"So what's it going to be, young master?" Tobi asked, growing impatient at Sasuke's hesitance.
Sasuke grabbed his sword with both hands, grounding his feet and pulling a small ball out of the handle. "How strong is he really?" He asked, staring Shisui down.
Shisui opened his mouth, clearly confused by the question. "I don't—"
"I asked, how strong is he?"
Tobi rolled his eyes just as Shisui finally grasped what Sasuke was really asking. "Very," he replied with quiet determination.
Before Tobi could comment on the strange response, Sasuke threw the ball at Tobi, filling the room with smoke and the strong smell of sulfur. Shisui and Sasuke held their breath as to not irritate their sense of smell, while Tobi was caught unguarded by the very human attack strategy.
He took the chance to grab his brother from Shisui, throwing him onto his back while pulling Shisui up to his feet. "How do we get out," he asked, pleased when a sudden red door appeared.
Shisui grabbed his arm heading away from the door and instead through a wall, passing through it with ease. On the other side was a forest with thick foliage. Behind them was more forest.
"This way. He'll be heading to the door once he secures Susano'o."
"Susano'o? As in the god of thunder?"
"It's hard to explain. I'll tell you what I can when we reach the exit. For now, we need to beat him to the exit."
Shisui took off into the forest, following a very specific path where the foliage just passed through them. Too far to the left or right off the path and the trees and branches would scrape against them.
"You made this, didn't you?"
Shisui nodded. "I had no choice. He's held me for years, but I refused to help him. Then he got Itachi… I couldn't watch him die. If it wasn't for Itachi, I wouldn't be here."
"Is that why he was after my brother?"
Shisui shook his head no, making his way to a swamp, walking on the water. "He's been after Itachi since…. It's better if Itachi tells you himself. It's not my place to talk about it. The main family had a lot of secrets. Only Itachi and Tobi-san know everything." In the center of the lake, Shisui fell through, not coming back up. Sasuke assumed he was supposed to follow and fell through as well.
He fell about 10 feet, landing in a barely lit cave. Shisui was waiting for him, ready to keep walking.
"Stop. Why would Tobi know about our family history? How can he capture Itachi so easily? Even if he lured Itachi out, it wouldn't be easy to defeat him. Even as a human, Itachi was able to take out my family." Sasuke stopped, refusing to move. "Tell me why I shouldn't finish him off now."
Shisui thinned his lips. "Sasuke-kun, I don't know how long ago you saw Itachi, but Itachi hasn't taken human blood in decades. If not since he turned. He's as weak as an ordinary human if not weaker. The moment he came out to save you, he knew he would be captured."
"Impossible. He would go blood crazy. At the very least be in too much pain to move. You're full of shit."
"Believe what you want Sasuke-kun, but if we don't beat him out of here, we may not leave at all."
"And Tobi?"
Grinding his teeth, Shisui said, "I don't know what last name he told you, but he is in fact our uncle. Now if you are satisfied, can the questions wait?" This time Shisui did keep walking, not waiting to see if Sasuke would follow. Not that Sasuke had a choice.
"If you created the illusion, why can't you just end it or trap him inside?"
"This is not an ordinary illusion. Our physical forms are basically in a dimension created by my chakra. If I close it with us in it, we will die. Also, I must create the rules outside of the dimension, and one of the rules in this one is the inability to use chakra. Though there are exceptions." Shisui muttered the last line. "Bottomline is we are at a disadvantage."
Sasuke focused on his chakra, tracing Naruto's location. They were heading towards him.
There was silence as they ran down the dark cave, but as they ran, Shisui was slowing down, little by little. "You should go on ahead," Shisui whispered. "If you follow the corridor, you will reach the exit."
"I'm not letting you out of my sight until you answer all of my questions. If he intercepts us, I'll just fight him."
"It won't be that easy. Tobi-san will most definitely win if he catches us. If you leave me here, you can collect your lover and get out of here with him."
"If you really are an Uchiha, you know I can't do that." Though he said that, Sasuke was a bit worried. Hopefully, Naruto was trying to find him, but knowing the idiot, that probably wasn't the case. "Don't do anything stupid, Naruto," he whispered.
Naruto whipped his head around, looking at the barrier he had walked through. For a second, he swore he could feel Uchiha calling out to him. It temporarily distracted Naruto from the body where he had stopped breathing upon looking at him. Looking back at the man, Naruto took a step back as he took in the man's appearance once more. He recognized the man, but why was he here? Wasn't he just a part of his nightmares?
Naruto took another step back, unsure what to do. This was the person he had felt. There were small traces of chakra running through that body, but it couldn't be possible. He was staked, yet he wasn't dead. He just merely looked to be sleeping. The chakra too was unnatural. It wasn't anything Naruto had seen before. Nowhere close to being as volatile as a human's but not quite steady like an immortal's. And unlike humans and immortals who had pathways of chakra, this being's entire body was made of it though dim like a light about to go out, yet it was unearthly. It was the best way to describe it because he could not think of any words.
But this man had to be him, the one who had haunted his dreams before Naruto could remember his past. The man who had killed his father. Why was his body here?
Should he behead it? Just in case? He swore never to kill again, didn't he? But that thing was dangerous. It took his father away from him. Though that night was still hazy, that man's face had always been clear, never leaving him. He didn't just kill Naruto's father. He killed others as well. Could he risk letting that thing wake and possibly kill him? Or worse, Uchiha?
He had been prepared to help Uchiha get revenge on his brother? Wasn't that the same thing as promising to help kill him? So what was the difference? Didn't that mean he had always planned to go back on his word coming here? Just because he wasn't the one to pull the trigger, it was okay?
He frowned. Did he really come here planning to help kill Itachi? Had he really not thought of what that really meant?
Naruto drew the blade Tobi had given him on his first day of training, slowly. No, he hadn't come here to kill Itachi. As much as he hated Itachi, he didn't hate him enough to kill him. He came to support Uchiha-though he had been easily distracted. This was different. He wasn't sure this man was even alive. Naruto was just going to make sure he was really dead. That was all. He wasn't going to take a life if it was already gone.
He raised his blade, staring at the relaxed face of the man with a blank expression of his own. This was for everyone's good. Assuring there was no other enemy they needed to worry about. He was dead anyway, he told himself. He was doing what was right.
Naruto brought the blade down hard and fast, intending to make the beheading clean and quick when a loud cry of "Stop!" halted his attack. The blade stopped just as it touched the neck, leaving a small nick on the throat.
Naruto turned his head, his blank blue eyes staring at Tobi who had stumbled in. He was breathing hard, covered in cuts and bruises with his clothes torn and soaked with blood. "Don't do it, Uzumaki-kun. If you behead him, we won't be able to escape." Tobi's voice was raspy as if he had been screaming for hours, his black eyes full of pain as he struggled to get to Naruto's side.
Seeing Tobi, Naruto regained his senses, dropping his sword and running to Tobi's side to help support him. "You okay? What happened?"
"I e-escaped." He rasped, coughing up a lung as he did so. "Sasuke-sama distracted Itachi-san enough for me to escape my pri-prison."
"Is Uchiha alright?" He asked, fearing he may have made the wrong decision in not going after Uchiha immediately.
"I-I do not know. But you cannot h-harm that body." Tobi's legs gave out from under him, leaving Naruto to keep him somewhat in an upright position.
"Alright, calm down and tell me how do we get to Uchiha?" Naruto adjusted his hold on Tobi to something more comfortable for both of them, throwing the wounded man's arm around his neck.
"Let me move the body. It will break the barrier around the r-room."
"Yeah, alright, but how do we move it exactly. I can't carry both of you."
He received his answer. Tobi reached out, touching the body. The body sunk into the platform as if the platform was made of quicksand, rippling as it slowly descended into it and disappeared.
"What the- How'd you do that?!"
"It's a technique of mine," he coughed, his body shivering. "We have to … find… Sasuke-sama."
"Hey, take it easy. We'll get out of here. I promise," Naruto reassured him. The bright room turned dark the moment the body disappeared, and a panel swiveled open. "Come on. We'll get you home before ya know it. Just stay with me."
The nod Naruto received was clumsy and weak, but it was enough. Naruto wrapped his arm around the butler's waist, pulling him to his feet. "Ready?"
"Y-yeah. The exit should be… a little past… door," his words trailed off, growing heavy.
"I got it. Don't force yourself." Making sure Tobi was still conscious, though barely standing he slowly helped him to the door.
Outside the door was a dark hall and at the end a surprisingly regular-looking door with an exit sign handing over it. "You're right. The exit is right over there. We're almost home free."
"Thank you, Take-Naruto-san. For… saving me." A tired grin crossed the man's features, his split lip bleeding from the action.
"It's the least I can do. You've always been nice to me."
"You're too kind." Tobi found his strength, standing a bit more on his own, probably getting his second wind upon seeing the exit just in front of him. It was a relief to be standing so close to the exit. Just a little more and Tobi would be safe and then he would turn around and go back for Uchiha.
"Naruto?!" Uchiha's voice called out to him. Naruto stopped, turning as much as he could to see Uchiha coming out of a separate passage that had not been there seconds before. "Get away from him."
Uchiha's command confused Naruto, delaying his reaction. Get away from who? There was no one there. He could barely make out Uchiha's form in the dim lighting, but he did notice a tuft of black hair over his shoulder. Was that Itachi? And who was the man running beside him?
Before he could ask what was going on, Tobi got behind him, pulling Naruto's sword out of his sheath and putting it to Naruto's neck while twisting Naruto's right arm behind his back in one fluid motion. "I should have known you would make an alternate route, Shisui-kun; though, it's a bit of a walk isn't it."
"What the fuck is going on?!" Naruto demanded.
"Let the boy go, Oji-san. He has nothing to do with this," Shisui said in a placating manner, stopping Uchiha from going any further.
"I'm a bit disappointed in you, Sasuke. I was hoping you would take your revenge no matter what form it was in. But you just couldn't get rid of the last of your pride."
Uchiha's eyes were locked on the blade pressed against Naruto's throat. "I will get revenge, but I'm going to make sure I get the truth out of him first. Now let him go."
"Hm, I don't think I will. He's quite valuable you see. Not only is the last of your humanity tied up with him, but he's also a host. I'm afraid he's not going anywhere."
"Seriously, the butler did it? Was the cave not cliché enough? Did you monologue too?" Naruto knew he should have kept his mouth shut. He would have been shocked by the betrayal if he hadn't been shocked so many times the past couple of days. Now he was just pissed. The blade pressed harder against his skin, drawing blood.
"That's enough talking out of you, Naruto-san," Tobi chided. "Now," he said focusing on the three Uchiha's in front of him. "Naruto and I are going to leave this illusion. You three will not follow. Do not attempt to look for us. As long as you leave us be, I promise I'll take good care of your lover while you're gone."
"Was Naruto always part of your plan? Is that why you wanted him to come here too?"
"Yes and no. Only when I found out about his worth. Sorry young master, but my time grows short, and I must depart."
"If you must take someone, take me," Sasuke growled, taking a step forward.
"Are you going to beg for his release, young master?" he mocked, cutting lightly into Naruto's throat, making him hold his breath. "You already disgrace the Uchiha with your disgusting hobbies. What would your father say?"
"I am above begging for anything," Uchiha said through clenched teeth. His black eyes flickering with rage. He glanced at Naruto, who had his eyes closed in concentration. "But he is to be my mate. I would appreciate it if you took me in his place."
"Ah, ah, ah, Sasuke. It doesn't work like that." He pulled Naruto closer to the exit. "Now if you excuse us."
"Very well then," Uchiha smirked. "Try."
Naruto opened his eyes, having drawn in the massive amount of chakra that had been swirling around them. The area was slightly distorted where Naruto stood, the color drained and details out of focus. He grabbed the blade, his thumb between the blade and his throat. He wrapped his other fingers around the blade tightly. With swift movements, he gutted Tobi, who tried to slit his throat at the first sign of trouble, hard enough to break a normal person's ribs.
Naruto felt the bite of the blade, stopping when it met the bone in his thumb. He managed to create enough room between Tobi and the blade to slip out and pull his arm free, using his newfound strength he had gathered. Even as the energy he gathered began to drain away, he moved away, turning to smirk at the older man as Uchiha was already moving in, blade drawn and ready to attack.
Tobi wasn't taken by surprise. He returned a smirk of his own. Uchiha expected to feel the resistance of flesh and bone against his metal. Instead, he watched the blade touch the tailored butler uniform only to follow through with no resistance as if he was slicing through air. He schooled his expression to hide his surprise. It had to be another illusion, but Shisui had said that chakra techniques didn't work here. Naruto's ability was one thing. He wasn't using his own chakra but Shisui's. As soon as the blade exited through his body, the "illusion" struck the back of his neck with a black metal pole.
Pain radiated from the back of his neck. Thanking whatever god that existed for the weapon not being something a little sharper. He caught himself before he fell, flipping himself back onto his feet when his hand touched the ground, twisting his body as he did so he could face his opponent. There wasn't much room between Tobi and the exit.
Twisting on his right heel to face Uchiha again, Tobi wielded the black rod like a sword, ready to strike before Uchiha could completely regain his footing. Perhaps it was the way Uchiha's eyes shifted just slightly to the left or the way he readjusted at the last minute, but Tobi chanced a look over his shoulder. A soft curse left his lips upon seeing Naruto less than a meter away, sword in hand with chakra infused in the blade.
Just as the attack was about to land, the chakra in the blade defused. Tobi used the black rod in his hand to block just in time, the blade shattering upon impact.
Panic filed Naruto's eyes as Tobi turned to attack. Instinct made Naruto put up his arm to block, awaiting the strike of the rod. As Tobi dodged Sasuke's attack, he quickly countered at Naruto, thrusting the small end of the pole at Naruto, piercing through Naruto's forearm continuing through his chest.
Naruto's face was open with surprise, his body still with shock. He faintly saw Tobi dodge another strike from Sasuke's blade, pulling another long black rod out of his sleeve, using it to hit Sasuke's side. Sasuke grabbed the rod, using it as leverage to change direction to aim a kick at him.
Naruto coughed, tasting the metallic tang of blood. His legs shook. Pain radiated from the wound, throbbing sharply with every beat of his heart. His strength felt like it was being drained from his body, leaving him to feel cold. He was barely able to look down to see where he had been stabbed. It was close, but he had almost been stabbed through the heart. He was still human enough for this to kill him. He had thought Tobi had wanted him alive. Had he been wrong or had Tobi made a mistake?
His gaze returned to Sasuke, watching as he took another blow, blocking the worst of the impact with his sword, but he was being overpowered. Every attack just went right through Tobi as if he was nothing but a mirage. Sasuke needed help.
With his trembling left hand, he brushed the rod, intending to remove it against all common sense; however, the barest touch sent intense pain shooting throughout his body, robbing him of his sight and breath. His vision cleared soon enough, but he couldn't breathe properly, gasping for air, consequently causing more pain.
The sound drew Sasuke's attention away from his opponent, his eyes flickering to Naruto for less than half a second. It was enough. The rod connected with the side of Sasuke's head with enough force that the raven flew headfirst into the wall. "You are weak, Sasuke. When I found you, full of hatred and determination, you were an unmovable force. Young or not, you made others wary of you and your actions. But with the arrival of that boy, you've grown soft. Postponing your revenge, allowing yourself to become distracted, I can't help but be disappointed in how you ended up."
Sasuke was struggling to recover from the last hit, so Tobi ignored him for the struggling fledgling who was still trying to recover his breath. "I am impressed with you though, Naruto-kun. You managed to infuse a blade not meant to hold chakra by creating a current through it, didn't you? That's an advanced skill. However, the slightest variation in that flow can make the chakra disrupt and cancel out. You don't have enough control to make it flow consistently. Still, given your lack of experience and training, I must say I am surprised it lasted as long as it did. You may have some talent after all." He used his foot to kick Naruto onto the ground, stomach down, earning another strangled moan from the boy as the rod pushed further in, his wounded arm trapped between the ground and his body.
"Itachi did a good job training you, not that I'd expect less from him. Your timing was near perfect. I might have been killed If you had succeeded. My fault for underestimating you." Tobi took the pole and jammed it into Naruto's left knee until he heard the metal hit the concrete.
Naruto cried out again, tears forming in his eyes from pain then proceeded to cough up more blood. His eyes met Uchiha's, who didn't dare move with Tobi hovering so close to Naruto with yet another rod in his hands. Uchiha was bleeding, his right eye closed after taking the majority of the damage from the last attack, but Naruto could see his barely concealed fear.
"I borrowed these rods from Mathias's collection. They are great for sealing. They can either absorb or seal chakra. They won't kill him, but I can't say it's not painful." He jabbed the next one through Naruto's mid-back.
Naruto bit back the strangled sob for Uchiha's sake, bit his lip until blood dribbled down his chin. Sasuke looked sick and furious. Naruto tried to give him a reassuring smile, that the pain wasn't as bad as Uchiha was being led to believe, but he couldn't stop the cry when Tobi grabbed the rod in his leg, rocking the rob back and forth. "You are outmatched in every way. You may have fought in the great world wars, but I fought in wars against demons and hunters. I have your lover pinned. With the slightest jerk of my hand, I can easily pop off his leg from the knee down. As you know, having one's limbs regenerated is a very, very painful process, assuming he's even immortal enough to have them regenerate. I suspect you wouldn't want to find out." He smiled. "But you can prevent that pain by walking through that door behind you."
Uchiha stayed silent until Tobi jerked the pole again, making Naruto scream as his leg was starting to rip in half. Sasuke moved to take a step towards them, but a gentle look of warning made him stop. "Next time, it's the leg. It's of no consequence to me. I just need him alive. A missing limb or two will put him unconscious, but he will survive. I'll make sure of that."
Sasuke's fist clenched and unclenched multiple times. He was outmatched. He couldn't use his chakra, his physical attacks just went right through him, and Naruto was suffering. He could end it by leaving but he'd never see Naruto again, and that was not an option. Who knew what Tobi wanted Naruto for. A sickening sound pulled him from his thoughts, hiding the grimace of what he saw. A little more leverage and Tobi would completely rip off Naruto's leg.
Seeing Naruto pinned down, bloodied, pale, and gasping for air in between his tears, made his blood run cold. Once again, he was helpless. He could not save the man he loved. He could not save his family. It was a vicious cycle. A least his parents had a quick death. Itachi was kind enough to do that at least, and he did not see them die, only the bodies. This was worse. More humiliating. More painful. He could only watch Naruto be tortured, and his stupid idiot was still trying to give him reassuring smiles when he could.
Sasuke took a step towards the exit. Every fiber of his being yelled at him to go to Naruto. Naruto was his mate. He had sworn to protect him. He couldn't abandon him, yet if he did not, Naruto would suffer needlessly, and Sasuke would no doubt die. If he left, he would live to fight another day to try to save Naruto under more favorable circumstances. He took another step towards the door. Naruto's eyes were telling him to go, to save himself. It just made it harder to leave. How stupid. How had it turned into this, Naruto once again giving up his life so someone else he cared about could escape. He had mocked Kiba for his cowardice, and now, he was about to do the same thing.
Just as Sasuke opened the exit door, his gaze lingered on Naruto, hating the fact that Naruto would probably be happy he left and survived rather than give up his life for no good reason than stubbornness, something no one had been expecting happened. Flames erupted around Tobi.
Sasuke whipped his head towards Itachi, being carried by Shisui. He was conscious, his eyes a molten silver. Tobi growled, "Itachi!" he yelled, attempting to put out the flames, backing away from Naruto as the flames engulfed him.
Shisui took the chance to run towards the exit, while Sasuke took the chance to free Naruto, yanking out the rods. He took a chance to glance at Tobi who was still glaring at them. He wasn't burning, but the flames were consuming everything else they touched. If he had stayed on Naruto, Naruto would have burned as well.
Sasuke gathered Naruto in his arm, cradling him with exaggerated care and tenderness, following Shisui who was waiting at the exit.
They materialized back in front of the shrine, half a meter off the ground. Sasuke landed perfectly, pulling Naruto close to his chest to keep him from being jostled too much. Shisui had fallen to his knees, dropping Itachi slightly, causing a sharp intake of breath, the only indicator that Itachi had felt anything.
Kakashi was staring at them wide-eyed, standing next to Iruka. Iruka was dressed in black fatigues, saturated with old blood, and smelling as if he hadn't bathed in months. His eyes were red as if he had been crying, and with just a quick look, he confirmed that Iruka had become an immortal by the fangs peeking out from under his lip. So Kakashi had found him after all.
Naruto regained his attention, shivering in his arms, grasping at Sasuke's shirt.
"We need to leave," Shisui said, standing. "I can only keep him in the illusion for another 10 minutes at most before he finds another way out."
Sasuke barely heard what Shisui said, focusing on Naruto who was going into shock. He needed blood or a doctor and for the first time, he cursed his immortal body unable to help him.
"Uzumaki-kun?" Iruka whispered, taking a step forward then thinking better of it when the scent of blood hit his nose full force.
Kakashi lent a supporting hand, keeping Iruka in place, and readying himself in case Iruka pounced. Kakashi was clever enough to know Iruka wouldn't hurt Naruto because Sasuke would tear Iruka apart if he so much tried. "What happened," Kakashi asked Shisui. "And who are you?"
Exasperated, Shisui gestured towards the trees. "Later. We must leave. Sasuke-kun, allow Uzumaki-kun to feed on the human and keep the freshly turned under control while he does so. There should be a car just down the hill into the woods. I had planned to escape with it after getting Itachi."
Sasuke was not happy with this current development. The car was indeed hidden in the woods, covered with branches and leaves to help conceal it on top of a camouflage tarp. They piled into the tiny car, Shisui somehow taking the driver's seat despite being blind, Itachi in the passenger seat, barely conscious, and the back seat, Naruto in Kakashi's lap, Sasuke in the middle, and Iruka on the end. Sasuke had to practically wrestle Iruka in the back seat when Kakashi slit his wrist and put it to Naruto's lips.
Naruto drank greedily until his shivering faded, and Sasuke told Kakashi to stop before he passed out from blood loss. Once that was done, Sasuke took Naruto from Kakashi, wrapping his arms protectively around him, nuzzling his hair. He had always loved the smell of Naruto's blood and loved the taste even more. He never thought there would be a time when he would become sick to see it, smell it. He didn't care about his image at that moment. He had been a hair away from abandoning Naruto. A hair away from possibly losing him forever. It had been too close.
Never again, he thought. He would get stronger. He would never attempt to leave him behind again or be in a position where he had to make that decision. He would never allow Naruto to suffer like that again.
"Uchiha." Sasuke could barely hear Naruto but looked down to confirm that heavy blue eyes were staring at him, the pain still lingering from before. When their eyes met, Naruto's grip on him relaxed. His wounds were still bleeding but had slowed to a crawl with the blood he had ingested earlier. With sluggish movements, Naruto brought his palm to his mouth, slicking the frail skin open with his teeth then lifted it for Sasuke to take.
"No. You said you wanted to wait," he said softly, resisting the urge to take the hand.
"Yeah well, being tortured changes your views on life." His mouth, covered in dried blood, smiled weakly. "I realized that this would have been my only regret, and I refuse to die with regrets." His voice cracked from exhaustion. Taking a deep breath, he pushed through his pain and continued. "This isn't over. He'll come for us." The entire care was silent. All of them listened to his soft-spoken words. Naruto was right. They all knew he was. "He kicked our asses. If it wasn't for that sudden attack, we all would have died.
"I don't really get it. For some reason, I love you. I don't think I'll ever stop. If I wait, I might not get the chance to prove to you how much."
Sasuke stared at him, trying to decide what to do. Did Naruto really understand what this entailed? Was it only because of the adrenaline and fear? Was Naruto making a rational decision or an emotional one?
During his silence, Naruto's wound on his hand had healed. His blue eyes wavered at the silence, taking it as rejection. That wouldn't do.
With his index finger, Sasuke reopened the wound, letting the blood flow once again. He then used his own fang to cut his own palm. He clasped their hands together, their blood mixing. He could feel the chakra he hid within Naruto at their parting react and spread through Naruto's body as his chakra poured into the wound while Naruto's entered his, mixing pleasantly with his blood, feeling Naruto's presence grow.
Naruto's chakra was warm, like a blanket wrapped around your shoulders on a cold morning. It was the same warmth that Sasuke felt whenever he looked at Naruto. The same warmth whenever Naruto smiled at him. A warmth he had been drawn to since meeting him. His light in the darkness.
"Our blood is one, our spirit residing in one another," Sasuke recited, his eyes never leaving Naruto's.
"Together now and forever, until we are parted by returning to the earth from whence we came," Naruto said. His eyes were slightly dazed as Kurama told him what to say.
"From the heavens to the earth, you are and shall always be my intended, my lover, my mate. For we are, until time ceases to be, bonded," Sasuke and Naruto said in unison. Despite their low voices, everyone heard their declaration, knowing the significance of what had just been said and done.
"Blessing and long life to the bonded," Shisui and, surprisingly, Itachi said in unison. Neither of them tried to look back as they said it, but they had chosen to be the witnesses to their union.
Kakashi just nodded, giving his silent blessings and support while was curled up against the car door, turned away from everyone.
Sasuke's grip around Naruto tightened as he felt the words they shared made the exchange of chakra settle and become a permanent part of his being. Naruto was now forever his. Whether they were together or on opposite sides of the world, they would always be connected. He would always feel the love he had denied himself for so long. Even as Naruto fell asleep due to his exhaustion and remaining wounds, Sasuke was at peace for the first time in a century because for the first time since he was a child, he had someone to live for.