Rivals or Lovers?

Chapter 4 : First Night

Synopsis : All begin to worry even more due to Naruto's latest outburst, as he remains silent when his rival is nearby. Now that all of Naruto's belongings are at the Uchiha residence, how will the first night be?

Pairings : Sasuke x Naruto (Soon to come I promise)

Other Pairings : Undetermined for now

WARNINGS : Will contain SHONEN-AI, in other words, boy loves boy. If you don't like then don't read.

Oh and Sasuke might be a bit OCC towards the end of this chapter, so sorry in advance!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION :

- Would be good for you reviewers to have read up to Manga Volume 20, since I start the story from there.

- Tsunade is now the 5th Hokage and already is in the village.

- Takes place after Naruto, Sasuke and Jiraiya encountered Uchiha Itachi for the first time in Konoha Village. And when Naruto and Jiraiya brought back Shizume and Tsunade to become the 5th Hokage.

- And Naruto might be a bit OCC at sometimes, since he's kinda depressed so you've been warned.

JAPANESE WORDS

- Baka = Idiot -

- Arigatou = Thank You -

- Naruhodo = I see -

- Iie = No -

- Chikushou = Damn it / Damn -

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-- RECAP ---

--- Inside Naruto's Apartment---

Naruto laid on the ground face first, as he placed each hand beside his face and pushed himself to his side as he no longer had the strength to actually fight back against his rival, when he felt yet another firm grip against his shoulder.

Sasuke had forced Naruto to lay on his back as the Uchiha kept him pinned to the ground, each hands pressed with a great force on each of the blonde's shoulder.

"You bastard get the hell off of ...me ..." Naruto trailed off when he looked into Sasuke's eyes.

Naruto stopped struggling, as his eyes widened as he felt that those Uchiha eyes were stabbing his entire body. Naruto's eyes suddenly went blank as those red and murderous eyes seemed to pierce his very soul, just as Itachi did at that time, when he hurt Sasuke and he was helpless to aid his rival.... His friend...

Sasuke panted ...

His lips moved ...

But Naruto couldn't hear any of it ...

Sasuke shook the boy harder to get a reaction ...

But Naruto remained silent ...

Naruto stared at Sasuke's Sharingan ...

It was the same look...

The same Sharingan...

The same murderous intent...

For that short moment ...

In Naruto's mind ...

Right now ...

Sasuke wasn't Sasuke...

But his older brother...

Itachi ...

Jiraiya finally entered the room, as he rushed over the two boys, and placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke locked eyes with the sennin as he understood that this one wanted him off his only student right now.

Sasuke didn't argue, as he slowly pulled himself off the blond that remained still as his body started to shake a little. Jiraiya kneeled down as he brought Naruto into a sitting position and looked into the boy's eyes.

"What the ....?" Jiraiya let out as his own eyes widened.

Naruto's eyes ...

Naruto's eyes were ...

His eyes showed two emotions ...

Fear and Pain ...

------

"Itachi ..." Naruto mumbled as he turned his head and looked straight into those Sharingan eyes of Sasuke.

Jiraiya looked puzzled at first as what his student mentioned was completely insane, until he noticed Sasuke's Sharingan was still activated. He now understood why Naruto would call out Itachi's name since Sasuke looked very much alike to his older brother, as this must have reminded of the blond of a painful memory that he alone knew.

"Itachi's long gone brat, now snap out of it." Jiraiya ordered his student, as he placed a hand under the boy's chin and forced him to look at his eyes and no longer at the Uchiha who stood only a meter away from their position.

"Demo ... Demo ... De ..." Naruto trailed off, as his eyes rolled and slowly closed, as the boy's body fell backwards.

"Naruto!" Sasuke let out as he finally snapped out of his trance and joined the sennin and the unconscious Naruto.

"Stupid brat ..." Jiraiya let out as he managed to grab the boy in time before his head could hit the floor.

Sasuke kneeled before his unconscious rival, while Jiraiya carefully moved around his student, as he managed to slip an arm under the blonde's back, and the other behind his neck.

"What's wrong with him?" Sasuke demanded an answer, as the sennin paid no attention to the dark haired boy.

"If you're going to stand there, then be useful. Get me some cold water and some towels." Jiraiya ordered the Uchiha as he lifted the blond off the ground and headed towards Naruto's bedroom.

Sasuke was a bit shocked by the sennin's words, but still obeyed, in hopes to get a clear answer later, as he headed out to the bathroom to pick up the items in question.

---- Naruto's Bedroom ----

Jiraiya practically kicked the door open, as he walked towards the bed and slowly laid the blond shinobi over the sheets, while he gently lowered the boy's head on the pillow.

"Here." Sasuke spoke form the bedroom door, as he threw the towels to the sennin.

Jiraiya wasted to time, as he grabbed the towels, and placed them on the nightstand, while his attention turned towards Naruto's right hand. He noticed how the bandages were torn apart and were tainted with the boy's own blood, what surprised the sennin the most, was the fact that Kyubi's chakra had yet manifested itself to heal this wound, and this worried him.

"Get me some bandages." Jiraiya ordered the boy who still stood silently in the doorframe, with his arms crossed.

"..." Sasuke remained silent as he made no effort to move.

"Give me a hand will ya?" Jiraiya asked as he knew the boy wouldn't move unless he said something to get his attention.

Sasuke uncrossed his arms and walked towards the bed, as the sennin stood up and began to leave to bedroom, which caught Sasuke's attention.

"Where are you ..." Sasuke almost asked as the sennin turned around to meet his dark eyes.

"I'm getting the bandages, just try to get him out of those wet clothes, but watch out for his right hand." Jiraiya replied as he left the room.

Sasuke sat on the bed, as he began to lift Naruto's shirt when his eyes noticed the wounded hand. Sasuke simply released the shirt as his attention turned towards the wounded hand.

"What happened to you?" Sasuke asked himself as he closely examined his rival's hand.

Sasuke carefully removed the blood tainted bandages, as he simply tossed them to the ground. Within a minute, the bandages were off, as Sasuke focused on the many cuts and burns his rival had inside his hand.

"I thought I told you to undress him." Jiraiya let out as he stood next to Sasuke.

"How did his hand ..." Sasuke began to ask as the sennin quickly interrupted him.

"Help me get him out of those clothes." Jiraiya ordered the boy as he placed a pot of cold water on the nightstand next to the bed.

For a few seconds, they stared at each other, until Sasuke decided to simply obey and ask questions later. He carefully lifted Naruto's upper body, so Sasuke could slip behind him and hold him straight while the sennin slipped the shirt off the boy.

Then, Jiraiya carefully wiped off the cold rain off Naruto's body, as he then removed his pants, leaving the unconscious boy in boxers. Sasuke looked away, as the sennin did this, Sasuke carefully laid Naruto back down. The sennin quickly covered the boy with the bed sheets, as Sasuke slipped out of bed and now stood besides the sennin, with many questions he wanted to asked once Naruto was taken care of.

---- 15 Minutes Later ----

Naruto had new bandages on his right hand, as Sasuke never left the sennin nor Naruto's side, as his eyes still observed the blond boy.

"Hopefully he'll sleep the entire night this time ..." Jiraiya commented loud enough for Uchiha to hear.

"Meaning?" Sasuke asked with a cold tone of voice.

"Come brat. It's time you and me had a serious talk about what happened." Jiraiya informed the boy as he stood up from Naruto's bed and grabbed the bowl of water, that was now tainted in the color of blood.

"About?" Sasuke asked, unwilling to move from his position.

"About your older brother and tonight." Jiraiya let out before he left the room, in hopes Sasuke would soon follow.

Upon mentioning his older brother, Sasuke felt a little angered, but then he tossed the thought aside, as he could perhaps get the information he wanted out of the sennin instead of his rival, who seemed very much uncooperative lately. And so, Sasuke took one last look behind him, before he exited the room, and closed the door on his way out.

---- Naruto's Kitchen ----

The moment Sasuke left Naruto's room, he noticed how the sennin leaned against the kitchen wall, with a bottle of sake in his hand.

"Sit down." Jiraiya ordered the boy as he pointed out to the chair in front of him.

"I'll stand." Sasuke rejected the sennin's kind offer as he crossed his arms and leaned against the opposite wall, to come face to face with the shinobi.

"I want to know exactly what happened when you came face to face with Itachi" Jiraiya asked with a serious tone.

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*Somewhere ...*

Two dark figures stood under the moonlight, as one seemed to carry a heavy and long sword behind his back, while the other wore a long black trench coat.

"Has the kitsune returned home yet?" The man in the trench coat asked.

"My sources confirmed it. He came back 2 days ago." The shinobi with the sword replied as he looked at the reflection of the moon into the lake.

"Good, This time, that old man won't be able to stop us from taking what we want." The dark haired man let out as he began to walk away.

"As long as I get to kill something along the way, I'll be happy..." The other man spoke as he followed his comrade.

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*Naruto's Apartment*

---- Kitchen ----

Sasuke remained silent as he had no desire to answer this question, but with the persistent stare of the sennin made him feel uncomfortable with each passing minute.

"Listen carefully, ever since Itachi came back to get his hands on Naruto, the brat hasn't acted at all like he usually does. I only arrived after you got your ass kicked by your older brother, so there's a nice 15 minutes where I don't know what happened to Naruto and I need to know." Jiraiya explained with a cold and annoyed tone of voice.

"I only know that when I finally caught up with dobe, that bastard was already there." Sasuke replied coldly as he looked straight into the sennin's eyes.

"So the brat was alone with Itachi for a while..." Jiraiya let out as he brought his hand under his chin and took a thinking pose.

"Now answer my question. What does Itachi want with Naruto?" Sasuke demanded this answer.

"That question, I can't answer, but perhaps this will make you feel better. Itachi wasn't after Naruto for his strength, but for something that only he knows. A secret that only a Uzumaki clan member knows. If you want more information, I advise you to ask the brat, but for now, I'd rather you leave him alone about the question." Jiraiya stated as he stared at the Uchiha boy.

"You can be sure I'll ask him ..." Sasuke informed the sennin as he uncrossed his arms and leaned his head towards the closed door to Naruto's bedroom.

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*Naruto's Bedroom*

Naruto was deep asleep, as his fingers twitched from time to time, while his breathing accelerated. Naruto let out a few mumbles as he moved a little to the left, and then to the right, as though he was struggling a little within his dream.

"Sasuke ..." Naruto let out as he closed both fists.

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*Naruto's Dreams*

Darkness, was all Naruto could see. As the minutes passed, the blond shinobi slowly opened his eyes as a shadow stood before him, as well as bright light blurred his vision.

"Why am I laying on the ground ..." Naruto asked himself as his vision finally cleared up. "That's right! Sasuke and me were fighting that guy!" Naruto finally regained consciousness as he realized Sasuke was the one who stood before him.

Naruto jerked up in a sitting position, one hand on the ground to support his body weight, as the other was directed towards his rival. His eyes then saw that their enemy laid face first on the ground, as he then turned his attention towards Sasuke.

"Sasuke! You ..." Naruto started to congratulate him when this one cut him off.

"Geez ... All you ever do is get in the way ..." Sasuke trailed off with a weak voice.

Naruto's eyes widened as he noticed an amount of blood on the ground, right where Sasuke stood. Sasuke coughed up some more blood as it splattered on the ground, while Naruto's eyes were now filled with worry. Sasuke leaned his head towards his left side to look over his shoulder, as he noticed this strange expression on his rival's face.

"What's ... With that face ... You moron ..." Sasuke asked with a small smile.

"Why...? You saved me ..." Naruto managed to let out still shocked by the boy's actions.

Sasuke recalled the many events they shared together, from their first kiss to when they both reached the top of the trees to then return home.

Sasuke's head fell forward as he closed his eyes for a small moment to then look back up in the sky.

"Pft ... I hated you ..." Sasuke said with a weak voice.

"But ... But... Why ...? Why me ....?" Naruto asked as he now stood on his own two feet.

Sasuke smiled as he didn't reply to the blond, but felt the anger to come.

"I never asked for your help!" Naruto shouted in anger as he clenched his fists.

"I don't know ... My body just moved on it's own ..." Sasuke replied as his body began to fall backwards.

Naruto faced the ground when he noticed Sasuke's shadow being drawn towards him. Naruto looked up as his eyes widened even more to see the great Uchiha fall down. The blond shinobi managed to catch his fallen friend in his arms, as Naruto supported Sasuke's head with his arm.

"That man ... My brother ... I told myself I wouldn't die until I killed him ..." Sasuke trailed off as his eyes were getting darker.

"Sasuke ..." Naruto mumbled as he felt a hand gently touch his cheek.

"Don't die also ..." Sasuke let out before his hand fell on the ground and his eyes closed.

"SASUKE!" Naruto yelled out his rival's name as he wrapped his arms around Sasuke's dead body and tears filled his eyes.

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*Naruto's Bedroom*

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted as he sat in his bed, cold sweat sliding down his face, but still unaware of the tears that his eyes released.

It didn't take long for Sasuke and Jiraiya to practically broke the door down, as Sasuke remained at a certain distance, while Jiraiya rushed to the boy's side. Naruto had his hands on each side of his body as he his eyes focused in front of him, still not aware of his rival and the pervert's presence.

"Naruto. What's wrong?" Jiraiya asked as he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder in hopes to reassure him.

"Ero-sennin? What are you doing here?" Naruto snapped out of his trance as he looked up to meet the gaze of his sensei.

"I came to make sure you wouldn't do something stupid again." Jiraiya let out as Naruto clearly understood what his sensei was referring to.

"Oy dobe? Why are you crying?" Sasuke asked as he leaned against the wall, but his eyes were locked with those of Naruto's.

"Nani? What are you ..." Naruto protested until he felt the warm liquid on his cheeks, as well as his vision was a little blurry.

Naruto raised one of his hands, as his fingers gently touched his right cheek and felt the warm liquid. He retreated his hand so he could see for himself, as he noticed he was indeed crying.

"..." Naruto remained silent as he seemed shocked.

"Listen brat, I want you t start explaining some things and ..." Jiraiya spoke out as Naruto suddenly changed his way of behavior.

"I probably got something in my eye before I went to sleep. And what is that bastard doing in my house?" Naruto interrupted as he pointed to Sasuke.

"You really are an idiot." Sasuke let out as he continued to stare at the blond shinobi.

"Why you ..." Naruto yelled out as he jumped out of bed, but quickly met the law of the gravity as he simply fell on his knees and hands.

The moment his two hands landed on the wooden floor, he jerked up his body in a sitting position, as he leaned backwards, so that his back would rest against the side of his bed, while he held his wounded hand in his other one.

"Itai ..." Naruto let out as he noticed the new bandages.

"We took the liberty of changing those bandages while you were resting." Jiraiya informed the boy as he stood beside him.

"I could have done it myself ..." Naruto let out, a bit angered, as he managed to stand up on his own, by using the bed to support him.

Sasuke stepped forward as he began to approach Naruto, but much to his surprise, the blond shinobi looked away, and avoided any direct eye contact with the Uchiha as it was still fresh in his memory about earlier that evening.

"Sasuke, since you did inform Naruto about where he would live, I'm sure you can return home now ne?" Jiraiya pointed out to the boy as he noticed the tension between them.

"Fine. I'll come by tomorrow morning to show you where to put your stuff once you're actually done packing." Sasuke let out with a small growl as he stared at his rival, before he turned around and prepared to leave.

"Don't bother." Naruto replied with a cold voice, which caught everyone's attention.

"Just don't come here again Sasuke. I already know where you live so no need to rush things. And Jiraiya, just get out of my house too, I don't need a babysitter to watch over me." Naruto informed them as he made his way to a drawer and dressed himself with a new black t-shirt.

"Naruto you can't avoid the subject forever ..." Jiraiya trailed off the moment Naruto's eyes locked with his.

"Both of you out! NOW! Just leave me the hell alone!" Naruto shouted as he pushed the sennin out of his room as Sasuke had already retreated of his own free will.

After he pushed his sensei out, he slammed the door shut, and leaned against it, as he let himself slowly slid down until his butt met the floor.

"Just leave me alone ..." Naruto mumbled a few times, as the sennin had heard those words.

---- Kitchen ----

Sasuke looked at the door as he only desired to knock it down since Naruto's behavior was abnormal, until he felt the hand of the sennin rest upon his shoulder.

"Come, there's still a few things we need to talk about ..." Jiraiya trailed off as he walked away from Naruto's bedroom door and towards the front door to exit the house.

As Jiraiya left, Sasuke approached the door closer as he heard faint mumbles that probably came from his rival, as he heard a part of what the blond tried to say.

"Damn you ... Damn you ... Itachi ..." Naruto mumbled, unaware that Sasuke had heard his wimpers.

"What the hell happened between them?" Sasuke asked himself as he silently stepped away form the door and exited the apartment.

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* Konoha Streets*

Sasuke closed the front door to Naruto's apartment, as his eyes scanned the streets to find the sennin, and try to get some more information out of him.

"Walk with me." Jiraiya said as he appeared behind Sasuke.

"Even better than Kakashi..." Sasuke thought as he decided to go along and play the sennin's game.

"How well do you know the brat?" Jiraiya asked.

"Well enough to know he's an idiot." Sasuke replied without any hesitation .

"Then you do not know him at all ..." Jiraiya trailed off as he continued to walk.

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*Naruto's Apartment*

---- Bedroom ----

Naruto remained on the floor, as he brought his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. He buried his head into his knees, to hide the true tears that wouldn't stop falling from his eyes.

"Why do they all see me only as the damn demon fox!" Naruto repeated over and over again, as he started to shake.

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*Sasuke's House*

Sasuke returned home after his long talk with Jiraiya, as he went straight to his bedroom, and let himself fall on his bed. He found himself staring at the ceiling, as he carefully remembered the words Jiraiya spoke to him.

"Naruto..." Sasuke let out as closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep. ============================================================================ ======================

*Tsunade's Office*

Tsunade decided to call in the night, as she was overly exhausted from all the reading and writing her name on papers she didn't read half the time. Shizume had long left as Tsunade prepared herself to leave as well, until she detected a chakra on the other side of her door.

"Aren't you suppose to watch over the boys?" Tsunade asked as the door slowly opened to reveal the hidden person behind it.

"Hai, it's just that something came up ..." Jiraiya trailed off as he knew Tsunade would glare at him.

"What do you mean?" Tsunade asked carefully as she rested one of her hands on her hip.

"As I suspected, Naruto went training again. He came back later at home, completely exhausted and then Uchiha Sasuke came in to have a discussion about Itachi..." Jiraiya continued as he carefully watched her free hand in case she had the idea to slap him or something.

"I suppose things didn't go too well." Tsunade let out but knew the answer.

"You could say that. Naruto hit a nerve and Sasuke's blood boiled, which brought out his Sharingan. When I came in, Naruto was in shock, I later found out that he probably mistook Sasuke for Itachi." Jiraiya continued his explanation with a worried tone.

"So this confirms that Naruto's not telling us everything that happened ..." Tsunade trailed off as she gave a worried look to the sennin.

"Hai." Jiraiya replied as he leaned against the doorframe.

"What about that Uchiha kid?" Tsunade asked as she remembered that starting tomorrow those two would live under the same roof.

"I think I got through to him ..." Jiraiya let out.

"You think!?" Tsunade repeated a bit angered.

"Well, we'll see if my little talk with the brat helped starting form tomorrow, since Naruto's moving in with him." Jiraiya let out before he vanished form the office.

"I hate it when he does that ..." Tsunade thought as her mind still worried about Naruto.

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*Kakashi's Apartment*

Kakashi sat on his couch, only wearing his black pants and shirt, as his mask remained on his face. In hand, he had the latest edition of Icha Icha Paradise, as he tried to occupy his mind form worrying about Naruto and Sasuke.

"I still can't believe she let Jiraiya be his guardian ..." Kakashi thought as his thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Knock. Knock.

"Come in." Kakashi spoke out loud enough as he heard his door open and then close.

As the figure stepped into the living room, Kakashi wasn't surprised to see this Chuunin coming at his home so late in the night.

"What brings you to my apartment Iruka-sensei?" Kakashi asked as he closed his book and laid it face down on the table next to him.

"I know you're Naruto's sensei now, but I've been worried about him ever since Jiraiya-sama brought him back to Konoha. He's not acting like himself..." Iruka let out as Kakashi pointed the Chuunin to come sit on the couch with him.

"Even I don't have that much information right now ... But what I can tell you is that Naruto and Sasuke are going to live together from now on due to Orochimaru's recent attack on Konoha, as well as Itachi's sudden reappearance to get Kyubi from Naruto." Kakashi informed the Chuunin, as this one decided to remain on his two feet.

"But those two are like cat and dog!" Iruka raised his voice form this outrages information.

"I know, but they'll be watched over carefully." Kakashi reassured the ninja.

"But how can you watch over both of them when you're still Team 7's sensei and you do need to report back to Hokage-sama for the missions details." The Chuunin stated as he still couldn't believe how things were going.

"Well, Tsunade informed me that Jiraiya is now Naruto's main sensei and guardian. It seems that he knows more about the boy than I do, despite the fact I've been with him for 6 months now, when he's only known him for a month..." Kakashi trailed off as he remembered the harsh but true words Tsunade had told him.

"Listen, we don't even really know what happened during the time they were together, so we could always ask Jiraiya-sama tomorrow." Iruka wanted to reassure the Jounin.

"Iie. I just need time to think some things through before I face the team tomorrow." Kakashi let out as he stood up and walked towards his clean kitchen.

"Want some company?" Iruka asked as he knew no ninja would want to be alone after all the information dumped on them.

"In what way would that be ... Iruka-sensei?" Kakashi asked with a playful voice and then smiled back at the Chuunin.

"You should really stop reading those perverted books Kakashi." Iruka replied as he let out a sigh.

"Ah, but those pass time when missions are boring." Kakashi let out as he took out a tea cup.

"I can't seem to sleep since their return, so I hope you wouldn't mind if I stayed here and we could catch up on old memories unless you're going to sleep ..." Iruka said as Kakashi simply turned around to meet the gaze of the Chuunin.

"Do you want tea or coffee?" Kakashi asked as he had a second cup in his hand.

"The same as you." Iruka replied with a smile as he made his way to the kitchen table, as Kakashi prepared their drinks, and began to talk about team 7's exploits.

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*The Next Morning*

---- Sasuke's House ----

Sasuke weakly opened his eyes, as the sun immediately made him blind, since he forgot to close the curtains when he came back home last night. Sasuke then sat up on his bed, as he noticed he didn't even bother to change into his pajamas last night.

"Guess I better take a shower and change my clothes ..." Sasuke told himself as he jumped out of bed, picked out his new clean clothes and off the bathroom he went.

---- 20 Minutes Later ----

Sasuke came out of the bathroom, hair still a little wet, but now had his dirty clothes in his hand, and new ones on him. He simply tossed his dirty pairs in the basket, as he headed out the front door with one thought in mind.

"That idiot better be ready when I get there." Sasuke told himself, as he took one last look in his empty and cold house, before he headed off to the blonde's apartment.

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*Naruto's Apartment*

After 15 minutes of walking, Sasuke finally arrived at the blonde's place, as he prepared to knock on the door, when this one opened on it's on.

"I told you I could've have come by myself at your place." Naruto reminded the Uchiha as he now wore a pair of black pants, his black ninja net shirt, along with a dark orange jacket, unzipped in the front, with long sleeves.

"I'm sure you would have found a way to get your ass lost while coming to my house." Sasuke replied coldly as he noticed Naruto wasn't wearing his headband.

"Whatever. Be useful if you're here. Just grab that bag over there and let's get this over with." Naruto half growled as he opened the door wide enough for Sasuke to step inside.

"Dobe? Where's your headband?" Sasuke asked before he picked up the bag form the floor.

"In my bag. So let's go before we're late to meet Kakashi-sensei." Naruto let out as he walked pass Sasuke and out of the house.

"Why aren't you bringing more?" Sasuke asked a bit puzzled by this cold Naruto.

"It's a temporary stay, so no point for me to bring everything. Now let's go." Naruto repeated as he began to walk down the stairs and into the streets.

"Aren't you even going to lock? People could steal your stuff, not that you have much to steal anyway." Sasuke commented as he stood in front of the door.

Naruto never looked back at his house, as he knew Sasuke didn't mean it in a bad way, but Naruto was use to it now, Locking his door or not, never prevented people to brake in and trash the place.

"Uchiha. Even if I lock the door, they'll still enter, so I don't bother with it anymore." Naruto spoke out loud enough as he simply continued on his way.

"Anymore?" Sasuke repeated to himself as he watched the blond walk away without a care in the world.

Sasuke was now worried since this was not the Naruto he knew, but then again, the old sennin had warned him about his new behavior. Sasuke simply closed the door as he quickly joined Naruto down the streets of Konoha, with many questions in his mind.

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*Sasuke's House*

Both boys arrived at the house, as their trip remained a very silent one, as Naruto never spoke or even looked at his rival.

"Just be sure to not make a mess." Sasuke warned his rival as he opened the door and entered the house.

"Just show me my room, and I'll be out of your way." Naruto coldly replied as Sasuke remained silent and showed Naruto's new room to him.

---- Naruto's New Room ----

Sasuke entered first, as he put the bag on the bed, while Naruto simply tossed his on the ground, but kept a small backpack in hand, as he gently laid it on the bed. He then took out his holster, along with a few kunais and shurikens, and finally he reached in, and got his leaf headband.

"You got your private bathroom at the end on the right, and make sure to keep things clear." Sasuke let out, as he hid his true concerns for his rival.

"Fine, let's get going before we arrive later than Kakashi." Naruto let out as he walked out of his new room and out of the house.

"Kakashi? When did that dobe stopped calling him sensei?" Sasuke asked himself yet another question, as he closed the door behind him, and headed out to the training grounds.

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*Kakashi's Apartment*

That morning, both shinobis had stayed awake, as Kakashi told Iruka of all the comments and weird acts Naruto would pull during simple D Ranked Missions. They shared a few laughs, until it was time for the Chuunin to leave and go work.

"We should do this more often." Iruka said as he prepared to leave the Jounin's apartment.

"I agree." Kakashi replied as the Chuunin left his apartment with a smile.

Kakashi sat on his chair, as he looked at the time to realize, by now Sasuke and Naruto should be at their meeting place, as the usual yelling and insults would soon start, or so he hoped.

"Perhaps I should be less late this morning ..." Kakashi trailed off as he headed for his room to grab his Jounin vest and left his apartment.

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*Training Grounds*

Sakura was already present, as Naruto and Sasuke arrived. Sakura of course waved madly at her all time crush Uchiha sasuke, as Naruto didn't give a damn about the pink haired girl right now.

"Ohayo Sasuke-kun!" Sakura greeted the boy, as this one simply leaned against a tree, closed his eyes and ignored the girl beside him.

Naruto on the other hand, simply sat down on the ground, crossed his arms, and leaned against another tree, while his eyes focused on the sky above him.

Poof.

Kakashi arrived a bit late, but at least not his usual 3 hours late. From the bridge, he jumped down as he greeted all of his students, when the usual yell could be heard, but only one person shouted.

"I couldn't get some to feed my dogs so I had to ..." Kakashi began a new lie as Sakura wasted no time to yell at him.

"LIAR!" Sakura yelled out, as the Jounin then looked over to both boys, to notice no reaction form either of them.

"Well we have a D ranked mission for today, so if you hurry up, you'll have your afternoon off to do as you please." Kakashi explained as he kept a close eye on the blond who didn't show much of his presence to the team.

"Does this involve another missing animal?" Sakura asked as things started to get back to normal, until she noticed Naruto who wasn't acting as his usual self.

"Unfortunately, Miss Asuka lost her cat again..." Kakashi began to explain, when he noticed Naruto stood up, but still showed no interest in the mission or even complain about it.

"Where's the cat?" Naruto asked as he avoided any eye contact with any of them.

"She saw him near the east forest." Kakashi answered him.

"Then let's get it and get this mission done." Naruto told everyone as he started to walk towards that direction Kakashi had pointed out to them.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" Inner Sakura thought as she looked over to Sasuke and then smiled, completely forgetting about Naruto.

"This is unlike him to simply obey and not argue ..." Kakashi thought as he walked in that direction, closely followed by Sasuke and Sakura.

============================================================================ ======================

* East Forest *

---- 2 Hours Later ----

The team had finally managed to locate the cat, as it was stuck up a tree and wouldn't come down no matter what. Team 7 stood at the base of that same three, as Kakashi looked down upon his students, as he still worried about Naruto's sudden cold behavior.

"How are you planning to bring him down?" Kakashi asked.

"Well last time we tried to get him down a tree he nearly scratched Naruto to death." Sakura reminded her sensei, as she looked over to Sasuke, in hopes he would be the one to find a solution.

"Hey stupid cat!" Naruto yelled out as his eyes remained focused on the branch where the cat laid.

"Naruto! If you yell at it like that it will run away!" Sakura informed the blond as this one simply took a step forward towards the tree.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Kakashi asked, a bit worried of what his student might have in mind.

"Get your little ass down here before I kick it down." Naruto threatened the cat as this one simply growled at him.

"Dobe what are you ..." Sasuke spoke but Naruto vanished before them before he could finish his sentence.

Naruto had jumped onto the same branch as the cat, as he crawled his way towards the animal, well aware that this one had an attitude and a need to scratch anything that wasn't his master.

After a few minutes of hearing the cat growl, they heard the sound of something falling down, when they noticed the cat landed painfully on his four paws before their feet, as it prepared to run away.

The cat began to run when three kunais landed before the animal, preventing it from going any further. At that moment, Naruto jumped out of the three, and behind the feline, as he played with a kunai he had in hand and glared at the cat.

"I dare you to try and run away." Naruto spoke to the cat, which earned him the full attention of his team, and mostly Kakashi's.

For a few seconds, the cat growled but eventually gave into the threat and laid down on the grass. Naruto leaned forward as he grabbed his three kunais and placed them back into his holster and then turned back to face his team.

"Mission accomplish. Now take the thing and give it to that lady before he decides to run away again." Naruto informed his sensei, as he began to walk away, until he felt some wind behind his head.

Naruto turned around just in time to see Sakura's fist up close and personal, as she prepared to knock some sense into the boy. Unfortunately for her, Naruto turned around quickly as he stopped her punch with his right hand.

"You shouldn't do that." Naruto let out as he released her fist.

Sakura's eyes widened as she couldn't' believe how Naruto was being more of an idiot than usual. She was about to scold the boy further, when this one fell to his knees and grabbed his right hand into his left.

Sakura and Sasuke lost no time to rush to his side, while Kakashi carefully picked up the cat in his arms, to ensure he wouldn't escape again, as he walked where his students were.

"Are you alright?" Sakura asked as she kneeled beside the boy.

"I'm fine, just tired..." Naruto let out as the pain in his right hand increased a bit.

"It looks like you're low on chakra." Kakashi informed the boy, as he tried to get back up on his feet alone.

"What should we do Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"Sasuke, bring Naruto home and make sure he gets the rest he needs." Kakashi ordered the Uchiha.

"I don't need his help ..." Naruto mumbled as he rose up to his feet.

"That's an order Naruto." Kakashi informed the boy with a dead serious tone.

Naruto cursed as Sasuke approached the boy as he wrapped an arm around the boy's waist, and then took Naruto's left arm behind his neck, as with his free hand, he grabbed on Naruto left hand so the boy wouldn't fall off or anything.

"I can help you Sasuke-kun!" Sakura wanted to join them when she was held back by her sensei. Sakura looked confused as this one simply looked down on her and released his grip.

"We still need to give this cat back Sakura." Kakashi reminded the girl.

"Demo..." Sakura protested but saw the serious look on her sensei.

"Come, Naruto needs his rest anyway." Kakashi let out as he and Sakura headed back to the old lady's house.

============================================================================ ======================

*Sasuke's House*

All the way back to Sasuke's house, Naruto remained silent, as his eyes only looked at the ground and never once at the Uchiha. They finally entered the house as Sasuke transported the blond into his new room, until this one simply pushed himself off his rival.

"I can still walk on my own." Naruto let out as he leaned against the wall for support.

"It's so obvious." Sasuke pointed to the wall, as his anger started to build up again.

"Urousai! Just tell me where I can get some ice." Naruto asked as he started to walk towards the kitchen, until Sasuke grabbed his shoulder and forced him to face him.

"What are you so afraid of!?" Sasuke yelled out as their eyes locked for the first time that day.

"Che..." Naruto let out as he got out of Sasuke's grip and walked towards his room instead.

"Dammit Naruto! What happened?" Sasuke yelled out through the hallway.

Naruto stopped in front of his half open bedroom door, as he slightly turned his head to meet Sasuke's eyes for the second time that day. His eyes were filled with hatred and pain, as the Uchiha boy was a bit shocked by this expression.

"Why would you care?" Naruto asked before he closed the door behind him and was out of his rival's sight.

"Why ... Why would I care?" Sasuke asked himself the same question as he stood there.

---- Naruto's Bedroom ----

Naruto simply threw himself on the bed, as he laid down face first into his pillow, arms and legs spread apart. After a few minutes, he decided to sleep on his left side as he carefully laid his injured hand on the side of his stomach, while the other went under the pillow, where his head now rested.

"Maybe I should try to rest ... After that I can go train again ..." Naruto told himself as he closed his eyes and drifted off to finally get some sleep.

============================================================================ ======================

*Nightfall*

The rest of the afternoon, Sasuke had tormented himself with the many questions he still needed to ask, but he knew that he shouldn't just force the answers out of Naruto, although that would be his usual style.

When the night started to set in, Sasuke decided perhaps he should make something to eat. After all, Naruto still needed to regain both his strength as well as his chakra.

So, Sasuke decided he'll try to get Naruto to eat something, but to make no mistakes, he would ask the blond himself what he would like, but deep down already knew that it would be ramen.

"He should make his own damn food ..." Sasuke debated within himself as he prepared to knock when he heard mumbles from within his rival's room.

Sasuke thought for a moment before he decided to simply walk inside the room. He then noticed Naruto was still in his bed, although all he saw was the blonde's back.

"Oy dobe, what do you want to eat?" Sasuke asked as he crossed his arms and waited for an answer.

After another minute, Sasuke's blood started to boil since the blond paid no attention to him. The dark haired boy decided to walk around the bed so he could come face to face with Naruto. When he finally met the other side, he shook slightly the boy's shoulder until this one's face came visible to Sasuke's eyes.

"What the ...?" Sasuke let out as he removed his hand from the blonde's shoulder.

Sasuke took a step back, as his eyes were focused with Naruto's face. Naruto was sleeping, but what caught the Uchiha off guard was that tears streamed down his face and didn't seem to stop.

"Why? Why am I so weak?" Naruto mumbled in his sleep as tears continued to fall from his eyes.

Sasuke simply observed the boy, not really knowing what he should actually do. He simply kneeled next the bed as his hands moved on their own to gently wipe those warm tears off his red cheeks.

"It's my fault ..." Naruto mumbled again but it seemed to be different this time.

Sasuke carefully observed the blond with a bit of worry, as she gently stroke his blond hair out of the boy's face.

"It's my fault ..." Naruto repeated again.

"What is he talking about?" Sasuke asked himself, as he stopped every movement and stared at him.

"It's my fault ... That Sasuke was hurt ..." Naruto finally finished his sentence, while Sasuke's eyes widened.

TBC???

============================================================================ ======================

Did you know that writing a long chapter with over 8 000 words each time is very LONG!? Damn, I still can't believe I manage to write long chapters despite the numbers of fic I need to update. Plus this chapter was like 8000 words freaken long! Am I going crazy or what?

Also, I think this chapter wasn't the best one I've written though, since I spent two days always changing stuff because it never was enough satisfying for me, so I hope this was the best version. I really worked my butt off for two days to get this chapter out and towards the end I had this unknown inspiration and my fingers simply decided to have a mind of their own!

So here you go, chapter finally out, and I couldn't believe my eyes when I counted the numbers of reviews I got from the last chapter. Me so happy to know people like this fic! So I got like 32 reviews! People keep up those reviews because they make me continue to write and sometimes even faster. Also helps my little mind to create more ideas for upcoming stories and chapters for all stories. Arigatou everyone!

REVIEWS

Foamy and Foolproof : Well you had a little tiny moment at the ending , I know people want fluff and some perverted stuff to happen, but I don't' want to rush it super fast and get OCC characters. Hope you understand! Oh and can't wait for you to update again.

Shadow Eclipse : thanks for reviewing and the compliment. I know that I'm slowly breaking our poor Naruto, but things will soon get better.

Insanechildfanfic : I agree, but I think anyone would of gone depressed after what happened ne?

SilverKnight7 : Thanks for the great compliment. I know some fics are good but a few are like bad in my opinion. Thanks for reviewing too!

ZiHeart : Hope I didn't make you wait too long. I had like this project due on Wednesday so I couldn't write any fics for a whole 3 days, so I'm trying to catch up and update as I can. But those who took priority are those with most reviews. In other words, these two fics ( A New Path and Rivals or Lover? ). Thanks for the compliment too!

Dark Mimiru-Chan : Sasuke just wants answers to why his brother would want Naruto over him, and he didn't mean to act like more of a jerk than he usually does, so I hope this chapter kinda helped everyone notice how Sasuke didn't mean to act like he did.

RedMirage07 : Well this chapters many of the reviewers questions. The serious talk between Sasuke and Jiraiya helped to clear some stuff, and Sasuke begins to show a bit that he cares, hope that helped, although I suppose people didn't expect me to end the chapter like that or anything...

TaggED : Wow, I got a new reviewer, me so happy! I guess you like this fic, so thanks for taking time to review!

Watermelon Gal : Oh my god, I so noticed that mistake now that you talk about it! Stupid me! I can't believe I didn't see it, cuz I usually read through the chapter a few times to make sure I got most mistakes and all. Thanks for pointing it out though, I really appreciate it. Now Itachi hasn't done anything to Naruto ... yet ... But he'll come back in the picture sometimes, but you are good at knowing how my mind works sometimes I wonder how you do that. Naruto's just depressed so things will get better soon, they're suppose to ...

Kuroi Kitsune : Thanks for taking the time to review, and yeah people say it's surprising due that my main language is French from CANADA. I just have some grammar problems, and my word sometimes changes words that it shouldn't, so my main two words that always end up wrong are these two ( since and from ) then tend to be changed like this ( sicne and form ) I'm being more careful about those too. As for the flamer he can kiss my ass for all I care lol. It just sucks to get flame that's all. But then I had all those nice reviews and it made me ignore the bastard and continue. Hope you liked this chapter. And thanks again.

Death Phoenix : I updated as soon as I could and due to school it came a bit later so sorry about that!

:D : well they are really look-a-likes when you watch them fast, so I thought maybe I should make this little scene, but it wasn't suppose to be this soon, but I guess my mind has many ways to think and it turned out good ne?

Lydia*Blessing : Well it started a bit in the end of this chapter, so sorry that it takes long but I don't want to rush things, hope you understand? But things are going to get better now.

Kip : I know, Sasuke's acting a bit like how he would have acted like if that incident on the roof had happened ( which it didn't in this fic ) so things are negative around them, but poor Naruto will get better soon.

IceHeart19 : You see, I don't have a beta reader. I know I have some trouble here and there, but my writing isn't so bad compared to other writers lately. So sorry to disappoint you of not having a beta reader!

Ranoshi_ai : you are so gonna love the future episodes, if you want a great site to read the manga that's up to Volume 24 now, email me, and I'll give you the site so you can be up to date ne? Well I always hated Sakura so I'm one of those Sakura bashers depending on certain fics. Deep down I'm sure Sasuke cares about Naruto, but the fact his brother wanted Naruto over him, made him feel really awful, so hope you liked this chapter! And thanks for the compliment.

PuiChi2 : Gomen if some words were missing, I was rushed for chapter 3 so that's why this chapter took a bit longer, because I read it like 10 times to make sure no words or sentences were missing. And I already know I got some grammar problems but they aren't that bad according to others and compared to other writers out there. Thanks for reviewing.

Moonlight2 : Well I never intended for the chapter to end like that but it sounded different for an ending, so I took pleasure in it. Thanks again.

Rubymoon17 : Yep, right now the two hottest fics I got and update sooner and are my priorities are ( Rivals or Lovers? And A New Path ) since I get more reviews for those, they take priority, so keep up the reviews!

Yuka Sakura : Thanks for the info on Juunin I being Jounin instead. You see when I download the latest episodes of Naruto, well the BAKASAN version writes JUUNIN but if I get the ANBU AONE it's JOUNIN, so my mind was all messed up plus I've seen many write it Juunin on this site too, but I took note and now it's going to be Jounin. And I know I have a few grammar but I don't have a beta reader plus my main language is French, so please understand.

Yasai-Chan : Thanks for the compliment, I try to make things spicy as I can, since Naruto's breaking down and Sasuke just wants some answers from the blond, but too direct isn't helping him so far lol. I have like this special reviewer that always seems to know what's going to happen, so I'm glad you don't really know lol. Hope you liked this chapter!

Trina : Glad you enjoyed this fic, if you need a great site where you can read the recent manga released from Naruto, email me, I got like this kick ass site, with Volume 24 out already.

Nikkler: Yep, as you see, in this chapter Sasuke shows a bit of concern as he and Jiraiya have a serious talk and then throughout the chapter and to the end, we see a bit of Sasuke's nicer side.

Dearest : Yep, I live in Quebec City! It's a nice place and all depending where you live of course. And thanks for reviewing this chapter and I hope you liked this one too.

Arbil : Yep, I've always been good to mess things up between those two and yeah Naruto's going on a mental breakdown, so that makes me really evil ne? As for them living together, I guess that's why I called this chapter First Night, because it's the first night they spend under the same roof, and how Naruto simply shut up when the Uchiha was present. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed it and I hope your writer's block goes away soon cuz I know first hand that those are a major pain in the ass.

Anime Lass : Yep, Sasuke will kinda help him , better than anyone else can anyway, but I'm happy to know people appreciate my fic, so thanks a bunch for taking time to read and review!

Gina Reed : I update as I can, so I hope you review again!

YukaYuka : I'm glad some people add me to their favorites, thank you so much! And I'm sorry for being a meany, but I have to cut the chapters at some point, or else they would be way too long and I for one like long chapters, but too long makes me scroll through it, I think this is about the limit for me, and at least it's not short. Hope you understand.

Unknown : Hey there new comer. Glad you like this fic and hope to hear form you soon.

BlueAngelFire : Well in my opinion, the bad fic I wrote was my first fic of all ( To The Dark Side ) along with ( Return To Me ) because they didn't turn out at all like I wanted them too, so in my opinion those two are bad.

C.M Aeris Queen of Insanity : cool I made someone pout ( grins ) well Naruto will get better soon, so no worries about that, just takes a bit of time and lots of Sasuke ( has an evil grin ... )

Nicki-gurl : it's been a long time since I saw you review any of my stuff. And I know it can be a pain to lose internet for a month, hell I lost it for like a week and it sucked big time! I'm glad you enjoy it so I hope you liked this chapter too although there's not much that happened except in the end.

Phew! Do you know how much time it takes to actually answer to every review!? It took me half an hour lol. Oh well, I don't mind that since it shows that people love this fic. Thanks again!

Next Chapter :

We get to find out about the serious talk between Sasuke and Jiraiya, as we then take a tiny look into Naruto's dream.

For the rest I have no clue right now.

Make sure to read and Review!

And for the last time, I DON'T have a beta reader, and I know I have some grammar problems here and there but give a French speaking girl a break ne?

Thanks anyway!

Until next time!

Ookima