AN: Well… here's chapter four… I apologize for the short chapters. That should be changing from here on out! I am thinking of introducing some new characters… if you guys have any suggestions for who I should use, please tell me. It won't do you much good to send it through email, so just post it on the reviews if you can…. And I have gotten a suggestion for using Gaara-san. I might! I might not. We will see! But for now, here is chapter four!

Chapter Four:

Buried Alive

Naruto wriggled again on the ground, filled with determination. "Sasuke! I'm not gonna let you kill that prick by yourself!" he shouted. Sasuke shoved aside the obscene comment from Naruto and prepared himself for the worst.

"I'll let your little weak friend go if you can defeat me," Kyoru bargained.

"How about I just take him now?" Sasuke asked, without expecting an answer.

"I don't think that's what I said. That won't work. The only way you will get him back is if you come at me as if you wish to kill me."

"Whatever." Sasuke ran at him, tossed a few sharp shurikens in his direction, waiting for Kyoru to dodge them. As he did, Sasuke moved his hands to form quick, distinct seals.

"Katon, Rukku no Jutsu!" Sasuke screamed, and a massive, overpowering flame burst from his lips, consuming Kyoru. Kyoru's screams rang through the air, echoing in Sasuke's ears. The last of the fire leaked from his lips and he paused to breathe, gasping for air. "That took up a lot of chakra," he thought, panting. "I hope Kyoru won't notice that I'm out of energy; that is, if he is alive to notice." The screams had long ceased and the smoke from the fire was clearing away, revealing Kyoru lying on the ground, his body burnt, his skin melted.

Sasuke cringed at the sight. "If you were such a good ninja," he began," why didn't you dodge that?"

There was no response. Sasuke assumed him as dead. He glanced over to see Naruto still tied up, his eyes gazing at Sasuke with appreciation and gratitude. "Wait a second!" he thought to himself quickly. "That rope…"

He ran over to Naruto and picked him up quickly, dashing away to safety by hiding in a bush.

"What are you doing, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, fidgeting in his grasp.

"Hang on a second! And keep your voice down!" Naruto did as he was told. Sasuke laid him down on the ground gently and loomed over him. His hands reached down to untie the rope and he tugged on it. It remained tied still. He bent down close to Naruto, his lips nearly brushing against his cheek.

"Ahh! What are you doing!" Naruto cried, astounded at how close Sasuke was to him. Sasuke's teeth sank into the rope that was tied around his neck and he yanked, but it remained tied.

"I'm trying to get the rope off of you, you moron. What do you think I was doing?"

"I thought you were trying to…" Naruto began, but silenced himself. "Nevermind."

"Kyoru is still alive. If he were dead, the rope would have fallen off of you. He said it was tied with his chakra," Sasuke informed him. "He's around here somewhere."

"How could he survive that fire blasty thing that you shot at him?" Naruto wondered.

"He used a doppleganger in his own place, or the art of replacement. He could have even used Kage Busshin no Jutsu."

"So that body wasn't real?"

"Right," Sasuke answered with a nod.

"He's smart, then!" Naruto cried.

"All ninja would probably have done the same thing." Sasuke sighed deeply. "I don't feel like putting up with him right now. Let's just get off of this mountain."

"Whaaaat? Are you wimping out, Sasuke? Oh man, this is something!"

"Shut up! This could be dangerous!" Naruto glared at him.

"This could be a test that Kakashi-sensei set up for us! You never know!" Naruto reasoned.

"If we see him, we will fight him. He won't keep his chakra focused in keeping that rope tied for too long. He has to have a limit."

They sat in the protection of the bush for hours. The rope remained tied.

After a while, the sun began to set and darkness swam into the sky. Naruto remained quiet for a long while, and to Sasuke's surprise, he fell asleep. His head fell into Sasuke's lap gently and Sasuke began to panic.

"Come on, Naruto!" he thought to himself. "Wake up, you bastard!"

Naruto continued to sleep peacefully, his eyes gently tucked closed and his breathing slow and smooth. "Dang," Sasuke thought to himself. "He's… cute." He paused for a moment. "WHAAAT? What did I just think to myself? What the hell is wrong with me?" he asked himself over and over. "Oh my God, am I falling for him? I'm a guy! That would mean that I'm… gay! Shit! That can't be right!"

He glanced down at Naruto again. "But what's the big deal about being gay?" he wondered, grimacing. "If you really like someone, it doesn't matter, right?" He shrugged and continued to wait for the rope to fall off of Naruto.

He fidgeted in his sleep, groaning quietly. Sasuke reached down and ruffled Naruto's misplaced, blonde hair gently. "It won't hurt if I just…" His thoughts trailed off rather suddenly and he grimaced again. He bent down, his breathing quickening. He could feel Naruto's soft breath tickle his face as he moved even closer. His lips brushed against Naruto's and he turned it into a reluctant kiss, caressing Naruto's lips delicately.

Naruto groaned and Sasuke pulled away from him in fear of being caught. He remained asleep, to Sasuke's relief. "What… what did I just do?" he asked himself. "I didn't… did I just… kiss him?" He shook his head vigorously to clear the thoughts. "I… I was just messed up and delusional from the fight against that one Kyoru guy. It wasn' t anything more." He nodded, trying to approve his thoughts, but couldn't ignore the aching feeling that his heart produced.

The velvety darkness became darker as the night pressed on. "I can't fall asleep if Naruto is still tied by this rope," he whispered. "Kyoru's chakra must be beyond comprehension." The thought made him shudder. Could such a huge chakra exist?

He glanced down at Naruto again. He was still sleeping soundly despite the rope that was binding his body. "How can he always be so careless? Is it fun being care-free or something?" Sasuke wondered to himself, his stomach grumbling.

Then he remembered. The initial reason Naruto was bound up was because he wanted to get water so he could make ramen noodles for Sasuke and himself to eat. If he hadn't gone and looked for water to boil, they wouldn't be in the present situation. "It isn't his fault, though," Sasuke thought, "because I wanted to eat some of the noodles, too."

With the various thoughts swirling through his head, he slowly ended up falling asleep; his eyelids softly tucking closed over his charcoal eyes. His head gently fell down onto his chest and he became dead to the world, Naruto's head lying delicately on his lap still.

The green leaves of the bushes whispered to each other and someone moved through them quickly and as silently as possible, trying to conceal themselves with the uncomfortable darkness. Neither Sasuke or Naruto noticed as they slept peacefully.

"Ground Burying Technique!" they whispered, forming quick and perfect seals with their hands. A white flash of light shot through the air, illuminating the dark sky momentarily. Sasuke screamed as a hand formed out of dirt grabbed him and pulled him underneath the soil.

"So this is what they call a rude awakening, eh?" he asked himself, pissed off. Fragments of disturbed dirt flew into his eyes, blinding him, and a gripping sensation tugged at him. "What the hell?" he wondered. The grasping feeling became sharper and then he realized the dirt was beginning to restrict his body, beginning to crush his bones.

"How am I going to get out of this situation?" he questioned in a panic, wincing with the sharp stabs of relentless pain. "I'd bet that this is Kyoru's doing." He smirked then, figuring a way to get out of the current situation. "He must have underestimated me… again. I can't stand that stupid bastard!"

He formed slow but distinct seals with his restricted arms that were buried underneath the soil. "This ought to fluff his pretty brown hair," he thought, and smirked again. He executed his technique, but it was unnoticeable. That was just how he had planned it.