Something About Country Boys

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 14

The next day, Naruto was torn between relief, fury, and concern. Though he was happy about one thing. For the moment, Sasuke was back at Mangekyo Wines.

"So a woman gave you her business card and offered to buy us out?" Itachi raises an eyebrow at Sasuke.

More specifically, he was back and sitting in Naruto's lap. The blonde didn't really know if that made them official or not though. He doubted Sasuke even knew what he was doing at this point, but he wasn't going to complain.

Sasuke nods and sighs, resting his head on Naruto's shoulder. "And she offered to make a sizable charitable contribution as well." His almost lover looked completely exhausted.

Not that Naruto could blame him. After everything that happened since Madara's death, the other man wouldn't have been human…if he wasn't. Itachi and Sasuke had to be running on pure adrenaline at this point.

"Orochimaru also tried to jump Itachi." Gaara practically hisses.

Oh geez. That sounded bad. Really, really bad. Bad enough that Naruto's sex drive might be killed for an entire ten minutes. Well unless Sasuke did something, then it might be restored sooner.

Naruto winces at that. "Gaara, I seriously didn't need that mental image!" Really, it was pretty twisted to say the least.

"You big baby." Sasuke rolls his eyes. "Don't worry, I'll protect you from the scary businessman."

Itachi chuckles at this before Naruto could issue a retort. "Well, I guess that you've decided to stop denying your feelings for our favorite blonde then?" He looks at Sasuke with pure mirth shining in his eyes.

The elder Uchiha Brother could be a real sadistic bastard sometimes, Naruto muses to himself. He honestly had no idea how his friend could keep up with him. Though that was probably for the best.

The brewery owner was in love with Sasuke and that was that. Yeah. He knew that probably sounded crazy, but it was still true. Love didn't always care about things like logic or the duration of your relationship. That and the blonde was a big believer in Love at First Sight!

"I'm thinking about it." Sasuke smirks as he looks at Naruto. "Father says that I must be in love with the idiot, if I want to strangle him half the time." The younger Uchiha shrugs casually. "And there may be some merit to that argument. Besides, you're right about the jeans."

Naruto was pretty sure that if he was in a cartoon right now, he would be surrounded by hearts, flowers, rainbows, and sunshine! Sasuke had just said he loved him! Well sorta.

Naruto grins at Sasuke. "I knew there was a reason that I liked your Old Man." To which the Uchiha raises an elegant eyebrow incredulously.

"Since when do you like my father?" He shakes his head in amusement.

Snickering. Naruto could definitely hear snickering. Though he knew who it was coming from this time. Gaara and Itachi.

Oh well. He'd get them back for this later. Right now, he was going to focus on getting that kinda "I love you," upgraded to an old fashioned, "I love you."

"Since now." Naruto nods his head energetically.

Itachi was likely doing his best not to laugh, but it was obvious the other man was failing miserably. "That's wonderful news." He sighs and shakes his head. "Though I suppose that we really should focus on the more practical matter at hand."

Right. Orochimaru and Konan had tried to buy Mangekyo Wines. That was weird. Why would the Akatsuki said two of their people to ambush the brothers separately? Were they really that desperate?

"It's strange that two Akatsuki Members would approach you separately." Gaara shakes his head. "Seems like overkill."

Sasuke nods in agreement. "Itachi, run a search on Orochimaru." Yeah. That was probably a good idea.

Not surprisingly, the elder Uchiha Brother pulls out his laptop and immediately does the search. It was really amazing what one could find out on the Internet.

"Guys, look!" He points to the news article under the Business Section of the Konoha Times.

Industry Shakeup: Could This Spell the End of the Akatsuki?!

The Akatsuki has long been thought of as one of the most successful corporations in the world and this is due in large part to their company's management. The Akatsuki's Inner Circle seldom changes and has included amongst it's members for decades the following people: Nagato (more commonly referred to as Pain), Konan, Sasori, Deidara, Orochimaru, Kisame, Kakuzu, and Hidan. However there has been a major shakeup at the Akatsuki!

Orochimaru Sannin recently announced his departure from the group. Though his severance package was one of the largest in history, one can't help but speculate as to why he would leave so abruptly. When asked about it, Orochimaru said the following.

"I've greatly enjoyed my time at Akatsuki Inc, but it now time for me to try new things." When asked for clarification, he continued. "Which is why I am proud to announce the formation of my new company known as The Sound."

Orochimaru went on to say that the Sound will be both a business consulting service and a merger service. He hopes that his extensive business experience will help other companies become successful and merge with each other.

"I believe that consolidation is the future." He smiled. "That by combining our strengths, we can help produce goods and services faster, more cheaply, and of a higher quality than ever before."

Well it's certainly unexpected to say the least. One can't help, but wonder if another Akatsuki Member will join Orochimaru or perhaps pursue their own independent interests soon. Could this mean the end of the Akatsuki as we know it?

"Well that explains why cornered me." Itachi murmurs.

Naruto nods as he rereads the article. He couldn't lie. He had a very bad feeling about all of this.

Jugo and Suigetsu were touring Orochimaru's new facilities. He hadn't been able to do much yet. He'd only just purchased the building, but it was obvious the Sannin had big plans.

"What do you think of all this?" The white haired man looks at his friend, once the snake was out of earshot. "Cause I think it's pretty fucking sketchy."

Jugo couldn't really disagree. The fact that Orochimaru was forming a new company instead of just retiring struck him as odd. This wasn't about profit. This was clearly personal.

"It is strange." He nods. "The fact that he's hired you on after everything proves that he's desperate to get it off the ground and running as soon as possible."

That much was made even more obvious by the fact that Orochimaru's departure from the Akatsuki was making big waves in the business world. If he had just claimed he was retiring, the fuss probably would have died down fairly quickly. After all, Orochimaru was not a young man. It was expected that he would be retiring soon to a certain degree.

Suigetsu laughs nervously and looks around. "Yeah. I thought he might actually try to order a hit on me, when he found out that I told Sassy the truth." Sadly, Jugo had thought the same.

"Believe me, I considered it." An all too familiar voice calls out.

That voice made both Jugo and Suigetsu nearly jump out of their skin. It was really freaky sometimes, how silently Orochimaru could move. It was like he was a ninja or something. No one ever heard him coming until it was too late.

Suigetsu apparently didn't have any survival instincts though. "Shit!" He jumps again. "Stop doing that! It's way creepy!"

Well Jugo thought the same thing, really. Still, talking to your boss like that was never a good idea. Seriously, sometimes he wondered what went on in the Hozuki's mind.

Was he just pre-programmed to say whatever thought popped into his head at any given moment? Was the man just incapable of self-restraint? There were times when it certainly felt that way!

"If you weren't discussing in appropriate things, you wouldn't need to worry about people sneaking up on you." Orochimaru counters.

As much as Orochimaru did creep him out, well he had a point there. Jugo couldn't fault the Sannin's logic.

"Whatever." Suigetsu shrugs, trying to act casual. "So what did you need us to do so badly, anyway?"

Orochimaru smirks like a cat that had caught the canary. "After telling Sasuke of our plans, you've gained his trust." Uh oh. "Which is something I want you to use to our advantage." Jugo definitely didn't like where this going!

Suigetsu blinks. As always, his friend couldn't be faulted for his honesty. Though once again, he displayed his lack of common sense.

"I ain't gonna help you talk Sassy into selling you the place." He shrugs. "He's not going to do it and you know it. You pissed them off way too much."

His eyes narrow. "If you don't do it, then you're fired." And there it was.

Jugo had known that this day would come eventually. Thankfully, he had quite a bit of money stashed away. He knew that Suigetsu did as well.

Though that was mostly because the gentle giant had forced him to become a better saver. If Suigetsu had his way, he probably would have blown it all on booze and Disneyland (or something).

"Then I guess I'm fired!" Suigetsu scowls at him. "You're starting a band new company. You need us way more than we need you." He gives Orochimaru a dirty look. "We've got enough money to be just fine, but you're going to need time to hire a staff. Good luck!" And with that, he storms off.

Orochimaru turns his gaze on Jugo. He didn't even need to say it. The orange haired man knew exactly what he had been planning to ask.

"I quit as well." With that being said, Jugo wasted no time in following his friend out the door.

It was over. Their employment with Orochimaru was over and while they still had jobs at the Akatsuki, suddenly Jugo was pretty sure that it'd be a good idea to start throwing around his resume. Job security at the Akatsuki just wasn't what it used to be.

Back at Mangekyo, Gaara sighs heavily at this discovery. Unfortunately, he knew Orochimaru. He knew that snake all too well and this was bad news.

"If he's no longer an Akatsuki, Orochimaru is a loose cannon." That thought made him sick. "There's no telling what he might do."

Itachi blinks and looks at Gaara. "Do you think he's actually dangerous or just a pest?" And as much as it killed the red head to admit it, he knew it was former.

The Sannin's ambitions knew no bounds. The only reason why they had been somewhat tempered was because of Pain. Without Pain to keep him in check, well Gaara didn't think it would take terribly long for Orochimaru to be transformed from an aggressive businessman to just an aggressive man.

"Before he was just a pest." Gaara sighs. "Now, he's dangerous."

He wouldn't let that freak go anywhere near his boyfriend though. Never again. The red head would have his horses trample Orochimaru to death before he allowed that to happen!

Naruto apparently was of a similar mind. "Maybe, we should call the police." Sorta.

Sasuke rolls his eyes at his boyfriend or whatever the blonde was to him at the moment. "And say what?" Good point. "Help me, Officer! This man is trying to make me a business offer?!"

Yeah. They didn't actually have anything on Orochimaru. Well at least not yet. That was a bad sign. They needed to come up with something and quickly.

"Sasuke, reduce your sarcasm levels by at least a thousand percent!" Itachi rolls his eyes at his beloved foolish little brother. "And then apologize to your adorable blonde for being so bitchy."

"I was NOT being bitchy!" Sasuke growls. "Fuck you, Itachi!"

Gaara couldn't help, but laugh as he kisses Itachi. His lover was wonderfully amusing at times. Though to be fair, the younger Uchiha always took the bait.

Naruto blinks. "Hey! That's my job!" He flails. "You're only supposed to have fun sexy times with me and besides, Gaara's kinda got that covered anyway!"

Itachi smiles and returns the red head's kiss. As soon as he did so, the red head was easily able to drown out the sounds of Naruto and Sasuke bickering. It really was just their strange form of foreplay, he decides.

Konan sighs and shakes her head. "Damn it!" They hadn't received a call from Sasuke yet. That was a bad sign. What was taking him so long?

"Patience, My Love." Pain kisses her cheek as he pulls her down into his lap. "Sasuke will call us soon." Into his favorite executive chair.

Not that Konan could blame him. She quite liked that chair too. It was ridiculously comfortable and could spin around really fast. It was the perfect chair for office sex, really.

Wait. She was getting off track here. "I know." The bluenette sighs. "It's just that it's hard to wait when we all know that viper is on the loose."

Pain nods sympathetically as he caresses the curve of her hip. "I know, but there's not much that we can do. "Besides, they hate Orochimaru."

Well that was true. At the moment, that was their biggest advantage. That old snake had blown his chances with Mangekyo Wines the minute he decided to call them while they were still grieving. Honestly, he should have been smarter than that!

Pain had been absolutely right to fire him. Sadly, that didn't change the fact that Orochimaru was still very much a threat to them. He simply knew too much about the Akatsuki not to be and that was assuming he was willing to play nice.

"He's a clever old viper though." And that was most certainly true.

Orochimaru wasn't going to play nice though and they all knew it. If he was nice, he wouldn't have been an Akatsuki in the first place. Unfortunately, now all they could do was wait.

A few days later, Sasuke was enjoying the view. It was probably a dumb idea to get attached, but he was falling fast and hard enough that even his father had noticed. Perhaps, it was inevitable.

"You just going to stand there all day, staring?" Naruto grins at him.

No one had ever gotten under his skin as quickly and easily as the hot blonde who was carrying barrels of whiskey into his brewery. The hot shirtless blonde who was covered only in seat and a tight pair of blue jeans.

"I'm not standing around and staring all day." Sasuke smiles smugly. "You idiot. I'm sitting around and staring all day!"

Naruto laughs and stalks over to Sasuke. Sasuke blinks. Oh boy. There was something positively predatory about the way his blonde was walking towards him. He didn't know whether to be very excited or nervous.

He soon found out it was both. "Well, I'm sure that the barrels can wait awhile. I wouldn't want you to get bored." Naruto purrs dangerously into his ear as he pins Sasuke against the wall.

The Uchiha's back was towards his boyfriend at the moment and that just made the position all the more erotic. So did the fact that Naruto was drenched in sweat and only wearing a pair of blue jeans (and maybe some boxers underneath said jeans).

"Yeah." Sasuke swallows hard. "That's true." And that also wasn't the only thing that was hard.

For a moment, the younger Uchiha thought that they might actually go for that roll in the hay. That was until Itachi ran towards them. God damn it!

Life just wasn't fair sometimes! He had just been cockblocked by his own brother! That just wasn't right! Obviously, someone up there really, really hated Sasuke!

Itachi blinks and actually has the decency to look somewhat embarrassed at walking in on them. "Sorry." Yeah. Sure! "I didn't mean to interrupt!" Whatever, Sasuke thinks to himself rather bitterly.

One second he had been pinned to the wall by a gorgeous brewery owner and possibly been about to get lucky and the next, his brother had shown up. That was painful, really. Zero to sixty and then back to zero in under two minutes. Ouch!

"Yeah…" Naruto actually looked embarrassed as well. "Um what did you want, Itachi?" He tilts his head at that.

Itachi sighs and gestures for them to follow him. "You guys might want to see this." He pauses and adds. "Jugo and Suigetsu are back and they have big news."

Itachi was pretty sure that Sasuke was going to be furious with him later on for the accidental block, but there was nothing he could do for it. Jugo and Suigetsu were here now. What was he supposed to do? Tell them that they needed to wait because his foolish little brother was finally getting laid?!

"Alright!" Naruto sighs and lets go of Sasuke. "We're coming!"

Itachi barely suppresses a snicker at that. No. They weren't coming yet, but he was sure that hey would be soon enough.

Sasuke must have heard his snicker though as the two men were following him. "Get your mind out of the damn gutter." He rolls his eyes again.

"What are you talking about?" Itachi feigns innocence as they walk back into the living room. "I didn't say anything!"

The lawyer was an Uchiha. So Itachi probably should have expected Sasuke to see through his lies easily enough, but it still was rather amusing. The way that Sasuke was raising his eyebrow at him and silently going, "Bullshit," was nothing short of hysterical.

"You were thinking it though!" Sasuke glares at him.

Suigetsu blinks as he watches them. "Um do I even wanna know what you two crazy kids are fighting about?" Well if nothing else, the other man was entertaining, Itachi supposed.

Naruto shakes his head. "No. You don't." Obviously, the blonde still wasn't that fond of Sasuke's ex.

Though admittedly, ex was a stretch. As far as Itachi could tell, it had just been some dirty dancing and making out. Mostly because Sasuke got too frisky when vodka was involved.

A fact that he was almost certain Naruto would eventually take advantage of one day. Actually, he might have been in the process of doing exactly that when Itachi had showed up. Damn.

"Right, well we're sorry to disturb you all." Jugo rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "But we do have really important news."

Gaara looks at the gentle giant expectantly. So did everyone else, except Suigetsu. The sword lover knew whatever Jugo was about to say. Everyone else did not. So that was why.

"Well what is it?" The red head demands.

Suigetsu shakes his head and decides to just spill it as they say. "Orochimaru got sacked from the Akatsuki." He pauses and adds. "He's starting his own company and he wants Mangekyo bad."

Itachi nods. They had already known that, but Jugo and Suigetsu obviously couldn't have possibly known that. Really, it was the thought that counted.

"We're well aware." He shakes his head. "So we're sorry that you both came all this way for nothing."

Apparently, that wasn't all they wanted to say though. The fearsome duo had more on their mind and they were going to speak their peace!

"Orochimaru has never been completely right in the head." Jugo sighs. "I'm afraid that he might try something drastic, if he doesn't get his way."

Sasuke frowns that knowledge. Probably because he didn't really know what they were dealing with, Itachi muses. He had read up on Orochimaru more than enough to realize that the man was only a breath or two away from being psychotic.

Suigetsu nods his head enthusiastically at that. "Yeah." He then adds as if it was an afterthought, the following gem. "He fired us when he realized that we weren't gonna try to talk you into selling him the place anymore."

Sasuke blinks and looks at Suigetsu in concern. "Fuck! You didn't have to give up your jobs for us." That thought clearly horrified Sasuke. That his old "friend" was now unemployed because of him.

Jugo shakes his head. "Technically, we're both still employed at the Akatsuki." Oh right. "Though that's not the point." He sighs heavily. "The point is that Orochimaru is very dangerous at the moment because he's not thinking rationally."

Did Orochimaru ever think entirely rationally, Itachi wonders to himself. It didn't seem so. If he did, he wouldn't have been a member of the Akatsuki in the first place!

"Right." Naruto nods in agreement. "Unfortunately, we can't really go to the police about this." He shakes his own head in disbelief. "Being an obsessive creep isn't necessarily a crime by itself. The Bastard pointed that out earlier."

Sasuke chuckles. "He really is such a loser, but he's my loser." He smiles and kisses Naruto's cheek.

Well that was good. They were definitely making progress. Frankly, it was a relief to Itachi that Sasuke was acknowledging his feelings now.

The amount of emotional and sexual suppression that Sasuke had been experiencing until very recently, just wasn't healthy. That much was obvious. It was so painfully obvious in fact, that apparently their own father had to intervene and explain to Sasuke the obvious. That he was in love with Naruto.

"That's right." Itachi sighs. "Still, that doesn't help us deal with Orochimaru or the Akatsuki at large."

That's when Suigetsu smirks. "Don't worry, we'll help you with that." He rolls his eyes. "After all, that prick did fire us." His smirk only continues to grow. "It's time for some payback."

"Well technically he fired you." Jugo smiles smugly. "I quit!"

Sugietsu twitches and Itachi chuckles. It was rather apparent was coming. That didn't make it any less amusing though.

"THAT IS NOT THE FREAKING POINT!" Suigetsu flails. "The point is we're going to kick that creep's ass!"

Itachi nods in agreement because in his mind, truer words were never spoken. They most certainly were going to kick that creep's ass! After all, that prick had it coming to him for more reasons than he could ever possibly list! If he did list them though, he'd probably be Madara's age by the time he was through! Orochimaru really was that big of a creep as Suigetsu would say!