Chapter Twenty-One; The Perfect Team

Naruto and Sasuke climbed out of the car together before they started racing down the path and then soaring through the treetops. Sasuke protectively stayed really close to Naruto's side. "How much further is it?" Naruto questioned him impatiently.

"Not too much longer. We're almost there now." Sasuke replied before he stopped on top of a tree and Naruto hopped over beside him. Sasuke took a deep breath and sighed heavily.

"What's wrong Sasuke?" Naruto asked him glancing over up at him with concern.

"Nothing." He began. "It's just that place is starting to bring back some painful memories that's all."

"Hey Sasuke, that reminds me, can I ask you something?" Naruto began as Sasuke glanced back down at him. "I mean, you don't have to answer it if you don't want to but I was just wondering. If you care about us so much then why'd you ever leave us in the first place?" he asked him.

"Well that's simple. Back then I was set on being an avenger. Unfortunately, the hatred that I had for Itachi absorbed me. It was more important to me than anything. Even the love that I had for you and Sakura. I felt that since I care about you both so much it was my weakness and that my true purpose in life was to become stronger. However, you're the one that proved me wrong Naruto. My purpose wasn't supposed to be based on revenge, it was supposed to be to protect you and Sakura. I just wish that I would have found that out sooner." He replied.

"Well, that's all in the past now. It's like you said, nothing's ever going to get in-between us again and stand in our way right?" Naruto questioned him as Sasuke nodded before he wrapped a brotherly arm around him and pulled him into his side.

"Hai." He told him before he poked him in the forehead again and then rested his own head against his.

"Oh I get it now. That forehead thing you do is like your own way of kissing me right?" Naruto asked him as Sasuke silently nodded. "Well that makes sense, and it's a lot less disgusting too." He said. "Wow, you know it feels really great knowing that you care about me so much. I mean next to my mother and Hinata, and possibly even Sakura, nobody has ever loved me that much." He said.

"What about your father?" Sasuke questioned him before Naruto took a deep breath and heaved a long drawn out sad sigh.

"I only met him once, I didn't really know him too well. And don't get me wrong, I forgive my mother and everything for what she did, but it still hurts knowing that all that time she was really alive while I had to suffer living without a family." He told him.

"You've always had a family Naruto, you just never knew it." He said.

"Yeah, well neither did you." Naruto pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess you got me." Sasuke admitted with a grin before giving his forehead another poke. "Come on Naruto, let's go find Sakura." He told him but that's when suddenly he was grabbed out of his grasp by another sound ninja. "Naruto!" Sasuke screamed.

"I got him! That little Nine-Tailed brat is mine!" he exclaimed with an evil and malicious laugh.

"No!" Sasuke hollered.

"Hey let me go! You don't realize what you're doing! I'm the hokage!" Naruto cried while he continued kicking and screaming. "Put me down you bastard!" he hollered as Sasuke gasped before he started running after them.

"Hold on Naruto! I'm coming!" he cried while feeling his heart start speeding up against his chest. That's when suddenly the sound ninja stopped and turned around to face him.

"What the_" he began as Sasuke stopped in front of him and glared at him with his sharingan eye. "You're,.. Sasuke Uchiha." He whispered with a gasp of astonishment.

"Yeah and I'm giving you three seconds to let go of my little brother or you're going to die a very painful death." He said. "And you can also tell me where my wife is while you're at it." He told him.

"But that's impossible! Naruto isn't an Uchiha!" the sound ninja exclaimed.

"He is as far as I'm concerned, now drop him." Sasuke said.

"I really don't believe this are you telling me that you actually consider this demon your brother?" the ninja questioned him widening his eyes with bewilderment and disbelief.

"Hai, he's as good as. He's never given up on me and he's shown me loyalty even when I didn't deserve it. Even now he's out here putting his life on the line to save his sister. The truth is that he's one of the greatest ninjas that I've ever met and I could never be like him even if I tried." Sasuke said as Naruto gaped his mouth wide open at him and gasped with astonishment.

"Sasuke." He whispered before Sasuke turned his attention back over to him.

"I am so proud to call you my brother." He said as Naruto lowered his head and rolled down his cheek.

"Me too Sasuke. I love you so much. You're everything to me." He told him before he closed his eyes. "And I'm about to prove it!" he cried before his eyes shot open again and Sasuke gasped as he recognized them to be the eyes of the Nine-Tailed fox. Naruto felt the lines on his face begin to stretch while his fingernails extended and a red chakra surrounded him. That's when suddenly he punched the sound ninja straight in the face and gave a triumphant growl. "That's for Sakura!" he hollered angrily as he dropped down beside him.

"Come on Naruto let's go!" Sasuke exclaimed before he started sprinting away.

"I'm right behind you Sasuke!" Naruto cried as he chased after him and shortly afterwards they both leapt to the ground in front of Lord Orochimaru's hideout. "Alright so here's the deal, you get Sakura and I'll take care of these idiots." Naruto told him.

"No. I'm not leaving you out here all alone by yourself." Sasuke told him.

"You have to! Sakura's in danger!" Naruto cried. "And right now she needs you more than I do." He told him before Sasuke took a deep breath and sighed heavily before giving a nod.

"Be careful. I'll be back as soon as I can to help you." He told him before he turned around and ran inside.