What is this, chapter 44? Damn, i can't believe how long this has lasted. At the same time, i can't really say how much longer it has to go. I think I've got at least another ten chapters, maybe twenty if i can come up with some interesting twists. It's become a little bit of an ambition to make this story at least twice as long as Gaara's daybreak was, which means i'm aiming for at least chapter 50, although I'll probably surpass it. Anyway, sorry if that last chapter wasn't up to scratch, i got what i wanted out of that arc. However, from here on out canon pretty much get's kicked in the face.

Disclaimer: I don't do drugs. I get high on life... and car exhaust.


Look into my eyes

Naruto stood frozen to the ground, staring in horror at the figure crouched in the trees. He had seen this person many times, but they had never before met.

Uchiha Madara turned his head at Naruto, his orange mask lit up by the faint firelight in the distance. He raised his fingers to his proverbial lips, requesting silence. However, it was meaningless. Naruto couldn't have spoken if he wanted to.

Madara looked back to the group, his eye made visible in the light.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Naruto." he said, a faint hint of amusement in his Sharingan eye, "It has certainly been a very long time. Sixteen years, I believe."

Madara silently dropped down, landing neatly on the ground. He kept his gaze on the others at the camp, an unseen smile spreading across his lips.

"I must say, I was surprised to hear about what you did for dear Sasuke." he said, "I never expected you to be able to delay his hatred as you have. And to think you have also turned a kunoichi with no clan into a powerful Pseudo-Jinchuriki. It is almost unfathomable!"

"MADARA!!!"

"Be silent, dear Kyubi. I have no wish to speak with you right now." Madara said calmly, "It is Naruto I wish to talk to."

Naruto however, had other ideas. The Kyubi's roar had snapped him out of his inertia, and he realised exactly what was going on. He shook his head, before running at Madara, hate filling his eyes. Madara sighed.

"Tsk tsk tsk, I didn't say I want to fight." he said. But Naruto ignored him, and continued running, "Very well, if you won't be civilised, then I have no choice."

Naruto's eyes widened as he was suddenly lifted off his feet. He was pulled by some strange force towards Madara, something outside his control. Then everything began spinning, before darkness consumed him.

"Now then, let's talk." Madara said, to the now empty space in front of him. He then slowly faded away, the air around him spiralling, until eventually his mask disappeared as well.

* * * * *

The gates of Konoha loomed up ahead, the sun still making it's way to dawn. The group stopped at the gates, where Kakashi and Gai turned to the teenagers.

"Tsunade-sama will want our report immediately." Kakashi said, "Gaara-kun, she will want to speak with you as well."

"I understand." Gaara replied, nodding. He stood beside Kakashi and Gai, facing the others.

"As for the rest of you, get some rest!" Gai said, giving them a thumbs up, "You've certainly earned it!"

With that, he, Kakashi and Gaara turned away, heading for the Hokage's office.

"I'll come see you later Gaara-kun!" Ino called. Naruto suppressed a grin as he noticed Gaara's shoulders slump slightly. Sakura didn't share in his sentiments.

"I need to refill the seals." Sasuke said, taking a step forward, "I'll be taking the next available mission, so I'll probably be gone for a week or two."

"Man Sasuke, talk about a workaholic!" Naruto sighed. Sasuke just smirked, before heading off.

"Hey Sasuke-kun!" Tenten called out, "Can I see how you do that with your seals?"

"Huh? Sure." Sasuke said, glancing over his shoulder. Tenten smiled eagerly, before running after him. The four of them, Naruto, Sakura, Lee and Neji, watched them leave, each wearing a different expression to the situation. Neji was next to leave, though he did so wordlessly. Lee gave both Naruto and Sakura a thumbs up, in an almost identical manner to Gai, before running off. Naruto and Sakura waved as he left.

"So what now?" Naruto asked, "The sun'll be coming up soon, you wanna go get breakfast or something?"

"Nah, we've been up a while." Sakura replied, "Why don't we get some rest, then get up at noon?"

"Alright." Naruto replied, shrugging, "Can you handle your place, or do you wanna stay at mine?"

"Since it's just rest, I think I'll go home." Sakura replied, before reaching up and tapping him on the nose, "I wanna see that look on your face the next time we see each other!"

Naruto laughed as she headed off, blowing him a kiss on her fore an middle fingers. He looked down at Zenko and Yako, who looked back up at him.

"Looks like it's just the three of us!" he said, walking to his apartment. Zenko and Yako both followed him quietly, looking forward to sleeping on a nice comfortable carpet.

Naruto unlocked his front door, the two foxes padding in ahead of him. He closed the door and walked into his room, before taking off his jacket and discarding it, the thing was beyond repair. He then opened his wardrobe, revealing there to be several new jackets, identical to the one he'd just thrown away, minus burn marks and holes. He grabbed one and closed the doors, holding it up to the window so he could see it in the pale light. He grinned, before pulling out a kunai and adding the finishing touches, he cut off the sleeves. He then hung the jacket on the door handle, before falling onto his bed, looking up at the ceiling.

Now that he lay in silence, his thoughts returned to a previous night, of which his memories were hazy. The last thing he could recall was leaving the group… and then stumbling back in later. But there was something new. A voice in his head that was alien to him. It had sought him out in times of silence, now being no exception.

"Let me ask you something. When you look at your friends, do you see people who will stand by your side forever? Or do you see them as something to maintain some shred of humanity as you seek out your goals?"

That was the question that it always started with. And Naruto's answer was always the same. It was definitely the former. No amount of miles could really make him feel distant to his friends.

"You shouldn't look at me like that. You and I are the same after all. We both seek revenge against the person who has brought us nothing but darkness. It's just a pity that I am the one to cause the darkness in your heart."

Those words got to him. The darkness in his heart? He didn't think he had any. Hadn't he spent so much time fighting to break the darkness within others?

"And so because of this, I can truly understand your hatred. For just as I hate the Senju, you hate myself, and both of us wish death upon our hated people."

That was where Madara was wrong. Naruto hated to admit it, but it looked like he had somehow encountered Madara, yet failed to do anything about it. There was no doubt that it had been him, yet little to no proof.

"I wonder, would you allow me to indulge in my hatred for a while longer? To exact my revenge first, so that we both may rest in peace?"

Never. There was no way Naruto could allow that. Madara intended to kill an entire clan, people who personally had wronged him in no way, being slaughtered simply for affiliation. It was unthinkable.

"I see… your eyes tell me everything. Well, it is no matter. For you are in fact, the main instrument of my revenge. How does that make you feel? The longer you seek to kill me, the more useful you become in the process. Wouldn't it be better to just stop and let everything slide into place?"

Naruto couldn't help but smile at these words. Madara was asking him to stop what he was doing. That only strengthened his resolve, making him even more determined to see this through.

"So you aren't going to stop. Very well. It is fortunate for you that I require you to grow some more, so I will return you to that place. However, I do have one request."

This was the point where Madara's words rung in his ears, his smile fading from his lips.

"Keep Sakura close."

* * * * *

Sasuke glanced in through Naruto's window that afternoon. It was open, and the place was empty. It looked like Naruto had allowed Zenko and Yako to leave the house on their own, or had them join him wherever he had gone to. Whichever the reason, it didn't really matter. He just needed to find Naruto, so he set about looking.

It was actually incredibly easy, considering the size of Konoha. Sasuke had barely made it to the stairs when he spotted something off to the distance. On the hills at the edge of a village, he could see a tiny pink dot. And where there was pink, there was probably yellow.

Not feeling like walking the streets, Sasuke jumped onto the next roof, running across them. To be honest, Sasuke had grown rather fond of running. He found it always made his path shorter, that his final objective became closer. This was no exception as, in barely a minute, he reached the edge of town, dropping down onto the road.

In contrast, he took his time walking up the grassy hill. He had found them after all, there was no sense in surprising them with running.

"Hey." Sasuke called, as Sakura came into sight, "Where's the idiot?"

Sasuke raised his brow. Sakura was sitting back, her hair falling to the ground. She was looking fairly serene right now, except for one peculiarity.

She had four legs.

Then, as if to add to the strangeness, a hand appeared from the curtain of hair, giving a two fingered salute.

"Yo." Naruto's voice called out. Sasuke frowned, walking around to Sakura's left.

As it turned out, Sakura wasn't sitting on the hill. She was sitting on Naruto, who was lying face down on the ground, appearing to be taking a nap. Sasuke's brow rose at the sight.

"D'you think one of these days you two could just do something normal?" he asked, sighing.

"Why?" Sakura countered, "Normal's boring!"

"Hell yeah!" Naruto chimed in, "You looking for me?"

"Yeah." Sasuke replied, his expression returning to normal, "I just got my mission."

"What is it?" Sakura asked, tilting her head to look at Sasuke.

"Another one of Orochimaru's hideouts has been discovered." Sasuke replied, "It's fairly new, but it doesn't look like anyone's working there. Tsunade-sama ordered me to check it out."

Naruto looked up at Sasuke, his elbows supporting him.

"You think it's that place you mentioned?" he asked.

"What place?" Sakura asked, looking between the two. Sasuke nodded grimly, "Hey! What place? I swear to god, if you guys are keeping me out of the loop, I'll kick both your asses!"

"It's fine Sakura." Sasuke replied, "Orochimaru's been leaving all his old experiments, and is working on something new. We think he may be building something for Madara."

"No way!" Sakura breathed, before thumping Naruto on the head, "Don't keep things like that from me!"

"Ow! Sorry!" Naruto cried, putting his hands in the air for surrender. Sakura then looked up at Sasuke, a questioning look on her face.

"Hey, what happened with you and Tenten?" she asked, curiously.

"What do you mean? She got what she wanted and left." Sasuke replied, shrugging. Sakura's expression dropped. Maybe she'd misjudged the situation.

"Or maybe I just misjudged Tenten." she thought, suddenly seeing the girl in a whole other light. She could teach Ino a thing or two.

"Any way, I leave immediately." Sasuke said, turning away, "I'll let you know of anything I find out."

"Sure thing Sask!" Naruto said, waving as Sasuke walked away. Sakura moved off Naruto, standing on her hands and knees.

"Tell me before you tell Naruto!" she called out, before looking back and sticking her tongue out at the boy in question, who laughed. He then reached out and grabbed her from behind, Sakura squealed before giggling. He pulled her on top of him, her back on his chest, the two of them looking up at the sky. Behind them, in the trees, Zenko and Yako were running around and sniffing everything, and marking everything as well. Sakura smiled, thinking back to words Naruto once spoke to her.

"Hey Naruto?" she said, "You remember your promise?"

Naruto was silent. Sakura started to turn her head, wondering if he was still awake..

"Which one?" Naruto asked, he had made many. Sakura couldn't help but giggle.

"You know!" she replied, nudging him in the ribs, "After all this is over."

"Oh… what about it?" Naruto asked.

"What do you mean what about it?!" Sakura exclaimed, turning around so she could see him, "What did you mean when you said that?"

Naruto stared up at her, his expression serious. She wanted to know how he felt? He knew the answer very clearly. But…

"Keep Sakura close."

Those words rang very clearly in his ears. Why had Madara said that? Did he want something from Sakura? Why? What could she possibly give to him? Was Naruto endangering her by being like this?

"Then… should I push her away?" he thought. Just those words in his mind was unbearable, actually doing it seemed impossible. But… if it meant Sakura was safe from him

Naruto blinked, realising Sakura was still looking at him. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Sakura smiled at him.

"Just teasing!" she said, turning back around. Naruto stared at the back of her head. She was teasing him? Why would she joke about something like that?

It didn't really matter though, the worries were still clear in his mind. In order to protect Sakura, would he have to give her up? Could he give her up?

If only he could see her face right now, to see her hurt expression.

"What would Sakura say if I did something like that?" he thought, before smirking, "She'd call me on it right away. And then…"

Naruto let out a sigh. Of course. She'd ask him to have faith in her. He almost laughed.

"I'm so stupid!" he thought, "What am I worrying about? Me and Sakura, no one's stronger than us. Whatever you're planning, we'll stop it, and end you. You don't stand a chance."

He felt himself getting pumped at the thought, but now wasn't the time. His eyes settled on Sakura once more, as he thought about her question. She wasn't teasing, he realised that now. She wasn't waiting for an answer anymore, he'd probably scared her with his silence.

"Hey Sakura." he said, before reaching up and moving her hair out of the way. He lifted his head, so his mouth was near her ear, and whispered something.

Sakura's eyes widened, and her mouth opened to a silent gasp. Naruto lowered his hand, smiling at the back of her head. She slowly rolled over, until she was lying beside him, her stunned eyes meeting his shining ones. She moved a strand of hair out of her eyes, her expression unchanging.

"Really?" she asked, her voice but a breath. Naruto's smile turned to a smirk, for just a second. He placed his hand on her cheek, feeling her soft, warm skin against his. He gave her a small nod, and her eyes widened further.

"Yeah." he said. Sakura didn't hesitate. She moved in close, kissing Naruto firmly. Naruto returned the kiss, holding the back of Sakura's head in his hands. But when he felt something wet, he raised his brow.

"This is new." he thought, smiling.

* * * * *

Sakura pulled away, her cheeks red and a shy look on her face. It was just like three years ago, she seemed just as delicate as she did back then. When it ended, Naruto opened his eyes. He was feeling a little disoriented, that sensation had been so strange, both exciting, yet soothing. He couldn't help but wonder if Sakura was feeling the same thing he was, the look on her face suggested her experience was more exciting than soothing. That made Naruto curious, did that mean the effects were dependant on performance? Naruto was tempted to try out that theory. However, something was telling him he was just making excuses.

"Man, I think I understand Ero-Sennin a little better." he thought, before he mentally hit himself, "Gah! Why am I thinking of him at a time like this?!"

The reality check however made him realise something. The day was a very different colour now. The sun was setting, a strong orange light casting across the sky.

"How long were we…?" Naruto asked, letting his question trail off.

"Does it matter?" Sakura countered, her voice bringing Naruto's attention back to her. She still looked shy, maybe even a little scared.

"What's with the look?" he asked, stroking her cheek lightly. Sakura smiled weakly, but didn't look reassured.

"I… I need to tell you something." she said, worriedly, "I've been having a bad feeling lately, but I can't understand it."

"Is it the Kyubi's chakra?" Naruto asked, thinking that something had changed.

"Well… maybe…" she replied, "I never told you this, but the chakra did something else… I've met the Kyubi."

Naruto stared at Sakura silently, his lips parted.

"After… that happened… when I was resting… I saw the battle between the Yondaime and the Kyubi."

Naruto's eyes widened. How was that possible? Naruto could only see that when the Kyubi allowed him, how could Sakura have just stumbled across it?

"And… there was someone else."

Naruto's stare became more intense. He searched Sakura's eyes, wondering if maybe he was imagining all this, that could happen, right?

"It is true. Sakura and I have met."

Naruto swallowed, his throat suddenly feeling dry. Was it a coincidence that this was being brought up now, right after Naruto actually encountering Madara?

"…That was him." Naruto finally said, "Uchiha Madara."

Sakura let out a small gasp. Although the Kyubi had told her the same, it meant more when it came from Naruto. She moved in close, welcoming Naruto's embrace.

"I didn't really think about it." Sakura said, "The Kyubi said it was just his memories taking form. So I just put it aside. But… lately I've been thinking about it again, and every time I do, my memories seem to change."

Naruto tensed at these words. He knew very well that dreams never became clearer over time, only more obscure. Now he was feeling even more certain that this was no coincidence. Had Madara gotten to Sakura as well? Or…

"What if it's my fault?" he thought, "If Gaara was affected by my being close, could Sakura be affected in a similar way?"

He shook his head, that made no sense at all. Sakura looked up at him questioningly.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, looking down at Sakura. She lowered her head, her face pressed into his chest.

"The first time it happened, he said something to me." she replied, her voice muffled slightly by Naruto's jacket, "He said, 'Now, let's watch.'. But… each time I think it over, I become more and more sure that he said something else."

"What was it?"

Sakura looked up at him, the fear and worry now fully on her face.

"'Become his other.'" she said.

Naruto looked ahead, breaking eye contact. So it was true. Madara definitely had intentions involving Sakura. He held her tighter, as if afraid she would be taken away from him.

Sakura watched him for a few seconds longer, before pressing her cheek against his chest. He wasn't as energetic as he usually was when Madara's name was mentioned, but she could still feel his confidence, and it made her feel safer.

"We can't afford to wait any longer." Naruto said, "Whatever Madara's planning, he's getting confident. We have to find him as soon as possible and put a stop to all this."

Sakura nodded slowly, before closing her eyes.

"I was wondering when you were going to say that." she replied, "So what do we do?"

"Whatever Sasuke finds, it'll give us answers." Naruto said, "But for now, let's do what we can to get stronger. Madara, Orochimaru and anyone else. Sasuke can handle Orochimaru, but I might need your help against Madara."

"I never thought you'd say something like that." Sakura smiled. Naruto rested his chin on her head, smiling to himself.

"By your side." he said, "That's my promise."

Sakura smiled as well.

"Mine too." she replied.

* * * * *

Sasuke was already well on his way, heading for the coordinates Tsunade had given him. He had been running since he left the village, but it would still take a few days to arrive at the destination. Considering the situation, he had prepared carefully. After all, he could encounter either Orochimaru, or Madara himself. In either case, he was faced with a challenge. A test, to supress his hatred. One, against the man who tried to kill him, but only to hurt another person. Sasuke refused to be looked own upon in that way. But the other…

"Everything is because of you." Sasuke thought, "You created the mistrust between the Uchiha and the rest of Konoha. You killed the Yondaime Hokage all those years ago. And you are the one behind the Uchiha massacre. If I find you, then just one more time… I may succumb to that hatred."

Sasuke leapt off the ground and up to the trees, deciding to get off the path. He landed on each branch silently, the sleeping forest giving him free reign over his thoughts.

"Itachi… what would you do, if you were in my place? Would you allow the hatred to take over as well? Or would you find another way?"

Sasuke suddenly came to a stop as a figure appeared before him. That person's black cloak billowed in the wind, the red clouds looking almost like they were really moving. The figure stared at Sasuke, with only one visible Sharingan eye. Sasuke's eyes widened in shock.

"You…" he breathed.

"I have something for you, Sasuke."

* * * * *

"How very boring it is in here." Orochimaru muttered, idly checking over a file. He sat in a throne like chair, inside a large dark room, the only source of light coming from the candles behind him. He knew it was probably ill advised to read under such poor conditions, but he had no reason to feel concern for such a thing. These weak eyes of his would soon be made obsolete, after all.

"There is still much work to be done." said another, "There is no time for boredom."

Orochimaru dropped the file, allowing it to fall to the floor. The file bored him, but not nearly so much as the company.

"It never ceases to surprise me just how different you are from how I always imagined you to be." he said honestly, "Moreover, shouldn't you be in Konoha? I can't imagine it is very easy to spy on the council without physically being there."

"You know very well that distance is no issue to me." the other replied, "To the point, has our captive been placed in that?"

"Of course she has." Orochimaru replied, smiling to himself, "I imagine she'll be regaining conciousness any moment now."

A faint scream confirmed this, ringing out through the halls of the building. But it soon faded away, leaving silence to take command once more. Orochimaru's smile widened, and the figure turned around, an annoyed look on his face.

"Disgusting." he said, as he left the room.

"I wouldn't say that." Orochimaru muttered, "I rather like it, Kukuku."