Byakuya
Chapter 29
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Oh, and check out how I meant for Kiba to look like at www. devianart. com /deviation/ 30267472/
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"Sakura-chan, please take a step to the left to avoid collision with Naruto-kun." Lee said to Sakura. Sakura just looked at Lee confused and Lee took the liberty of lifting Sakura to the left as the blonde and white blurs ran past them where Sakura had been. Had not Lee moved her aside, there would surely have been a painful collision.
"Did I just see what I think I did?" Sakura asked her green eyes wide with shock.
"A naked Naruto in girl-form wearing only Neji's shirt, followed by Neji who was missing said shirt? Yep. Quite kinky!" Ten-Ten commented, her chocolate eyes glimmering with mirth and her small mouth twisted into a suggestive leer.
"Sakura." Sasuke said from the side, his dark gaze still locked on where Naruto had been. Sasuke's fists were clenched and Sakura resisted the urge to giggle.
Sasuke's so sweet when he's jealous of all the attention Naruto gives to his other friends. Though I suppose it's understandable as Naruto seems to be Sasuke's… well, I don't really know what they are, but best friends shouldn't be too far off the mark.
"Sasuke-kun." Sakura greeted sweetly, feeling the telltale blush gathering on her cheeks. Sakura knew Sasuke was a pretty much lost cause by now and she doubted they would have been good together anyway, but Sakura still couldn't help but to crush slightly on the amazing Uchiha.
Because, if Sasuke had been good looking when he was young, he was drop dead gorgeous and seeped of sex now, seventeen years old. His hair had grown out to the point where it had to be tied down on the nape of his neck, and it looked especially alluring as often some longer strands of hair succeeded in escaping the white string. He had on a black long sleeved top that brought out his wide shoulders and muscular, yet thin chest and arms. He had matching black Konoha sandals and blue issue chuunin pants and a dark blue vest with the Uchiha ensemble on the back.
And of course his eyes were still never ending glimmering pools of inky passion, Sakura sighted, before turning to Lee, who she noticed was giving the evil eye to Sasuke. Sakura frowned, slightly confused. What had Sasuke done now?
"Sakura. We need to talk. Walk with me." Sasuke said, his voice betraying none of the awkwardness Sakura knew he had to feel under Lee's penetrating gaze. And while Lee wasn't as good at glaring as Sasuke or Neji, the blank wide eyed gaze focused completely on oneself was pretty intimidating.
Lee glared harder, and Sakura realized suddenly why. To Lee, who hadn't been in the same team with Sasuke for years, the dull voice Sasuke had spoken into would have been interpreted as a command, something Sakura knew it wasn't. Both Sakura herself and Naruto had been distressed by the commanding tone in the Uchiha's voice, but soon they had begun to interpret the surface tones.
Though there are at least two hundred tones to pick up, and I know perhaps five of them. Naruto was always the best at reading Sasuke. Wonder how much Naruto really can translate from all those toneless grunts and hn's? Sakura trailed off, before turning to Sasuke.
"Ah, Sasuke-kun" Sakura blushed slightly more and this time because she felt slightly embarrassed. "…can we do this later? Lee-kun and I are on a date." Sakura mumbled at the end, and hoped Lee didn't take the soft voice and blush as a sign of shame. Sakura wasn't shamed of Lee, of course she wasn't, but it still brought a shame of some sort over her when she told him like this, out in the open, that she no longer loved him. On some level Sakura thought Sasuke deserved better, to be told alone, face to face, even though she knew that Sasuke had never cared for her like that.
Something flashed in Sasuke's eyes, and Sakura hesitated.
"This is more important." Sasuke snapped, and Lee opened his mouth to counter when Sakura snapped her hand over the older ninja's mouth. Lee hadn't heard it, but Sakura sure as hell had.
Sasuke was anxious and even a bit worried. Sakura frowned, and Sasuke elaborated.
"It's about Naruto." Sasuke said, and suddenly Sakura was aware that everyone was listening to their conversation. Both Ten-Ten and Ino, who had been walking with them was silent, their ears trained on Sasuke's and Sakura's conversation.
"Oh." Sakura said, and wordlessly followed after Sasuke as the brunette walked off, trying to ignore the tight knot of panic that pressed inside her chest.
They walked silent along one of the smaller and more private streets, one that led to the Hokage tower, she realized. Sakura felt terror grip her heart.
Did something happen to Naruto?
"Is he okay?" Sakura asked hesitantly, before turning to look at her feet, ashamed.
"Naruto? Physically, yes." Sasuke said, while turning his black eyes onto Sakura. The pink-haired kunoichi shivered under the gaze.
"…And… otherwise? Is he… all right?" Sakura asked, her green eyes glazed. She could still remember it as if it had just happened, that red chakra seeping off the blonde and making her skin shiver and hands to shake.
"No, I don't believe he is. He's changed." Sasuke said, before turning to gaze at the clear, slightly greyish summer sky, his thoughts on the soft kiss Naruto had boldly planted above his brow. Sakura sighed in relief when the eyes left her, but guilt started to spread on her face.
"He has." She agreed. Sasuke fingered his brow.
"Look, Sakura," Sasuke began, having had enough of dancing around the subject. "Something is wrong with him. I don't know what it is, but he doesn't need this right now. He needs us to stay together, and that means you have to get over whatever this thing is you have."
"… I know, all right!" She snapped. "But it isn't that easy! You may be able to sense it when he uses that red chakra of his, but I feel it so much stronger! It's evil! Not even Orochimaru's chakra made me feel terror like this. When Orochimaru sent his killing intent free, my mind was attacked by simulations of being killed with kunai, with weapons."
"And when that chakra appears? I'm afraid of claws, of fangs, of… raw power. This… whatever it is, it's more powerful than I have ever seen before, and I'm scared of it!" She tried to make Sasuke understand that it wasn't easy on her. Sasuke looked at her sharply.
"And you're going to hurt Naruto because you are scared?" Sasuke asked incredulously. Sakura looked down. "You know Naruto sees you as his friend, and even as something more. And however happy Naruto seems to be, he gets hurt by the smallest things. This is going to tear him apart, because he won't see you're afraid of the red chakra. In his eyes you are afraid of him."
Sakura's eyes widened and she stopped, shocked, in the middle of the road.
"No, I never, I mean, I never meant--…" She began. Sasuke cut her off rudely.
"Perhaps you didn't mean it like that, but you screamed when you saw him! You looked into his eyes, no matter what colour they happened to be, and you screamed like the small afraid little girl you were." Sasuke snapped again, and Sakura flinched, realizing that whatever respect she had won in Sasuke's eyes was slipping away.
"I…" She began hesitantly, but found her tongue heavy and her mind incapable of forming fitting words, excuses.
"Don't. Explain it to him. You need to get over this." Sasuke stated, and he resumed his walk towards the Hokage tower. Sakura shuffled on her feet before hurrying after the Uchiha, her face down.
Sasuke sighed.
"It's not that big deal really. We've seen this chakra before, how could we have possibly missed it when we're his team-mates? When his chakra is out, the red chakra seems to simply replace it. He heals faster than us, and generally recovers better. But whatever this evilness you speak of in the chakra is; Naruto's got it under control. He has never hurt us." Sasuke comforted Sakura, his mind turning into the time Naruto almost had lost control over the chakra and almost had killed him.
But Sakura doesn't need to know that.
"Yeah." Sakura smiled hesitantly, her green eyes filling with hope. "Naruto's got it covered."
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When Sasuke and Naruto arrived at the Hokage tower and climbed up to the Hokage's floor, the place was in complete disorder. Shizune was barking orders to some chuunins and jounins so that they could fix the mess that was the Hokage's waiting room. From inside the Hokage's office frantic yelling and screaming was heard.
Sakura frowned before grabbing Sasuke's hand to pull him with her into the Godaime's office, the Uchiha being more hesitant to barge in than Sakura who was on first name basis with the Hokage. Sakura's eyes widened in shock and she let Sasuke's hand go to cover her mouth with her hand.
In the middle of the floor was Neji, still without his shirt, holding down Naruto who was screaming frantically.
"Let go! It hurts, let go, let go, let go!" Naruto wailed, his blue eyes glimmering with fear. Sakura gasped at the sight, as it looked a lot like Neji was raping Naruto, what with his thighs holding the blonde down and his hands holding the blondes arms over his head and against the floor.
Sasuke stared at the sight stupefied for a moment, before he spotted the tears in the corners of Naruto's eyes. At once the Uchiha was on Naruto and Neji, pulling the Hyuuga off the blonde. Neji was just about to protest when Sasuke slapped Naruto on his head.
Naruto stopped immediately his wailing and crying and just stared at the Uchiha, stupefied.
"Dobe. What are you screaming about?" Sasuke forced through clenched teeth, noticing Naruto was only wearing Neji's shirt, and that the blonde was in girl form.
"I've tried to calm him down for ages, and it takes one tiny slap from the Uchiha to silence him…" Tsunade grumbled to Sakura. Sakura giggled behind her hand, before turning to look at Naruto.
Naruto was biting his lower lip, trying to hold his tears in and almost succeeded in it, before Sasuke spoke again.
"And why on earth are you in Oiroke no jutsu?" Sasuke asked, frowning. Naruto's blue eyes filled with fear before the blonde lunged for Sasuke, grabbing the Uchiha's shirt and sitting on the slightly older boys lap.
Sasuke swore his heart stopped in his chest before a slight blush spread on his cheeks. The Uchiha turned to glare at the Godaime when he heard she was laughing. Neji had gathered to his feet and was leaning against a wall, watching the proceedings with mild interest.
By the time we arrived, Naruto had completely panicked, and when the Godaime said she didn't know how to fix it he flew completely off the rocket. Then the Uchiha shows up and he completely calms down. Wonder what is going on between those two?
Neji trained his white eyes harder on the Uchiha's face. And he's blushing as well, Neji smirked to himself.
"I can't change back! Dispelling the jutsu didn't work! And baa-chan can't fix it! I'm gonna be a girl for the rest of my life!" Naruto wailed, burying his face into Sasuke's neck. Naruto sniffed a few more times before focusing his eyes on Sasuke, who he noticed with glee, was blushing.
Naruto wiggled on Sasuke's lap, and was granted a brighter blush. Sasuke stared at Naruto with shocked confusion, trying to come up with anything to help the blonde, because Naruto looked better when he was male.
'Naruto looks better when male'! What am I thinking? Am I attracted to Naruto because he's a guy? Am I…gay? Sasuke frowned to himself, before shaking his head slightly.
"I'm scared, Sasuke…" Naruto sniffed, before hugging the brunette with so much force that Sasuke felt his ribs twinge. Then a thought struck him.
"Dobe… Did you just try cutting off your chakra flow?"
Naruto raised his tear-streaked face up to look at Sasuke in complete shock. Sasuke was delighted to notice that the deepest blush had spread on the blondes cheeks.
"Umm…no I didn't think… I kind of like panicked…" Naruto laughed sheepishly. Sasuke glowered at the blonde.
"And you call yourself a ninja?" Sasuke snorted and Naruto concentrated on cutting off his chakra flow. The blonde hair shortened to Naruto's jaw and some of the roundness on his face disappeared. His eyes seemed sharper, more calculating, and his curves disappeared.
Tsunade picked up the paper she had spotted on the floor and completely missed the silence that descended on the room, too occupied with the paper on her hands. The Godaime's eyes widened as she saw the suggestive pictures of Naruto and Sasuke.
Tsunade removed her brown eyes from the paper to tease Naruto when she noticed that both Neji and Sakura were looking slack-jawed at Sasuke and Naruto. Sasuke was looking dazed at somewhere over Naruto's shoulder, his posture stiff and extremely frozen. Naruto was frozen as well, his palms holding Sasuke's shoulders, his thighs straddling Sasuke's hips, with the brightest blush across his tanned face.
Tsunade coughed.
"So… Naruto… Where are your clothes?"
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A/N: A lot of people were worried about me leaving Naruto in girl form, but really? Why on earth would I want to do that? This fic is SLASH after all.
--Dark
