fiowjrijwoerjioewrewroiejw. I'm SOOOO sorry for taking forever. DDDD: First, I had extreme writers block, and then by the time I got it back, my computer went boom. Now that I have a new laptop, I'm just trying to figure out how to use it. :T Soooo. I'm sorry. ; A;
Standing there as still as possible upon hearing a sound probably wasn't the smartest thing to do. Naruto was too busy concentrating on hiding his chakra, and panicking silently to himself, he couldn't come up with a plausible plan. A normal person might have run back the way he came, or even lunge for a door just up ahead, praying to whatever God there was that he wasn't seen. But Naruto? No. He just stood there, looking more and more like a deer in the head lights as the footsteps he heard began to grow closer, and closer. Shit, shit, shit, shit... It was a never ending stream of curse words flowing through his head, he was spending more time trying to think of further ways to silently express his panic and frustration than he was trying to come up with a plan. It was days like these Naruto truly wished he'd chosen a different style, wearing as bright of an orange color as hew as every day? He might as well attach a sign to his chest begging to be caught. But the God's were smiling on him today, big, frightened blue eyes locked on with a momentarily frozen shadow, that seemed to stretch down across the hall across from him. It stayed there for a moment, before the sound of a door unlocking and opening echoed through the hall. He could hear a soft groan, a sound of slight frustration was hinted behind it. The door had closed and Naruto quickly loosened up. He had a couple of more options now, he realized. He could run down the way he assumed Kabuto had come, look through the rooms until he found Sasuke, he could run back the way he came and hide until it felt safer- which would be never, or he could stand there the way he was now. He knew what option was the best, regardless of impending danger. That thought in mind, he knew he had a limited amount of time. Sucking in a deep breath, Naruto made a run for it, light on his feet and turned the corner and passed the door he knew his enemy to be behind. His heart slammed against his chest in one painfully rough motion at the sound of a bang from behind. First thought, he assumed to be caught. But turning his head, he realized the door to still be closed, and a pile of soot on the floor, some still falling from the now cracked ceiling. He found himself freezing against, listening to his heartbeat bang loudly in his ears.
It wasn't until another bang sounded, followed by the jiggling of a door knob did he realize he couldn't just stand around. Naruto threw the door closest to him open and slipped inside, closing it as quickly and quietly as possible. More bangs. Whoever was above wasn't being subtly with their intrusion at all, and Naruto couldn't help but wish a beating upon them. And yet, at the same time... He knew where Kabuto would go. Naruto pressed his ear to the door, listening closely. The loud banging had ceased, and all that was left now was to listen for the sound of footsteps. There were two, and then a pause. He could picture Kabuto, looking about, possibly angrily, or maybe just confused. Either way, he definitely had luck on his side, as the footsteps faded into the distance. Naruto waited until he couldn't hear them any longer, before finally pulling the door open and slipping out. Obviously, Sasuke hadn't been in that room, and now Naruto had a bit more time to look around. He used it to his advantage, went through ever door on his way down the hall. His stomach was feeling hit the pit of his stomach, his heart racing. More just worried at the state he would find Sasuke in, who knew what Kabuto could do in that short period of time he had been separated from Sasuke. The images that flashed through his mind alarmed him, and almost sparked tears of fear to life in the corners of his eyes. His search grew quicker, more frantic... And finally, he was met with hope. One of the two doors at the end of the hall was left a crack open, an ominous light flooding out, spilling over Naruto's sandal, and on to the concrete behind it. He was filled with hope, and worry, as he slowly pushed the door open, listening as it creaked spookily against his weight. He was met with bookshelves, and a bit more light than the other rooms held. It smelled as bad as the rest of the place, the bitter scent of death lingering in the air, stinging his eyes. He took a step inside, biting his chapped lips nervously as he rounded one of the cases of books, noting a series of test tubes being held in wooden racks, containing liquids of all colors, and beside that, large jars, and... oh, he didn't even want to know what was within those. He shuddered, then came to a pause. He looked in between two of the jars, spotting a head of black, messy and dirty hair. He froze, glancing back to the door, as if Kabuto might come back at any moment and rip this potentially wonderful moment away from him. When reassured by the silence that no one was coming, Naruto quickly rounded the table of creepy contents and stared down at the all too thin, pale form. For a second, he was in disbelief it was Sasuke. It just... didn't look like him. He hadn't been able to see him upstairs too well, the dim light not enough to show him just how horrible of a condition Sasuke was in, but now he could see.
"Sasuke?" Naruto croaked out, when finally realizing that the boy hadn't moved an inch. There was no answer, and that was what horrified him the most... Kabuto had killed him. That was the only possible reason behind his lack of response. He was dead. Naruto had been too slow, too late. He was on the brink of tears when he realized that slight rising and falling of the other's chest. He practically fell to his knees with the overwhelming wave of relief that washed over him, but instead what he did was quickly lean into the metal table Sasuke was rested out upon, pressing a hand to his face. "Oi, wake up. C'mon. Wake up, wake up, wake up." While he did feel bad, he was growing more and more nervous the longer the other remained asleep. The most reassuring thing however, was when Sasuke groaned out a soft, 'Dobe'. Of course, Naruto couldn't help but manage a small twitch of annoyance, he shoved it aside and quickly shook him once more. "C'mon, we have to get goin'. Now."
So exhausted. So physically and emotionally worn to the core. Sasuke had stole the chance once Kabuto left to slip into a sleep, one to avoid the inevitable pain he would be experiencing. Though he doubted Kabuto would let him remain asleep, he could only hope. He was scared, so scared. It felt like he had the day the Uchiha clan had been wiped out, that aching in his rapidly beating his chest, the twisting in his stomach, and of course, the fear. The extreme, horrible fucking fear. He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry... And yet he couldn't do anything. There was a voice, and a shaking, he assumed it to be Kabuto, excitedly waking him for the surgery he was about to have preformed on him. But listening closer, he assumed it to be nothing more than a dream, or perhaps a memory. Naruto's voice was present, rushing him awake, and all he could mutter out was an insult. And yet Naruto didn't stop, didn't stop to yell at him... It couldn't be a memory... So it was a dream after all? With enough shaking, eventually he couldn't help but open his eyes, to glare at the source. Hazy, dark eyes locking on to worried, glassy blue ones. Was he crying? God, he was such a baby. "Stop crying, dobe." Sasuke croaked out, offended by the sound of his own voice. He couldn't move, each limb felt as if it was a good three hundred pounds. Dirtied with sweat and dirt, that so called "shower" had done nothing for him, only made him wet and uncomfortable. He looked to Naruto, who was giving him half a glare, and half a smile.
"We have to go now... Like, right now." Naruto urged, nudging Sasuke's arm. The raven closed his eyes, sucking in a deep breath, his thin stomach caving in further at the action, displaying all of his ribs, bruised flesh and all. He let it out slowly, and opened his eyes once more.
"I can't move." He finally admitted, as if it took that amount of time to muster the strength to admit such a thing. God, he could be so thick and stubborn, even in life-threatening situations. Idiot, Naruto thought with a shake of his head, leaning in and wrapping an arm beneath his head.
"I think Kiba's upstairs distracting that freak." He figured no one could be that loud unless it was Kiba. Perhaps he had been successful in finding help, but for right now, he was alone, and he was going to have to deal with that. He was almost happy Sasuke was a lot lighter, it made it easier to sling an arm around his own neck and raise him, doing his best to get the Uchiha standing at his side. The boy was like rubber though, bending every which way, incapable of putting an ounce of weight in his feet. "C'mon, you gotta try..." Naruto urged, feeling slightly desperate. It had been a long time now, and the banging had ceased a short while ago, and he assumed it was only a matter of time before Kabuto returned...
"You think I'm not trying, asshole?" Sasuke grumbled, and Naruto could hear the frustration in his weak voice. It was enough to almost make him feel the slightest bit guilty for pushing him, but at the same time- now was not the time to worry over such matters, or fight either.
"Stop fighting with me, just work with me here." Naruto caught the side of a jar close to what had been Sasuke's bed-side. Beside that, a closed test tube, both containing things that made his stomach churn.
He couldn't imagine what that was all for, and he wasn't about to find out either. Neither was Sasuke. He began to slowly work his way towards the door, holding all of Sasuke's weight on one side, doing his best to keep the male's feet from dragging over the concrete flooring. By the time he reached the door, another loud bang could be heard above, some dirt falling atop of his head, causing him to shake a bit. Hopefully that was a good sign. He continued to work his way down the hall, grimacing. "Hold on." Naruto groaned, letting Sasuke lean against him as he shifted positions the slightest bit. He pulled Sasuke on to his back, looping his arms beneath the bend of his legs, leaning forward with the knowledge the Uchiha probably wouldn't be able to cling to his neck. "Better..." Naruto breathed, more to himself than to the groaning Sasuke on his back. He began forward, walking a bit faster, careful not to stumble. Another loud bang, voices traveling. The sounds were getting closer, and the shaking of the walls and ceiling were getting to be more drastic. "I hope that's all a good thing." Naruto grumbled, raising his head and eying the large flight of stairs. He wasn't looking forward to any of that at all. But aside from his escape, the series of yells coming from all around was another reminder. What if this all collapsed? What if all these people died? His eyes narrowed as he looked at the series of cells.
"Kabuto's the only one who has a key..." Sasuke mumbled, before letting his head drop back against Naruto's shoulder. The blonde frowned at this knowledge.
"I'm gonna put you down for a second. It'll be quick, I promise. I just gotta try." Naruto explained, walking off to one side of the hall, and slowly kneeling and setting the raven down, who seemed too tired and weak to protest the blonde's actions.
He pictured Asuma in his mind as he looked at the many metal bars of the series of cells. He knew what to do, it was easy. He just had to focus. And now knowing that Kabuto probably already knew he was being invaded, hiding his chakra became less of a priority, and instead he focused said energy into the palms of his hands. It was with some reassuring words softly spoken to himself, and looking at all the deathly faces of the prisoners, before he finally gave it a shot, running his hand, glowing with sharp, blue chakra, across the bars of the first cell. And to his surprise, the bars broke in two. Naruto blinked, and a look of happiness spread across his face, watching as the people fled. "Be careful." Naruto urge, before he made his way down the hall, running his hand across the walls of each side all the while, watching as the bars came loose and a swarm of people went running. And finally, it was time to get out, as more banging and shaking occurred, people screaming above. Naruto retreated back to Sasuke's side and made quick work, to pull him back up on to his back.
"You might have just sent them on their way to their deaths, you know..." Sasuke breathed, letting Naruto adjust his body up on his back. Naruto shrugged off the comment and didn't mutter a word as he began to walk off and towards the stairs, moving a bit faster.
"Just try and hang on." He knew Sasuke couldn't, but he asked regardless as he started with the first step, then the next. Looking up, the large metal doors were still swinging open and closed from the people who had just recently rushed through their. Another bang, and Naruto was beginning to get nervous. It was about half way up those stairs that Naruto realized the door above was being held open.
He looked up, and a smile of pure joy spread across his face. "You scared the fuck out of me!" Naruto let out a sigh of relief, but the silver-haired ninja above didn't seem too happy just yet. He was dirty, sweating and out of breath. Naruto took this as a sign to save his comments for later and quickly rushed his way up the remainder of the steps, being met half way by Kakashi who did his best to help, the Uchiha, all the while, saying nothing. He had a feeling his pride was aching really badly, but so long as he got out of here alive, it didn't matter in the end. That was what Naruto felt, anyways. "Kiba found you?" Naruto asked, out of breath by the time he reached the top of the stairs.
"Yeah... Sai and Sakura had been brought back to the village already... but you'd be surprised who came across us on his way home from a mission." Naruto didn't need to be a genius to figure that one out, once again feeling another wave of relief. "Kiba and Yamato are fighting Kabuto, we have to get out of here now." Kakashi urged, helping Naruto out of the stairway and through the metal doors. What Naruto was met with appalled him, the occasional dead body of what had been an escaped prisoner, littering the cracked floors, while not too far off Yamato stood, his hands and fingers roughly slammed together in a seal, wooden polls sticking from the ground, holding a furious Kabuto to the wall not too far off. "Naruto. Go." Kakashi hissed, the blonde watching as the polls began to crack, sweat dripping from Yamato's face. He did as he was told, knowing Sasuke was priority at that moment. He began to run without realizing, knowing the door wasn't too far away. The big trouble, however, was getting up out of that hole they had created earlier. Naruto slid to a stop as he was met with his entry point, looking up at the light that shone through, making his eyes narrow. "Fuck..." He grumbled softly. But, once again, luck happened to just be on his side. Shikamaru poked his head out, a relieved look passing his face at the sight of Naruto, as well as a seemingly sleeping raven atop his back.
Naruto had never been so happy to see the sun in his life, rolling Sasuke off on to the ground. Shikamaru was removing his shirt and jacket, wrapping about the Uchiha's body, while Naruto worked on catching his breath, feeling the thumping of the ground beneath him. "ANBU?" Naruto gasped out at the realization, Shikamaru shrugging his shoulders.
"I just managed to get away, they'll probably get here soon enough." Naruto looked to Sasuke from the corner of his eye as Shikamaru bundled him up in his clothing. "I'm not sure they'll be too happy with Sasuke, regardless of the evidence." Naruto knew this, they were only following orders... But still seemed unfair. And almost as if on cue, two masked men appeared from the bushes up ahead, standing there, silent as they stared down the three boys.
"So you found him." One of them seemed almost amused, as they took three careful steps forward, Naruto quickly sitting up and gripping the kunai in his back pocket.
"Kabuto is beneath us right now. Kakashi, Yamato and Kiba are fighting him... And you're gonna concern yourself with someone who's too weak to even stay awake right now?" The blonde snapped, knowing they couldn't stay here any longer. Regardless they were out of Kabuto's line of sight, who knew when the snake-bastard would rise up out of the ground... Not to mention, Sasuke was in terrible condition, and they were going to need to get him medical attention right away. Staying here wasn't much of an option, no matter how much Naruto just wanted to lay there.
The two ANBU members looked to one another, and Naruto imagined a skeptical look upon their faces beneath those silly masks. "Go look for yourself! Either way, we have to get him to a hos-" Naruto's body shook, as did the ground beneath him, a crack forming in the thick earth not too far off from where his own body sat. A large wooden pole rose, a pale figure at the end of it, back against the flat end. The body turned to the side and fell light on his feet on the ground, hands moving fast to form a seal he couldn't recognize. The two ANBU members jumped into action, and Naruto quickly moved over to Sasuke. "Naruto, let's leave." Shikamaru insisted, not wanting the blonde thinking he could fight with Sasuke on his back. The blonde seemed hesitant, but quickly nodded, gathering the Uchiha up on to his back and quickly standing. He could hear the crackling sound of Kakashi's chidori behind him, and he was going to trust their abilities to fight. "Faster." Shikamaru urged, gripping Naruto's arm and pulling him forward, giving him a good start for a run. They set off, both refusing to look behind. Though quickly accompanied by Kiba, who followed close behind.
"They said to run back to the village. Get help." Kiba was out of breath and Naruto was shocked he was still standing, but nodded his head. First things first, they had to get Sasuke away from that freak as fast as possible.
Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long. Once again. Sorry. x/3
