Scarecrow

Summary: Not even the strongest ones have been able to look at her without screaming. Or, if they could have chosen a way to die, it wouldn't have been dismembered by claws. AU.

Characters: Kakashi Hatake, Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno.

Rated: M

Warnings: Rated M for swearing, semi-graphic descriptions of violence, and dark themes.

This is an original story idea I had that I decided to transform into fanfic for this fandom. Because some things were originally planned for OCS, some characters could be OOC for moments, but I assure you, I tried my best to keep them in character, and to an extent, I believed I managed.

Succumbed

Listen, listen to our whispers, for our prayers went unanswered.

Take them and use them wisely, you have been warned.

Hush, hush, haven't you heard? Those are wings moving.

Hush, hush, didn't you know? Beware of the crow calling.

Run, run, and better you hide,

here she comes, here she comes,

And she's starving.

Against all odds, he still has strength enough to bite the gag that imprisons his dried screams and feels his molars broke with the pressure. The metal scrapes his lips and cuts his skin but the pain isn't nearly as strong as the one he feels in his chest, his arms and legs shake with the force of his agony. He curses his father and cries for his mother for spawning him and condemn the world with his presence. The wire bites his skin. She screams and cries and tears him apart, his flesh feels like butter under her claws. He wants to destroy her for he hates her in equal measure as he pities her, and so he begs her to kill him, to end him once and for all, but the gag swallows his plea.

He doesn't pass out so he notices when he dies.

Not a month went by without a sacrifice, willing or not, young or old, weak or strong. They laid them down on a bed made of stone that was never washed and remained tinted with the blood of their predecessors, leather cords discarded at each corner of the bed, ready to tie them down if they shall resist fate. The process used to be slow and tragic, relatives and friends mourning the death sentence of their loved ones until they were forced to leave, shouting their despair and insults to the cold wind that later on melted under the weight of the screams of those devoured.

Now, after centuries of unjust tributes, tears, and screams, people were left with nothing but dry eyes, sore throats, crushed hopes, and the memory of brave men that disappeared in the distance promising to return things as they were, only to never be seen again.

Creatures of the night breathed outside the doors of miserable houses engulfed by the darkness of a night barely interrupted by the moonlight, they carried the silent guarantee of painful death to those who tried to venture into the forest in search of freedom. The days were gray and cold.

Old generations were disappearing by the pass of time and its tail of mort, the tales they once pronounced and sang almost buried with them, remembrances of colorful days and laughs dissipating in the ghostly winds surrounding their graves. New generations were born whose eyes never saw the sun or felt the warmth of it on their skin. It was a tragedy, really, but the new generations couldn't miss what they never saw.

Dirt roads used to connect the once occupied and happy town that some people used to call home, but the constant rain and humidity prevented the earth from being anything other than mud. To walk around during the day was a tedious, exhausting task, having to jump particularly deep pools of mud that had been created after years, to escape during the nights, impossible. What used to be carriages created in the name of progress laid now as skeletons of iron, their wood used in search of heat. Houses of old peeling paint and exposed bricks were used as shelter by the fortunate few that remained. Covered-in-mold stone columns could be seen scattered, old, brown-colored blood-splattered among the materials that the rain had not managed to wash, animals and flies licking the remains. Every building was surrounded by the smell of putrefaction and death.

Konoha had succumbed.

He had become so good at walking on his tiptoes after years of practice and too many ear pulls to count that he always felt a pressure on his chest that he can only describe as pride, the floor barely squeaking under his feet. Sneaking out has been a part of his life since he could remember, the night and darkness becoming his best allies and worst enemies on his mischievous adventures. He took the handle of the door and felt the cold metal on his palm, pushing it down slowly to reach freedom.

"Stop that!"

He screamed. A short, high-pitched scream forced his voice to crack as realization poured down on him and, when it did, a cold sensation ran from his toes to the nape of his neck, sweating despite the cold. "I'm not doing -" he stammered.

"Don't you dare finish that lie, Naruto!" Kushina's eyes were narrowed, her hands went to her hips. She was so pale Naruto thought she could be invisible against a cloudy sky if it wasn't for her bright, crimson hair.

Grunting, Naruto tossed his barely fitting cape on his shoulder and crossed his arms with a pout. "I wasn't going to lie," he squinted, "and what are you doing up this early?"

"What?" She said, walking threateningly towards him, her tone of voice low and dangerous.

The white faint air that came out of her mouth as if strings of her own soul hit his face, the cold made him shiver, "n- nothing, sorry mom."

But oh, she didn't look anywhere near to accept his apologies. "Oh, you will be." Naruto gulped, preparing himself for the screams that were about to come, but Kushina just parted her lips and closed them, not uttering a word. "Please just stop." She breathed, her hair falling towards her face. "This is not a game."

Naruto's jaw touched his sternum in shame and exhaustion while his fingers reached up to pinch his nose. He leaned back on the door -a short thumb sound was made as a response to his weight, something behind it scratched the door and Naruto slowly stood straight again-. "Mom," he whispered once the scratching subdued.

"You can get killed," Kushina hissed and glanced at the door, pausing momentarily to see if her words had awoken the beast once more, "why are you doing this? Do you know how many things are out there ready to kill you?" She asked him, her eyes opened widely, her tone harsher, louder. The scratching returned.

"Mom, shh, they're going to hear you." He whispered, pointing at the second floor of the house.

"Let them," she hissed again, "let them know what a thoughtless son I have."

"Mom..."

"You COULD DIE!" She screamed, finally, her hand resting on her chest, a bark and a loud hit on the door accompanied her next scream, "YOU COULD DIE!" The beast scratched, barked, howled, if they kept tempting it with their presence, soon the herd will be at their doorstep. Death will be next.

There was a pause in his breathing at seeing her tears, the first thought that crossed his mind was that she should not be wasting moisture on him, the second one was even more painful than the first. His tongue dropped heavily against his palate, heart lost and shattered. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice not cracking under the sheer force of his will.

"Promise me you'll never, ever, go outside again."

He opened his mouth and shook his head but no words came out, he wanted to promise her, he wanted to reassure her, but a person can't lie when they wear their hearts on their sleeve, visible for the world to see, judge, and break. He was ready for the screaming, he was ready for the glares and the hisses but not for the sadness.

"Naruto-"

"I can't." Kushina pursed her lips, her pale skin almost shining against the darkness that surrounded her, Naruto usually forgets how beautiful his mother used to be. She didn't speak, she didn't move, all Naruto could hear was her breathing, erratic and shallow, the shouting had taken much of her. He wished for her to punch him in her old usual manner, but it has been long since she managed to hold herself enough to follow him, far more for her to smile. She was a ghost of her past self. He swallowed. "We need to eat."

"We have food." She whispered.

"It's not enough." He shook his head, "you need more than that."

Kushina bit her lips, "I do not. You don't get to decide what I need." She narrowed her eyes. "Much less if that's going to get you killed."

"Mom-"

"No. This is not up for discussion. You're my son. You're my son, and I'm not asking, I'm telling you. This thing you do," she pointed at the door, "it stops. Tonight."

"Sas-"

"Sasuke needs you? Is that what you were about to say?" She moved towards him and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "He doesn't. He's your friend, I know. But I'm not gonna let you risk your life for whatever the hell you do with him."

"I'm not doing anyth-"

"Enough-" She gritted her teeth when she coughed, a dark, warm liquid covered Naruto's chin. Kushina began to tremble as her hand tightened around the collar of his shirt, her chest moving frantically, begging for air. Naruto grabbed her by the shoulders, trying to control her tremors, babbling incongruities in a desperate attempt to help, his eyes watered at the image of the most powerful woman he had ever known becoming such a fragile creature.

"Let's go, you need to rest." He whispered, walking her towards the stairs, trying to guide her to her bedroom.

"N-" she gagged. "Promise me."

Naruto bit his lip and tightened his grip on his mother, they walked slow, Kushina almost dragging her feet, until they reached the bottom of the stairs. "Let me," he breathed and Kushina nodded once to comply. He picked her up and felt her weight loss on his arms. He almost trembles at the sensation.

At some point, Kushina fell asleep, so she didn't notice when he left her on her bed and walked out of the room, almost colliding with one of his best friends and one of the few people his age. She was biting her lip and was barefoot, her long, pinkish hair down, her eyes barely open. Sakura stood there in silence, watching him without speaking, her hands grabbing forcefully the cloth of her nightgown. "I know." He said before she could chastise him.

Sakura sighed. "Is not like I can say something to you or Sasuke-Kun to dissuade you." She glanced at the room where Kushina rested. "She shouldn't be moving like that."

Naruto grunted. "Save it. I know what you're trying to say, is my fault that my mom is in that state, isn't it? She pushed herself out of bed when she should be resting to stop me, right?"

In all Sakura's fashion, her face hardened, "I don't want to fight with you. But I'm not going to lie either. What you and Sasuke-Kun are doing is stupid."

"It's necessary."

Sakura opened her mouth to retort, but she just bared her teeth, making her look feral, and closed it almost immediately. "Not at the cost of both of your lives." She managed to grasp out of her fury, her knuckles white from the force with which she closed her fists.

"We have been doing this for years," Naruto started to walk towards the stairs again, "and we haven't died yet."

"Yet." Sakura followed him, grabbing him by the arm. "It was stupid then and it's still stupid now. Naruto, please."

"Sakura-" Naruto imitated her worried tone, "stop worrying. We're good at what we do."

"You are lucky," she argued, "and luck runs out eventually. Please, you and Sasuke should know better…"

"We do!" He hissed in the same manner Kushina did, it was difficult to shake his roots. "Sakura, if we don't do this our food will eventually run out. We can live by asking Inoichi for some of his edible plants. He would have to plant more eventually and who knows how long will take for them to grow." He gently pushed her away from him. "Besides, it's really not that dangerous."

"Oh please", she slapped his arm, "don't give me that crap. I'm a fucking medic-"

"Almost-"

"Almost a fucking medic," she conceded, her eyes shining with shame and sadness, "I know what those things can do. I have seen the wounds."

Naruto swallowed, knowing which wounds she spoke of, he had seen some of them during his childhood when victims of hungry beasts were brought to his doorstep, it became too much for him to bear, so he stopped getting the door altogether. "They're dangerous if they attack in packs." He shrugged, purposefully leaving aside that they, indeed, hunt in packs. "But we're two, and we're smarter than a bunch of dogs…"

Sakura narrowed her eyes, her sadness seemed to dissipate at his words, loathing taking hold of her every feature, "you and I know perfectly that the wolves aren't the ones you should be worried about."

She had to go there, in the deepest part of his mind he knew that the only way to make him understand her worry was to rely on his deepest fear, and yet, Naruto resented her and, after a pause to collect his thoughts, he spoke. "While you force me to stay here while trying to make your point, Sasuke is out there waiting for me. He's exposed, alone, and if I know him as I think I do, then he won't be waiting much longer. Why are you still trying to keep me, then? Aren't you worried about what he might do?"

At that, Sakura's lower lip trembled, the moment of shock that assaulted her at his words evolved towards the expected grieve Naruto knew his momentum would provoke. He now felt guilty, but also deliciously victorious. "I'm doing this for him," she sobbed, a few tears drawing patterns on her dirty cheeks, "you're being so cruel." She added, and Naruto looked at the floor.

The sweet taste of victory suddenly turned bitter, watching her whimper her love for Sasuke always destroyed him in an unexpected and warm manner: Sasuke deserved the world, and in Naruto's eyes, that was Sakura. "I'm sorry," he whispered, and put a hand on her shoulder, she moved back to escape his touch, and he dropped his trembling hand.

"What will be next?" She asked, wiping her tears. "You know this won't be it. You do! Sasuke-kun will not stop. He will go deeper and deeper, hunting for him is just an exercise, a preparation. You know what his goal is!" She cried out, and Naruto breathed for her to keep it down, his mother was now asleep, as the rest of the occupants of the house, any more noise and the creatures will come back. "You need to convince him, Naruto I beg you, stop this nonsense. Don't comply with his every whim, keep him safe."

Naruto bit with his molars and shook his head, "safe?" he barked a laugh and brought a hand to his mouth to prevent the sound from reaching unwelcomed ears, "how on earth are we going to be safe with that thing coming here monthly? Do you honestly think -Sakura..."

"No. You. Shut up. Don't treat me like I'm stupid, or -or... like I don't understand." She walked towards him, the pattern her tears made on her cheeks visible under the moonlight, "I… I know what he wants to do, alright? I… I know he wants to… but he can't, alright? He can't do it because if he does it then he's going to die and if he dies then I'll die and-"

"Sakura, please." Naruto pleaded, to think Sasuke's death was too much for his heart to handle today, to add Sakura's demise might as well be the end of him. To imagine their pale skin painted with blood, pink and black hair tangled in the infinite void...

But she wasn't done with her speech, "and you would be stupid enough to go with him if you can't talk him out of it, won't you? Because that's why you are doing this, god if I know your reasons..." She grabbed him by his shirt. "And I can't. I won't let you, if Sasuke-Kun…"

Naruto, taking advantage of her closeness, raised a hand and, softly, laid it on her mouth, Sakura's eyes widened with shock, Naruto pressed his fingers a little bit harder, without hurting her. Sakura glanced up at his face, and her expression softened, "Sasuke needs me." He whispered and kissed her forehead.

When his hand fell off her mouth on his retreat, she replied "why would he take you and not me?" she was crying again, whimpering. "He won't allow me to speak about this…"

Naruto did not know what to reply to her, he just sighed, "you know Sasuke," he lied, "he probably doesn't want you to worry."

Adrenaline and blood pulsing through his ears. Pain in his chest and frantic breathing. Erratic beats and a dry throat. Contained screams of fear and anger. Barks and paws against the mud in persecution.

"Breathe through the nose!" The command came from somewhere above him, Naruto barely had time to glance at one of the roofs when he felt the sharp edge on his back. He turned quickly, almost falling and breaking his ankle, and sprinted in the opposite direction. "What are you- oh for fuck's sake!"

Despite the situation he was in and the sweat that glued his clothes to his skin, Naruto smirked at the reaction, the noise of steps and jumps following him from above, changing directions and speed alongside him. "Shoot!" He cried, his chest heavy.

"Stop turning your direction!"

"Shoot!"

"Say please!"

Naruto felt the scream in his lungs and didn't repress it, there was no need for it when the beasts were already behind him. Tears and sweat mixed on his skin, he took a mouthful of air and let out a waterfall of insults, they lingered in the atmosphere of the cold night. A faint whistle came from the air and brushed his ear, missing it just slightly, the beast behind him moaned in brief agony before falling to the floor. Silence followed its demise. Naruto did not stop for a few more steps until he was sure no other wolf was behind him, and then returned to where it lay.

"Clean shot." The husky voice re-appeared alongside the sound of his companion dropping from the roof.

Naruto tried to reply with a snarky remark, but the persecution had left him breathless, he was almost too drenched in sweat and had breathed through his mouth more than he should, his chest felt heavy, it hurt. He ran his hand forcefully across his face.

"You're welcome." Sasuke shrugged, finally reaching his side.

"You… you motherfucker," Naruto turned to punch him, but he just raised his fist in warning.

Sasuke's expressionless face did not waver, nothing on his features was moved by Naruto's rudeness. "Language." Was his sole reply, it irked Naruto.

"You almost killed me!" He shrieked.

"Don't exaggerate," Sasuke said nonchalantly, but the corner of his mouth went slightly upwards. "I didn't even scratch you. It isn't my fault that you run like a five-year-old."

"ExCUSE ME?!" He shouted.

"Stop screaming."

"Stop being an asshole! I will kick your ass-"

Sasuke tsiked, and gently pushed Naruto away from him with the tip of his fingers, later dusting his clothes as if Naruto's sole presence made them dirtier, "as much as I'd like to see you try, we need to get going, I don't want more of them coming because of your screaming."

"Oh please!" Naruto complained, but spoke quietly regardless, "if they come, then it would be because you shoot awfully, look at it! It's a bloody mess!" He said, pointing at the dead wolf a few steps away from them.

That got a reaction from Sasuke, who became just a little bit redder than normal. "My aim was perfect-" he hissed, "you could not make a shot like that even if your target is frozen in front of you."

"Oh please-" Naruto replied, watching Sasuke walk towards their prey. He followed him, falling in the same patron as other nights, and raised the animal by the front legs while Sasuke took the rear ones. They started to walk, Naruto being guided by Sasuke towards the abandoned home they now used as shelter to carry out the skinning.

They were forced to regularly change locations, it wasn't wise to keep using the same place after a period of time, the smell attracted animals on a regular basis, while also causing them awful fits of nausea. Naruto watched as Sasuke moved, his face was almost completely obscured by the lack of light, he had the better sight of the two, another thing for Naruto to admire and be jealous of. The cold's mouth closed around his neck and he hissed when it kissed his skin, the sweat on his body plastered his clothes to his frame and it made it difficult to tolerate the weather. In retaliation, he grabbed the wolf more forcefully to prevent its falling. His teeth chattered.

Sasuke looked at him through narrowed eyes, it made Naruto uncomfortable to be under his scrutiny. He tried to walk faster, but it was Sasuke (always, always Sasuke) who had the control. "What?" He asked, trying to look over his shoulder.

"Nothing," Sasuke replied calmly.

"Then stop looking."

"Hm," Sasuke made a noise with his throat, "wait."

"What?" Naruto stopped, his first instinct was to look for the kunai around his hip but the wolf on his hands and Sasuke's nonexistent expression stopped him. "What? Did you hear something?"

"I'm not sure." Sasuke blinked and looked around him. "I'll better check it out, you go ahead and start skinning this thing."

"What?" Naruto was annoyed but kept his voice under a whisper. "Why do I have to skin it?"

"Because I killed it." Sasuke looked at him once more, "that's the rule."

"But I was the bait!" He said more forcefully. "You should be the one doing it. I hate skinning, all the blood and the-"

"Look, do you really want to get into this right now?" Sasuke hissed, his face pink, he closed the distance between them -the only thing separating them was the body of the animal. He was taller than Naruto (everything about him screamed superiority, of course Sakura will choose him!), his white breath touched the skin of Naruto's forehead.

Naruto cracked his head to look at him with a retort ready but when he opened his mouth, nothing came out but air. The cold was biting his muscles now, he needed to move to wake them. He bit his upper lip and took the dead wolf from Sasuke's arms, who kept staring at him with his eyebrows slightly furrowed, and once he grabbed it completely, he huffed at the weight. "Asshole." He breathed out, watching Sasuke turn.

"Annoyance," Sasuke replied and walked off, his figure melting in the darkness.

The smell of wet fur and fresh blood hit his nostrils with full force and he repressed a gag while trying to breathe through his mouth. He failed on both accounts. Regaining his wits, he walked as fast as he could with all the extra weight and yelped at the sudden pain he felt on the ankle he almost broke during the persecution. He threw an insult to Sasuke towards the dark sky and kept walking, reaching his destination. The old house was barely standing and there was no door to close as to protect himself during his labor. Usually, reaching the attic where they performed the task wasn't particularly complicated since they shared the weight of the animal and there was no sore ankle but, to Naruto's dismay, climbing precarious and slippery stairs with a dead animal and a throbbing pain proved itself to be almost impossible.

But he was nothing but ambitious.

Reaching his destination was, and there was no other word to describe it, shameful. Luckily enough, Sasuke wasn't there to witness it -small miracles. Panting, he abandoned the dead weight on the floor and looked at the gray fur of it, his eyes just accustomed to the darkness. Its tongue hung out from its mouth and its face was relaxed like it died in its sleep and not trying to rip Naruto's throat. There was a small trail of blood coming from the hole of Sasuke's arrow. The fur around it absorbed the liquid, staining the original color. It was a rather small wolf too, it seemed, which was good considering Naruto had to carry it all alone, and also bad since it had many mouths to feed.

Luck had started to run out, as Sakura said, he thought, touching the lips he used to kiss her forehead. He ought to let her go.

It had been so long since they hunted a good prey, most wolves were aware of their presence and often recognized them before they could even get close to them by their smell. Disguising it with herbs was not enough. Every night, hunting proved itself to be more and more difficult, often escaping an imminent death by mere seconds or fragile luck (and luck runs out eventually!). They were forced to lower their hunting trips by twice a month, and even with that, the wolves were wary. Soon enough, they will have to lower them even more, maybe once every two months.

The squeaking sound of wood was every warning he got before Sasuke's head popped up from the trap door. "You didn't even start yet?"

"Ah! Sasuke!" He screamed, "don't scare me like that!"

"That's because you're not aware of your surroundings." Sasuke admonished him before kneeling in front of him, the wolf in between them.

"I was aware! Kind of…" He scratched his face, "it doesn't matter! You should announce yourself!"

"Announcing yourself could get you killed."

"Not announcing yourself could make me kill you! What if I threw a knife at you?!"

"Oh please, with your aim? I'm more worried about you stabbing yourself."

"Alright, alright, bring it on!" He said and tried to grab him by the collar of his cape.

"Hey! Hands off the cape!"

"Hinds iff thi cipi." Naruto mocked him.

"Stop it!" Sasuke tried to push him away by putting his hand on his face.

"Stip it."

"Let go!"

"Lit gi."

"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled and tried to push him more forcefully, trying to enter his leg in the mix. Then, they heard it, a low, deep, inhuman growl. They both pushed each other away and looked quickly at the wolf in the middle of the room, it was just as dead as it was before.

They looked at each other in silence.

"Do you think…"

"I don't know."

"Did the pack find us?"

"I don't know."

"But-"

"Shh, be quiet."

Naruto complied and closed his mouth, nervously biting his lip. They couldn't be far from dawn, they always corroborated that it wasn't too early in the night as to not endure the low temperatures and more than two or three hours of creatures breathing down their neck. They were close to dawn, Naruto was sure of it, any minute now the sun would come up and the creatures will retreat towards the forest like they always do, he wasn't going to worry, no, he wasn't; it didn't matter that the attic had no windows or holes to look outside. Naruto was not going to worry. They had been surrounded by wolves before, sure, it wasn't often and that didn't mean he would ever find it pleasant, but he was okay. Sure, he was okay.

"Do you still count the days?" The voice of Sasuke made him move his head towards him with a yelp at the sudden interruption of his thoughts.

"What?" He whispered, glancing back at the corpse in the middle of the room.

"The days. Do you still count them?"

Naruto glanced at Sasuke, he was looking at him -or so he imagined-, "Oh…" he replied when he understood what he was asking, and looked away. "No."

Sasuke slowly returned to his previous position, silently inviting Naruto to join. He went because he wasn't scared, no really, no; and drew his kunai off his pocket, the weight and handle all too familiar to him. "I see." With a clicking sound, Sasuke lit the only lantern they still had. "We're going to need more grease."

"I know," Naruto licked his lips and started to work, the smell hitting them in an instant, the blood warm. "I'm gonna be sick."

"No, you will not."

"It could happen."

"We have done this a lot of times before."

"It. Could. Happen." He repeated and swallowed his gag. "You know…"

"What?"

Naruto almost tells him about his fight with his mother and Sakura, he almost does, but he stopped himself from doing so before the words reached his mouth. Sasuke didn't like when Naruto brought up Sakura's concerns in their conversations, he regarded her interventions as... unpleasant -he had called them, and if Naruto mentioned her then Sasuke will -most likely- be annoyed. Instead, he went for another -less dangerous- route. "Uhm… maybe, you know, you should come live with us."

"Again with that?" Sasuke said, "I already told you I won't."

"Come on! It would be great and easier, take you out of-"

"Naruto," Sasuke warned, half his face devoured by darkness, his eyes seemed to shine with fury at the implication of Naruto's unfinished words, for a moment, Naruto thought himself to be in as much danger as when he was being chased, Sasuke's eyes pulsated with tamed loathing.

Naruto licked his lips and went back to skinning, choosing to speak no more. He used to understand Sasuke's ambitions and fears, but the older they grew and the closer the moment of departure got, the more Sasuke slipped through his fingers. Naruto didn't know how much he would be able to stretch in order to grab him, the thought terrified him. Sasuke did not speak for a long time, long enough for Naruto to be fully engrossed in his task, the lantern kept illuminating his hands, his skin tinted with the orange light and the red blood, the warmth of it soothed his trembling fingers -cold and fear had taken its hold on them-. He paused for a moment and opened and closed his hands constantly to regain full control before returning to his labor, Sasuke still followed him with the light, watching the way his hands shook. His expression remained hardened, but the shadows clung less to his face.

Without thinking, Naruto scratched the skin in between his upper lip and his nose, and a sudden, warm, invasive scent of blood shook his lungs and nostrils. He made a disgusted face and glanced at Sasuke who, still holding the lantern, was watching the place he had stained. Still, Sasuke chose not to mock him, he merely sighed. "You…" he bent forward, grabbing Naruto's jaw with his free hand, his skin was cold, Sasuke didn't use gloves when hunting. Sasuke wiped away the blood with his thumb softly.

"Thanks." He said and Sasuke's fingers were on him no more, he glanced down and watched both his hands soaked with the crimson liquid. "I know I can be a handful."

Sasuke hummed, too accustomed to Naruto's demeanor. Naruto was aware his self-esteem problems often got the best of him, and Sasuke had stopped entertaining his whims long ago. Now Naruto will simply lock himself in his room whenever his emotions became too much, and won't get out until he regained at least some of his self-control. There was little else he could do in this god-forsaken world. "She's going to be okay, Naruto."

The words punched him in the deepest part of his heart and he felt his heart constrict with agony, he glanced up -and cut himself with his knife, his blood mixed with the wolf's, it became invisible in between the fluid- and narrowed his eyes at Sasuke. He clenched his jaw. "Is this retaliation from before?" He asked, blinking away tears.

Sasuke's expression did not falter much, but a faint veil of surprise touched his eyes that widened ever so slightly, "do you-" he stopped, his eyebrows quickly furrowing, his mouth going into a thin line, "do you think me to be that cruel?"

Naruto did not reply immediately, many emotions had taken hold of him tonight and he wasn't Sasuke, he wasn't as strong to control them. "I don't know." He replied, dropping his gaze, returning to his task almost automatically. It wouldn't be long until morning.

Sasuke scoffed, it sounded almost resentful, "Happy birthday, Naruto."

A/N: As you might be able to notice, this is an AU where chakra does not exist (which isn't to say there are no magical elements), in that regard, Sasuke does not possess the Sharingan, as Naruto is not a Jinchuriki. I decided to replace Kurama by giving Naruto an explosive personality (it might not be as noticeable as you might expect, particularly in this chapter), which will often be shown as a short temper. Now, I do believe that being on the bratty side of the spectrum is already a trait of Naruto's canonical character -particularly on the first part of the manga-, so hopefully, I will be able to balance his canon personality with his "fictional" outbursts.

Likewise, I wanted to keep their dynamics as they were in canon, hence why Naruto likes Sakura and why Sakura likes Sasuke. How would they evolve (or not), depends on how the story does. I planned just a few things in advance about their interactions to allow myself free reign.

Hope you enjoy it.