A/N: Hello all! Please consider this your post-Thanksgiving gift. Once again I would like to thank all those that have favorited and alerted this story, and double thanks to all those who have been leaving reviews. You keep my juices flowing!
Warnings: Speaking of juices... prepare for sexy times!
Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't profit.
Clad in only their boxers, Naruto and Sasuke sat around the island in the kitchen. They found the freshness of the food in the fridge to be a good omen - Madara hadn't left that long ago, a couple of days at the most. It also meant sandwiches piled high deli meat, lettuce and tomato; Naruto was halfway through his second helping as Sasuke finished his first and only sandwich.
Sasuke sipped on his mineral water, "So Kisame will use his connections in the Akatsuki to see if anybody might know where Madara would hide out and in the mean time he has a couple of associates trying to track him blind."
"Then what?" Naruto asked through a mouthful of food.
"If we can catch Madara, we trade him for Itachi." Even Sasuke was surprised by how calloused his voice sounded. Madara may have been a conniving bastard, but he was still family - and that was a rare commodity to him.
Naruto swallowed another substantial bite, "What about Danzo."
"Right now we hold him until Itachi can finish the job." Sasuke sighed heavily, "Give him the satisfaction of completing what he has destroyed his life for." There was an oppressive silence that Sasuke found far too uncomfortable. He cleared his throat, "But that all hinges on finding Madara. So that's the focus."
"Is there anything you can do?" Naruto asked as he finished his sandwich and leaned back on his stool.
Sasuke shook his head, "Not really. Madara cleared everything out."
Naruto pursed his lips, he knew Sasuke must have been feeling useless. He was at the whim of strangers - people that owed him nothing and had no vested interest in restoring his family. All Sasuke had was hope - something he wasn't all too familiar with.
With the most reassuring voice he could manage, Naruto offered words of comfort, "I'm sure Kisame will come through."
The next morning Naruto woke to an empty bed. He frowned as he patted the mattress, only a faint trace of body heat remained - Sasuke had been up for some time now. He really wasn't all that surprised to find that Sasuke couldn't sleep well - he never could let his mind settle while there was a problem that needed his attention. It was the same in school as it was now; except instead of some programming conundrum, Sasuke was racking his brain trying to figure out how he could catch an international fugitive. Slight difference. Nonetheless, he needed to play an active role; he couldn't just sit by and wait for somebody else to find the solution.
Naruto reluctantly rolled from the warmth of the bed. He found some discarded pajama bottoms and a tugged them on before a flannel shirt. He had quickly learned that the massive Uchiha manor was difficult to keep warm in the growing cold of the season. He scratched himself leisurely through the pants as he meandered down the dark hallway.
He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and listened for any sounds of life. Rustling to his left directed Naruto towards Madara's study. He pushed past the door and stopped to assess the state of the room. It was as if a tornado had ripped the office apart; papers were strewn across the floor, books had been tossed from the shelves and drawers sat half open, their contents spewed all around the room. Naruto's eyes slid to Sasuke, who was sitting on the floor, rifling through folders and tossing more pages about himself.
At the sound of Naruto clearing his throat, Sasuke whipped around. He looked Naruto up and down, then turned back to the files in his lap, "Hey." He mumbled.
Naruto walked into the room, careful to not step on too many of the discarded papers. "Finding anything?"
Sasuke snorted and tossed the last folder onto the floor. He stood and moved back to the desk. The once immaculate piece of furniture was now covered in all means of stationary. Sasuke swept this aside and plopped down into the sleek leather chair. He let his head fall to the cleared off surface with a thud. He groaned despondently.
Naruto approached the desk and sifted through some of the pages. He picked up a few sheets - letters of correspondence and what appeared to be an expense report. Naruto furrowed his brow and tossed the pages to the ground. If Sasuke couldn't find anything useful, there was no way in hell he would be able to.
"So..." Naruto bent over the desk as he spoke to the top of Sasuke's head, "it's not going well."
Sasuke looked up just enough to shoot Naruto an icy glare, "Not particularly, no."
Naruto flashed him a disarming smile, "Would it make you feel better if I fucked you on your uncle's desk?"
Sasuke sat back and crossed his arms, his dark eyes held no amusement. "Considering this was my father's desk before it was Madara's... no. I would rather you not desecrate his memory in such a way."
His cold words effectively slapped the grin off Naruto's face. He cast his eyes down and muttered his apology. Sasuke continued to admonish Naruto with his gaze until the silence in the room became oppressive.
Sasuke snorted and a wicked grin cracked his facade, "I'm just fucking with you."
Naruto looked up to see Sasuke's onyx eyes dancing with mirth. Naruto's own eyes narrowed, "That's not funny."
Sasuke chuckled lightly, "Yes it was." He paused to school is expression, "In all seriousness though, this desk was my dad's and I don't think it would do much in the way of honoring him if I let you jizz all over it."
Naruto relaxed and let a small smile play across his lips, "Geez Sasuke, you're such a prude."
Sasuke rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. He surveyed what remained of Madara's office. No, my father's office.
Naruto watched as something flickered to life behind Sasuke's eyes. He shot out from the plush leather chair and moved to the bookcase. Once more he began to toss books to the floor, though this time he appeared to have a purpose.
Naruto stood a few feet behind him, careful to avoid any wayward book sent flying his way; he peered over Sasuke's shoulder and watched as a safe was slowly revealed. Sasuke pursed his lips as his fingers reached for the dial; he prayed that Madara hadn't found it necessary to change the combination. Right, left, right, left - he spun the dial. Moving his hand to the lever, he closed his eyes and yanked down.
It opened.
Sasuke whooped in celebration and pulled the door open to reveal stacks of folders. He pulled them out and hastily flicked through the contents to discover his prize.
"What is it?" Naruto asked anxiously from behind him.
Sasuke turned, his eyes still affixed to the documents, "Bank accounts."
Naruto's brow knit softly, "Is that good?"
Sasuke's eyes flicked over the pages and Naruto could see the gears grinding away. His mind was working furiously to develop a plan. He stopped thumbing through the folders to regard Naruto squarely - his midnight eyes dark and shimmering with mischievous excitement. He bolted from the room so fast, Naruto literally spun around in place.
Running after Sasuke, Naruto followed him up the stairs and into his bedroom. He found Sasuke rummaging through his closet until he extracted a laptop. The device was bulky and heavy - a fossil in Sasuke's opinion - but it would connect to the Internet and that was all Sasuke needed. Naruto sat on the edge of the bed and watched as Sasuke hauled a modem and cables from the same box of antiquated electronics in the bottom of his closet. As he waited for the computer to boot, Sasuke spread the files around him and selected what he must have considered to be the gems of the group.
Having watched Sasuke work on several previous occasions, Naruto knew the drill: sit down, shut up and wait for him to work his magic. But Naruto was never very good at sitting still or staying quiet, and he certainly wasn't all too patient.
After several long, painful minutes of nothing but clicking, Naruto flopped over on the bed and hung his head over the edge, admiring Sasuke's upside down back, "Whatcha doin'?"
"Hacking into Madara's bank accounts," Sasuke mumbled in reply.
"Ah." Naruto rolled onto his stomach and crossed his arms on the mattress, resting his head on his hands, "You gonna steal all his money?"
Sasuke's furious typing never faltered. Even if he would prefer quiet during these nefarious sessions, he knew better than to expect Naruto to oblige him. He was used to this incessant pestering.
"That'd be nice, but no." He leaned into the screen, his tongue poking out ever so slightly as he navigated his way past the bank's security system. Deeper and deeper he delved into the system, until finally he hit a wall he could not penetrate. "Ha! Blocked!"
Naruto perked up, "Isn't that a bad thing?"
Sasuke spun around on his ass, "Normally... yes. But I don't want Madara's money, I just want to make sure he doesn't have access to it either." Sasuke turned back around and tossed the folder to his side, picking up a new one and starting the process all over again.
"So... what? You're freezing the accounts?" Naruto asked as he slid off the bed and scooted closer to Sasuke.
Sasuke nodded, "If the accounts come under direct attack, the bank will freeze all funds until they figure out what happened. It's just like a fraud alert, except since the bank's security has been compromised it will take even longer until the funds are freed up."
Naruto could see an impish grin pull at Sasuke's lips. He scooted closer, "Doesn't look like it's that hard."
Sasuke shrugged one shoulder, "Doesn't need to be. I just need to get far enough into the security system to set off some alarms, then they shut me down and freeze all activity on the account."
Naruto scooted closer still, moving himself into position directly behind Sasuke until the man was sitting, cross-legged, between his thighs. He pressed himself into Sasuke's back and hooked his chin over Sasuke's shoulder. "Where's the challenge in that?" Naruto whispered huskily into Sasuke's ear.
Sasuke tried to shrug him off, but failed. He huffed, "I'm trying to concentrate."
"I know," Naruto's breath tickled Sasuke's jaw.
Naruto snaked a hand around Sasuke's frame and brought it to rest on his leg, slipping it down to caress his inner thigh. He could feel Sasuke tense and hunch over further, trying to ignore Naruto's devilish ministrations.
"I'm serious," Sasuke growled.
It was difficult for Naruto to determine if the edge in his tone came from annoyance or unwelcome desire, but he was willing to take a chance. "So am I."
Sasuke tried to focus on the screen as he typed command prompts. He could feel his thoughts drifting away from his task and focusing more and more on the hand rubbing ever inward. He could feel the warm palm massaging him through his thin pajama bottoms. Naruto's fingers ghosted over some areas while biting into others and Sasuke began to fiercely worry his lip to distract himself from the pool of fire roiling in his loins.
He was struggling now, as Naruto's hand crept towards the juncture of leg and pelvis. Naruto was rubbing the thick tendon with his thumb and tracing his fingers along sensitive flesh. Sasuke had to stop and retype the same prompt every time Naruto brushed against his sac or his ever hardening dick.
Refusing to give in, Sasuke set his expression to a hard scowl and continued to type. It took longer than it should have, but he finally finished with the second account. He brusquely tossed the file to the side and pulled the next one over. His harsh, jerking movements revealed his growing frustration and Naruto smirked against his neck.
It was cumbersome to adequately grip the turgid length through the fabric, but Naruto would not be deterred. He fondled Sasuke quite thoroughly while his lips ghosted the skin of Sasuke's neck; up the pale column until his dark locks tickled Naruto's cheeks. Hot breath caressed Sasuke's flesh but he dutifully shied away.
The game of cat and mouse only excited Naruto further. He moved his mouth down Sasuke's neck and gently suckled, teasingly scraping his teeth against the wet skin. He could have sworn he felt Sasuke shiver, but the typing never ceased.
Naruto released Sasuke's neck in favor of trailing his tongue along the skin up to his jaw. "What's taking so long?" He asked in a sultry timbre. They both knew this was a rhetorical question, but Naruto couldn't resist the urge to squeeze the hard dick in his hand to emphasize his point.
He is going to pay. Sasuke growled low in his throat before speaking in a menacingly salacious tone, "Watch yourself Uzumaki."
Naruto hummed and teasingly squeezed once more, "Or what?"
With an overly emphatic strike of the keys, Sasuke completed his task. He straightened his back and turned to face Naruto fully. By the abysmal depth of Sasuke's midnight eyes, Naruto worried that, perhaps, he had gone too far. To tease was one thing, but to purposefully distract Sasuke during such an important activity might have come off as a bit too cavalier given the circumstances. In attempt to dissipate the tension, Naruto cracked an innocent grin that lit his eyes to a shining azure and gave one more, playful squeeze.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed to a frigid glare that stole the smile from Naruto's face. Whoops, guess I shouldn't have- he wasn't able to complete the thought as he was pushed roughly onto the floor. He laid there, dazed as Sasuke quickly got to his feet - towering over him with burning obsidian eyes. Naruto didn't dare move, he waited for Sasuke to scream or storm off. His shocked eyes widened as bristling man quickly and fluidly dispatched his own shirt. As Sasuke's hands pulled down the waistband of his pants, Naruto snapped into action and quickly disrobed.
Sasuke stepped closer, his erection bobbing lewdly with each movement, "You wanna fuck?"
Naruto, still laying on the floor but now propped up on his elbows, nodded excitedly. He liked it when Sasuke got butch on him; it was a rare thing. Sasuke usually teased and manipulated. He would occasionally initiate, but even then it was coyly - not like this.
"Okay," Sasuke licked his lips, "we'll fuck. But on one condition..."
Naruto nodded again. Anything.
Sasuke was now standing over Naruto's waist, hands on his hips as he peered down. He lowered his voice as he defined his terms, "You stop when I tell you to. Not a second before."
Naruto's brow twitched at this; Sasuke knew of Naruto's stamina but they hadn't even begun to test the limits of what he was capable of doing. This seemed a strange demand, certainly Sasuke would give out before him. Maybe this was some devious punishment... but Sasuke just wasn't the type. Weary of the terms of the condition, Naruto agreed nonetheless.
Sasuke, of course, knew exactly what he was doing. He wanted the sex, wanted it since it was offered downstairs - but he'd had more pressing matters to attend to. Now that he was done, there was nothing to stop him from getting what he wanted... teasing Naruto was just an added perk.
This would be perfect - a chance for Naruto to deliver him from his personal Hell. Over and over again... all morning long. He would have Naruto fuck him until he was numb to all else the the blistering pleasure provided by his massive cock. They would fuck until Naruto's muscles burned and begged for a reprieve, then they would fuck some more. They would fuck until they were both completely and utterly spent.
Sasuke moved away, but shot Naruto such a look that he instantly knew he was not to get up. When he returned, Sasuke held a bottle of lube dangling between his fingertips. He was quite confident that by the time they were done, that bottle would be bone dry.
The sound of skin against skin that filled the otherwise silent mansion was soon eclipsed by the exponentially more sinful slurping, wet squish of the many purges into Sasuke's well abused hole. But he never once protested as he was flipped, twisted and bent over; as Naruto continued to thrust vigorously, release after release. He writhed and arched, screamed and begged - but only to encourage Naruto to fuck him. Fuck him harder. Fuck him deeper. Fuck him into oblivion - into an alternate dimension where his current reality and all it's concerns could not pursue him. It was when Naruto was sliding in and out of him, stretching him so deliciously and filling him to the brim with his hot, sticky seed, that Sasuke found his escape.
It was some time - many orgasms later - that Sasuke finally ended the fuck-a-thon. He gave the order in a scratchy voice, hoarse from his screams of pleasure. His muscles protested his movements as he practically crawled to the bathroom.
Naruto wasn't fairing much better. His whole body ached, his thighs were cramped and his abs burned with the slightest movement. But, Christ, had it been worth it.
Even when they had finally finished and parted for the first time in hours, the afterglow was so thick that reality was still unable to penetrate it. Sound was muddled and sharp at the same time, the world around them was brighter even though it seemed to funnel through a heavy veil of satiation. It was too glorious for words.
Another morning found Naruto waking to an empty bed. He rolled over and groaned, his hand groping at the cold sheets. He stumbled out of bed and rummaged through his pile of clothes on the floor, picking out the same pajamas he'd been wearing the last few days.
Staggering out of the bedroom, Naruto stopped at seeing a sliver of light escaping a room across from their own. He crept across the corridor, his naked feet falling softly on the hardwood floors. There was no sound coming from the room and he hesitated for a moment before peaking through the crack in the door. All he could see was the edge of a bed and the corner of a dresser. Gently he pushed the door open and, inches at a time, the room came into view.
Sasuke was sitting on the edge of the bed, his head down as he examined the contents of his hands. Naruto peered down, trying to identify the object of Sasuke's attention; it was round and glinted in the light as Sasuke moved it around in his hands. A watch? He leaned in just a little further, attempting to get a better view, and felt the door slip open. Shit! He toppled into the room, barely catching himself before he fell flat on his face.
Sasuke's head shot up, his expression clearly startled. His grip on the object tightening then relaxed as Naruto straightened up and ran a hand bashfully through his hair.
"Hey," Naruto murmured, his eyes shooting between Sasuke's face and hands.
Sasuke rolled his eyes, "No need to spy on me, Naruto."
Naruto sniffed as he looked around the room casually. He stepped forward with all the nonchalance of a man that hadn't just tumbled into the room. Sasuke didn't protest as Naruto moved to sit next to him and leaned over to inspect his hands.
Sasuke revealed the object for Naruto to see. "It's a medal from one of Itachi's tournaments," his voice took on an uncharacteristic lilting quality as he reminisced. He smiled wistfully, "It's my favorite one." He slipped the ribbon between his fingers of one hand while the other traced the relief on the medal - a figure dressed in a gi, leg outstretch in a kick. Sasuke sighed heavily.
Naruto reached around Sasuke's shoulders, pulling him closer until his head fell against Naruto's. "We'll get him back," Naruto whispered.
Sasuke frowned, he appreciated the sentiment, but fact remained: they hadn't heard anything in the last few days. No leads, no trace of Madara - nothing to offer even a twinge of hope. Naruto's words were of empty comfort.
"Two days," Sasuke said softly, his void eyes staring down at the medal in his hands. "Two days until his trial."
Naruto rocked him gently, trying to think of anything else he could say that would ease the pain. Nothing came to mind. He turned his head and pressed his lips against the crown of Sasuke's head. They stayed like that for a moment, Naruto inhaling the sweetly musky scent of his lover. He kissed him again, and this time he felt Sasuke wilt against him; turn into him and wrap his arms around him.
There was no urgency, no desire. Sasuke wasn't seeking to satiate lust, he was seeking comfort. Comfort in those strong arms and soft, yet firm, lips. Comfort from the only person he trusted to be vulnerable around - the only person he ever let beyond his frigid facade.
He leaned into Naruto, his weight slowly pushing them both down onto the mattress, when the quietest of sounds penetrated the room. Naruto bolted up, forcing Sasuke with him. They exchanged weary glances, asking and confirming what they both knew - that was the sound of the front door.
Naruto's entire demeanor now acutely serious, he turned alert eyes to Sasuke, "Did you lock the door?" Sasuke nodded, his lips pursed to thin line. "Who has keys?"
"Just myself and Madara..." Sasuke's brow furrowed deeply as he racked his brain for any other possibility, "the maid maybe?"
Naruto nodded. He did not appreciate Sasuke's uncertainty. He moved out of the room, his quick steps propelling him stealthily through the hall and down the stairs. Sasuke followed closely behind, moving just as silently. They crept down the steps, stopping intermittently to assess the situation.
There was nobody immediately present as they reached the landing. Naruto craned his neck around the wall, then peered down the hall - empty. He looked back to Sasuke, who offered his opinion with a tip of his head toward the hallway. Naruto proceeded to move in the direction of the office. He could feel Sasuke's hand on his shoulder; it felt reassuring, though he wasn't entirely sure that was the intention. A part of him felt as though he was being used as a shield - and that suited him just fine, it was what he had been groomed to do, after all.
Only about one quarter of the way down the corridor and movement could be heard - rustling that directly preceded the appearance of a man in black. Naruto froze. He felt the fingers on his shoulder suddenly dig into the muscle, nails biting his skin through his thin pajama shirt.
Naruto needn't ask the identity of this man; Madara shared the same coloring as his nephews - porcelain skin and thick ebony hair. He stopped mid-step, his dark eyes calculating the scene before him - a strange blond man in rather informal attire stood stock still, blocking the hallway and behind him a familiar face.
"Sasuke?" Madara queried. The man he addressed seethed with the casualness of his tone. "What are you doing here?"
"What am I doing here?" Sasuke growled in response. He shoved his way past Naruto, shouting, "What am I doing here!?" The anger and animosity rolling of Sasuke caused Naruto's skin to tingle. "What the fuck are you doing here!?"
Sasuke didn't bother to wait for an answer, he knew it would only enrage him more. He suddenly lunged forward, arms extended and fingers grasping, like talons, for Madara's throat. The man moved quickly, so quickly that Naruto almost didn't register it. A gun was pulled and leveled squarely between Sasuke's eyes.
Naruto immediately jumped between them. With one hand he held Sasuke's shirt in an iron grip, while the other he extended in a plea. "Whoa." He looked between them with stern cobalt eyes, "Let's calm the fuck down."
Madara appeared to hesitate, but lowered his weapon after a moment. They stood in silence, the tension so thick that breathing was nigh impossible - they pulled oxygen into their lungs as if it were molasses.
Naruto was grossly unprepared for this encounter. This wasn't part of the plan. If they had even entertained the idea that Madara would return to them, they would have at least gotten him a weapon or planned a trap of some sort. But they'd assumed that Madara fled the area - most likely the country. They'd expected the freeze on his accounts to have left him financially crippled in a foreign country, his evasion more difficult and thus his capture that much quicker. They never thought he would return. Naruto, helpless as he was facing down the barrel of a gun, prayed Sasuke could come up with something on the fly.
But Sasuke was emotionally raw, his fury in the face of this man was stunting his ability to think. Even forming thoughts was a challenge. Words jumbled incoherently in his head as his narrowed eyes attempted to bore straight through Madara's core. He pushed Naruto's hand away and stepped forward to face his uncle fully.
"How could you?" Sasuke finally found his voice. It was cold and sharp - a knife waiting to slice.
"How could I... what?" Madara asked as he replaced his gun.
Sasuke grit his teeth, "Goddamn you Madara. How could you do this to Itachi? To me?"
"What exactly are you accusing me of?" Came the question with a slight cock of the head.
Bristling at the coy response, Sasuke clenched his eyes shut and shouted, "Stop! Stop with the fucking mind games!" He took a breath and reopened his eyes, "You know what I am talking about."
Madara's expression didn't falter, his eyes remained calculating, "Do you know what you are talking about, Sasuke?"
Sasuke's eye twitched, he could feel his anger boiling and fought to control it. He spoke rigidly, "You've lied to me, for years. Telling me Itachi was dead, when really you tricked him and forced him to do your dirty work. How could do that?"
Madara took the briefest of moments before he replied, "I did lie to you. I protected you from the truth... but it was for you benefit."
"My benefit?" Sasuke scoffed, "Are you fucking insane? I would have benefited from a fucking brother!"
"It seems you have received some misinformation." Madara's voice seemed softer, as if he truly believed what he was saying, "I never tricked Itachi to do anything."
Sasuke's entire body tensed as he screamed, "I told you to stop lying to me, you son of a bitch!" He took a deep breath, "You tricked Itachi into joining the Akatsuki. Into avenging mom and dad's death. You manipulated him in order to keep your own hands clean."
Madara's expression cleared, as if finally gaining understanding, "I never forced Itachi to do anything. He wanted to pursue Fugaku's killer, I simply guided him in the direction he would need to go."
"That is such bullshit! You used him. Admit it." Sasuke's voice fell to a tremulous plea by the end. He realized extracting information from Madara was akin to slamming his face repeatedly into a brick wall - an utterly pointless and masochistic activity. "Don't you feel guilty? Even the tiniest bit, for what you have done."
Madara sighed and it seemed that he might actually reveal some truth. His eyes held a hint of melancholy, "This outcome, while unfortunate, was always highly probable."
"You didn't answer my question." Sasuke said softly, all his rage having dissipated in the face of such an obstinate opponent, "Do you feel guilty? Would you..." He paused and Naruto took note of the sudden and subtle change in Sasuke's tone. "Would you trade places with Itachi, if you could?"
Madara shook his head, "Itachi's mistakes are his own, as his punishment will be. He allowed his judgement to get clouded and he failed his mission."
"What if he didn't fail?" Now it was Sasuke who spoke coyly.
"But he did."
Sasuke's voice was quiet confidence, "What is more important Madara? Freedom or revenge?"
"What is your point, Sasuke?" Madara was irritated. He didn't appreciate being strung along like this.
"Just answer the question." Sasuke demanded softly, "Would you forfeit your life if you were guaranteed vengeance for your brother's death?"
Madara took a second to consider his response before answering, "I suppose I might. If I had the man in my sights..."
Sasuke barely managed to suppress a Cheshire grin, "I can arrange that."
"What do you mean?" Madara asked curiously, though he did seem weary.
"We have him." Sasuke said proudly, lifting his chin. "The man."
"The man?" Madara hid his growing interest.
"Yes." Sasuke licked his lips in nervousness and excitement, "We've been waiting until Itachi was freed, but I would be willing to hand him over to you... to kill. As a trade."
Madara quirked a fine, dark brow, "Trade?"
Sasuke nodded, "You could avenge dad's... your brother's death personally, if you agree to trade places with Itachi."
Sasuke held back a cocky smirk. Got him now. There was no way Madara could refuse such an offer. He would simultaneously get what he wanted while fixing the mess he created. After all, he was a man of honor above all else, he wouldn't purposefully sacrifice his family - the poor judgement displayed in the past was the result of grief, not malice. Sasuke had to believe that deep down, Madara was a good man.
Madara's face gave nothing away as he turned this offer over in his head again and again. "That... is tempting," he said finally, "but I can't do it."
Sasuke went slack jawed, he was so sure Madara would accept, "You... fucking coward. Itachi is family! Your own blood!"
He shrugged, "Call it a sense of self preservation."
Sasuke was beyond angry. Beyond conniving. He knew there was nothing left that he could say that would change Madara's mind. He looked down, too disgusted to meet Madara's eye.
"Please," the word drifted from Sasuke's lips in a whisper. It seemed to echo through the room for an eternity before it was followed by a sob and another, quaking, "please, Madara."
Sasuke knew it was unbecoming of an Uchiha to beg. He knew that such an act would not win him any affection from Madara. But he hoped that maybe, just maybe it would be enough to sway Madara to reconsider.
When he finally lifted his gaze, Sasuke was devastated to see the empty eyes of his uncle staring back. There was nothing there - no remorse, no apology. No indication that Madara was touched in even the smallest way by Sasuke's plea.
Madara didn't offer any condolences, he strode forward and brushed past the two men blocking his exit. His eyes darted to Sasuke in a brief sidelong glance, but that was all.
Sasuke released a shuddering sigh and crumpled against the wall. He slid down the surface until collapsing in a heap on the floor. He buried his face in his hands and began to silently sob.
Naruto watched this with growing ire. He turned on his heels and marched to the door, coming upon Madara so quickly, the man didn't have time to turn or draw his gun; he grasped Madara by the back of the neck, opened the door and forcefully shoved him out. Naruto followed, slamming the heavy door behind himself.
Madara spun around and Naruto found himself looking down the bore of a 9 mm. He didn't seem perturbed in the least. His eyes flicked away from the gun to meet with Madara's cold glare.
"Put the gun down," Naruto demanded with an annoyed sneer.
Madara's brow knit with confusion and insult, "Why would I listen to you?"
Naruto suppressed and eye roll. Fucking entitled Uchihas. "Because," he began with a patronizing tone, "there is no way you could be such a gigantic asshole that you would kill the last person Sasuke cares about."
Madara seemed to consider this for a moment, then lowered the pistol. He stowed it quickly and smoothed his jacked down over his chest. They stood silent for a moment, sizing each other up. Naruto didn't let his emotions show - the pain he felt for Sasuke, the anger he held for Madara or how horrendously intimidated he was now that he found himself directly under the man's scrutinizing glare. Naruto crossed his arms over his chest, which served a double duty as it made him appear impervious to Madara's narrowed eyes while shielding him from the cold. He fought the urge to shuffle his bare feet on the cold cement porch.
Naruto didn't want to waste any more time in a staring contest, "I know you don't give two shits about me-"
"I don't even know you."
Naruto ignored the interruption, "But you seriously need to think about what you are doing to Sasuke."
"I appreciate your concern, but this doesn't involve you," Madara replied dryly.
"Doesn't involve me?" Naruto scoffed, "Fine. I'm not family." He raised his voice to assert his point, "But when somebody I love is hurting, it sure as shit involves me."
Though his face never changed, there was a flicker of something in Madara's eyes - confusion quickly replaced by understanding - that vanished almost as quickly as it appeared. Naruto clenched is jaw, his nostrils flared with the surprise of his own admission. But this revelation of feeling had to be put aside for the moment.
"Well, let me save you the trouble. Begging isn't going to help you any more than it helped him," Madara said with a sniff, turning away.
"Oh, I wasn't going to beg," Naruto countered, moving back into Madara's line of sight, "as that would imply I thought you had the capacity to care."
"If you think petty insults will-"
"I was going to appeal to... what did you call it? Your sense of self preservation." He waited a moment, until he was sure he had Madara's attention, "You see. If you don't turn yourself in I will make it my personal goal to see you hunted down."
Madara barely contained a snorting laugh and eyed Naruto contemptuously, "You think you can take me down?"
Naruto nodded, a grin tugging at his mouth, "The ANBU wants you dead or in prison and after you screw Itachi, the Akatsuki won't be as friendly as they once were. You will spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder, and if I have any say in the matter - that won't be long."
Madara narrowed his eyes, "You don't have what it takes to bring me down."
Naruto shrugged, "Maybe I don't, but I have the means to put together a fucking militia dedicated to sending your ass to hell. It's your choice. We have a pretty sweet deal on the table, but you only have about 24 hours to accept." He turned suddenly and grabbed the door knob, "If you decide to do the smart thing, be back here in the morning. We'll have some business for you to finish. Otherwise..." he lowered his voice and tilted his head slightly over his shoulder, his icy blue eyes casting a sidelong glare at the man behind him, "I'll be seeing you around."
Naruto slid into the house, leaving his threat to hang in the crisp air behind him. Madara glowered at the door for a few seconds before turning away. This day had not gone as he had planned. Not in the least.