EPISODE EIGHT: Kisses! Blood!

"I believe we'll reach Kokawa village tomorrow," Kakashi said, stoking the campfire.

"Ah, excellent. I should be just in time to help them design and build their bridge," Tazuna said, smiling. "A week or so of work should put us over the top."

Kakashi glanced towards his students and saw Naruto looking back with a nervous grin of anticipation. He clearly hadn't forgotten what Kakashi had said a few days before. The jounin smiled and said, "Well, then I guess I should assign duties for our stay. Since Tazuna-san is our client, I will guard him personally. Sakura-chan, you look after Inari-kun." Sakura smiled sweetly at the boy, who glared back at her.

"And someone must take the dangerous duty of guarding our foreign guest," Kakashi continued, smiling at Kazuki to make it seem like a joke. The Cloud Nin looked up briefly from polishing his sword—a long, straight design unlike anything Kakashi had seen before—and shrugged. "I think Sasuke should be the one for this duty." The Uchiha did not have a huge reaction, but Kakashi could tell he was fighting back a smile.

"So that leaves Naruto," Kakashi said. "I think he should spend the time doing some training."

"YES!" Naruto shouted. "I'm gonna become the best at tree-climbing!"

"Idiot," someone said in a high voice, and Kakashi almost started to reprimand Sakura before he realized that it was the little kid who had spoken. "Weak people are always killed by strong ones," Inari continued, "those who try to change that fact are just stupid."

"I'm not weak!" Naruto shouted back. "I'll show you... I'm gonna become Hokage some day!"

"You're just going to die," Inari retorted, then clambered out of his grandfather's lap and walked away from the circle of firelight. Kakashi nodded at Sakura, then tilted his head in the boy's direction. She nodded and stood, following the kid into the darkness.

"Ah," Tazuna said, seeing Naruto's red, angry face, "You must forgive Inari-kun. He's had a hard time. His father died just after he was born, and his life since has been cursed with sadness."

"A few years back, Inari developed a fatherly relationship with a fisherman," Tazuna continued as the anger drained from Naruto's expression, "my daughter's second husband. That man's name was Kaiza—a strong, brave man respected by the whole village. But he also died... killed by an evil merchant named Gatou, who tried to put the whole Nation of Waves under his thumb."

"I have heard of this Gatou," Kazuki said, tucking away his polishing rag and sliding the strange sword into its scabbard. "He is a very powerful businessman and criminal."

"Was a very powerful businessman and criminal," Tazuna corrected. "A strong ninja named Zabuza came to our country and killed him for us. We believed we were saved, but things went wrong. This ninja was an even worse man than Gatou, and he gathered other evil ninjas to him. They came through the country, raping and looting, and killed Inari's mother."

Momochi Zabuza, huh? Kakashi thought, I didn't know he'd struck out on his own. "Yet you plan on returning to Wave Country," he commented.

"Well, the feudal lord has a plan to get rid of the evil ninjas already in the country. But I think we will fall victim to a similar plague in the future if we do not found a true Hidden Village of our own. Sadly, our economy is very bad, even though we have much better harbors than Fire Country. I have been working out in the mainland to gather money so that we can complete a bridge between Wave Country and Fire Country. Goods from Fire Country can then cross the bridge and leave by our ports—improving the economy, and allowing us to afford a ninja village of our own. At the very least we would gain enough money to hire Leaf Ninjas to protect us."

"A sound plan," Kazuki said, nodding sagely. "A strong economy will solve many problems."

"But not all," the bridge-builder replied. "Losing Kaiza and his mother has put a lock on Inari's heart. He does not stop frowning except to weep, and he has lost all courage. I fear he will have an unhappy life... and if he loses me, well... I am not a young man. I can only hope that once I have a chance to truly focus my attention on him, things will get better. After this bridge is completed, perhaps I can help him heal."


"You might as well come down and sit like a normal person," Kazuki called, waving his sakazuki in Sasuke's general direction. "The old man will be at work for at least three more hours, and I'm not about to run off... not with this much sake in me, at any rate."

Sasuke shifted his weight slightly as he crouched on the edge of the bar's roof. He'd selected the spot an hour ago because it gave a good view of both the street and the open-air seating area where the foreign ninja had ensconced himself. His well-trained body was not suffering from his long stay in the relatively uncomfortable position, but watching the albino drink was boring duty, no matter how much Kakashi had played it up earlier. Sasuke briefly cursed himself for not being able to put aside his pride long enough to suggest Naruto for the 'dangerous' duty, then glanced at Kazuki again.

"Seriously," the man said, his eyes slightly unfocused, "It can't be any fun just sitting up there. Come on down... have a drink." When Sasuke narrowed his eyes, Kazuki sighed and added, "Not alcohol... have some juice, or whatever it is you Leaf kids drink."

Sasuke shrugged, vaulted lightly from the roof, caromed off a few tables, and landed comfortably in the chair beside Kazuki.

"Not bad," the man said, and drained his sakazuki. "Not that I'd expect any less from an Uchiha," he added with a small belch.

"You know of my family?" Sasuke asked quietly, keeping calm as he tensed to jump away. Sometimes ninjas bore grudges... it wasn't unusual for young genin to be killed by enemies their elder relatives had made.

"Who doesn't?" Kazuki replied, sloshing more sake into his cup. "Byakugan and Sharingan... Hyuuga and Uchiha... Konoha is known throughout the world for the eyes of its two greatest families."

"Really."

"Oh yes... the power of the Sharingan is widely feared. Our own assassin's books include your sensei, Sharingan Kakashi, as a man to be avoided, even though he is not of the Uchiha blood. But, of course, I had no choice."

Sharingan Kakashi? Sasuke thought, fighting hard to suppress any outward signs of his surprise. How did someone outside the clan come to have it?

"Of course, the warriors of the Uchiha are even more feared than he," Kazuki continued, apparently heedless of Sasuke's reaction. "Tell me, do you know your relative Itachi?"

"Yes..." Sasuke replied vaguely, still not sure of Kazuki's intentions. Not that the man could do much while drunk, but Sasuke kept the danger of grudges in mind.

"Now there's a man who changes history," the albino said, taking a deep pull from his sakazuki. "Few missing-nin dare to attract the notice of Konoha these days, and almost none will risk even entering Fire Country, they fear him so much. It's said he's killed hundreds of A- and S-class missing nins... and I can believe it. Three years ago I chased an S-class nin into Fire Country, where he'd set a trap. He slaughtered my team, and I would have joined them if your kinsman hadn't shown up. He killed the bastard in two moves."

Sasuke again had to suppress a reaction, this time fighting down a smile of pride. That's my Ta-chan, he thought, the best ninja in the world.

"So do you know Itachi well?" Kazuki asked.

Sasuke thought for a moment, and decided there wouldn't be any harm in telling the truth. "Actually, he's my brother," he admitted.

"Ah... then your prowess is even less of a surprise," the Cloud nin said, and slurped down some more booze. "I must say, I should like to see it again..."

"What?"

"The Sharingan," Kazuki explained. "It is terrifying, but... beautiful, in its own way. Could you..."

"Ah, well..."

"I understand, it can be dangerous to reveal such a technique to someone who might be an enemy..."

"No, it's not that I don't trust you as a guest..."

"...or perhaps you lack your brother's gift."

Sasuke could not suppress the scowl that imposed itself on his features.

"Ah," Kazuki said, leaning back in his chair, "so I'm right. You don't have the Sharingan."

Sasuke said nothing.

The albino sipped from his sakazuki again and said, "There's no shame in it... not inheriting your family's bloodline talent. I should know." He tried to pour more sake into his cup, but the bottle was apparently empty. He signaled the bartender and continued, "I come from the Ryouken clan... a family not well known outside of Lightning Country. Our bloodline skill allows us to track anyone—and to know all their skills and powers—so long as we have a taste of their blood. It is not a terrifying skill, to be sure, but it has made us very useful to our country over the years."

The bartender arrived and set a new bottle of sake down on the table, snatching away the empty one. He frowned at Sasuke, then sauntered away as Kazuki poured himself a refill. "Sadly," the albino continued, "I never showed any signs of possessing the skill as a child. A year before I made genin, my father disowned me, and I was forced to live off of charity until I became a full ninja."

"That's not very reassuring," Sasuke commented.

"I'm not finished," Kazuki retorted. He swallowed a mouthful of sake and said, "It turned out, however, that I had gained more than I lost. I did not seem to have my family's bloodline skill, true, but I was the first of a new generation... the possessor of a new and unique bloodline skill. And later on, I even developed the ability to use my family's original bloodline talent."

"And did your father then accept you?"

"In a way," Kazuki replied, putting his feet up on the table. "We never resolved all our differences, but we had a kind of reconciliation. I think of him often, and these days I feel he's always with me."

"Ah," Sasuke said. Then he let his curiosity get the better of him, and asked, "So what new skill did you possess?"

Kazuki smiled. "Now that," he said, "would be telling." For just a moment, his eyes locked onto Sasuke's, and then he returned his attention to the sake bottle.

Sasuke, for his part, tried not to shudder. He could not shake the feeling that the albino had just sized him up like a piece of meat. And he knew, without really understanding how, that despite the amount of sake he'd consumed, Kazuki was far from drunk.


Someone was shaking him.

"Jus' 'nother fi' min't's 'Kash'-sensei," Naruto muttered, rolling over to bury his face in his pillow. Instead, his face was suddenly drenched with cold water. Spluttering, he sat up to see that he'd rolled into a patch of dewy grass. Musta slept outside, Naruto thought. It wasn't exactly unusual for him to wake up in the middle of a forest; it happened about once a week back in Konoha, when he'd train long into the dark hours and just wear himself out.

Having someone wake him up, however, was definitely unusual.

"You shouldn't sleep out in the open," an alto voice chided, and Naruto turned towards it to see the most beautiful girl in the world. Naruto drank in the sight of her angular face, thin lips, and long, inky-black hair. She had small breasts—in fact, loose as her clothes were, he couldn't discern their shape at all. She was beautiful, but not too feminine, and that hair... it looked just like Shikamaru's had on that afternoon, after he'd pulled it out of his topknot...

Naruto finally realized that he was staring, and laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "S'all right," he said, "I'm used to wakin' up like this."

"You sleep in the woods all the time?" the newcomer asked, kneeling next to him. "Why?"

"Training!" Naruto explained, smiling. He pointed to his headband and continued, "See? I'm a Konoha ninja!"

"You train until you fall asleep in the woods? Isn't there anyone who looks after you?"

"I look after myself," Naruto replied, his cheeriness fading. Not wanting to talk or think about his orphaned status, he changed the subject. "Why are you out so early, miss?"

The girl smiled and held out a little basket full of newly-picked plants. "I'm gathering medicinal herbs," she explained.

"Oh! Oh! I can help with that!" Naruto said, grinning at the prospect of getting on this beautiful girl's good side.

"Would you?" the girl asked, showing him one of the plants—a single stem with five oval leaves. "I'm looking for a few more of these."

"Okay! I'm gonna do it!" Naruto shouted, then started scouring the clearing for the herbs. It took him only a few minutes to round up about ten of the small plants, which he held out for the girl to take.

"Thank you," she said, smiling demurely. "How much do I owe you for this sort of mission?"

"Oh, it's free," Naruto said, "'cause you're so pretty."

"Well, thank you... er..."

"Naruto! Uzumaki Naruto at your service!"

The girl smiled, then leaned forward and kissed Naruto on the cheek. "You Leaf ninjas are very helpful, Uzumaki Naruto," she noted as Naruto blushed furiously. Her position allowed Naruto a glimpse inside her kimono—where he saw a bare, masculine chest.

"My name is Haku," the 'young woman' said, "and, by the way, I'm a boy."

"I know," Naruto whispered, suddenly feeling hot and a little dizzy, "You're still pretty."

"And you're very sweet," Haku replied, smiling slightly. Turning gracefully, he sauntered out of the clearing, glancing back just before he entered the shadows of the trees. "I hope I meet you again, Uzumaki Naruto," he called.

Naruto tried to reply, but his mouth was too dry despite the morning mist. He could only sit and stare as Haku disappeared beneath the trees.

And that was how Sasuke found him several minutes later.


Sasuke cursed himself for a fool as he strode through the forest, the taste of Sakura's lips still lingering on his own. I should just turn around right now, he thought, nimbly scampering over a large, exposed root. He had no orders to be out here, searching for that dunce in the morning mist. Kakashi had relieved him of 'Kazuki duty' and simply told him to take the day off. And Sakura, her rumpled pajamas unbuttoned just enough to allow a glimpse of her breasts, had clearly wanted to take his good morning kiss further.

But Sasuke had remembered his promise to his sensei and himself to be a good teammate for Naruto, who apparently disliked him so much that he didn't even come to sleep in their shared hotel room anymore. Worried that another team-swap episode was around the corner, and feeling slightly guilty for pissing the guy off—however he'd done that—Sasuke made his apologies and headed for the woods, to Sakura's obvious disappointment.

In a way, though, Sasuke felt relieved that he had an excuse to leave her. Ever since his talk with Kakashi, he'd started to feel that Sakura was moving too fast, pushing towards some goal he didn't understand. He barely had time to recognize and appreciate each new part of herself that she showed him before she hustled him along to the next. In all his life he'd never seen a naked person other than his brother and himself, yet Sakura seemed determined to completely unveil herself for him, sooner rather than later.

It didn't help that he was in uncharted waters. Sasuke had always maintained his cool demeanor by completely understanding whatever situation he was in. Alien, unfamiliar things—like the curve of Sakura's breasts and the soft flesh of her hips—left Sasuke flustered and confused. He didn't know what he was doing, and that made him decidedly uncomfortable. Sasuke enjoyed kissing Sakura, and hugging her, and just being with her—as long as she didn't talk too much—but she just kept pushing things further and further into territory he wasn't sure he wanted to explore. Nonetheless, his body urged him to accept her lead, and though his mind rebelled, it couldn't come up with a good way to tell her to stop.

Sasuke's musings were interrupted as he spotted a girl walking through the forest, carrying a small wicker basket full of herbs. He adjusted his course to intercept hers and came to an abrupt halt barely a foot in front of her. Oddly, the girl did not flinch, merely raising her gaze to meet his.

"Excuse me, miss," Sasuke said, sliding effortlessly into the etiquette his family expected of him, "but have you seen a blonde boy, about my age, in the forest this morning?"

The girl smiled and said, "Why yes I did. Uzumaki Naruto?" Sasuke nodded and the girl continued, "He helped me gather these herbs. Are you a friend of his?"

"Yes, miss," Sasuke replied, "Could you tell me where he is?"

"Unless he's gone already, in a clearing about a hundred yards behind me."

"Thank you, miss," Sasuke said, and started to sidestep the girl, but found to his surprise that she had already moved to the side of the little trail. He blinked, then strode off towards the clearing the girl had indicated. He glanced back after a moment, but the girl had already gone.

Sasuke halted, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. The girl had crossed the trail so fast he hadn't realized it, and now she'd vanished into the forest in just a few seconds. The mist had certainly helped her in that feat, but all the same she was fast... far too fast to just be some future housewife out gathering herbs on a calm morning. And she had definitely run into Naruto.

Sasuke broke into a run. Speed and an uncanny ability to disappear didn't make someone a ninja, but they weren't bad indicators of skill either. It would require an almost absurd string of coincidences, but if she were a ninja, and an enemy, and had some kind of reason to attack this particular team, then Naruto might be in danger.

Not that I'd miss the dunce, Sasuke thought, but I did promise to be a good teammate.

Mere moments later, Sasuke burst into the clearing to find Naruto staring into the distance and wearing a goofy grin. Seeing that idiotic expression on the blonde's face after Sasuke had been almost-sort-of-somewhat worried about him brought the older boy's earlier annoyance back in full force. "What are you staring at, moron?" he asked in an acid voice.

"Nothin'," Naruto replied defensively. Then he seemed to realize who had spoken, jumped to his feet, and shouted, "What the hell are you doin' out here?"

"I'm looking for you, since you're apparently too good to share a hotel room with me."

"Wha?" Naruto asked, openly confused. "Whaddaya mean?"

"You haven't slept in our room for the last three nights. If I didn't think you were too stupid to die, I might be worried about you."

"Oh... hehehe," Naruto said, scratching his head. "Well, I've been training!"

"Training?"

"Yup yup! I climb trees real good now!"

Sasuke snorted, remembering Naruto's pathetic showing the first day Kakashi introduced tree walking. For the blonde, 'real good' might mean anything from scaling a tree entirely to reaching the first branch. Still... he couldn't resist finding out his teammate's capabilities. "Well, why don't you show me?" he said, smirking. "I'll take that tree," he added, pointing out an enormous pine at one end of the clearing.

"And I'll take that one!" Naruto concluded, pointing out an equally tall tree several yards away from the first one.

"Sure you don't want that little oak over there?" Sasuke needled.

"Shut up, bastard!" Naruto shouted. "I'll show you!"

"Well then... go!"

Sasuke cleared his mind and formed the seal of the tiger, then started running. His feet clung to the tree perfectly, the chakra hold just strong enough to keep him in place for the brief moment of contact. Sasuke kept up a blistering pace as he charged up the wide bole, going just slow enough that he didn't crash into any limbs by accident. In less than a minute he reached the top, and looked over to Naruto's tree.

No Naruto.

Sasuke glanced towards the ground, fully expecting to see the blonde rolling on the wet grass and cursing, but Naruto wasn't there, either. Confused, Sasuke peered at the tree, trying fruitlessly to penetrate the thick shield of needles with his gaze.

Finally, after almost three minutes, Naruto emerged at the highest level of the tree, moving along in an odd slouching half-walk, half-jog, with his hands thrust in his pockets. He pulled one hand free, snagged the tree's crown, and said, "Jeez Sasuke, why'd you have to take it so fast?"

The attempt at nonchalance failed—Naruto's voice was shaky, and Sasuke could tell even at this distance that the boy was sweating heavily in the cool morning air. Yet the Uchiha was impressed nonetheless. Not only had Naruto figured out the tree-walking skill in a surprisingly short period of time, he'd also come further along in his mastery of it. Sasuke took the huge tree as fast as he did because he had to. Going any slower on a tree this tall would have definitely overtaxed his ability to manage chakra.

Naruto, it seemed, had outperformed him.

And that just would not do.

"Hurry up and catch your breath, dunce," Sasuke growled. "We're going to race."

"Race?"

"To see who can get to the top of a tree last."


Momochi Zabuza awoke and sat up as he heard a stirring just outside his little cavern. He knew he was either in extreme danger or none at all—only someone friendly to the Ghost Brothers or capable of killing them noiselessly could have penetrated so deep into the cave without alerting him. With a kunai in one hand and the other near his sword, Zabuza watched the door open, relaxing a tiny bit when he saw Haku there carrying a steaming mug of... something.

"Oh good, you're awake!" Haku said, smiling brightly. Seeing the familiar expression on his protégé's face, Zabuza relaxed, returning the kunai to its usual place beside his makeshift bed. "I brought some herb tea," the boy continued, crossing the room and kneeling in front of the former Master of Hidden Wave village.

"Smells like puke," Zabuza noted as he took the mug from Haku's outstretched hands.

"It will replenish your strength," Haku replied. Zabuza shrugged and took a long drink from the mug. The effects were not long in coming; even as he swallowed, the man felt restored. The taste was foul, but Zabuza was used to disregarding unpleasant sensations and emotions. He drank the rest in one long gulp.

"You have performed well," Zabuza said, returning the empty mug to Haku's still-outstretched hands. The younger ninja knelt and laid his head in the man's lap. Almost automatically, Zabuza's hand began stroking the long, black locks of the boy's hair. Haku sighed happily at the treatment, and Zabuza permitted himself a tight grin—his protégé required so little in return for his love and utter loyalty. Zabuza did not waste time wondering about the warm sensation in his chest when he engaged in this little ritual; those kinds of feelings did not merit attention.

"I saw two interesting things today," Haku said, "while I was out gathering the herbs for this tea."

"Oh?"

"The first was a boy—a cute one. I think I'd like to keep him. Can I keep him?"

"Of course," Zabuza replied, "but if he makes trouble, I'll have to kill him."

"He might be helpful," Haku said, "He is a Leaf Ninja, but not a very smart one. We could manipulate him..."

"And you like him."

"Yes."

"We'll see, then."

"I saw another Leaf Ninja, a boy... probably only genin. He was on the same team as my boy."

"Indeed."

"His shirt bore the Uchiha crest."

Zabuza's hand froze in mid-stroke. "You're sure?" he asked. "The Uchiha crest?"

"Positive. I recognize it from the insignia books I used to study back in Hidden Mist."

Zabuza's grin broadened, and turned more malicious. He had lost much to an Uchiha... his village, his dream of challenging Hidden Mist, and nearly his life. Now he would have to flee, selling his services to lowlife scum or to some other, inferior Village Master. He could not get back what he had lost... but he could get revenge. The Uchiha he had faced—that mask could indicate no other family—was too strong to defeat. But this child could suffer for the sins of his relative.

"What good fortune," Zabuza said. "Keep an eye on this team. Inform me when they are vulnerable, and we shall both benefit from this fight. A pet for you, and vengeance for me..."


"Jeez, could you take any longer to get ready?" the blonde grumbled as Sasuke stepped out of the bathroom, carrying a towel and wearing only a pair of faded boxers a few sizes too large for him.

"You're one to talk," Sasuke retorted, drying his hair a little more, "back in Hidden Grass village it took you forever to go to bed."

"Well, I didn't like that hotel," Naruto replied, closing the blinds to block out the sleeping village. Ordinarily, he would have trained until much later than this, but Sasuke had insisted that they train at the same time, and that they spend a 'reasonable' portion of every night in a decent bed. The Uchiha had even somehow gotten Kakashi to go along with the idea—the jounin had taken over Sasuke's 'Kazuki duty' in the evenings, leaving Sakura to watch after the old man and the kid. And the team leader had ordered Naruto to take Sasuke's advice about sleep. Naruto had grumbled, but decided not to risk being banned from training again.

"The mattresses were too comfy," the blonde continued as he turned down the covers and sat on the creaky bed that almost filled their shared hotel room, "I'm more used to ones like this."

"You like sleeping on a mattress that tries to poke you in the back every time you move?"

"Nah," Naruto said, "I hate it... but I'm used to it. Comfy beds freak me out."

Sasuke shook his head and pulled on a t-shirt, also a bit too large for him. The hem of the shirt dislodged the boxers as it fell, sending the underwear to the floor. Though the long shirt kept all of Sasuke's privates hidden, Naruto blushed and studiously stared at a point above Sasuke's shoulder. The taller boy took one step, realized what had happened, and hurriedly pulled the shorts back up, his face showing just the slightest tinge of pink.

"What happened to your regular PJ's, man?" Naruto asked, "Didja piss in 'em?"

"No, dunce," Sasuke snapped, "I just felt like wearing something different."

"Well, can't you at least afford some clothes that fit?"

"These are my brother's," Sasuke explained.

"You wear your brother's clothes to bed?" Naruto asked, "Why? Dontcha have enough of your own?" Since he didn't have a brother, Naruto didn't really know whether this sort of thing was normal. On face, it seemed a little odd. Then again, Naruto thought, if I had a brother, of course I'd let him wear my clothes if he wanted to. He realized that Sasuke hadn't responded to his question, and prompted, "Well?"

Sasuke climbed onto his side of their shared bed, causing the usual chain reaction in the bedsprings. "When I was a little kid," he said after a moment, "Itachi used to help me undress and get ready for bed. He would always have me wear some of his old things... shirts and boxers. They were always loose and soft—great for sleeping in—and since they were just for bed, it didn't matter if they sometimes fell off in the night."

Sasuke sighed and turned out the light, plunging the room into total darkness. "I started wearing my own pajamas a few years ago," he continued, "but sometimes, when I miss my brother, I wear some of his old things to sleep. It makes me feel like he's here again, dressing me for bed."

He must really love his brother a lot, Naruto realized, if he misses him like that just from being on this mission. He wondered how it would feel to really miss someone... to want them nearby so badly you'd wear their old clothes just to remind yourself of them. Oh sure, he cared for Iruka-sensei, but he so rarely got any close interaction with the teacher, it was difficult to miss him. Seeing Iruka was a treat, but not seeing him was... normal.

Being alone was normal.

"Well, aren't you going to make fun of me?" Sasuke asked, his voice tight with embarrassment.

Naruto realized that the pale boy probably regretted telling him something so personal. But he couldn't answer—pretending not to hear, he rolled over, facing away from Sasuke and squeezing his eyes shut to hold the tears in. How can I tease you, he wondered, when I've always wanted to have someone I love enough to miss?


"No fucking luck," Hiroshi said, glaring at the well-trampled mud of the riverbank. "There've been at least a dozen people—and god knows how many animals—walking around here the last few days. Maybe they came out of the stream here, and maybe they didn't; the only thing certain is that they're miles away now."

Itachi swore and spat on the ground. Zabuza and his men had proven unexpectedly hard to track, and the need to desperately seek out each tiny clue had drastically slowed his pursuit. "We'll have to widen the net," he growled, "They can't have gotten out of the country yet, not with Zabuza injured... They're probably lying low somewhere between here and Kokawa. Going south or west would take them near Konoha—something they can't risk. East takes them back to Wave Country, and we would have encountered them. So it's north. Any news from Gai?"

"Nothing since yesterday," Hiroshi said. "His Hyuuga hasn't seen a damn thing."

"Hmm..." Itachi mused, "you know, I remember there's a network of caves just outside of Kokawa. If they made it that far, it would be the perfect place to hide out—far enough underground to avoid the Byakugan, close enough to a town that they could reprovision easily."

"Well then that's probably the place," the older ninja agreed. "Don't suppose you remember exactly where these caves are..."

Itachi shook his head, replying, "There are probably maps in Konoha we could use."

"Bah," Hiroshi retorted, "We'll waste too much time. Better to set up near Kokawa and ambush the bastards when they emerge from their cozy little hideout."

"Kokawa's what... two days away?"

"One and a half, if we push it. But we should save our strength. Whether we make it in one day or two, Zabuza and that kid will probably have mostly recovered. No sense rushing in and getting ourselves killed."

"Then let's go ahead and encamp for the night," Itachi said, glancing towards two of the ANBU nins who were examining another shallow spot a short way upstream. He had sent six of the team members out in two-man groups to scout, but the remaining four and the two medic-nins had stayed with him and Hiroshi. The scout teams could not waste time babysitting a genin, even one with excellent medical talents. And as for Chikako... well, Itachi had his own reasons for keeping her nearby.

Hiroshi nodded and signaled to the team members, one of whom immediately jumped up into one of the trees to assume lookout duty. The other retreated into the forest, returning a moment later with the rest of the group behind him. Itachi turned away as the various ninjas performed their encampment tasks, sitting down at the base of a large oak. He cleared his mind and began to slide into a meditative state.

Before Itachi could sink too deeply into the trance, however, someone shook his shoulder. He turned and glanced up to see Chikako standing next to him. "Someone needs to take the third watch for Hiiro," she said, "He strained his ankle this afternoon. I've repaired all the damage, but unless he rests it tonight the injury may recur."

"Very well," Itachi said, nodding. "I'll have Washimaru take his watch."

"Is there any chance we could stop by a town in the next few days? I've run a little low on bandages."

"In two days we should be at Kokawa."

"All right. The shortage isn't critical, but with rewrapping the minor wounds, and the possibility of major ones when we meet those guys again... well, the supply pack I took just wasn't designed for a mission of this duration."

Itachi nodded ruefully. "Sasuke's probably pissed at me for being gone so long," he said, "I'll bet he's itching to brag about his mission. You wouldn't know it if you saw him around other people, but he can be just about the most exuberant little guy in the village."

Chikako smiled, sitting down next to the ANBU captain. "I've seen flashes of that," she said. "Their first senbon class, one of his classmates made a bad throw and sliced Sasuke's arm. The whole time I was wrapping it, he was telling me how he'd been the only one to hit the center of the target. I can still hear him saying, 'and I hit it two times!'"

"That's almost exactly how he told it to me," Itachi said, grinning.

"I can't figure out why he warmed up to me so much," Chikako admitted, shaking her head. "There wasn't even any gradation to it; the first time we talked, he just started smiling, and after that..."

"It's your eyes," Itachi said, "You have warm eyes... a mother's eyes."

"You think I'm motherly?" Chikako asked, arching an eyebrow and smirking.

"I think..." Itachi trailed off, not entirely sure how to say what he meant. Chikako's smirk faded, and for a moment, he could see those lines in her face again, the etchings of deep sorrow, held at bay by... "I think you are full of love," Itachi said, the words boiling out of him almost as fast as the realization. "That's what Sasuke sensed in you... that you were overflowing with it, just waiting to give it to someone."

"And he wanted my love?"

"Not just him."

Chikako smiled again, leaned towards Itachi, and kissed him briefly on the lips. "You already have it," she whispered.

Itachi smiled in reply and wrapped an arm around her. "Well then," he replied, "I guess being out here has its consolations."

Chikako laughed and leaned her head against Itachi's shoulder. "Don't worry about Sasuke," she said, "He's probably strolling through the trees right now with his sweetheart."

"Then he'll probably have something to ask me about besides training when I get back..."

"I won't give him 'the talk' for you."

Itachi grinned, again, saying, "Come on... please?"

"No!"


That, Sasuke decided, was the most exhausting half-hour stroll I've ever taken. He clung to the top branches of his tree, painfully aware that he had too little energy left to do more than slow his fall should he lose his grip. Grimacing with the effort, he slung his legs over a branch to provide extra support—the sweat trickling down onto his hands was not going to do anything for his hold on the bark.

Naruto grinned at him from an equally high perch in a nearby tree, though he was equally sweaty and had tied his jacket around his waist in an effort to stay cool. His breath misted in the midnight air as he said, "Tied ya."

Sasuke nodded, and replied, "I don't think there's any point in trying to go slower."

"Yeah," Naruto said, shaking his head and sending more than a few drops of water flying away from his blonde locks. "Wanna get faster now," he elaborated after a moment. Both boys leaned against their trees and relaxed for several minutes, recovering their strength after a very slow climb.

Once he felt strong enough to at least descend without killing himself, Sasuke said, "Let's go back."

"Sure," Naruto answered, and started dropping down his tree, bouncing from branch to branch just nimbly enough to keep himself from free-falling. Sasuke followed suit, though he tried to exert more control than Naruto did. The net result ended up being much the same, however, and Sasuke had to grab desperately at one of the low branches when his chakra-enhanced foothold slipped.

Finally, both boys arrived safely at the bottom of their respective trees and promptly collapsed. Staring up into the branches of the tree he'd just climbed, Sasuke felt a strange sense of accomplishment. He'd mastered skills and techniques before... he was familiar with that thrill. But this was something different. This time, he hadn't been taught. It wasn't like when Itachi first instructed him in tree-walking three years ago, or when father had harangued him throughout his first missteps in learning the great fireball technique. He'd figured out how to slow down all by himself.

There had been a little help from Naruto, of course... but it wasn't like the guy had told him what to do. He'd just provided the competition that spurred Sasuke on.

A rustling noise caught Sasuke's attention and he turned his head to see Naruto sitting up and shakily pulling on his jacket. "C'mon jerk," Naruto said, charming as ever. "Let's get back to town before I freeze."

Now that Naruto mentioned it, Sasuke realized that the night air was cold, and getting colder by the minute. He pulled his knees up to his chest and rolled back onto his shoulders, then kicked forward, using the weight of his legs to help him jump to his feet. The sudden change in altitude made him a little dizzy, but he managed to stumble over to where Naruto had just clambered to his feet and was swaying slightly. The two boys managed to avoid falling over again by leaning against each other. Slowly, and somewhat unsteadily, they started back towards Kokawa.

The forest paths were uneven, however, and after a few close calls, a root finally tripped up Naruto enough that both of them tumbled to the ground. Sasuke found himself lying underneath Naruto, with the blonde boy's cheek pressed against his own. "Sorry," the orange-clad genin said. He tried to push himself up, but his shaky arms almost immediately gave way and he thudded back down on Sasuke again, causing a somewhat pained exhalation.

"Just rest a minute," Sasuke suggested once he got his breath back. Naruto's body was very warm, so the cold felt less evil. And though Naruto was pretty heavy, laying underneath him seemed a better destiny than breaking his next fall. Sasuke could have done without the root pressing into his back, but right now he was pretty uncertain about his own strength, and there was no guarantee that the next place they fell down would be any more comfortable.

So Sasuke felt somewhat relieved when Naruto relaxed a little and sighed. The boys rested in companionable silence for several minutes before Naruto said, "You think this really made us stronger?"

"Of course," Sasuke replied, "I can tell my chakra control has improved, and I'll bet my overall reserve of chakra has increased, too."

"I guess you're right," Naruto admitted. "It just... it's not that incredible, is it? To run up a tree? I wish we were learnin' some real techniques... stuff we could use in a fight."

"Like that weird clone skill you use?"

"Or your fireball."

Sasuke smirked, and said, "Well, I guess there's one thing we could do."

"What?"

"Trade," Sasuke explained. "You teach me the clones, and I teach you the fireball. It's not like having Kakashi teach us new things, but we'll be expanding our skills. Deal?"

"Deal," Naruto replied immediately. "And... um... thanks."

"What for?" Sasuke asked. "We're teammates... we're supposed to help each other improve."

A long moment passed in which Naruto didn't say anything, and Sasuke began to fear that he'd somehow insulted the blonde, whose warm body had started to tremble. Then Naruto drew in a ragged breath, and croaked, "We... we should get back." With obvious effort, he pushed himself off of Sasuke, then pulled himself upright with the aid of a tree.

Sasuke got himself up, using Naruto and the tree as aids. He wrapped one arm around the other boy's shoulders, and Naruto wrapped one around Sasuke's chest. Then they set off towards Kokawa, stumbling, exhausted, but somehow keeping their feet as they made their way through the dark forest.

Almost half an hour later, they staggered into their hotel room and collapsed onto the bed without even bothering to turn on the light or take off their clothes. Even with the uncomfortable mattress, Sasuke felt like he might pass out immediately, but Naruto had other ideas.

"Sasuke," the blonde whispered, his breath tickling the larger boy's ear, "I... I lied to you one other time."

"What?" Sasuke asked, wanting to turn his head towards the blonde, but feeling too exhausted to move even that much.

"The very first day we were a team, when we introduced ourselves to Kakashi-sensei. I lied to you... to all of you."

"Really."

"I said I hated waitin' three minutes for instant ramen, but I don't. I kinda like it... the smell, the antisation..."

"Anticipation?"

"Yeah, that. Anyway, I wasn't tellin' the truth."

"It's not a big deal," Sasuke said, trying to fight down a wave of embarrassment as he remembered his own words on that day... words he'd said more because he wanted to antagonize Naruto than because he meant them.

"It's 'cause I didn't trust you guys, y'know." Naruto explained. "I couldn't say what I really hated. I almost did, but I thought... I thought I'd look weak."

"Tell me," Sasuke said, though his curiosity was tempered by a strange sense of foreboding. "Tell me the truth, and I'll forgive you."

Naruto closed his eyes. "I hate... I hate the way everybody in our fuckin' town looks at me. They stare, and they squint, with their cold eyes, and they look away when they realize I've noticed them. Like I've got some kind of disease they could catch." He let out a hollow laugh. "Uzumaki Naruto disease."

"Do I..."

"Nah," Naruto said. "You look at me like you hate me... but it... it's a warm hate... 'cuz you know me. The others just hate me for bein'... alive."

Sasuke blinked, trying to muster some response appropriate for that kind of revelation. Before he could come up with anything, however, Naruto rolled away from him and curled up on another section of the mattress. And though his head had begun to spin with questions, concerns, and possibilities, Sasuke's physical exhaustion proved a more powerful force than mental fascination. Within moments, he was asleep.