Chapter Eleven is finished, and I must warn you, I kind of was over zealous with this chapter. Over 4,000 characters kind of zealous! Anyways, please enjoy. Review, if you will, please. :)
Returning to the training grounds with Sasuke was uncomfortable. Naruto felt terrible for lying to the man about his friend. Kyuubi was shouting at him to tell Sasuke the truth, but Naruto ignored the demon. There was no going back now. Sasuke believed that 'Naruto' was dead and that 'Hisoka' was simply a once in a lifetime look-a-like.
Naruto hoped that by telling the man that his friend was dead, Sasuke would leave sooner. Naruto needed to return to a routine not involving the raven, and soon. He was having a difficult time hiding his true identity from the man, though he would never admit it to the demon within him. He had been able to fool others that he knew with ease, but for some reason Sasuke was different from the rest.
He shook his head slightly as he landed in the middle of the training ground. There was no way that Sasuke was the only one that he couldn't fool easily. Sasuke was not special to him, not any more. He could hear the demon chanting in the back of his mind about swimming in de-Nile. Naruto rolled his eyes and then turned to face the raven. "Seems my students have not returned yet with a meal." He received no reply to his words, but that did not surprise him. He had only wanted to break the awkward silence and had not expected an answer.
Easily climbing the tree that they had rested beneath earlier, Naruto settled down on a branch and swung his legs slightly. He smiled slightly as he noticed Sasuke coming up to sit beside him. He turned his blue gaze to the horizon and spoke quietly, "This Konoha...is it a nice place?" He glanced at the man beside him, taking in the slight furrowing of brows and slight nod. "For some, I suppose it is."
Naruto hated to admit it to himself, but he was curious about how his old home fared. "Sounds as if you do not enjoy village life." He received a, "Hn," in reply. He raised one eyebrow slightly and continued talking, "Much like myself. I left the village I was trained in for similar reasons. Village life...was not for me." Naruto ran a hand through tousled hair and sighed softly. "Still, I am curious about how Naruto's village was. He told me the reason why he left, but I never quite understood his longing for this Konoha. He said he hated the village, but he always got a wistful look about him when he talked about it." He paused and then spoke in a softer tone, "I apologize if this is too soon, but my curiosity has gotten the better of me. There is no need for you to answer me if you wish to be silent."
There was a long pause before a muttered reply slipped past Sasuke's lips. "There are many well-known clans that reside in and around Konoha, which is mainly inhabited by civilians. The people there are...decent. I suppose they are good by others' standards."
"The Will of Fire still strong, I presume?" Naruto replied, without thinking before he spoke. He inwardly berated himself once the words left his mouth, but he recovered quickly when Sasuke gave him a look that was considered surprised if one was a relatively emotionless Uchiha. "I never said that I had not been to Konoha before. I know full well what the 'Will of Fire' is, and besides, your friend resided in my home for a time and he was quite talkative about his inherited 'Will of Fire'."
"Hn." Naruto raised an eyebrow at this response, but was glad that he had managed to cover up his mistake. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by frantic shouts. "Hisoka-sensei! Hizoka-sensei!" Naruto leapt to his feet and faced the approaching figures of his students. Alarm filled his eyes as he took in the disheveled state of Akinori and Takara. He searched their frantic faces as they tried to catch their breath and mumble out what was wrong.
"Villagers...Can't...They...back..." That was all he needed to hear to understand what was going on. "Those idiots actually came back? I thought the whopping they got the last time discouraged them." He growled. "Stay here, catch your breath, and then join us at the village." Naruto motioned for Sasuke to follow him and he hurried away. He ran full-speed, only partly registering that the other man was keeping up with him, barely.
He could smell the smoke as they got closer and he felt his blood boil. A feral growl slipped past his lips when he caught sight of the perpetrators. Landing in front of the leader, Naruto snarled. The man snickered and crossed his arms. Naruto curled his hands into fists as he spoke in a low tone, "What are you doing here, Yami? I thought I told you to stay away."
"Well, considering this is my village and I don't take orders from anyone...I'm here because I want to be." Yumi replied, raising a black eyebrow. Naruto suppressed another growl. He glanced around him, taking in the situation. There were at least 40 men with Yumi and they had lit one of the uninhabited homes on fire. With the way the fire was spreading and the lack of rain for the past few days, Naruto knew that if the flames were not put out soon, the entire village would burn.
"Yumi, a question for you...Do you remember what happened the last time you came here?" Naruto replied, his tone becoming icy and threatening. Many of Yami's followers were becoming nervous, but Yumi smiled and nodded. "That was a loss on my part. Today is different. You, Hisoka, are nothing, but a monster. I know that now. I have become more...informed since the last time we met."
Naruto controlled his facial expression to hide the growing panic inside, but he could not control his own skin from rapidly loosing color. Yumi noticed and smirked, "Ah, so you know what I am talking about. What was the name again? I think it started with an a." Naruto clenched his jaw. "Ah! That's right. The name was Akatsuki!"
Naruto saw Sasuke grow tense at the mention of the organization and sighed. "They really are well informed on you. Strange, though, they called you by a different name." It was Naruto's turn to grow tense. He glared at Yumi and controlled the urge to stab the man before he said something he shouldn't. "Jinchuuriki, I believe it was. They called you the Jinchuuriki of the Leaf." Naruto took a deep breath and shut his eyes, relaxing.
He opened his eyes after a few seconds, revealing red-slit orbs instead of the normal blue. Yumi's confident smile faltered. "You don't know what that means, do you, Yumi? You have no idea what you have gotten yourself into..." Naruto took a step forward and allowed himself a smirk. "You should run."
Yumi let out a weak snort, "You think I will run away like a coward? I came back to defeat you and take back what is mine and I shall do just that." He stood his ground and pulled a sword from its sheath at his side. He readied himself and waited for the blond to move. Naruto laughed harshly. "You are an idiot, and because of that, you shall die this day." A feral smirk came to his lips and he leaped forward with amazing speed. He landed behind Yumi and as he looked behind him at his prey, the man fell to one knee with a choked cry, dropping his sword as his shoulder started to bleed profusely.
"That is my last warning. If you do not leave, you will meet your fate." Yumi snarled and sent two of his henchmen towards Naruto, who easily evaded their swinging attacks with a backwards jump. He could see the fear in the men's eyes and he growled, growing angrier with Yumi by the second. The man was a coward, sending in his followers to fight for him. He attacked the men, quickly causing them to fall to the ground with a few hits to pressure points. He made sure not to hurt them more than was necessary. They were not his targets, Yumi was.
Naruto took out two more henchmen with kunai, aiming for non-vital points that would only cause a lot of pain and keep them out of commission for a few weeks. Yumi sent six men towards him, which he quickly took out with more kunai. The speed and skill that he took them down caused the others to back away, hands up in surrender. Naruto raised an eyebrow and his smirk grew slightly. At least they know when they are beaten. Their leader, however...
Naruto, are you really going to kill him? I thought you said that killing for sport was not something that you would do anymore, after that incident.
What do you think, Kyuu? Do you think I would break my promise on this lousy piece of trash? The fox was silent after that and Naruto rolled his eyes, heading towards the still kneeling form of his prey. With another feral growl, Naruto leaned over the man, "Are you ready to die?" Yumi looked up at him with a defiant look in his eyes, but Naruto could see the fear behind the mask of defiance. He kicked Yumi's sword towards him and smirked, "I won't kill a man in such a position. Get up; fight."
The man snarled and got to his feet, gripping his sword tightly. "Good man, now show your men how strong their leader is on his own." He taunted, twirling the kunai on his finger. Yumi let out an angry cry before rushing Naruto, sword prepared to slice through flesh. Naruto avoided the blade again and again, taunting the man as he did. Yumi almost got him once and Naruto laughed, "Almost got me that time, Yumi. Try harder next time, will you?"
With each missed strike and each taunt, Yumi grew more enraged. Naruto could see the blood lust boiling in the light brown eyes. "You won't give up, will you?" His smirk faded and was replaced by a cold, deadpan expression. His red eyes faded to icy blue as he moved forward in the first, and the only, attack he made towards Yumi since he started taunting the man. He ducked under Yumi's outstretched blade and moved his kunai upwards, the blade going under the ribcage and straight into the heart with practiced precision. For bystanders, besides Sasuke, this happened in a flash. They saw the blond dodge an attack, and then the next thing they knew, Yumi had a kunai protruding from his chest.
Naruto caught the slumping body and slowly lowered it to the ground, his expression never changing. "I am sorry that it had to end this way, Yumi, but you would never have given up on taking this village. You have met your fate at the hands of someone who wanted to call you friend." The man coughed, blood coating his lips. "Hi-hisoka...Come...come closer." He rasped, his eyes serious.
Naruto leaned over the man and listened as Yumi whispered into his ear with his last breath. "They will...find you...Na...ru...to..." Naruto's eyes widened and he stared at the man before shaking him roughly, "How do you know that!? Tell me!" Naruto asked desperately. The man laughed slightly, but then gave a groan and fell limp in Naruto's arms. "NO! Don't you dare die before you tell me! Yumi!"
The man gave no response and the lifeless eyes stared back at Naruto. He gritted his teeth and laid the man on the ground before straightening. He turned his hardened gaze on Yumi's followers. "Go home or die. Never return here if you wish to leave. Collect your leader's remains and get out of my sight." He snarled before stalking off. The men did as instructed and soon left.
The villagers had doused the flames while the battle took place, so the village was safe, for now. Naruto took deep breaths and headed into the village center. He asked everyone he passed if anyone had been hurt. Thankfully, the answer was always no. When his students caught up to him, they studied him worriedly before following him to his home. Naruto realized that he had forgotten about Sasuke and was glad to see the raven trailing after them.
Once inside the home, Naruto sat down and sighed deeply. "Hisoka-sensei?" He looked at Takara with a blank expression. "Are...are you alright?" He sighed and again and nodded, "Yeah, Yumi said something that riled me up, that's all."
"Did you kill him?" Akinori muttered from behind his sister, glancing at his teacher with questioning eyes. Naruto nodded, "I did. There was no other choice. He would have kept on coming back to haunt this village. I gave him chance after chance, but he decided to ignore my warnings." He ran a hand through his hair. "You did well, finding me. You two saved the village with your actions. Thank you." He offered a rare smile to his students. "You should go home, get some rest. You deserve it." The twins nodded and then left quietly, for once.
Naruto rested his elbows on the table and shut his eyes. The sound of a chair scrapping across the floor caused him to open one blue orb. Sasuke was sitting across from him with an almost unreadable expression. "What happened out there?"
Naruto took a deep breath and explained, "Yumi was a part of the bandit group that attacked years ago. He was determined that this village belonged to him and was prepared to take it by any means necessary."
Sasuke shook his head slightly, "That is not what I meant. He called you a Jinchuuriki of the Leaf and he spoke of the Akatsuki." Naruto could hear the underlying question of, 'Who are you?' Naruto sighed for umpteenth time and rubbed his temples. "Not that any of this is your business, but do you even know what a Jinchuuriki is?"
There was a short pause before Sasuke replied, "The Akatsuki is an organization that I need to take down. Withholding any intel on what they are after would be considered an insult to me."
Naruto's unguarded gaze hardened. "In other words you don't know anything. If you are hard set on defeating Akatsuki, you should find out things for yourself, Sasuke Uchiha." Naruto... The fox cautioned, knowing Naruto was walking on a fine line.
Sasuke's eyebrows raised ever so slightly. "I never told you my last name." Naruto rolled his eyes. "It is not that hard to figure out who you are! Like Yumi said, I'm the Jinchuuriki of the Leaf. I know who the Uchihas are. I know about the Sasuke Uchiha who betrayed the Leaf and left for Orochimaru."
He stood up from the table and leaned against with his palms flat against the wood. "You should return to wherever you came from. This place has nothing for you and if you are going to continue to press me for answers that you should find out on your own and threaten me with pointless threats, then I will force you to leave." He paused, his jaw setting. "I will not hesitate to grind you into dust." Naruto moved away from the table, only to have a hand grasp his wrist. "I simply want answers. I will leave once I have what I want."
Naruto wanted to turn around and pin the other man to the ground with a kunai to his throat, but the fox reminded him that such a reaction would only worsen the situation that he had created. "Fine..." He ripped his hand out of the grip, forcing himself to not think about his racing heart. He turned back to Sasuke. "You know of the Biju?" He received a curt nod in reply. "Each of the nine Biju is or was imprisoned within a human. Those humans are called Jinchuuriki and almost every major ninja village has one in their possession."
The raven seemed to ponder something. "All nine?" Naruto nodded and then continued, "I was the Leaf Jinchuuriki, the nine-tails container."
Sasuke stared at him for a moment before replying, "Was?" Naruto sighed, "Yes, I left that place years ago. I am still a Jinchuuriki, but I refuse to be a part of that...that village any more." Naruto knew the hatred he felt for his hometown was clear as the other man raised an eyebrow almost like a normal person. "Jinchuuriki are not treated like humans, especially in their home villages." He paused, studying Sasuke's faint reaction of understanding. "Before, you acted as if you had only visited Konoha." Naruto sighed, "You expected me to be completely honest with you? I barely know you. You are lucky you are getting what you are. That answer your questions?" Sasuke nodded slightly and then stood from the table.
"I'll make something to eat. You can stay the night and leave in the morning." Naruto walked to the kitchen and heated up some of the soup from the other day. He is going to leave tomorrow. He'll be out of my hair and I can resume my life. Naruto gritted his teeth, suddenly feeling a pain in his chest. Confusion flickered across his features and he was glad that he had his back turned to Sasuke. Why does my heart hurt?
You already lost him once, kit. You don't want to lose him again. There is no other explanation for this pain.
No, there is another explanation. There has to be! I...I got rid of my feelings for that cold jerk when I left the village. There is no way that I still...still...
Face it, kit, you can't get rid of such strong feelings that easily. You went after him and let the boy put a Chidori through your chest, for goodness' sake! You let him beat you because you cared about him!
Naruto shook his head slightly and focused on making lunch. The fox was delusional. He wanted Sasuke gone and he was going to feel better once the man was gone. Things would return to normal and he could resume his life without the raven. He thought about Akinori, Takara, and the villagers. They needed him and Sasuke didn't.
I beg to differ on that. You saw how the man looked after you told him you were 'dead'. He needs you, kit, just as you need him.
You're wrong, Kyuubi. You are dead wrong. Naruto walked back to the table with two bowls of soup and set them down slowly. He wanted to slam them to the wood and stomp to his chair, but knew that it would only raise questions that would be hard to answer. The raven sat back down as Naruto settled into his previous chair.
He could feel the raven's gaze on him as he dug into the soup. He ignored Sasuke and the fox within him, who was ranting about how he was an idiot. When he was almost done with his bowl, the ranting was still going and Naruto's temper had reached a boiling point. He gripped his spoon tightly for a few moments before shouting, "Shut up!" Naruto soon realized that he had spoken out loud as he saw the confused expression on the raven's face.
Sighing, Naruto dropped the spoon on the table. "Talking to the fox, I apologize. He is being rather obnoxious today." Sasuke's eyes expressed surprise for a second. "Yes, I can converse with the nine-tails. He is a part of me, after all."
"Intriguing." Sasuke replied quietly before returning to his soup. "Not really. The damn fox is annoying and won't shut up half the time. Right now, he's sticking his tongue out in protest. Childish jerk." He drank the rest of his lunch and stood, taking the bowl to the sink. He knew Sasuke was watching him and when he turned to the other man, he offered a slight upturn of his lips. "I will be outside. Put your dishes in the sink when you're done." Naruto walked to the door, pausing as his hand rested on the doorknob. "Do not do anything stupid. I can see everything you do." He slipped out of the house and went to a nearby tree. Climbing up, he laid down on a thick branch and shut his eyes. He could feel Sasuke's chakra as he rested.
Pink hair, a sweet scent, and an equally sweet smile filled his vision. "That you, Sakura-chan?" His head rose slightly and he tried to sit up, only to be pushed back down gently. "Lay down, Naruto. Your chest isn't healed yet." Glancing around the room from his prone position, the blond's brow furrowed. At first, he did not remember what had happened, but the aching chest reminded him. Tears filled his eyes and he shut them to hide the moisture. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan." The girl took a hold of his hand and squeezed. "It's alright, Naruto. Next time, I'll be at your side, and we'll get him back together."
He jerked his hand from her grasp and opened his eyes; the tears pouring down his cheeks. "No, Sakura. That's not what I meant. I should have died. Then you wouldn't have to see me again. If I wasn't here, you'd have your precious Sasuke." His pain filled eyes flickered with anger. Sakura stood up, confusion in her green eyes. "N-Naruto?"
"Don't. I know you hate me. I'm nothing but something between you and the Uchiha. Well, guess what, I drove him away. He's gone and it's all my fault!" Naruto shouted, sitting up. The tears soaked into his hospital gown as they made trails down his cheeks and neck. Sakura's eyes softened and she drew the sobbing boy into a hug. At first he fought against the embrace, but he finally gave up and sobbed into the offered shoulder. "He's gone, Sakura, he's gone! I couldn't stop him and I didn't die. I was supposed to die! Why? Why am I not dead?" Soothing words were whispered into his ears and gentle hands rubbed his back.
Naruto opened his eyes and was surprised to find that it was night. He sat up, realizing that he had fallen asleep. It was rare for him to let his guard down enough to fall asleep outside after an attack. I must have been really tired. He ran a shaking hand through his hair as the memory came back to him. It had been a long time since he had dreamt of the past that vividly. He realized with a start that his cheeks were wet. Hurriedly wiping away the traces of the salty substance, Naruto jumped down from the branch and walked inside his home.
The sight of the raven laying in his bed, sleeping soundly, caused his heart to ache. Naruto bit the inside of his lip and turned to the couch. He was not going to change his mind about the Uchiha. The man had to go and could not know that 'Hisoka' was 'Naruto'. Pausing, Naruto found himself thinking about doing something incredibly stupid. Without realizing what he was doing, he walked to Sasuke and leaned over the slumbering man. Brushing raven hair from the pale face, Naruto let his gruff voice soften slightly. "I am sorry, Sasuke." He inhaled the raven's scent and then snapped out of his trance, hurrying out of the room. Lying on the couch, Naruto shut his eyes tightly. Tomorrow, Sasuke would be gone and there was nothing he was going to do about it.
Falling asleep, Naruto hugged a pillow to his chest and curled into a fetal position, unaware that the man in the other room had been awake when he had whispered to him. They were both unaware that the other was thinking desperately about something before he slipped into a state of unconscious, and both did not know what the morning would bring.
If any of you are wondering, Sasuke was merely pretending not to know anything about Jinchuuriki to not seem suspicious to the man who was giving him some answers. Hope you enjoyed! ^_^
