in front of him, balancing on her heels and wrapping her arms around her knees, but she was sure to not cross the secondary barrier seals. "Naruto."

He must have sensed the expectation in her voice, and stopped to look at her curiously.

"I have a few questions for you. And if you're a good boy and answer them all, I'll..."

He perked up instantly. "Let Naruto out?"

Tsunade pursed her lips. "No..."

"Aww... but Baaaaaa-chaaaaaaan..."

"How does Ramen sound?"

Naruto stared at her, his expression blank, and Tsunade felt her stomach sink when her anticipation of his spontaneous explosion of joy at the offer was left unfulfilled.

"No, Naruto wants out." he said at last, scowling like a three-year-old.

Tsunade sighed, chagrinned. "You want it that bad, huh?"

Naruto nodded solemnly.

"What would you do if I did let you out?"

"Naruto would be a good boy!" he answered brightly, as if he had already prepared this response. "And..." he became serious again. Tsunade wondered if these sudden mood swings were another symptom she should be watching out for. "Naruto would make sure Gaara is happy."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. Though it was irrelevant, one of Tsunade's many long-standing theories had been on the depth of involvement between Naruto and Gaara. It was one of the topics she liked to giggle about while intoxicated. "And what would that entail?"

Naruto stared at her. "Gaara doesn't like having his tail touched."

Tsunade stared back, refusing to smirk at the boy's unintended (she assumed) innuendo. "Entail. What would you do to make Gaara... happy?" She also struggled to leave the sexual implications of that statement unacknowledged.

Naruto grinned, and the chains clinked as he clasped his hands together next to his cheek in a cute pose little girls assumed when presented with something adorable. "First, I'd give him a big hug! And I'd pet him and give him lots of kisses so he knows I love him!"

Tsunade disguised her amusement rather cleverly with a discreet cough.

Naruto's hands dropped to the floor again, and Tsunade noticed she had lost his attention, as glazed blue eyes stared past her at the wall beyond.

"Naruto?"

He reacted slowly; as if he was coming up through layers of consciousness. Then, two piercing orbs focused on her, and Tsunade felt more than saw the seals flicker in the corner of her eye.

"Baa-chan'll ask question now." Naruto's voice held a sudden urgency, his gaze unnaturally steely.

Tsunade had to wrench her heart of her gut, to force herself to breathe. This was the face of a serious Naruto; she had seen it before and she had always believed herself to understand the layers of this countenance.

This was the face of Naruto, the boy she had adopted as a little brother in her heart. The face, with which he had unbottled her hopes and dreams, sealed away for so many years, and given her a reason to lift her head and look forward again.

She had never realized how fearsome Naruto's determination appeared, having never had it directed at her with such force. There was something unyielding there that made her want to shudder and step back. No wonder he had won so many hopeless battles. This expression was a force within itself.

However, Tsunade set her jaw and asked her question. "What happened to Jiraiya?"

Naruto squinted and appeared to concentrate. "I cannot remember."

Tsunade was in fact slightly surprised he even comprehended the question. Hadn't they just been saying his mind was shot? "Do you remember who Jiraiya is?" It wasn't until after she voiced the second question that she realized Naruto was speaking in first person.

"I know who ero-sennin is." he snapped indignantly. "It is not that Naruto does not remember, it is that Naruto cannot."

Well, mostly in first person.

Tsunade leaned forward, itching for the information that might giver her insight into Naruto's mental situation. "Cannot? Do you mean like you are literally incapable, or that maybe... you are prohibited?"

"Naruto cannot." he repeated, his eyes squinted and he pouted childishly. Tsunade wondered if such infantile relapses were some sort of defense mechanism. Defense of what exactly, she couldn't be sure.

"Can Naruto go now?"

Tsunade smiled despite herself; who could not in the face of that childish bounce? "Hang on now, I haven't even said I'd let you go yet."

The ancient medic-nin recoiled at how quickly those eyes hardened into icy steel.

"You will let me go, or I shall find my own way out."

Tsunade got the impression that "my own way out" would entail very destructive means.

"I'll think about it." she conceded cautiously.

Those eyes narrowed. Naruto, her little brother, since when could he look so dangerous? His face was unchanged, his eyes their natural color and shape, and yet his gaze sent icy fingers into her gut.

"Finish your questioning."

Tsunade scowled and straightened her spine. She glanced over the seal array around them out of the corner of her eye. Those seals were temporary at best and superficial at worst. It was the best that could be done with her current resources. She just hoped it was enough.

"Can you tell me anything about Jiraiya?" Tsunade knew she was stressing unsteady ground, but if she had any chance of figuring out the problem, she should start with the most suspicious.

Jiraiya had stopped sending the mandatory letters to brief Tsunade on the Sannin's and Jinchuuriki's journey thus far long before she began to worry. The Toad Hermit was a lazy bastard and intermittent when it came to duty. She didn't even blink when the letters stopped coming.

But then Naruto turned up in Suna.

And something was wrong.

Because Naruto was half-crazy. Because it took Tsunade three months of needling and the threat of sending a diplomatic entourage to Suna to get the Kazekage to let Naruto go. And even then Gaara wouldn't leave the boy be.

Because she hadn't even gotten a postcard from Jiraiya, not even to say so much as, "Hey! I lost the brat and I think he might be going crazy!"

She didn't know whether the stupid Frog Hermit was responsible— even indirectly— of or if some training session had gone wrong. Or if he had failed to protect Naruto in an Akatsuki attack. Or something.

All Tsunade knew was that in order to get to the bottom of this, Jiraiya was the best lead she had.

And he was so getting the beating of his life the next time Tsunade got her hands on him.

"What do you want me to say? That I killed him? That I ripped out his guts and devoured him?" Naruto sneered— an unnatural expression on his kindly face.

Tsunade swallowed, remembering the scenes of his most recent meals. She suddenly started worrying for Jiraiya, for the first time in a long time. "I'm just trying to figure out what's wrong, Naruto, so I can fix it."

Something flashed behind steely cerulean, and Tsunade imagined she had seen something half of her wanted to see replacing this new, creepy mask, but the other half repulsed, having seen too many such expressions.

Helplessness. Desperation. Pain. Made all the more potent by his youth.

Then the evil mask slid back into place such that Tsunade wondered if she had been imagining things after all.

"There is nothing to fix. And if there was, you would not be the one I'd ask for help."

Tsunade ignored the cool dismissal, but instead latched onto the last half of his statement. "So? Who would you ask?"

He smiled suddenly, and Tsunade was startled yet again by how seamlessly his expression flitted from ice to warmth. "My little Gaara-chan could certainly help me anytime!"

Tsunade raised her brow at how obviously Naruto waggled his lecherous eyebrows.

These crazy mood swings were really starting to throw her off.

Changing tactics, Tsunade decided to try to keep this warmer, more familiar Naruto nearby, lest the cold one shut the doors again. "So... you and Gaara, how long have you been together?"

Naruto's wide grin shrank into a softer smile. Was that nostalgia in his eyes? "A long time."

"How long? A year? Three years?"

Naruto shrugged. "I can't remember. It feels like forever." He paused. "I think..."

"And how long is that?"

Naruto gave her an annoyed look.

Okay, so maybe she had a little bet going with Kakashi. Could anyone blame her for trying to make a few extra bucks?

Naruto started gazing off into the distance again, right past her shoulder. He was frowning this time. "Are you done yet? Gaara needs me now."

Tsunade instantly slipped into doctor mode. "Gaara shouldn't be waking up for several days, now, at least. He's still recovering."

Naruto's eyes were glazed, yet he spoke with clarity. "But he is awake. And he's scared."

Tsunade frowned. "What makes you think that?"

Naruto smiled, his eyes squinting closed. "Silly Baa-chan! How can Naruto take care of his Gaara-chan if he doesn't keep an eye on him?"

Tsunade raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Right..." Time to change tactics again. "So, Naruto, here's another question: Do you know why you're... why you were bad?"

The boy drooped visibly. "Naruto... no, I... I hurt Gaara-chan. Naruto was very bad."

Tsunade noted the short change back to first person, and pondered its meaning. "Actually, I meant... do you understand what's— what's wrong with you?" She winced at her own terrible wording.

Naruto frowned at her, his head cocked. "Naruto is chained to the floor?"

"No," Tsunade chuckled. "I mean— do you remember how you used to be, Naruto?"

The boy stared at her, and Tsunade recognized the slow, excruciating shadow of broken hope bursting behind his eyes again. "Sometimes."

"And do you know why you are no longer like that? What happened?" Tsunade leaned forward. This reply could mean everything.

However, it seemed the answer Tsunade sought was not forthcoming, as Naruto's eyes filled again with that blue ice that Tsunade already knew she hated with a vengeance. Gleaming, inhumanly sharp teeth— the same as always, but only now appearing threatening— were bared in a snarl of a smile. "You seek answers you do not deserve."

Tsunade scowled and jumped up, towering over the Jinchuuriki crouched on the floor, held there by thick chains. "Who are you? Are you Kyuubi?"

Something— dishonesty? humor? — glimmered behind his eyes. "I am not Naruto."

Tsunade froze. She could see the seals in her peripheral vision, and they had yet to even flicker. The seals were specially tuned to Kyuubi's chakra and should have been glowing blindingly in the demon's presence.

But they didn't appear to detect anything at all.

"Kyuubi—"

"I am neither Kyuubi."

Tsunade blinked. Then frowned. "Then what—"

Naruto posed, mockingly thoughtful. "Now, what was that old philosophical puzzle? You know, that one where if you take apart the boat or change it, the question is, is it still the same boat when it's just a pile of boards or has new additions?" Ice glittered in those eyes; Tsunade shivered. "What do you think, Baa-chan? Is the boat the boat when it is no longer a boat?"

Tsunade swallowed, digesting the words' possible implications. "That depends, what has the boat become?"

Naruto turned thoughtful, truly thoughtful. "I don't know. It hasn't been rebuilt yet and there are no blueprints to go by."

Before Tsunade could even consider the meaning behind the words of this not-Naruto, the door burst open.

"Tsunade-sama! Gaara-sama is— ah!" the young kunoichi faltered as she noticed Naruto. What person wouldn't when confronted with those eyes— brightened with an animalistic interest at the mention of Gaara— in a friend's face?

Tsunade sighed. "Yes, Sakura?"

"Um," the girl's hands came together at the level of her waist, twisting uncomfortably. "I'm sorry for—"

"What about Gaara?"

Sakura jumped as Naruto spoke. Tsunade wondered if she, to, saw the unnatural quality of his expression that— when looked into too deeply, would cause something instinctually inside her chest to twist in a sickly mixture of sorrow and fear.

"Um," Sakura pulled her eyes from Naruto with difficulty. "Gaara is asking for Naruto."

Tsunade twitched with surprise. "He's awake?"

Naruto grinned childishly, Tsunade welcomed the mood change. "Told ya so!" he mocked in a sing-song.

Tsunade frowned and addressed her apprentice, ignoring Naruto's mischievous gaze on her. "He shouldn't be awake. Did you give him the correct dosage of the chakra inhibitor?"

"Hai! Four milligrams of Oxymyconym, like you said, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade scowled. The same thing had often happened with Naruto when she had treated him in the past. No drug could keep him down for long, and any anesthetic effects lasted for even less time. Apparently, Gaara had the same frustrating (for a medic-nin, she supposed it would come in handy to insulate against the many poisons that could be encountered in the shinobi world) tolerance. She had even taken extra precautions and given the Jinchuuriki a large enough dosage to completely shut down the chakra systems of a hundred shinobi with similar statures. "Give him another two milligrams."

Naruto growled deep in his throat.

"Well..." Sakura fidgeted.

Tsunade glared, wondering why her apprentice hadn't scurried off to execute her orders yet.

"He really wants to see Naruto."

The Hokage glanced at said blonde, who grinned with an expectant gleam in his eyes. She sighed. "I'm afraid I can't do that."

The grin was instantly washed away.

"Um, Tsunade-sama..."

"Sakura, did I not just tell you to do something?"

"Oh, well," she half-turned, as if ready to leave, but was uncertain. "Well, he— I think he's really freaked out."

"So? Give him another half-dosage of Oxymyconym and he should calm down."

"He's having a sort of panic attack."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

Sakura shrunk. "I think, he's just— would it really hurt to let them see each other?"

Tsunade glanced back at Naruto, there was an unspoken threat in those un-Naruto eyes. "We can't move Naruto. The seals must stay in place."

"Then we can bring Gaara here!"

Tsunade gave her the are-you-crazy? look. "Kazekage is severely injured—"

"I promised!"

Tsunade paused.

Sakura seemed to deflate after her sudden outburst, but, glancing at Naruto, she set her shoulders again. "Tsunade-sama, Gaara-sama is very upset, and... I think it would be in the interest of his recovery if we give him what he wants. If he sees Naruto... he'll calm down and probably heal faster."

Tsunade sighed. "Are you saying that you think— from a medical perspective— that it would be a good idea to put Gaara and Naruto together?"

Sakura seemed to have found her courage, as she continued to back up her argument. "It has been proven that putting the members of a shinobi team in the same room as they heal encourages better healing rates. I'm sure the same effect could be found with Gaara-sama."

Tsunade smirked. Now her apprentice was talking like a medic-nin. "Fine, but take all necessary precautions in moving him."

"Hai! Tsunade-sama!"

The Hokage glanced back at her blonde captive as Sakura left.

Naruto smiled at her, a mocking gleam in his eye. "Now, I told you so, didn't I?"

Tsunade 'hmmed,' frowing.

"And by the way," Naruto leaned forward, eyes dark.

Tsunade thought she saw the seals flicker— but it was so small, she could have imagined it.

"It won't be a boat."

He took Gaara with a gentleness that belied the sharp, almost predatory attention in his eyes. The chains clanked as he shifted, and Gaara was settled gently on the more level setting of Naruto's recently crossed legs.

Gaara automatically wrapped his arms around Naruto as best he could with his unresponsive limbs, trying to get a handhold on the blonde in case anyone planned on trying to separate them again. While he managed to get a hand on the shoulder supporting him, Gaara could only reach high enough to grip the cloth over Naruto's breastbone with his other.

Kankurou remained kneeling within the circle of the secondary barrier seals, his hands still hung in the air, hesitant after releasing the small form o his brother.

Tsunade watched with a critical eye from the side, wondering if that hesitance was born of mistrust. Perhaps the Sand siblings were not as keen on Gaara's safety in Naruto's hands as they were currently asserting.

Once Gaara was secure in his lap, Naruto set about a comprehensive inspection of the hazy redhead. Gaara blinked slowly, still disoriented from his recent bout of movement, as Naruto snuffled at his face, and his hair.

Kankurou stepped away quickly, fleeing to the protection of the third barrier seal, as a threatening rumble bubbled up from the boy's throat. However, the growl was directed at the central IV inserted in the junction of Gaara's neck and shoulder.

"Um, it's just water and nutrients and some antibiotics." Sakura spoke up from halfway across the room where she was busying herself with steadying the IV stand. "His chakra system is not functioning at anywhere near capacity at the moment, so neither is his immune system. It's to keep him from getting sick or dehydrated and malnourished."

Naruto stared at her skeptically for a minute.

Then he ripped the IV out.

"H-hey—"

Naruto paid them no mind, and licked the small puncture wound on Gaara's shoulder until it stopped bleeding.

Tsunade sighed. The boys' immune systems were likely as incredible as their healing rates and metabolisms, especially considering she had no official record of either of them ever suffering from infection.

Gaara just hummed softly, his eyelids at half-mast, as Naruto went on with his scrutiny. He didn't even flinch as Naruto got to his pants, which the blonde promptly stuck his hand into, and apparently fondled his privates to make sure everything was there.

At last, ten minutes later, Naruto seemed satisfied. He looked up at the medic-nin and Suna-nin watching him.

He grinned. "I can keep him right?"

"No."

Naruto scowled. Then switched tactics to pouting. "Please? Pwetty pweeeeeaase?"

"I said 'no.'" Tsunade stood her ground.

Naruto harrumphed. He looked down at the redhead against his shoulder admiring him with dazed eyes. He smiled softly, just for him. "Are you ready, Gaara-chan?"

Despite his obviously muddled state, there was comprehension in Gaara's eyes as he nodded— or rolled his head in acquiescence, more like.

Before anyone could decipher any meaning from the short interaction, Naruto was on his feet, Gaara cradled in his arms bridle style. The steel chains attached to the collar around his neck, not long enough to accommodate any position greater than kneeling, snapped as easily as the parting of wet noodles.

Temari and Kankurou didn't even move, neither did they appear surprised.

As Sakura froze, Tsunade held her ground blocking the door. "You won't be able to cross the seals." She warned; her mind already moving on to the complications that she'd have to deal with in the ER if Naruto tried to carry Gaara across the barrier seals. They were meant to target Kyuubi, but they weren't the must precise example of fuuinjutsu. With Gaara in contact with the Kyuubi vessel, Tsunade suspected she'd be dealing with further internal damage in the Kazekage when the seals' effects took hold.

Naruto moved, and suddenly he was standing in front of Tsunade, completely outside the circle of the three barrier seals. "Move, Baa-chan!"

Tsunade stared. "How...?" Were Konoha's seal specialists really this useless? Where was Jiraiya when you needed him?!

The fox grin widened. "I disabled those stupid seals a long time ago, Baa-chan!"

Naruto hefted Gaara's lax body in his arms.

And disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Ending Notes:

Yay! I get to write fluff next chapter. Naruto and Gaara sitting in a cave... K-I-S-S-I-N-G!

Well, it's not actually a cave.

This chapter is exceptionally long to make up for the time I have been away, I hope it assuages any contempt among my readers... :P

Leave me love! It makes me write more fluff. Or porn. Whichever you prefer.