2 weeks later, (no one's pov):
Sasuke one by one learned the akatsuki's members. Their names, their stats, not yet their weaknesses. It was only one akatsuki member who he yet could not figure out was menma. He was like an unsolvable mystery and Sasuke kind of liked it. He practically ignored him every time he tried to interact with him (ironic) and Sasuke had no idea why. He had been assigned to a three-man group with menma and Tobi, Tobi was nothing less than annoying. He reminded Sasuke a bit of naruto and it pissed him off. They had been going around capturing the tailed beast and murdering their jinchuriki. Sasuke and Itachi started building up their bonds once again.
Naruto on the other hand was happy Sasuke had no idea who he was. Before Sasuke had woken up he told all the Akatsuki members to call him menma and not to speak of him being the nine tails jinchuriki. Sasuke only pissed him off now. He is reunited with Itachi and all of a sudden he wants to take on the hidden leaf? He thought Sasuke needed to stop being an indecisive little bastard and make up his fucking mind.
"We have captured the 7 tails, now we need the 4 tails the 5 tails the 6 tails, 2 tails, 8 tails, and 1 tail." pein announced. "Menma, Sasuke, and Tobi go and capture the 1 tails. Deidara, Hidan and kakazu go and get 2 tails. Itachi, Sasori, Kisame go get 4 tails. We will extract 1 tail and 2 tails at the same time. Then we will do 4 tails"
Everyone scattered to collect the tailed beast they were assigned to.
"Say menma, the one tail's jinchuriki is Gaara of the sand right?" Tobi ran across the trees side-by-side with naruto, a great big smile on his face.
"Correct" menma replied back, the same smile on his face.
"Dont you know Gaara? Are you really okay will killing an old friend"
"Well no not really, but if it gets me closer to destroying the leaf I'm doing everything I can to help the akatsuki" "Gaara would understand. If he was a true friend he would understand his tailed beast is needed for pein."
"Earlier, when pein announced all the tailed beasts we needed, he never mentioned the nine tails. Does that mean you already have him?" Sasuke caught up to the two to talk to menma. Only to be ignored by him.
"Uh yep! We got the nine tails a long time ago!" Tobi replied happily "Tobi thinks it was a bit of a challenge, Naruto uzumaki was a tough opponent. But in the end, his fight was for not"
Thank you, Tobi… Naruto was so happy to have a friend like Tobi, he always helped him in the weirdest situation, like when he had to explain to deidara that he was able to get pregnant because of the kyuubi/kurama. It was a weird conversation and deidara was just amazed that a male was able to give birth.
"I see...:" so naruto is dead then...why does it hurt knowing this? Naruto was never my friend so I dont care..right?
"No matter, it will be ok in the end, it doesn't matter who dies" "just keep your head up and smile! That's Tobi's motto" Tobi stopped and started dancing.
"Thank you, Tobi." Sasuke looked ahead straight at menma who was now ahead of both of them. I'm the last survivor of team 7. Excluding Kakashi of course since he's the team leader
"Wait one-second guys, I gotta take a leak!" Tobi ran somewhere.
"So.. what's your problem?" Sasuke turned to naruto who had taken the liberty to stretch for any upcoming fights.
"My what?" naruto rolled his eyes (but Sasuke couldn't see it, y'know cause of the mask?)
"Your problem, you act like you hate me...I've never gotten more than 16 words out of you. Well, 18 now" "and what's with the hair? You went from black to blonde"
Naruto/menma's pov:
What the hell was up with this bastard?! Since when was he interested in anything but gaining power?!
"You counted-?" I looked in his direction hoping Tobi would be back soon to break whatever the hell this was.
"Of course I did dobe" dobe?! Oh so he's getting rude now
"Whatever" I just leaned against a tree.
"Whatever?" Sasuke inched closer to me until both his hands were firmly on the sides of my head not allowing me to move. "You know I haven't seen your face either….and you never did answer my question" Sasuke moved his mouth to my ear. "Why don't you like me Menma ? You seem to like my older brother~" he started chuckling softly
"W-why you bastard!" I sent a strong kick to his chest, throwing him back "y-you stay away from me!" I swear if I took my mask off, I would be the color of Gaara's hair- maybe darker. How could he just get that close to me?!
"Ow!" Sasuke bent over to hold his now aching chest.
"Tobi is back now guys- oh no what happened to Sasuke?" Tobi panicked while I just continued running ahead of them.
No one's pov:
"Hey, Sasuke?" Tobi was looking at Sasuke confused.
"Yeah?" Sasuke stood up and continued running.
"There's a lump in your pants"
In suna, (Sasuke's pov:)
We are currently waiting for the kazekage to return, apparently, it's Gaara now. Tobi went up to the kazekage's office to listen in on his whereabouts and he said Gaara would return the next week.
"Tobi thinks we should find an inn until the one tail's jinchuriki returns" Tobi had just finished feeding a stray dog that had approached us.
"That's a great idea, then we can figure out a battle plan, I will look for one nearby. You two stay here-" menma was about to jump off but I wanted some more alone time with him. Going with him would be nice to get some information out of him.
"May I come along?" Menma looked at me and was immediately about to say no before I spoke again. "I've been here a lot, I know where the hotels are and I assume you dont"
"Well- no I dont but if you do then you could just go find one for us" Menma let his slender hands fall to his sides. "Besides, if we both go then Tobi will be alone he might get attacked"
"Tobi can handle himself!" Tobi cheerfully said, doing a little jig with his words.
"Great then, let's go menma" I grab his arm before he can say no and drag him towards suna's town.
"HEY! You bastard let me go!"
"Stop making such a commotion uzumaki" I let his hand go and continued to walk around the town.
"Bastard." menma rolled his eyes and began looking around for open hotel rooms.
I refuse to sleep in any low-down place, regardless of the price. I'm an uchiha, money isn't an issue for me. Suna seemed calmer than I expected...considering how Gaara is I kinda imagined this place filled with crazy maniacs…
I still wanted menma to interact more with me, so I went as far as forcefully dragging him with me. It seemed out-of-character for me since I never really showed interest in anyone. Even all the females that came onto me in konaha none of them showed what I was looking for. Not that I knew what I was looking for, to be honest. Menma was just different he didn't acknowledge me at all and he just ignores me as if he personally knows me. I hated it, you should never ignore an uchiha.
"You still never answered my question-" before I finished menma had disappeared into thin air.
I looked around trying to find him and I spotted him inside a decent-looking hotel, registering what I assumed to be separate rooms for us. That wouldn't work, I want to be in the same room with- wait a damn minute...why am I even concerned with this? I'm starting to sound like I'm in love with the idiot. Whatever he could get separate rooms, it didn't matter.
Later, at night time (no one's pov)
Sasuke, Tobi, and Naruto were all in the same room (naruto's room to be precise) discussing plans for when Gaara comes back "we already know that as soon as konoha is informed of the kazekage's disappearance they will send shinobi to try and retrieve him back, so I placed a shadow clone in the Akatsuki base so I could use my teleportation jutsu to go back at any time. I will also take you two along with, as well as Gaara's body" naruto placed his finished ramen bowel down, finishing it rather slowly so Sasuke wouldn't suspect anything
"Mhm mhm! Tobi understands" Tobi was fiddling with one of naruto's many many fox plushies "Tobi will never understand why menma has so many fox plushies" Tobi laughed at threw one at Sasuke, which he immediately caught
"a nine-tailed fox plushie? Since when do they create these" Sasuke examined the one Tobi thew at him utterly confused.
"They dont, but I do" Naruto snatched it away from him, him being in his pajamas but still having his 'ANBU' mask on…
"I hope he doesn't sleep with that thing on" Sasuke declared in his thoughts
"You do? I'm assuming you like foxes then...my little kitsune" Sasuke slyly scooted closer to naruto.
"ooOoOoo Menma and Sasuke sittin' in a tree k-i-s-s- OwW' Naruto slapped Tobi in the back of his head to shut him up.
"Dont ever call me 'yours' Sasuke uchiha, I'm not owned by anyone" Naruto hit him with the plushie then walked to the bathroom.
Sasuke just sat there, surprised and amazed "TTobi thinks Sasuke likes Menma~!" Tobi giggled more.
"What? No i don't." "Im not gay" Sasuke rolled his eyes, standing up and getting ready to leave since obviously Menmaaaaa" Tobi giggled and pointed at Sasuke.
"Tch." Sasuke stood up and left the room. Tobi was always weird, like some sort of child. He and menma seemed to get along though..something that Sasuke couldn't accomplish.