Shadows within a Dream
By: Kisu
A/N: Thanks everyone for all your words of support! I know that last chapter was boring but I needed some time to think over the story…I wonder how novel writers do it…;; This one will be loads of fun...well, more fun than the last one. Yay! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.
3.4 Without Chakra
Sasuke stood in the corner of the room along with several Jounins and Shikamaru. Tsunade had a very scary look on her face as she stood before Kazuo, the Raikage of the Cloud-nins.
"Because no harm came to Hyuuga Hinata, Hiashi-sama will not pursue this issue any longer." Tsunade said, as she folded her hands together. "Nor were any of our shinobi harmed. So we will ignore this issue and continue the Jounin exams as planned."
Kazuo said nothing but continued to glare at the Hokage. Cho stood next to him, shifting her feet restlessly with her head bowed.
"For your stay in Hidden Leaf, you will be under heavy surveillance until you leave." Tsunade said. "You must understand that you have betrayed our trust."
"My apologies, Hokage." Kazuo bowed. "This matter shall not repeat again."
"That will be nice." Tsunade nodded. "We do not need another meaningless war."
"Hai." Kazuo said, glaring angrily at his niece. Cho returned that glare with equal venom and Tsunade cleared her throat.
"This case is closed. Make sure none of this is revealed to the villagers." Tsunade said.
"Hai!"
---
Sasuke slipped quietly out of the room and down the stairs of the Hokage's tower. Once outside, he headed directly to the hospital. Naruto had been moved out of seclusion and he was allowed visitors now. After nodding to the receptionist, he walked down the hallway to Naruto's room. Knocking once, his hand gripped the doorknob firmly and pushed the door open.
Flowers and fruit baskets lined the all four corners of the room and in the middle; Naruto sat on his bed with his eyes closed. His hands were bandaged and clasped in front of him as he channeled his chakra throughout his body. With growing concern, Sasuke watched as the bandages on his knuckles turn red.
"Dobe-." Sasuke began but was cut off when Naruto suddenly gasped out and fell onto his hands. The blonde winced and Sasuke rushed to his side, helping him up and off his hands. "What happened?" Naruto glanced at him and flexed his fingers.
"Training." Naruto replied as he caught his breath. "They stopped me when they noticed."
"You're still injured, Baka." Sasuke said, pointedly. Naruto balled his hands into fists, and stared at the crimson stains around his bandaged knuckles.
"I'll live."
Sasuke frowned and crossed his arms, glaring pointedly at the blonde. Naruto looked up at him and frowned slightly.
"What are you doing here?" He asked in confusion. "Do you want some fruit?" He gestured to the many baskets that littered the room. "Someone brings me one every day. Not that I'll eat them all."
"I don't want any fruit." Sasuke responded as he sat down in a chair next to him. He grabbed one of Naruto's hands and began to unbind the dirty bandages. Naruto watched him as he peeled the last layer of bandages away and revealed knuckles that had been scraped raw. "What were you doing, Dobe?"
"Training." Naruto repeated as he tried to pull his hand back but Sasuke only tightened his grip on it. "Thick-brows came by and we sparred a bit."
"Sparred?" Sasuke glared as his hand tightened even more.
"Let me go, Sasuke." Naruto winced. "Are you trying to break my hand? Did you come here to give me a hard time?"
"Iie." Came the reply as the grip on his hand loosened. Naruto looked up when Sasuke slid his chair back and got up. He hovered over him with an intense look in his ebony eyes.
"Sasuke, what's wrong?" Naruto asked, anxiously.
In a sudden motion, Sasuke pushed Naruto back against the headboard and captured his lips in a hungry kiss. Desperation, lust, and a whole tide of emotions was poured into that kiss and Naruto's eyes widened sharply. His lips parted in protest and Sasuke took the invitation to plunge his tongue in, probing and searching for the sweetness that made Naruto what he was. Naruto moaned softly and raised his hands, tangling them in Sasuke's dark hair.
The sensual sound seemed to edge Sasuke on and he got onto the bed. It creaked softly as he planted a knee in between Naruto's legs and wrapped a hand into a mass of golden locks. The other hand drifted slowly down Naruto's spine and over his thigh, then brushed against his groin. Naruto's eyes shot open in alarm and he broke off the kiss, breathing heavily.
"Sasuke…stop." Naruto groaned, softly.
Sasuke trailed butterfly kisses down Naruto's jawbone and down his neck, where he promptly sank his teeth into soft flesh. Naruto hissed and Sasuke ran his tongue over the love bite to soothe the stinging pain. Naruto's hands untangled themselves from Sasuke's hair and he pulled back, catching his breath and staring at the man in amazement.
"Sorry." Sasuke muttered as a bright pink flush tinted his cheeks. He quickly glanced away and glowered at the floor.
"Why didn't you say, you missed me?" Naruto asked with a broad grin.
"Dobe, no one missed you." Sasuke snorted as he got up and walked over to the window. Naruto stared at the man before staring down at his hands.
"Ah." He replied. Sasuke turned slightly and glanced at him over his shoulder. Spotting a roll of bandages next to a pan of water on a tray, he brought it over to Naruto's bedside and began cleaning his knuckles.
Sasuke worked in silence and Naruto watched him as the man bandaged his knuckles effortlessly. "Thanks." Naruto said when Sasuke was done. With a barest of nods, Sasuke set the tray back where he had found it and sat back on a chair that he had occupied earlier. Sasuke took one of his hands and clasped it loosely, staring down onto the ground.
"Gomen nasai, Sasuke." Naruto said, softly. "Did I worry you?"
"Iie." Sasuke replied, quietly. Naruto turned his hand over and grasped Sasuke's hand.
"Sakura told me you were a cold bastard to her." Naruto continued. "Mind telling me what crawled up your pants, this time?"
"If you had died, I would have never forgiven myself." Sasuke said, lowly. Naruto tightened his grasp on his hand and narrowed his eyes.
"It's not your fault." He said.
"What do you mean?" Sasuke snapped as he jerked his head up. "I almost killed you!"
"You didn't kill me, I brought in on to myself." Naruto told him. "I knew the consequences!"
"Why didn't you tell me?" Sasuke demanded. "You should have told me that your chakra had a limit!"
"Do you think I'm invincible, Sasuke-bastard?" Naruto laughed. "Everyone's chakra has a limit."
"Why are you laughing?" Sasuke roared. Naruto closed his eyes and his laughter subsided into a quiet chuckle.
"It was the only way." Naruto replied. "Itachi was too strong and that was the only way to kill him. You weren't strong enough."
"I suppose you are?" Sasuke shot back.
"No." The blonde said. Silence dropped over them and Sasuke glared angrily at the floor, hoping to burn a hole in his rage. "There was no time, Sasuke." The Uchiha slowly raised his head up, his eyes swirling into a crimson red. Then, he raised his arm and punched the wall, right next to Naruto's head. Pieces of plaster crumbled from the impact and fell onto Naruto's shoulder.
"You have no idea what I went through." Sasuke said, through clenched teeth. "I waited and waited for you to wake up. I wanted to see you, but they wouldn't let me. It was only Kakashi who let me in to see you on your birthday."
"My birthday?" Naruto repeated, gazing at him with a questioning look.
"I hated myself. I've sworn to you that I would protect you and there you were. So pale and lifeless on the bed." Sasuke whispered, as his gaze dropped onto Naruto's hand that was grasping his. "I…was…scared."
With his free hand, Naruto reached up to touch Sasuke's face. His blue eyes shining with emotion as the bandaged fingers slowly brushed against a wet cheek.
"Don't cry, Sasuke." Naruto stammered. Sasuke blindly reached out and crushed him to his chest. Naruto gripped onto his shirt tightly and buried his head into his chest.
"I'm not, idiot." Sasuke lied as he hid his face into Naruto's hospital robe. Naruto smiled in amusement and poked Sasuke in the chest.
"You are too." He laughed.
"Shut up." Sasuke replied, tightening his arms around him.
"Don't worry." Naruto murmured as he wrapped his arms around Sasuke's slender frame. "I won't do anything that reckless again."
"Now, who's lying?" Sasuke laughed.
---
A few days later, the Chuunins gathered up for the Jounin exams. To their surprise, Naruto's name was on the bottom of the list right under Sasuke's name.
"Naruto is taking the exam?" Sakura asked in worry as she glanced over at Rock Lee. Her boyfriend gave her a sharp nod and smiled widely.
"He has been training hard." Lee replied. "He'll do fine."
"Are you sure?" Sakura blinked as a few muffled whisperers made them turn around. The Sand-nins have arrived, which meant Temari, Kankoru, and Gaara. Gaara looked the same as ever except having grown in height and physique. "Gaara."
The Sand-nin's green gaze flickered briefly over her before scanning the crowd for a certain someone. They got their answer when Sasuke made a beeline toward the approaching figure. Dressed in his Chuunin vest, Naruto wore a black shirt with long mesh sleeves and black pants. It was strange seeing the blonde in unusually dark colors.
"Are you crazy?" Sasuke hissed as he stopped in front of him. Naruto arched an eyebrow and Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Why did you enter? You won't last a chance!"
"Huh?" Came the intelligent reply.
"You know what the Hokage said." Sasuke glared. "One more reckless move and you might never be able to use your chakra ever again."
"I understand." Naruto said, quietly. "That's why I am going to use only taijutsu."
"Taijutsu?" Sasuke repeated. "Your taijutsu is horrible!"
"Is that so?" Naruto said, happily as his eyes scanned the crowd of Chuunins. His smile turned to a smirk when he noticed a pair of green eyes watching him. He gave a slight nod and was rewarded by the same action performed by Gaara. Sasuke saw this exchange and scowled.
"Naruto, stay away from him." He advised.
Naruto broke eye contact with the Sand-nin and he stuck out his tongue at him.
"You worry too much." He laughed.
"Gai-sensei!" They heard Rock Lee screamed in delight. Everyone stared at the Chuunin who was sporting all green. Lee was waving wildly at his Jounin instructor, eyes bright with unshed tears and Sakura laughed nervously from the spot next to him.
"Yes! Lee!" Gai exclaimed, doing a dramatic pose. Sakura looked around before inching away from the duo. "Work hard, Lee!"
"Hai! Sensei!" Lee crowed, already burning in anticipation.
"Good!" Gai yelled, addressing the Chuunins. "Welcome to the first part of the exam toward your path to become a Jounin! Such like a respectable person as myself!"
"Yes!" Lee grinned.
"The first part of your exam is to take down a Missing-nin. You will work in pairs, line up in two lines. Your scroll will match another and this will determine your partner!" Gai instructed. "Your scrolls will list the Missing-nin that you have to capture."
"How troublesome." Shikamaru frowned. "The Hokage just wants us to catch a few Missing-nins. She's making us do all the dirty work."
"Missing-nin?" Hinata whispered, her eyes wide in worry.
"Don't worry, Hinata. It'll be a piece of cake." Naruto spoke up from beside her. Hinata nodded unsurely and Sasuke frowned.
"This will be too much for you, Naruto." Sasuke hissed, quietly. "A Missing-nin is dangerous."
"All my life I've been in danger." Naruto replied, quietly as he caught his hand in a quick squeeze. "Don't worry about me. Let's just see who can get back first."
"I won't lose to you, Dobe." Sasuke smirked.
"The same, Sasuke-bastard." Naruto replied with equal cheer. The two rivals stared each other down and everyone became motivated by their fighting spirit.
"Che. Those two are at it again." Kiba stated as Akamaru barked happily in agreement. Shino even cracked a smile.
"Hurry up all of you! Why aren't you in two lines?" Gai yelled out. Quickly the Chuunins divided up, and began pulling scrolls out of a box.
Naruto and Gaara were next up and everyone held their breaths. The two of them exchanged equal smirks and their hands dove into the box., both of them drawing out a maroon colored scroll. A shudder ran down the Chuunins backs as the two vessels engaged into a heavy staring contest, Naruto's lips quirked into a slight smile and Gaara's eyes widened slightly with interest.
"Hurry up, you two! What's the hold up?" Gai yelled.
"Hm." Naruto responded as he turned and walked away. Gaara silently did the same in the opposite side and the Shinobi ranks stared at them with hidden interest.
"This is going to be interesting." Genma commented from around his piece of straw.
"Very." Kakashi replied with a slight grin. His single eye opened and it reflected a slight worry.
The parings ended up as Sakura and Lee, Kiba and Kankoru, Sasuke and Neji, Tenten and Ino, Temari and Shikamaru, Shino and Hinata, but last of all; Gaara and Naruto.
---
"Good luck." Chouji grinned as he playfully punched Shikamaru in the shoulder. He had decided that a Jounin's lifestyle was too much for him and chose to remain a Chuunin.
"Women are troublesome." Shikamaru replied, eyeing Temari with slight distaste. He had not forgotten the time she had "rescued" him from Orochimaru's crew.
"Uzumaki-kun." Naruto turned to stare at two familiar faces of a pair of Cloud-nins. They had mysteriously been paired up together. "Let's see who can get back faster."
"Yeah." Naruto replied as he slowly gripped the man's offered hand. His eyebrows drew together when the man tightened his grip. "I'll be looking forward to it, Shi-chan." Nakata Shiko smiled slyly, his green eyes contrasting greatly against his jet-black hair. His twin sister, Nakata Saya elbowed his brother roughly and Shiko frowned, releasing Naruto's hand. "Strong grip, you got there."
"I won't lose easily, Naru-chan." Saya said, angrily.
"Hai." Naruto smiled.
Nakata Shiko was Cho-chan's proclaimed fiancé and a man who got jealous very easily. Naruto shoved his hands in the pockets of his pants and examined the two. Saya was still angry about the time he had sparred with her and won. She was also angry that Naruto showed some affection to Cho but regarded her with common courtesy. Cho, Shiko, and Saya had been friends once…until he visited with that Ero-Sennin. Naruto sighed softly.
"When do we start?" Gaara spoke up suddenly as the Chuunins got quiet. Gai looked up at the sky and at the direction of the sun.
"Now." Gai said. The moment the word left his lips, Naruto and Gaara disappeared in a whirl of sand. "Good luck, meet back here in one day."
"Naruto…" Sasuke murmured, gazing at the spot they once were. Sakura tapped him on the shoulder.
"He'll be fine, Sasuke-kun." Sakura smiled, anxiously. Sasuke nodded and they joined their partners, then they raced off into different directions—destined to complete their missions.
---
Naruto and Gaara tore through the trees with great ease. But slowly, Naruto was dropping behind and Gaara slowed down a bit so they were side by side.
"What's wrong?" He stated in his monotone.
"Huh?" Naruto glanced at him and Gaara noted that the blonde was slightly out of breath. They landed on a branch and Naruto's foot slipped. Immediately, sand wrapped around Naruto's ankle and pulled him back in place. "Thanks." He said, leaning on his knees and breathing heavily.
"You're not using your chakra." Gaara realized. "Why?"
"Can't use it." Naruto said. "That was the only way I was allowed to enter the exams."
"Why not?" Gaara asked, curiously.
"Because, my system is damaged right now." Naruto responded. "Using my chakra may kill me." Gaara narrowed his eyes and decided not to push the topic any farther.
"We're close." Gaara said as he looked around. Gaara had transported them to the outer regions of Hidden Mist and their target was a missing-nin from that village. "He is highly skilled in Genjutsu and has destroyed many villages." He turned to Naruto and a wicked smirk graced his face. "Dead or alive, Naruto?"
"Alive." Naruto replied, stubbornly as he pulled a kunai out of its pouch.
"Well then, watch out." Gaara told him before jumping off the branch.
"What?" Naruto frowned as he turned around. A few shuriken sliced through the air and caught him by surprise.
A pain-filled cry echoed throughout the forest and a flock of birds flew up high in fright.
---
Sasuke paused in mid-step and frowned as a feeling of dread washed over him.
"What's wrong?" Neji asked, behind him.
"Nothing." Sasuke replied, coldly as he continued maneuvering his way through the swamp.
Neji narrowed his eyes and glared at the back of his head. He never liked Uchiha and after he was rescued from Orochimaru, many years ago, he still didn't like him. The man was cold and an insensitive bastard. Time and time again, Neji would confirm this with Naruto who just regarded him strangely.
Sasuke wasn't cold. Naruto had explained. He was just anti-social.
Neji's frown deepened. Uchiha was one of those men who would gain your trust and turn around to stab you in the back.
"What?" Sasuke demanded as his dark gaze flickered over his shoulder. He had felt Neji's gaze burning into the back of his head
"What happened between you and Naruto?" Neji asked. "No one will tell us why Naruto was in a coma."
"You're noisy." Sasuke responded, coolly as he pushed past some tall ferns.
"It must be serious." Neji continued, slightly angry from the lack of response. "Especially since Naruto sought Lee's help in training him in taijutsu."
"Training never hurts anyone." Sasuke said. "Let's get this over with. Stay out of my way, Hyuuga."
"Stay out of my way, Uchiha." Neji corrected as they stepped into a clearing. "He's here."
There was a slight rustle in the trees and they sprang into a action, pulling out several kunais and dropping into fighting stances. To their surprise, the person who jumped down was Gaara, his sand swirling wildly about him as he landed. There was a sharp sound of shurikens racing through the air and a sharp pain filled cry echoed throughout the forest.
Another person dropped down through the trees and Sasuke's eyes widened.
"Naruto!" He yelled as the blonde hit the ground with several shurikens stuck in his chest. Sasuke's blood ran cold and he ran forward only to be taken back in surprise as a log replaced the blonde.
"Are you okay?" Gaara stated from behind them. Naruto was leaning heavily against a tree; face pale as he caught his breath.
"I forgot I wasn't supposed to use chakra." He replied. "Old habits die hard." His blue eyes scanned the clearing and landed on Neji and Sasuke with surprise. "What are you two doing here?"
"It seems we all have the same Missing-nin." Neji announced. Sasuke walked up to him and shoved him lightly.
"Don't use your chakra again." He frowned. "If the Hokage finds out, she'll pull you out."
"I know." Naruto said, grimacing as he stood up. His blue eyes were thoughtful as he slowly unzipped his vest and took it off. Underneath it was another vest that was filled with heavy weights. He shrugged it off and it landed heavily onto the ground. Then he took off the weights around his ankles and put his Chuunin vest back on.
"Must better." He said, jumping slightly to test how light his body felt. The three of them stared at him in surprise.
"About time." Gaara said. "Let's go." He tore off and Naruto grinned as he darted after him, wildly increased in speed.
"Catch up if you can." Naruto called over his shoulder with a fox-like grin.
"Hm." Neji responded, following the others.
"Very nice, Dobe." Sasuke smirked as he launched after him.
The blonde shinobi was always full of surprises.
---
A/N: I decided not to write Chouji in because there were an uneven number of people. So Chouji lovers don't kill me..TeeHee! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I loved my SasuNaru moment… Did anyone read chapter 218 yet? So much SasuNaru angst! Since I'm such a dork, I teared up…or maybe it was the lack of sleep.