(a/n: Yay another chapter of Brother, My Brother has arrived. I did the best I could when editing but it is unbeta'd so please forgive any mistakes I may have missed. Much love goes out to all those who've kept up with the story and love it as much as I do. I'm sad to say there aren't many more chapters in the future. It's all coming to an end very soon. It's so sad! But now I'm rambling. Let's get on with the chapter shall we? Chapter 9 already? Well here it is, enjoy! :/)
Summary: Naruto has done the unthinkable; he's given up on Sasuke, but what will happen when Sasuke needs his help retrieving a sacred book? Will he be able to win Naruto's friendship again or has their bond been truly severed? What's this about a competition? SXN. Not a yaoi. Contains OC and Special Guest Appearances.
WARNING: this is not a yaoi, merely a fanfic; my apologies to my smut fans. Rating may change with future chapters.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, there I said it!
Chapter 9: Naruto?
Menma brought in more water for Sora, helping his head up so he could drink it. "Are you in pain Sora?" he asked concerned when he saw the ex-monk wince. "I can't heal you but I can numb the pain if you like?" he asked him.
Sora smiled weakly and shook his head. "No, you'll need what energy you can for our mission," he told him.
"So do you?" Menma countered.
"Maybe, but it's okay I can hold out until that dumb knight gets back," Sora assured him.
"Don't push yourself talking," Shino interrupted them. "Rest until they return," he commanded.
Sora wanted to argue but decided against it. He nodded and closed his eyes. He was wheezing and his complexion had paled a great deal.
"He looks in really bad shape," Menma worried quietly. "Maybe I should prepare some food for him for when he gets better," he wondered aloud. He saw Shino stand and shift in his peripheral vision, and looked up at him. "Is something wrong Shino?" he asked him. The other was quiet for a long time and Menma got to his feet. Did Shino sense danger perhaps?
Shino looked back. "Bathroom," he said in a monotone and left the tent calmly.
Menma smiled relieved and nodded. "Okay, I'll have some food ready for when you get back," he called to him and sat down to prepare a somewhat decent meal. As he was pulling out Naruto's favorite ramen noodles he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Someone was nearby, watching. He stood up and looked back at Sora's sleeping figure before venturing outside. There was warmth spreading all over his body and he braced himself. Something was coming, no, something was already here.
He brandished a kunai. "Whose there?" he called out, hoping Shino was in hearing distance and would be back soon, he himself did not have enough chakra to defend off anymore attackers and protect Sora. He could usually sense what direction an attack was coming from, this time it seemed to be all around him. Something moved and he changed his position. "Show yourself," he told them.
"You wouldn't hurt me, would you Menma?" a female voice asked from right behind him and he froze. "I mean after all you sent for me, why are you surprised when I show up?"
Menma gasped and turned and smiled, immediately lowering his Kunai. "Sister," he greeted. "I didn't expect you to come. I thought maybe a message back would suffice," he explained.
The prophet, Michiko stood before him, her large white ram behind her. "Your message I felt deserved a face to face discussion," Michiko told him, tossing long black hair.
"Then you'll help?" Menma asked excited. "You'll help me?"
"No."
"What? Why?"
Michiko smiled. "Menma-nearly number 1 favorite brother Menma- where did your trust in Naruto go?"
"I trust him!" Menma defended. "With my life!" he assured. "I'm just…I'm just worried about him. He's been so unlike himself since he was no longer a part of his life and I worry this may not be something that he truly wants to do. I thought I could find another way, someway less dangerous."
Michiko placed her hand on Menma's shoulder. "Menma, trust me, everything will turn out alright," she told him.
Menma was soothed for a moment until he heard someone coming. He sensed the chakra and recognized Naruto. "Naruto's coming," he whispered. "You should go. I think he'll be cross with me if he knew I had messaged you. He doesn't like asking people for help. I'm sorry if I disturbed you," he apologized.
Michiko smiled. "It's no problem at all Menma, but listen I must tell you something," she said speaking quietly. "Sasuke is going to try to intervene, let him try," she whispered. "Better yet, help him. If you let him, both you and Naruto will get what you want," were her parting words as she mounted her large ram.
Menma stared. "What? You mean the mission?" he asked, rushing, trying to ask her before Naruto and Sasuke came back. "Sasuke's going to help with the mission?" he asked.
"Don't worry about Sora, he'll be fine," she said and was gone.
"Wait but-" he didn't finish as she'd disappeared in a wisp of smoke.
"Hey Menma!" Naruto called and jogged up to him. "Where is everyone?"
Menma whirled around to face him and smiled. "They're still looking for Temujin and Karin. Sora was hurt pretty badly and Karin is the only who could heal his injuries," he informed him.
Naruto hummed. "Well they should have better luck now that the rain's stopped," he said. "Where's Sora, inside?" he asked seeing the sand structure Gaara obviously put up.
Menma only nodded. "Yeah, he's sleeping I was just about to make something to eat," he said turning and a yelp got caught in his throat as he saw Shino standing there. "Oh…hi Shino," he said and looking at his reflection in those dark glasses he had the sense Shino was looking at him like he was a child caught stealing. So Shino had sensed Michiko and had waited in the shadows to watch on. He should've known. He should've been more careful.
"Hey Shino," Naruto said walking up to him.
Shino turned his head ever so slightly in Naruto's direction. "Naruto," he greeted in a monotone. "We didn't expect to see you until the sun was up. Glad to see that you're alright," he said pointingly and again it was hard to tell but Menma got the sense he was looking at Sasuke when he said the last part.
Naruto chuckled sheepishly and nodded. "Yeah, we figured since it stopped raining , we may as well come early besides I don't like one of our own being out there alone with one of his team," he said making no secret that he was talking about Sasuke as he pointed at him.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Where's Suigetsu and Jugo?"
"They both opted to aid Gaara in his search for Karin and Temujin," Menma informed him although it didn't seem Sasuke was that worried about them. Menma cleared his throat. "So I'll just go and start some dinner," he said but Shino stopped him. "Shino?" he asked but Shino shook his head.
"Go inside and get warm," Shino told Naruto. "I think it might cheer Sora up if you talk to him Naruto." Naruto straightened up and nodded as he went inside, Sasuke going with him.
When they were both inside Menma looked up at Shino again and gulped. "Please understand, I didn't do anything wrong," Menma pleaded in a whisper, knowing full well why Shino wanted him alone.
Shino held up his hand to silence him. "Know this, were we in Konoha your deception towards your own superior would not have been tolerated," he said.
Menma lowered his head in shame. "I didn't mean to, I was just worried for him."
Shino took a breath. "Lucky for you, we aren't in Konoha and Naruto no longer follows their rules. Regardless, this does not mean I approve of whatever it is you're doing. Naruto chose you for his team because he trusted you and there is no time now for a chink in his armor."
Menma winced. "I'm sorry." He glanced up at him. "So…you won't tell?"
Shino shook his head. "I will not but you should." With that the silent ninja turned and left back into the sand dome leaving Menma feeling both a lot worse and a lot better at the same time. Michiko was right and so was Shino. Naruto trusted him so he should trust Naruto with his every decision. That was why he was going to tell him what he did or rather what he'd been intending to do. He just hoped Naruto wouldn't be angry.
Suigetsu leapt to the ground. The branches were too wet to run on, even for him. "Hey Karin!" he yelled loudly, his hands cupped around his mouth to amplify his voice. "You have a fat ass and your haircut is stupid! Why not try combing it on the other side you lazy useless bitch!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. He looked around in silence for a while. "Damn, she's not here either," he said.
Kiba landed next to him. "Dude, what form of searching is that?" he asked him incredulously.
Suigetsu smiled toothily at him. "Well if she heard that chances are she'd be running after me to try and kill me. I'm not gonna go after her, because that would be stupid. No, I intend to bring her right here to us," he said as if it were the most brilliant plan ever. "You hear that fat ass! Why don't you come when you're called like a good little bitch!" he yelled again and paused again but heard no one coming. "Yeah she's not here. I'll try over there," he said turning in the other direction.
Kiba shook his head and heard Akamaru whimper. "Yeah I know boy, their chakra must be very low if we can't sense them, and that rain dampened the smell. I have to admit Akamaru, I'm a little afraid of what state they're going to be in when we do find them," he said looking out into the forest. Akamaru made a grumbling noise and Kiba smiled fondly. "You're right, Akamaru. Naruto would never give up and neither should we," he said and they set off on the search again.
Gaara was hovering high above the trees. It used up chakra but he was more concerned with finding Temujin and that woman that could heal Sora. He looked out at the sun coming up over the horizon. Naruto would be at camp soon. He had to hurry. Sora didn't have long in the state he was. He looked away from the horizon to scout again and saw a wink of light. "There," he said to himself and descended quickly to where the rest of the group was looking. "I see something, this way," he said and headed in the direction he'd seen the light.
"Are you sure it was them and not some debris from the fight?" Kiba yelled after Gaara.
"No, I'm sure it was them. At most it was definitely Temujin," he called back from the air and sped up as he saw another flash.
Suigetsu saw the flash as well. "He's right, it's them," he said and they all sped up after that. As they neared the flash they saw it was a reflection of light off of Temujin's sword which was stuck in the ground next to a small makeshift hut.
"Aww," Kiba chuckled as he saw Temujin and Karin had fallen asleep with their heads together.
"Ooooh," Suigetsu cackled and tip-toed up to the two sleeping forms and picked up Temujin's limp arm and placed it around Karin's shoulders as if he was holding her. "Man I wish I had a camera," he chuckled. "I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU MAN AND WIFE!" he yelled, his hands cupped around his mouth to enhance his voice even more.
Temujin and Karin both jerked awake, looking around frantically as if bracing for a fight and had unconsciously brought each other closer into an embrace.
Suigetsu howled with laughter and Kiba joined in with him.
Temujin and Karin shoved each other away with looks of disgust and clamored to their feet. Temujin got his clothes from overhead where they'd dried and put them back on. "Where's Naruto?" he asked ignoring Karin who seemed to be accusing him of taking advantage of her while she was sleeping and was now punching Suigetsu's face for laughing.
"He's back at camp as is everyone else," Gaara informed him. "Sora was hurt, and bad. He'll need your assistance," he said to Karin now who paused in her assault on Suigetsu to look at him strangely.
"My help?" she asked.
"Just do it," Suigetsu said seeing she was about to protest. "Sasuke didn't argue and besides we're working together on this remember," he told her pointingly. Sasuke ordered them to cooperate with Naruto's brothers and she was only digging herself a grave if she refused to get Sasuke what it was he wanted.
Karin sighed and straightened out her jacket. "Fine," she said. "Are the target's dead?" she asked.
Gaara narrowed his eyes a little. "They weren't targets," he said and turned and walked back to the campsite.
Karin raised an eyebrow and the rest followed after. She jogged a little bit ahead, offended at being brushed off for asking a question. "You killed them, you tracked them down, and you killed them. That sounds like they were targets to me," she said ignoring Suigetsu who was nudging her to shut up.
Gaara didn't look back at her as he spoke. "They were victims of experimentation, isolation, and torture who when let loose in the world could no longer respond to it in any other way then the way they were treated. They were unstable and had to be stopped," he paused to look at her then. "But they were not targets." With this he walked again.
Suigetsu chuckled at his gaping teammate. "Ha ha, you got in trouble," he mocked childishly, receiving a hit to the head where of course it only splashed into water.
Karin growled as she trailed after the group with Suigetsu still taunting her. She glanced at Temujin's back and remembered with a blush how they'd awoken. She could sense his chakra. She hadn't really paid much attention to it before as it was so foreign. It wasn't really chakra proper, but energy, a flaring heat that somehow felt cold. Could heat be cold?
She shook her head free of these thoughts. "The faster we're done with this mission the better," she said more to herself.
Naruto looked over Sora and made up his mind. It had been a close one. Too close. He couldn't humor the 'free-loaders' any longer. It was becoming too risky and just sitting here now was pushing it. He'd make the announcement once Karin healed Sora. He jumped up to his feet as soon as Gaara entered the tent and breathed a sigh of relief. "You're all okay," he said thankful.
Gaara nodded and went over to stand beside him. "They're unhurt and she's willing to cooperate," he reported without Naruto having to ask.
Naruto nodded. "We should stand outside and get out of her way. Shino you keep watch," he said. If Shino saw or noticed anything off, he knew he could trust him to deal with it.
Shino nodded and drew attention to Karin who seemed to flinch under his gaze.
Everyone cleared out of the tent and Menma served everyone hot tea and rice balls. Menma sat on Naruto's right while Gaara intercepted Sasuke and sat on his left. Sasuke glared and sat with his own group.
"You look troubled," Gaara noted of Naruto who smiled sadly. Gaara could always see right through him. He understood him most of all.
"Kinda," he admitted. "It's only what-if's that are bothering me though," he assured and sighed. He straightened up. "We've let you travel with us and you've sought revenge for the village which was the deal," he reminded Sasuke. "We'll be going our own way in the morning and we'll be going alone," he said with finality.
Jugo and Suigetsu both looked at Sasuke to see how he'd respond. Would he insist on following after, intent on that book?
Sasuke's expression was unreadable, dead. He locked eyes with Naruto and again they searched for something. "Agreed," he said rather easily after a moment. He stood up and inclined his head towards Jugo and Suigetsu. "We'll rest for now and regain our strength but then we're going our own way," he told them before leaving.
Naruto was surprised he'd agreed so easily and he raised an eyebrow. He decided then he didn't care if the other changed his mind and shrugged it off. "As long as that's clear," he said simply and drank his tea.
Menma looked concerned and leaned into whisper. "Brother, I don't think that's a good idea. I trust your judgment and I'll follow you wherever but…he's helped a lot," he tried to persuade him. Michiko had just got done telling him that Sasuke would help with the mission. He had to keep him there.
Naruto sighed and turned to him. "Menma, I already told you that Sasuke isn't on the good guy side. We can help ourselves. We don't need him. Do not waste your time giving him the benefit of the doubt. You will only be disappointed just like everyone always is with Sasuke," he said.
Menma opened his mouth only to shut it again a moment later. He wouldn't argue with Naruto. "Yes, brother," he muttered and drank his tea.
Suigetsu stood and followed after Sasuke. "You sure about this?" he asked when he found him a good distance from the camp. "What about the book?"
Sasuke looked at a leaf in his hand. He could tell they weren't in Leaf Village despite all the vegetation. The leaves in the rain forest were different. The texture, size, and edges of the leaf were jagged and wild. Konoha leaves were not like this at all. They didn't have the waxy quality these rain forest leaves did. The veins were more easily discernible and the edges while sharp were in neat even rows of teeth unlike these untamed jagged edges. Just like Naruto.
"I won't get the book so long as he's so distracted by this mission," Sasuke said letting the leave blow out of his hand and float on the wind. "Besides, I'm no longer convinced that Naruto is truly himself."
"Another clone?" Suigetsu asked.
"Possibly…it would be just like him to pass off a clone as the real thing. Stranger things have happened," he allowed calmly as he straightened up. "We're getting nowhere following him and my time is precious. I'm not pursuing this if I'm not sure," was his decision.
Suigetsu sighed. "Well alright then if you say so." He looked back at the camp. "I'll uh tell Karin," he said.
Sasuke looked up and quirked an eyebrow. "Wanting to say goodbye to your new best friend?" he asked him.
Suigetsu paused in his tracks and looked back at him. "What new friend? He's just a pawn right?" he asked him with a smirk before walking back to camp.
Sasuke hummed and looked back towards the sky.
Suigetsu peaked into the tent. "Karin, we're leaving on our own soon, pack your shit," he said seeing Karin had finished with Sora and was buttoning up her jacket.
Karin scoffed. "Don't tell me what to do," she said.
"Yeah, yeah, beat it," he said pointing outside and ignored the death glare as she stalked out of the sand dome/tent. He looked at Shino who was still staring intently, standing protectively like a totem over Sora. He didn't mind him being there, but anyone from his own team was probably a problem. He walked over and knelt down beside Sora. He bit the inside of his cheek. "Hey," he said quietly. "You look like shit," he told him.
Sora opened his eyes slowly and chuckled. "And here I spent hours on my hair," he joked tiredly.
Suigetsu chuckled quietly and sat down cross legged next to him. "Feeling any better?" he asked.
Sora nodded and tried to sit up but Suigetsu pushed him back down. "I'm fine, really."
"No you're not," Suigetsu snorted. "Just lie down and relax."
"Don't say it like that, I just threw up in my mouth a little."
Suigetsu chuckled and set his sword aside. "So…we'll be leaving soon. Off to do our own thing," he told him.
Sora raised his eyebrow at that. "Yeah? Just like that huh?" he asked him and shrugged weakly. "Well that…kinda sucks."
It was Suigetsu's turn to shrug. "Kinda yeah," he agreed and traced little doodles in the sand. "So I was just here to…y'know…I don't know just…"
Sora tilted his head. "You came to say good bye didn't you?" he asked. "That's-wow…I'm….touched," he said surprised.
Suigetsu threw some sand at him causing Sora to cough and laugh and Suigetsu joined in. "Well just don't tell anyone or I'll deny it," he told him.
"You haven't even said it yet."
"Sure I did."
"No you didn't, I had to say it for you."
"That was just your assumption."
"You didn't deny it."
"How can I deny what I didn't say?"
"Well now you have to say it."
Suigetsu rolled his eyes and stood, grabbing his sword. "I gotta go, later," he said and made to head out.
Sora chuckled. "I'll take it."
Suigetsu paused and looked back at him and chuckled. "Yeah….later," he said and left out the tent. He saw Menma talking to Jugo off to the side, and guessed Jugo wanted to say goodbye to Menma too. He sat down on the ground. So maybe Sora had grown on him a little.
Karin dropped their equipment down. "Thanks for helping Suigetsu!" she said bitingly as Sasuke returned to camp.
"Hey, that's what I'm here for," he retorted and cracked his back before laying down, his traveling cloak rolled up and being used as a pillow. "Wake me up when we're ready to leave," he yawned.
Later that evening while most of them were catching up on sleep they'd missed and regaining their strength, Menma snuck out of his sand dome Gaara had made for him to sleep in and crept towards Naruto's sealing rock. He paused by Temujin's own sand dome and looked around hoping no one would see. He would prefer to talk to Naruto in private. It didn't look like he'd woken anybody up so he continued on. He pressed one hand into the surface of the rock, feeling it give and creeping inside the slightly humid space. He saw Naruto meditating and sat in front of him. He knew he could hear even if he was deep in his trance. "Naruto, I have something to tell you and you may not like it," he started nervously, his head downward. "I'm sorry but…I contacted Michiko, our sister. I know you don't like us infringing on our fellow members so close to our goal, but I had to ask if there was any way your path could change and still succeed in your plan. What you're planning is so risky, brother. You have started a new life and I know how precious that is to be given a chance to start over. I guess I just wished you could enjoy it a bit more. I'm sorry I disobeyed. I know my reasons don't account for betraying your trust and if it helps….it doesn't matter. Michiko was unable to confirm or deny what was in our future." He finished with a sigh and stood up. "I won't force you to do anything, brother. You know I won't, but…you should know Michiko wanted Sasuke to come with us," he murmured.
At this the chakra emitting from Naruto hummed and steadily dispersed as he blinked his eyes opened slowly and looked up at Menma, glaring slightly as he stood. "Menma I knew about your contact with Michiko. I knew of all of my brothers, you would be the one to try and seek a better path and know that if there truly was one I would listen to you," he told him.
Menma was a little surprised to know Naruto had suspected all along, but only a little. Naruto knew him best after all, it shouldn't surprise him so much that he'd have pieced it together. "I'm sorry," he murmured again.
Naruto sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Don't apologize," he said waving it away. "You had good intentions and that's all I ask of you," he reminded him with a gentle smile. It quickly faded away. "But about Sasuke…I have to ask, are you telling me this because you're trying to save him or because you truly think it's in our best interest?"
Menma shook his head quickly. "No, it's nothing like that," he said and rubbed his shoulder. "I asked Michiko if there was another way and she just said things would turn out fine, but that Sasuke would try to interfere and that I should help because it would help the mission."
Naruto was silent for a moment and sat back down again. "He's always interfering nowadays…and I could see how he could help I guess," he said a little sadly.
"You do?"
Naruto nodded again. "Yes, but I don't need his help. I don't want it. If I'm going to do this, it's going to be by my own terms. It has to be just me," he said his voice growing steadily quieter as he drifted back into a trance.
Menma sighed and left the seclusion of the boulder to return back to his own sand dome, not seeing the piercing sea green eyes following his movements.
(4 hours later)
"Why are we suddenly in a rush?" Suigetsu asked as he filled his canteens with water and hauled his sword over his shoulder.
"We slept for longer than intended," Sasuke said flatly. "Jugo, what's taking so long?" he asked him.
Jugo was currently shooting uncertain glances towards Menma. He ignored Sasuke's glare and went up to the gentle blonde. "Thank you, for vouching for us and letting us travel with you," he said knowing it was Menma's insistence that Naruto even entertained the thought.
Menma smiled brightly. "If our paths ever cross again you should think about enrolling in the brotherhood," he told him seriously. It was only because Sasuke was his leader that Naruto didn't trust him but Jugo had a gentle heart, good intentions, and a loyal personality, the sort of person Naruto usually warmed up to. "I can vouch for you again," he said.
Jugo smiled. He'd never felt so calm, so in control of himself than when he was with Menma.
Sasuke scoffed. "Let's go," he said harshly. "Karin, what's the hold up?"
Karin wrapped her traveling cloak over her shoulders. "I've been ready, it's Suigetsu who's holding up the works," she said glaring at said ninja.
Suigetsu snorted loudly. "As if, you're just wasting time so you could say goodbye to your little boyfriend Temujin. We saw you all snuggly with him under the trees," he said making kissing noises at her. He turned around and rubbed his hands down his back as he moved his head so that it looked like he was making out with someone.
Karin was seething. "He is not my boyfriend! He's an arrogant knight who I just happened to fall asleep against! It meant absolutely nothing at all!" she shouted and began to repeatedly pummel Suigetsu over the head where it erupted into splashes of water and gurgled laughter.
"Enough," Sasuke's voice rang out and Karin ceased her attack while Suigetsu merely shrugged with a smug smile and chugged back a healthy swig of water.
"What's this about Temujin?" Naruto asked him with a waggle of his eyebrows and a grin.
Temujin's expression was calm. "She speaks the truth. It meant nothing. Of course it was a misunderstanding," he said simply.
Karin's eyes narrowed. "Hey what is that supposed to mean?" she seethed.
Suigetsu howled out in laughter and pointed at her. "He called you a 'mistake'!" he mocked receiving another pummeling as a result.
Sora coughed a laugh, still a little weak but definitely feeling a lot better.
Gaara turned to Naruto stiffly. "Weren't they leaving?" he asked.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the tone in Gaara's voice. "We are," he informed him hotly. "Jugo, Karin, Suigetsu," he said in a tone that wasn't to be argued with and his group stood at attention. He paused, casting a look at Naruto and looked him over suspiciously. He was too different to be normal. No, he was too different to be Naruto.
He faced back away and walked back the way they came, leaving Naruto's group behind.
"So what's the plan then?" Suigetsu asked with a yawn. He hummed and walked a little faster to catch up to Sasuke when the other remained silent. "Do you even know?" he asked him.
"Sasuke always knows," Karin said with an eye roll.
"The only thing I know was that that was a complete waste of time," Sasuke said darkly.
Jugo sped up now. "You really don't think that was him?"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "I'm not sure. I thought at first it was plausible for him to give up…but that's not like Naruto at all. It can't have happened. There's no way he could be so…cold," he decided was the word.
Karin pursed her lips. "Are you still thinking about that boy that died?" she asked carefully. Sasuke paused in his step and Suigetsu glared at Karin for bringing it up. Karin stammered then. "I-I mean of course you're not. Why would you?" she said laughing it off.
"Quiet," Sasuke said and at his tone they were all on edge. "Did you hear that?" he asked.
Suigetsu looked at the others with a raised eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't hear any-"
"Sasuke!" a distant cry sounded in the distance.
Sasuke's breathing hitched and turned to them. "Did you hear it?" he asked urgently.
The three nodded, looking curiously towards the west where the cry sounded again only growing more distant.
Jugo stepped forward. "That sounded like-"
"Naruto," Sasuke finished and sprinted into the forest.
"Sasuke, wait!" Suigetsu yelled as they followed after. "It's obviously a trap. We just left Naruto from over that way," he said pointing in the other direction.
"This is the forest that Naruto and I got lost in. He seemed eager to get away from it. Claimed he didn't hear anything but you heard it. He was lying. He was hiding something," he said speaking more to himself now.
"So what? You think it's the real Naruto we're hearing now?" Karin yelled over to him as she sped up to keep pace.
"It has to be. I know that voice," Sasuke said convinced.
"You thought that with the last Naruto," Suigetsu pointed out but followed anyway.
"Sasuke!" Naruto's voice shouted and it seemed to grow more distant.
"Is he moving?" Karin asked as they sped up but no matter how much they did he didn't seem to get any closer.
"No, it's a Genjutsu," Sasuke said with narrowed eyes holding up a hand sign, doubling the efforts with his Sharingan before he broke through the illusion. The change was subtle but it was there. The landscape shifted and rippled as it melted away.
"Sasuke!" the voice continued, closer but muffled. "Sasuke, help! Please!"
"Over there," Sasuke pointed to four large red posts decorated with sealing sutras. In the middle was one of Naruto's sealing boulders, but with noticeably heavier security. The seal engraved on it was complex and it wasn't the only one. Indeed it was decorated with numerous seals around its entire surface, each different. There was a pounding from the inside. The seals glowing bright each time whoever was inside pounded on the walls of the boulder.
They skid to a stop in front of the strange fortress and Sasuke was confused even though he didn't show it. He couldn't see inside. He didn't need to as he was as sure as Orochimaru was dead that Naruto was inside, but it was disconcerting nonetheless. Who could have such abilities to seal Naruto 10 times over and fool his Sharingan?
"Naruto?!" he yelled, being careful. The fortress was just….out in the middle of nowhere. Never mind the fact it took a kai and his Sharingan to break the Genjutsu and that there were numerous complex seals adorning the surface of Naruto's cage. He was still on edge.
"Sasuke?" the voice took on a new urgent tone and the pounding stopped. "Sasuke? Is that really you?" the voice asked.
"Yes, it's me," Sasuke said walking through the four pillars and grunted as he was immediately thrust back, his clothes and exposed chest lightly smoking. It was like he'd walked into an electric fence. Of course, he'd forgotten about the sutras. Calmly, he wiped away a bit of blood and dirt next to his chin and glared at the enclosure. "Naruto listen to me, there's a barrier blocking me from getting to you. Do you know who erected this?" he asked him, having to call out so Naruto could hear him.
"I-I don't know," Naruto said and he sounded delirious. Was he hurt?
"How long have you been in there?" Sasuke asked now as he walked around the boulder, once in a while kicking a pebble towards the pillars to test any weaknesses.
"Sasuke, I can't get out," Naruto said instead and he was definitely getting more frantic. "I don't know where I am and I don't know how long I've been here," his voice said, bordering on a ramble.
"Calm down, Naruto," Sasuke said. If this was the true Naruto, saving him would almost guarantee he'd get that book and then he'd kill him, or lock him back up, whichever came first. "I think I can get in, just hold on," he said and unsheathed his sword. As soon as he raised it high however he was blindsided and his sword was knocked out of his hand by what appeared to be sand.
He narrowed his eyes and turned to see 'Naruto' there along with his brotherhood who stood facing him defiantly.
Sasuke growled, his hair standing on end as he flared his chakra at the imposter. "You," he hissed. "I knew you couldn't be trusted. I should've known the moment you said it was all over you weren't the real Naruto. Imposter!" he said.
Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Back away from him, Sasuke," he told him calmly. "This has nothing to do with you."
"S-Sasuke," Naruto's voice asked, sounding frightened. "Please…I don't want to die," he said and he sounded truly desperate.
"Release him, now!" he commanded the imposter.
Naruto took a few steps forward. "Sasuke, you don't know what you're asking. You're confused," he said.
Sasuke scoffed. "I'm not confused about anything! I knew you were hiding something! What did you do to him! Let him go!" he said and looked at all of Naruto's brothers. "Why are you siding with him?" he asked them. "Don't you see how he's deceiving you?"
Gaara narrowed his eyes and strode forward but Naruto held him back. "No, do as he says, Gaara," he told the red head calmly.
"Brother, he-"
"He needs to see for himself," Naruto said interrupting Gaara's protests.
Gaara glared at Sasuke but complied as he cut across Naruto's palm a well as the rest of the brotherhood and leapt up passed the barrier without a hitch, landing on top of the boulder to drag Naruto and his brother's blood across the seals, breaking them. He leapt back away as the boulder crackled and finally crumbled apart.
Amidst the debris of rock and sand a figure fell to the ground and this figure was not Naruto, at least it did not appear so at first glance.
Sasuke took a step back and exhaled sharply as he assessed this figure. The hair was not the same. It wasn't even the same color. His hair was an ink black color, not the vibrant and obnoxious yellow he used to know. The proportions of the body weren't right. This Naruto was far too scrawny looking and weak and thin and gangly. Even scars the true Naruto had were not there, the whisker like marks on his cheeks, the scar on his hand he remembered being there from when Naruto vowed to never back down by sticking a kunai into his palm.
Then the person looked up and the dust cleared and those blue eyes were the same. They were determined, loyal, strong, and yet filled with so much sadness.
He hesitated but approached the figure, kneeling down so as to look him in the eye. "Naruto?" he asked him. He looked him over. "What happened to you?" he asked. Naruto's normal tan skin was almost translucent in its pallor. He turned to the other Naruto and glared. "What did you do to him?" he asked him.
"Sasuke," the Naruto on the ground breathed. "It's really you."
"Look at him Sasuke," the blonde Naruto commanded him. "Look at him with your Sharingan and what do you see!" he told him.
Sasuke looked back at the dark haired Naruto and activated his Sharingan. What he saw he wasn't prepared for and he didn't know why it struck him as such a shock and yet it seemed to drive the breath clear out of him. He took a few steps back away from the Naruto on the ground who had attempted to reach out to him. "He's….He's a clone."
"Exactly," Naruto said. "Now look at me. What do you see Sasuke," he told him.
Sasuke shook his head. Naruto was real, it was clear as day and yet he knew those eyes anywhere. That had to be Naruto. He looked between them both. "No…no, no, no, it can't be," he muttered.
"It's true Sasuke," the blonde Naruto said almost sadly, pityingly. "I'm the real Naruto, always have been. He's a clone, he's not real," he said and looked at the dark haired twin that stood up now, his eyes still fixed on Sasuke. "Ask him yourself. He won't deny it," he said.
Sasuke had never been so confused. It didn't look anything like Naruto so of course it couldn't be him, but those eyes. "Is this true?" he asked through a clenched jaw.
The dark haired Naruto lowered his head. "I'm real…I'm just not Naruto, not anymore," he said.
"What is he talking about?!" Sasuke yelled at Naruto.
Naruto sighed. "He is…our bond," he told him and looked at the clone sadly. "He is the part of me that wanted to find you, that felt anything for you. He's different from any other clone. He's a class all his own. He's an emotion and that's what sustains him," he said.
Sasuke looked again at the clone through his Sharingan eyes and it was true. He was a clone, there was no doubt about it, but he could also see something else. He didn't possess any chakra. Normal clones are sustained with it and that's what made them easy to spot, but this clone didn't have any, but he was warm, really, really warm. He was glowing like tempered metal. "So you displaced our bond in him and then just left him here to rot?" he asked, not knowing why he was so offended. It was like the child all over again.
"Of course not!" Naruto said equally offended. "He was hurting himself Sasuke, there was nothing I could do."
"How could you say that?! Look at him! You can't just toss him away when you and he both admit he's a part of you. Now you just stash him away like a dirty secret waiting for him to starve to death! He's real enough to need sustenance!"
"He doesn't eat Sasuke! He doesn't sleep! He does nothing but want to find you! That is my point Sasuke! You are literally all that is keeping him alive! The stores of Chakra I put into him to create him wore out months ago, he should've been dead!"
"Is that what you want, for him to die?!"
"You're not listening to me!" Naruto yelled frustrated. "Sasuke he should be dead. We tried to get him to eat or drink something when he was first created but he's stubborn….as stubborn as I was," he ended quietly and looked at the other. "It was a horrible thing I did placing the burden of our bond on his shoulders. Our bond was so strong it is keeping him alive when he should have dispersed a long time ago. Because of it he starves and dehydrates to death every single day but cannot die. Our bond can't die…and so neither can he."
Sasuke shook his head. "How is that even possible?"
"That doesn't matter. You saw what you needed to, now go. He doesn't concern you."
The clone seemed distressed at this. "No, Sasuke-"
"What will you do with him? Lock him back up, let him keep dying?" Sasuke asked ignoring the clone that was trying to edge toward him more.
"Do you have a better alternative?" Naruto challenged. "He will get in the way if he comes with me and he'll be in constant danger. He doesn't have the fox's power, he doesn't have any chakra. He'll be a constant target and just because he can't die, does not mean he can't feel pain so I will not let him get hurt. You tell me what you'd do!"
"Fine, then he'll come with me," Sasuke decided and everyone seemed to simultaneously hold their breaths because it got eerily quiet.
Naruto narrowed his eyes even if the clone seemed to like that idea. "No," he said adamantly. "I'm not going to let you do that."
Sasuke walked up to the clone and stood beside him. "Well I wouldn't want to inconvenience you," he said bitingly.
"Like it's no inconvenience to you?" Naruto sneered and glared at him. "No, I guess it wouldn't be, would it?" he was asking himself this more than anyone. He looked at the clone. "I need you to get back inside the seal. It won't do you any good to follow after him. He's long gone," he tried to convince his old self.
The dark haired Naruto only shook his head and looked at Sasuke. "I don't believe that," he said.
Sasuke looked back into those eyes and it was another mental dance, a different one than with the real unbound Naruto who now looked sad.
"Then I'm sorry," Naruto said to his clone.
Sasuke raised one eyebrow. "For what, for all the things you did to him?" he asked bitingly.
Naruto turned a cold glare to Sasuke. "No, for all the things that you're going to." He turned away. "Let's go," he told his brothers and they all leapt off the ground and into the trees.
"Sasuke, what the hell just happened?" Suigetsu asked the other, completely lost. "Do you know what just happened?" he asked Jugo who shook his head.
Sasuke turned to the clone. "What do I call you?"
The clone grinned and rubbed the back of his neck. "How about Naruto?" he asked him. "I like that name. Even if I'm not Naruto anymore, the name is still mine, y'know?" he said and chortled.
Sasuke's lips upturned at the corners. "Yeah I get it," he said.
Suigetsu wrapped one arm around Sasuke's neck. "Sasuke, uh, can we talk with you over here for a second?" he asked him politely with a toothy grin at Naruto before guiding Sasuke over to the group where they huddled together. "Okay what the fuck, Sasuke?" he asked him. "I hope you don't expect us to babysit the kid. He can't fight. Granted it's easier that it doesn't eat or sleep or anything but we can't fight when we have to worry about protecting that little runt."
"I hate to say it but he's right Sasuke, he's not our problem," Karin said peaking over at the clone that was looking around at the surrounding forests with a look of wonder.
Sasuke glared at them both. "And your stand on this Jugo?" he asked the other.
Jugo looked at the clone as well. "We can't just leave him."
Suigetsu groaned loudly. "God that Menma really got to you didn't he?" he asked Jugo and shook his head. "I'm not babysitting!" he told Sasuke adamantly.
"You won't need to," Sasuke said quietly, "Not for long anyway."
"Yeah right, just until it dies. When will that be again? Oh yeah, never!" Suigetsu barked.
"No," Sasuke said quietly, glancing back at the clone who was smiling at a little butterfly that had landed nearby, "Just until I kill him."
"Naruto, was that a wise choice?" Gaara asked Naruto.
Naruto snorted in response. "Of course it wasn't a good idea, but what else could I do? You know what I was like, Gaara. I couldn't be reasoned with and the Shugosha is no exception. He is exactly as I was. It's cruel to hand him over to Sasuke who will only seek to destroy him, but I don't know what else to do and besides if Sasuke is planning what I think he's planning, he won't succeed."
Gaara lifted an invisible brow. "And what do you think he's planning?"
"To get the book through the clone" Naruto said. He shook his head, waving away the subject. "We need to hurry."
"Why?" Temujin asked. "We have time."
"I just got this feeling we may not have as much as we think. I don't like Sasuke having our bond right there in a neat little deluded package. We have everything we need. We just need to get to the underground ruins of the lost village."
Kiba snorted. "Yeah that'll be easy, it's not like it's called the Lost Village cuz it's hard to find or nothin'," he said sarcastically.
"I know it's a lot to ask," Naruto admitted. "But I'll need you Kiba, Shino, and Gaara to be on a lookout. We already know the general location from the book, all we need is a fixed marker."
The group nodded, knowing their mission. "We're there for ya, man," Kiba said climbing on Akamaru's back.
Shino hummed an agreement, fixing the collar on his jacket.
Gaara stood beside him. "Let's go."
"Uh Sasuke I don't think you were listening earlier so I'm gonna repeat it for you. The thing can't die," Suigetsu reminded him. "How in the hell are you going to kill him?"
"You really think Naruto could kill something so defenseless? He couldn't even raise a hand to stop us from taking him. He probably only made the assumption when the chakra reserves wore out. If I would bet on anything it would be that Naruto didn't even try to disperse him. I think he can be killed, but I'll weasel that information from him along with some other answers. He's still part of the idiot. He must know something. Besides, I'm curious to learn what he is exactly."
"I thought he was the bond?" Karin asked.
"I mean what he is in general terms. He's not a clone. He can think and act on his own accord and yet has no substance sustaining him. He's something…other," he said and was speaking more to himself now.
"He's an alien," Suigetsu said in an eerie voice waving his fingers at Karin while he bared his teeth. "And he's gonna eat you in your sleep," he growled.
Karin seethed and got ready to hit him but Sasuke walked away from them and she ignored Suigetsu for the moment to follow after him. "So where do we go from here?" she asked as they stopped in front of the clone or whatever it was.
"I'll leave that to him," Sasuke answered looking at Naruto as he said this.
Naruto looked around as if unsure he was really talking to him. "Me?"
"Yes, you," Sasuke confirmed, "where would you like to go Naruto?"
"Neh, why are you asking me so nicely?" Naruto asked with a suspicious narrowing of his eyes.
Sasuke smirked. "Well if you're going to leave the decision up to me then…" he trailed off and turned to walk away.
"No, wait!" Naruto called after him and ran to catch up and of course try to walk in front. "Screw that, you'll probably take us to some boring historical place or a cemetery to brood." He folded his arms behind his head as he walked. "Hmm, I wanna go to an onsen, or a festival, it's been a while since I've been to one," he decided. He chortled then. "Ah, listen to me. Technically I've never been to one at all, but I have memories of being to one so it's kinda like I was there."
Sasuke was surprised at this answer. "You don't want to go back to Konoha?"
Naruto paused and his arms dropped. He looked at the ground sadly and shook his head. "We can't go back to the village."
"Why not?"
He didn't answer.
"Naruto said you were born of the desire to bring me back home? Why now do you not want to go?"
Naruto looked up then. "Because they'll kill you. It doesn't matter what I want or what I believe. The village still wants you dead. Maybe if the real Naruto brought you back as a prisoner, you may be spared a death penalty, but if I show up…"
"They'll think the bond is still intact, that you're still a danger to yourself because of me, so they'll kill me to save you."
He nodded. "They didn't like seeing me this way," he chuckled without humor and rubbed the back of his neck. "Tsunade, Kakashi, Sakura, they all meant well I guess. I miss them."
"Then why not go alone?" Sasuke asked taking a step forward.
Naruto straightened up and turned to him with a fiercely determined expression on his face and it stopped Sasuke in his tracks. There! That was Naruto. "Some things are just more important," Naruto answered.
Silence reigned between them for some time. He chuckled quietly. "You can't tell me you're not Naruto," he muttered.
Naruto didn't hear him and tilted his head. In the end, he seemed to drop the subject as he turned back around. "So we going or not?" he asked them all.
Suigetsu, Jugo and Karin all shared glances with one another, hesitant to let a clone-and an unstable one at that-call the shots. They looked to Sasuke who ignored them and followed after Naruto. They fell silent accordingly and followed as well.
Sasuke's group had been walking for a few hours in relative silence, relative only because it was often broken by Suigetsu and Karin's fighting. Jugo had told them there was a village nearby, it wasn't a ninja village and it would be unlikely they'd be recognized, plus it had an inn they could stay in.
"Y'know we could've stayed at that inn the past couple days, why did Naruto and his group insist on roughing it outside?" Karin asked as she cracked her neck.
"If I did, there would be a possibility the village could track me there," Naruto answered as he walked along the lined logs that bordered the trail to the village.
"Duh!" Suigetsu said in Karin's face as if it were obvious. He shook his head. "Why do we keep this chick, Sasuke?" he asked, earning him a wet punch to the face.
Sasuke ignored the two and looked up at the carefree copy of Naruto and assessed his odd appearance. He understood he wasn't a normal clone, so why then the alterations to his appearance. "Why is your hair color different?" he decided would be his first question.
Naruto paused and raised his hand to tug at a few of his hairs. "Oh," he said in surprise. "It is," he realized.
Sasuke paused as well and raised an eyebrow. "You didn't know it was black?"
Naruto shook his head. "It was dark in the sealing shrine," he muttered. "I didn't notice it had changed."
"Changed? So it wasn't always like this?"
"No, it was blonde when I was created. It was blonde when I was sealed. I don't know why it's become darker." Naruto seemed distressed at this as he suddenly began to look at himself all over. "Nothing else has really changed so much."
Sasuke had to disagree. "You looked just like Naruto before then," he made his intuitive leap and it seemed he wasn't wrong as Naruto nodded in agreement as he looked himself all over. "How did Naruto manage to create you?"
Naruto hummed. "The book," he said simply. "He couldn't think of any way to break the bond. It was hard for him to even comprehend the idea. Out of desperation he…or I or whatever turned to the book and found a jutsu that was like centuries old or some such."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed infinitesimally. This Naruto knew about the book. He knew it was a good idea to bring him along. "I guess that explains how he could perform a jutsu so advanced."
"I guess," Naruto didn't deny.
Sasuke had to ask then. "What exactly are you and why aren't you dead?"
Naruto didn't seem offended at the question. He started walking on the logs again. "I can't be dispersed like a shadow clone because I am not a shadow clone," he stated simply. "I'm a Shugosha," he told him.
"Shugosha?" Karin repeated puzzled. "But Shugosha means protector. It has no meaning anywhere near clone."
Naruto hopped off the log back to the ground and walked from there. "Our purpose has…changed somewhat, I guess, over the years. But that was what we were originally meant for when the jutsu was created, me and the rest of the Shugosha," he said.
"Protectors of what?" Suigetsu asked.
Naruto shrugged. "Of whatever needed to be protected. You see back many years ago when the shinobi villages were at war, they used and created Shugosha to hide their secrets, memories that were too painful, or even jutsu they felt was far too powerful to be allowed to exist. They housed it in it that information or memories and severed it from themselves."
Sasuke didn't know why but this information made his eyebrow twitch and his fingers tighten on the sheath of his sword. "So they just lopped it off like something they no longer wanted and went unburdened?"
"It makes sense," Karin said with a shrug. "There are many jutsu that can force information you're your mind and Interrogation teams are extremely efficient. It makes sense to create a jutsu that would render those techniques useless."
"If the Shugosha were created with good intentions, why were you placed in a book where only forbidden jutsu is written?" Jugo asked quietly.
Naruto sighed. "We were created with good intentions," he agreed. "Overtime though, the Shugosha were abused of their usage. Warlords cut off their feelings of mercy, kindness, and anything they felt would make them less of a ruthless ruler and locked them away so no one would find them. Other's hid codes for us to guard, locations of lost texts and jutsus. Because of this manhunts began to find the Shugosha and force them of their secrets. Overtime the memory or whatever was given to us to protect shaped our personality and we were our own separate entity." As he spoke Sasuke and his group had crowded around to listen to him. "Everything really went to hell though when a well-meaning group of shinobi used the Shugosha to forcibly strip a warlord of his evil. The problem was that when we were infused with things too dark or powerful like that much pure evil, the result was a being whose sole purpose was to destroy and torture and kill. So they ended up creating a being far worse than before. So we were put on the list of forbidden jutsu."
"How do you know all this?" Sasuke asked suspiciously. This Naruto was more like the Naruto he'd left so long ago then the cold hearted bastard he'd seen before.
"The Shugosha technique is a complicated one and I…wasn't exactly in my right mind when I did it for that matter. It doesn't help that the displacement of a bond for a single specific person has never really been done before. In the process I or him or whatever, may have let more things slip into the formation of myself than I should have. Knowledge of the jutsu and the book for example," he explained.
"And apparently your common sense," Sasuke muttered but shook his head to rid him of the bitter thoughts. He couldn't go after the other now even though he knew now he was the real Naruto. Now he had to waste his time figuring out this mess of a puzzle clone. "But it worked?" he asked.
Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "Pure luck I guess. You have to concentrate hard on the memory or emotion you want to transfer and luckily…" he trailed off quietly for a moment and stared off somewhere far away. "It was already in the forefront of my mind every day," he finished quietly. "It was a very painful process for him and me both. For a moment you have to give yourself completely to what's been haunting you and for him, he had to focus on the better memories of you."
Sasuke snorted and looked away. "Why then was it so painful then if he was thinking 'happy' thoughts?" he asked almost mockingly.
"Because the happy memories of you weren't very clear," Naruto answered, "They had happened so long ago he'd started to forget. They were only little details, but it mattered to him that they weren't as clear as they'd been before."
Sasuke was silent as he mulled this new information over. He scoffed. "So he was telling the truth. He does hate me," he muttered.
"That's not true," Naruto said simply with a shrug. "He didn't want to feel anything at all for you so he transferred everything, resentment, hatred, regret, the only thing he insisted on holding onto that had anything to do with you were the memories of Kakashi-sensei's and Sakura's reactions to you leaving. He didn't want to forget that. The hatred that bloomed from memories of their pain was something that came after," he explained.
"Oh well that's so much better," Sasuke said with an eye roll.
Naruto chuckled. "Well it's not exactly hatred proper," he assured him and hummed. He sped up and laughed as he reached the peak of the hill they'd been walking on, seeing the village they'd mentioned in the distance. He inhaled deeply at the air. "There it is," he breathed and almost giggled excitedly.
It was oddly refreshing for Sasuke to see this clone act more like the Naruto he knew. It was then he realized something as Naruto yelled at them to hurry up and ran down the hill, losing his footing and tumbled down the rest of the way, only to laugh and wave back at them with a 'it's okay, I'm alright!'.
Naruto transferred all his feelings and memories of him into this clutsy clone before him. This was his Naruto, his friend, his rival…his brother.
There was something he still didn't understand though. Why, if this clone was, in his opinion, more his Naruto than the other, why was his appearance changing? Also, this clone was acting just fine around them so far, so why then did Naruto and his brotherhood find it necessary to lock him up and throw away the key?
(a/n: And there you have it. My apologies if there was a tad OC going on in this chapter but there is a reason for it. Oh and much kudos go to anyone who guessed Michiko (the prophet who started this whole mess) would end up being in the brotherhood cuz I sure didn't see it coming. So we know where Naruto is going now but not yet what he's planning and how will Sasuke hope to obtain the book now that he's split up from the group? And can he really kill this supposedly immortal clone and if he does, will any repercussions follow? Find out in the next chapter of Brother, My Brother. Chapter 10: Empty Loneliness. Reviewers get a steamy sneak peek ;) See you soon! :/)